Chapter 20: Land of Rivers
Arthur draped a backpack across his shoulder.
It contained the letter of trade agreement and other necessities that Hiruzen had given him. He had a thorough map of his destination in his hand, showing a safe route that would take three days to walk there.
He saw the well-known faces of Izumo and Kotetsu as he got closer to the village gates. Arthur ignored them; he was not in the mood to play pretend again. He moved slowly past to leave the village for the first time.
It felt like ages since he'd roamed these lands. Beyond the gates was a ribbon of packed earth winding through the dense forest.
Arthur quickened his pace, his legs leaping from tree to tree as if it were second nature.
The Land of Rivers was written to be a hidden country bordering the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. It doesn't appear much in the story, but he knew of two specific characters that would help him grow stronger: Raiga Kurosuki and his companion, Ranmaru.
Raiga is a member of the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," the top swordsmen from the Hidden Mist Village. Only the most skilled blade wielders were chosen for this group, with a maximum of seven members at a time.
Each swordsman wields a special, mystical blade that has been passed down through the generations. These swords are so powerful that together, the Seven Swordsmen were almost as strong as the village leader, known as the Mizukage.
Over time, the group underwent many changes. Some members died, while others defected and became wanted ninjas, taking their swords with them. By the Fourth Shinobi World War, only one of the original swords, Hiramekarei, remained in the Mist Village's possession.
During the war, five of the deceased Seven Swordsmen were revived to fight for the enemy. These revived swordsmen were eventually defeated and sealed.
In the aftermath of the war, the remaining six swords were recovered by the village. However, a group of rebels tried to steal the swords and take over the territory. Their attempt failed, but the village did loan the swords to three of the captured rebels to help them fight a new threat.