Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"...The venom I brought wasn't poison powder, this method won't work..."

"We'll stick to the original plan. I just hope the Konoha ninja reinforcements from the surrounding areas arrive a little later."

Handsome Scorpion's father shook his head. His younger brother's idea was good, but unfortunately, most of the venom carried by the puppets was in liquid form; after all, powder wouldn't be easy to apply to the puppets...

After thinking for a few minutes, it was already late, so they decided to continue with the previous battle plan. Anyway, they acted quickly enough that the battle ended before Konoha's reinforcements arrived, so they still had a chance.

.....

At 3:30 AM, when people are in deep sleep and least alert, Handsome Scorpion's father and his gang of henchmen sneaked up to the vicinity of the armory. They had already quietly taken care of the surrounding sentries, but because Konoha had strengthened its defenses, there were still many people on guard and patrolling around the armory, probably at least a hundred. Including those sleeping inside, there were at least three hundred people in total. If these hundred or so people were to fight head-on, they definitely wouldn't be able to win in a short time. So, Handsome Scorpion's father's puppet led the way, quietly hunting down the enemy from the outside, without making any noise so as not to disturb those sleeping inside. This required a lot of skill.

After all, every ninja has some level of sensory ability, it's just a matter of degree. Generally, if someone isn't fast enough, they'll be sensed by the enemy even if they get within a body length of them. So this time, Sasori's father really went all out, taking out his mother's ultimate poison 2.0 and applying it to every one of his underlings' senbon, kunai, and shuriken, aiming for a fatal blow that wouldn't give the enemy a chance.

"puff!"

"puff!"

"Let's go, everyone be careful..."

Two puppets unleashed two senbon needles from their mechanisms, taking down two Konoha ninja sentries at a hidden location. After giving instructions to his underlings, Sasori's father waved, leaving himself and several puppeteers in the rear to control the puppets. This is where the puppeteers' advantage became apparent: in the dark, they controlled their puppets, charging forward recklessly in a trade of blows. Even if the enemy reacted quickly and got stabbed, it was the puppet that suffered the damage, not the puppet itself.

524. They don't have the courage of the Golden Lion.

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

"You're the one who's bad, your whole family is bad! (艹皿艹)"

Onoki was furious; the fire in his heart was still burning fiercely. Although he had been gone for three days, Onoki was still very unhappy. This fight was a complete waste. He hadn't gained anything from this trip and had even lost so many of his men. The medical expenses and compensation alone had made his already meager savings even worse. If he had known that those two good-looking but useless men were so weak and would eventually be caught by Shiki, he wouldn't have bothered bringing them along.

He hadn't initially intended to target Hashirama Senju's grandson. Although he was a cunning schemer, he still adhered to morals and principles. He couldn't bring himself to kidnap a brat and demand benefits from Konoha. But since his underling had already captured him, there was nothing more to say; he'd just take advantage of the situation. After all, once someone's been captured, there was no reason to return them...

Now he's gained nothing, still has so many underlings at his disposal, and crucially, he's lost two top spies. It's not easy to survive in Sunagakure for over ten years; these two were the ones who kept the village's spy records. Now they're gone just like that. He has to send people back to infiltrate Sunagakure, but the difficulty is unimaginable. Of all the people he sent back then, only two survived, which shows how difficult that was. The climate of the Land of Wind is simply uninhabitable, and not many people want to go there. After all, the environment is too harsh. It's not easy to trick those underlings with below-average intelligence into going to Sunagakure. It's not the picturesque Konoha; it's the Land of Wind, a land of yellow sand. Many people died on the way. Even back then, it was difficult to persuade underlings to go, let alone now that their living conditions have improved.

Just as Onoki was fuming and in a bad mood, one of his underlings rushed over shouting. Onoki snapped back, "Can't you see I'm deep in thought?"

You're the one who's bad, your whole family is bad! (▼へ▼メ)

"No, Lord Tsuchikage, news has come from the Daimyo's residence that the south is haunted again! And this time it's even worse; many places have been completely destroyed!"

This young man was quick-witted; realizing he had said something wrong, he quickly added something back.

"What?! Another ghost story? You bastard! Turn around, I want to see which scoundrel is behind this this time! (#｀皿′)"

Hearing his younger brother say this, Onoki's anger surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. The last time there was a ghost story, it was that bastard Shiki and Raine who were up to something. In order to maintain the image of the village, he did not make it public. After all, it would be too shameful to talk about his family's wild beasts being stolen, crystals being taken away, and even the head of state being stripped of his title. So he could only let the ghost story circulate in the Land of Earth. After all, a ghost story was better than his daimyo being stripped of his title, right?

I just saw Golden Lion at the border a few days ago. If that bastard doesn't lead the team, the others in Sunagakure won't dare to be so presumptuous!

So all that's left is that bastard Raikage and those scoundrels from Kirigakure...

.......

"Lord Kazekage, we have fulfilled our mission! This trip has been very fruitful! ヾ(^?^)?"

However, while Onoki was frantically trying to find out who was causing trouble on his territory, little did he know that the "demon" had already gone home. Although it was the first time the two leaders of the Yusa Clan and the Umekawa Clan had gone on a wild expedition, they did not encounter any obstacles along the way, making their journey a series of dazzling feats. However, they kept their mission in mind and did not forget their original intentions. They kept in mind the things that Sunagawa had told them before they set off. They did not become too greedy and reckless, but restrained their utilitarianism and knew when to stop. While Onoki was still fighting Hiruzen Sarutobi, they had already packed up and pressed the return button.

The main reason was that the deeper they went into the Land of Earth, the more afraid they became. The ambition they once had to conquer the Land of Earth was gone. Just when they were about to conquer the Daimyo's mansion, the two suddenly realized that they didn't have the courage of the Golden Lion. If they went any deeper, and Onoki came back to defend, they would be doomed. They were almost blinded by their early victories. Fortunately, they came to their senses quickly. So, after a small raid near the Daimyo's mansion, the two immediately packed up and returned to the city.

At the same time, both of them had to consider their own families and were not greedy or reckless. If their identities were discovered by Iwagakure and they were killed, it would be a small matter. If it affected the village, their families would be in big trouble. So, although their playstyle was unrestrained during their first raid, they knew when to stop. After returning to the village, they happily carried their spoils to the Kazekage Tower to claim their credit.

"Hiss... You guys kidnapped the daimyo of the Land of Earth too? Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Sunagawa and Ebizo took a deep breath just looking at the sealing scrolls in the two men's hands. The number of sealing scrolls alone was almost the same as when Shinto kidnapped the daimyo of the Land of Earth and made a deal with Onoki. This was really beyond their expectations, which made them wonder if these two guys had kidnapped another daimyo.

After they set off, both Sunagawa and Ebizo knew that although they hadn't taken their respective family elites with them, their fighting strength was definitely not comparable to Masato's group. Moreover, this was their first time fighting in the wild, so they didn't expect them to bring any great surprises. It would be enough if they could slightly improve the village's life. It was impossible to expect them to improve the village's living conditions several times over like Masato did in one trip. They couldn't afford to accept any of the opponent's minor cards.

Their highest expectations were for the gains of Jie's team in the Land of Fire. After all, those people were experienced veterans who had hunted in the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire was rich in resources. They could easily raid two of his armories and use them for several years with some repairs.

They haven't returned yet, so they don't know how their harvest went. However, the fighting power of the Yusa clan and the Meikawa clan has greatly exceeded their expectations. Their harvest is comparable to that of Shinto. What else could it be but kidnapping the Daimyo of the Land of Earth?

Actually, neither of them knew that Shinto's harvest that time was twice theirs. However, because they teamed up with the Raikage and the Raikage helped them draw fire, they had to give half of it to their teammate, the Raikage, after Sasori's father returned.

joke!

That's the daimyo of the Land of Earth! He's the face of the Land of Earth. If that's all he's worth, even if Shinto dared to ask, Onoki would be too embarrassed to give it to him!

The same situation occurred when Mato lured Tsunade to the woods and then went to trade with the Senju. Mato originally only intended to trade a Tailed Beast Sealing Technique, but Tsunade's father, being stubborn, felt the price was too low and unworthy of his daughter, making it a disgrace. He insisted on adding a powerful sealing technique to the deal...

That's the power and significance!

It's a pity that Tsunade squandered the Senju clan; otherwise, Nawaki, the only legitimate heir of the Senju clan, would be even more valuable...

525. The youngest daughter simply couldn't provoke Zhen Dou.

"Because we encountered no obstacles along the way, if it weren't for remembering your advice, Lord Kazekage, to know when to stop, we could have stormed into their daimyo's prefecture! However, although we didn't storm into their daimyo's prefecture, we have already cleared the way from the border of the Land of Earth to their daimyo's prefecture!"

Sunagawa and Ebizo's surprised expressions made Yusaori's father feel very comfortable, even a little smug. Although they didn't have the courage of Shiki, their skills were no worse than Shinto's, and if they were bolder, they would even dare to kidnap the daimyo of the Land of Earth! (???)

With this achievement, although the credit was shared equally with the Meichuan clan, the connection between his daughter and his beloved grandson ensured that he wouldn't fall behind the Meichuan clan for at least the next decade or so. While the rivalry between the two clans was still unresolved, no resolution was the best outcome for him. He had no sons, and barring unforeseen circumstances, the position of clan leader would be reserved for his youngest daughter. He knew her well; while her talent was comparable to her half-sister, Yusaori, her personality was somewhat weak, and her fate wasn't as fortunate as Yusaori's. Why couldn't she win over that guy, Masato? These two sisters perfectly inherited his and their mother's genes; their looks were absolutely stunning. If the village held a Sunagakure beauty pageant, and his beloved grandson was the champion, then his two daughters would undoubtedly be the runner-up and third-place winner.

You see, when Dan Jie was five years old, he fell in love with his eldest daughter at first sight. However, his younger daughter just couldn't win over Zhen Dou's heart. This troubled him greatly and made him anxious about the future of the family. His younger daughter didn't like to compete, but in this village, if they wanted to maintain the family's status, they couldn't afford not to compete. Many families were eyeing their position, not to mention the Mei Chuan family, which was incredibly prolific. So, since he couldn't change his younger daughter's personality, he could only lead the family to contribute more to the village while he was still alive. Even if he passed away, with these achievements and his beloved grandson protecting them, the family's status would at least be maintained and wouldn't be surpassed by the Mei Chuan family.

Although their family wasn't as prolific as the Meikawa family, having too many children wasn't necessarily a good thing. Ever since Shinto chose Meikawa Naie as his disciple instead of his youngest daughter, he had already sensed something was amiss. The village was trying to maintain a balance between the two families, not wanting one to become too powerful, but also not allowing the other to fall too far behind. Previously, because of his daughter, their family had indeed become too prominent in the village, so for the past year or so, he had tried to keep a low profile. Usually, during village meetings, he would quietly sit in a corner with a cup of goji berry tea. If it weren't for Sunagawa and Ebizo making Meikawa... If the Kawai clan were to solo the Land of Earth, he estimated he could maintain a low profile for a while longer, but the situation didn't allow it, so he decided to stop being discreet. Upon returning, he immediately spoke before Umekawa Naito could. The order in which he spoke was crucial; generally, the first person to speak holds a dominant position in the team. By doing this, he was leaving an impression on the Kazekage and Ebizo that the Kazekage and Ebizo were the core of the team in this operation. Then, the Kazekage and Ebizo would continue to talk to him out of habit, and gradually, he would naturally become the core of the operation. ヾ(^?^)?

Just like now, after he spoke, Lord Kazekage and Ebizo subconsciously ignored Umekawa Naito beside them and continued talking to him. This kind of achievement is invisible and inexplicable, so there aren't any of those messy award ceremonies, but it will be recorded in a file: He, the [number]th generation leader of the Yusa clan, Yusa Kadoya, in [year] [month], for the sake of the village's happiness, led his family and the Umekawa clan through trials and tribulations, finally reaching the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth before turning back, making an immortal contribution to improving the villagers' living standards...

Meanwhile, the Meikawa clan, led by a certain generation leader, followed the Kazekage's summons and invaded the Land of Earth. Under the leadership of the Yusa clan's leader, Yusa Kakuzu, they marched south until they reached the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth, making a great contribution to improving the villagers' lives...

These two records are similar, but the differences are worlds apart. One describes someone as leading, the other as following; one is immortal, the other merely great. Anyone with a modicum of education can see the disparity between these words. ヾ(^?^)?

.....

"....bastard..(▼へ▼メ)"

Umekawa Naito clenched his fists tightly, looking at Yusa Kagami's smug face next door. If it weren't for the presence of Kazekage and Ebizo, who were there to demonstrate unity, peace, friendship, and mutual assistance, he would have stabbed that bastard twice right now.

These lines were originally his, but he got tricked by this bastard when he entered the room, and tripped up. So he should have been the one to say them.

His IQ is way, way, way, way higher than Yusa's... by a whole lot. If even a complete idiot like Yusa could figure it out, how could he not? In fact, he had already made a complete plan on the way back to the village. As soon as he got back, he was to be the first to arrive at the Wind Shadow Tower and take the lead. He was leading the way from the village entrance to the Wind Shadow Tower, but he didn't expect that this despicable bastard Yusa would trip him up at the door. When he came in, this bastard had already said all his lines.

In the Land of Earth, it's the Meichuan clan who are the main force, okay?

Yusako only brought a small group of people who were just there to tag along.

Seeing that the Kazekage and Ebizo were basically ignoring his presence and only talking to Yusaka, he could already imagine how their actions would be recorded in the archives after they left.

"Sogga! You did a great job. The village will never forget what you've done for them. You must be tired from this trip. Go back and rest first. We'll talk about the assignments when Jie and the others return."

Sunagawa and Ebizo naturally noticed Umekawa Naito's emotional fluctuations. They weren't blind; with those eyes and the way his fists were clenched and veins were bulging, if they weren't there, they would have reason to believe that Umekawa Naito was about to devour Yusaka.

He knew exactly what these two were up to. Healthy competition between families was a good thing, and as long as it didn't go too far, they would turn a blind eye. So it wasn't good for him to argue with Yusaka too much now, lest they end up having a life-or-death duel later...

The two clan leaders of Sunagakure fighting in a tournament is just making us a laughingstock.

526. Ohnoki's nose is black again.

In truth, they were well aware that the Meichuan clan was the main force in this operation. Although the Yusha clan also mobilized its elite forces, their numbers were still too small. They didn't know if the Yusha clan's ancestral graves were poorly buried or if the feng shui had been disrupted, but the Yusha clan's population had drastically decreased in recent years. The Meichuan clan had managed to have several pregnancies, while the Yusha clan had to burn incense and pray to Buddha to have a second child, and even then, success wasn't guaranteed. Even if they did, the child might not be male. Just look at Yusha Kakeru; the age difference between her eldest and youngest daughters was so great. She had worked so hard all those years, and when she became pregnant with her second child, she was so excited that she threw a huge banquet, almost celebrating with the whole world. But the second child was another girl.

It's not that girls are bad, and they don't discriminate based on gender. But throughout history, there have been far more male ninjas who have become super-powerful than female ninjas. After all, girls are inherently weaker than boys, both physically and mentally, making it extremely difficult for them to become super-powerful.

In recent years, the Yusa clan's population had already declined sharply, and the Second World War further reduced it to its lowest point in history. According to last year's census, the Yusa clan, including those who married out and those who moved in with their husbands, numbered less than a thousand. One can imagine how drastic the Yusa clan's decline was. If it weren't for Yusa's connection to the clan and their desire to avoid the village becoming too powerful and a constant threat like the Uchiha clan of Konoha, the Yusa clan would have long since retreated to the sidelines, like the Miyako clan and Chiyo's maternal clan.

The Meichuan clan, on the other hand, has seen its population steadily increase over the years, growing by several percentage points each year compared to the same period last year. This growth rate is even more impressive than Konoha's annual GDP growth. If it weren't for the outbreak of World War II causing them to lose a significant number of lives, they would be in real trouble.

why?

The village can't afford to support that many ninjas!

Children from such families, unless they are born mentally challenged, begin learning the fundamentals of chakra refining around the age of three. In other words, unless they are mentally challenged, they are born ninjas.

But what if they can't afford to support them? They can't possibly restrict the development of someone's family, can they? They can't prevent someone from achieving harmony between yin and yang, can they?

This time, Naito Umekawa led over a hundred elite members of his family to the Land of Earth. While Yusa Kadoya was no less imposing, she only brought a few dozen people, clearly just there to make up the numbers. They only sent her because of Yusa and that collector's edition CD. They could see through the trickery involved, but that was exactly what they wanted. Fair competition would only make the village stronger and maintain its balance.

"Yes, then we'll take our leave."

Yusako and Umekawa Naito were overjoyed when they heard Sunagawa's words. What had they gone through all this trouble for?

Isn't that all for this sentence?

For a moment, Mei Chuan Naito no longer harbored any animosity towards Yusa Kadoya, and happily followed Yusa Kadoya as they left the Wind Shadow Pavilion.

What the Kazekage meant was that you two shouldn't argue over the credit; both of you are incredibly capable, and the village will never forget that...

.......

"Lord Haicang, the Yusa clan and the Meichuan clan have both returned, but why hasn't Jie returned yet? Could something have happened to him?"

After Umekawa Naito and Yusa Kadoya left, Sunagawa looked at the pair of sealed scrolls in front of him but did not open them to check them. Instead, he frowned deeply. The Land of Fire and the Land of Earth were both next to their Land of Wind, and the distance between them was about the same. Yusa Kadoya and Umekawa Naito had already gone all the way to the daimyo's mansion and returned. Logically speaking, Jie's group had not gone too deep and should have returned by now. Before they set off, they had repeatedly told Jie to know when to stop and not to go too deep.

But he hasn't returned yet, which makes Sunagawa a little worried. He didn't want Jie to take this risk. Whether it's the leader of the puppet army, the honorary head of the Anbu, or the son of the First Hokage, Jie's identity is too important. The Land of Fire is a dangerous place, and if something happens to him, although the Miyako clan won't be wiped out because of Sasori, it will still be a big blow to them and Sunagakure. Especially the fact that Lady Chiyo would have to bury her son. He doesn't know if she can accept it. Lady Chiyo is the pillar of Sunagakure!

However, infiltrating the Land of Fire, a place fraught with danger, is definitely not something an inexperienced newbie can do. Jie has served as Shinto's second-in-command several times and has a wealth of experience in jungle farming. Shinto is busy drawing Tsunade away and can't spare the time to lead the team, so the only suitable candidate is Jie.

Actually, he had experience farming in the Land of Water back then, so he was actually suitable. However, considering the fate of Hozuki Gengetsu and the consequences of Kirigakure, Sunakawa decided to give up. Sasori is still young; he'll consider it in a few years...

"...Things are still calm in the Land of Fire, and there's no news coming out, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Besides, given Jie's status, if he were really captured by Konoha, they would definitely notify us..."

Ebizo's eyebrows twitched, and he was equally worried. That was his sister's son, his own nephew. How could he not be worried? However, theoretically speaking, it wasn't wartime. Even if Jie really fell into Konoha's hands, it wouldn't matter. Konoha wouldn't touch him casually. After all, Konoha's crown prince was with them. Based on his understanding of Hiruzen Sarutobi, if Konoha really took down his nephew, Hiruzen Sarutobi's first action would definitely be to contact Sunagakure. So Ebizo could still remain calm.

If Jie is indeed defeated, their plan will be exposed, and Onoki will easily connect the dots and wonder if they were behind the events in the Land of Earth. That's the most troublesome part...

While comforting Sunagawa, Ebizo could only hope that his nephew and the others were perhaps already on their way back.

......

"Lord Tsuchikage, you have to think of something! Find out who did this! It's just too... too lawless! Look at the mess they've made of everything around us...! Which bastards did this? They're so ruthless! Even worse than Shiki the Golden Lion, they don't even spare children's toys... ╥﹏╥"

In the Land of Earth, within the Daimyo's residence, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth was half-crouched on the ground, wiping away excrement and urine, clinging to the leg of Onoki, whose nose had turned black, and sobbing like a bullied child complaining to his mother. However, his massive size made it impossible for the short and agile Onoki to fly...

527. How terrifying is Onoki's black nose?

Strangely enough, although Onoki usually had a cute and amiable face, none of the underlings in Iwagakure were afraid of him, especially when Onoki's nose turned black. At that moment, the Iwagakure underlings immediately knew that this was a sign that their Tsuchikage was burning with rage. At this time, they would stay as far away as possible. At this time, the Tsuchikage was a ruthless person who would not show mercy to anyone, except for a few ringleaders. Anyone could be killed by the Tsuchikage with a single cannon shot.

Even the leaders of the Civil Engineering Corps were terrified when they saw Onoki Kurobi. They felt like they were walking on thin ice, fearing that their boss would lose his temper and kill them too. So when Onoki Kurobi was around, they didn't even try to curry favor with him, and even his son, Hiroto, avoided him whenever possible.

The daimyo of the Land of Earth wasn't afraid of Onoki at all. Instead, he dragged Onoki to the ground to prevent him from taking off. Ever since he discovered that Madara had frozen him in his original form, Onoki has rarely walked. Perhaps it's due to his deep-seated inferiority complex. He almost always floats wherever he goes. If someone dared to drag him like this and prevent him from taking off, they would have already turned him into dust with a map attack.

But instead of firing a shot while being held back by this fatso, Onoki calmed down and comforted the Land of Earth daimyo, whose face was covered in tears and snot and who looked utterly disgusting.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, once we find out who did it, I will absolutely not let them get away with it. At the same time, to ensure your safety, I will leave fifty more Jonin to protect you. I guarantee that such a thing will never happen again!"