I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

……

"Jiraiya, weren't you a little too impulsive just now?"

Later, on the platform at Hokage Rock, the former Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at his disciple Jiraiya and couldn't help but speak. He could feel that his disciple had become increasingly powerful in the past two years, even suppressing Danzo Shimura to the point of being unable to raise his head, and stripping Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane of most of their rights.

"Old man, those guys who should be enjoying their retirement should just go home and live a peaceful life. Don't cause trouble when war might break out!"

Seeing that his mentor Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to smooth things over, Jiraiya lit a cigarette and smoked it. Looking at the Konoha Village below the Hokage Rock, which had hardly changed in the past few years, many thoughts undoubtedly arose in his mind. However, he was not very polite to his teacher, and his words were tinged with anger.

Over the past few years, Jiraiya, who has served as the Fifth Hokage, has come to know the mess Konoha Village is in. It has only taken a few years to gradually recover its strength, but people like Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane still occasionally cause trouble. If he could take direct action, Jiraiya would have secretly considered eliminating these guys. As for his teacher, the former Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, he still clings to power and refuses to let go. In Jiraiya's eyes, they are all the same kind of people.

If it weren't for the fact that his teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi had done something so disappointing that Jiraiya hadn't left Konoha after the Third Shinobi World War like Tsunade and Orochimaru to gather material in various parts of the shinobi world, Jiraiya wouldn't have done it. Now that he sensed the impending storm in the shinobi world, he agreed to become the Fifth Hokage a few years ago, and naturally began to gradually realize his goals.

Jiraiya's pointed remark made Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turn ashen, but he knew that his behavior was really disliked by his disciple. Unwilling and unable to turn against him, the two parted ways with cold faces.

Chapter 61 Complaints and Helplessness

"Fifth Hokage, this is a report on enemy infiltration intelligence teams discovered by the border ninja forces this year, as well as casualty records of our personnel!"

When Jiraiya returned to the Hokage's office in the Hokage Building after a bad breakup with his teacher, an Anbu ninja wearing a fox mask quietly appeared before him and respectfully handed him a stack of records and reports.

If any Konoha residents familiar with this ANBU ninja were present, they would recognize him as Uchiha Itachi from the original Naruto anime. However, compared to the original Naruto anime where Itachi killed his parents and even turned against his own clan, earning him the title of "Itachi the Clan Massacrer," the Uchiha Itachi affected by the storm brought by Li Mo was still maintaining a relatively good relationship with the Uchiha clan. After all, the threat of an external enemy outweighed the internal strife within Konoha.

Even the Uchiha clan was tolerated by the Third Hokage during those years. Moreover, when Jiraiya became the Fifth Hokage, the relationship with the Uchiha clan had become more normal. Therefore, Itachi Uchiha naturally became an Anbu squad leader directly under Jiraiya!

"As expected, the Shinobi Alliance has been continuously strengthening its infiltration and intelligence gathering efforts in recent years, and their equipment has become increasingly sophisticated, but the Land of Fire and other countries are still just imitating them!"

Upon seeing Itachi Uchiha's arrival, Jiraiya took the year's records and began to peruse them. His expression grew increasingly grim. Thinking of the chakra armor and weapons he had previously seen seized from his opponents, and then of Konoha's current predicament, he couldn't help but complain, "The Daimyo and those nobles are so reluctant to implement reforms; it's truly frustrating..."

Thanks to the storm stirred up by a certain wind god pterosaur, the united camp formed by the three major countries, more than a dozen small countries and a group of ninja villages naturally harbored hostility towards the Ninja World Alliance. Even if a single force dared not start a war, border conflicts and intelligence gathering were inevitable.

Among them, Konoha Village, which was at the forefront of the border, must have been deeply impressed. For several years, they had been constantly infiltrating and counter-infiltrating the Shinobi Alliance. The casualties of intelligence personnel and infiltration teams on both sides had reached four figures. What impressed the Konoha ninjas the most was that the Shinobi Alliance's ninja soldiers were well-equipped and had outstanding combat power, causing them to suffer three times the casualties of the enemy each time.

Undoubtedly, this wasn't just the case in Konoha. Other ninja villages bordering the Shinobi Alliance by land, such as Iwagakure and Amegakure, also suffered heavy casualties against the alliance's infiltration teams. What was particularly demoralizing for the alliance was that the Shinobi Alliance demonstrated advantages in all aspects. It wasn't that there weren't discerning individuals within the alliance who knew that multiple authorities issuing orders and the feudal system were no match for the enemy. However, the daimyo and nobles wouldn't give up their own interests, making the reform seem like a distant dream.

As for Jiraiya himself, he was naturally somewhat displeased that his side suffered far more casualties than the Shinobi Alliance. However, he was still able to objectively examine the problems he was facing. The internal and external constraints he was currently encountering were giving him a major headache. Even if he wanted to solve the problem, it would be easier for the Fifth Hokage to attack Konoha Village, but it would be difficult to influence the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Upon hearing Jiraiya's complaints, Itachi Uchiha wisely remained silent. Even though he was one of Jiraiya's trusted subordinates, speaking carelessly on such a crucial issue could have very serious consequences!

……

On one side of the outskirts of Konoha Village, the Uchiha clan's territory is quite lively, with nearly three thousand Uchiha clan ninjas and civilians living there. It can be considered a small town where the Uchiha clan gathers. Moreover, thanks to the influence of a certain wind god pterosaur, the Uchiha clan massacre did not occur in Konoha Village.

In particular, Jiraiya was recalled to become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. Although he was the disciple of the Third Hokage, he had long disliked his teacher's style of doing things. Becoming the Fifth Hokage was a gradual fulfillment of his duties. One aspect of this was that, regarding the Uchiha clan, while he did not fully accept them like the Fourth Hokage, he also did not deliberately exclude them like his teacher. Instead, he adopted a relatively fair attitude and divided and disintegrated the Uchiha clan.

For example, most of the radical members of the Uchiha clan were sent by Jiraiya to the border ninja army to fight against the harassment of the Shinobi Alliance with other Konoha ninjas. The moderate members of the Uchiha clan were treated relatively equally. For example, many members of other ninja clans joined the Konoha Guard of the Uchiha clan. However, members of the Uchiha clan also joined other departments of Konoha and began to integrate into Konoha Village.

At least in the eyes of Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Itachi, their clans were in a pretty good situation, so naturally they didn't have any intention of rebelling against their superiors. They stayed peacefully in Konoha and gradually recovered their strength.

"Mother, I'm back!"

At the Uchiha clan head's residence, Uchiha Sasuke rushed in excitedly. The Uchiha ninjas responsible for guarding the residence looked at Uchiha Sasuke and couldn't help but laugh. None of them stopped their clan head's youngest son.

After all, the Uchiha ninjas could all be considered relatives of the Uchiha clan. If you traced their lineage back a few generations, they could all be considered related by blood. Apart from the occasional quarrel caused by emotional outbursts, they could usually get along quite harmoniously. Moreover, in the eyes of the Uchiha ninjas who guarded them, someone like Uchiha Sasuke, the son of the clan leader, was just a junior member and no one paid him any attention.

For Sasuke Uchiha, his current spirit and energy are completely different from that of the orphan who was wiped out in the original Naruto storyline. His parents and brother are still alive, and the Uchiha clan has not been wiped out but is still thriving. Naturally, he would not be so extreme as to regard killing his brother as his life's mission. However, there is something in common: the powerful threat brought by the Shinobi Alliance has led Fugaku Uchiha to vigorously cultivate his two sons. Sasuke Uchiha's strength is even much stronger than in the original story.

In the original storyline, Sasuke Uchiha, as the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, was figuring out how to become stronger on his own. Even with the training experience in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and swordsmanship left by the Uchiha clan, if one could become a powerful ninja simply by looking at training experience, then there wouldn't be so many ninjas in the ninja world wanting to study under a famous master. Sasuke Uchiha, however, became stronger rapidly under the correct guidance.

Even within Konoha Village, Sasuke Uchiha's rise to power is not an isolated case. Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and several other Konoha 1s are currently at least elite Chunin level, with Neji Hyuga even being promoted to a special Jonin.

"Sasuke's back? Did he get injured on his mission to the Land of Hot Springs?!"

Upon seeing Sasuke Uchiha return home, Mikoto Uchiha quickly came out of the kitchen, looking at her youngest son with great concern in her beautiful eyes.

"It's alright. Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and I went to wipe out a cult in Yugakure. They were quite strong, but we defeated them all!"

Facing his mother's concerned gaze, Uchiha Sasuke proudly spoke to Uchiha Mikoto. He couldn't very well hug his mother and act spoiled at this moment, but he still proudly displayed his abilities in the face of his mother's concern.

"Yes, Sasuke, I know your performance this time was quite good!"

When Fugaku Uchiha came out, he nodded approvingly at his somewhat proud youngest son. However, fearing that his son might become too arrogant, he directly addressed him, reminding him to strengthen his abilities: "However, neither you nor your brother Itachi should be complacent. The atmosphere in the ninja world is very tense right now. The Shinobi World Alliance could break out at any time. We don't know how many powerful figures will appear, or how many ninjas will become corpses of war..."

As for Fugaku Uchiha, he was somewhat hesitant in making important decisions. However, as the head of the Uchiha clan, he was naturally aware of the tense atmosphere in the ninja world. It could be said that the Shinobi Alliance and the Allied Forces were bound to clash sooner or later. When such a war could break out at any time, Fugaku Uchiha, in addition to strengthening his children's abilities, tried to find ways to let them accumulate practical experience and increase their vigilance.

Sasuke was a little confused, but he understood that his father wouldn't lie to him about Sasuke, so he nodded seriously and continued chatting with his parents, waiting for Itachi to return so they could have a meal together!

……

"Ichiro, are you sure you saw it correctly?"

On the other side of the Hyuga family compound, Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga family, who had attended the meeting and was now returning to his own compound, looked at his trusted confidant in front of him and asked in a low voice, even his Byakugan eyes becoming ferocious as he looked around to make sure there was no one else there.

"Master, I have seen the girl who resembles the young lady at the border market. I even took a picture of her from a distance with my camera!"

Upon hearing Hiashi Hyuga's words, the subordinate of the Hyuga branch family respectfully handed over a sealed folder. Hiashi Hyuga took it and opened it, finding more than a dozen different photos. The only thing they had in common was that Hinata Hyuga's figure appeared in all of these photos taken in the bustling market.

It should be said that the camera lens produced by the Shinobi Alliance had a pretty good resolution. Hinata Hyuga, who looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, was secretly photographed from a distance, but her appearance was still clearly visible. Hiashi Hyuga recognized her at first glance as his eldest daughter. However, her beautiful eyes, like the purest sapphire, surprised Hiashi Hyuga. He hesitated for a moment as he flipped through the remaining photos and found that the situation in the photos was consistent.

Looking at those photos, Hiashi Hyuga felt increasingly uneasy. He suspected that his eldest daughter's Byakugan had been stolen, or even used as a vessel to inherit the Byakugan's bloodline limit. However, seeing these photos now, his eldest daughter's expression and complexion were clearly unusual, quite different from what he had expected. In addition, she was on the side of the Shinobi Alliance, which made him think even more.

Inside the room, Hyuga Hiashi pondered for a long while before finally coming to his senses. Looking at his trusted aide, he had already made his decision and began to instruct him:

"...Then, find a chance to leave the village and take me to this border market!"

Chapter 62 The Bustling Border Market

Border market!

In the ninja world, this is already a semi-public fact among the high-ranking officials of various countries and ninja villages, and even among many civilians in countries near the border. It is a place where daimyo, nobles, and even ninja villages purchase goods from the Ninja Alliance and sell their own goods.

For an ordinary person, it would seem strange that the countries and ninja villages in the alliance, who are clearly hostile to the Ninja World Alliance, would still do business with it in secret.

While the daimyo, nobles, and even ninja villages of various countries were hostile to the Ninja World Alliance and wished nothing more than to eliminate the great threat it posed, they each had their own interests behind the scenes. For example, the daimyo and nobles of various countries liked money and enjoyment.

Ironically, the Ninja Alliance currently boasts the highest level of technology and industrial capacity in the ninja world. It controls at most a quarter of the ninja world's population, a third of its resources, and all the sea routes. As a unified entity, the Ninja Alliance has experienced a surge in productivity in recent years, with its production of food and various industrial products surpassing all others in the ninja world. When it can supply large quantities to the allied forces, the emergence of border markets is not surprising.

In fact, border markets had already appeared when the Ninja Alliance first occupied the Land of Wind and the Sand Village, though they were not large in scale. However, as the allied forces argued incessantly and maintained a standing army of over 200,000 ninjas, the daimyo and nobles, who found that their wallets were not shrinking, soon couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to find new sources of income. Besides exploiting civilians and merchants, they soon discovered that they could make a lot of money by buying and selling at border markets, which led to the rapid development of border markets.

In this regard, Li Mo was not surprised at all. He had seen plenty of America from World War I to the Cold War, selling all kinds of technology and military supplies to the enemy for gold, and European countries during the Cold War selling machine tools and technology to the Red Bear in order to make trouble for America. The scene of the ninja world secretly buying and selling goods in the border market for profit was not worth mentioning.

Even in the Han Dynasty, during the Han-Xiongnu War, when Xiongnu cavalry raided Han territory, they didn't plunder certain border markets. The Han court tacitly exchanged salt and iron for warhorses, so it's clear this wasn't an isolated case. If such a situation occurred in the ninja world, it wouldn't be surprising at all.

Of course, Li Mo still had some restrictions. At least for the merchants in the border markets, it was easy to trade grain and civilian industrial products, but military chakra armor and chakra-powered heavy equipment were absolutely prohibited contraband!

………………

A border market between the Ninja World Alliance and the Land of Fire. Originally, it was located in the border area between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. However, after the Land of Wind was annexed by the Ninja World Alliance, the border market was created under the deliberate guidance of the Ninja World Alliance.

After all, the border market allows direct purchase of various high-quality and inexpensive goods from the Ninja Alliance. Even though most people are hesitant, some daring merchants and even ordinary people come to the market to exchange gold or other specialties for Ninja Alliance currency, which circulates in the border market. They then use this currency to buy the goods they want and resell them for high profits, leading to more and more people joining in.

—That's right. When the Shinobi Alliance was established, it abolished the paper currency called "Ryo" that circulated in the Shinobi World. The paper currency circulating in the Allied Forces was just toilet paper in the Shinobi Alliance. Li Mo wasn't stupid enough to let the other side use financial warfare to exploit him (even if the Allied Forces didn't have anyone with that kind of brain). At the border market, the two sides either bartered goods or the merchants brought hard currencies such as gold and chakra metal to exchange for the Shinobi Alliance's currency.

In this regard, even the merchants of the Allied Forces felt there was no problem. The reason was that the Allied Forces had been having an increasingly difficult time in recent years, with increasing taxes and printing more money, causing their currency to depreciate by more than 50% compared to a few years ago. In contrast, the Ninja Alliance had a very abundant supply of materials and industrial products, so its currency was equally strong and naturally very popular.

For example, at the border market, the merchants from the allied factions are more willing to accept the currency of the Ninja World Alliance. When people from the Ninja World Alliance come to inquire about their goods, they are willing to offer a reasonable price!

"Huh? What kind of accessory is this?!"

In a shop at the border market, a stunningly beautiful black-haired girl with sapphire-like eyes looked curiously at the unique ornaments in front of her, which appeared to be carved from crystal, and asked the shop owner directly.

Hinata Hyuga! This black-haired beauty is none other than the little girl Li Mo took away from Konoha Village. In just a few years, she has grown into a top-tier Kage-level powerhouse. Not only has her Byakugan bloodline limit evolved into the Tenseigan, but she has also developed into a beautiful girl of about 15 or 16 years old. Her stunning figure can be said to outshine more than 90% of girls. The clothes she wears perfectly highlight her girlish style, making people who see her feel admiration.

Of course, Hinata Hyuga's own formidable strength, as well as the bodyguards following her and her companions, would deter any discerning person from having any ulterior motives. In a place like the border market, which is under the close watch of the Ninja Alliance, no one would dare to cause any trouble.

"Miss, what you are holding are ice crystal sculptures from the Snow Kingdom. They are a specialty of the Snow Kingdom's icy plains, and can remain unmelted for hundreds of years, and can also concentrate the mind and spirit..."

Seeing that Hinata Hyuga was interested in his goods, the shop owner immediately perked up and began to enthusiastically introduce them to Hinata. He boasted about the ice crystal sculptures he was selling, not to the point of being exaggerated, but to highlight the added value of his products.

"Hmm! I'll take these ten. Pack them up and take them with her!"

Hearing Hinata Hyuga's words and the shopkeeper's words, Ino Yamanaka, who was picking out her favorite items, spoke up. She chose an ice crystal sculpture that she liked and then gestured for Hinata Hyuga to continue picking, which left the familiar Hinata Hyuga somewhat helpless.

"no problem!"

Upon hearing Yamanaka Ino's words, he immediately realized that these two beautiful young women were no ordinary shop owners. He didn't offer any discounts or gifts, but instead readily agreed with bowing and scraping. He then gestured to his assistant to quickly fetch the highest-grade gift boxes, while respectfully saying to the two distinguished guests, "I'll pack them for you right away, I guarantee there won't be any mistakes..."

It should be said that the merchants in the ninja world are definitely very wise. For someone to dare to do business in the border market between the two major camps, not only must the merchant be bold, but also have personal ability and powerful backers. Moreover, the merchants in the border market have excellent eyesight, otherwise they would easily offend people they cannot afford to offend.

For example, the shop owner noticed the material of Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka's clothes. Although they didn't look particularly luxurious, the texture was something he had never seen before. The craftsmanship was also completely seamless, without any trace of tailoring or cutting. It was a natural, one-piece design that he had never seen even on the daimyo or nobles of the Land of Snow. He knew that this was definitely not something an ordinary person could afford. Moreover, the appearance and temperament of the two beautiful girls made him dare not be negligent in the slightest.

Without a doubt, in the united forces of the ninja world, it's perfectly normal for a beautiful woman with outstanding looks to attract trouble without the protection of a powerful figure or a powerful backer. The order on the side of the ninja alliance is not bad, but when two beautiful young women with excellent looks travel together, they are accompanied by a group of bodyguards who look like they are not to be trifled with. Anyone with a normal brain knows that they must be important people, and no one would be foolish enough to provoke them.

The businessman didn't care at all who the two beautiful young women were. He was very self-aware and focused on how much he made in this deal. He wouldn't do anything else!

……

"Hey, you're back from shopping!"

Later, in a high-end hotel in the border market, Li Mo lazily leaned against Samui and Yugito Nibi. After watching Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka return, he stood up and embraced the two beautiful girls affectionately.

Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka blushed slightly at Li Mo's affectionate gesture, but the two beautiful girls did not refuse. Instead, they boldly moved closer to their lovers. Their intimate relationship made it clear to anyone with eyes that the two girls had a relationship with Li Mo. Moreover, they were not just pretty faces; on the contrary, their strength and potential were exceptionally outstanding.

In a sense, Li Mo's training of Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka was very successful. One of the two beauties had already advanced from the Byakugan to the Tenseigan, and through the Sage Body potion and the Seed of the Blazing Sun developed by Orochimaru, she awakened the Sage Body and her strength increased by leaps and bounds. She could even contend with a Kage-level powerhouse. The other had also awakened the Sage Body, and her mastery of mental techniques allowed her to reach the Quasi-Kage level, but even Kage-level powerhouses who were unaware of the situation were easily caught off guard.

It's no exaggeration to say that Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka are currently strong enough to be candidates for or even the only candidates for the Kage of the remaining three major ninja villages. They would be considered experts even in the Shinobi Alliance. Yet, they are now intimately close to their lovers. Even when Li Mo makes some ambiguous gestures, the two beautiful girls respond with a touch of shyness.

Just as the atmosphere in the room was getting lively, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the hotel. Li Mo and the other women stopped what they were doing and crowded around the window to see what was happening. Yamanaka Ino asked curiously:

"Mo, who are those people?"

(Hinata Hyuga character design)

(Character design of Yamanaka Ino)

Chapter 63 Li Mo's Disdain

"Mo, who are those people?"

When Yamanaka Ino looked out the third-floor window and saw a group of people dressed in obviously shabby clothes being escorted by more than a dozen ninja soldiers from the Shinobi World Alliance as they passed through the street, she couldn't help but ask her man a question.

For Yamanaka Ino, the past few years have made her memories of Konoha Village and the Yamanaka family increasingly blurred. Coupled with the effects of the complete fusion with the Seed of the Fiery Sun, she now completely regards herself as Li Mo's wife... well, one of them. In the past, if she didn't understand something, she could just ask her man, Tsunade, or Yekura, or ask other people for relevant information.

If it weren't for Li Mo taking her and Hinata Hyuga to the border market this time, Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuga would actually prefer to stay in the big cities of the Shinobi Alliance. Those cities, which have undergone urban redevelopment and are more like modern metropolises, have infrastructure that far surpasses the old cities of the Shinobi World. In addition, the Shinobi Alliance has standardized the training of professions such as ninja soldiers and police officers. The quality of education that Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuga received in the big cities of the Shinobi Alliance was much higher than that of the ninja academies in the ninja villages.