Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

But based on her understanding of her younger brother, he was exactly that kind of person. She had been a doctor for many years, and after waiting outside the hotel all night until the next morning when she saw that girl walking out with a brisk pace, she completely believed that her brother had spent the entire night chatting with that girl.

"puff!"

"You...you chatted all night? (⊙_⊙)"

Masato's eyes instantly turned bewildered, like beady dots.

Shock!

I never would have guessed that Rope Tree was such a genius. Even though White Fang spent a whole night alone with a girl and they still ended up having a child, Rope Tree just spent the whole night reminiscing about the past with her.

This guy is a real steel man too, he's even comparable to Kakashi!

"No... No matter how you look at Nawaki, he doesn't seem to be a member of the Hatake clan, does he?"

"I can't believe it," Masato said curiously.

He had long heard that the Konoha social circle was chaotic, especially a clan of the Uchiha caliber. It was normal for fathers and sons to be indistinguishable. For example, how could someone as worthless as the second male lead's father possibly have fathered a man with the Mangekyou Sharingan? The relationship was obviously a mess. You have to know that decades ago, the most outstanding person in Konoha was not Hiruzen Sarutobi, but Uchiha Kagami, who was likely to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan after Madara. He would believe it if you said now that the second male lead's father was Uchiha Kagami's son.

He had met Uchiha Kagami back then. Although they had never fought, Uchiha Kagami gave him the feeling that this person was absolutely awesome. In his decades of experience, he had only felt this kind of feeling from a few people like Madara.

But... everyone in the Uchiha clan looks pretty much the same with a poker face, right? Surely not the Senju clan, right? Mito Uzumaki wasn't even dead yet, and... when Sakumo Hatake's father died, Nawaki wasn't even a molecule yet...

White teeth don't seem like that kind of person.

"when!!"

“Rope Tree is definitely my dad’s son. (▼he▼メ)”

Seeing this guy's enlightened look, Tsunade gave him a good-natured punch and said irritably.

"I'm just making a small guess, but your little brother is a bit... straightforward. I've never seen my disciple stay out all night except when she's on a mission. Don't let her somewhat unrestrained dress fool you, she's a good girl. To chat with someone all night is really... worse than White Teeth."

Masato shook his head and sighed helplessly. Yekura had left the village on a mission the next day and hadn't returned yet. It was undoubtedly the work of Ebizo or Rasa. Even if Yekura returned, they would keep a close watch on him. Nawaki missed one opportunity, and it wouldn't be so easy next time. If Nawaki wanted to invite Yekura out again, the two of them would definitely be accompanied by no less than ten ANBU members to follow them on the spot. If they found any bad signs, they would immediately report to Ebizo and Rasa. Now, the mentality between villages is deeply ingrained. They would not allow another village to take away their village's precious bloodline limit.

Just like if Tsunade had awakened Wood Release, Hiruzen Sarutobi would rather start a world war than let Sunagakure steal Tsunade away. Scorch Release ninjas might not be that exaggerated, but they only appear once every few decades, which is a big deal for the village.

"Even a tiny guess won't do! It's getting angrier and angrier. I'm going to go back and beat him up again! (▼へ▼メ)"

Tsunade grew angrier the more she thought about it, rolled up her sleeves, and turned to leave. It wasn't that she thought much of Yekura; she had always been indifferent to her younger brother flirting with this girl from another village. Although this girl was quite a figure among the younger generation, she was still from another village, and there might be a lot of trouble that would affect her time to enjoy herself at the casino.

However, since her younger brother had already taken action, as his older sister, she naturally had to fully support him. After all, people two years younger than him were already fathers, and her brother was still single, which was indeed a bit of a disservice to their ancestors. But this idiot brother was just one home run away with the victory, and the opposing pitcher was deliberately holding back, yet this idiot didn't even swing. How could she not feel annoyed by that...?

800. It's not that Sunagakure lacks talent, it's just that the price isn't right.

"No, no, no, it's no use beating him anymore. He's in his mid-twenties and he has his pride. If you keep beating him like this, won't you just make him lose face in the ninja world? He still has the halo of your Senju clan above him. How about this... let me think of something in the meantime. Anyway, Yekura hasn't come back yet."

Shinto stopped her. While the Naruto world does value bloodlines, thinking about it now, Nawaki was truly a tragic figure. After being beaten up for so many years, it would have been better if he'd just been poisoned to death back then...

"...Lord Shinto, Lord Kazekage requests your presence."

Just then, a low-ranking ANBU member appeared beside them. Seeing their boss and Tsunade struggling, he wouldn't have dared to come in if the Kazekage hadn't looked so serious when he sent him. It was obvious to everyone that their boss was up to something important. No one in the ninja world, except for his own brother, knew that no man could get within a meter of Tsunade without getting beaten up. And now their boss had done it…

"Okay, okay, I'll be there in a bit."

Masato waved his hand impatiently.

"You go back and teach Rope Tree a lesson first. I'm going to Wind Shadow Tower now, and I'll come back and think of a solution for him."

After dismissing his ANBU underlings, Masato finished speaking to Tsunade and headed towards the Kazekage Tower.

I just got back last night and finished talking to my younger brother. Now Rasa is sending someone to invite him right away. Anyone with a brain knows it's about the Jinchūriki.

I didn’t expect Rasa to be so eager. Rasa’s position is much more stable now than in the original story. At least he still has Chiyo and Ebizo supporting him. Although he can’t wield absolute power and truly enjoy the power that the Kazekage should have, his life is at least much better than in the original story.

In the original story, Chiyo was heartbroken and chose to retire because her beloved grandson ran away from home. Ebizo also retired with Chiyo. Without Chiyo as a pillar of support, and after being crippled by Konoha during the Third Shinobi World War, Rasa's position as Kazekage was precarious. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been tricked by Orochimaru into joining forces with him to attack Konoha, only to be killed by a few unknown kids.

Things are different now. Although Chiyo is in a semi-retired state, her son and daughter are still alive and well. Although her beloved grandson has run away from home to pursue his dreams, he has left Chiyo with a great-granddaughter. Chiyo is still protecting him now, unlike in the original story where she pushed Rasa to the position of Kazekage and then abandoned him. In addition, there are Sasori's parents, who are big shots in Sunagakure. There is also Ebizo, who has handed over all his power to him. And Shinto will also be on his side to some extent because of his old leader.

Rasa's position is much more stable now than in the original story. At least the two core departments, the Anbu and the Puppet Master Unit, are under his command. As for Shinto's Jonin Squad... if he didn't still receive a monthly salary, he would have forgotten that he was still the Jonin Squad Leader. All the secretaries recruited from the Anbu back then have retired and are now in retirement. This batch of substitute secretaries is probably recruited for him by Ebizo.

Even he, the leader of the Jonin squad, didn't know whether his direct superior was Ebizo or Rasa... But he should be considered Rasa's direct subordinate. Anyway, the Jonin squad's power wasn't insignificant; they were qualified to know the specific missions of all the Jonin who left the village, had the power to grant or deny Jonin leave, and could command the village's Jonin in battle during special periods. However, these things were irrelevant to the Kazekage, because the Kazekage already had all the power of the Jonin squad leader. Moreover, the Jonin squad wasn't a department in the true sense, so the village's higher-ups never interfered with it. They were just clan heads or heads of other departments in the village; their files listed them as Jonin, and they were also part of the Jonin squad. For many years, it had been controlled by Chiyo and Ebizo. After Shinto left the Anbu and was tricked by Chiyo into taking over the Jonin squad, those guys were even more afraid.

However, Shinto has been out of the picture for many years, and the actual decision-maker of the Jonin team has always been Ebizo. The secretaries also go to Ebizo to report their work. It seems that Ebizo has retired, and the Jonin team should be handed over to Rasa. In other words, Rasa is surrounded by the three major departments of Sunagakure: the Anbu, the Puppet Masters, and a somewhat unorthodox Jonin team. Compared to the three Kazekage before him, he may not be as good, but at least he is not as frustrated as in the original story. However, Rasa is still looking for him in a hurry.

It's clear that power is indeed something that can be intoxicating!

.....

"Lord Kazekage, we know that sealing the One-Tailed Beast in a Jinchuriki is certainly safe, but now that we've found a way to get along with it, if we just continue like this and build a bond with it, then we'll be done with it once and for all, and we won't have to worry about the tailed beast going berserk anymore. Wouldn't that be better?"

“Clan Chief Meichuan is right, Lord Kazekage. You are still young and haven’t experienced the Tailed Beasts’ rampage. Decades ago, every time a Tailed Beast rampaged, our village suffered severe damage and heavy casualties. Now that we are getting along well with the One-Tailed Beast and haven’t had any problems for several years, wouldn’t sealing it away again just push our relationship back to the way it was? What if something happens to the Jinchuriki next time and the One-Tailed Beast comes out and causes trouble again? Wouldn’t it be those villagers who get hurt again? This time, Clan Chief Meichuan and I absolutely disagree with sealing the One-Tailed Beast again.”

"Yes!"

“That’s right, that’s right, Chief Yusa is right!”

"......"

As soon as Masato arrived at the foot of the Kazekage Tower, the clear voices of his two old rivals, Naito Umekawa and Yusa Kadoya, came down from upstairs.

As the old saying goes, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.

What could possibly bring these two long-time rivals together so closely? It's nothing but mutual benefit!

Umekawa Naito and Yusaka, these two old rivals, have disliked each other for decades and have been constantly fighting. It's only in recent years that they've aged and lost their looks, making it unsuitable for them to embarrass themselves in the ring. You know, ten years ago, the two of them would almost always agree to go to the ring every year and fight several times, not stopping until the other was begging for mercy. But now, in order to prevent Rasa's son from becoming a Jinchūriki and to prevent Rasa from holding a nuclear bomb that could threaten them, the two of them have actually put aside their decades of grudges and united against a common enemy. Just listen to the cooperation between these two.

One main damage dealer and one support, with a group of clan leaders acting as shills around them—the division of labor is so clear it's practically a perfect pyramid scheme.

It's not that the Sand Village lacks talent, it's just that their price isn't high enough.

Look at those old guys up there now, who dares to say they aren't talented?

Shindou now roughly understands why Rasa invited him. In this situation, Chiyo and Ebizo are not present, and although Sasori's father supports Rasa, he can't directly confront his father-in-law, since they still need to sleep in the same bed at night. So, in front of these old guys, the young are useless. Among the older generation, Umekawa Naito and Yusaori are the most capable. Even Chief Mokawa can't say anything. In this situation, Rasa can only turn to his grandfather's old subordinates.

801. It's time to get hard after a lifetime of being soft.

Right now, in the Kazekage Tower, the group represented by Saori and Naito Umekawa is united as one, the kind of bond that even Shinto couldn't break. Don't be fooled by their usual rivalry; now Rasa wants his youngest son to become a Jinchūriki. If this were back in the old days when their Sand Village's sealing techniques were incomplete and Shinto hadn't risen to power, they would have absolutely agreed. In those days, becoming a Jinchūriki was far too risky. Not only was the Jinchūriki himself in danger, but every time he went berserk, the entire village would suffer a disaster.

But the situation is different now. Not to mention that their village has a complete tailed beast sealing technique, with Shinto there, even the Nine-Tails can withstand it, so what is a mere One-Tail?

The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki are still doing just fine, aren't they? They've all gotten married and had kids.

Since Shuri, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, grew up, they were initially worried that they wouldn't be able to control the Seven-Tails' power after Shinto left the village. However, as time went on, the Seven-Tails didn't go berserk; instead, it became Sasori's sparring partner.

Over time, they discovered that Jinchuriki were not as dangerous as they had imagined. On the contrary, if one could control the Seven-Tails like Shuri and perfectly unleash its power, Shuri would now be the No. 2 in Sunagakure, even surpassing the super genius Sasori.

So after Bunpuku died, they also considered making their own children into Jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Beast. If they could control and wield the power of the One-Tailed Beast like Shuri, that would be a deadly weapon!

Didn't you see that the Mao family, just because they have a son-in-law who emits green light, are supposed to be all smiles in front of him even though they're incredibly weak?

However, there are still certain risks involved. They really can't risk their own clan's child, so even though they know the village has been considering candidates for the One-Tail Jinchuriki for the past few years, they haven't made any suggestions. Moreover, they've found that it's fine to keep the One-Tail sealed on the altar. Wasn't the One-Tail sealed in the altar before the village was even founded? Or was it because Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were hunting Tailed Beasts all over the ninja world that the First Hokage was worried that Madara Uchiha would mistake the One-Tail for a wild beast and take it away, so he sealed it in a human?

Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha have both been dead for several years now, and the only Tailed Beast Killer in the ninja world is in their village. What are they even panicking about?

It's fine to just seal it on the altar like this.

But none of them expected that Rasa would be so ruthless, actually planning to make his youngest son a Jinchūriki. On the surface, he said it was to avoid risks, but in reality, he wanted to control the One-Tailed Beast, a powerful weapon.

Are they really that stupid?

In any case, they will not allow Rasa to master the One-Tailed Beast, as it would be extremely detrimental to their family's interests.

It's one thing for the Miyako clan to have a Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, but they dared not say anything, nor could they say anything. The Seven-Tails was brought out of Takigakure by Shinto and sold to Konoha, but Konoha didn't want it and returned it. That was Shinto's skill. The Jinchuriki was also an orphan of the Uzumaki clan that he found outside the village. She was also the Crown Princess of Sunagakure. Before they were as strong as Shinto, they dared not have any ideas.

But this One-Tail is different. It has been in their Land of Wind since the beginning of history, belonging to everyone, not just one person. Now Rasa wants to turn the One-Tail into his personal power, which is of course impossible. They finally survived the retirement of the Third Hokage and Lord Kaizo, but they hadn't enjoyed it for long before Rasa came to the rescue and took away their power. Is that even possible?

Absolutely impossible!

Although they are usually cowardly and always have a group of bodyguards when they go out, when it comes to national righteousness, they want to show the other side that they still have backbone, and even if the crown prince supports the other side, it will be useless!

After a lifetime of being soft, it's time to be hard for once! (*?ω?)

"...Clan leaders, your ideas are good, but the One-Tail's personality is not as easy to get along with as you imagine. Lord Shinto said that the One-Tail and the Nine-Tail have similar personalities. Everyone saw the result of the Nine-Tail's rampage after living with two generations of Jinchuriki for decades. Moreover, the One-Tail being sealed on the altar is always a hidden danger for the village, and we must be on guard."

Looking at the firm and powerful gazes of these opponents, Rasa had a headache, especially with his old nemesis, Yusaori and Naito Umekawa. He had never noticed how united the two of them were when he was following his teacher. Now, all he wanted was for his youngest son to become a Jinchūriki to eliminate this threat. He had no idea what these two old guys were thinking, leading the opposition against him and refusing to let his son become a Jinchūriki. If it weren't for the fact that he was the one who had handled his youngest son's affairs, he would have suspected that these two old guys were his brothers.

They weren't this caring about their children with the first two pregnancies, so why are they acting like this with the third?

If you don't want my youngest son to be a Jinchūriki, then you can choose someone else to seal the One-Tailed Beast and I won't object...

"Hey...."

Handsome Scorpion's father and several clan leaders who supported Luo Sha watched as the two sides argued heatedly. Handsome Scorpion's father and Clan Leader Mao Chuan exchanged a glance and sighed helplessly. It wasn't that they didn't want to speak up for Luo Sha, but the relationships involved were very complicated. Their positions were not as clear as Ma Ji's. As the old saying goes, after being in the martial arts world for a long time, you learn about human relationships and worldly wisdom.

Although Sasori's father supports Rosa, Yusaka is still his father-in-law. He even went to visit Karin a couple of days ago. They see each other all the time, and besides, he can't go against his father-in-law in front of so many people. He has to give him face.

The patriarchs of the Maochuan family are simply too few in number and lack sufficient depth. They are already doing a good job of supporting Rasa out of respect for Chiyo. There is no need to offend so many families, lest it be awkward when they meet in private. After all, they are all from the same village and are not mortal enemies. Didn't you see that Yusa and Umekawa Naito, those two brothers, have been fighting for decades and are now joining forces?

When the old clan chief of Meichuan died, Yusako went to the banquet and cried the most, even more than when her own father died. So, for Chiyo's sake, they can support Rasa, but they won't support him to the death. In other words, as long as Rasa's decisions don't harm the village, they will support him. But they can't be the ones to lead the charge for Rasa and withstand the pressure from so many families.

Let alone Rasa, even Lady Chiyo is not an option. Their support for Lady Chiyo is only based on the interests of their families and to continue the tradition of the previous family head.

Playing as a forward offends so many families; isn't that jeopardizing their own families?

802. Madara's influence is still as great as ever.

"Wow! It's rare to see everyone so energetic so early in the morning. I can hear your enthusiastic voices all over the house. Have you all had breakfast yet?"

"Clan Chief Meichuan, Clan Chief Yousha, what's going on here... Although I don't discriminate against anyone, your change is too fast! You were fighting to the death just a few days ago, how come you've already hooked up and developed feelings for each other?"

Just as Rasa and Yusa were arguing heatedly, neither giving an inch, Masato walked in and saw Naito Umekawa and Yusa standing together so tightly that it was hard to tell who was holding onto whom. He couldn't help but tease them.

"Ahem... Masato, you've come at the right time. Tell me, the Kazekage is going to seal the One-Tailed Beast into a Jinchuriki again. We've already found a way to get along with Jinchuriki, isn't it unnecessary? The One-Tailed Beast has been sealed in the altar for so many years and nothing has happened. Is it really necessary to go through this unnecessary trouble?"

Upon seeing Masato enter, Yusa Kado and Naito Umekawa quickly separated. Yusa Kado coughed awkwardly twice before immediately getting back into character, slapping the back of her hand and changing the subject as if she were arguing with an old lady, speaking with an air of compassion and concern for the village.

Because Masato only returned last night, and Sasori's father had previously remained neutral, Yusako was unaware that Masato had advised Sasori's father to side with Rasa last night. Moreover, from this morning until now, Sasori's father had simply stood by as an audience watching their performance, without showing any intention of stealing the spotlight. Therefore, Yusako assumed that her good son-in-law was still neutral.

Now that Chiyo and Ebizo have retired, Shinto is more of a henchman and doesn't interfere much in village affairs. He's also just a figurehead Jonin class leader. The only one in his family who's truly in the village's power center is him, the son-in-law. So he believes his son-in-law's attitude determines his family's attitude. His son-in-law has always remained neutral, which is why he felt confident enough to team up with his "old brother" Naito Umekawa to cause trouble. These are minor disputes, and since they're all for the village's sake, Chiyo won't get involved as long as it doesn't affect the bigger picture. He understands this perfectly.

So when he saw Masato come in, he immediately took the initiative and spoke first, hoping to win Masato over to their side. That way, their chances of winning would be much greater. Although Masato didn't have much real power in the village, he had been the village's top star for decades.

The key is that this guy's fist is too big, even the Nine-Tailed Fox can't cover it. If he's on their side, Rasa won't dare to mess around sealing the One-Tailed Fox. If a real fight breaks out, who the hell can protect him?

"So that's what happened. It's just a One-Tailed Beast, sealing it is no big deal. Chief Yusa, I know your intentions are all for the village, but you should also think about this. This tailed beast isn't human. Although I've fooled it for now, it's lived for so many years, it's not brainless. It will wake up one day. You can fool it for a while, but not forever. Think about it, I can still fight it now, the One-Tailed Beast is just a freebie, but what about later? Do you really think you can treat the One-Tailed Beast like royalty?" "Let it get used to being worshipped. Then, will this Sand Village be our Sand Village or the Sand Village of the Tailed Beasts? There's a saying, 'Those who are not of our kind, though far away... Bah! Their hearts are surely different!' Besides, the Kazekage's considerations are sound. Sealing the One-Tail on the altar is always a hidden danger. It's alright now; I can still fight it, and Shuri is still young and can protect it. But what about later? The Nine-Tails of Konoha is a prime example. Let me tell you, the One-Tail's temperament is even more stubborn than Konoha's Nine-Tails. The best way is to have a Jinchuriki gradually influence it!"

Masato feigned an "I see" and said.

"But Lord Shinto, you yourself said that the One-Tailed Beast is even more stubborn than the Nine-Tailed Beast of Konoha. Two generations of Jinchuriki of Konoha couldn't influence the Nine-Tailed Beast, and Bunpuku tried to influence it for decades without any effect. This matter is unreliable!"

At this moment, the family head with a small mustache next to Yusa frowned. Judging from what he said, this guy seemed to be here to support Rasa.