Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

After going through all that trouble to take down those so-called guardian ninjas, he was now being told that the prestigious daimyo he had worked so hard to achieve through two sleepless nights was nothing but a poor bastard. This was quite a blow to him!

"This...this Lord Hatake, I am indeed a genuine daimyo, but my residence truly does not possess what you are looking for. Aren't those things usually handled by the village kage? We daimyo are only responsible for managing the people's livelihood. You've come to the wrong place! If you're going to rob someone, go rob the Tsuchikage! ╥﹏╥"

The bound-up daimyo sensed that the white-haired ninja from the Hatake clan was about to reach his important position, and he burst into tears, complaining that today was his unlucky year, and he couldn't even compete with the daimyo of the Land of Lightning for a girl, since he didn't have as much money as the other daimyo.

But now, they've encountered a group of bandits, a once-in-a-century occurrence. And these bandits are incredibly fierce, especially the leader, the white-haired Hatake clan member. The dozen or so elite Jonin bodyguards and dozens of Jonin guards that the Tsuchikage had carefully selected for him couldn't even withstand a single round against him. If he hadn't seen the portrait of Konoha's White Fang, he would have suspected that this white-haired guy was the White Fang himself.

However, he now highly doubted whether this white-haired member of the Hatake clan was a newcomer. Otherwise, how could he not even know such basic common sense in the ninja world? Who the hell would come looking for a daimyo if they wanted to rob resources? Of course, they would go to the Tsuchikage. He was still drunk this morning when hundreds of Konoha men rushed in and hacked him to pieces, and they even came to his place to steal resources. He was the first person in history to have seen such an idiotic bandit... ╥﹏╥

"(⊙_⊙)?....Is that so?"

Looking at the pitiful-looking daimyo who seemed to have suffered a great injustice, Shinto asked Sasori's father with a question mark on his face. He really didn't know anything about this. All he knew was that although these daimyo were just mascots, they were very rich. He had heard a lot of stories about the daimyo competing in wealth over the years he had been here.

I really didn't know that there was such a clear division of labor between the Daimyo and the Murakami...

"I'm not a famous person, how would I know....(⊙_⊙)"

Handsome Scorpion's father shook his head blankly. He was indeed a top student, but his studies were all related to puppetry or things that interested him. He wasn't interested in Wind Shadow and hadn't researched it; how would he know anything about these things...?

"You...don't know either? (⊙_⊙)?"

Masato then asked the ANBU underlings behind the handsome Sasori, some of whom were even his secretaries in the Jonin class.

"have no idea....."

The underlings were sweating bullets... You two, one a top star and the other a prince, and you don't even know? How would we lowly employees possibly know? -_-||

311. The Four-Tails came, and then it ran away again!

“╥﹏╥...”

Seeing the group of "Konoha ninjas" looking at each other with utter bewilderment, the pig-headed daimyo shed tears of resentment...

It turns out these "Konoha ninjas" are really just rookies who just started out!

"What do we do now...? (⊙_⊙)?"

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Sasori's parents helplessly spread their hands. They thought this job would be the end of it, but it turns out the Daimyo is a penniless bastard who only has money to burn. They'd already emptied half the sealing scrolls; going back to share the loot with the Raikage like this would be even more embarrassing... -_-||

They've been drawing away the Iwa ninja army for so long, and this is all they've gotten? His brother is really going to retire and become a truck driver.

"Let me think about it..."

Masato stroked his chin and looked at the pig-headed daimyo, feeling a bit of a headache. To be honest, with over 200 pounds of meat, no one would want him as a piglet. If things were really as this pig-headed daimyo said, then their trip would have been in vain.

But aside from his two hundred-odd pounds of fat, this pig-headed daimyo seems to have no other value. Even if he were to issue a will bequeathing the throne to him, Ōnoki wouldn't allow him to take the position...!

To put it nicely, a daimyo is like a head of state; to put it bluntly, they're just a mascot. Ever since the beginning of the ninja era, daimyo have been mascots supported by various ninja clans. Does the daimyo of the Land of Fire dare to order Madara around? He's asking for trouble...

In times of war, things were somewhat better; at least some smaller clans or rogue ninja could be won over. However, after the rise of the ninja village era, the daimyo began to gain real power, wielding no military authority whatsoever. The smaller clans then flocked to the villages, and the daimyo became nothing more than a figurehead, indulging in pleasure. As long as they didn't cause trouble, the village could support them indefinitely; but if they did, another daimyo would immediately take their place. After all, for every person aspiring to be Kage, there was just as many who wanted to be daimyo…

"This pig-headed guy may be poor, but he's still a daimyo, his status and position are what they are. If Onoki knew that his daimyo had been kidnapped by a group of Konoha bandits and they were demanding a ransom, what do you think he would do?"

After thinking for a long time, Masato felt that the only thing of value left in this daimyo was the title of daimyo. Onoki didn't care about this pig-headed, fleshy man, so why wouldn't he care about the title?

If the news of the Land of Earth's daimyo being kidnapped were to spread, that would be truly shameful. After all, if he can't even protect his own mascot, what kind of life is that?

"That's right! Onoki doesn't care about his life, but he can't lose face! But... it would be bad if Onoki really went all out."

Sasori's father admitted it was a good idea, but also very risky. Onoki had a fiery temper, and if pushed too far, he might launch a full-scale attack. Even with the Raikage's two thousand men, let alone their few hundred, they wouldn't be able to handle it. After all, this was Iwagakure's home base...

Most importantly, his older brother can't help but criticize Onoki every time they meet, leaving Onoki thoroughly humiliated. It would be strange if Onoki didn't explode then.

"Don't worry, I know Onoki. Although he's a cunning old man, no one loves his village more than him. As long as we offer a reasonable price, he definitely won't do anything reckless. If this news gets out, it will be a huge loss of face for Iwagakure. He understands this better than anyone..."

"Lord Shinto, we've detected an incredibly powerful force... Hmm? He escaped? (⊙_⊙)?"

Before Shinto could finish speaking, an ANBU member skilled in sensory abilities rushed in. He was about to say that an incredibly powerful chakra energy was approaching, but before he could finish his sentence, he was stunned. He realized that the incredibly powerful chakra seemed to have vanished, and even faster than when it arrived, disappearing in the blink of an eye...

"...Hey! Perfect timing! The person who helped us deliver the message to Onoki has arrived! ヾ(^?^)?"

Shinto activated his Observation Haki and discovered that a super powerful chakra was indeed running back desperately a few hundred meters away. Wasn't this the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Koji, whom he had attacked back then? It was probably because the recent supernatural events in the Land of Earth had been too intense, and Onoki had already found out and sent Koji to investigate.

As he spoke, he chased after them. He was worried that no one would deliver the message to Onoki. Sending his ANBU underlings would be like walking into Onoki's trap. Onoki was not a man of martial ethics. If he lost his temper, the underlings delivering the message could very well be blown to smithereens by his cannon.

.......

"Purple, run! Speed ​​up! Speed ​​up! That bastard is coming! I can't believe that bastard Golden Lion is here... (||?Д?)"

A panicked sound emanated from the stomach of the young man, who was running frantically and accelerating all the way in the distance. It was as if a terrifying monster was behind him, and he was almost in a panic. He recalled the scene when he was beaten up by that golden-haired brat. That was the greatest pain he had ever felt in thousands of years. He was even more afraid of this brat than when Hashirama Senju almost beat him up. Hashirama Senju could drain him dry and make his legs weak, but that didn't matter. He was made of chakra. At worst, he would be resurrected in a few years and be a hero again. No matter how Hashirama Senju beat him, how much pain could a human attack hurt?

But this brat was the complete opposite of Hashirama Senju; he just kept punching it. The brat's punches really hurt like hell. It was the first time in its thousand years that it had felt pain, and it was excruciating pain, a pain so profound it would be unforgettable. It would rather fight Hashirama Senju one-on-one than fight this brat hand-to-hand... As for getting revenge, forget it. That golden-haired brat was a freak. In its thousand-year history, this was the first time it had encountered a human who dared to fight it hand-to-hand. And this human was incredibly tough; even its Tailed Beast Ball couldn't break through his defenses. It simply couldn't withstand that brat's punches!

It just hoped it wouldn't run into that blond brat again, but it never expected that the Cloud Ninja squad that Onoki thought was a small group was actually the Sand Village group brought by that bastard brat! A small group? This is clearly a large group! Onoki, that idiot and bastard! ╥﹏╥

"Damn it, I've already gone the fastest, why is Shiki here... Σ(っД;)っ"

Young Zi, who was running away frantically, was also in a panic. Although he had never seen Shiki, he was knocked unconscious when Shiki attacked him back then. Over the years, even if Shiki didn't mention it, he could guess that when Shiki attacked him, Shiki had definitely beaten him up.

312. The Golden Lion is completely devoid of morality.

Given Four-Tails' volatile temper, and the fact that it was only sealed inside his stomach when he was unconscious, it's impossible that Four-Tails wouldn't come out when he had such a good opportunity to break the seal. However, when he was taken away and then woke up after being redeemed by the Japanese, Four-Tails stayed obediently inside his stomach, which is completely illogical. So at that time, he suspected that Four-Tails might have come out and then been beaten up by Golden Lion and became docile.

However, those were all his guesses before. But now, feeling the Four-Tails' panicked state, he was certain that the Four-Tails must have been badly beaten by Shiki back then, otherwise, after so many years, the Four-Tails wouldn't be in such a panic.

This confirmed his idea, and a huge wave of shock surged through young Zi's mind. He had fought the Raikage one-on-one before, and even though he was severely injured by the Raikage, the Four-Tails inside him clearly didn't back down from the Raikage. But just now, as soon as he sensed the presence of Shiki from afar, the Four-Tails immediately cowered. This was too exaggerated! Just how badly did Shiki beat the Four-Tails back then?! To make it so cowardly.

Having become a Jinchūriki, he understood the terror of the Tailed Beasts better than others. Their earth-shattering power seemed capable of shattering the moon. Yet, even this terrifying Four-Tails turned tail and ran before even encountering Shiki. This shows just how terrifying Shiki was. What happened to the Cloud Ninja team?

When he received the Tsuchikage's orders, he thought it was just a small Cloud Ninja squad causing trouble, but it turned out to be the ultimate boss!

........

"You Four-Tails bastard, if you dare to replenish his chakra again, I'll beat you into a pig's head! Stop right now! (▼へ▼メ)!"

On the plains of the Land of Earth, a chase that pushed the limits of human endurance officially began. Although Shinto was fast due to his superhuman physique, the young Purple in front of him had the energy of the Four-Tails, a perpetual motion machine, constantly replenishing his speed and endurance. Although he was being caught up little by little, he still maintained his lead. However, Shinto in the back had no patience. "I have important things to do. I don't have time to play this marathon with you," he roared at the Four-Tails inside the young Purple's belly.

“╥﹏╥.....You, Yotsuba....."

During a high-speed race, a figure approached from behind. Even without a rearview mirror, the Four-Tails' heart tightened at the sound of the approaching voice, and it immediately stopped to supply the young Purple with chakra. Without the Four-Tails' chakra, the young Purple's legs went weak, his speed plummeted, and he collapsed to the ground after only two steps. He was too exhausted and looked up at the sky speechlessly. What a coward...!

He was able to maintain full speed for so long entirely thanks to the Four-Tails' chakra. Now that the Four-Tails' chakra is gone, he can't even stand up.

"I didn't hit you, why are you running away? You've gotten more and more cowardly after all these years, you're a disgrace to your father, Liudao! (▼へ▼メ)"

The catching-up Masato pointed at the young man's stomach, which was lying on the ground, and started spraying him with profanities.

"..."

The young, four-tailed beast inside Purple's belly clutched its ears, muttering, "I can't hear you, I can't hear you..." The Sand Village's Golden Lion was renowned throughout the ninja world for his eloquence; it feared that if it listened to his tirade any longer, it would be tempted to go out and get beaten up...

"...Lord Golden Lion, the Four-Tailed Fox is asleep. May I ask what brings you here..."

Seeing the cowardly state of the four tails inside her belly, the young Zi, sprawled on the ground, had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.

"Really? That ugly freak is asleep? What a pity... Never mind, but I'm not here for her, I'm here for you. Go back and tell Onoki that your pig-headed daimyo is in my hands now. If you don't want this to spread throughout the ninja world, you'd better prepare the ransom. Otherwise, I can't guarantee it won't spread. I have a habit of talking in my sleep..."

"This coward Four-Tails is such a coward!" Masato smacked his lips in regret before turning to young Purple.

"...Don't worry, Lord Golden Lion, I'll relay the message to Lord Tsuchikage as soon as I get back...-_-||"

Although young Yukari was still a little scared, upon hearing that this guy had gone so far as to kidnap their daimyo, he was instantly filled with black lines, wondering if the daimyo had just had the worst luck this year. This was unprecedented in the history of the ninja world; no daimyo had ever been kidnapped before. He was truly skilled and daring! The protection of daimyo by various countries and villages was very strong. Even the most famous rogue ninja in the ninja world, who had assassinated the "God of Shinobi" Hashirama Senju, would have a hard time kidnapping the daimyo in the Land of Earth. Every guard ninja around the daimyo was carefully selected, and because the daimyo was prone to causing trouble, the Tsuchikage was afraid that he would be ambushed, so he could increase the protection. Not only were there all elite Jonin, but dozens of Jonin were also assigned to guard his house and residence. The lowest level of staff in his house was Chunin. Even the daimyo of the Land of Fire probably didn't enjoy this kind of protection. However, it was just bad luck that he ran into Shiki, the Golden Lion, who even the Four-Tails was terrified of.

Moreover, after kidnapping them, they demanded a ransom from the Tsuchikage. This was unprecedented. He had a feeling that if word got out about Shiki's actions, it would definitely go down in history!

Golden Lion is utterly shameless...!

Although there are no explicit rules in the ninja world, the various countries and villages have maintained a tacit understanding for many years: their ninja wars will not involve the daimyo. Firstly, the daimyo is just a figurehead, and secondly, if you kidnap our daimyo today, we will kidnap your daimyo tomorrow to save face. This will lead to endless trouble, and everyone will lose face. After all, the daimyo is weak and easy to take advantage of. If they really want to take action, even the elite Jonin guards cannot protect them.

So over the years, even though these ninja villages have been fighting tooth and nail, the daimyo of various countries have continued to enjoy their gatherings and parties. At most, the daimyo of the country that wins gains some prestige. They are from a completely different world from the ninjas.

So even though they knew someone was trying to steal the tower, they and the Tsuchikage never thought it would affect the Daimyo. Even when he used the Four-Tails' senses to reach the Daimyo's castle, he never imagined anyone would target their Daimyo.

But this Golden Lion is completely unethical, actually kidnapping their Daimyo and Tsuchikage to demand ransom...-_-||.

313. The Raikage has gone to the Land of Earth to steal the tower again!

"Bang!".

"Damn it, that bastard Onoki, one day I'll pluck all his hair off! The month's up, let's go! (#｀皿′)"

At this moment, the Raikage, deep in the mountains of the Land of Earth, was furious. If it weren't for the big-headed Azabu beside him, he would have rushed up and fought Onoki for three hundred rounds before plucking the last few hairs off the Iwagakure vulture's head.

For a whole month, he kept his promise and played hide-and-seek with Onoki. However, he didn't feel happy about it. Instead, he was angry every day. If it weren't for his good foundation, he would have been admitted to the ICU the next day.

For a whole month, he was relentlessly verbally abused by that short, red-nosed Onoki. Normally, even Jesus wouldn't have stopped him from beating Onoki. However, the Raikage had made a lifelong promise, for the sake of his two thousand subordinates, and considering the spoils he would receive from sharing with Shiki, he suppressed his urge to smash Onoki every single day. He even counted down the days, and just thinking about Onoki's furious face afterward eased his anger somewhat…

Now that the deadline has finally arrived, he no longer needs to listen to Onoki's incessant barking.

After venting his anger, the Raikage, located a kilometer away from Onoki, quietly led his men on a detour and left. Meanwhile, Onoki was still berating the Raikage while organizing his men for a thorough search, waiting for young Murasaki to bring him the good news of the enemy's complete annihilation...

.....

"Hiruzen, what on earth is Orochimaru doing? If the Cloud Ninja keep blowing things up like this, the battlefield is about to be destroyed! Notify Orochimaru to take action immediately! (▼he▼メ)"

In the Hokage's office building in Konoha, although one of his friends was missing, it didn't stop the three giants of Konoha from having morning tea and reminiscing about their old days. However, none of the three were as boastful as usual about how awesome they were back then. As soon as Mitokado Homura entered the Hokage's office early in the morning, he started spitting at Hiruzen Sarutobi, the leader of Konoha, before he even sat down.

The entire ninja world is stunned by the massive scale of the battle on the Cloud Village's battlefield. For over a month since the Cloud Village launched its offensive, they have been relentlessly bombarding the battlefield, leaving the entire border region of the Land of Fire in ruins. The resources expended over this month have reached an astonishing level. The Cloud Village's performance in this battle seems to be a way of telling everyone that they, like the Sand Village, are not short of money...

At first, the three leaders of Konoha were quite happy to receive this news, because although the Cloud Ninja had been bombing fiercely, they hadn't managed to get a single kill. Although they didn't know what the Cloud Ninja was trying to do, Konoha was happy to continue like this. After all, Konoha had already suffered a lot of losses in this war. Although it wasn't enough to cripple them, it was definitely a major blow. Whether it was World War I or this World War II, they could say with their hands on their chests that Konoha always suffered the greatest losses!

So they were happy to see the Cloud Ninja's antics this time. Bomb away, bomb all you want, as long as it vents your anger and resentment. Do you think you can blow up the entire battlefield? ヾ(^?^)?

But a month later, Mitokado Homura panicked. Those crazy Cloud Ninja have been causing trouble for over a month!

It's like the Hidden Cloud Village has an explosive tag factory, with explosive tags being delivered to them continuously, and the battlefield is really going to be blown up by them!

That's the border of their Land of Fire. If it's really destroyed, they'll lose a trade route after the war, and it will be hard to recover.

So, hearing early in the morning that those crazy Cloud Ninja were still causing trouble, Mitokado Homura rushed to the Hokage's office without washing his face, brushing his teeth, or eating breakfast. His breath was foul, and the air was thick with a strong odor. Many Anbu members lurking in the shadows deduced from this that their advisor, Homura, must have eaten a lot of garlic last night…

"...The Raikage has been missing from the battlefield for over a month now, without a single trace. It's best not to act rashly until we can find out his whereabouts. Have the Anbu increase their vigilance. Hopefully, we're just overthinking it..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, barely suppressing the urge to vomit up his dinner from the previous night, took a few deep drags on his pipe to clear the office smell before speaking. He knew his best friend's concerns; he also wanted Orochimaru to finish the battlefield quickly and then go to Sunagakure for a rampage. His beloved student had been gone for over a month, and the longer it went on, the worse it would be for him. He couldn't exactly flatter him, but damn it, even the usually straightforward Raikage had learned to flank. And with the Raikage's explosive damage output, any village that was flanked by him would be doomed. Right now, the Raikage was probably looking for a target. If Orochimaru charged in to fight the Cloud Ninja, without the Raikage, the Cloud Ninja were just like James without teammates—nothing to worry about. Their 30,000-strong force could overwhelm them with a single charge. But the key was, if this charge angered the Raikage, and the Raikage happened to be looking for a flanking target, wouldn't that be handing the Raikage a piece of his own paw? What kind of massive destruction would result? Who would take the blame? Wouldn't it be him, the leader?

He's even dreaming of breaking into the top two in history after he retires...

"...What on earth is the Raikage up to...? It's been over a month, and there's still no news. Could he have gone to the Land of Earth again? No way..."

The mere mention of the Raikage gave Mitokado Homura a headache. A thug isn't scary, but a thug with culture is. In the past, while the Raikage and the Cloud Ninja possessed explosive fighting power, they were never too worried about the Cloud Village. Everyone knew the Raikage's straightforward nature, unlike Onoki, who was always plotting and scheming, comparable to their second teacher...

But this time, the Raikage's move really surprised them. Although they guessed that this move was definitely the work of the Azabu clan, the Raikage was a famous super tough guy, and the most threatening person was still him.