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

Chapter 158 Helping Konoha Out (Please Subscribe)

Ryuji didn't say that the person was Uchiha Madara, but his words implied that the mastermind behind it all was the Uchiha clan, leading Konoha to speculate that it was the Uchiha clan.

He didn't directly state that everyone was manipulating things behind the scenes, but rather pointed out the suspicious points, letting Jiraiya figure it out for himself.

After all, he was a member of Sunagakure.

If we directly state our suspicions, they might suspect that this is part of our conspiracy.

But if you just give them some clues and let them deduce the result themselves, that's a different story.

After all, people are more willing to believe their own conclusions.

He did this for two reasons.

Firstly, it would complicate the war situation in Konoha; secondly, it would allow Jiraiya to uncover Madara's hidden plans.

Although Long Er is not a profit-driven person, he is definitely willing to fleece anyone he doesn't know well.

The reason he let Jiraiya off the hook so easily was not out of magnanimity, but because it was the best option.

Over the course of this week, the war situation in Konoha became clearer.

First, Kusagakure announced peace talks with Konoha three days ago, officially withdrawing from the war. Then, the main force of Iwagakure began to retreat, hiding at the border of the Land of Earth and refusing to engage in defense.

Whether to continue the pursuit and expand the gains of victory, or to negotiate peace with Iwagakure in order to reduce casualties, it all depends on Konoha's will.

Under these circumstances, it is impossible for Ryuji to successfully blackmail Konoha by using Jiraiya's attack on the delegation as a pretext.

They could easily relax their conditions, choose to negotiate with Iwagakure, and then turn around and go to war with Sunagakure.

The study abroad mission, the three duels that humiliated Konoha, the blackmail under the pretext of assassination... In this Fourth Shinobi World War, Sunagakure gained many benefits from Konoha without giving anything in return.

Konoha was furious with Sunagakure's actions, even more so than with Kumogakure, Kusagakure, and Iwagakure.

After all, others paid a huge price, while Sunagakure was simply taking advantage of the situation.

Under these circumstances, if Ryuji tries to take advantage of the situation again, there is an over 80% chance that Konoha will abandon its hard-won victory and turn its attention to Sunagakure, preparing to take a bite out of Sunagakure.

Therefore, with Tsunade taking the lead in apologizing, Ryuji went along with it and did her a favor.

but.

This incident also made Ryuji realize that Konoha had had it too easy during this Fourth Shinobi World War.

Yes, it's just too easy.

Although Konoha once faced an enemy twice its size, the development trajectory was remarkably similar to that in the original story.

In the original story, Sunagakure was the first to attack Konoha, and then Kumogakure, Kusagakure, and Kirigakure successively launched attacks on Konoha.

In the original story, Konoha was simultaneously at war with the other three of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. The battles were so fierce that even newly graduated genin joined the war, and highly mobile ninjas like Minato were constantly shuttling between the three battlefields to put out fires.

But now, they can fight two of them and one of the hermits at the same time. Although it is also Hell difficulty, it is not on the same level as Hell difficulty in Dark Souls, Sekiro, and The Witcher 3.

If the current situation continues, Konoha will soon end its war with Iwagakure.

Even if Kirigakure gets involved again, it will still be a one-on-one situation.

With a sound ninja training system and the Daimyo's unreserved financial support, Konoha could easily win the war against Kirigakure even without recuperation.

At that time, the Third Shinobi World War will also end prematurely.

This is not good news for Sunagakure.

The infinite water circulation system has not yet been completed in all cities of the Wind Kingdom, and the follow-up work in the Mechanical City has not been finished.

If the Fourth Shinobi World War ends prematurely, then the various shinobi villages will have time to consider the potential threat posed by Sunagakure.

At that time, Sunagakure might face an allied ninja army.

To avoid this situation, Ryuji had to make things a little more difficult for Konoha.

Therefore, he told Jiraiya the information that Nagato was not dead and that there was an Uchiha manipulator behind the scenes.

"Whether it destroys the world or brings peace to the world depends entirely on how Jiraiya guides it."

Given this ambiguous prophecy and the current situation, Jiraiya will most likely abandon the war, which has already seen an improvement, and go to the Land of Rain to find Nagato. Konoha will also increase its suspicion of the Uchiha clan.

Regardless of what will happen to the Uchiha clan as a result, they certainly won't be as comfortable as before with allowing the Uchiha clan's elite members to participate in the war.

They might even spare some manpower to stay in the village and guard against the Uchiha.

This will undoubtedly add uncertainty to the already clear war situation.

While it's impossible for Iwagakure to turn the tide, it can at least allow Iwagakure to hold out for a while longer. As long as they hold out until Kirigakure joins the war, the two major ninja villages can attack Konoha from two directions, leaving Konoha unable to attend to both ends, thus prolonging the war once again.

Meanwhile, Sunagakure can continue to develop peacefully.

……

Long Er said a lot, nine parts of it were true and one part was false, but it was all logical, well-founded, and convincing.

Jiraiya asked some detailed questions with a serious expression, some of which were undoubtedly probing.

Long Er answered fluently, saying what needed to be said and pretending to be confused when necessary.

About ten minutes later.

Jiraiya took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Ryuji at a 90-degree angle.

"Thank you so much for the information!"

Seeing this, Ryuji's lips curled up slightly, looking at him with a half-smile, "Jiraiya, do you feel the subtlety of life's twists and turns now?"

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

But he was also a carefree (shameless) person, and he didn't care at all about Long Er's sarcastic words. He laughed loudly and said, "That's right, life's encounters are indeed very subtle. I'll remember this favor and repay you when I have the chance."

"I look forward to the day you repay that favor."

"I definitely will." After saying that, Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru and Tsunade, "Nagato's matter is of utmost importance. I might not participate in the later stages of the war, so please don't die on the battlefield!"

"Is it that important?"

Tsunade frowned, puzzled by this.

Since Nagato is still alive, there will be plenty of opportunities to find him in the future. But now, the war concerning the entire Hidden Leaf Village has reached a critical moment, and Jiraiya, a top-tier fighter, is leaving. She really has a lot to say about it.

Orochimaru also looked over with great interest.

"It's more important than I imagined." Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "Anyway, please be careful. I don't want to come back and never see you again."

"Get lost. You're the one who should be careful."

Tsunade kicked him in annoyance.

Jiraiya jumped out and waved to the two of them, saying, "Take care."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

He still had to prepare his luggage and explain things to the Third Hokage, so he didn't have time to waste saying goodbye to his comrades.

After watching Jiraiya's figure disappear from sight, everyone looked away.

Ryuji looked at Tsunade and Orochimaru, and asked with a playful expression, "Would you like to come in and sit down?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and replied without ceremony, "Then let's go sit down."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru, who had originally planned to leave, nodded and followed him inside.

……

In the reception room.

Ryuji, Tsunade, and Orochimaru sat around a low table.

Hong brought up tea and snacks.

Tsunade and Orochimaru's gazes remained fixed on Kurenai until she left the room.

"You're really something." Tsunade's golden eyes flashed with amusement as she teased, "The expert who killed Hanzo on the battlefield is treated like a maid by you, summoned and dismissed at will. You're so young yet already have such remarkable skills. Could it be that you have some special methods when it comes to women?"

Long Er pretended not to hear and slowly sipped his tea.

"Tch, this is so boring."

Tsunade's expression fell, and she picked up a pastry and started eating it by herself.

Orochimaru glanced at Tsunade, then looked at Ryuji and chuckled, "That Kurenai wouldn't happen to be one of your puppets, would it?"

Upon hearing this, Long Er paused slightly while drinking tea, but quickly resumed his normal actions.

But both Tsunade and Orochimaru are top-tier fighters.

The two noticed this subtle, unusual reaction, and their hearts skipped a beat.

"Hey, hey, this can't be true, right?!"

Tsunade looked up at Ryuji in disbelief.

Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly as well.

He opened his mouth, wanting to confirm whether it was true or not, but in the end he didn't have the courage to ask.

He was worried that if the other party actually said yes, he might be so discouraged that he would give up on himself.

Orochimaru began studying human life very early on and believed that no one could match him in his research on life.

Even after learning that Ryuji had developed a technique for creating souls, she was not discouraged at all.

After all, the soul and the body are separate entities; even though they are both part of life, they are two different realms.

He didn't believe that Ryuji could surpass him in life.

But now—if Ruohong really was created by him, then his research would seem as laughable as a child's doodle in the other's eyes.

Because Konoha had already confirmed Kurenai's condition; she wasn't a mechanical being made of biomimetic materials like Gin, but a genuine human. If Ryuji could create humans, even such skilled individuals, what level of skill did he possess?

"You're overthinking it." Ryuji glanced at them indifferently, took a sip of his fragrant tea, and continued, "If I had that ability, I would have already ruled the Five Great Nations and even the entire ninja world."

Right.

Tsunade and Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief, and smiles returned to their faces.

Tsunade continued eating the snacks, asking as she ate, "Ryuji, what's your opinion on what we discussed last time?"

"Last time?"

Ryuji looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"It's about helping me revive two people."

"I've already told you I don't have that ability." Ryuji couldn't help but roll his eyes. "If those two souls were still alive, I could try, but for the dead whose souls have already returned to their homeland, there's nothing I can do."

"If it's about recalling souls, I have a way."

Orochimaru suddenly said.

My iPhone 12 arrived without any problems, so I can finally relax.

(End of this chapter)