Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"What?! How could this be? Konoha is already struggling to survive, how could White Fang still be out here?!"

The previously quite drunk Onoki instantly sobered up and stood up abruptly.

"...Konoha is already overwhelmed with its own problems, but that's all because of Hiruzen Sarutobi. The villagers of Konoha have already forgotten about the White Fang incident. Tsuchikage, hurry up and go save them! The opponent is the White Fang, I'm really afraid that Tsuchikage won't be able to hold out for long!!"

Tu Mu didn't have much time to explain. After offering a few words, he quickly said, "Huang Tu is the legitimate heir of Iwagakure. It's one thing for others to die, but if Huang Tu is also killed in the Land of Fire, the impact on Iwagakure will be far too great."

"Damn white teeth...!!!"

Ōnoki calmed down. Now wasn't the time to ask about the reason. He quickly rushed out of the Tsuchikage Tower and flew towards the Land of Fire. He only had this one son, and it hadn't been easy raising him all these years. Having only one son already made him seem inferior to Hiruzen Sarutobi's two sons. If this son were to die, Ōnoki would be left without a son. Although he still had the will and strength... he wasn't that lecherous old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was the loyal and devoted Tsuchikage in the villagers' hearts, and he couldn't let his long-maintained image crumble...

......

"Wenya, hang in there! I've already sent a message to the village asking for help. You have to hold on..."

In an inconspicuous cave on the border of the Land of Fire, Huang Tu, covered in dust and bearing some wounds, looked at his companion lying on the ground, barely breathing, with tears streaming down his face. He was filled with self-blame. If he hadn't been so stubborn, things wouldn't have turned out this way, his underlings wouldn't have died, and his comrades wouldn't have been so badly injured.

It all started when they came to the Land of Fire. Because of their experience from their first raid, they were much more aggressive this time. However, this aggressive approach allowed the Konoha ninjas to quickly track them down. Although they eliminated the Konoha ninja squad, it made them realize that the situation in Konoha was not as chaotic as their father had predicted. The Konoha ninjas on the border were still well-organized and their defenses were much stronger than before.

His companions warned him to be careful, but his previous success made him arrogant, and he didn't take their advice seriously. He continued to fight recklessly, going head-to-head with Konoha ninjas without flinching. These border cannon fodder were no match for the elites of Iwagakure who had brought them this time.

A devastating attack boosted their efficiency and gains many times over compared to the last time. However, it seemed that his father, Onoki, was so unlucky that he was dragged down with him. Just as they were having a great time, they encountered White Fang. Of course, it was just White Fang; he didn't have a single Konoha underling by his side.

This gave him enough courage to ignore his friends' advice and lead a group of elite Iwagakure members to kill the White Fang last time. If he could take down White Fang and do something that no one thought was impossible... my god, wouldn't his career take off?

Moreover, with so many of them on their side and only White Fang on the other side, he gained tremendous courage and charged forward with his weapon.

However, he overestimated himself and his group, and underestimated their opponents.

That day was the most terrifying nightmare of his life. White Fang, with his sword, kept weaving between them. His godlike movement and devilish swordsmanship made them, with so many of them, completely powerless against him. They were killed one by one, as easily as eating.

That day, he finally realized the gap between himself and such a legendary ninja. Just as White Fang had killed all his underlings and was about to finish him off, if it weren't for his companions taking the blows for him, and his ancestral escape technique, they wouldn't have been able to escape at all. But his companions, having shielded him from the blows, were now slowly losing their lives and were on the verge of death, causing his heart to bleed...

584. Flying Archmage VS Assassin

"White Fang, you bastard, where's my son?!"

On the border of the Land of Fire, a long-awaited war was about to break out. Onoki glared angrily at Hatake Sakumo below. After hearing that his son was being chased by White Fang, he immediately flew alone from Iwagakure, running through more than ten red lights before finally arriving in the Land of Fire.

However, his son Huang Tu's counter-tracking skills were a true inheritance from him. He wandered around the border of the Land of Fire but couldn't find any trace of his son. Instead, he happened to run into Bai Ya, who was looking for Huang Tu.

As the saying goes, enemies are especially hateful when they meet. Although his own son was not killed, so many of their elite Iwagakure troops were killed by White Fang. Naturally, Onoki would not give White Fang a good look. Thinking of the underlings who died at White Fang's hands, Onoki's heart was bleeding. Those were the backbone of Iwagakure. It would be strange if Onoki didn't feel heartbroken to see so many of them killed by White Fang.

"........."

Hatake Sakumo, holding his ancestral short sword in a fighting stance, stared speechlessly at Onoki in the air. These bosses are all so shameless! It's clearly your son who brought people to cause trouble on our turf, but now they're acting like we're the villains.

Besides... why would you ask me if you can't find your son?

When he learned that it was Huang Tu who had brought people to cause trouble, he had actually considered leaving Huang Tu in the Land of Fire. However, in order to uphold the first Hokage's principle of loving one family and being a loving family, he would not kill Huang Tu, lest it trigger a war between the two villages. In that case, Kumogakure and Sunagakure would inevitably get involved, not to mention the mysterious and menacing Kirigakure. If that happened, things would get complicated once the Fourth Shinobi World War began.

So his initial intention was simply to eliminate Huang Tu's henchmen and bring Huang Tu back to the village. Whether to negotiate with Onoki or let Huang Tu spend his life in jail would depend on the opinions of the higher-ups.

With that final blow, he intended to aim precisely at Huang Tu, not actually stab him. He just wanted to hold the knife to Huang Tu's neck and force him to surrender. Who knew that Huang Tu's men would be so eager to prove their loyalty, taking the blows for him? Huang Tu even had a family secret technique, and as a result, they escaped...

"Damn it, die! Dust Release: Limit Detachment Technique!"

Hatake Sakumo's dead fish-like gaze was blatant disregard in Onoki's eyes, which made Onoki, who was already holding back his anger, even angrier. This was not Iwagakure's territory, and he wouldn't care if it was destroyed. So, he started with a big move, a map-wide attack, blasting towards Hatake Sakumo.

"call out!"

"boom!!!"

"Oh no! Earth Release:..."

Onoki's map attack is incredibly overpowered. It's the only bloodline limit in the ninja world that can turn anything into molecules upon contact, leaving not even a trace. Even Shinto, who has mastered Armament Haki to an exceptional degree, wouldn't be confident in taking on Onoki's map attack head-on.

However, no ninjutsu is perfect. Onoki's map attack is incredibly powerful, but its flaws are also very obvious. It is straightforward and the range of the attack is not very wide. For Hatake Sakumo, who has godlike movement skills, it poses no threat whatsoever. Seeing the map attack coming at him, Hatake Sakumo took small, quick steps to dodge it steadily. Then, he closed in and rushed towards Onoki with his short blade crackling with electricity.

Hatake Sakumo wasn't a power-type fighter like the Third Raikage; he didn't have exaggerated muscles. However, his core strength was no weaker than the Third Raikage's. Especially after years of fighting with Shinto, his jumping ability was ridiculously strong. Dunking at the rim was just a basic skill for him. It was obviously much easier for him to deal with a flying sorcerer like Onoki than a flying berserker like Shinto. As long as he wasn't given close enough to fire his cannons, Onoki was just a toothless little tiger. Hatake really didn't take Onoki's physical skills seriously.

Onoki, a veteran with extensive combat experience, was surprised by Hatake Sakumo's incredible jumping ability. He immediately realized that the Flying Mage couldn't engage in close combat with a technical assassin like Hatake Sakumo. He immediately retreated to maintain distance from Hatake Sakumo, using various earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic technique) and map-wide attacks to bombard Hatake Sakumo. Even if he missed, he could still cut off Hatake Sakumo's path to get close.

One of the family members was constantly fleeing far away while unleashing ninjutsu to carry out demolition, while the other was constantly switching positions to try to get close and stab them. However, their close-range routes were cut off by the other party, but they did not get discouraged. They kept switching routes, and as long as the other party made a mistake, they could get close and stab them.

"Boom boom boom..."

"This is... Lord White Fang fighting the Tsuchikage, should we join the fray?"

Not long after Onoki and Hatake Sakumo started fighting, Konoha's underlings heard the commotion and rushed over. They stared wide-eyed at the two big shots battling it out. Although it was a big scene, it was the first time they had ever seen a fight of this level. However, they were just some newly recruited peripheral underlings, and there was no fear in their eyes. On the contrary, they were eager to try. Their opponent was the Tsuchikage. If they cooperated with Lord Sakumo to take down Onoki, Lord Sakumo would get the meat, and Amen would at least get some soup, right?

They didn't come from good backgrounds, nor were they geniuses. After graduating from the Ninja Academy, they followed their instructors for a few years to gain experience. After reaching the rank of Chunin, they were sent to the border to guard the frontier. There were too many geniuses in the village, and the competition was too fierce. It wasn't easy to rise to the top.

For people like them, there are only two possible outcomes. If they are lucky, they might survive for a decade or two, and when they reach a certain age, they will return to their village, find a job, and live a muddled life. If they are unlucky, they might die at the hands of enemies who have infiltrated the Land of Fire tomorrow.

In this world, who doesn't want to get ahead? Who doesn't dream of being the protagonist?

The opportunity is right in front of us. The Tsuchikage is awesome, but their Lord Sakumo is awesome too. In fact, in their opinion, Lord Sakumo has a slight advantage. Didn't you see that Lord Sakumo has been chasing after the Tsuchikage?

If they go up and assist Lord Sakumo, and Lord Sakumo defeats the Tsuchikage, the achievement of assisting Lord Sakumo in taking down the Tsuchikage alone would be enough for them to return to the village and become squad leaders!

Although the scene of the two bosses fighting was very impressive, especially the Tsuchikage's various powerful ninjutsu that dazzled them and made their scalps tingle, and they could easily be blasted into dust by the Tsuchikage's ninjutsu if they went up wrong, the opportunity was right in front of them, and they couldn't suppress their restless hearts.

Anyway, who knows when I might die at the hands of the enemy, I might as well seize the opportunity now to make my whole family rich...

585. Not everyone can maintain their original aspirations.

"Well... I think... we should stick with Lord Sakumo. In a battle of this level, we'll only make things worse..."

Not everyone was willing to go in. Different people have different tastes. Some people were intimidated by the sheer scale of the scene, especially by the Tsuchikage's overwhelming map-wide attacks. A flash of white light would leave a huge crater, and then not a trace of debris would be left. Only someone as skilled as Lord Sakumo could move so gracefully amidst the Tsuchikage's dense bombardment. If they had that kind of ability, would they still be serving as border lackeys?

Making the whole family rich is a good thing, but if they were hit by a cannon, they wouldn't even be left with ashes. The village would just build a cenotaph for them, and they wouldn't even have the chance to visit the cemetery to pay their respects to the first and second generation leaders. That would be a huge loss!

So, after being persuaded by a few cowards, those ambitious little brothers of Mu thought about it and realized it made sense!

What if I can't help at all and instead get blown to smithereens? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?

It's safer to just be a spectator...

......

"You're finally back. You were the one who orchestrated the Hiruzen Sarutobi incident, weren't you? Keep a low profile for now. Konoha has issued a kill order. I know you're not afraid, but you've really gone too far. If Konoha can't help but start a war with us, things will get complicated. The village is currently in a transitional phase, so we can't afford any major disruptions. Your three disciples have finished their exams. Yekura has gone to the Anbu. What are your plans for Kudo Yusaku?"

As soon as Masato returned to the village and landed, Ebizo dragged him to the Kazekage Tower and gave him a long lecture, the purpose of which was to make him behave himself in the village and not cause any more trouble!

According to the rules of Sunagakure, if three students in a ninja team are promoted to Chunin, then the original ninja team will be disbanded. Sunagakure is undergoing a major downsizing, and this period is also a time of transition between the old and the new. Therefore, many departments need manpower. They cannot know that all the ninjas in the departments are from the major clans. So, the newcomers who are promoted to Chunin through the Chunin Exams will be added to the various departments as fresh blood.

Pakura is the only Scorch Release ninja in their village. Regardless of her strength, this is the representative of their village's bloodline limit, which is much more precious than Magnet Release. So far, their village has three Magnet Release ninjas, including Shinto who uses Magnet Release as a support. As for Scorch Release, since the last one was turned into a meat sandwich by Madara, their village hasn't seen a Scorch Release ninja for decades. The number of bloodline limits a village has is a matter of prestige, so this Scorch Release Pakura must be well protected. Placing her in the Anbu will better ensure her growth and personal safety under their watchful eyes.

They had already witnessed the thought processes of Mei Chuan Nei and his group, and since they were members of the Mei Chuan clan, letting them return to their family was sufficient. The only thing that gave them a headache was the boy Kudo Yusaku. They had all studied the Eight Gates Formation, and originally intended to have the village's underlings learn it extensively. They didn't expect everyone to be able to open five or six gates, but just opening two or three would greatly enhance the combat power of the outer underlings, and would significantly compensate for their lack of equipment and strength when they went to war with Konoha next time.

However, after witnessing Kudo Yusaku's training firsthand, they abandoned the idea. That level of training was not something everyone could endure; if those teenagers were to train like that, they would surely die.

However, because this kind of superhuman training takes too much time, how to manage Kudo Yusaku is the biggest problem they face. Although this boy comes from a commoner background, he is a genius who was able to open the fifth gate of the extremely difficult Eight Gates Formation in just over a year. They also saw him participate in the Chunin Exams. His participation in the Chunin Exams was a complete dimensional attack. Not to mention taking on three opponents at once, even if all the boys in this year's class attacked him together, they would not be his match. Naturally, they want to protect such a genius as much as possible to help him grow.

However, this boy's situation is different from that of the little girl Yekura. The little girl Yekura's Scorching Release does not require much dynamic training, so it is fine for them to give her an office job, as it can protect her safety without affecting her growth.

However, Kudo Yusaku is different. The Eight Gates Formation requires a lot of dynamic training, which takes a long time. It's not suitable for him to be placed in any department. Even if he is put in a team with others to do missions, it will inevitably affect his growth. The feng shui of Sunagakure is not good, and geniuses are few and far between. Every genius is the most precious resource of their village, and they cannot afford to waste them.

"What's so difficult about that? Just arrange it normally. People, once they grow up too smoothly, easily become arrogant and don't even know how they'll die. Letting them experience some setbacks is good. Not everyone can stay true to their original aspirations like I have. If you hadn't already thrown Ye Cang into the Anbu, I would have wanted them to be frontier lackeys. A fledgling forever hiding under someone's wing will never grow into a soaring eagle. Otherwise, I would have been a buddy at nine years old, and I might not have achieved what I have today. It's a good thing to experience the harsh realities of society early on..."

"Shinto has no shame," he said, self-satisfiedly.

"...You're his teacher. If that's what you've said, then let's proceed according to the proper procedures..."

Sunagawa and Ebizo looked at this shameless bastard and wished they could leave a few shoe prints on his face.

Times have changed. If the village hadn't been so desperate for talent back then, who would have wanted their genius son to risk his life so early? This kid was just too lucky to have caused so many people to die, and he survived, which is why he has the audacity to say such things in front of them.

Although their conditions are still not very good now, after more than 20 years of development, their conditions in all aspects are much better than they were back then. Even if a war breaks out now, these children will not need to go up and fight the enemy.

If you have the means, why not use them...?

"Whatever makes you happy. I'll head back now. I'm exhausted from running around these past few days. You have no idea about that bastard White Fang. I went to great lengths to help him avoid being besieged at the gates by those scoundrels from Konoha, and that bastard actually kicked me out of Konoha! What an ungrateful bastard..."

Masato stretched out in a big yawn, ranting and raving as he walked out.

The rape and murder in Konoha... Pshaw! He'd heard about the manhunt along the way, but he never imagined that Koharu Utatane would go to such lengths for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Wait a minute... Koharu Utatane still seems to be an old maid. Even her good buddy Danzo Shimura didn't react when Hiruzen Sarutobi's blood vessels were burst, but this old maid is reacting so strongly.

Could it be that this old hag has something going on with Hiruzen Sarutobi...?

586. Handsome Scorpion begins research on human puppets.

"Yo! Handsome Scorpion, I'm back... Huh? What are you doing? Where did you get these corpses? Aren't you afraid your grandma will find out and make you kneel on durians? (⊙_⊙)?"

Returning home from the Wind Shadow Pavilion, Chiyo wasn't there; she'd probably gone off to burn incense and pray for her son. From Sasori's toy room came a clattering sound. Going to check, good heavens, this kid's already evolved! Ordinary puppets weren't enough for him anymore. There were three corpses in the room, one of which had been disemboweled by the young man, its internal organs gone. He was busy working on it with a wrench and screws. Uzumaki Shuri, the girl beside him, was completely oblivious, staring adoringly at Sasori as he worked. From her expression, Shinto understood what she meant: a serious man is so handsome…!

Although he didn't know much about puppetry, his whole family was involved in it, and as the saying goes, "one is influenced by one's surroundings," so he could keep up with their trends. What else could this kid be but making human puppets? He didn't seem to have any aversion to it; after all, the essence of this world is might makes right. So, he could understand why the handsome Scorpion was researching human puppets to become stronger. If he hadn't gotten the One Piece world buff, he might have trained his five fingers in puppetry and developed Optimus Prime, Decepticons, and Tony Stark, and maybe even created a few human puppets. After all, in this world, might makes no sound...

However, creating human puppets is ultimately against the natural order, so it has been considered a forbidden art for many years. If old woman Chiyo were to see her beloved grandson researching this thing, she would be heartbroken. Chiyo is already old, and although she has not experienced the pain of losing her son like in the original story, if she knew that her beloved grandson was researching this thing, who knows if she could bear the blow.

Fortunately, Sasori still has some conscience. These three are wearing Kumogakure ninja headbands and aren't from Sunagakure. Although it's unclear where this kid got them, at least they haven't harmed their own people yet, which is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune...

"Hmph! Mind your own business, worry about yourself first..."

The sudden noise startled Scorpion, who paused for a few seconds. He turned around and saw that it was the unscrupulous middle-aged man, not his father or Ebizo or anyone else. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, snorted, and turned back to continue working hard.

If it were his beloved father, Ebizo, or someone else, he would be a little flustered. After all, although these people love him, they are somewhat old-fashioned and wouldn't let him touch forbidden arts like puppetry. But with this unscrupulous middle-aged man, there's no problem. Although this unscrupulous middle-aged man is very annoying, it's undeniable that his thinking is much more open than others. He wouldn't go and tattle on him to his grandmother. Therefore, Handsome Scorpion isn't flustered at all about being discovered by this unscrupulous middle-aged man.

Ever since his father was slashed for the second time, he had become utterly disillusioned with the human body. Although his father wasn't exactly a melee fighter, he still had eight-pack abs and a very strong physique. Even if he was drunk and playing a three-sword style fight, if he were stronger, he wouldn't have been slashed like that. His father's puppetry skills had reached their peak, and it would be very difficult for him to improve his strength through normal means. He might just spend the next few decades "unremarkable".

He seemed to see his own future in his father. This kind of life was not what he wanted. Seeing his father being killed a second time only strengthened his determination to research human puppets. He even started thinking about the old days again. From another perspective, puppets are immortal. Even if their bodies are damaged, they can be repaired. Moreover, if they are designed cleverly, even if they are damaged, it will not affect their killing power. Since human puppets are so powerful, what if he turned himself into a puppet?

At that moment, it was as if Handsome Scorpion had suddenly had an epiphany, and countless inspirations surged into his mind that he couldn't stop!

However, creating a puppet is very difficult. You have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. If you take too big a step, you'll easily break something. So he didn't rush into it. Instead, he started by making basic puppets of ordinary people. As the name suggests, the core of a human puppet is a human. Why are human puppets strong? It's because they can retain the abilities of the person in life after they are made into a puppet. This is the most crucial technology. If you can't retain the abilities of the person in life, then there is no difference between a human puppet and an ordinary puppet.

He understood his grandmother's lifestyle. Every morning, she would go to the temple to burn incense and wouldn't return until noon. So, this was the perfect time for him to study the puppet. Moreover, the toy house was his private space, and apart from that unscrupulous middle-aged man, no one else would dare to enter it. He had the time and place for the crime; all that was left was the materials. These materials were hard to find, and to maintain secrecy and avoid attracting attention, he certainly couldn't harm the villagers.

As the crown prince of Sunagakure and the designated next head of the guild, it would be easy for him to get a few corpses. He could easily find an excuse that he was researching the topic of humans and puppets and go to the prison to get a few death row inmates. No one would care too much, since everyone knows that Sasori is a super puppeteer who surpasses Chiyo.

"What are you saying? Genetically speaking, I am your uncle, and in terms of seniority, I am still your uncle. If I don't take care of you, who will? Listen to your uncle's advice: this thing is too complicated. You are too young to handle it. It's okay to do some research, but don't get too involved. You still have elderly parents to support!"

Now that this kid has already started, it's obviously impossible to stop him. Handsome Scorpion and Snake Uncle are actually the same kind of people. Their beliefs are stronger than ordinary people. Once they've started, it's basically impossible to persuade them to turn over a new leaf. I just hope he doesn't get too deep and end up turning himself into something neither human nor ghost.

Otherwise, it would be a completely wooden figure like in the original story, and it wouldn't feel real to sculpt...

As he spoke, the thug who was really fighting pinched that pretty face that still had some baby fat hard.

It still feels so good to hold...