Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"Hmm, Masato's suggestion is good. Kazekage-sama, you can take Kudo and Maki with you."

The others nodded in agreement. They weren't keen on going to Konoha for peace talks. After all, they were the defeated side and would inevitably be at a disadvantage compared to Konoha. Moreover, everyone knew that Konoha's best negotiator was the cultured Mitokado Homura. Their cultural level might be decent, but compared to Mitokado Homura, who inherited Tobirama Senju's culture, they were far behind. Besides, Konoha was known for its verbal sparring. Just look at how terrified their Grand Councilor Ebizo was of going to Konoha for peace talks; you could tell how eloquent the people of Konoha were.

This kind of thing was originally entrusted to the Grand Councilor, but when World War II ended, Ebizo made it clear that he would never go to Konoha for peace talks, so he handed the matter over to Mato. And Mato, that big talker, never mentioned it again after returning from Konoha, which shows that going to Konoha for peace talks was not a good job.

They didn't care about war reparations; Sunagakure had plenty of money, and as long as it wasn't about supplies or resources, they would go all out with Konoha if they dared to ask. But they weren't willing to listen to those cannon fodder from Konoha spouting nonsense.

"I'm fine with going, but I have no experience in this area..."

Shinto's suggestion hit the nail on the head for Rasa. He had originally wanted to lead the peace talks himself. Although he had earned two MVPs on the battlefield, his prestige in the village was still too low. Several of the village's leaders had participated in World War II or even World War I. His two MVPs alone were not enough to convince them. Therefore, peace talks were a good opportunity to boost his reputation. However, it was unlikely that the village's leaders would do this. Although Lord Kaizo, who had already delegated power to him and was preparing to retire, would definitely support him if he wanted to go, others might not. That's why he convened a meeting of the village's leaders under the pretext of going to Konoha for peace talks.

Now his grandfather's old subordinates suggested that he go, and no one else had any objections. Of course, he himself had no objections either. However, he was also a little troubled. After all, he had no experience in peace talks. If he was tricked by those old guys in Konoha, he would not only fail to gain reputation but also lose face, which would be a huge loss. So he thought it would be better to have an old hand with him to help him keep things in check.

He had long heard of those old guys in Konoha. According to his teacher and Lord Kaizo, apart from Shimura Danzo, who was known as the chief assistant to the Hokage and was a bit silly, the other three were all excellent politicians. He, a greenhorn, might really not be able to handle them.

"Everyone has a first time, right? Experience comes with practice. Besides, it's the time of generational change in the major villages right now. I guess the other villages will also put their younger members in charge. I reckon Konoha will probably put my son... oops! Minato Namikaze, the one who's about to become Hokage, in charge. I heard that the previous chief steward, Azaburo, retired, and his daughter has taken over. The Raikage and the chief steward are both young. As the saying goes, a new emperor, a new court. Even if it's not the two of them, they'll send their younger members. In recent years, the only promising young member of Iwagakure is Onoki's son, the little devil. I don't know what's going on in Kirigakure. So it's best if you go this time. We're getting old, and the future of the village will eventually have to be handed over to you."

"Look, I've even written my retirement report. I've been working since I was nine, and it's been over thirty years now. According to the village's labor law, you can apply for retirement after thirty years of service. I've already exceeded the legal time limit. I was originally planning to get you to sign it later, but since I've already brought it out, you can just sign it while you're at it, so I don't have to bother you again..."

After a series of analyses, amidst everyone's bewildered gazes, Masato slammed a retirement report he had worked overtime to finish the previous night onto the table and handed it to Rasa.

Holy crap! Σ(⊙▽⊙a

Everyone was shocked when they saw the retirement report.

This bastard talked so much, but his real point is that he wants to retire, right?

Could things get any more shameless? This bastard is almost a full twelve years younger than them...

743. This guy is just showing off.

Rasa: ヽ(ー_ー)ノ...

"This...Lord Haizang..."

Rasa stared blankly at the retirement report in front of him. Getting him to sign it was out of the question; he'd be a fool to let this guy retire. Although the village's labor law stipulated that one could apply for retirement after thirty years of service, this was a different story. That law was for ordinary people. After all, being a ninja was a high-risk, high-reward profession. It was practically impossible for anyone to live a stable life for thirty years after their official debut; very few could manage it. Even those who did reach thirty years were mostly old and their physical functions had severely declined. Coupled with the recurring injuries from their youth, they would be severely weakened, even if they didn't die, and basically unable to continue as ninjas. Therefore, the village implemented this regulation to protect ordinary civilians.

Those who survived for thirty years were either heads or high-ranking members of large families. These people had a bunch of bodyguards surrounding them on the battlefield, making it difficult for them to get hurt unless they died. These people were power-hungry and never considered retiring after working for thirty years. Meikawa Hakuchi was a good example. He kept his eldest son, Meikawa Naito, in power until he was middle-aged and his hair had turned white before he refused to step down. If Chiyo hadn't brought out the Ten Ninja to "invite" Meikawa Hakuchi to retire, that old guy was so tough that he might have outlived his son and passed the position directly to his grandson.

Therefore, it's generally not common for someone to apply for retirement after working for thirty years in the village's upper echelons. Of course, if someone else applies to Luo Sha, he's quite pleased to agree, since these veterans have far more seniority than him and more influence in their respective departments than he, the Feng Ying. He'd be overjoyed if they retired.

But if it were his grandfather's old subordinate, their Sunagakure's top courtier, Rasa wouldn't be happy.

Although Lord Shinto has been the leader of the Jonin Squad for many years, it's just a nominal position. His secretaries do the work for him, but they basically don't get involved. The power of the Jonin Squad has always been in the hands of his teacher, the previous Kazekage and Ebizo. Although Ebizo has delegated power to him, he still can't fully take over the Jonin Squad's authority. So Lord Shinto is still needed to hold the fort.

Moreover, Master Zhendou has never coveted power. Over the years, he has always served as a high-ranking enforcer in the village, a top-tier double-flower red stick.

What are these conditions?

In the entire ninja world, only Konoha had this condition after White Fang left the Konoha Anbu. Before White Fang left the Anbu, there was only Jiraiya, but Jiraiya was not even considered a top-tier double-flower red stick.

Therefore, Luo Sha naturally wouldn't sign the retirement report. However, the other party was far superior to him in terms of seniority, prestige, and generation, so he couldn't refuse. He could only ask Ebizo next door for help.

"...Don't even think about retiring. You're only forty-four this year. Look around here, apart from Kudo, who isn't older than you? I'm almost sixty and I haven't retired yet. When will it be your turn?"

Ebizo put away the retirement report on the seat and shook his head.

He was joking, he was thinking of retiring after handing over the reins to Luo Sha in two years, but Luo Sha needed someone to support him when he first took office. This guy had enough prestige and strength, making him the best candidate. If this guy retired, how could a young Luo Sha keep things in check when he retired too? It would be strange if the village didn't fall into chaos. He and Sunagawa had worked hard for thirty years to build up the current situation.

"You're wrong about that. Retirement isn't about age. I'm different from you guys. I've been a ninja for over thirty years. I started at nine, infiltrating Konoha to retrieve the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique from the Senju clan and resolve the One-Tailed Beast's rampage. At twelve, I joined the Anbu to assassinate the younger brother of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Anbu chief. At sixteen, I brought back a large amount of supplies and the Seven-Tails, Chōmei, for the village. Over the decades, I've fought countless battles with Sakumo Hatake and won countless honors for the village. I've completed every task assigned by the village perfectly. Now that the war is over, I'm exhausted. I've found that my blood-stained hands can no longer hold this Uchiha sword. I just want to retire. What's wrong with that? Besides, the future will eventually be handed over to the younger generation. If we old guys don't retire, how will the younger generation have a chance to rise to power? If the village hadn't been filled with old and young people back then, I wouldn't have had the chance to take over."

Seeing that Ebizo had put away the retirement report he had stayed up all night to write, Shinto was instantly annoyed and glared at everyone present.

Now that the three wars are over, if we follow the main storyline, there won't be any more major wars in the ninja world for the next ten years or so after Kaguya appears. At most, there will be minor skirmishes between villages, which won't concern him much. He might as well apply for retirement, collect his pension, and continue pursuing Tsunade. He's already met the retirement requirements, so he doesn't have to do anything and still gets a pension. Why not take advantage of such a good thing?

"......"

Hearing him say that, the people around him were speechless, but for some reason, they always felt that there was an element of showing off in his words.

This is absolutely blatant boasting! Damn, he remembers the age of every single thing he did decades ago so clearly—more detailed than even school textbooks. They all suspect he has a secret notebook where he meticulously records every major event he's ever done...

However, they really couldn't speak up at this moment. After all, what this guy had just said was true. Every single thing he had done was enough to make everyone else look bad. Whether it was obtaining the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique from the Senju clan during Konoha's heyday or bringing the Seven-Tails back to the village to strengthen its core strength, these were all things that no human could do. If they dared to speak up at this time, they would definitely be rebuffed. With Ebi hiding in front of them and taking the fall, why should they humiliate themselves?

Moreover, whether Zhen Dou retires or not has no conflict of interest with them. In fact, if he retires and stops leading the team to fight in the wild, they won't get any benefits. So subconsciously, they naturally don't want him to retire so early. If he retires at forty-five, won't they, who are fifty years old, be seen as old guys who occupy positions without doing their business?

However, they also knew that even if Ebizo couldn't stop this guy, there was still Lady Chiyo above them, and Lady Chiyo would naturally not agree to this guy retiring so early. So these high-ranking officials all kept to themselves and did nothing about it.

744. If all else fails, do a handstand.

"You should talk to your sister about this. If she agrees, I have no objection. We can discuss your matter later. Today's main topic is who will go to Konoha for the peace talks. If everyone agrees, then the Kazekage will take Kudo and Maki to Konoha for the peace talks, with Maki serving as the Kazekage's bodyguard captain..."

Ebizo was unyielding and didn't bother arguing with him, so he simply told the bastard to go find his sister. Although his sister had stopped getting involved in village affairs because of the scorpion incident, he believed that his sister wouldn't let this bastard retire so early.

joke!

If Sasori were still alive, with his even faster growth rate than Rasa, he would have been a double-flowered red stick long ago. Although he might not be as good as this guy in terms of fighting, he could still carry the village forward. It wouldn't matter if this guy wanted to retire, and his sister probably wouldn't object. She would probably let this guy hold on for Sasori for two more years, and then he could retire whenever he wanted.

But now that Sasori is missing, Rasa is not yet capable of leading the village forward. Although he has risen to the rank of Double Flower Red Pole, his ability and status are still lower than those of the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure and Minato Namikaze of Konoha. It would be strange if his sister agreed to let him retire if no one was there to keep him in check.

Jie is actually quite good, a solid double-flower red stick, but unfortunately, he has been unlucky since his debut. He debuted at the height of Golden Lion and White Fang's fame, and under their shadow, Jie could only be said to be somewhat famous. In addition, during the Second Shinobi World War, he was unlucky enough to be stabbed in the lung by a Konoha genin, which caused his reputation in the ninja world to decline. Only after returning from a quest in the wilderness and getting drunk with Hanzo of the Salamander and playing the Three-Sword Style did he fall into the lowest point of his career. As a result, although Jie has gained strength over the years, his reputation has been greatly diminished, and he is no longer able to stand up for Rasa.

"I'm fine!"

"I have no objection either!"

"agree!"

"Same as above!"

"........"

Although having the Kazekage negotiate was somewhat against the rules, since no one wanted to listen to the boastful talkers from Konoha, they naturally had no objection to the Kazekage stepping in to take the blame. Previously, on the battlefield, "Conan's dad" had managed to hold his own against Konoha's incredibly skilled Minato Namikaze, whom Onoki had praised to the skies. They had already seen his potential. Plus, "Conan's dad" was also known as Shinto's disciple. Having him negotiate with the Kazekage was clearly a move to elevate him, and they had no objection. After all, this kid had indeed become very powerful after his rise to prominence. It was said to be the forbidden technique possessed by Konoha's strongest genin who had kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. They dared not provoke him, and besides, he was the son-in-law of the Kazekage clan. So be it.

That's their skill.

Needless to say, Maki's father and grandfather were both the bodyguard captains of the first two Kazekage. His family background is well-known. For ten years after Maki lost his arm, the position of bodyguard captain next to the Third Hokage was vacant. Anyone with eyes could see that it was left to Maki. It was perfectly legitimate for him.

......

The day after agreeing on the choice of negotiators, Rasa set off with "Conan's father," Maki, and a large group of bodyguards. As expected, Chiyo rejected Masato's retirement application, giving similar reasons to Ebizo. Although Chiyo was no longer involved in affairs and her kinship with Rasa was now third-generation, not exactly close but not far removed either, Rasa was still her cousin, and she had to give him face. Moreover, Chiyo didn't want the situation that Ebizo and Sunagawa had painstakingly maintained for decades to be disrupted because Rasa was left without support. Internal strife in the village would be bad for everyone, and in the end, she would have to step in to keep things in order.

Since her beloved grandson went missing, she has been preoccupied with finding him and has no time to care about village affairs. Although news has confirmed that her grandson is still alive and wandering around the ninja world, she is still worried about him. What she fears most is that her grandson's face, which is exactly the same as hers when he was young, is too dangerous for him to be alone in the ninja world. What if he is bullied and someone comes looking for her while he is heavily pregnant?

Her only chosen granddaughter-in-law is Shuri. With a granddaughter-in-law from the Uzumaki clan, Chiyo really doesn't see the potential in anyone else...

"Don't worry too much. After Luo Sha and the others finish their negotiations, I'll go out and look for him to see if I can bring him back. But let me make this clear: if someone's heart is no longer here, you can't keep them even if you force them. Handsome Scorpion isn't a child anymore; he has his own dreams. We have no reason to stop young people from pursuing their dreams, right? The only thing we can do is let him carry on the family line and continue the bloodline. Xiu Li, while he's still here, you should work harder and not give in to him out of pity. If all else fails, do a handstand... Once the child is born, let him go if he wants to leave again!"

Seeing the three women looking so unhappy even while eating every day made him lose his appetite, Masato said helplessly.

I don't know if Handsome Scorpion has joined Xiaotian's group yet. Last time he contacted Kakuzu through Miss Slug, I thought Handsome Scorpion was still hanging out with Kakuzu. But Kakuzu said that Handsome Scorpion felt that spending all his time running business with him for such vulgar things as money was a waste of his time pursuing art, and he left the group more than a year ago with a sack of cash.

So, even Shindou wasn't sure if Sasori had been overwhelmed by the rich girl from the Akatsuki and was now playing the "if you can't beat them, join them" kind of game. However, the news about Kakuzu reassured him somewhat. After spending a year with a seasoned veteran like Kakuzu, Sasori at least had the basics of survival. At least when he left the group, he knew to take money with him and wouldn't do something as drastic as massacring a city and destroying a country just for a free meal...

He also planned to find that brat. For this brat's sake, he'd gone to Mei Chuan Bai Di, a sworn enemy for decades. This was all thanks to Handsome Scorpion; he had to make sure his future mother, Karin, showed him why women are tigers...

"...No need to wait for Rasa and the others to return. They won't be back for at least half a year after they went to Konoha for peace talks. Time is of the essence, so you should go now."

As soon as Zhen Dou finished speaking, the eyes of the three women and the handsome Scorpion's father suddenly lit up. Although what he said was a bit embarrassing, it made some sense. As the third generation of their family and the future of the whole village, he didn't want such a life of luxury and insisted on running away to wander. This clearly showed that his ambitions were not here. He could stay for a while but not forever. Since that was the case, it would be better to let him complete the breeding work first.

In the end, Chiyo made the final decision, saying that peace talks were nothing compared to the importance of her precious grandson having children, and ordered him to go and bring her precious grandson back immediately.

745. Going to the Land of Rain to harass people is a family matter.

"Boss Kakuzu, how's business these past few years? This forbidden technique from Takigakure is really powerful; it's been so many years and you haven't shown any signs of it."

Inside the tea house in the Land of Tea, Shinto sipped his drink and looked at Kakuzu across from him, who was masked except for a pair of glowing green eyes.

Who knows what he looks like? Anyway, he's been wearing the same outfit for years. He was just saying it casually, and it's not wrong...

After receiving Chiyo's order to bring Sasori back, he didn't immediately go to the Land of Rain. He didn't know if Sasori had met a rich girl yet; after all, when the Land of Rain announced its isolation, he was pretty sure Hanzo of the Salamander had been defeated by Nagato. It wouldn't be appropriate to go to someone else's territory without a reason. Although he wasn't lying, if that sluggish Nagato really wanted to go to Sunagakure to carry a few bags of rice, his talk-no-jutsu wouldn't have a resurrection effect...

So let's first check with Kakuzu to see if there's any news about Sasori. If Sasori really joined the Akatsuki, then his actions against others are a family matter. Logically speaking, although Nagato is a bit arrogant, he's not unreasonable. They're handling their family matters, so Nagato shouldn't be able to interfere. Besides, the Akatsuki is still in a period of quiet development, and they won't go to great lengths to go to Sunagakure to carry rice for Sasori's family matters. Even if he wanted to go, the will of the Six Paths wouldn't allow it.

So when they contacted Kaku, they knew he was doing business in the Land of Tea and rushed over.

"Not bad, you've changed quite a bit in all these years... Don't you Sand Village have any forbidden techniques for achieving immortality?"

This topic is rather heavy for Jiao Du. When he first met the other party, he was just a handsome young man, but now he has become an unkempt middle-aged man.

For Kakuzu, who had grown accustomed to loneliness after being betrayed by the village, finding a true friend and brother was a difficult task. He possessed the Earth Grudge, and with a heart transplant, he could live for hundreds more years. Meanwhile, his only friend was already old and frail a decade or two later. Kakuzu felt a pang of sadness at the thought.

"It's not that easy. Even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't escape the passage of time, let alone us mortals. Konoha has so many forbidden techniques, but none of them are as powerful as this. Orochimaru had to research them himself. Not to mention Sunagakure, where the predecessors weren't strong enough and we, the successors, had to work hard. Anyway, you're always running around the ninja world doing business. Have you heard anything about my nephew lately? Or maybe you could ask your old employer to help you find out if there's any news about him. Price isn't a problem. You know my aunt Chiyo only has this one precious grandson. She hasn't seen him for years and is almost sick with longing for him. My sister-in-law is the same way. So, now that the war is over, I have time to take him back so they can see their precious grandson and son."

Masato shrugged and said.

This is the Naruto world, not a fantasy world. He doesn't have much of an obsession with immortality. He only knows two or three ways to achieve immortality: Orochimaru's possession technique, the so-called "belief in evil gods to gain eternal life" in the Land of Hot Springs, and Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear. As for Kaguya, she is an alien and became the progenitor of chakra after eating the fruit of the God Tree, so immortality seems reasonable, right?

None of these immortal beings are meant for him. As for Snake's body-snatching cultivation technique, it's still under research. He won't be considered to have mastered it until he has truly mastered perfect cloning technology, which will be several decades later. Before mastering cloning technology, the flaws of the body-snatching cultivation technique are too great. Moreover, although he and Snake have a decent relationship, it's not close enough for Snake to share his secrets with him.

Not to mention Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear, there's only one of its kind. We don't even know if it will be revealed after Kakuzu dies. But killing his "good brother" and turning into an ugly monster in order to achieve immortality... that doesn't fit his character.

The evil god cult of the Land of Hot Springs once had an idea for him: sharing damage and knowledge is just a bug, it's practically useless against that weakling Hidan. If he got that ability, he'd dare to tell Kishimoto loudly that the protagonist doesn't need to appear anymore, he'll carry the show!

However, it seems he has no affinity with this so-called evil god cult. He once traveled all over the Land of Hot Water in an attempt to find out about this so-called evil god cult, but he still couldn't find it.

This shows that he has no affinity with that so-called evil god. If he were to actually go and offer sacrifices, he might just kill himself, which would be a huge waste...

Although he doesn't have the Uzumaki clan's genes and his lifespan isn't as long, he still mastered Perfect Sage Mode. His career can drag on until the old man of the Six Paths comes out; he can outlast even Onoki...

"If you're looking for Sasori, someone from the black market told me a couple of days ago that he was in the Land of Rain a week ago, and I reckon he's still there. There's an Akatsuki organization in the Land of Rain that's been trying to recruit S-rank rogue ninjas. They contacted me last month, but I'm still considering it. I think Sasori has already joined them. If you go, be careful. Their leader is very strong, and his methods are... very strange."

As Kakuzu spoke, something unpleasant came to mind, and the green light in his eyes flickered.

Even without using Observation Haki to eavesdrop, Shinto knew from his appearance that this guy had definitely been beaten up by Pain, who was supposed to be hanging Nagato alive...

"Is that so? It seems I have to make a trip to the Land of Rain. Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I last saw Hanzo of the Salamander. The last time we drank together was when World War II had just started! I haven't paid much attention to the Land of Rain since they closed their borders. I have heard of the Akatsuki, though. Back then, they were just a small organization in the Land of Rain. I didn't expect them to have such audacity to buy back S-rank rogue ninjas at such a high price!"

Shinto feigned ignorance and exclaimed in surprise.

He hadn't expected Nagato to have contact with Kakuzu so soon, but it seemed quite normal. At this point, Kakuzu was the only S-rank rogue ninja with any real standing, and he was a notorious money-grubber in the ninja world. Nagato and the rich girl had taken over the Land of Rain after defeating Hanzo of the Salamander, but both of them were born poor and had never received any education. They probably learned to read and write from Jiraiya, who was illiterate. Their fighting ability might be okay, but it would be difficult for them to manage the Land of Rain and support a group of people.

Kakuzu, a master of making money, could indeed solve their problem. Kakuzu's ability to make money is unparalleled in the ninja world.

The reason they acquired Handsome Sasori was that the village hadn't officially declared him a rogue ninja yet. However, since the wealthy girl had seen Handsome Sasori's Third Hokage puppet, they already considered him a rogue ninja in their eyes. Handsome Sasori's reputation and strength certainly met their standards...

"In any case, you'd better be careful."

Kakuzu looked at his good brother and said, "Although my good brother is very strong, since the death of the Third Raikage, I guess no one in the ninja world can go head-to-head with him. However, the leader of the Akatsuki organization is also very scary, especially those ugly eyes. He still has nightmares about them."

It's even uglier than his glowing green eyes.