Naruto: I have an attribute panel

Chapter 461 Ghost? What is that?

Star Village, hospital ward.

Night Star spoke calmly, readily agreeing to Firefly's promise. However, as the Star Shadow, he still had his own agenda: "But I wonder what Konoha's plans are for my Star Ninja Village? What do we need to give up, and what will we gain?"

Taiichi sat in the chair that had been prepared for him on the edge of the bed, his posture relaxed: "Lord Hoshikage, you flatter me. Although Konoha and Hoshigakure are not traditional allied villages, they are both members of the ninja world, and it is only right that we help each other. In this incident, Akatsuki is a common enemy, and Konoha also has an investigation mission here, so it is our duty to lend a hand."

He first defined the nature of the action, downplaying the "gratitude" aspect and emphasizing common interests, which made Ye Xing and the other two feel a little relieved.

"Regarding the alliance and subsequent arrangements," Taichi continued, "the Hokage's intention is that Konoha respects the independence and autonomy of Hoshigakure. The alliance is a relationship of equal and mutually supportive allies, not vassalage. Konoha will not interfere in Hoshigakure's internal affairs. As an ally, Konoha can provide assistance in the following areas:"

First, security guarantees. Konoha can sign a joint defense agreement with Hoshigakure. In the event of an external military threat to Hoshigakure, Konoha is obligated to provide necessary support according to the agreement. Simultaneously, Konoha can dispatch a small number of advisors or instructors to help Hoshigakure rebuild its defense system, train ninjas, and improve its overall strength. Of course, these individuals will not interfere in your village's internal affairs.

Secondly, economic and material assistance. Hoshigakure has suffered heavy losses and requires substantial resources for reconstruction. Konoha can provide some low-interest loans or material aid to help your village overcome this difficult time.

At the same time, Konoha can open some trade channels to sell necessities such as food, medicine, and ninja tools to Hoshigakure at relatively preferential prices, and purchase Hoshigakure's special products (such as certain medicinal herbs and minerals) to help your village recover its economy.

Third, medical and educational support. Konoha's medical ninjutsu is renowned, and Hoshigakure has sent personnel to Konoha Hospital for further training. In terms of education, Konoha can also share some basic ninjutsu textbooks and training methods to help your village cultivate the next generation.

Fourth, intelligence sharing. An intelligence exchange mechanism can be established between the two sides to address common enemies such as the Akatsuki that threaten the safety of the ninja world.

With each condition Taiichi mentioned, the eyes of Yexing and the other two lit up a little more. These conditions far exceeded their worst expectations (being swallowed up or harshly exploited), and were even more generous than they had imagined! They covered almost every aspect that Xingren Village urgently needed right now.

Seeing their expressions, Taiichi was also happy.

Except for the last one, the other three benefits seem to be advantageous to the other party, but Konoha will never suffer a loss.

Establish defenses, train ninjas, and enable Konoha to influence the enemy's military strength.

Loans and supplies allow Konoha to control the other party's economy.

Receiving training from Xingnin Village students can influence the next generation of ninjas from that village.

If this goes on for a long time, the Star Village will eventually resemble the Leaf Village, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it "Little Leaf Village".

However, it's clear that Ye Xing and the others aren't thinking that far ahead yet.

because----

"Then—what do we need to give in return?" Ye Xing's voice trembled slightly. He knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Taiichi smiled, his smile sincere: "Allies naturally also need to fulfill their corresponding obligations. First, Hoshigakure must acknowledge this alliance with Konoha, announce it to the public, and, in principle, maintain a consistent stance with Konoha when it comes to major matters in the ninja world."

Secondly, cooperate when Konoha makes reasonable requests (such as assisting in the investigation of a specific mission, providing convenience for travel within the territory, etc.).

Furthermore, Konoha wishes to obtain a copy of the research materials regarding your village's secret techniques, "Peacock Technique" and "Star," for academic research purposes, and promises never to leak them or use them against Star Village.

Finally, in bilateral trade, merchants from Konoha were granted the most favorable treatment.

After listening, Ye Xing fell into deep thought. The first and second points were about political and diplomatic ties and cooperation, which were almost inevitable choices for the currently weak and desperately in need of support Xingren Village.

The third point concerns the village's core secret techniques and treasures, making it the most sensitive. However, Taiichi explicitly stated that it would only be used for "academic research" and would "never be leaked or targeted at Hoshigakure," showing a relatively restrained attitude. Moreover, given Konoha's resources, they might not even be interested in the Peacock Technique; it might truly just be for research purposes.

As for the most favored treatment, Star Ninja Village has already done so, so why worry about that?

Weighing the pros and cons, especially considering the precarious situation of Hoshigakure and the generous aid offered by Konoha, these conditions are perfectly acceptable, and can even be described as "generous".

Summer Star and Firefly Star also looked at Night Star, their eyes filled with questioning and approval. They also felt that this was probably the best outcome the Star Ninja Village could achieve.

After a long while, Ye Xing let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted, and finally nodded in agreement to all the conditions.

After completing the negotiations, Taiyi did not rush to leave. He stayed here temporarily with his apprentice, waiting for the people from Konoha to come and take over, and also temporarily protecting the Star Village, whose strength had fallen to a low point.

This wait lasted for a week, a very relaxing week for Taiyi.

During this period, Taiyi Qian spent most of his time training his three apprentices. Taking advantage of the practical breakthroughs he had made in the previous battles to quell the rebellion, Taiyi systematically solidified their foundation and corrected the details.

On this day, the three little ones were engaged in a fierce battle with the Nine-Tails in the arena, while Taiyi stood on the sidelines, offering occasional pointers.

"Jiang Tai, watch out for the left flank! Can't you see Ya Mei's feint attack?"

"Yami, accelerate your chakra movement by even half a second! On the battlefield, a half-second delay can mean life or death!"

"Itachi, this is your chance! Hesitation will lead to defeat!"

-

Under his command, the three children were kept in a whirlwind of activity, which gradually put the Nine-Tails in a bit of a mess.

The Nine-Tailed Fox whimpered and growled, clearly annoyed by Taiyi's "off-field guidance," and was about to explode—

"Hey——!"

A clear and distinctive eagle cry pierced the sky, interrupting the sparring session.

The four people and the fox looked up at the same time.

They were all too familiar with the cry of the Konoha Communicator Hawk. A message arriving at this critical juncture was usually not good news.

All the onlookers saw was an eagle circling twice in the sky, as if confirming its target, before folding its wings and swooping down like an arrow.

Taiyi stretched out his arm to guide the communication hawk to land, and then took the letter from the hawk's talons.

With just a glance, Taiyi's brows furrowed.

This is really something—they just won't let us have a moment's peace!

Taiichi's expression naturally aroused the curiosity of the others.

What could possibly trouble Taiichi-sensei now?

"Teacher, you look so worried, is something urgent?"

Jiang Tai was the first to lose his composure and asked a question, but his tone sounded somewhat eager to try.

Taiyi glanced at him, then ignored him and looked towards the northwest, where the Land of Demons was located.

"This time—it's really a bit troublesome."

The three little ones looked at each other, completely bewildered. But Nine-Tailed Fox, being a thousand-year-old fox, did have some knowledge. Seeing the direction Taiyi was looking, he immediately made a guess.

"Could it be that something's wrong with the monsters in the Land of Demons?"

The words were spoken vaguely, which confused the three children even more, but Taiyi nodded slightly.

"Teacher, Boss Fox, can you stop playing games?" Jiang Tai scratched his head anxiously. "What is it that's so serious?"

Taiichi glared at the guy and lightly scolded him, "No self-control." Then he explained to them, "The demons sealed in the Land of Demons, the Wraiths, have escaped. The village sent me to investigate. We can't stay here any longer."

As he spoke, he patted Jiang Tai on the head and instructed them, "Wait here for me, I'm going to say goodbye to Yinghuoxing."

Seeing how anxious their teacher was, the three children realized the seriousness of the situation, but they had no idea what the teacher meant by the demon lord.

At this moment, they all turned their attention to the Nine-Tailed Fox beside them, as it seemed that he also knew something about that monster.

It was still Jiang Tai, still with that impatient tone.

"Boss Fox, tell us what this 'wraith' is, and why is even the teacher so anxious?"

Upon hearing this, the Nine-Tailed Fox immediately became smug, finally it was its turn to show off in front of others.

He held his head high and took a few steps back and forth on his four short legs before slowly explaining the story of the demons to the three little ones.

"The demons are ancient monsters, said to be immortal and causing great destruction to the world back then. It is said that they were eventually sealed away by a priestess using a life-sacrificing sealing technique, in what is now the Land of Demons —"

Just as Kurama was explaining the concept of the demon to the three little ones, Taiichi arrived at the Third Hoshikage's hospital room, where, coincidentally, Firefly Star and Summer Star were also present.

Taiyi had just explained his purpose when Xia Rixing interrupted him in surprise.

"What? Lord Taiichi, you're leaving?"

The original plan was for Taichi to leave after the handover personnel from Konoha arrived, which would leave no gaps in Hoshigakure's defenses. However, Taichi was staying there peacefully and then decided to leave ahead of schedule.

"Yes, Lord Taiichi, is there anything we have done wrong in our hospitality?" Ye Xing asked from his sickbed, for the Star Ninja Village could not function without Taiichi's presence.

"That's not the case."

Taiyi looked at the three anxious people present and thought that this matter was not a secret. As high-ranking members of the Star Ninja, they would soon receive the information, so he stopped hiding it.

"Something has happened in the Land of Demons. As your neighbors, you should know about the situation with the demons and monsters."

I just received news from the village that the demons have escaped their seal, and the Land of Demons has asked Konoha for help. The village has sent me to gather information.

"But don't worry, judging by the timeline, the personnel coming to take over will arrive in two days at most, and Hoshigakure will be fine."

Upon hearing that it was a demon that had escaped, Ye Xing and the other two fell silent. They really had no reason to stop Taiyi from doing this.

If the village records are correct, the escape of Kui Ryo was a major event that could endanger the ninja world, something that a small Star Ninja Village could not compare to.

Now they actually think it's better for Taiyi to set off sooner rather than later.

That's what they thought, and that's what they did. The three of them looked at each other, and finally, it was Firefly Star who spoke last: "Since this is such an important matter, then we won't keep you any longer, Taiichi. We hope that Taiichi's journey will be successful and that he can eliminate this great threat to the ninja world."

When Taiyi came out, he found his three disciples again, and they were gathered around the Nine-Tailed Fox listening to something.

But looking at that situation, something just doesn't seem right.

Yamei listened with great interest, her face full of eagerness.

Jiang Tai was trembling all over, clinging tightly to Itachi's arm, looking like he wanted to listen but didn't dare. It was clear that he was terrified.

As for Itachi, his face was full of helplessness, and his body swayed constantly with Jiang Tai's trembling. If he wasn't worried that Jiang Tai would crush the shadow clone, he would definitely use the shadow clone to replace himself.

Taiyi's expression was strange. As he walked closer, he heard the Nine-Tailed Fox's deception in his ears.

"Those wraiths are demons, you know? Demons are even scarier than ghosts—"

"Do you know why he's immortal? Have you ever seen a ghost that can die? —"

As Jiang Tai listened to the Nine-Tailed Fox repeatedly using the words "ghost" and "horror," his trembling intensified.

Taiichi only just realized that Jiang Tai, who was usually so carefree, was actually afraid of ghosts. A ninja was afraid of ghosts, and he wasn't even afraid of Yamei, a girl.

Taiyi approached the three little ones silently from behind. The Nine-Tails did see him, but the "wicked" Nine-Tails remained unmoved and instead spoke more and more terrifyingly.

When the Nine-Tailed Fox exaggeratedly said that the demon would transform into a ghost and infiltrate other people's dreams to attack, the trembling Jiang Tai suddenly felt a cold hand on his shoulder, followed by a chilling sensation that went up to his neck.

Instantly, Jiang Tai's eyes widened, his whole body stiffened, even his trembling briefly disappeared, followed by a deafening scream.

"ah!!!"

Jiang Tai jumped three feet high, directly over the head of the nine-tailed fox. After landing, he couldn't even stand up straight and stumbled forward. He looked back to see what was behind him, his face full of horror.

The scene fell into a deathly silence, broken only by Jiang Tai's continuous screams. Everyone stared at Jiang Tai in astonishment, even Taiyi hadn't expected his reaction to be so exaggerated.

At this moment, Jiang Tai finally realized what was happening. He quickly got up and awkwardly touched the back of his head.

"Um—that—I am a little bit afraid of ghosts." He raised his hand to the crowd, making a small distance between his thumb and forefinger, and said softly, "Just a little bit, you can believe me."

But what greeted him was Taiyi's increasingly serious expression.

"Jiang Tai, you're not just a little scared, you're already affecting your behavior. We're going to face the demons soon, and I need to have a serious talk with you about it."

"Teacher, it's not that serious. I was just startled, that's why I reacted so strongly."

Jiang Tai wanted to argue, but what happened next made him freeze in place again.

Without saying a word, Taiyi formed a Hai seal and slowly closed his eyes.

However, all three present had cultivated the Immortal Mode and achieved some success, so their perception abilities were naturally extraordinary.

The three of them looked at Taiyi's left side at the same time, as if there was something there, and Jiang Tai's body trembled again.

That's right, this is the Spirit Transformation Technique, and Taiyi's soul is currently floating beside his body.

Seeing that the three little ones could all sense him, Taiyi nodded in satisfaction. At least the Sage Mode training hadn't been in vain.

Immediately, he mobilized his chakra, and his spirit gradually emitted a faint light, transforming from an invisible state into a semi-transparent form. The chakra vibrated the air, producing a hollow sound.

"This is the soul. After a person dies, they become what you know as a ghost. In essence, it's not much different from me now."

Taiyi's spirit floated forward and came to Jiang Tai's side, raising his hand to rest on Jiang Tai's shoulder.

"Tell me, how are you feeling now? Are you still scared?"

Needless to say, anyone who isn't blind can see that Jiang is terrified.

He trembled all over, even his jaw started chattering, because he knew that this was the effect of Taiyi's ninjutsu and not a real ghost.

Yami felt sorry for Jiang Tai. It seemed that Teacher Tai was planning to use the most violent means to break Jiang Tai's fear.

That's really—really—really so interesting.

If she had a camera, she would definitely have taken a picture of this scene, and she could use this as leverage to laugh at Jiang Tai for the rest of her life!

"Teacher, I feel much better."

"Oh, really?"

Taiyi's spirit approached Jiang Tai, with most of its spirit clinging to Jiang Tai's body. A chilling aura permeated Jiang Tai's mind as Taiyi drew near, causing him to tremble more and more violently.

Of course, Taiyi's spirit itself wouldn't have this chilling aura, but for Taiyi, who has mastered Ice Release, making the air a little chilly is incredibly easy.

Seeing that Jiang Tai was about to faint, Taiyi knew that he had to proceed gradually and couldn't expect to see results immediately.

Taiyi's spirit returned, and his physical body opened its eyes again, staring at Jiang Tai, whose face was now completely bloodless, and gave him a long and earnest plea.

"Jiang Tai, I'm not afraid of the living. What's there to be afraid of when those who can't even live are dead? It's just a matter of killing them again."

He looked at the three of them, his gaze finally settling on Jiang Tai's face. "The journey to the Land of Demons will be fraught with danger. I will give you special training along the way and try to help you overcome this difficulty before we reach the Land of Demons. You must be prepared."

"No way, teacher!"

Jiang Tai's pale face flushed red in that instant, and she exuded a sense of despair.

In this situation, Yami and Itachi finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs.

Even the nine-tailed fox let out a strange "whimpering" laugh, its four legs flailing in the air as it paddled around.