Legend has it that during the era of the Sage of Six Paths, the shinobi world was truly peaceful.
There weren't as many conflicts and killings as there are now, precisely because the Sage of Six Paths maintained peace and order.
Perhaps Lord God King could become an existence comparable to the Sage of Six Paths, or even surpass him.
It was certainly possible, as no matter how strong the Sage of Six Paths was, he was an ancient figure from a bygone era.
Times have changed since the past.
Furthermore, he felt that Lord God King might not be much weaker than the legendary Sage of Six Paths.
He might even be stronger, as Lord God King had fought very few times and had never even used his full strength.
It was likely because he simply hadn't encountered a powerful enough opponent.
There was no need for Lord God King to intervene often.
From this perspective, Lord God King was currently unfathomable as well.
He wasn't necessarily inferior to the Sage of Six Paths.
Over the next few days, the four of them headed toward the Land of Earth. After crossing a small forest path, the scenery suddenly transformed.
What was once a lush forest turned into bare, desolate hills as a chill set in.
Without a doubt, crossing this threshold meant they had entered the Land of Earth.
This was quite interesting; Ryōsuke wondered how the people here survived.
Perhaps among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire's geography was truly the best.
It had mountains and the sea, the terrain was relatively flat, and it was mostly covered in vegetation rather than being so desolate.
No wonder every major nation wanted to go to war with the Leaf Village; so that was the reason.
Having such prime territory would naturally invite the jealousy of others.
The other three also looked on with surprise. None of them had been to the Land of Earth before, so this was their first time seeing such a sight.
The Mist Village had never gone to war with the Land of Earth; their conflicts were primarily with the Leaf Village.
And, of course, with the forces on the surrounding islands.
The group continued along a small path for a few hours before fortunately encountering a local traveler.
After asking for directions, they soon found a small town.
They found a restaurant and sat down, intending to take a break.
They ordered some local specialties of the Land of Earth and enjoyed a hearty meal.
It was actually quite good.
After eating his fill, Ryōsuke looked at Zabuza.
"Zabuza, from here on, you'll be the one to search for the two Jinchūriki of the Stone Village. I'm not sure if they're out in the field or inside the village, so we'll split up."
"I'll head to the Stone Village, and you'll be responsible for searching other areas."
"The Five-Tails Jinchūriki is a tall man wearing a bamboo hat, a red mask over his mouth, and red armor over his body."
"The Four-Tails Jinchūriki wears purple clothes and a breastplate, with his hair tied in small bunches like a ponytail and a large beard."
"With two people as distinctive as these, I'm sure you'll be able to find some clues."
Collecting the Tailed Beasts this time would be a bit more difficult since their exact locations were unknown, meaning the search would take longer.
Thus, he could only let Zabuza gather intelligence; he had considerable confidence in Zabuza's efficiency.
As a Mist Jōnin specializing in assassination, he was bound to be skilled at investigation.
Zabuza clearly memorized the physical characteristics Lord God King described for the two Jinchūriki.
They were indeed two very recognizable individuals.
One wore red armor and a red mask.
The other had purple clothes, a breastplate, and hair tied in small bunches.
"Understood, Lord God King."
Before he could even finish his sentence, his eyes widened.
He saw a ninja push open the door and enter—a tall man wearing a red mask and red armor.
The man's height was even greater than his own.
He couldn't help but whisper.
"Lord God King, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki you just mentioned seems to have walked into this very restaurant."
Ryōsuke looked back, and it was indeed him.
His luck was surprisingly good; they had just arrived in the Land of Earth and had already encountered one of the Jinchūriki, who had even delivered himself to them.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to act.
This was a restaurant in a small town; he would wait until the man left.
Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, naturally noticed the four people looking at him.
Three individuals in black robes with red clouds, wearing masks.
He immediately thought of the rumors.
'Red clouds on black robes... Uchiha Madara.'
'How interesting; they've actually come to the Land of Earth.'
'Could they be after me?'
Even if Uchiha Madara was strong, he didn't have any thoughts of running away. On the contrary, he was very confident.
His Taijutsu was incredibly powerful. If the other party really attacked him, he actually wanted to test his mettle against them.
But after waiting for a moment, he found that they simply turned back and sat down. He felt a bit confused but didn't take the initiative to attack.
Since the other party didn't move, he naturally didn't want to go looking for trouble either.
He proceeded to order food from the owner and enjoyed a hearty meal.
Of course, while eating, he remained alert. If the other party launched a sudden attack, he would be able to respond.
But they still didn't move.
'It seems I guessed wrong; they didn't come here to target me.'
Zabuza also stopped paying attention to him.
'Since Lord God King hasn't moved, there's no need for me to act. The target won't be able to escape anyway.'
Although he was powerless against such a monster, Lord God King could easily take him down.
A short while later, Han finished his meal and prepared to leave the town.
After leaving the Stone Village, he had been living a wandering life.
This was just a small town he happened to be passing through.
Seeing this, Ryōsuke paid for the meal and followed him directly.
The other three followed as well.
They walked all the way out of the village and continued for a long distance on foot.
Han, who was walking in front, stopped in his tracks.
He understood that these guys were indeed coming for him.
"So you did follow me, you who claim to be Uchiha Madara."
"Are you planning to make a move on me?"
Ryōsuke was also a little surprised.
"Since you knew it was us, you didn't even run and even ate your meal so calmly. Interesting."
Han, however, burst into laughter.
"You actually think I would run? It seems you don't know the power of the Steam Ninja."
Ryōsuke pondered the other's title.
'I haven't really heard of it, so it must be an obscure figure.'
"I haven't really heard of it."
"You must be a rather mediocre ninja then."
Hearing this, Han's eyes narrowed.
"You really are incredibly arrogant."
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