bookbashuk Chapter 265 Broadcast
Chapter 265 Broadcast
This official mission involved a transnational route, and given its critical importance and connection to the future of the world, the rulers of the two countries along the route attached great importance to it. The documents sent were pre-stamped with the seals of the Land of Wind and the Land of River to facilitate expedited procedures during their transit.
Those in high positions of power are often prone to overthinking, and at this crucial juncture, Naruto certainly doesn't want his worldwide marking activities to be discovered by the Daimyo. The crisis will inevitably pass; the current unity against a common enemy is merely a facade. Once the crisis is over, nations will only fight to the death for their own interests, and the Flying Thunder God Mark will undoubtedly be used against them.
Therefore, Naruto decided to take a slightly roundabout approach. The entire team first teleported to the border of the Land of Rivers, and then each person left behind a shadow clone to create the illusion of crossing the border. In reality, they had already flown a much greater distance and arrived directly in the heart of the Land of Wind.
"Didn't we follow the northern border last time? When did you leave a mark here?" After figuring out where the group was in the Land of Wind, Sakura asked this puzzling question. She had been calculating whether it would be faster to travel from the northern border to their destination or to cross the Land of Wind, because there was a large desert inside the Land of Wind, which really affected the travel speed.
"The shadow clones we used as bait last time weren't wasted! We've come all this way to the Land of Wind, how could we not leave a mark in the capital?" Naruto's lies came naturally. He could actually fly directly to the western border, or even into the Land of Demons. However, going to the Land of Demons would mean facing off against the members of Hidden Light. The 100-plus kilometers allotted to the Konoha team was a result of careful consideration. Their men were already positioned near the village where the priestess lived, ready to eliminate anyone who tried to intercept her.
Sakura didn't ask any more questions. The team quickly planned their route and started moving forward at full speed.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who had been gathering intelligence in the Land of Rivers for over a month, noticed some subtle changes. It seemed that within just a few days, the suspicious individuals he had spotted on the streets and alleys had all disappeared.
During this month, he certainly didn't just spend money everywhere, indulging in food, drink, and entertainment. He also traveled extensively, venturing into the most remote corners to observe the unusual system in southern Sichuan through the lives of the people there. Experience is indeed an irreplaceable treasure. Even though Hui's grassroots units had been rooted in this land for nearly ten years, their people still couldn't completely hide their outsider status. Moreover, many still carried small habits from their ninja days, making them easy to expose over time.
Jiraiya confirmed that every village he passed through had ninjas stationed there, and towns were even more likely to have them. Without engaging in combat, Jiraiya couldn't assess the strength of these ninjas hidden among the people, but if this was the case throughout southern Sichuan, then this number of ninja forces... while not comparable to the Five Great Nations, was far stronger than a small country. Even the regular army in northern Sichuan might not have that many ninjas.
If the core concept of "Akatsuki" lies in strength, forming elite squads composed of extremely powerful individuals, then "Hikari," whose origins are unknown, represents a qualitative leap achieved through quantity. It is even attempting to forge a completely new path, transforming the survival of half a nation with unimaginable conviction and passion.
He could see through "Akatsuki's" facade to reveal an extremely dangerous ambition. But regarding "Kyou," whose actual control was even stronger than "Akatsuki's," he only saw a warm and passionate belief. In this world, there really was such a group of selfless people, working tirelessly day after day to ensure that ordinary people could live a good life with enough to eat and wear.
Finally, Jiraiya stopped in Wande City, the largest city in southern Sichuan.
This place was clearly very important to "Hui". Upon entering, there were ninjas among the gatekeepers, ninjas among the street vendors, ninjas in the teahouse where storytellers listened, ninjas in the vegetable market, ninjas at the entrance of the government building, and quite a few ninjas inside as well. They were hidden in the crowd, yet not so well hidden. After observing for so long, Jiraiya could easily spot them with a little more attention.
He couldn't quite describe how he felt seeing these ninjas living peacefully with ordinary civilians, especially since many civilians were working alongside them. He had seen far too many looks of rejection, fear, and disdain, and he couldn't imagine how ninjas would live if they were no longer part of the national defense force, yet that world seemed to have become a reality.
"Hey~ Where's Xiaoyao today?"
The only downside to this world was that he had nowhere to draw inspiration; he hadn't even seen a single prostitute, which made Jiraiya a little sad. The sources of inspiration that once gave him such a wealth of ideas were all gone. So Jiraiya chose an inn with a pretty receptionist. Of course, her looks weren't the main reason; this girl was also a ninja. Observing a group is one thing, but observing one person isn't.
"Haha, she had some family matters to attend to and took the day off. If you need anything, just contact me."
"It's nothing, I was just asking casually."
Jiraiya walked upstairs with a smile, but his expression turned cold as soon as he reached the stairwell.
Aside from those holding high-ranking government positions and patrol members, almost all the ninjas he had targeted had vanished from their posts. Surely it couldn't be that "Hui" suddenly had a whim to call a roll, could it? For such a large organization to mobilize, something must be serious, right? Should he ask Tsunade if anything major had happened recently?
His own speculations were useless; what he needed most right now was information. So, he decisively summoned the communication frog to deliver a message to Tsunade. While writing the letter, he noticed a brand-new radio sitting on the table. This wasn't standard equipment in ordinary inns; it was something Jiraiya had specially chosen for the luxurious room to maintain his image of being a rich, naive fool. He had previously considered it just for show; even the Land of Fire didn't have many radio channels, so what could he possibly listen to here?
But as if by some strange twist of fate, his finger landed on the play button, and the radio's default first frequency had sound, emitting a rather rousing melody from the speaker.
This is a style I've never heard of before; it's quite interesting.
Just as Jiraiya thought it was just a music radio station, human voices came from the speakers again.
"Welcome to Beichen Radio, News Summary. It is now 9:00 AM Beichen Time, May 17th. We have a breaking news report. The Stone Statue Legion, which appeared in the heart of the Land of Demons on May 12th, has now advanced into the Land of Wind. Our soldiers are fighting bravely against them, trying to prevent the legion from entering densely populated areas such as towns and villages. At the speed of the legion's advance, it is estimated that it will take another 25 days to reach the border of the Land of Rivers. Hui's supreme leader has found a way to deal with the legion and is personally directing the battle at the front line. Please do not panic. We believe that our soldiers will achieve final victory under Hui's leadership!"