Night in the Land of Bears, Ninja Village of the Stars.
Two hundred years ago, an extraterrestrial meteor fell within the Land of Bears.
The ninja world was then in a chaotic Warring States period. Almost all ninjas were busy with endless conflict, so no one paid much attention to what was happening in this small country on the western edge of the ninja world.
Furthermore, the Land of Bears was surrounded by the Valley of Hell, filled with poisonous mist, making its survival environment extremely harsh. This made it even less likely to attract the attention of ninjas whose minds were only focused on plunder and slaughter at the time.
Coincidentally, a ninja living in the Land of Bears discovered the peculiar property of the meteor: it could resonate with human chakra. He brought it back.
Over a long period, through the diligent research of this ninja, a wondrous technique never before seen in the ninja world was developed, combining it with the energy emitted by the meteor.
The Peacock Myōhō!
With the divine power of the Peacock Myōhō, this ninja became unrivaled in the Land of Bears, his fame soaring. After gathering a group of followers, he emulated other forces in the ninja world at the time and established the Star Ninja Village, centered around the meteor that had fallen from the sky.
This ninja also pioneered a new path in the ninja world, referring to himself as the Star Kage during the Warring States period. If one were to trace it back, perhaps the title of Hokage, later established by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha for the rulers of Konoha, was inspired by the Star Kage of the Star Ninja Village.
Through two hundred years of time, as various ninja villages were established and their Kage changed generation after generation, the Star Kage of the Star Ninja Village was passed down from the first generation to the third.
The first two Star Kage were powerful but, for unknown reasons, died prematurely. The third Star Kage, though weaker, was the longest-lived among the three.
He had been the Star Kage since he was forty, and now nearly forty years had passed.
Eighty-year-old individuals were quite rare in the ninja world, except for those with exceptional talent or those who mastered certain miraculous secret techniques.
The giant star, supported by an altar resembling an eagle's claw, stood in the center of the Star Ninja Village.
The Third Star Kage, clad in a white Star Kage robe, stood in the village square, watching two children among the many Star Ninjas who were gathered around the star practicing, a flicker of worry in his eyes.
Compared to the first two Star Kage, the Third Star Kage's talent for practicing ninjutsu was not outstanding. Relying on the rapid absorption of energy from the star for his cultivation, he persisted for decades before finally reaching a nearly perfected state of the Peacock Myōhō.
However, the moment the Third Star Kage mastered the Peacock Myōhō, he finally understood the reason for the early deaths of the previous two Star Kage.
The energy emitted by the star, which the ninjas of the Star Ninja Village revered as a sacred stone, would gradually erode the ninja's body as the cultivation of the Peacock Myōhō deepened, ultimately leading to death.
"Being able to rapidly increase strength by borrowing from the star has become a habit for the ninjas in the village."
"If we were to abruptly stop..."
The Third Star Kage sighed inwardly and slowly walked towards the two children who were communicating with the star's power.
"Natsuhi, Hotaru..."
A teenage boy and girl were awakened from their training by the Third Star Kage's call and opened their excited eyes.
"Lord Star Kage!"
"Do you have any instructions?"
Hotaru reluctantly stood up from the ground and bowed slightly to the Third Star Kage, asking respectfully.
The arrival of the Third Star Kage had alerted many children who were practicing, but most of them only glanced casually before immersing themselves once more in the wonderful sensation of drawing power from the star.
Witnessing this situation, the Third Star Kage had to temporarily suppress his urge to advise the children to stop practicing.
"Heh heh, there are no special instructions."
The old man adjusted his Star Kage hat and shook his head gently, speaking casually.
"Hotaru, you and Natsuhi are the most outstanding talents of this generation in the village."
"After formally beginning your practice of the Peacock Myōhō, do you have any special thoughts?"
Hearing the Star Kage mention the question they cared about most, the two children exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously at the Third Star Kage.
Natsuhi, with a look of joy, performed a hand seal. A slightly blurry image of tail feathers immediately appeared behind her.
"Lord Star Kage, look!"
"I can already control the star power within my body to a preliminary extent and use the Peacock Myōhō!"
Hotaru followed suit, forming a hand seal. Two even clearer tail feathers then emerged behind him.
The Third Star Kage's heart sank, but he forced a smile and nodded gently.
"Mm..."
"You two's talent is far superior to mine!"
"However..."
Natsuhi, a naturally observant girl, immediately noticed the Third Star Kage's hesitant demeanor. Seeing the strained smile on his face, Natsuhi asked hesitantly,
"Lord Star Kage, is there something else you wish to say?"
"Or perhaps..."
"Our method of practicing the Peacock Myōhō is incorrect?"
The Third Star Kage hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice.
"If..."
"If the price of successfully practicing the Peacock Myōhō is your life..."
"If your lifespan will be much shorter than that of ninjas who cultivate chakra in the ninja world, what are your thoughts?"
Natsuhi and Hotaru's eyes widened. After a moment of stunned silence, Hotaru playfully winked at the Third Star Kage.
"Lord Star Kage, you're joking again!"
"Everyone in the village knows that you've cultivated the Peacock Myōhō to a very powerful level. Even the Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages might not be your match."
"And you must be at least seventy or eighty years old by now."
"If what you say is true, that practicing the Peacock Myōhō shortens one's life, then you..."
"Heh heh..."
Natsuhi, feeling Hotaru's words were reasonable, was about to agree when she saw the Third Star Kage shake his head with a displeased expression.
"My situation is different from yours!"
The Third Star Kage sighed and continued,
"Your talents far surpass mine from back then. When I was your age, I struggled even to control chakra to communicate with the star's power."
"The reason I've lived this long is probably because my talent was too poor, and the influence of the star's power was slow. It was only recently..."
"After mastering the Peacock Myōhō, I realized how much harm the star's power causes to the human body."
Natsuhi and Hotaru's smiles froze on their faces.
"How... could this be..."
"Isn't the star the foundation of our village?"
"If that's the case, why did the First and Second Star Kage pass down something so harmful?"
"This... this can't possibly be true?"
"Yes! Lord Star Kage!"
"This might just be your speculation. After all, your age..."
Natsuhi, with disbelief in her eyes, chimed in.
The Third Star Kage sighed and slowly shook his head.
"Alas!"
"When the First Star Kage founded the village, he was already an adult. The ninja world was in turmoil at the time, and no one would have cared about the issue of lifespan."
"Even in his final moments, he believed it was the cumulative burden of constant warfare on his body that led to his death in the village."
"But the Second Star Kage was different!"
The old man sighed with a sorrowful expression.
"The Second Star Kage was as gifted as you two. He mastered the Peacock Myōhō in just a few years."
"Later..."
"He also died of illness in the village, just like the First Hokage!"
Natsuhi and Hotaru stood frozen.
If not for the Third Star Kage's words, who would have believed that two Star Kage of the Star Ninja Village did not die in battle but instead succumbed to illness in their beds?
"This..."
The two children looked at each other, seeing disbelief and... reluctance in each other's eyes.
The Third Star Kage observed their expressions and sighed inwardly.
"Forget it!"
The old man waved his hand gently.
"Just consider it the ramblings of an old man!"
"Orochimaru, I really don't know why you came to a place like this!"
"It's full of poisonous mist and so many messy vines. I'm getting annoyed by this stuff."
Kurama ripped off the vines that had wrapped around him and casually threw them to the ground. Where the vines were torn, a milky white sap slowly seeped out. Upon contact with the ground, it quickly blackened a patch of earth, indicating its considerable toxicity.
Orochimaru, enveloped in a green aura of Sage Mode chakra, slowly emerged from the poisonous mist behind Kurama.
"The destination this time is Ryūchi Cave. Coming to the Land of Bears was just a detour."
"It so happens that there's something here that interests me, so I decided to take a look."
Upon hearing that even Orochimaru found it interesting, Kurama's spirits immediately perked up.
"What good stuff?"
Orochimaru gently shook his head.
"It's just something peculiar; it can't really be called 'good stuff'."
"To be precise, that thing is quite harmful to people!"
Kurama shook his head, his curiosity piqued.
"What exactly is it? So mysterious!"
Orochimaru's senses, amplified by Sage Mode, shifted slightly. He replied casually,
"Just a stone that fell from the sky."
"Someone in the Land of Bears used that stone to establish a Star Ninja Village. Relying on the power obtained from that meteor, they developed a technique that allows ninjas to fly into the sky."
Kurama paused for a moment, then asked hesitantly,
"Fly into the sky?"
"Is it the same ability as Ōnoki of the Hidden Stone Village?"
Orochimaru shook his head gently.
"This flying ability has nothing to do with Ōnoki's Super-Weight Reducing Manipulation technique, but..."
"The person ahead has a significant connection to Ōnoki!"
"Kurama, you've encountered an acquaintance."
Kurama glanced at Orochimaru in confusion and then extended his own senses forward.
"Huh?"
"This chakra..."
"Isn't this Son Goku's?"
"Why is he here?"
Orochimaru chuckled softly and walked forward.
"Who knows!"
"Since we've met, shouldn't we go say hello?"
Kurama curled his lip and quickly caught up with Orochimaru.
"Say hello?"
"I think you want to get your hands on the Four-Tails' Lava Release, don't you?"
"I saw through you long ago!"