Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Handsome Sasori's father looked up at the sky speechlessly. He seemed to have already seen the scene of the other four villages' allied forces besieging Sunagakure, but... he still followed them.

........

"Hey! What a coincidence, Brother Raikage! We even bumped into each other here. If you're not feeling lucky, Brother Raikage, could you give me a birth chart? I'll go back and have the old monk calculate if our destinies are compatible. If they are, we can find some time to chop off a chicken's head and become sworn brothers. What do you think? Strategist Mabu is truly a genius! We were wondering why we saw a purple aura lingering in the distant east this morning, as if some important person was about to appear. Turns out it was you, Brother Raikage! ヾ(^Д^*)/"

Shinto took the lead and came to the Raikage and Azaburo, who were completely dumbfounded when they saw them. He looked at the bewildered duo with great enthusiasm and acted as if he were one of them.

"...You're not bad either, but you only brought this few people?"

The Raikage snapped out of his daze and looked at Shinto, who was constantly giving him meaningful glances.

Everyone tacitly agreed on this, but he was surprised that the Sand Village had the same idea. It was truly a coincidence. However, he kept quiet about the matter of their birth charts; if he were to become sworn brothers with this kid, wouldn't he be inexplicably a generation younger than Chiyo and Ebizo...?

"There's no other way! You know the situation in Sunagakure, a place where chickens don't lay eggs and birds don't poop, it's always sandstorms or tornadoes. It's already a miracle that we can support this many people. Look at them, apart from being a bit handsome, they're all pale and thin. How can they compare to our Cloud Ninja brothers! They all look like the number one man in the universe, James... Raikage, since we're all so connected, look, Onoki and the Iwa ninja are not far from here. If they're well-trained, they can get over in less than two days. Going deep behind enemy lines and fighting alone is really..." "It's dangerous enough, and you've brought so many people. It would be beneath you to just steal one tower and leave, wouldn't it? Grand Strategist Azabu, you agree, right? Since we've all met here by chance, why don't we form a team and go big? Let's draw a line: you head west from here, and we'll head north. Whichever side Onoki discovers, that side will hold off the Iwagakure forces for as long as possible. Afterwards, we'll split the spoils fifty-fifty. I guarantee with my integrity that I won't betray you. Besides, even with Grand Strategist Azabu's intelligence, I don't have the ability to do this. What do you think?"

304. Raikage's brother has unparalleled fighting power.

The Raikage looked at the large head of the burlap sack: You go...!

"...We trust Lord Shinto's character, but are you using us as a shield? A 50/50 split isn't quite right, is it?"

With an intelligence score of 99, almost at the pinnacle, Azabu's big head was incredibly powerful. After listening to Shinto's advice, he pondered for a few seconds and knew what the Golden Lion was up to. The enemy only numbered three or four hundred people at most, not too many, not too few, and they would definitely move faster than them. However, if they were discovered by the Iwa ninja army, they would have to run away. After all, it was unrealistic for three or four hundred people to fight the Iwa ninja army head-on. However, their relatively small numbers also made them less likely to be discovered. They had a full two thousand people. Moving around in someone else's backyard like this would definitely be discovered in no time, because he never intended to hide it from Onoki. He was just playing a time game with the Iwa ninja. Moreover, he never planned to go deep into the area. His goal was just to casually steal a tower and leave immediately, which would both vent his anger and shut up the old guys in the village. Even if the Iwa ninja discovered them, it wouldn't matter, as they couldn't catch up.

However, Shiki has now seen through this. He teamed up with them only because he knew that if so many of them moved, they would definitely be discovered and surrounded by Iwa ninja. If they left, then it wouldn't be so easy for Sunagakure, who were also planning to steal the towers, to succeed. So Shiki was clearly asking the Kumo ninja to provide cover and hold off the Iwa ninja, giving them enough time to act and take down two more towers.

If that were all, he would refuse without even thinking. However, the conditions offered by Shiki were not without merit. The two sides were on completely opposite routes, one to the west and one to the north. If they could hold off the Iwa ninja for a while, Shiki might actually be able to steal the Iwa ninja's home base with these few hundred Sand ninja. Moreover, Shiki's combat strength was beyond doubt, and the spoils afterward would definitely be much more than what they could get from stealing a single tower.

However, on the other hand, the Cloud Ninja went to fight the Iwa Ninja, allowing the Sand Ninja to focus on stealing the tower, and the result was only a 50/50 split. Azaburo, the big-headed ninja, was somewhat dissatisfied, feeling it wasn't a worthwhile trade...

"Strategist, you're mistaken. Stealing towers is physically demanding! We just have different roles; our job is to contribute to the team. And as you can see, we're all pale and thin, our limbs weak. We're fine for sneaky things, but if we really went to fight the Iwa ninja, what could a few hundred of us do? We'd be wiped out in a single round. But the Cloud ninja are different. Everyone in the ninja world knows you Cloud ninja are invincible in one-on-one combat. After Hashirama Senju died, you were all just fodder for the enemy..."

"A force of over ten thousand can go toe-to-toe with Konoha's thirty thousand. Even the Grand Strategist knows about equal exchange, right? If our mere few hundred were to encounter a large Iwagakure force, even if I were the strongest ninja in the world, I could only hold out for a few days at most. And think about it, a few days wouldn't even be enough time for you to travel. But if you Cloud Ninja brothers face Iwagakure, with my unparalleled Raikage leading you Cloud Ninja brothers who are invincible in one-on-one combat, as long as Iwagakure doesn't send reinforcements, we can easily hold them off for a year or two. Imagine if I, with these few hundred men, couldn't break through their high ground after a year or two—I'd immediately go home and drive a tractor! A fifty-fifty split is already more than enough, since everyone is taking the same risks. It's just that you guys are tough and invincible in one-on-one combat, so it's more suitable for you to provide cover. If the Iwagakure discovers our position, we'll provide cover for you too. As for how many days we can hold out, that depends on fate. Don't you think so, Grand Strategist?"

After Shinto gave a powerful analysis that even the Raikage found reasonable, he subtly praised the Cloud Ninja. The Cloud Ninja underlings straightened their backs, tucked in their stomachs, and lifted their buttocks, their eyes shining.

Unbeatable in one-on-one combat... That's a great title!

And these words came from the mouth of the Golden Lion of Sunagakure. (???)

Dealing with smart people is really brain-draining. This big-headed guy can basically guess what you're thinking. It's easy to fool the Cloud Ninja, but it's really hard to fool this big-headed guy.

Fortunately, the Cloud Ninja are known for being extremely proud and willing to suffer for it. Just look at how the Raikage was sullen for years after the Eight-Tails scratched a small hole in him with its fingernail. So, he first praised the Cloud Ninja to get the atmosphere going. Once the Raikage and his underlings were praised enough, the Grand Strategist would surely follow suit.

"...Azabu, I think he makes sense. A 50/50 split is fine, but you have to be quick. Although we are...unrivaled in combat power, we only have two thousand men. We can't hold out for long...one month. After one month, we will withdraw no matter where you go. As for how much you can plunder, that's up to you."

The Raikage was also a little smug. He had to admit that the Golden Lion was incredibly good at talking. Although he didn't understand much of what he said, he just kept saying that the Cloud Ninja were awesome!

Although he was a bit carried away by the hype, he was still rational and wouldn't actually go head-to-head with the Iwa ninja just because of Shiki's praise. That wouldn't be called mindless, it would be called brain-dead.

He also thought this business was worth doing. Although they were at a slight disadvantage when facing Iwagakure, their lineup was indeed more suitable for stealing towers. At first, they only planned to steal one of Iwagakure's towers and leave, but now that a big opportunity was in front of them, they really didn't want to let it go.

However, they really couldn't drag this out for too long. After all, their men were still on the battlefield throwing explosives, and he felt that a month was the limit.

With these spoils, even if they were to withdraw, they wouldn't have lost out. At least compared to Konoha and Iwa, they had made a profit. It's just that Sunagakure didn't know. Although the Kazekage led the Sunagakure to fight fiercely against Konoha on the front lines, he was still unsure whether Sunagakure had received any benefits from Konoha in this war. Let that excuse of encountering sandstorms and tornadoes every day go to hell!

Only an idiot would believe such an excuse....

"...Brother Raikage is the most insightful. We'll take our leave now."

After praising the Raikage with a smile, Masato quickly left with his ANBU underlings, not giving Azabu a chance to speak.

Dealing with smart people is fucking exhausting; he'll have to buy two boxes of Brain Gold (a Chinese health supplement) to replenish his energy when he gets back...

305. Lord Tsuchikage, something terrible has happened!

Inside the Tsuchikage Building in Iwagakure, Onoki pulled his dragon throne less than ten centimeters from his desk, then sat on it with his feet propped up on the desk, leisurely humming a heart-wrenching little tune. This was the happiest time of his life, even more exhilarating than when he successfully seduced his wife and reached second base! ヾ(^?^)?

If he still felt a little guilty about letting his teammates down on the way back, now he was truly glad that he had made an incredibly wise decision!

It feels so good to let your teammates down! ヾ(^Д^*)/.

Since his return, he has been receiving constant battle reports from the front lines. The fighting between Sunagakure and Konoha is extremely fierce. Although it's a bit of a shame that that bastard Shiki didn't participate, it's the same as having Sunagawa. Just seeing the increasingly aggressive defensive tactics of both sides in the battle, and Sunagawa recklessly unleashing all sorts of powerful attacks, makes him feel like the whole world is celebrating. Meanwhile, the fighting between Kumogakure and Konoha is even more intense. What makes him happiest is that that bastard Raikage was actually defeated by Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple using snake venom!

If it weren't for his extravagance, he would have loved to hold a solo concert in the village like that effeminate guy from Sunagawa. Empty words were no longer enough to express his feelings; only a song could convey them.

That decision back then was absolutely brilliant! ヾ(^Д^*)/

It's a pity! Such opportunities are rare! And they can only be used once. This experiment with the young Purple, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, on the battlefield was very successful, proving that his idea was correct. Back then, they shamelessly borrowed money from Sunagakure at exorbitant interest rates to buy the two Tailed Beasts, just to use them as a nuclear threat, which was really not worth it for them. However, when Hashirama Senju was still alive, he didn't dare to propose the Jinchuriki war plan to his second teacher. After all, when the Tailed Beasts were purchased, the leaders of each village had signed a peace treaty. Although to them, that peace treaty was just a piece of waste paper, with Hashirama Senju as a super hydrogen bomb, everyone still obediently held their noses and wanted to be a loving family... But since he came to power, he has been constantly pushing forward the Jinchuriki plan. However, because the villages lack top scientific research talents, and war has not broken out, even though the Jinchuriki plan is very successful, the effects are still in the realm of speculation due to insufficient data.

This time, young Murasaki won several MVPs on the battlefield, which showed him the power of Jinchuriki in war. As long as they don't encounter monsters like Raikage or Golden Lion who can both tank and deal damage, ordinary Double Flower Red Staff members simply can't withstand them. Orochimaru, who was recently promoted to Double Flower Red Staff member and was a disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi, could only limit some of the young Murasaki.

It's fair to say that if Hanzo the Salamander had been able to hold out a little longer, he could have broken into the Land of Fire and shattered Konoha's undefeated myth!

However, he was not disappointed. After all, the lineup of the Land of Rain was there. With Hiruzen Sarutobi's three top disciples leading the way, it was surprising that Hanzo of the Salamander wasn't beaten up. He wasn't very familiar with Orochimaru and Jiraiya, but he had personally witnessed the violent princess of the Senju clan. The aura she unleashed was incredibly powerful, domineering, and awesome. With Hanzo of the Salamander's physique, how could he possibly fare well after taking a punch?

He really wanted to ask Hanzo the Salamander in person how he survived...

With the data from the young Purple Battlefield as a reference, he had even higher expectations for the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. After all, it had one more tail than the Four-Tails. If successful, he was guaranteed at least a Double-Flower Red Staff. From his grandfather's time to the present, the village had only had two Double-Flower Red Staffs at its peak, and now there was about to be one more, making it three. Their Iwagakure would soon have three Double-Flower Red Staffs.

He's about to surpass his grandfather and become the Tsuchikage, leading Iwagakure to its pinnacle. Just thinking about it is a little exciting...ヾ(^Д^*)/

"Lord Iwagakure, something terrible has happened! Several villages in the western part of the Land of Earth have been attacked, it looks like the work of large-scale bandits!"

Just as Onoki was feeling good about himself and imagining himself becoming the greatest person in Iwagakure's history, a junior member of the Anbu rushed in to report, interrupting his wonderful fantasy.

"boom!"

"What?! These bandits have got some nerve! Get Zi to take men there immediately! I want to see the bandit leader's head!"

This is a blatant slap in the face. Just a moment ago he was dreaming of becoming the first person in history, and now a village in the Land of Earth is under attack, and right when he returned to guard his home. Isn't this a slap in the face?

Mountain bandits exist in every country, except for the Land of Wind, which is mostly desert with no mountains... Even the Land of Water has numerous pirate crews of all sizes... It's an ancient profession with a long history, especially during times of chaos, when mountain bandits were countless. Many people who couldn't survive were forced to become outlaws, choosing to live by the sea or mountains. Even now, in the era of ninja villages, wars provide opportunities for mountain bandits to expand their manpower, making it impossible to eradicate. Therefore, many countries turn a blind eye, after all, those bandits were once pitiful people...

The methods used were all similar: those heinous bandits were treated as candidates for graduating as genin. After all, they were just ordinary people, at most some rogue ninja who knew the Three Body Techniques; how powerful could they be? The truly powerful ones were like Kakuzu, working as bounty hunters on the black market...

Moreover, it's not a big deal for bandits to attack a village. It happens every year. To be on the safe side, you can just send a Jonin over. But this time, Onoki was proven wrong. No matter what kind of large bandit group it is, he went straight for the Double Flower Red Stick!

Damn it!

I finally had a few days of fun, and then he comes out and stirs up trouble, slapping me in the face. Has he never seen a giant snake poop before? (▼へ▼メ)

"Hiss...Yes!"

The underlings in the ANBU couldn't help but gasp upon hearing their boss's words, silently mourning for those reckless bandits. That was a human Jinchūriki! They wondered if their bandit leaders could even withstand it...

.......

A week later...

Tsuchikage's office.

"Lord Tsuchikage, something terrible has happened..."

"I'm not dead yet! Spit it out! ヽ(#`Д′)?"

It was the same ANBU underling from a week ago, but this time he was interrupted by an angry Onoki before he could even finish speaking.

Onoki glared angrily at his underling. "Who the hell brought this bastard into the Anbu? Couldn't he at least change his lines when he reports?!" (▼へ▼メ).

306. Did Shiki or Raikage switch careers and become a bandit?

"Lord Tsuchikage... Lord Murasaki... Lord Murasaki has been severely injured by the bandit leader..."

Seeing their boss's furious face and his nose turn from red to black, the underling in the Anbu was terrified. He nervously reported that he remembered his uncle, who had brought him into the Anbu, saying, "Don't be fooled by the Tsuchikage's short stature and kind old man appearance. When the Tsuchikage unleashes his power, it's terrifying..."

Now he finally understood what his uncle meant.

Oh my god! The Tsuchikage's nose changes color when he unleashes his power! That's terrifying! Σ(?д?lll)

"Hmph... So... please tell me, how did you determine that the person who could severely injure Yukari was a bandit leader? Also, please tell me, which bandit in our Land of Earth could sweep through more than a dozen villages in a week and then severely injure the Four-Tails Jinchuriki? Was it Shiki the Golden Lion, or did the Raikage switch to banditry? Hurry up and inform Tsuchiki to call for reinforcements. This time, I'm going to make that bastard Raikage die here... (▼he▼メ)"

Onoki took a deep breath to calm himself down, and gritted his teeth as he spoke slowly, suppressing the urge to blast this underling to death with a single shot.

He was now basically certain that this group of people were not the bandits his idiot underling had claimed. At his most furious moment, he wasn't so angry anymore; after all, how could an underling be an idiot?

Damn bandits! If there were such a powerful bandit in the Land of Earth who could severely injure the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, he would immediately grovel and beg for his services, even offering him the position of Tsuchikage!

In the ninja world, there are very few people who can severely injure a Four-Tails Jinchuriki. Although Jinchuriki are not as powerful as Tailed Beasts, they can communicate with and borrow the power of Tailed Beasts. Even if they are not top-tier experts, they still have the power of Tailed Beasts to protect themselves. Severely injuring a Jinchuriki is not something that just anyone can do. So far, the only living person in the ninja world who has fought against Tailed Beasts is himself, the Raikage, and Shiki. However, he relied on a map-wide attack... oops! Dust Release when fighting Tailed Beasts. Since Yukari is a Jinchuriki, not a Tailed Beast formed from chakra, if Yukari were hit by his Dust Release, even with the protection of a Tailed Beast, he would be reduced to ashes. And it's clearly not him.

So the only remaining culprits are the Raikage, who can fight the Eight-Tails one-on-one, and Shiki, who beat the Seven-Tails into a husky.

The images of these two figures kept shifting in Onoki's mind, finally settling on the Raikage. According to the testimony of young Yukari when she was redeemed, the Four-Tails seemed to have been brutally beaten by that bastard Shiki. That's why it was so docile when it was in Kakuzu's hands. If Yukari had faced that bastard Shiki, it wouldn't even have had a chance to be seriously injured. The Four-Tails' sensory abilities are so sharp; it could sense Shiki fleeing with Yukari from a kilometer away. It wouldn't have had the courage to fight Shiki head-on, giving Yukari a chance to be seriously injured...

So Onoki was certain: this gang of bandits... ugh! These bastards were undoubtedly the Raikage and the Cloud Ninja. Recalling how the Second Raikage, taking advantage of his teacher's recent death and the village's leaderless state, led his gang to their Land of Earth and captured two towers, Onoki was furious. Now, those bastards were even more audacious, daring to steal towers even though they knew he was in the village. Onoki gritted his teeth in hatred; this time, he was determined to settle both old and new scores! (▼he▼メ)

As for this guy who seems to think those bastards are bandits' lackeys... the Anbu should probably get a makeover too.

How could someone with such poor analytical skills get into his direct, clandestine unit? It seems there's real corruption at play!

........

"Hiss...! Now we move out. Same old rules, time it out now. Five minutes to move, then immediately retreat..."

Meanwhile, on the back side of the Land of Earth, Shinto and Sasori's father were having a smooth and successful run. Within half a month, they had secretly conquered over a dozen villages and small towns, reaping a bountiful harvest. This Conqueror's Haki was incredibly effective; wherever they went, Shinto would unleash his full Conqueror's Haki, and the next second everyone's eyes would roll back in shock. Then, his ANBU henchmen would swiftly reap the rewards, making them virtually invincible. After all, even Jonin felt pressure from this Conqueror's Haki; stunning ordinary people was as easy as eating, and all without bloodshed or a trace. When people woke up and found their homes looked like they'd been robbed, they probably thought it was haunted...

No one would think of it as someone stealing their tower, because it's too inexplicable. Everyone suddenly fainted, and then a lot of things mysteriously disappeared from their homes. If word got out, people would think they were idiots.

........

However, perhaps because his Conqueror's Haki had only recently awakened and his proficiency was too low, and he needed to control it so as not to affect his subordinates, his head would inexplicably twitch every time he tried to control it, causing him to gasp for breath in pain.

This time was no different. He'd just stunned the people of the village ahead when a sharp pain shot through his head, causing him to gasp involuntarily. That indescribable pain emanating from his brain nerves was something he wouldn't get used to for a long time...

"Big brother, are you really alright?"

Handsome Sasori's father looked at his older brother and saw him gasp for breath every time he stunned someone with his awesome aura. He knew his older brother was a super tough guy who wouldn't cry out in pain even when stabbed by White Fang's knife or hit by a Tailed Beast Ball. Now he couldn't help but gasp for breath, which showed how much pain he was in.

"It's alright, it's just that this ability was only recently awakened and I haven't used it much, so my proficiency is still low. It'll be fine once I get more skilled... Let's hurry, I reckon the Iwa ninja are already fighting the Raikage and the others. Let's try to take advantage of them drawing their fire to get to the Daimyo's residence, do a big blow, and then leave..."

"I'm going to rub my throbbing head," Masato said.

It would be a miracle if nothing happened; his head was practically splitting open, but he was just gritting his teeth and holding on for the sake of his lofty and imposing image in the eyes of those underlings.

In his opinion, Conqueror's Haki didn't seem to have any real use. It was just something to use to kiss the soldiers or show off. Whether it was One Piece or Naruto, all the powerful characters were people with strong wills, so Conqueror's Haki had little effect on them. Ever since the power system in One Piece collapsed after the Marineford War, he hadn't been interested in watching it. Anyway, the later a character appeared, the more powerful they were, so he didn't know what other uses Conqueror's Haki had.

So he hadn't studied it since the time his younger brother was stabbed in the back. Besides, Shiki isn't Shanks. Shiki's best skill is sword aura, followed by the Float-Float Fruit. Haki seems to be only used to show off and fight his underlings. Almost every pirate who has appeared in the New World has this thing, so it's not worth studying. But it turned out to be quite useful at this time.

Hmm... if I have time, I could go to the Land of Fire and be a hero, robbing the rich to help the poor...

307. People are treating action-packed anime like crime thrillers.