Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

However, even though he was hoping for a spot, according to the law of conservation of price, if he asked for double the price, even if the price was cut in half, he would still have at least one spot left.

"Yasaka, I challenge you to a one-on-one fight!!! (-"-Angry)"

As soon as Yusa's father finished speaking, Chief Umekawa couldn't hold back any longer. He even spat out Yusa's father's name and stopped using the respectful title of Chief Yusa. Although he was disgusted by the betrayal of his teammates, this bastard was even more outrageous. What did he mean by "physically defective"? This bastard was cutting off his escape route! He had originally planned to use emotional appeals, but seeing the nodding of agreement from everyone around him, he knew that this bastard had fooled them again.

"Come on! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!"

Yusaori's father was equally fearless, rolling up his sleeves and looking around as if he was looking for a fighting ring.

"Alright, alright, both clan leaders, please calm down..."

"Yes, yes, you two are people of status. It's not good for you to be fighting like this. People will laugh at you if word gets out..."

"Exactly, exactly, why ruin a relationship over such a small thing..."

"..."

Although they knew perfectly well that the two were just shouting slogans and putting on a show and wouldn't actually fight, they still had to give them face. So the patriarchs of the surrounding families quickly put their arms around each other's legs and waists to separate them, pretending to break up the fight. If it were anyone else who dared to challenge them to a duel at Fengying Tower, they would have made them sign a life-or-death contract and sit on the table long ago. Sometimes, you still have to give face to the powerful families.

.......

(⊙_⊙)?(⊙_⊙)?

"Is that guy really that popular? (⊙_⊙)?"

Seeing the chaotic scene, with the two clan heads still wanting to stage a full-blown fight, Ebizo and Sunagawa knew the two were just showing off and didn't stop them. However, they could also see that Masato was so popular that even the Umekawa clan, who had a deep-seated grudge against him, had come and were playing the main role. Ebizo asked Sunagawa with a puzzled look on his face.

"...I'm a little confused too....(⊙_⊙)"

Sunagawa shook his head in bewilderment. Shinto's unreliability had been a long-standing top rank in Sunagakure, and everyone knew that. They had only entrusted Yekura, that little girl, to be their school because they hoped he would act as her bodyguard and ensure her safe growth. As for her education, they had other plans and didn't expect him to teach her anything. If it weren't for Yekura's seemingly rational and independent nature, they wouldn't have felt comfortable entrusting her to that guy, lest her personality be corrupted by him.

They originally planned to just find two kids who were ninja teachers with no real talent potential to accompany the young master in his studies. After all, they were two truly good-for-nothing kids, and they wouldn't feel bad even if they were influenced by that guy and went astray in the future.

If we were to ask these families to send someone to Zhendou's place to accompany the young master in his studies, they probably wouldn't agree, and they wouldn't want to force anyone to do something against their will.

But the situation was exactly the opposite of what they had imagined. Not only did this person come, but he also brought gifts, clearly intending to bribe them. In particular, the two large gift packages from Chief Yusa and Chief Meichuan were enough to demonstrate their level of importance, judging from their appearance, size, and weight.

The image of that unkempt, lazy figure lingered in their minds. While he had no bad habits—he didn't smoke...and drank occasionally—aside from his sharp slashing skills and impressive stats, they couldn't find anything about him that was attractive. There was a reason why he'd been trying to seduce a Thousand Hands-wielding woman for over a decade without success...

"Ahem, everyone, please control your enthusiasm. I understand your desire for your children to succeed, but there are only two spots available, and after discussing it with Lord Kaizo, we've decided to let Masato choose for himself. Please leave your family's children's information and wait for our message. We will give this information to Masato so he can decide who his student is..."

It wasn't good for a group of clan leaders to be making such a racket in the middle of the night; it was affecting the village's appearance. So, after they calmed down, Ebizo whispered a few words to Sunagawa. After Sunagawa nodded in agreement, Ebizo finished speaking to the clan leaders and then had his underlings in the shadows escort them away.

401. Now this bastard still needs to be appeased.

"You received a whole bunch of 'gift packages' and then sold me out like this? ヽ(ー_ー)ノ"

In the Miyamoto clan, Masato stared blankly at Ebizo and Sunagawa, looking at the pile of information on the heirs of various families laid out in front of him. He thought, "Damn it, you dragged me out of bed so early in the morning just to make me pick a name card, but 80% of the names on the card are male. The only female one is Yusa, who is not bad, comparable to her sister, but her figure is still flat, not her type."

Yusa's father remains as persistent and greedy as ever. Being the emperor's brother-in-law wasn't enough; he's now eyeing her too. This old man started trying to sell his youngest daughter to Chiyo when she was only three years old, and he hasn't given up since. With this kind of persistence and greed, it's hard for the Yusa family not to rise to prominence...

Actually, choosing two pageboys to accompany him in his studies is easy. It doesn't matter who he chooses, since he can't teach any special skills anyway. His skills are all exclusive, and the only general skill he can show off is the Three-Body Technique. However, he hasn't used it for so many years, so these kids are probably more proficient in it than he is.

I was planning to study the Naruto version of the Six Powers of the Navy when I had time, but back then I only watched the fighting in One Piece and skipped all the dialogue. My mind was full of images but no theory, so how could I possibly study the Six Powers of the Navy? I only just learned the basic theory of Shave. But this move is only usable by someone with his physique. Others can't use it. He stomps his feet a dozen times in an instant and then uses the explosive speed of the reaction force to move.

Well, this theory is the simplest; you don't even need to search on Baidu. It's in many fanfictions. But damn, the physiques of people in the Naruto world are just weaklings. They can stomp their feet in place and still have the explosive power to teleport. If they could chop off their feet and still stay in place, probably only the Third Raiin, who has been subjected to electrotherapy for decades, could barely get a basic understanding of it. And that's just the basics. Even if they were given genetically mutated creatures like Sea Kings to eat, just receiving electrotherapy wouldn't be enough to make their bodies break through the rules of the Naruto world.

Having accepted the babysitting job, he spent the night categorizing all his skills to see what he could teach the three kids. After all, they were nominally members of his Golden Lion Squad, and as the saying goes, "like a wealthy family... bah! Like a deep sea," even if these kids grew up and went out to make a living under the name of his Golden Lion Squad, if they were killed by some Tom, Dick, or Harry, wouldn't that be a disgrace to him? He was a very responsible person, and since he had taken them in as his underlings, he naturally had to be responsible for them. However, after spending the whole night categorizing, he couldn't find any skills he could teach. Since there was nothing to teach, it didn't matter which one he chose; even a pig wouldn't matter.

But seeing Ebizo and Sunagawa's indifferent expressions, he really wanted to slap his size 42 flip-flops against their size 30-something faces. He'd heard that those two bastards had made a killing last night. If Sunagawa found a girl, got married, and had kids, what he got last night would be enough for him to start a large, upper-middle-class family business...

Damn it, he pocketed all the benefits while leaving the mess to him. Politicians are all shameless as ever. ヽ(ー_ー)ノ.

"Don't say that. You've made great contributions to the village's development over the years, and you're also the teacher in charge. The right to choose your students is in your hands, and they won't take these small things to heart. There's nothing we can do. You know how hard it's been to get to where we are today. No matter which one we choose, the others will always be a little unhappy, thinking that there might be some hidden dangers..."

Ebizo and Sunagawa rolled their eyes at Masato's resentful expression. "How many people have you offended over the years? If it weren't for your competence, you'd be ambushed in the bushes long ago. You're still living the high life..."

However, now is the time when we need him, so we can't say that out loud. If this bastard picks on the materials and quits, we'll have already accepted all the big gifts. Where are we going to find another Golden Lion for those family heads? So we still have to appease this bastard for now.

"...This one won't do. He's already fourteen and still a genin. No wonder his dad's such a loser. This one's too ugly...that won't do either, it'll affect the team's overall appearance. This one...his whole face is covered up except for his triangular eyes, that won't do either. This one...protruding back of the head, a natural-born traitor, either a double agent or a dog of treason...this grandson of Meichuan Baidi...does that old guy Meichuan Baidi know about this?? (⊙_⊙)?"

Although he knew that Ebizo was blatantly flattering him, it sounded quite pleasant. To give him face, Shinto flipped through the previous information. He had to admit that the girls in the Naruto world, as long as they weren't fat, were all pretty decent-looking, but the guys were really a different story. He flipped through several of the first few, and they were all ugly and strangely shaped. Shinto disdainfully passed over each of the oddly shaped kids. When he got to Meikawa Nei, he felt a bit conflicted. Although this kid's legs were crippled, he was one of the few boys in the village with a heart full of love. Even though his legs were crippled, he didn't give up. He had been diligently studying puppetry. Moreover, Shinto thought that this kid had no talent for puppetry, but he had managed to learn it to a high degree in just a few years. Although he couldn't reach the level of Sasori's father, he was still a hard-working genius.

Speaking of which, this kid's broken legs were caused by him. Although it was all official business, it wasn't a big deal a few years ago. Now, I don't know if it's because he's getting older and more sentimental, but the moment I see this kid's picture, I feel like I owe him something. So, seeing this kid in here, I hesitated a bit, wondering whether to take him along. Although this kid's potential is limited because of his broken leg—I've never even heard of him in the original story, so he's probably just a minor character with no real limit—at least if he hadn't broken his leg, given the original story's progression and how much Mei Chuan Baidi valued him, he would either have died young or successfully become the family head. Now, because of his broken leg, even becoming the head of the family is questionable. After all, the family head is the face of the family, not a disabled person's association, so he can't just be a face. Therefore, if I take him along, even if it doesn't guarantee him the head of the family, at least it will give him enough status in the village to prevent him from dying in despair...

402. He doesn't even know this kid's mother.

However, before choosing this kid, Masato must confirm one thing: whether that old guy, Meikawa Hakuchi, knows about this. If he does, or if he was the one who proposed it, that's fine. But if the old guy doesn't know about it and it was his clan chief son who made the decision on his own, then that won't do!

Who knows what that old man's big mouth will say? If it gets out, people will really think that Golden Lion took in this brat to make up for the mistakes he made back then. That would be a big blow to his noble image in the villagers' eyes.

Besides, he doesn't even know this brat's mother. He's a law-abiding citizen in Sunagakure...

"Don't worry about that. If Elder Meichuan didn't know, he wouldn't have sent such a big gift. Wouldn't he be afraid of kneeling on durians?"

Ebizo was still a little uneasy as he said this. The feud between Mei Chuan Baidi and this bastard could fill three seasons of a TV series. Everyone knew that the Mei Chuan family had spent a fortune to keep Mei Chuan Baidi alive, just so this bastard would eventually fall. How could they possibly let his son pull strings and bring such an expensive gift? The fact that the Mei Chuan family got involved last night was indeed unexpected. However, since they had already accepted the bribe and divided the spoils, there was no reason to return it. He still had to say what he needed to say. This bastard was selecting students like a beauty pageant; when he saw the hesitation in Mei Chuan's eyes, he knew this bastard wanted to make up for the foolish things he did back then...

"Yeah, that old guy couldn't possibly not know. So, let's go with Mei Chuan Nei... Ugh, that's a bit much, a grown man shouldn't have such a weird name... That leaves one..."

"Captain! Is the captain home?"

Before Zhen Dou could finish speaking, the rough voice and hurried footsteps of the one-armed man who had retired early came from outside, interrupting him.

"Motor? What's this guy doing here? (⊙_⊙)?"

Masato looked completely bewildered.

Ever since that guy came and completely emptied Chiyo's wine shop last time, he's probably had a complete epiphany. He's now settled down at home, taking care of his kids and trying to raise his son to be quick-witted, so he can follow in his footsteps and become the next Kazekage's security captain...

Don't underestimate this security captain just because he doesn't have a high rank. He's someone who comes and goes with every generation of Kazekage. There's only one Kazekage per generation. Didn't you see that after Mada retired, Sunagawa didn't promote anyone to be his security captain?

The problem is, nobody can do this job. The security captain not only needs to be competent, but also honest, discreet, and most importantly, quick-witted...

(⊙_⊙)?？ ？ ？

Sunagawa and Ebizo were also puzzled. Needless to say, Mada's retirement benefits were excellent; Sunagawa even personally wrote his retirement report, showing how much he valued his position as security captain. He'd even promised to keep the position for his son when Mada went to the handcuffing incident. Why was he here instead of teaching his son loyalty, filial piety, and integrity? Sunagawa was clearly concerned about his former security captain's retirement, frequently inquiring about his well-being. After all, his wife had died, he'd lost an arm, raising a child wasn't easy, and even basic hobbies were difficult. He wondered if Mada would find using his left hand uncomfortable…

"Motor? You're... trying to use connections too? (⊙_⊙)?"

Not long after, Mada walked in. Shinto, seeing him carrying a huge sack on his shoulder with only one arm, pointed uncertainly and asked, "This guy is so honest. If someone gets a big gift through connections, at least they'll package it nicely. Not sealing it away and carrying it out shows how much sincerity they have. Mada understands the latter part, but he still doesn't understand the packaging. Goodness, he just carried a huge sack over there! If you didn't know his background, you'd think he was a farmer carrying sweet potatoes to visit relatives..."

"Lord Kazekage, Lord Kaizo is here too? That's perfect! This is all the savings I've accumulated over the years. I heard you had two spots left as the team leader, Captain. Count me in!"

"Clang!..."

Mada was an honest man who never beat around the bush. He said whatever he thought in front of his former boss. Not only that, but as if afraid that the others wouldn't believe that this was all his wealth, he poured out the large sack on his shoulder, instantly making the already magnificent Gong Lie family even more dazzling.

"Hiss...! Good heavens, this security guard... ugh! The head of the guard team must be rolling in money, huh? He's amassed this fortune in just over a decade... Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Seeing Mada dump out a huge pile of glittering gold items, Shinto gasped, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor. Who said Mada was honest and kind? This guy had been rigging his way up to a high position all these years! He'd been fooled by this seemingly honest facade for so long. He didn't know the total value of these items, but Shinto knew Mada was definitely richer than he was now. His money had been almost entirely siphoned off by Handsome Scorpion recently, forcing him to temporarily shelve his plans after Rope Tree's unexpected death…

Then he glanced at Sunagawa. If the security captain is so rich, how bad can the boss be? No wonder he has worked so hard for so many years as the Kazekage even without a salary. He must have been paid quite a bit!

"Ahem...! Don't look at me like that. I haven't done anything all these years, and Lord Haizang has seen it all... Mada, what... what's going on? Your salary can't possibly be that much, can it?"

Seeing Masato's gaze, Sunakawa knew exactly what he was thinking. He shrugged speechlessly. He didn't become Kazekage for money; he just wanted to repay the Second Hokage's kindness by protecting the village. Besides, he knew Magnet Release, so why would he be short of money?

He also looked at Mada curiously. If Mada really did something wrong, he would pretend he didn't see it. Just based on the fact that two generations of this family had risked their lives for the village, he felt that they deserved this wealth, and he even thought it was too little!

However, it's easy for this silly kid to bring it out in front of Masato, which could easily lead to misunderstandings. Doesn't he know that bastard has a big mouth?

"Ah, these were given to Lord Kazekage by the clan leaders when I was the captain of the guard. Lord Kazekage told me to return them, but the clan leaders said they had nowhere to put them, so they asked me to keep them for the time being. They haven't come to collect them all these years, and I figured they'd forgotten about them, so I decided to 'borrow' them for now..."

Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, Ma Da didn't think much of it and said truthfully, "I'm not stealing or robbing; I'm earning money through my own abilities. There's nothing shameful about it!"

403. The team leader is loyal and devoted to his own people.

"...Didn't I promise you that I'd let Maki take your place when he's older? Why are you getting involved? Besides, Maki is still young; he hasn't even graduated yet..."

Sunagawa rubbed his forehead, looking exasperated. This kind of honest, reliable, and intelligent person, but stubbornly inflexible, was definitely the best candidate for a headman. However, he could be quite a headache sometimes. The clan leaders wouldn't take the gifts back for him to keep, clearly because they saw him as the head of the guard and could represent him in certain situations. For example, regarding accepting gifts, Mada was his headman, so Mada essentially represented him in accepting them. Asking him to keep them temporarily was just a euphemism. The key was that this kid couldn't understand; he just couldn't pick up on the nuances of the conversation. No wonder so many clan leaders had been saying behind his back that he was untrustworthy all these years. The problem lay here…

Moreover, the issue of those two spots was already a headache for them, and now this kid has gotten involved too, and he's even his top dog, still his top dog even after retirement. This puts them in a difficult position. After all, he's their top dog, loyal and hardworking for so many years, never asking for anything. Now that he's finally asking, it would be too unreasonable for them to refuse. But Maki is only a year older than Sasori and Rasa, and he's not a super genius like Sasori. His talent is only average. Perhaps because his mother is a Muggle, Maki's bloodline is diluted. His talent is even less than Maki's. Why isn't he studying in school? What's he doing causing trouble? What will happen if he gets a spot in a few years?

"But I also want the captain to teach Maki how to do hand seals with one hand!"

"I'm confused," Mada said with a conflicted expression.

Since leaving here last time, he has kept the captain's words in mind. The captain said that he can't learn one-handed hand seals now because he has passed the golden stage of learning, and his chakra pathways have become fixed and difficult to correct. Later, he thought that if he couldn't learn it, his son could learn it. His son is young and like a blank sheet of paper. Children at this stage learn everything quickly. If Maki learns one-handed hand seals, then even if he becomes a one-armed tough guy in the future, he won't have to retire with regrets like him.

But a new problem arose. The captain was willing to teach him because he and the captain had a past relationship, but his son had nothing to do with the captain. When his wife was pregnant and his son was born, the captain was still traveling around the ninja world... So he was too embarrassed to ask the captain to teach Maki one-handed hand seals.

But this morning, his neighbor had just returned from guard duty at Fengying Tower and told him what had happened there last night. He felt this was an opportunity. If Maki could become the captain's student, he'd have a chance to be taught one-handed hand seals. Outsiders called the captain shameless, but he was loyal and kind to his own people. So, given Maki's relationship with the captain, there was no reason for the captain not to teach him if Maki brought it up...

"One-handed hand seal??? (⊙_⊙)?"

Sunagawa and Ebizo were dumbfounded, looking at Masato with a mixture of curiosity and disdain.

They've watched this guy grow up since he was a child. They know all his skills by heart; they're all solid, no tricks involved. One-handed hand seals are a top-tier skill for technical people. Without exaggeration, you could count the number of people in the entire ninja world who can do one-handed hand seals on one hand. But that definitely doesn't include Shinto. This guy takes two or three seconds to even complete a transformation jutsu's hand seals. How could someone as ignorant as him do one-handed hand seals?

That bastard is inhuman! He even fooled his own best friend! (▼へ▼メ)

"Ahem... Mada! This can't be rushed. Everything requires a gradual approach. Maki is still so young. Although it's true that being young is the golden age for learning, this one-handed hand seal... is a highly advanced skill. Without the corresponding knowledge and theory, it's impossible to learn. Maki hasn't even learned the basics yet. Even if I teach him, he won't learn it without the necessary knowledge! I promise that after Maki graduates, if he needs it, I will definitely teach him how to practice the one-handed hand seal!"

Sensing the intense gazes between Sunagawa and Ebizo, he looked up speechlessly at the sky. Are all ninjas this persistent? He'd almost forgotten what Ebizo had said to Mada last time, but it turns out this guy was still holding onto that boast. What did he know about one-handed hand seals? That was just for showing off. There were only a handful of people who knew about his extraordinary talent for controlling sand or transforming inanimate objects without hand seals, not even Sunagawa. He denied it last time because he didn't want Mada to be hurt on top of his career being over. It seems this guy really remembered it all.

However, this time he didn't lie to Mada. He couldn't do hand seals with one hand, but surely White Fang could, right? Even that idiot Jiraiya could do hand seals with his feet, so it's impossible for someone like White Fang, who is at the pinnacle of technical skill, not to know how to do a simple hand seal. Even if White Fang is simple and unpretentious and doesn't like this kind of showy tricks, surely the perfect ninja Minato Namikaze or the great scientist Orochimaru could do it, right?

At worst, he could just ask them for a copy later. However, it was a bit of a stretch for Maki to master such a top-notch skill. Only someone as dexterous as his nephew, with a pair of flawless hands, could handle it. Maki... the name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Since it sounded vaguely familiar, it must be a character from the story. But since he couldn't recall any character from the story, it must just be a minor role. This kind of guy probably had only average talent; his appearance and the fact that he had a name were purely for the sake of the plot. Unlike that girl Ye Cang, who only appeared in a few flashback episodes and was remembered, Maki probably didn't get much screen time.

Only someone like that could pull off such a highly technical one-handed hand seal? Shindou expressed his doubts. Look at who all those people who can perform such amazing one-handed hand seals are: Tobirama Senju, his eldest son Minato Namikaze, his youngest son Itachi Uchiha, and the monstrous Haku Mizuki who was so talented that it was hard to tell if he was male or female. All of these people have flashback arcs. This Maki is not even in that league!

However, a bond forged through incense can last a lifetime. Seeing how persistent Mada is, it's not a problem to get Maki a method for forming hand seals with one hand. Anyway, the cost shouldn't be too high; at worst, we can just tie up the rope tree.

He suddenly realized that his brother-in-law's survival wouldn't necessarily cause any harm; in fact, he might actually come in very handy if needed...ヾ(^?^)?

404. Who told them they could have so many children?

"Well... alright then, I'll head back now."

Upon hearing this, Mada immediately nodded, then turned and walked away with a flourish. He had made his son a subordinate of the captain so the captain would teach his son even one-handed hand seals. Now, with the captain's guarantee, whether his son became a subordinate or not didn't matter. He didn't need to pull strings like others; even the Wind Shadow had promised to reserve the security captain's position for his son...

"Hey! Your stuff...(⊙_⊙)"

Watching Mada turn around gracefully, Masato paused for a moment, then pointed at a pair of glittering gold objects on the ground and exclaimed.

"No, please return it to me, Captain..."

As Mada walked outside the door, he waved his hand dismissively and said...

Anyway, these things aren't his; he's just temporarily storing them. They'd take up space at his house anyway, and the team leader's house is bigger, so it's more suitable for them to stay here...