Naruto: Nara's skill set is incredibly sneaky.

Chapter 177 The Best News

Upon hearing this story, the ninjas of Kumogakure looked at each other in bewilderment.

Their expressions were all rather strange.

"Ahem." Ai coughed, then her tone became a little gossipy, "Nara Shikatoki, tell me the truth, you're not lying to me, are you?"

"That's just how things are right now."

Lu Shi didn't give a definitive answer, leaving himself an out.

Ai fell silent, her gaze towards Huang Tu and the others filled with a hint of sympathy.

"Since that's the case, I'll trust you for now, but I hope you won't do anything out of line in the Land of Lightning, or things won't be so simple next time!"

To be honest, Ai no longer wants to get involved in this matter.

While it's fine to enjoy the gossip, you can't expect people to actually get involved.

Especially since this matter involved the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, Ai had no intention of getting involved, so he simply made a harsh statement and left with the Cloud Ninja.

"Luckily, we weren't discovered."

Huang Tu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this; he had thought that a fight was inevitable this time.

"Lu Shijun, you're a genius! I thought you were going to sell us out."

"I still have some professional ethics, but how's your investigation going?" Lu Shi rolled his eyes at Huang Tu, then turned the topic to Lao Zi.

Upon hearing this, Huang Tu's expression became somewhat solemn. "Based on our visits and repeated confirmations, we have finally determined that Lao Zi did indeed come here, and he bought a lot of things with the daimyo's daughter. In the end, we heard from the shopkeeper that they went to the capital of the Land of Lightning."

Lu Shi frowned slightly.

"Why do I get the feeling that Old Purple isn't trying to hide anything? He seems a bit arrogant! Did he put some kind of special ninjutsu on you, so he can tell as soon as you get close?"

Huang Tu patted himself down, then scratched his head uncertainly. "I don't think so."

"All of you, come here. I need to check."

Lu Shi didn't believe it was true, so he decided to confirm it first.

Huang Tu didn't dare to be careless either. When he led a group of Rock Ninjas to approach the deer, natural energy covered everyone.

The examination was quick, but after it was over, Shika was even more puzzled. "It seems there's nothing wrong. There are no traces of special ninjutsu on you either."

Huang Tu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. So, what do we do now?"

"Now that things have come to this, let's go to the capital of the Land of Lightning tomorrow to check on the situation."

After Lu finished speaking, he turned and left.

On the other side, in the capital of the Land of Earth.

When Onoki arrived, the daimyo of the Land of Earth initially thought that Onoki had come to ask for funding.

I was thinking I could just find some excuse to get rid of Onoki.

For several days in a row, Onoki flattered him every time he arrived, never mentioning the military expenses, which made the daimyo of the Land of Earth wary.

It really felt good to be complimented by Onoki.

But to put it bluntly, a weasel paying respects to a chicken is up to no good!

"Onoki, what do you want from me?" Seeing that Onoki didn't want to leave, the daimyo of the Land of Earth couldn't hold back any longer.

Onoki asked somewhat hesitantly, "I wonder how Her Highness has been lately?"

"Um?"

Although the daimyo of the Land of Earth was somewhat puzzled, he still politely asked his butler, "Butler, how is Tsukimi doing lately?"

The butler spoke tremblingly, "My lord, Princess Yue hasn't returned since she said she was going to visit her best friend a few days ago."

Onoki's pupils contracted.

The daimyo of the Land of Earth was also somewhat incredulous. "What did you say?"

The butler immediately knelt on the ground, "My lord, please forgive me."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth turned to look at Ōnoki, his gaze filled with danger. "Ōnoki, do you know something? Let me tell you, we only have one girl, Tsukimi, so you'd better not bring me any bad news!"

Onoki stood up somewhat awkwardly, his words stammering.

boom!

The daimyo slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Onoki! What do you know?! Tell me now, or I'll pay Nara Shikato to investigate! Don't blame me for not giving Iwagakure face!"

Upon hearing that the great name was Nara Shika, Onoki's lips twitched slightly, but he finally sighed and forced himself to speak, "According to the latest information I have obtained, Princess Tsuki has eloped with our village's old man, Shiki."

After saying this, Onoki lowered his head and dared not look at the daimyo.

The daimyo of the Land of Earth felt a wave of dizziness.

He fell backward, but fortunately the butler caught him just in time. "My lord, please be careful."

2

After a long pause, the Land of Earth's daimyo shoved aside his butler and stared intently at Onoki. "You mean the guy you're talking about, Rōshi? Is he the Four-Tails Jinchūriki?"

"Yes."

"I've seen that old man before! What makes him so special?! Tell me! Why?! Why would my little Yue fall for him?!" The voice of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth was filled with rage.

Onoki had no idea how to answer.

He was also very curious: why would a woman from a famous family be interested in that bastard Lao Zi?

What's the point?

Is it because he's old or because he doesn't shower?!

"Our little Yue is only eighteen years old, how old is that old geezer! How dare he!" The daimyo of the Land of Earth said with a disgusted tone, kicking over all the chairs nearby.

But his anger did not diminish; instead, it intensified.

After looking around, Daiming kicked the butler in the backside, yelling, "You're all useless! Such a big thing, and you only just told me now?!"

The butler knelt on the ground and explained in a low voice, "My lord, Her Highness the princess has been away for several days before, so we didn't pay much attention to it."

"You dare talk back! They always sent word before, but this time? Not a single word!"

The man named Da Ming beat the butler mercilessly.

After getting tired of fighting, the daimyo of the Land of Earth turned his gaze to Onoki, who was grinning smugly, and asked, "Since you know where Tsukimi is right now?"

"According to intelligence, I have already sent people to search for them in the Land of Lightning," Onoki said hurriedly.

"No way! You guys are unreliable." The daimyo of the Land of Earth looked at the butler lying on the ground. "I didn't kill him. If he's not dead, get over here."

Upon hearing this, the butler scrambled over, saying, "What are your orders, sir?"

"Go to Konoha to issue a quest. When they specifically ask for Nara deer, go find them. I'm willing to pay any price!"

These words left Onoki somewhat helpless. When did Nara Shikatoki become so famous among the daimyo?

"Your Excellency, the leader of this expedition is Nara Shikatoki. I specifically sought him out from Konoha."

Onoki's words made the Land of Earth Daimyo pause, then he took a deep breath, "That's good, I trust Shikatoki-kun to handle things."

"As for you!"

The daimyo looked at Onoki with a dangerous gaze.

"You Iwagakure village are really something. If you can't control your men, then I will—"

"Dad, I'm back! I even brought you some specialties from Rose Valley in the Land of Fire!"

A little girl skipped in, only to find the atmosphere oppressive and chaotic. "Did I come at the wrong time?" she wondered.

"Xiaoyue!"

The daimyo of the Land of Earth quickly stepped forward and grabbed her hand. "You've come at just the right time! Where have you been all this time? Your father was so worried!"

Xiaoyue scratched her head sheepishly. "Hehe, sorry Dad, I went on vacation to Rose Valley with Yami from the Land of Fire, and I forgot to send someone back to let you know."

"snort!"

The daimyo of the Land of Earth snorted coldly.

Xiaoyue took out the gift she had prepared. "Dad, these are some flower cakes I brought back. They're delicious. You should try some too."

Looking at the obsequious Xiaoyue in front of him, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth suddenly realized that if Xiaoyue went to the Land of Fire, wouldn't that mean that someone else eloped with Rōshi? Wouldn't that be a good thing?!

The daimyo of the Land of Earth picked up a flower cake and took a bite. "Hahaha! Delicious! My girl always brings me the best! I'll let it slide this time, but next time I'll tell my family where I'm going beforehand!"

Seeing that her father was no longer angry, Xiaoyue breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a sweet smile. "I will definitely pay attention next time!"

""

Ōnoki was stunned after hearing this, and almost instinctively asked, "Didn't you elope with Ōmurasaki?"

"Who is Lao Zi?"

Xiaoyue was completely bewildered. "I've only been gone a few days! How could there be rumors that she eloped? No wonder Dad was so angry."

"alright!"

The daimyo of the Land of Earth interrupted their conversation, looking at Onoki with hostility. "Since it's not Kozuki, I can't be bothered with it. You can leave now."

"Then I won't bother you any longer." Onoki left the Daimyo's residence with a sense of relief.

This is the best news we've received in a while: the woman who eloped with Lao Zi wasn't the daughter of the famous man.