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

Chapter 98 The Rules of the Ninja

--silence.

Ryuji had absolutely no idea what to say.

Since what Da Ming said was true, he couldn't find any way to refute it.

The disparity in strength was enormous, yet the fight ended up like this. If he were the sponsor, he would also have doubts.

"His Highness merely made a casual remark expressing his dissatisfaction with Sunagakure, but His Highness has openly questioned the strength of the village's ninjas."

Yamada's words made Ryuji's expression turn serious.

In the Land of Wind, there are only two people who can be addressed as Your Highness.

One is the current daimyo, and the other is the daimyo's son, the next daimyo heir.

The current lord is nearly 60 years old, and his health is deteriorating day by day. He may pass away at any time, and he has gradually handed over many affairs to his son.

In the Land of Wind, the prince's voice and influence surpass that of his father. After all, everyone knows that it won't be long before the prince (the heir to the daimyo) becomes the true master of the Land of Wind.

The "Your Highness" mentioned by Yamada clearly refers to the prince.

If he doubts the capabilities of Sunagakure, he might reduce his financial support for the village.

After all, in the original story, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind lost trust in Sunagakure due to its repeated defeats, and subsequently reduced military spending, handing over the national mission to Konoha.

(That's why I don't want Sunagakure to get involved in the war!) Ryuji felt a headache coming on.

In particular, the fatigue from studying the tailed beast seal all night long made his brain feel like mush.

As the saying goes, "Pulling one hair can affect the whole body."

War, as the ultimate means of power struggle, once used, will involve all aspects of life.

Winning is fine, but losing or winning too badly can have unacceptable consequences.

He gently rubbed his temples for a while, and only breathed a sigh of relief after feeling his brain feel a bit more comfortable.

"What's the situation in the Land of Rain right now?"

"Because the Third Kazekage died on the battlefield, the war was lost due to low morale, with more than a thousand casualties. Now it is led by Lord Rasa."

"What about Akatsuki and Amegakure?"

"We also suffered heavy losses. Although the exact figures are unclear, we held an overwhelming advantage at the start of the war. However..."

"But what?"

Seeing Yamada's hesitation, Ryuji couldn't help but press for an answer.

"Although the Akatsuki and Amegakure forces left behind also suffered heavy losses, their spirit of standing up to protect ordinary people and peace has moved many people. A large number of wandering ninjas and even ninja clans have joined them, and now the forces on both sides have been reversed."

"I……"

Long Er wanted to curse as soon as he opened his mouth.

But looking at Yamada in front of him, he opened his mouth, but then swallowed the urge to curse.

He took a deep breath and said, "I understand. You can go now. I need to think about it carefully."

"Yes."

Yamada responded and left the house.

Ryuji poured himself a cup of tea and went over the events again.

The whole incident was quite simple: the Third Kazekage lacked self-awareness and used a foolish move that trampled on Yahiko's beliefs, leading to the opponent's defeat and death.

Why do people say the Third Kazekage had no self-awareness?

Because he's a fraud.

He possessed the chakra and physical strength of the former Third Kazekage, and due to his position, he also learned Magnet Release.

Without the combat experience of the former Kazekage, he's just a weakling with power but no way to use it.

If we compare ninjutsu to a gun, knowing how to fire a gun and hitting the target every time on the battlefield are completely different levels.

Take Naruto Uzumaki as an example. He learned Shadow Clone Jutsu and Rasengan when he was 12 years old. However, he had no idea how to unleash the power of these two ninjutsu and relied entirely on brute force.

After training with Jiraiya for two and a half years, he learned to use Shadow Clones to create opportunities for himself, and then use Rasengan to kill him in one blow.

Even without considering the growth in physical attributes and chakra, and comparing them under the same conditions, their combat power is vastly different from what it was two years ago.

Black's predecessor was an elite Jonin who could fight on par with a Kage and even had a good chance of winning, but he was defeated by Tsunade in one move. This is enough to illustrate the importance of combat experience.

It's understandable if one is unaware of their own situation or the enemy's strength, but after fighting Akatsuki for more than two months, Sunagakure should have a relatively clear understanding of the other's strength!

Yet the Third Kazekage, fully aware of his own situation, went to challenge the other leader to a duel. What else could this be but a lack of self-awareness?

The reason why Yahiko defeated the Kazekage is said to be an outburst rather than a normal performance is because the Third Kazekage challenged him to a one-on-one duel.

This guy may lack self-awareness, but he's not stupid. If the other party is significantly stronger than him, he won't go looking for a fight.

Moreover, chakra is derived from mental and physical cells, and the outburst of conviction strengthens mental power, which in turn causes chakra to erupt.

It's understandable that the Third Kazekage would lash out at Yahiko for choosing to offend him, given that he's a protagonist-type character.

"We need to resolve the issues in the village first," Long Er pondered for a moment.

It was Yahiko, not Nagato, who unleashed his power. Although Nagato also had the potential of a protagonist, his potential was limited. No matter how much he unleashed his power, reaching the Kage level would be his limit.

With Luo Sha there, Yu Yin can hold out for a while.

However, if the issue with the village is not resolved soon, a civil war may break out, further affecting the Daimyo's attitude towards Sunagakure.

Ryuji's idea was to simply kill the daimyo and let the ninja village take charge, which would solve the problem once and for all.

But the ninjas in the ninja world didn't have this idea.

In their eyes, ninjas are mercenaries, a profession where they are entrusted with tasks to earn money to support their families.

If a ninja robs passersby, he is no longer a ninja, but a powerful bandit.

If one plots rebellion, then one is an ambitious man with power, a traitor.

If Ryuji leads Sunagakure to seize power from the Daimyo, the people of Sunagakure will most likely consider him a dangerous element and expel him.

Even if Sunagakure were willing to follow him, the entire village would become the enemy of the ninja world. There wouldn't even be a need for the Daimyo's office to issue a mission; other ninja villages, even wandering ninjas and clans, would rise up against them.

This is an idea that has been formed over thousands of years, and it is not so easy to change.

If Ryuji himself wanted to fight for supremacy, that would be fine.

He could easily ignore those ninjas, find a small country to hide in, secretly build a puppet army, and then come back to conquer the world.

But he had no ambition to conquer the world at all.

He became a ninja simply to have the power to protect himself in this dangerous world. His desire for Sunagakure to grow strong and become the dominant force in the ninja world was merely to repay Sunagakure for their care of him.

Regardless, he became an orphan at the age of three and was raised by the Sand Village, who funded his upbringing, taught him ninjutsu, and trained him to become a ninja.

Although this is also what the village needs, the kindness shown to them cannot be summed up in terms of exchanging benefits.

As long as the village continues to abide by the ninja rules, or as long as Ryuji doesn't change his mind, then he has no choice but to abide by the ninja rules.

Ultimately, however, Ryuji's thinking is different from that of the ninjas in the ninja world.

"First, resolve the issues in the village, then go to Amegakure and complete the mission flawlessly to resolve the Daimyo's crisis of trust in Sunagakure. If that fails, then..." A cold glint flashed in Ryuji's eyes.

(End of this chapter)