Naruto: Eating Kaido's Azure Dragon Devil Fruit-Chapter 349: Ryūgakure

Ascension Island.

The underground laboratory.

Nonō, Kurenai, and the others gathered around.

"These two children are..." Nonō looked at the two kids in tattered clothes, a maternal instinct bringing a look of pity to her eyes.

"Kaguya Kimimaro, Haku." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Sora introduced them simply: "From now on, they are also part of our family."

He gently patted both children on the back, signaling that they didn’t need to be afraid.

Then, he introduced Nonō and the others one by one.

Kimimaro, his small face tense, gave a slight bow to everyone.

"I-I’m pleased to meet you. I am Kaguya Kimimaro."

Haku, hiding behind Sora, spoke in a small voice.

"I... my name is Haku... please treat me well."

Kurenai, Yumi, and Ayumi, seeing two children who had clearly suffered a lot, immediately felt their hearts soften and hurriedly showed warm smiles to reassure them.

Nonō, in particular, crouched down and said softly, "Welcome home, Kimimaro, Haku. There’s no need to be afraid here; no one will hurt you."

Seeing Haku’s thin, worn-out clothes and the marks of shackles on Kimimaro’s wrists and ankles, a flicker of distress crossed her eyes. She stood up and said to Sora, "I’ll take them to have a warm bath first, change into some clean clothes, and then prepare some food."

"Mm, thank you, Sister."

Sora nodded.

Watching Nonō gently lead away Haku, who kept looking back with every step, and Kimimaro, who was trying to act composed but whose eyes had slightly relaxed, Sora sighed softly in his heart.

He knew that deep down, Nonō didn’t really like the atmosphere of this underground laboratory.

She longed more for the sun, for being with children, just like in the past at that small but warm orphanage in Konoha.

For him to keep her confined here, handling these bloody and dark experimental data... it was really...

"Sister."

Sora called out to Nonō just as she was about to leave.

Nonō turned back, looking at him with confusion.

Sora looked into her eyes, always so full of warmth and understanding, and spoke with a hint of apology: "I’m sorry for making you stay here all this time, handling these..."

Nonō was momentarily stunned, then understanding his meaning, she smiled gently and interrupted him.

"Sora, we are family."

"Between family, there’s no need to say things like that, and besides..."

Her gaze became resolute: "I also want to do my part, to help Min... come back sooner."

The name Uesugi Min brought a moment of silence to the atmosphere.

Sora nodded firmly.

"I promise, I will definitely bring her back."

Nonō smiled and said no more, leading the two children away from the hall.

After they left, Sora looked at the others present, his expression turning serious.

"I have something to announce."

"I’ve decided to establish a shinobi village of our own."

Hearing this, everyone showed shocked expressions.

Establish a shinobi village?

That was no small matter!

The Five Great Shinobi Villages had stood tall in the ninja world for many years, with deep foundations.

Establishing a small village often meant immense resource investment and unimaginable risks.

"The location will be in the Land of Whirlpools, at the site of the former Uzushio Village."

Sora continued: "We need a reliable person to take charge of the initial construction and daily management."

Sora’s gaze shifted from the direction Nonō had gone to Miyamoto Ichirō, who stood by silently but had a resolute look in his eyes.

Ichirō was one year older than Sora. Though he had no talent as a ninja, he possessed considerable skill in management and organization, with a steady and reliable personality.

"Ichirō, Sister,"

Sora began, "here in the lab, Kabuto can already handle most affairs independently. I hope you two can leave here temporarily and go to the Land of Whirlpools to take charge of the village’s establishment and management."

Ichirō didn’t hesitate, responding in a deep voice, "Alright. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it."

At that moment, Nonō, having settled Kimimaro and Haku, returned.

Hearing Sora’s arrangement, she looked at Kabuto, whose abilities were growing increasingly impressive, and a glint of relief flashed in her eyes.

Being able to leave the underground, to work and live under the sun, and to care for children like Kimimaro and Haku—this suited her perfectly.

"I have no problem with it, Sora."

Nonō said with a gentle smile. "I’ll take good care of the logistics and the children. And if Kabuto needs anything here, he can always call on me."

"Good."

Sora felt a sense of certainty. "I’ll handle the initial infrastructure."

...

A few days later, at the site of the former Uzumaki Village on the main island of the Land of Whirlpools.

Sora stood on a high ground, overlooking the scarred land.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

He formed hand signs and slammed his palms onto the ground.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The White Snake Sage, along with the three snake sisters who remained after Tagitsuhime’s departure—Kōjinja, Ichikishimahime, and Hagoromogi—as well as the colossal Manda and Aoda, appeared one after another.

Kinja hadn’t come; his temperament was too violent and only suited for the battlefield.

"Master."

The White Snake Sage bowed her head respectfully.

Sora pointed at the vast area before him.

"White Snake, I need you to establish the basic framework of a shinobi village here. Residential areas, training grounds, defensive structures—just the most fundamental layout."

"As you command, Master."

The White Snake Sage hissed, her massive serpentine body twisting as she began to direct the operation.

For a time, the scene became incredibly spectacular.

Countless summoned snakes of all sizes, under the control of the White Snake Sage and the three snake sisters, worked like the most efficient construction crew.

They flattened the ground with their bodies, cleared rubble with their tails, and softened giant boulders with their venom to shape them...

Manda and Aoda, relying on their terrifying brute strength, were responsible for moving the enormous stone materials that required immense force or simply smashing through obstructive hills.

Watching this bustling "snake-led infrastructure," Sora couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

’When it comes to construction, Wood Style is still the fastest and most convenient.’

’Yamato, that guy, hasn’t been heard from since the Valley of the End. Probably, just like in the original, he was secretly taken in by Hiruzen Sarutobi.’

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Thanks to the tireless work of the White Snake Sage and the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, expending their chakra like mad, the outline of a shinobi village had appeared!

Though it was far from bustling, the neat stone houses, the wide and level training grounds, and the initially built walls and watchtowers already possessed the most basic functions of a shinobi village.

Standing at the village entrance, Sora looked at this brand new cluster of buildings, a surge of pride welling up in his heart.

This was his very own foundation!

"Manda, bring that stone over."

Sora pointed to a nearby giant blue stone, ten meters high.

Manda let out a low growl, wrapped his tail around the massive rock, and with a thunderous crash, set it firmly in the most conspicuous spot at the village entrance.

Sora took a deep breath, his right arm transforming into a fierce, azure dragon’s claw.

He leaped into the air, his strokes flowing like a dragon dancing across paper, carving three powerful characters imbued with draconic might—

Ryūgakure!

The characters were deeply etched into the stone’s core, carrying an aura that seemed to look down upon the world.

"From today onward, this place is Ryūgakure!"

Sora landed, his voice echoing across the surroundings.

The White Snake Sage and the other serpents bowed their heads in submission.

Nonō and Miyamoto Ichirō stood behind him, looking at those three characters, their eyes filled with hope and determination.

Kurenai, Yumi, and Ayumi had also rushed over to witness this moment.

Kabuto, however, hadn’t come. He was busy with his Impure World Reincarnation experiments and wasn’t interested in such spectacles.

The timid Haku and the ever-serious Kimimaro also looked up at the huge village monument. Though they didn’t fully understand what it meant, they could both feel a sense of newfound strength.

"White Snake."

Sora instructed: "Spread the news through your snake networks—the founding of Ryūgakure, and that we are recruiting wandering ninja and orphans, offering them shelter and training."

"Yes, Master."

The White Snake Sage acknowledged. "I will ensure the news spreads throughout the Land of Water, the Land of Tea, the Land of Waves, and other neighboring small countries within half a month, gradually infiltrating the Five Great Nations as well."

"Good."

Sora nodded. "Remember, quality over quantity. Focus on assessing character and potential. We will also be cultivating our own from within."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Kimimaro and Haku.

These two children, possessing rare bloodline limits, were destined to be among the cornerstones of Ryūgakure’s future.