Not long after, a small group arrived at the River Village.
This place was nothing like Ye Liang had imagined.
He thought that a ninja village in a small country would surely be poor and backward.
But here, not only was the economy thriving, but the environment itself was also incredibly beautiful.
"Mr. Ye, our River Village focuses heavily on trade. We possess great wealth, but because of that, we've neglected to improve our strength. The current generation of young people is even worse." At this, Qianhu let out a heavy sigh.
Ye Liang grunted in acknowledgment.
Focusing on trade was a good sign—it suggested that the rumored National Treasure might actually exist.
They weren't seeing eye to eye.
A group of them strode grandly toward the entrance.
"Who goes there! Don't you know the River Village has been under lockdown lately!"
A tall, lanky ninja from the River Village suddenly leapt from nearby bushes. His gaze was fierce, yet he completely ignored Qianhu.
Qianhu was an old man—the Lord Rivershadow of the River Village.
"Qianhu Nagare! Can't you see Old Man right here!" Qianhu angrily rebuked.
"The Old Man?" The tall and thin man called Qianhu Nagare looked at Qianhu with surprise, then burst into laughter.
"What are you even claiming to be! Lord Kumano An said as long as we perform well, the next Lord Rivershadow will come from among us!"
"Qianhu Nagare! You're out of line! Remember, I am still Lord Kage—while you are nobody!"
"Then let's settle it by strength!"
Just after the man named Qianhu Nagare spoke, several other similarly dressed ninjas leapt from the bushes. They all pulled out shuriken at once, aiming directly at Qianhu.
Ye Liang's mind, however, was filled with doubts.
This Kumano An seemed quite extraordinary to have control over the River Village.
After all, the most powerful person in any village should always be its Kage-level master—but clearly, something wasn't right in this village.
Wasn't the Lord Rivershadow supposed to be in charge?
"Again Kumano An! You bunch better not forget—the true Lord of the River Village is me, not Kumano An!" Qianhu shouted in fury.
The air grew thick with tension.
At this moment, Qianhu Nagare—who had appeared first—was the first to notice Princess Naizi behind Ye Liang.
Her hands were tied, bound behind Ye Liang's back.
"Princess Naizi! You've actually captured her, you old bastard!" Qianhu Nagare exclaimed in shock.
Right now, the River Village was under tight surveillance by enemy spies. Since Qianhu had pretended to defect to the Land of Rivers, Princess Naizi naturally had to appear bound.
Of course, the binding wasn't especially tight.
"You've got sharp eyes, haven't you! This time I personally brought back Princess Naizi—that should clear my name for past mistakes. Let's see what excuse Kumano An can use to remove me from being the Kage anymore!"
Qianhu Nagare's face immediately turned grim.
He truly had a chance of replacing Qianhu—but only if he could find Princess Naizi himself! Now that Qianhu had brought her back, his chance had slipped through his fingers.
With a visibly stiff motion, Qianhu Nagare gestured toward Qianhu.
"Then please, enter, Lord Kage." Delivering Princess Naizi made passage mandatory—it was a direct order from Kumano An!
"Hmph!"
"I'll deal with you later!" Qianhu Nagare shot him a glare.
Ye Liang was actually taken aback.
Though arrogant, Qianhu Nagare had shown flexibility when needed—he must be someone destined for greatness.
After Qianhu Nagare and his men retreated into the bushes, Ye Liang's group entered the River Village.
Ye Liang glanced at Qianhu Men, clearly displeased. "Who exactly is this Kumano An? Why haven't I heard of him before?"
Qianhu Men hadn't mentioned this person at all earlier—it was obvious he'd been withholding information.
"Nothing much. Just that informant I told you about."
An informant?
Ye Liang narrowed his eyes. What kind of spy could not only take over the position but also strip Qianhu Men of his role as Lord Rivershadow?
"You better not be pulling my leg."
"You'll understand once you meet him."
Following behind Qianhu Men, Ye Liang soon arrived at the village's meeting hall. Two guards at the entrance bowed respectfully with clasped hands to Qianhu Men.
"Looks like not everyone's turned their back on the old fool," Ye Liang muttered.
They entered without trouble.
Inside, they were met by a man wearing a light robe. He had yellow hair and appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. Though still a youth, there was an unmistakable aura of authority about him.
"Kumano An, here's the one you wanted—I've brought her back."
Kumano An waved a hand, smiling at Qianhu Men. "Don't be so upset. After all, it was you who originally lost her. Since Father gave you another chance, shouldn't you be grateful?"
"You want me to thank him too?!" Qianhu Men snapped back.
Ignoring him, Kumano An stepped toward Naizi, studying her carefully.
Ye Liang moved aside to give him space.
His mind raced.
From their conversation, it seemed there was yet another figure involved—
Kumano An's father!
That was important!
Ye Liang's eyes flickered.
First of all, Kumano An himself didn't seem especially strong; Ye Liang could sense he was at most an elite jonin.
But why would the Lord Rivershadow—the leader of the entire River Village—be so cautious and submissive toward such a teenage boy? It didn't make sense logically.
Ye Liang speculated that either Kumano An possessed some hidden talent unknown to others, or more likely, he was riding the tiger through powerful connections—most probably due to his father!
A major player indeed!
"Tsk tsk tsk. So it really is this little girl. You've clearly gone through quite a lot lately—you've even gotten thinner."
As Ye Liang was deep in thought, Kumano An suddenly approached Naizi, reaching out to stroke her chin teasingly.
"Don't touch me! Bad guy!"
Naizi flinched in fear, clenching her fists tightly.
"Haha. Our little one actually knows how to be scared. Don't worry, though—if you just tell me where the secret treasure of the River Country is, I promise I won't hurt you."
Kumano An now wore a relaxed smile.
"No way! I will never tell a bad guy like you where the treasure is!"
Kumano An immediately slapped Naizi across the face. "Little brat, can't even recognize respect when it's shown!"
A huge red handprint immediately bloomed across Naizi's face!
"Kumano An! Don't forget yourself. This is the princess of the Land of Rivers!" Qianhu Men roared in anger.
But Kumano An didn't seem to care. "Qianhu Men, know your place! If you dare to act recklessly, our Hidden Mist village can flatten your River Shinobi village anytime!"
"You!"
Qianhu Men was immediately at a loss for words.
"Ah, so that's why!"
While the two were arguing, Ye Liang, who had been watching from the side, suddenly understood everything.
Combining Kumano An's previous words, he got a rough idea of what was going on.
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