Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"Cough cough... But brother, we've clearly knocked the person unconscious, so why is the action time only five minutes? We could have taken much more before the person woke up... (⊙_⊙)?"

Handsome Scorpion's father asked the question he had wanted to ask the whole way. Since leaving the village, his older brother had kept emphasizing that the operation only had five minutes. At first, he thought it was to avoid the operation taking too long and causing people to notice anything unusual. But along the way, he had been stunned by his older brother's aura. Based on his clinical experience, this was caused by mental stimulation. An ordinary person would not wake up completely in a day. But his older brother always seemed to be in a hurry. Before the operation started, he would emphasize that the harvest time was only five minutes.

In his opinion, this was completely unnecessary; let alone five minutes, these people wouldn't wake up even after half a day...

"...Isn't this to build up the tension? Besides, we're doing something illegal. Even thieves have their code of honor, so we should at least respect this profession. And haven't you heard of the golden five minutes? That's the experience of countless heroes. Usually, from the time an incident occurs to the time it takes to call the police and then to the time the police arrive, it's five minutes. This is our first time doing this job, so we have to respect the traditions left by our predecessors. But...what you said makes sense. Next time, let's extend the operation time to half an hour."

Scorpion's father's words suddenly enlightened Shinto. He was right! Those "golden five minutes" were probably just something those directors and editors of cop movies made up. Besides, cop movies only show ordinary people in the real world, but this was a two-dimensional world! He'd even used such a powerful, overpowered skill like Conqueror's Haki, and these people were all stunned. They couldn't really call the police, and there weren't any remote alarm systems around, were there? He was treating a shonen anime like a cop movie...

The most crucial point is that Raikage's large group has definitely been exposed. The question is whether they've already clashed with Onoki. If they have, Raikage and his two thousand men could easily hold out for at least a month, if not a full two weeks. Moreover, the journey from the west to their location would take a week or two. In other words, they have at least a month, which is more than enough time. Besides, Raikage isn't a blabbermouth. Their actions have been so quiet, and no murders have occurred. Onoki might not even notice anything unusual here, at most thinking it's a supernatural event.

Having figured all this out, Shinto was no longer in a hurry and leaned against a big tree, speaking leisurely.

"......-_-||"

Handsome Scorpion's father was speechless. Although his older brother's theories seemed quite reasonable, he couldn't recall any heroes in this line of work. Wasn't the founder of this line of work just the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu? Where did all these heroes come from, this talk of experience summaries? If he knew about the golden five minutes, he wouldn't have been ruined by you...

"Huff... Captain, there's no other way. I really can't keep up the act anymore. Do we still have to go to Daming Prefecture?"

Before five minutes had even passed, a somewhat overweight henchman, who, despite wearing an ANBU uniform and a mask, didn't look like a special forces soldier at all, ran up to Masato, panting as he spoke.

"...Tanaka, you should lose some weight when you have time. If you keep going like this, you'll really have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar in two years. Look at you, in just a few years, your ten-pack abs have turned into a lump of fat. No wonder you're still single after so many years of high-paying, high-paying jobs. You've lost your abs, what girl would even look at you? Times have changed. The days when a stable, high-paying job guaranteed you popularity are over. These days, it's all about looks and...endurance!"

Masato stood up and patted his old subordinate, who was starting to look bloated, and lectured him.

Those who call him Captain instead of "Master Shindou" are his former subordinates from the Anbu. After Sasori's father got married, he went to Sunagawa and Ebizo to bring these people out of the Anbu and have them fill in for him in the Jonin class. After all, they were his brothers who had fought alongside him and killed people together. He couldn't bear to let them live in fear every day in the Anbu. After all, without his protection, who knows how long these guys would survive? He also didn't want to offer incense to them every year.

However, life in the Anbu is tense and orderly, and you have to maintain your best physical condition at all times. But once you leave and take up an administrative job in the Jonin class, life becomes more relaxed. The others are fine, after all, they have developed self-discipline over the years and try to avoid fried and high-calorie foods. Every morning they go to the park to do morning exercises with the elderly. Although their bodies have changed a little, it is not serious. You can still see the outline of their ten-pack abs.

But Tanaka is different. After leaving the ANBU, he completely let loose. Since becoming his secretary, he only works one day a month and does nothing but eat and sleep. He spends his days wandering around the streets. His life is even more carefree than that of the old men in the village. These two completely opposite lifestyles have led to Tanaka almost catching up with the Akimichi clan after a few years. Seeing that his former ANBU underling with ten-pack abs is still single, Shinto feels ashamed!

If this guy weren't so old and beyond Luo Zhen's reach, even Shinto would have wanted to put him back into the Anbu to lose weight. He practically flew him from Sunagakure to the Land of Earth, so he didn't need to travel or expend energy. This action-oriented guy has only been traveling for a little over two weeks, and he's already panting like this...

"Whew... I promise I'll go on a diet when I get back...!"

Seeing the sincere look in his boss's eyes, the fertile Tanaka was so moved that he couldn't stop thinking. In a moment of impulsiveness, he straightened his back, tucked in his stomach, lifted his buttocks, and patted his plump chest, promising.

"...I hope you can keep your word. If you can't fit it all, then leave. Take stock of the loot... ugh! The spoils of war, and leave behind anything of low value. Don't be too ruthless; always leave some room for future encounters... Let's head straight to Daming Prefecture..."

Looking at Tanaka's confident vow to lose weight, Masato rolled his eyes. Such short-sighted promises are best taken with a grain of salt. Having gotten used to a carefree life, going back to the past isn't so easy...

He could just listen to those words and ignore them; he couldn't be bothered to dwell on them. What he needed to do now was deal with the spoils of war. He never imagined that the Land of Earth, which had once had to borrow money from the Land of Wind to make ends meet, would have such a high standard of living after more than twenty years of development. The Land of Earth was less than halfway to Daimyo Prefecture, and the unsealed scrolls they had brought were already overflowing.

308. Go back and write a 100,000-word self-criticism and hand it in to me.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

"-_-||....What kind of mess is this? Which bastard stuffed all these pots and pans here? Go back and write a 100,000-word self-criticism and hand it in to me. And these salted fish, have you never eaten fish before? You even stuffed this stuff in here, go back and write a 100,000-word self-criticism and hand it in to me! You're supposed to be noble ninjas, don't lower yourselves like you're picking up trash. Don't stuff these pots and pans in here anymore, they're all rusty. When we divide the spoils with the Raikage, I'll be embarrassed too. (▼へ▼メ)"

When the underlings pulled out the sealed scroll to tally the loot and emptied its contents, a strong stench nearly knocked them unconscious. These underlings were probably from poor families and had never seen much of the world. The scroll contained pots and pans, tattered clothes and shoes—everything imaginable. They didn't know which bastard was so inconsiderate as to stuff women's underwear in there. What was even more outrageous was that they even took people's salted fish. That was just too much.

With a dark expression, Masato launched into a tirade against a group of ANBU underlings.

Several younger brothers from impoverished families in the crowd, upon hearing that they would have to write a 100,000-word self-criticism upon returning home, had unfocused eyes filled with tears, their legs went weak, and they almost collapsed to the ground. Then they looked pitifully at Handsome Scorpion's father.

A 100,000-word self-criticism? Σ(?д?lll)

This punishment is absolutely outrageous! Even the greatest literary figures in their Wind Kingdom couldn't produce a 100,000-word self-criticism!

"...Ahem, brother, let's get going."

When Handsome Scorpion's dad saw those pleading eyes, he knew these guys were the real culprits who had stuffed pots and pans, tattered clothes and shoes, and salted fish into the water. Looking at those tearful eyes, it wasn't that Handsome Scorpion's dad was soft-hearted; it was just that even he, a top student, couldn't write a 100,000-word self-criticism, let alone these illiterate guys who were directing his friends... They might as well just jump into the sea. -_-||

......

"Have you heard? Have you heard? This area has been haunted lately!"

"You mean what happened near Shiyan City?"

"Yeah! Yeah! That's terrifying! I fainted for no reason, and when I woke up, all the valuables in the house were still there. Do you think it might really be haunted?"

"It's hard to say. It could have been done by humans. Haven't you heard? Two towns in the west were plundered by some large bandit group. Lord Tsuchikage is currently cleaning up the bandits. Do you think it could have been done by the bandits?"

"Impossible. I've heard about what happened in the west too. The methods on both sides are completely different. Those bandits slaughtered everyone, but no one died in Shiyan City. They all just fainted inexplicably in an instant. How could bandits have that kind of ability? I think it's a ghost, and definitely a poor ghost that doesn't kill but only takes valuables..."

"Really? That's terrifying! ??)?Д?(?"

"What's even scarier is yet to come. Judging from the haunted places, those poor ghosts are coming to us soon. What do you suggest we do?"

"Who knows what to do? Hiding valuables won't work! I can outsmart those ghosts at finding things, but I've heard they can walk through walls..."

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and find the ninja master and tell him to bring back the Tsuchikage!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Let's go find the ninja master..."

"......"

The ghost story in the northern part of the Land of Earth has gradually spread, and a terrifying atmosphere seems to be spreading in the north of the Land of Earth, leaving people still feeling uneasy.

Although the Land of Earth has been advocating for belief in science and dispelling supernatural phenomena for years, the idea of ​​ghosts still evokes a sense of inexplicable fear in ordinary people, especially after those who have come to their senses and discovered that their belongings are missing have spoken out about it. While one or two such accounts may not be entirely credible, the sheer number of people who have heard them, coupled with word-of-mouth transmission from merchants, makes it difficult for them not to believe.

If they were bandits or ninjas, they wouldn't be so panicked. What kind of big scenes haven't they experienced in the Land of Earth? During the war, their base was raided by the Hidden Mist Village and their tower was stolen by the Hidden Cloud Village, but they've recovered now. In the past twenty years, under the leadership of the Tsuchikage, the country has gradually become prosperous and strong, and it's really all man-made. Their great Tsuchikage can even drive these people back.

But when it comes to the supernatural, things get complicated. After all, those things are ghosts without physical bodies. The Tsuchikage's area-of-effect attacks are powerful, but they can't deal with ghosts. All those things in his house are the fruits of his hard-earned wealth!

As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, news of the supernatural events in the northern part of the Land of Earth spread throughout the country. People ignored the Daimyo's residence and sent a distress signal directly to Iwagakure. Everyone knew their Daimyo was a good-for-nothing... no! All the Daimyo in the entire ninja world were just good-for-nothings who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun. The real power lay with the Kage who held military power. In the past, they would go to the Daimyo for trivial matters, but now that it concerned their life's work, of course they went to Iwagakure and the Tsuchikage!

In a short time, each village and town sent their most eloquent representatives to Iwagakure Village to ask for help.

........

"Raikage, you despicable bastard! Come out here!!!! (╬◣д◢)"

Meanwhile, unaware that the village was already teeming with people, his trusted lieutenant, Tsuchimaki, was on the other side, leading his underlings in a thorough search, cursing loudly in the air as they searched.

During this period, Onoki was indeed a bit angry. When he guessed that the Raikage was trying to steal the tower again, he immediately asked Tsuchiki to call for reinforcements. His subordinates reacted very quickly and assembled in ten minutes. After leaving a group of men to guard the base with Tsuchiki, he personally led a team out, furious and determined to kill the Raikage!

But when he arrived with his massive army, the Raikage changed!

He was no longer the Raikage he knew!

Based on his understanding of the Raikage and Kumogakure, the Raikage's fighting style was always the same: regardless of the number of enemies or allies, he would always unleash his full power and buffs before charging in. But now, the Raikage was actually starting to use his own tactics against him. When caught, he wouldn't unleash his full power or buffs and lead his men in a head-on fight. The clashes would last less than ten minutes before he would quickly lead his men into the depths of the mountains. Every time the Raikage and his men caught up with or found them, it would be a ten-minute battle, followed by an organized and disciplined flanking maneuver. He was even more punctual than a clock, as slippery as an eel. Onoki was incredibly popular right now.

309. The Haunting Incident in the Land of Earth

Moreover, he had no idea what that bastard Raikage was up to. He'd abandoned his usual straightforward fighting style and started playing mind games with him. If you're going to run away, you should at least run back! When you're in the game, you have to admit your mistakes and stand up straight when you get beaten. He'd accept that Raikage stole two towers because of his carelessness, but this bastard was leading his henchmen deep into the mountains, clearly playing hide-and-seek with him. He had no choice but to be led by the nose by this bastard. If Raikage and his henchmen were to enjoy themselves in the Land of Earth, he'd be out of luck.

"Lord Tsuchikage, it seems like the Raikage and his gang are playing hide-and-seek with us, keeping us here. Could they have some other purpose?"

At this moment, the son of Kuraichi, the old man who was killed for cuckolding Hanzo the salamander, came to Ōnoki's side and said something.

Although Onoki was cunning, he was quite loyal to his own people. He couldn't bring himself to kill Hanzo the salamander to avenge his elder brother's death due to moral issues. However, after his elder brother's death, he quickly promoted his son, Mizuchi Takeshi, to the position and kept him by his side all the time, as a way of repaying his elder brother for supporting him in his rise to power.

This Mizuchi Takeshi is just average in terms of talent and ability, and his performance is also mediocre. He was promoted to Jonin at the age of eighteen and has only become an elite Jonin in ten years. There are too many people like him in Iwagakure. So without the support of Tsuchikage Onoki, it would be almost impossible for Mizuchi Takeshi to become Onoki's bodyguard captain.

However, although Mizuchi Takeshi's talent and aptitude are only so-so, he has followed his father, who is in a high position, for so many years that he still has some insight. He can see the Raikage's fighting style to some extent.

"...You're right, they definitely have some other purpose, but I haven't thought about whether anything has happened in the village yet."

These words were like a wake-up call. Having been preoccupied with getting angry because of the Raikage, Onoki quickly calmed down after hearing Mizuchi Takeshi's words. Once calm, Onoki recalled the various strange behaviors of the Raikage and the group of muscular Cloud Ninja during this period, which were really too strange. He was inexplicably startled and quickly asked Mizuchi Takeshi.

"Tsuchikage sent word yesterday that nothing's wrong with the village, but a lot of people from the northern part of the Land of Earth have come to the village. Apparently, it's been haunted there recently, and quite badly. Now, representatives from various villages and towns there have come to the village, hoping that Tsuchikage-sama can find a solution..."

Takeshi Mizuchi explained, somewhat speechlessly.

What the hell is this? As a positive and promising young man of the new era, he has always firmly believed in the Tsuchikage's belief in science and the dispelling of supernatural forces and myths. He has never believed in ghosts or gods. Besides, what's so scary about ghosts? The Uzumaki clan used to summon ghosts and gods, and they were wiped out by now.

So when he received the news, he just pursed his lips and tossed it aside without informing his father's... little brother.

"Haunted? What's going on? (⊙_⊙)?"

Onoki was completely bewildered by this. Although he advocated believing in science and rejecting supernatural phenomena, that was something he learned from Tobirama Senju. To be honest, he didn't believe in ghosts and gods before, but after experiencing the Uzumaki Country incident and seeing the Shinigami summoned by the Uzumaki clan, he started to believe. Although it was very mystical, Shinigami really existed in this world. Since Shinigami existed, he could understand why all sorts of demons and monsters would appear.

He just couldn't understand it. He didn't seem to have done anything particularly immoral in recent years. The only thing he did was betray his teammates not long ago, and the retribution should befall him, not those ordinary people. What did it have to do with him? He wasn't a big shot... or was he? (⊙_⊙)?

"It's said that a strange thing suddenly happened near Shiyan Castle not long ago. People in the nearby villages and towns would inexplicably faint, and when they woke up, they would find that all their valuables were gone. At first, they thought they had encountered bandits and didn't pay much attention. But for more than two weeks, this has been happening almost every day. People would inexplicably faint and all their valuables would disappear, but no one would be seen. So everyone thought they had encountered some kind of pauper... Lord Tsuchikage, you don't think this was done by Kumogakure, do you? But it's impossible for so many people to faint inexplicably!"

Looking at Onoki, whose expression was becoming increasingly serious, Mizuchi Takeshi said in surprise, "Those villages are alright. Ordinary people's villages don't actually have many people. At most, there are a few thousand people, and the most are around ten thousand. It's not difficult to knock them unconscious. You can just put something in the village's water source. However, this method is too despicable, and almost no one would use it."

But getting everyone in those towns to faint at the same time is harder than killing them all...

"The Raikage... inexplicably fainted... valuables..."

"Snapped!"

"Damn it! It must have been those bastards from Kumogakure who did it. Impressive! The Azabu clan truly lives up to their reputation—a feint attack from one side, incredibly clever! Immediately notify Tsuchimura to check if Yukari's injuries have healed. If so, have him take some men north and wipe out those bastards from Kumogakure!"

At first, when he heard what Mizuchi Takeshi said, he guessed that it was related to ghosts and gods. But after hearing the whole story, he suddenly connected the key words such as Raikage, inexplicable fainting, and valuable items in his mind. Finally, he understood!

That bastard Raikage has changed his usual tactics. Keeping them here is just a feint. He definitely has a small Cloud Village unit in the north, and Raikage and his group are just bait. The real protagonist is over there!

However, such a meticulous plan was definitely beyond the comprehension of a muscle-bound man like the Raikage. He had spotted Akagi's shadow during their previous confrontation, and he knew with a grain of salt that it was Akagi's cunning scheme. The plan was meticulously planned, every step calculated down to the second. First, they created a commotion here to attract Iwagakure's attention, drawing his men to this side, allowing the small force to begin their mopping-up operation from the north. And then, slowly, Akagi's cunning scheme unfolded...

Thinking of this, Onoki felt a surge of anger. They were in the west, while that small Iwa ninja unit was in the north. The west and north were completely opposite routes. Even if they drove in fourth gear all night and didn't slow down the whole way, it would still take them ten days to half a month to get there. In ten days to half a month, they could have reached the daimyo's house!

After imagining all this, I realized that Onoki Momokazu, the legendary man with an intelligence score of 99, is truly something else. Tsuchiki's intelligence score is also a whopping 95, but he simply couldn't conceive of such a crazy idea...

310. The daimyo of the Land of Earth is a poor bastard.

"Ahem... Brother, there's nothing in this Daming Prefecture except a pile of money..."

In the magnificent mansion of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, Sasori's father, who had transformed into a handsome seven-foot-tall man wearing a Konoha ninja headband using the Transformation Technique, walked in from outside and looked disdainfully at the Land of Earth Daimyo, who was bound hand and foot and whose face was covered with a thick layer of rouge, making it impossible to tell whether he was male or female.

This daimyo is truly damn poor. His people have ransacked the entire daimyo prefecture, inside and out. The Land of Earth's daimyo's private treasury is completely empty except for some useless banknotes. He's not even in the same league as the Land of Wind's daimyo! And to be honest, he doesn't even have as much money as the Land of Wind's daimyo's private treasury. This daimyo's treasury is full of paper money, while the Land of Wind's daimyo's private treasury is full of gold—there's no comparison!

He even wondered if he had come to the wrong place. This androgynous guy wasn't the famous man at all, but the famous man's favorite concubine.

This is a common hobby in your circle...

"No way? You're supposed to be the head of state! Hey! You androgynous pig-head, are you really the daimyo of the Land of Earth? Are daimyo really this poor? Our Hokage gave us a death order: if we don't recover enough of Konoha's losses from this war, and we're in trouble, you won't be doing well either. I see all these books in your study, so you must be a cultured man, right? Have you ever heard of a human stump? It's when all the protruding parts of a person's body are cut off, like the nose, hands, feet, and..."

When Masato, who had transformed into the image of Hatake Sakumo's cousin Hatake Gouwukai (who was originally white-haired), heard that this famous name was actually a poor guy, he immediately became unhappy. He took out the short blade that he had picked up on the way here, which looked very much like the Hatake clan's, and went to the pig's head that was tied up. He circled the short blade on the pig's greasy fat while saying something.

It was all planned out in the first place. Things were too tense lately, so small-scale skirmishes were out of the question. After clearing out some of the sealing scrolls, they headed straight for the Daimyo's capital in the Land of Earth. They figured if the residents of those small villages and towns were living such good lives, then the Daimyo's capital, where the head of state sat, must be living in unimaginable luxury!

As one of the five great nations of the ninja world, Daimyo's city has a population of at least several hundred thousand. If his half-baked Conqueror's Haki could knock out so many people, he'd probably become an idiot. So, after arriving in Daimyo's city, he can't use the same old methods of exploiting people. As the saying goes, even the most perfect crime will leave some flaws, especially since he's a newcomer... So, he has to change his approach. Everyone will be disguised as Konoha ninjas, so even if they're discovered, they can shift the blame to Konoha. This plan is perfect!

After the battle plan was finalized, the Konoha ninja, led by Hatake Sakumo's "cousin" Hatake Gouwukai, directly attacked the Daimyo's residence. As the residence of the head of state, it would not disappoint, would it?

When they first entered Daming Prefecture, it certainly did not disappoint them. It was as magnificent as a palace, with gold and jewels everywhere. The decoration alone was absolutely worthy of his status as the head of one of the five great powers! Even if he was just a mascot, he still had the life and rights and obligations that he was entitled to.

There are about a dozen guardian ninjas similar to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, all of whom are elite Jonin. They also have dozens of Jonin guards to protect the house and the property. Almost all the staff inside and outside the house are ninjas. In other words, apart from the Daimyo and his girlfriends, all the staff in the Daimyo's mansion are ninjas. Even the toilet cleaner is a Chunin. I guess even the Daimyo, the mascot of the Land of Fire, doesn't have this kind of prestige.