Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"Future Sister... and Sasori, you two are really something! You came to Konoha without telling me, and you didn't even come to the Senju clan to find me. Now you're leaving..."

At the entrance of Konoha Village, the young master of Konoha complained to his future brother-in-law and his good friend, the handsome Sasori, with a sullen expression.

If it weren't for his older sister standing beside him with a murderous aura, he would have wanted to follow her and leave this dangerous place, Konoha.

"...I'm here on important business and I'm short on time, so I won't disturb your work. I'll come see you again another day when I have more free time..."

Shinto looked at the dejected and reluctant Konoha Crown Prince and said speechlessly, "Damn it, I barely stepped into Konoha and the whole village is already abuzz with news of my arrival. You don't know because someone doesn't want you to. Besides, your Senju clan is heavily guarded now. If I want to find you, I'll have to overcome countless obstacles, like killing Yan Liang, like taking the head of a general. I'm just wasting my time..."

The negotiations ended. After three days and three nights of heated debate between the two literary giants, Kazuki and Mitokado Homura, both of them were exhausted. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane, who were almost driven mad by the two, were afraid that the two would reignite the war, so they did not discuss the matter of reparations at the subsequent meeting. Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly took out several pre-drafted peace treaties, signed and sealed them with his seal in one go, handed them to the three of them, and left without waiting for the meeting to be adjourned.

terrible!

That's absolutely terrifying!

This was the first time they had ever seen literary figures argue until they were completely exhausted...

When he and Sasori were about to leave Konoha, the Konoha Crown Prince somehow heard that they had come to Konoha and were about to leave. He risked being killed by his sister and ran to the village entrance to see them off. Although this kid was a bit immature and not particularly intelligent, he was definitely the best in terms of manners. From this, you can see that Orochimaru had taught him well!

However... what puzzled him a little was that because of the time he had been kidnapped once, Hiruzen Sarutobi had increased his guard over this kid. This kid hadn't gone to the battlefield with Orochimaru, thus safely surviving the Second World War. And he'd actually been completely fooled by Orochimaru; according to Orochimaru, this kid was now single-mindedly focused on summoning the undead. Once Orochimaru found the Impure World Reincarnation, the core skill for undead summoners, he would immediately become an undead summoner...

In this respect, this kid does indeed have a unique advantage. Whether he summons Hashirama Senju or Tobirama Senju, he won't be as passive as Orochimaru; instead, he'll come with two super bodyguards...

However, according to his understanding, this Impure World Reincarnation technique was not perfected originally. It was Orochimaru who spent many years perfecting it after obtaining it. In other words, this kid still has many years to go before he can become a necromancer. But if this kid is still alive, then Tsunade will not be disappointed by the power struggles among the higher-ups of Konoha and leave Konoha. In other words, he is still at zero in his great cause of seducing Tsunade.

Looking at the young master of Konoha in front of him, Shinto wished he could slap himself. He should have buried the boy alive when his two puppeteer underlings gave him the boy. Now the boy's survival in Konoha had actually hindered his plans to woo girls.

Shinto stroked his chin, scrutinizing the brat, internally debating whether or not to find a way to kill him...

"You bastard, what do you think you're doing? (▼へ▼メ)"

Just moments ago, she was annoyed that her younger brother was closer to this bastard than to her, his own sister, when she suddenly sensed a dangerous glint in the bastard's eyes as he looked at her brother. Her woman's intuition told her what kind of scheme this bastard was up to, so she immediately stood in front of her brother and glared at him.

"(⊙_⊙)?...What? What are you trying to do? I'm just measuring my little brother's size. But Tsunade, do you usually not feed him enough? When I rescued Nawaki, he seemed to be this tall. Now, two years have passed, and his height doesn't seem to have changed at all! Shouldn't he be growing at his age? I have some money here; even if we're poor, we can't let the kids suffer..."

Shindou didn't expect this woman's sixth sense to be so strong. Even a seasoned veteran like Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't detect it, but this woman saw right through him. So he immediately changed the subject, took out a few bags of gold dust, and put on a concerned face.

"...I hadn't even noticed until you mentioned it, but now that you say it, it really seems to be true! Nawaki's height...what's going on? Quick, call Orochimaru...! Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

The person in Konoha who cared most about this young master was actually Hiruzen Sarutobi. Upon hearing his words, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked over to Nawaki and made a comparison before being shocked. Two years ago, Nawaki had already reached his earlobe, but upon comparison, he found that Nawaki was still only at his earlobe without any change. This made Hiruzen Sarutobi anxious.

Height is not a big deal for ninjas. Look at him and Onoki, even though they are not tall, they still became leaders.

However, this is all predicated on the fact that although he and Onoki are not tall, they are both good fighters with excellent battlefield reading ability and top-notch dribbling skills. They can also step up and dominate the battlefield in crucial moments. Height is not a problem for them. But Nawaki is different. He has no talent to begin with, and even waving a towel while guarding the water cooler is a struggle. However, the Senju clan is the face of Konoha, and Nawaki, the only remaining member of the Senju clan, is very important to Konoha. Even if he can't fight, he can at least rely on the Senju clan's ancestral physical qualities to win the top draft pick, right?

As for the claim that Tsunade didn't feed Nawaki properly, that's impossible. Although Tsunade had practically taken care of the Senju clan, she personally supervised Nawaki's daily nutrition expenses, so there was no way she would make a mistake. She was just afraid that something might happen to her precious child.

"What?! Let me see... Go call Orochimaru! Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Tsunade initially thought Masato was changing the subject, but when she heard Hiruzen Sarutobi summon Orochimaru, she immediately realized something was wrong. With lightning speed, she snatched the gold dust offered to her, pulled Nawaki over to compare them, and immediately tensed up, imitating Hiruzen Sarutobi's shouts to his ANBU subordinates.

"No way? The rope tree hasn't grown in two years? Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

"It seems that's really the case. Could it be that Tsunade gambled away all of Nawaki's nutrition funds? You saw Tsunade's hand speed just now..."

"Impossible, right? Nawaki is her brother, after all..."

For a moment, chaos erupted at the entrance of Konoha Village over Nawaki's height. Hatake Sakumo even abandoned his best friend to see him off, rushing towards Orochimaru's laboratory without even noticing when Masato and the handsome Sasori had left...

349. Madara: Is there no one left in the Uchiha clan? How could someone so ugly rise to power?

"Lord Madara, the negotiations with Konoha have concluded, and the three villages have returned. Should we...?"

"No need. Several villages have suffered heavy losses. Even if these people die, a fight won't break out. How is things on Nagato's side?"

Somewhere underground in the ninja world, the struggle for leadership in the Land of Water had been ongoing for years without a resolution. Madara, growing impatient, emerged to check on the progress of his carefully chosen successor. The ninja world had just recovered from a war, and almost every village had suffered losses, especially Konoha. While Konoha hadn't suffered any leadership casualties, its core strength had been reduced by nearly half, meeting his expectations. There was no need to stir up trouble now, lest they increase the chances of them being exposed. However, he was particularly concerned about Nagato's situation. Nagato was the successor he had painstakingly chosen, and missing this opportunity would mean losing him forever.

"Nagato is currently being trained by Jiraiya, a disciple of Hiruzen Sarutobi, but that brat's progress isn't ideal #￥%@！#￥....."

When it came to Nagato, whom they had carefully selected and painstakingly created, Black Zetsu sighed and began to tell Madara about Nagato's situation over the past period. Compared to Madara, he was more concerned about Nagato's growth, as this kid was a core part of his plan to save his mother and could not afford to make any mistakes.

But I don't know if this kid is just too lucky. After losing his parents and wandering around for a while, he met two good friends. I was hoping that this kid would see the dark side of the world while wandering around the ninja world alone, and then gradually walk into darkness and eventually become the big boss in their eyes.

But damn it, this kid not only didn't turn evil, but even without the warmth of his parents' embrace, he actually found friendship. The despair and hatred they imagined didn't materialize. Nagato remained as cowardly as ever. Most importantly, this kid possessed the Uzumaki clan's physique and the two divine artifacts, the Rinnegan. He couldn't even keep up with the progress of learning ninjutsu compared to this commoner kid. This left Black Zetsu feeling constipated. The most crucial point was that although Hiruzen Sarutobi's white-haired disciple wasn't very skilled, his brainwashing skills were deeply inherited from the Leaf Village. The three kids who were originally somewhat cynical were almost transformed into a loving family in the ninja world. Among them, the blond-haired boy was the most affected. He was genuinely worried that if the three kids spent more time with Jiraiya, Nagato would truly become a progressive young man full of love and justice.

"Wow! I didn't expect that Konoha's ideological education would remain the same after Hashirama Senju's death... Ignore him. If you don't have great love in your heart, you won't have great hatred when you're in despair. Let him love as intensely as possible... How are those useless Uchiha clan members doing?"

When Madara heard Black Zetsu's introduction, he didn't fly into a rage as expected. Instead, he felt a deep empathy for Nagato's changes. Back then, wasn't he also swayed by Hashirama Senju's words and become a progressive young man full of love?

Many people, even after turning to the dark side, still don't want to destroy the world because they don't hate enough. The greater the love in one's heart, the greater the hatred. Madara, who had been mentally planning how to brainwash Nagato, suddenly realized that if Nagato's situation was really as Black Zetsu described, then this step could be completely omitted, as long as that brat loved deeply enough!

He didn't care at all about Nagato's progress in learning ninjutsu. After all, the person who possessed his Rinnegan had all the awesome skills in those eyes. As long as he awakened the Rinnegan, he would immediately take off and reach the pinnacle of the ninja world. Why would he need to learn ninjutsu? Besides, what kind of monster could that loser Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple possibly teach? The reason he agreed to let Nagato accept that white-haired brat's teaching was that he hoped Nagato could learn some basic knowledge of the ninja world from that white-haired brat and stop embarrassing him by acting like a complete novice all the time.

Nagato's growth is encouraging, but another part of his plan still lacks a suitable candidate, which is making him quite anxious. His plan has been in the works for almost twenty years, and he has been holding on by a thread until now. He can feel his life force gradually draining away, and he can't hold on much longer. Everything is proceeding smoothly now. He has already given away his eyes, and all that's missing is a representative of the Uchiha clan. Once a suitable candidate is found, he can safely "lie low" and wait for the day when the king returns. However, he has been focused on the Mizukage selection in the Land of Water and the war here for many years, and he has not paid attention to the situation of the Uchiha clan for a long time.

While the Uchiha clan is known for its sensitive emotions, none of them have ever truly loved to the point of life and death to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan. At most, they've only reached the level of three tomoe. Uchiha Kagami was originally a candidate for this, but that kid was Tobirama Senju's disciple, which was enough for him to reject him outright. Later, he had Black Zetsu observe Kagami's child for a while, but Black Zetsu's assessment was that he was destined to be a minor character, possessing Kagami's mindset but lacking his abilities... a complete waste.

The rest of the people are even worse. Even the current clan leader is a piece of trash. He witnessed his own father's death and only managed to evolve from two tomoe to three tomoe. He's a complete waste. He wasted such a good opportunity. If it were Uchiha Kagami, he would have already achieved the Mangekyou Sharingan after witnessing his father die in front of him!

Moreover, it's embarrassing that someone so ugly could even be on the list of male gods. Although Madara is face-blind, when he heard that the Uchiha clan leader was ranked seventh on the list of male gods created by those old women, he initially thought it was somewhat reasonable. Although he had left the Uchiha clan, and the title of "Uchiha One Against Five" was no longer worthy of the name without him, in terms of appearance, and this is not an exaggeration, only the Mizuki clan in the entire ninja world could rival the Uchiha clan... However, after seeing the appearance of the current Uchiha clan leader, even he, who had left the Uchiha clan, felt ashamed.

How can someone who looks like that be ranked in the top ten? Are there no Uchiha clan members left? How can someone so ugly make it into the top ranks...?

"The Uchiha clan... suffered heavy casualties in this war, and their strength is far from what it used to be. It's difficult to find a candidate that Lord Madara is looking for. I think Lord Madara should be more discerning. I think the current Uchiha clan leader is not bad, except for being a bit ugly..."

"With countless clones constantly watching the Uchiha clan, Hakuzosu said in a nonsensical way."

"No, anyone will do, just not an ugly person! (▼へ▼メ)"

Madara, who was still complaining about how ugly the current Uchiha clan leader was, heard White Zetsu's words and wished he could stuff that thing back into the furnace and have an ugly guy represent him instead? (▼へ▼メ).

350. Two years later, the cornerstone still wants to settle scores.

"Hey? Brother Kakuzu, long time no see! Where are you going to do business? The war just ended and you're already out there running errands. Still as successful as ever! ヾ(^?^)?"

As soon as Shinto and Sasori left the Land of Fire, they ran into an acquaintance in a small grove. The infamous bounty hunter and rogue ninja, Kakuzu, was as busy as ever. When they met him, he was usually either on a delivery run or on his way to one. Looking at the corpses all around, charred and lying haphazardly by large-scale fire-style attacks, and Kakuzu holding a whole human head in his hand, they guessed that this guy was probably out harvesting some leeks along the way again.

"...I heard that you brat Jie was stabbed by a Konoha genin. There are rumors that the genin is still alive. I was just about to go check it out. Is this kid Jie's son...?"

As Kakuzu spoke, he carefully put the severed head in his hand into the sealing scroll. Then he saw a red-haired boy next to Shinto. Needless to say, it must be Sasori, the super genius of Sunagakure. Although he had never seen him in person, only Sasori had the status in Sunagakure to be taken out by Shiki. Just like when Shiki took his younger brother out to grind experience back then, apart from a few others, no one in Sunagakure could hire Shiki.

"(⊙_⊙)!! Honey! Where have you been all these years? My brother was stabbed two years ago..."

Shinto stared blankly at Kakuzu, with Slug perched on his shoulder, probably drunk again.

Seeing that Kakuzu was going to Konoha to avenge his younger brother, Shinto was deeply moved. Ever since Kakuzu threw a kunai at Hashirama Senju from 800 miles away and ran away, he hadn't committed any crimes within Konoha's jurisdiction. Whether he was afraid of death or adhering to his principles, it was true that he had never approached Konoha. And now, he was actually breaking his own principles and risking everything to go to Konoha to avenge Sasori's father. How could Shinto not be moved?

This guy is truly a hero!

However, he was also dumbfounded. Sasori's father had been stabbed two years ago; wasn't it a bit late for Kakuzu to come looking for revenge now? He was very curious about where Kakuzu had been gallivanting with Slug all these years. Was the place too far and remote, resulting in a delay in receiving the information, or was the journey so long that it took two years to reach her destination...?

"Well... the situation in the ninja world was too chaotic before, and there wasn't much business during the war, so I went to the Land of Food to rest for a while. I only recently returned..."

Kakuzu said somewhat embarrassedly that the Land of Food is located in a relatively remote location on the world map, and the war in the ninja world does not affect it. The distance is one reason, and the other is that after receiving the news that Golden Lion had gone berserk on the battlefield, he was so shocked by the guy's fighting power that he was completely stunned. He said things like splitting the sky and cracking the battlefield, and he didn't notice the small detail that Jie was stabbed by a Konoha genin.

When he noticed this detail, he was furious. He recalled the three brats who were indignant after hearing his words. He had sworn to protect them back then, but now one of them had been stabbed by a Konoha genin.

Isn't this a slap in the face to Kakuzu?

So he immediately rushed from the Land of Food to Konoha to avenge that brat, Jie. He received news in the black market that the Konoha genin, who had been slashed by Shiki the Golden Lion, hadn't died because he was treated in time. However, due to the long journey and his inability to fly, he had only just reached the border of the Land of Fire, his journey fraught with sparks and lightning. Hearing Masato's words, he felt a little embarrassed. After all, a true man takes revenge quickly, but his revenge had been delayed for two years...

"I think we should forget about it. Now that the war is over, Konoha's defenses are too strong. White Fang has made it like an iron barrel, so it'll be difficult to sneak in and kill someone. Besides, Jie isn't dead either. He survived being slashed by me, so it's only fair that he survived. Going after him for revenge would make us seem petty. But, Kakuzu, I feel bad that you've come all this way and are going back empty-handed... Here's what I've got! I happen to have some news that might make you a fortune, which would be a welcome back party. According to reliable sources, the Root of Konoha is that Shimura Danzo who was beaten up by Hanzo of the Salamander and the Raikage. For some reason, he's using the Uchiha Hatte. I suspect he's probably after the Sharingan. You know how powerful Konoha is, especially with Shimura Danzo, who's known as 'Half of Konoha'."

Since Mito Uzumaki died, he's been the most powerful figure in Konoha besides Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage. Do you think his value would be low? He wants to take on the Uchiha clan, but his underlings are only good at dealing with two-tomoe Sharingan; three-tomoe is wishful thinking. Besides, only the three-tomoe Sharingan has any research value, so you could just hunt around Konoha, collect more three-tomoe Sharingan, and then talk business with Danzo Shimura. You'll make a fortune! And Danzo Shimura is a big client; he'll probably come back for more big business in the future. Isn't that much more comfortable than running around the ninja world? However, you should change your habit of killing people when you do this. Just gouge out eyes. After all, many people in the ninja world know your methods now, and if Konoha becomes wary, it'll be difficult for you. It's best to blame Danzo Shimura; he's got many tricks up his sleeve… ugh! More debts are never a burden…”

As he spoke, Shinto pulled Kakuzu down to sit and began to offer him advice. This deal could indeed make Kakuzu a fortune. If Danzo really teamed up with Orochimaru to research Hashirama Senju's cells, even without Shinto's instigation, Danzo would ultimately still target the Uchiha clan. Since this part wasn't described in the original work, Shinto didn't know if Danzo had managed to obtain any three-tomoe gems for Orochimaru's research during this period. He guessed it was unlikely; giving Orochimaru a few pairs of tomoe for research would be good enough. While the Uchiha clan possessed a considerable number of three-tomoe gems, they were extremely rare compared to the overall Uchiha population. Each pair was precious, and their combat power was not to be underestimated. It would be difficult for Danzo's underlings at that time to deal with a three-tomoe Uchiha. Even his right-hand man, Ryuma of the Aburame clan, leading a group to ambush from the bushes wouldn't have a high success rate. Therefore, if Danzo wanted to transplant Hashirama Senju's cells, his desire for three-tomoe gems was immense. If he knew Kakuzu possessed three-tomoe gems, he would probably be willing to go bankrupt...

351. I, Golden Lion, never betray my brothers!

"Sogga! Is your information accurate?"

After listening to Masato's explanation, Kakuzu's bright eyes shone with a strong green light. Although there was still a slight delay, he had heard of Shimura Danzo's name before. He was a renowned and extraordinary man in the ninja world.

Even Hashirama Senju wouldn't dare to say something like leading Konoha to conquer the moon, which shows his audacity. He was just a little lacking in strength. Where there are people, there is real fighting. He'd seen plenty of this kind of open and covert struggle between villages over the years. Almost all the business he'd had involved was this kind of thing. In a ninja village as large as Konoha, open and covert struggles were commonplace. However, he was still a little uneasy about the Uchiha. He had come from the era of Konoha's twin stars and knew how powerful the Uchiha were. Back then, no one could compete with the Senju without them. Moreover, the Uchiha were one of the founding clans of Konoha. Even if Danzo Shimura was incredibly bold, he shouldn't dare to touch the Uchiha, right?

Although he felt that if what his good brother said was true, then this business was indeed a big deal, he still found it hard to believe. It wasn't that he didn't believe his good brother's information, but rather that he couldn't believe that Shimura Danzo was so audacious.

"One hundred percent accurate. If it weren't, I wouldn't have told you. Don't you know what kind of person I am? I, Golden Lion, never betray my brothers..."

He could understand Kakuzu's slight delay, after all, people of that era were traumatized by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, so Masato patted his chest and made a solemn promise.

"Then I'll take my leave!"

"Bang....!"

After seeing Masato pat his chest and make his promise, Kakuzu finally couldn't hold back any longer. He could almost see that strange man, Shimura Danzo, waving banknotes at Masato. After saying that to Masato, he disappeared from the spot with a bang.

"...It's truly a tragedy to know a brother like you..."

Watching the smoke disappear ahead, Handsome Scorpion shook his head indifferently. He had watched the whole process of this bastard tricking that guy into going to settle scores with the other guy for his father. Although the bastard's analysis was very logical, he still felt that this despicable bastard had tricked that guy into getting caught up in Konoha's internal strife for no reason. Did he really think White Fang was a useless person?

"What do you know? This is called mutual benefit. He makes money, and I achieve my goal. Why not? I was the one who made him famous back then. Why would I betray him? Don't be such a scheming kid. Instead, think about how to get back to your girlfriend and rebuild your virility. Seven-Tails' punches are very violent. ヾ(^?^)?"

Shinto, annoyed, pinched Sasori's tender little face and teased, "Don't think this brat doesn't know I've been secretly building two Optimus Primes lately. They're only the form, not the spirit. They're tough enough, but because they're made of iron, they lack flexibility. Whether they can withstand the Seven-Tails' cloak's punch is uncertain, but they're definitely going to be used as a target by the Seven-Tails..."

......

"What? You're saying Orochimaru isn't suitable to be Hokage?"

Inside the Hokage Building in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out the window at the night sky, a hint of bewilderment and disappointment flashing in his eyes. Behind him, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane stared in astonishment at their friend's petite figure.

Previously, his friends had been enthusiastically praising Orochimaru throughout the village in hopes of his beloved disciple's smooth ascension to power. Orochimaru lived up to expectations, not only holding his own against the Raikage but also using the Hyuga's aerial attack, which cost the Raikage his life, to force him into a defensive position and then unleashing his snakes to defeat him, thus turning the tide of the battle. In the final battle, he decisively ended the war against Kumogakure with zero casualties. Furthermore, in the recently released ranking of male gods, Orochimaru has firmly secured sixth place. Currently, Orochimaru's popularity in the village has almost reached its peak. If they were to approach the Daimyo now, Orochimaru could legitimately ascend to power.

The negotiations are now over. Although Konoha's negotiations were unsuccessful and they did not receive compensation, they felt better knowing that Konoha had won this epic battle. Whether or not they received compensation was no longer important. Who would have thought that Onoki had such a trump card as Tsuchiki? Just as they were about to set off to find the Daimyo, their companions changed their minds early in the morning and told them that Orochimaru was not suitable to be Hokage.

What... is this all about?

"Sigh, Orochimaru has been getting darker and darker lately. Handing the village over to him might not be a good thing. Let's wait and see."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his two bewildered companions, seemingly wanting to tell the truth. However, considering that these two had always teamed up with Danzo since their debut, and might potentially inform Danzo and affect his relationship with him, he simply sighed and vaguely brushed it off.

Do you really think he wants to do that?

Heaven knows how much effort he had put in to help his beloved disciple rise to power. But last night, his best friend came to ask him for the person. Given his relationship with Danzo, refusing him might damage their friendship. So, he used his personal wishes as an excuse to let his disciple refuse. He was very confident that his disciple would refuse Danzo. In his mind, his disciple and Danzo were not on the same side at all. But to his surprise, his disciple actually agreed to join Root and become Danzo's deputy.

This completely disrupted his plans. What kind of place was Root? To put it nicely, it was the reserve department for the Anbu, but it belonged to two completely different departments. The Anbu had never recruited anyone from Root because he and Sakumo knew what kind of place Root was—a bunch of inhuman tools. Moreover, if it weren't for his protection, Danzo would have been stabbed in the back long ago for all the messes he had made over the years. Root was indeed the darkest place in the entire Hidden Leaf Village. If his beloved disciple wanted to rise to the position, his resume had to be impeccable, and he had no criminal record. How could Hiruzen Sarutobi feel at ease letting someone who had been second-in-command in Root become Hokage? Now he even began to suspect that Danzo and his beloved disciple had some kind of shady deal.

Danzo wanted to become Hokage, and many people tacitly agreed to dethrone him. Danzo was already past the legal age to run for Hokage, but he still coveted the position. Orochimaru was about to take over, and Danzo's actions were clearly intended to prevent Orochimaru from succeeding him. Orochimaru, being so intelligent that he even knew that Nawaki wasn't short-growing but had a late developmental period, could hardly not understand Danzo's intentions. However, he still agreed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi found that he understood his beloved student less and less.

"this...."