This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 135 The Foolish and Cowardly Share of Fortune (Please Subscribe)

"I see, I understand."

After hanging up the call from Gin, Ryuji continued walking towards the dungeon in Sunagakure.

Three days had passed since the Root ninja assassination attempt, and Ryuji had returned to Sunagakure.

News also came from Konoha.

They are willing to apologize for the incident and offer compensation.

Then Ryuji stopped paying attention.

What kind of compensation is needed, and how much compensation is required—these are all matters that the Third Kazekage will take care of.

Since it's just a matter for which there's no evidence, I can't ask for an exorbitant amount; I'll be happy with just a little benefit.

……

They arrived at the prison cell.

The emaciated monk remained seated cross-legged, but his face was pale and he looked much more haggard.

"Old monk, I've come to see you."

Long Er swaggered over to Fen Fu and sat down cross-legged.

The old monk opened his eyes, saw Long Er, and forced a smile, "You are very kind, benefactor."

"Tch, what do you mean by being thoughtful? I'm just worried that if you die, no one will take your place." Shukaku's dissatisfied voice came from the old monk's body.

Neither of them seemed to care much about this.

They all knew that Shukaku was only complaining to Ryuji at this point.

Long Er looked at the old monk and asked, "How is your illness?"

"It's just a minor problem."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Fenfu couldn't help but cover his mouth and cough.

Long Er chuckled and said, "It seems it's not as simple as a minor problem. If it were just a minor problem, they wouldn't have been in such a hurry to bring me back."

"It's really just a minor ailment, but as I get older, even minor ailments are becoming unbearable."

"Yeah?"

Long Er extended his right hand with some skepticism.

Fenfu also cooperated by extending his right hand so that he could take his pulse.

After a while.

Long Er withdrew his right hand, his brows furrowed, and said, "It is indeed just a cold, but your physical condition is too poor; your cells are lifeless."

"Didn't I tell you, it's just a minor problem?"

Fenfu withdrew his right hand and laughed nonchalantly, "Everyone will die eventually. Although I have lived my whole life in a dungeon, being able to live carefree until my death is a blessing I have accumulated over many lifetimes."

"Old monk, don't say such unlucky things!" Shukaku's voice rang out again.

But Fenfu gently shook his head. "Death is not a terrible thing, nor is it an unlucky thing. It's just a path that everyone has to walk in their life. Perhaps it's the end, or it may be another beginning. Who knows?"

For me, death is no different from eating or sleeping; it's just another life experience.

"Old monk..."

Shukaku fell silent.

The longer he spent with the old monk, the more he felt that the old monk resembled the Sage of Six Paths.

If it weren't for his poor strength and the fact that his appearance didn't match what the Sage of Six Paths described, he would almost have believed that Bunfuku was the legendary prophetic child.

Looking at the old monk who had seen through life and death, Long Er remained silent for a moment before asking, "...Then do you want to die?"

"What if I want to die, or what if I don't?"

"If you don't want to die, I can let you live."

Upon hearing this, Fenfu looked at Long Er with surprise, as if he were meeting him for the first time.

Shukaku exclaimed excitedly, "Kid, I didn't expect you to be somewhat useful. It wasn't a waste of my chakra to give you all that time."

Ryuji ignored him and looked straight at Bunfuku. "So, do you want to continue living?"

"Of course, there's no way you could find one like that in this world..."

"I don't want to continue living."

Bunfuku interrupted Shukaku.

He took a deep breath and said frankly, "Although I voluntarily chose to be locked in the dungeon, it doesn't mean I like this kind of life. It's just that I don't want others to worry or be afraid because of me, so I've been living here all this time."

Deep down, I've always longed to go out and live a free and unfettered life, free from the judgmental stares of others.

Perhaps death is a good thing for me!

"...I see!"

Long Er let out a long sigh, stood up, looked at him deeply, and said, "Old monk, you're a good person, but also a fool and a coward."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Since the old monk had made his own decision, he didn't force him to change it.

Shouhe was indignant and wanted to question him, but he saw the old monk smiling happily.

"Yes, I'm a fool and a coward."

"Wait, what's going on here?"

Shouhe was completely baffled.

The old monk smiled slightly, "It's nothing, it's just that finally someone understands me."

He paused slightly, then continued earnestly, "Shuhe, the greatest happiness in life is having someone who understands you."

"Are you really that stupid? You were locked up your whole life, and you think you're happy?"

"Perhaps!"

Fenfu understood what Long Er meant.

His willingness to be locked up here rather than cause fear to others is indeed a foolish act.

But the foolishness here doesn't refer to his self-destructive behavior, but rather that he had a better solution but didn't choose it.

He could simply go out openly, interact with more people, get to know each other, and let everyone know that he poses no threat.

But he didn't do that.

Because people are inherently biased and tend to align themselves with their own preconceived notions, gaining the villagers' trust will take a long time and may not even be possible.

Before he succeeds, the villagers will live in constant fear and anxiety for him.

Besides that, the biggest reason is that they dare not.

He was afraid of failure, afraid that he would lose control of his mind because he couldn't bear everyone's prejudice.

He was worried that he would become the kind of person people feared.

That's why Ryuji called him stupid and cowardly.

But he didn't care; it was the life he had chosen, and he didn't regret it.

……

"It's just a minor cold, don't worry too much."

In the Kazekage's office, Ryuji said to the Third Kazekage, "Just prepare some medicine to ward off the cold and treat his flu. Also, pay more attention to the old monk's diet in the future. He should be able to live for another five or six years without any problem."

"Is there still five or six years left?" The Third Kazekage pondered for a moment. "I wonder if we can find a new Jinchuriki vessel in five or six years."

"We'll see when the time comes," Ryuji said casually.

Having read the script, he knew that Gaara would appear later, so he wasn't in a hurry at all.

The Third Kazekage opened his mouth, but then hesitated to speak.

He originally wanted to ask Ryuji if he could make a suitable jinchūriki puppet.

But thinking that Fenfu could hold on for a few more years and that Long Er wasn't in a hurry at all, he shut his mouth.

After thinking for a moment, she changed her mind and said, "On your way to Konoha this time, why don't you help out with Pakura?"

"What's wrong with Yekura?"

"It's the same group of people from the Western Continent."

"Is it still not done?"

"Those people have the ability to sense and counter-sense, and Yecang has been unable to find them, completely being played around with."

At this point, the Third Kazekage also had a headache. "I've already sent 20 squads to support her, and Kurenai is helping out there too, but if we can't find anyone, it's all for nothing."

But they're also eyeing the Grell Stone, and I can't focus on finding it until I get rid of them.

"No problem, I'll go check it out when I pass through the land of rivers," Ryuji agreed.

He was also very interested in the ability to shield perception that those people possessed, and had studied this knowledge, but had not made any progress.

Although they also wanted to obtain samples for research, they had even fewer people with the ability to shield their senses than sensory ninjas.

In the hundreds of episodes of the original Naruto manga, it seems that only one person has appeared.

That is Ranmaru, who has red eyes. He can create chakra images to mislead the Byakugan's perception, but whether this is effective against mental perception is still questionable.

Therefore, Ryuji's plan failed.

However, if we can obtain the abilities of the enemies from the Western Continent and replicate them using technology, we will have an absolute intelligence advantage in future battles.

Moreover, even with the Dragon Vein, the Grell Stone remained very important to him.

Excluding the possibility that it is due to the nature of Yang Release and Sage Mode chakra, the sheer amount of chakra contained in the ore itself is also quite impressive.

If we could get it sooner, we could use it to replace the chakra storage device and improve the puppet's endurance.

"Regarding the Kagero Clan..."

Long Er suddenly thought of this before leaving.

On the way back to Sunagakure, Marie offered to have Ryuji send someone to the Kagero clan's secluded place to inform them of their joining Sunagakure.

Ryuji readily accepted this offer.

He had originally intended to do this, but he was worried that if he brought it up himself, it would give Wanlijiang a bad impression, so he asked her to go back and inform her herself.

After all, there are similar versions of the Peach Blossom Spring story in the ninja world.

"No problem. Although the place is a little hard to find, with the map she provided, it shouldn't be difficult to find."

"Remember to send a woman to find her, otherwise, if she gets seduced and eaten before she can explain her purpose, it will be a huge misunderstanding."

"How could I do something so stupid?"

Haven't you done enough stupid things?

Ryuji thought to himself, but on the surface he still looked relieved.

"In that case, I'll be going now."

……

After bidding farewell to the Third Kazekage, Ryuji continued his journey with Wanlijiang.

Replenish the chakra of the scarab puppets along the way.

He was considering whether to create a puppet specifically for replenishing the chakra of the scarabs.

Otherwise, it would be too tiring.

A day and a half later.

Ryuji met Yokura in a canyon on the border of the Land of Rivers.

Her hair was somewhat disheveled, and she had thick dark circles under her eyes, making her look extremely haggard, as did most of the others.

Only red is an exception.

Wearing a Sand Village ninja vest, she was as energetic and capable as ever.

"You've finally arrived!"

Having received advance notice of Ryuji's impending arrival from Kurenai, Yekura had been eagerly anticipating it.

Besides missing the man she loves, the sheer difficulty of dealing with this enemy is also driving her crazy.

but.

When she saw Wanlijiang following behind Ryuji, wearing a Sand Village vest and a Sand Village headband, her womanly instincts immediately told her she was threatened.

Before Long Er could respond, he immediately pressed, "What happened to her?"

"Hawkeye's research has run into some problems, so I've had her stay with me," Ryuji explained. "And don't ask about the dangers of the Poisonous Charm Body. I got her and the Yangyan Clan to join me by offering a solution."

(End of this chapter)