Chapter 048: Land of Lightning

The gap between a genin and a chunin includes not only the amount of chakra but also combat skills, fighting experience, and so on.

Of course, it also includes trump cards.

If the trump card is strong enough, a genin killing a chunin, or a chunin killing a jonin, is not a problem.

Of course, these are all special cases.

The chunin Wang Bo refers to are the standard type: their strength, experience, and chakra surpass ordinary genin but fall short of ordinary jonin.

Not those chunin whose strength is already on par with jonin but who are delayed in promotion due to insufficient missions or merit.

After all, Wang Bo had only been in this world for about two years.

The best among these kids had gone from nothing to matching some ordinary chunin—that was already genius enough.

Wang Bo felt very gratified.

He stayed at the base for about a month, got familiar with the new kids, and then set off for another great nation... the Land of Lightning.

But on the way to the Land of Lightning, Wang Bo visited several small countries, such as the Land of Frost and the Land of Rice Fields.

The Land of Frost was the battlefield of the Fourth Great Ninja War, located north of the Land of Fire. It had its own ninja village, with a forehead protector pattern of five rings.

But since it was called the Land of Frost, it was clear the climate was cold. Though not as snowy as the Land of Snow, it was still very cold.

The hotpot restaurant Wang Bo opened here was very popular, and he made a lot of money.

After signing a contract with the ninja of the Land of Frost, he left and headed for the Land of Rice Fields.

The Land of Rice Fields was a small country that originally had no ninja village.

However, after Orochimaru defected from Konoha, he went into hiding in this country and established the Sound Ninja Village.

Although Wang Bo knew this clearly, he was just a merchant. He acted as if he knew nothing, following the standard procedure: first open a hotpot restaurant, then use the profits to sign a contract with the Sound Ninja Village.

In the world of Naruto, Orochimaru was definitely a powerhouse who mastered core technology.

But scientists all have one problem.

They are short of money.

After all, Orochimaru built bases everywhere and purchased equipment—all of which cost money. Though he was a Kage-level powerhouse, he was no exception when it came to being short of funds.

Therefore, faced with a merchant like Wang Bo, Orochimaru received him warmly.

Of course, not with his original face, but with a woman's face.

For the sake of immortality, Orochimaru didn't mind switching to a woman's body. Although he was a ninja, his heart had long become twisted.

After the two happily signed the contract, Wang Bo paid a large sum, left the Land of Rice Fields, and continued on.

After passing through several more small countries, Wang Bo finally arrived at the Land of Lightning.

By then, half a year had passed since he left Konoha.

The Land of Lightning got its name from its towering peaks, where thunder roared deafeningly. The rivers in the central mountains created a winding coastline at the estuary.

Moreover, there were many hot spring areas in the country, making it a good tourist destination.

Therefore, the Land of Lightning's finances and strength were second only to the Land of Fire, surpassing the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and even the Land of Water.

The ninja village of this country was not called the Lightning Hidden Village but the Cloud Hidden Village. Yet their leader was not called the Cloud Shadow but the Raikage, which fit the characteristics of the ninja world.

For example, the ninja village of the Land of Fire was not called the Fire Hidden Village but the Leaf Hidden Village, and the leader was not called the Wood Shadow but the Hokage.

The ninja village of the Land of Earth was not called the Earth Hidden Village but the Rock Hidden Village, and the leader was not called the Rock Shadow but the Tsuchikage.

The ninja village of the Land of Water was not called the Water Hidden Village but the Mist Hidden Village, and the leader was not called the Mist Shadow but the Mizukage.

The ninja village of the Land of Wind was not called the Wind Hidden Village but the Sand Hidden Village, and the leader was not called the Sand Shadow but the Kazekage.

See, this is the unique flavor of the ninja world.

This naming method was enough to drive obsessive-compulsive people crazy. No matter how others saw it, Wang Bo found it more and more awkward.

This probably had to do with Wang Bo's mild obsessive-compulsive disorder.

After entering the Land of Lightning, Wang Bo still followed the procedure: used funds to open shops everywhere, then went to the Cloud Hidden Village to sign a contract with the Raikage.

Wang Bo's reputation had already spread throughout the ninja world. The Raikage knew about Wang Bo's money-splashing behavior and, like Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi, received him warmly.

After all, Wang Bo was there to give away money.

As long as the Raikage wasn't an idiot, he wouldn't put on a cold face. And although the Raikage A was a bit reckless, he was indeed not an idiot; he treated Wang Bo with great enthusiasm.

Wang Bo didn't stand on ceremony. The moment he met the Raikage, he got straight to the point and proposed the contract.

The Raikage A naturally agreed wholeheartedly. The two quickly drafted the first agreement, but they had a disagreement over the price.

The Raikage offered a high price of forty-five million ryo, which Wang Bo flatly refused.

This made the Raikage very displeased. His expression turned fierce as he looked at Wang Bo. "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Igarashi, the price you signed with Konoha should be this figure, right?"

Wang Bo was slightly surprised, then nodded. "That's right. Although I don't know how you got that figure, I admit that the contract I signed with Konoha was indeed for that amount."

The Raikage A said, "In that case, why does Mr. Igarashi refuse this figure? Do you really think my Cloud Hidden Village is inferior to Konoha?"

"That's not it." Facing the increasingly fierce Raikage, Wang Bo argued his case. "I opened a total of three hundred and sixty shops in the Land of Fire, and Konoha had to provide three hundred and sixty genin to help guard them. But I opened two hundred and forty shops in the Land of Lightning, so Cloud Hidden Village needs to dispatch two hundred and forty ninjas."

Having said that, Wang Bo took a sip of water and said calmly, "If I hire over three hundred ninjas, I pay forty-five million ryo. But there's no reason to pay the same price for hiring over two hundred ninjas, is there?"

The Raikage A narrowed his eyes and said, "Fine, I can give up five million. Forty million ryo. That should be acceptable, right?"

Wang Bo shook his head and said, "Too much. I think thirty million ryo is enough."

"No, absolutely not." The Raikage refused bluntly.

Only a fool would agree to that figure. As the Raikage, he had to consider his own ninjas.

So he argued with Wang Bo. After some bargaining, they finally settled on thirty-five million ryo.

Both parties signed their names on the contract, with no breach allowed.

Wang Bo originally wanted to sign for several years, but the reckless Raikage unsurprisingly refused. That guy was far from as honest as he appeared on the surface; he was also a cunning fellow.

The reckless exterior was just a facade.