Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Just as Shinto finished speaking, a hearty laugh came from afar. The Third Raikage, whom they hadn't seen for several years, had several white hairs and looked much older. He strode towards them with an imposing presence, followed by Azaburo and a dozen bodyguards.

It has to be said that this ninjutsu is very destructive to the body. The Third Raikage was only a few years older than the prematurely aging Hiruzen Sarutobi, but his aging speed was much more severe. Lightning Release can indeed enhance physical strength by stimulating muscle cells, but the potential damage is also considerable. For ordinary ninjas, after the age of fifty, their physical functions decline and their condition deteriorates, but the aging speed is not very fast. However, the Raikage's training method of constantly pushing his own limits, although his strong body prevents him from suffering a bloodbath when his physical skills decline, makes him age much faster. He looks much older than the impatient Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Raikage, accompanied by a large-headed man in burlap sack and a dozen bodyguards, strode up. His previously serious face was now beaming with joy, indicating he was in a very good mood.

This kid is still the same as before, but he has become more and more unkempt over the years. He looks like a middle-aged man even though he is only in his thirties. When he received the news from Tsuchidae that Shiki was coming to Kumogakure, he wondered what this kid wanted to do in Kumogakure.

However, the other party was, after all, the top dog of Sunagakure, and the two had even been teammates for a time. Out of politeness, he still brought his men out to greet him. Unexpectedly, hearing these words made him feel much better because he hadn't caught the target. This kid is still so eloquent. ヾ(^?^)?

"Wow! Raikage, you're truly generous! Giving away this house so readily, no one in the ninja world can match your generosity!"

"Not at all, it's an honor for us that the Golden Lion would even look down on us. Is this your first time in Cloud Village? Tonight, we'll drink until we drop..."

"That's why I often tell people that, looking back over the past fifty years of the ninja world, I admire two people the most: one is my idol, Uchiha Madara, and the other is you, Raikage! This kind of ambition is befitting a great leader of our time."

"Hahaha, everyone knows your name, Golden Lion of the Sand Village! There are very few in the ninja world who can compare to you..."

"........"

The two seemed to have hit it off immediately, shamelessly exchanging compliments right there at the entrance of Kumogakure, much to the astonishment of the onlookers. They showed no sign of stopping, one praising the other, the other flattering, and it was all incredibly enjoyable to listen to. The Raikage, in particular, although already being praised by his subordinate, found his subordinate's flattery lacking the refined elegance of Shiki's. For a moment, the Raikage was so caught up in the praise that he forgot his business, and started praising Shiki again...

544. Your village is rife with James-like figures.

"This...this is Lord Raikage? Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

The Cloud Ninja underlings around him were dumbfounded, but the future Fourth Raikage and his younger brother, Little Sunglasses, seemed even more bewildered. In their minds, the Raikage was tall and imposing, always so serious, so earnest, and meticulous.

But how did they end up embracing this nonsensical golden lion?

Moreover, they had never seen their father (Lord Raikage) look like this before!

At that moment, both of their worldviews collapsed.

"Hey... it's normal that you guys don't know since you're new to the scene. The strongest thing about this Golden Lion isn't his strength, but his mouth. He can talk the dead back to life with his mouth."

Seeing the two's bewildered expressions, Tsuchida sighed and explained to them just how terrifying the Golden Lion's mouth was. Every time the Raikage was praised by this guy, he would immediately do something that was completely inconsistent with his character.

For example, he's now openly exchanging compliments with the Golden Lion at the village entrance, completely oblivious to everyone else. Is this still the same Raikage who was known for his volatile temper and constant threats of demolition?

"Hmm... I can tell. (⊙_⊙)"

After hearing Tsuchida's explanation, the two nodded in agreement. They had never seen their father (Lord Raikage) praise anyone like this before, and even compliments were rare.

.....

"If I'm not mistaken, Lord Golden Lion has come here because of the recent destruction of the village markets, right?"

When the two, an illiterate man and someone with little education, ran out of things to say after half an hour of arguing at the village entrance, Lei Ying took him to Lei Ying Tower.

As soon as everyone arrived at the Raikage's building, before the Raikage could even speak, Azaburo signaled the others to leave, leaving only the Raikage, Tsuchida, and the young AB duo. He spoke up mainly because he was genuinely afraid the Raikage would be subjected to another round of empty boasting by Shiki, which would then continue incessantly. While Shiki was indeed a smooth talker, his limited cultural knowledge restricted his words, allowing him to only spout a few novel idioms. Meanwhile, their Raikage was practically illiterate; the two of them had been boasting for half an hour, spouting meaningless drivel, leaving Azaburo feeling utterly exhausted.

"As expected of a strategist who's worth an entire army, truly impressive! That's right, I did come for those bastards. I'm sure you've figured out their modus operandi, right, Grand Strategist Azabu? Although they're also 'farming,' they're complete novices. I've seen the crime scenes in our Land of Wind, the Land of Fire, and your Land of Lightning. There were too many traces left at the scenes, but there's one thing that puzzles me: I couldn't sense any chakra fluctuations at the crime scenes at all. This is very abnormal, indicating that they wanted to conceal their true identities, which is why many buildings were destroyed by brute force."

But then another problem arises. Our Wind Country and Fire Country's earthen or wooden buildings are one thing; brute force can easily destroy them. But the villages on your border are built with rock-hard granite. I ask you all, your village is famously known for its abundance of James-like figures, but how many of you could actually smash through that thick granite with brute force?

The main event began, and Masato revealed the script he had prepared on the way. In order to prevent Azabu's big head, with an intelligence of 98.5, from seeing through the plan, he had been working overtime on the way, using his eight-core processing chip to carefully analyze how to make Kumogakure's target Iwagakure so that Azabu wouldn't see through him. Finally, combining his personal experience, he came up with a near-perfect plan.

When the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning are attacked, they share a common trait, which is also a common problem among all those who fight in the wilderness: while trying their best to conceal their identities, they avoid using ninjutsu as much as possible. Therefore, they usually resort to taijutsu, because some ninjutsu are quite common, such as Earth Release: Mind Decapitation Technique and Fire Release: Great Flame Technique. These are relatively common ninjutsu, and any ninja with earth and fire chakra, regardless of which village they come from, will know these common ninjutsu.

However, there are also many representative ninjutsu, such as the Uchiha's Fire Release and the Iwagakure's Earth Release, which are more or less different from the popular ninjutsu. Among them, the most different is the Iwagakure's Earth Release, which is quite unique.

Therefore, due to muscle memory, when using ninjutsu, it's easy to use techniques that clearly reflect one's village's characteristics. Furthermore, novice hunters often don't bother cleaning up the battlefield or clearing away traces, greatly increasing their chances of being identified. Generally, beginners will use taijutsu instead of ninjutsu to conceal their identities. This makes it difficult to ascertain their identities.

The effect was actually not bad. At least in his opinion, the super high intelligence of the big-headed Azabu had not yet discovered their identities. However, he remembered that the Earth Release of the Iwa ninja had a ninjutsu called Fist Rock, which was similar to taijutsu. Combined with the brute strength they had developed from carrying hoes to mine since childhood, and with Fist Rock, smashing through granite with brute force would be no problem for them. Because it was taijutsu, it would leave no chakra fluctuations at the scene.

"boom!"

"That old bald bastard Onoki, I knew it was him! Tsuchikage, get the men! I'm going to settle the score with that bastard Onoki!" (「▼皿▼)

The Raikage punched through the wall that had just been repaired not long ago. He was a bit hot-tempered and not very educated, but that didn't mean he was an idiot. The Golden Lion had already gone to such lengths, practically pointing at Onoki's head and saying that he was the culprit. How could he not know? Ninjutsu and taijutsu were rare, but they did exist. However, each ninja village had its own unique characteristics. The reason why Kumogakure's ninjutsu and taijutsu were the most famous was because he had practiced his ancestral Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its extreme.

The people of Konoha are relatively small, so their ninjutsu and taijutsu, developed by Tobirama Senju, tend to be more technical. Apart from the oddball Shiki, Sunagakure also leans towards technical techniques. The same goes for Kirigakure. Only Kumogakure and Iwagakure, due to their environment and many other reasons, have ninjutsu and taijutsu that are more expansive and powerful. The Iwagakure bastards, who are already quite strong because of their daily mining, are even stronger than those who claim to be all strong. With their ninjutsu and taijutsu, smashing through rocks is not difficult for them.

Now that things have come to this, the Raikage, who already knew the correct answer, was furious.

Damn it, I haven't even laid a finger on you yet, and you dare to mess with me... (▼へ▼メ)

,.

545. The Golden Lion: Outwardly Loyal, Inwardly Treacherous

"Lord Raikage! Please don't be angry. Now is not the time to start a war..."

Seeing his boss's blood boiling, Azabu quickly tried to dissuade him. Although he had guessed the answer based on Shiki's description, his boss seemed ready to fight Iwa ninja to the death. He had to stop him. The war had only ended three years ago, and they had suffered heavy losses in the last war. Moreover, their main enemy was Konoha, a big fish. If they really fought Iwa ninja, it would be a 50/50 match at best, and neither side would look good in the end.

and......

"Why are you telling us all this, Lord Golden Lion? Just say what you have to say..."

Azabu looked at Masato suspiciously. He suspected that Masato hadn't been up to anything by telling them this. Knowing Shiki's personality, he was the kind of person who wouldn't do anything without a reason. People in the world had been fooled by his appearance; he was a shrewd and calculating man.

Since his debut, in almost every war, whether it was World War I or World War II, Sunagakure was always at the forefront, leading the charge. However, a closer look reveals that Sunagakure's losses in both wars weren't actually that significant. In World War I, although they were among the first to respond to the Second Tsuchikage's call and clashed with Konoha a few times, the fighting wasn't particularly intense. Ultimately, they withdrew from the war due to the mysterious death of the Second Kazekage. Overall, Sunagakure's casualties in World War I weren't very high. However, communication was underdeveloped at the time, and Sunagakure's record of causing the deaths of Mu and Gengetsu was so dazzling that many people didn't focus on Shiki, Sunagakure's super genius, and thus overlooked the village itself.

During the Second World War, Shiki managed to drag things out in the Land of Wind for several months using various excuses, and then a major battle broke out between Sunagakure and Konoha. This was the only major battle between Sunagakure and Konoha during the entire Second World War. After that, it was mostly minor skirmishes, with both sides just trading stats. At that time, Shiki suspected that he must have received some benefits from Konoha.

Later, when they met in the Land of Earth and teamed up to raid Onoki, he was shocked by the guy's methods. Even with their cover, it wouldn't be easy to raid so many resources with hundreds of people, but this guy managed to do it. After returning, he combined the situation of the first and second battles in Sunagakure with research and analysis, and finally came to the conclusion that Shiki was a traitor who was loyal on the outside but a traitor on the inside!

So now that Golden Lion has come, he hasn't pointed the finger at Iwa ninja. Although, based on the information Golden Lion provided, the people causing destruction in various villages are indeed very likely Iwa ninja, he doesn't believe Golden Lion's purpose is simply to tell them who the culprit is. He believes there's more to the story...

"The Grand Strategist truly lives up to his reputation. Now is definitely not the time for war. If we go to war with the Iwa ninja, wouldn't that make us a laughingstock in Konoha? Even if we tell Hiruzen Sarutobi that these people are Iwa ninja, and we just fought Onoki, Hiruzen Sarutobi won't go to war with the Iwa ninja over such a small place. That doesn't align with the principles that Hashirama Senju passed down to him. So, fighting is definitely out of the question, but I just can't swallow this insult. Raikage, it's up to you. If you have a plan, we can team up and take them down. If you can tolerate this, then disregard what I said and go back to do it alone!"

As Masato spoke, he looked at the Raikage, who was furious beyond measure. Although it was Azabu who was negotiating with the foreign exchange, the only one in Kumogakure who truly had the authority was the Raikage. He had noticed this on the way here. This Kumogakure's greatest historical Kage was not like Hiruzen Sarutobi, who shamelessly bribed various news outlets to boast about his achievements. This Raikage was someone who had earned his title through sheer hard work. Along the way, whether it was the villagers or the underlings, everyone looked at the Raikage with fervent admiration. This might be related to the fact that Kumogakure did not revere martial prowess. When walking with the Raikage, Azabu had no presence at all. He even forgot about his second-in-command when greeting the underlings and villagers.

So ultimately, it's still up to the Raikage to decide whether or not things get heated.

"What are your plans? Tell me."

Raikage subconsciously looked at Abacus Big Head. Usually, when Abacus Big Head was in charge, he would usually throw these kinds of brain-teasing questions to Abacus Big Head. He was used to it, and this time was no different.

Although he was very tempted, he didn't care when their team up last time was incredibly successful, even when their explosive tag factory exploded for no reason. The spoils from that battle were so plentiful, even more than when they went to the Land of Earth with the Second Hokage during World War I.

Although Kumogakure wasn't as poor as Sunagakure, to the point where all they had left was gold dust, their resources weren't plentiful either. Moreover, their geology was too hard to develop into a self-sufficient agricultural village. If they wanted to improve the villagers' living conditions, they could only buy gold at high prices, just like Sunagakure. But the problem was, they didn't have Sunagakure. They were frugal and thrifty, patching things up for three years and then another three. If it weren't for the war when they went to the Land of Earth with the Second Hokage and the confiscation of so much family property during the coup, the village's treasury would have collapsed long ago.

So when the Golden Lion sent out the team invitation, he immediately thought that this guy was probably thinking about teaming up to farm in the jungle again. However, he always left such brain-intensive tasks to his strategist who was not around. He waited until the other party nodded before asking.

"...This time, we can't do it the same way as last time. That old bastard Onoki will definitely be on guard, so I have a more reliable plan...to take down the tailed beast!"

"puff!"

"puff!"

"What?! Catch... no! Shoot a tailed beast?! Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Before Shinto could finish speaking, the three of them—Little Sunglasses, Tsuchida, and the future Fourth Raikage—who were playing in the mud together, simultaneously spat out a mouthful of ink. The Raikage and Azaburo, with their big heads, looked at him with blank expressions, as if to see if he was joking.

Tailed beasts...troublesome!

It's so troublesome!

Back then, seeing other villages, even Takigakure, buying Tailed Beasts, they pooled their money to join in, not wanting to suffer losses. But now, thinking back, it's really not as good as they thought. It was practically giving money away to Konoha. They originally thought it was some kind of nuclear weapon, but who knew that after buying it, they would realize how troublesome Tailed Beasts really are.

546. This is called war, which is based on deception!

They initially thought that if they could buy back the Tailed Beasts, even if they couldn't command them, at least they could serve as a nuclear threat. After all, other villages had bought them, and if the Hidden Cloud Village didn't buy one or two, they would lose face, and people would say that the Hidden Cloud Village was poor and couldn't afford to buy them.

Originally, the First Hokage only intended to buy one as a token gesture, but Sunagakure, already possessing a tailed beast, had no desire for it. Meanwhile, Takigakure, clinging to Konoha's coattails, managed to buy the Seven-Tails, which made them uneasy. Kumogakure, after all, was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and had participated in the Five Kage Summit. Yet, they only bought the cheapest Two-Tails, while Konoha's underlings had bought the Seven-Tails. Wasn't this a slap in the face? How could Kumogakure maintain their reputation after this?

When the Tailed Beast auction ended, Tobirama Senju handed them the instruction manuals for using the Tailed Beasts. After reading the manuals upon returning home, they regretted their decision.

This isn't buying a tailed beast, it's buying two big shots to worship!

First of all, you can't just find any Jinchuriki. They have to match the blood type, zodiac sign, destiny, and personality with the Tailed Beast. It's harder than finding a blind date. In all these years, Kumogakure has only had one person, Killer Bee, who is currently a match for the Eight-Tails. The Two-Tails is still sealed. Just sealing it with sealing tools isn't enough. Sealing has a time limit. The Eight-Tails went berserk because the sealing tools were about to expire, and the Eight-Tails was provoked, causing it to break the seal prematurely. So the safest way to seal it is still using a Jinchuriki. But they are still having a headache about when the chosen one for the Two-Tails will appear.

If they hadn't bought them with real money, they would have given them away.

The Two-Tails alone was already giving them a huge headache, and this guy was going to mess with someone else's Tailed Beast?

Don't they know that having more tailed beasts is a curse rather than a blessing?

Even if you can suppress the tailed beast now, your career has a time limit, and a person's lifespan is also limited, but the tailed beast's lifespan is infinite. If you suppress it too much now, when you get old and can no longer fight it, it will rebound more fiercely, and then it will be your own village that suffers.

So the two of them stared blankly at Shinto, wondering what he was up to. Was he going to put another tailed beast from Iwagakure up for auction?

Didn't you just say we couldn't fight? You're slapping Onoki in the face like this; it would be strange if he didn't fight you...

"What are you thinking! We just need to have the tailed beasts, the number doesn't matter. You have to be strong yourself. What would I do with so many tailed beasts? My idea is to use the tailed beasts to lure out Onoki, then we can beat him up and pluck all the hair off his head. On the other hand, we can find someone to make a deal with the Iwa ninja and have them pay to buy back their tailed beasts. Then we'll have gotten our revenge!"

Shinto knew exactly what the two were thinking from their eyes. To be honest, he didn't really care much for the Tailed Beasts. Firstly, they were indeed a problem. Without strong power, they were like time bombs. If it weren't for Sunagawa and Ebizo being too greedy, he wouldn't even want the Seven-Tails. It would be more practical to put it up for auction.

"...Great idea! Let's do it this way. I'll personally pluck all the hair off that red-nosed guy's nose!"

The Raikage's eyes lit up, and he cracked his knuckles as he spoke. Heaven knows how much he wanted to beat up Onoki, but he was a warrior, while Onoki was a flying mage. His jumping ability was only so-so, and as long as Onoki took to the air, he was helpless against him and could only be used as a target to be bombarded. So, when he heard that this plan would allow him to give Onoki a good beating, the Raikage was incredibly excited!

"How insidious....Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

On one hand, the relatively simple-minded Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, wearing sunglasses, stared wide-eyed at the legendary Golden Lion, then glanced at the excited Raikage. At this moment, his worldview collapsed again. In his worldview, fights between people were fair and square, and people could trust each other. In his heart, the Raikage had always been so bright and great. Through their interactions along the way, he had also come to know that the Golden Lion was a strong person who valued loyalty and righteousness.

But now, the loyal and righteous Golden Lion is actually involved in such a despicable and insidious plan, and the always righteous and noble Raikage has actually agreed to it, and even seems quite excited about it. It's really... he feels like his dream has been shattered.

"Little sunglasses, let me teach you a lesson. In this perilous ninja world, you can't survive without a brain. Being upright and honorable is just child's play, a ninja game. The essence of this world is using any means necessary to achieve your goals. Octopus, you should spend some time teaching your landlord a lesson. Going out and getting hacked to death without even knowing who did it—is that cunning? That's called strategy! Deception! Read some military texts; they'll be good for you..."

Upon hearing what the little sunglasses said, Zhen Dou immediately became unhappy and stared at the little sunglasses' stomach with a look of disgust for two minutes.

"..."

Inside the little sunglasses, the eight-tailed creature called Squidward looked constipated. If it weren't for its agreement with Bee that it couldn't escape without Bee's permission, it would have transformed right now and killed this bastard to avenge its seventh brother... ugh! Seventh brother. It remembered clearly how this guy had beaten its seventh brother to a pulp back then.

However... what this guy said isn't wrong. Bi is indeed a bit too naive. Back in the day, after their father, the Sage of Six Paths, kicked the bucket, it was deceived by humans countless times because it was too naive. So it was thinking about how to make Bi realize the cunning of humans!

"Which tailed beast are you planning to capture? The Four-Tails has already become a Jinchūriki, so capturing it won't do any good. The Five-Tails has been sealed away by Iwagakure, and there's been no news of it. Besides, who are you going to ask to make a deal with the Iwagakure people?"

Seeing Golden Lion educating their village's future, Azabu Big Head also had an opinion. After all, what he said made sense. To survive in the ninja world, being upright and honest wasn't enough. In the five great ninja villages, which one didn't have a few cunning old foxes?

Instead, he asked Shiki about several key points of the plan. The Four-Tails had already become a Jinchūriki, and judging from the fighting between Iwagakure and Konoha, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki was already able to fully utilize the Four-Tails' power. Therefore, even if they captured it, it would be difficult to trade it, and there was also the risk that the Four-Tails Jinchūriki would run away. The Five-Tails had been sealed by Iwagakure, and the location must be very secluded. Someone like Shiki wouldn't suffer twice in the same place.

The most crucial point is the choice of person to make the deal with Iwagakure. They're definitely not suitable; aside from the Raikage and Shiki, they simply can't withstand a Tailed Beast going berserk. Therefore, this person is extremely important. They need to be strong enough to prevent the Tailed Beast from going berserk, and also possess good negotiation skills to avoid being tricked by Iwagakure...

547. Ding! Your friend Kakuzu is now online.

"Don't worry about that. Iwagakure is like my backyard; finding the Five-Tails will be a piece of cake! The Raikage will just wear a mask and transform to lure Onoki away, and I'll go after the Five-Tails. I need to be quick; I can't get entangled. After I get the Five-Tails... I have a friend, the financial tycoon Kakuzu. He's a professional negotiator. We'll just give him a commission; his abilities are top-notch. Tsuchida can handle that. You can contact him if you have any shady dealings in the future. Mentioning my name might even get you a 30% discount! ヾ(^?^)?"