Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Furthermore, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki is at least a Mizukage, so controlling him could be a bit more effective. Gaara, on the other hand, is just a baby with no real standing in the village, so controlling him wouldn't seem very useful. It would be better to control the Four-Tails or Five-Tails of Iwagakure, at least they're considered semi-high-ranking members there...

"Sigh! I thought the ninja world would be peaceful after the war, but now it seems..."

Chiyo shook her head and sighed helplessly. It had been more than ten years since Shinto fought that wild Uchiha, and there had been no news of that Uchiha for more than ten years. If it weren't for Shinto mentioning on the night of the Nine-Tails in Konoha that the Nine-Tails was controlled by that Uchiha, they would have almost forgotten that there was still this powerful person hiding in the ninja world.

Now I realize that this Uchiha guy wasn't just hiding; he'd been the mastermind behind Kirigakure for who knows how many years!

The Hozuki and Minazuki clans were long-established powerful families in the Land of Water, along with other families possessing bloodline limits. They were the backbone of the Land of Water. Kirigakure was able to rank among the Five Great Ninja Villages entirely because of those families with bloodline limits, and now they've all been slaughtered.

That Uchiha is really ruthless!

"When has the ninja world ever been peaceful? Where there are people, there is conflict. The idea of ​​being a loving family is just a slogan that Hashirama Senju could only shout with his fists."

Shinto noticed that the older Chiyo got, the more sentimental she became, completely losing the iron lady's imposing aura of her youth. But that wasn't surprising. Her son and daughter-in-law were still alive, and although her grandson had gone off to pursue his dreams, he already had a granddaughter-in-law. Moreover, they already had four generations living together. In a way, she was even more impressive than Hashirama Senju. Hashirama Senju's fist was so big that he could only manage three generations at most. It seemed that Chiyo was the only one in the ninja world who could have four generations living together. Naturally, she hoped for less war and more peace so that the next generation could grow up safely.

"By the way, has Yekura returned yet? Ebizo, what are you and Rasa up to? I finally managed to persuade the heir of the Senju clan to come here, so that he could marry Yekura and contribute to the next generation of the village. And you guys actually sent Yekura away."

At this moment, Shinto remembered Yekura's matter and said to Ebizo in an annoyed tone.

"You still dare to talk? I was just about to ask you, you bastard, Yekura is the only Scorch Release ninja in our village. What were you thinking, letting an outsider seduce our village's girls? (▼he▼メ)"

It would have been better if Masato hadn't brought this up, but as soon as Ebizo mentioned it, he immediately got all worked up, his nose practically flaring up like Onoki's.

Judging from Pakura's development over the years, her Scorch Release isn't actually that strong, only slightly stronger than Fire Release. Perhaps due to the disadvantages of being a woman, her Scorch Release in Pakura's hands is even inferior to some powerful Fire Release masters like Hiruzen Sarutobi, or the Uchiha clan whose Fire Release was like a natural disaster, barely surviving in the Land of Water. Pakura's current level of mastery is probably already at its peak. It seems that the Scorch Release ninja who was once her brother-in-law's bodyguard and was slapped into a meat sandwich by Madara was also only a master.

But being a Red Stick is already quite good. How many Red Sticks are there in the ninja world? There are even fewer Red Sticks in their Sand Village. Moreover, it's a bloodline limit that only appears once every few decades. This is the face of their village. He cares about Pakura much more than his teacher, Shinto. He has always paid attention to this girl's love life. After all, the awakening of the Scorch Release seems to be more difficult than the Magnet Release in their village. So, in order to avoid the situation where only one Scorch Release ninja appears every few decades, he has only paid attention to the young talents of the younger generation in recent years.

Only a strong combination can make it easier for the next generation of children to awaken the Scorching Release. However, the Anbu has been quite busy with work in recent years, and the Anbu chief, Sasori's father, is just a figurehead and has never been involved in Anbu affairs. Since Luo Zhen retired, there has been no suitable candidate for the Anbu. Ye Cang is quite capable, so Ye Cang was also asked to share some of the Anbu's work.

However, having more people in the Anbu does indeed make things darker. Even a naturally optimistic bastard like Shinto became somewhat gloomy after spending a few years in the Anbu, let alone a girl. So, even though his friend Kudo is now a father, this girl's love life is still a blank. He originally planned to send her to the Anbu in a couple of years when some suitable talent appears, or when Maki matures a bit more. He would then immediately have her leave the Anbu and introduce her to some relatively decent young talents, ideally creating a nation... oops! A family, so the next generation would have a higher chance of awakening the Scorching Release.

The reason why there are so few Scorch Release is probably because the founder who created Scorch Release or the people who later awakened Scorch Release were not picky about their bloodline, which made it more and more diluted. Therefore, it is difficult for later generations to awaken their bloodline limit. Look at the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, they have an intra-clan marriage system, which makes it much easier for them to awaken their bloodline limit.

But to his utter surprise, before he could even make a move, that bastard Shinto actually brought people from another village to flirt with the girls in their village. Luckily, the prince of the Senju clan was an idiot who spent the whole night telling stories, otherwise, if his village's only Scorching Release technique had been taken away, he would have really been spitting blood.

As for the idea of ​​the Senju clan's crown prince marrying into his family, he never even considered it. That kid is an idiot, but Tsunade is not an idiot. She's not so easily fooled. If she were, that bastard Shinto wouldn't have been trying to seduce her for so many years without success.

They are the sole heirs of the Senju clan. Although only these two remain, their reputation still stands. Without a doubt, to preserve the Scorching Release technique in the village, he and Rasa immediately decided to remove Pakura from the village. The siblings absolutely could not return before leaving...

831. The genes of the Thousand-Handed Grandpa are truly powerful.

"That's why I said your thinking is too narrow. After serving as a Grand Councilor for so many years, your vision is still so short-sighted."

"Think about it. I'm not saying this to be mean, but among the younger generation in our village, besides Sasori and Rasa who have some potential, who else could have a child with 100% talent from a union with my disciple? No one, right? Even Sasori... to be honest, while Sasori is excellent, he doesn't have a bloodline limit. Even if Yekura were to become Sasori's concubine, their offspring might not awaken the Scorching Release—you have to admit that, right? This Senju clan heir, while not particularly talented, is still Hashirama Senju's grandson. The distinct characteristics of the Senju clan are clearly evident in him. You..." Think about it, without an enormous life force, who could withstand Tsunade's beatings for ten or twenty years? In this respect, no one in the ninja world can match the Uzumaki clan. Only bloodlines with strong life force and massive chakra reserves, like the Senju or Uzumaki clans, combined with other bloodline limits, can effectively increase the success rate of the next generation's bloodline limit awakening. Moreover, even if they don't awaken at the highest level, having half of their bloodline means that as long as their talent isn't too lacking, they might not be able to reach the highest rank (not sure about double-flowered red rank), but they're definitely a red rank member. Pakura has already reached the top, and isn't she just a red rank member herself?

"Besides, there are really not many people left in the Uzumaki and Senju clans in the ninja world now, and all the known ones are women. Only Nawaki is left as the sole heir. His lack of moral integrity is the beginning of his decline. Haven't we learned enough painful lessons from history? If Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju had been able to disregard worldly opinions and be together back then... they would have unified the world and even reached the moon long ago. There would be no reason for the Senju clan to be in decline now, and the Uchiha clan is not much better off."

Shinto rolled his eyes at Ebizo and forcefully gave Ebizo a rundown. Although he knew he was exaggerating a bit, he thought it made sense. Goodness, if either Madara or Senju could have a child, the combination of their genes might produce a Six Paths old man.

Just thinking about it is so exciting! This is what you call a bloodline reversion! (?????)

"...But what I want is for him to stay in our village with his Blazing Release. If that kid flirts with Yekura, she's from the Senju clan, and as you said, there are only two of them left in the Senju clan now. Do you think he'll just come and stay in our village? If he doesn't stay, even if he awakens Wood Release, it's none of our business. Wouldn't that be a huge loss for us? (▼he▼メ)"

"That bastard's words make so much sense," Ebizo thought, almost unable to refute them. But then he realized that he wasn't worried about whether Yekura's child could awaken the Scorching Release. He had witnessed how awesome Senju was, and he had never doubted Senju's genes. Even if Tsunade's younger brother wasn't particularly talented, that was only in comparison to those super geniuses. Even if he didn't know anything else, he was still a Jonin just by relying on taijutsu.

You have to understand that many ordinary people never reach the level of Jonin in their entire lives. The Senju clan is known for its lack of talent, but the minimum requirement is to become a Jonin. Perhaps it's because the Senju elders are so famous, and then there's Tsunade who came later, that this kid, being the grandson of the Senju elders, has been expected to achieve great things by everyone since childhood. Not to mention Konoha, even outsiders like them, when they hear the name of the Senju elders' grandson, their first thought is that this kid will definitely be amazing in the future. Even if he can't bring prosperity to an era like the Senju elders, he can at least be as splendid as the Senju younger brother, right?

If all else fails, the minimum level should be around Tsunade's, and it should be converted to a double-flower red stick unit at the very least.

It might seem unbelievable to ordinary people, but it makes perfect sense to them. However, this little brother never reached the ideal level, so his talent wasn't that great to them. But to ordinary people, he was definitely a genius. Just think about how great Senju's genes were. Even if this grandson's talent wasn't that great, he could easily become a Jonin just by relying on his strong vitality and massive chakra. This shows how powerful Senju's genes were.

In this respect, even that brat Shinto is probably no match. Although Shinto himself is no worse than Senju, and even looks more ferocious than Senju because of his fighting style, all of Shinto's skills are from a mutated talent. He has a natural talent for comprehending those strange ki, and he managed to make the mutated Magnet Release a support skill. But this thing is not a bloodline gene and cannot be inherited. It would be a blessing if he could pass on a mutated Magnet Release to the next generation.

He knew that the Senju elder's genes were amazing, but damn it, that kid couldn't come over. No matter how amazing he was, it was useless. The man was Konoha's national treasure. If his own village's Scorch Release girl married him, even if the child awakened Scorch Release, it wouldn't be their Sand Village's business. Wasn't that a losing proposition?

He Laozang has never made a loss in his entire life.

"You don't understand. Although the Senju clan holds a special position in Konoha, Tsunade has squandered their wealth over the years. Given Tsunade's extravagant nature, do you think Nawaki's family could support them? Throughout history, it's always been the person holding the purse strings who makes the decisions. Besides, Nawaki has never had any opinions of his own; Tsunade has always been the one to call the shots. If he gets married, given Pakura's personality, wouldn't she be in charge? At that point, it's uncertain whether the child's nationality will be in Konoha or our Sunagakure. When Pakura is pregnant, we can find a way to have her give birth in our Sunagakure. The child will automatically become a citizen of the Land of Wind. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi comes, it won't be of any use. And knowing Nawaki as I do, Hiruzen might not even live to see Pakura pregnant; after all, that kid is no ordinary idiot..."

Considering that Nawaki could tell stories to someone all night while alone with a man and a woman in a room, this behavior is basically inhuman. Moreover, Yekura is not Nawaki's type. Even if they were to get together under the arrangement of their parents, it would take a long time for feelings to develop, perhaps ten years or more.

By then, Hiruzen Sarutobi might be completely overpowered by Orochimaru. Konoha's entire focus will be on Orochimaru, leaving no time to pay attention to Nawaki. Even if Tsunade is persuaded to return to Hokage by Orochimaru's words, as in the original story, the deed is done. She wouldn't force her brother to leave her and his lover behind, would she?

832. Puppet masters are the foundation of Sunagakure's standing in the ninja world.

Moreover, since Nawaki is still alive, the savior's words might not be enough to fool Tsunade. Tsunade is unlikely to hold a grudge against Danzo for attacking Nawaki. She probably believes that if Danzo hadn't died, Tsunade would never have returned to Konoha, let alone become Hokage. Danzo attacked Nawaki because of the Hokage issue.

In other words, if Hiruzen Sarutobi really did die a tearful death at Orochimaru's hands, it's hard to say who would be the Fifth Hokage. Jiraiya is out of the question; a free-spirited person like him would never be able to stand the constraints of the Hokage position. Otherwise, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have needed to take the position himself when Minato Namikaze died.

More than a decade later, White Fang had grown old. He no longer knew Sage Mode and lacked the chakra to maintain his strength. Even though he hadn't suffered any major injuries during his career, he was still just an ordinary person. In his fifties, White Fang wouldn't have that much energy left. Moreover, his personality wasn't suited for politics. So even if Konoha truly had no one else, he probably wouldn't take the position. Becoming Hokage would mean offending a cunning old man like Danzo to death. White Fang knew this better than anyone. Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, he wasn't Danzo's best friend, and he had a good-for-nothing son. White Fang, who was at the age of fifty, wouldn't risk offending a cunning old man like Danzo for the sake of a Hokage position, lest his son "accidentally" die somewhere and no one would know.

After much thought, Shinto realized that if nothing unexpected happened, after Hiruzen Sarutobi kicked the bucket, there really wouldn't be anyone left to take over the position in Konoha. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado could argue, but they weren't good enough to become the leader. So, that left was Danzo.

If nothing unexpected happens, his existence might actually trigger a chain reaction that allows Danzo to ascend the throne ahead of schedule!

"....elder sister."

Although reluctant to admit it, Ebizo was genuinely starting to waver. After all, the Senju clan's genes were undeniable, and hearing Masato's words, he felt it was worth a gamble. He'd bet that the Senju kid would eventually win over Pakura, leaving her in Sunagakure, and the child would automatically acquire citizenship from the Land of Wind...

However, he couldn't make a firm decision on such a matter that concerned the village's reputation, so he passed the problem on to his sister, Chiyo. After all, the First Generation was known for being afraid of his wife, and if Yekura really was kidnapped, it was his sister who made the decision and agreed, so the First Generation wouldn't come looking for him afterward.

"...Let the children decide for themselves. It's just a Scorching Release technique. It's good if they have it, but we don't need to worry about it if they don't. We Sunagakure have never relied on bloodline limits to establish ourselves in the ninja world."

Chiyo glared at her precious nephew with annoyance before speaking.

If this precious nephew hadn't been born under her watchful eye and raised by her own hands, she would have suspected that her older brother had been cheated on by someone from Konoha. Despite having Sand Village blood, his mouth is as good at deceiving as Hashirama Senju's...

No, Chiyo didn't really take the Scorching Release on Yekura too seriously. Among the five great ninja villages in the ninja world, Sunagakure had the fewest bloodline limits, even less than Kumogakure. But who would dare to underestimate Sunagakure? Putting aside his precious nephew, Sunagakure's foundation in the ninja world was that of puppeteers. So, a Scorching Release was more symbolic than practical for the village. It was good to have it, but it didn't matter if they didn't.

Even though the Blazing Escape Technique is good, it can't compare to her precious grandson, can it?

Not to mention her suspicion of this precious great-granddaughter. The combination of her precious grandson and the top-tier Uzumaki means that even without learning puppetry or sealing techniques, their light ninjutsu alone could kill people!

Is this something that can be compared to a mere scorching release technique?

"The great beauty sees things clearly. Our Sand Village has always relied on puppetry to establish itself in the ninja world. My success cannot be replicated. Instead of getting hung up on the Scorching Release here, it would be better to train a few genius puppeteers."

After Chiyo said that, Shinto glanced at Ebizo and said calmly.

"...ヽ(ー_ー)ノ"

Since his sister had said that, Ebizo was speechless.

But what does this bastard mean by that? We're discussing that girl Ye Cang, what does it have to do with whether you succeed or not...?

......

In the Hokage Building of Konoha Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been sitting in the Hokage's seat again after more than a year, felt as if he had been through a lifetime. Looking at Konoha below through the window, he felt a deep sense of melancholy. Konoha had been rebuilt, the affairs of his perfect grand-disciple had been settled, and arrangements had been made for his son. But the thought that such a perfect successor was gone was still unbearable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart was still bleeding. Heaven knows how much he had sacrificed to ensure his perfect grand-disciple could succeed him. He had thought that his perfect grand-disciple could lead Konoha to the next level, but now it was all gone.

Looking at the village now, it's full of old people and young children. The only one who's somewhat promising, Kakashi, is being held back by that damned Sharingan, and the village's development is nowhere near what it should have been.

However, the perfect grand-disciple is no longer here, and life still goes on. There's no point in dwelling on it too much. During his comeback, he realized that he was really old. His energy was far less than when he was the perfect grand-disciple who had stepped down years ago. A little over a year ago, no matter how busy he was with work or how late he worked, he would occasionally take some time to pay attention to the physical and mental health of the young ladies in the village and recharge.

But now, even before the normal time to leave work, he already feels physically and mentally exhausted. He also spends much less time paying attention to the health of young ladies. His wife died on the night of the Nine-Tailed Fox, his eldest son is married, and his youngest son has gone off to start his own business. When he returns home, he is all alone in the huge house. Every time he comes home from get off work, he feels empty and lonely.

During this time, he has been thinking about whether to find a second marriage. The age gap is not important; he just wants a soulmate.

As long as he doesn't cause any deaths and end up fighting his two sons for the inheritance, they will understand him.

However, here's the problem: now that he's Hokage again, dealing with all sorts of documents, big and small, already takes up all his energy. By the time he gets off work, all the ladies are asleep, so how can he find a soulmate? Looking back on his more than a year of retirement life, Hiruzen Sarutobi really misses it!

I get up in the morning to exercise in the park, chat with people at the grassroots level to build relationships, and occasionally visit my best buddies to reminisce about the old days. Then I come to check on the work of my perfect grand-disciple.

That's the life he wanted!

But now... at this moment, he couldn't help but think of his original heir, his precious Nawaki, once again.

833. Although he's terrible at it, he's incredibly arrogant.

"Sakumo, why did Tsunade and Nawaki go to Sunagakure last time? Why haven't they returned yet?"

The thought of their Konoha's precious Nawaki stirred Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind again.

Previously, there was a choice. Compared to the perfect grand-disciple Minato, Nawaki, though a great treasure, had unique advantages, his talent was somewhat flawed. Moreover, Konoha at that time was full of talent. Before him was his right-hand man Sakumo, his beloved disciple Orochimaru, and after him was the perfect Little Sun Minato. So Nawaki was stuck in the middle, which was quite awkward. He had enough status and conditions, but his talent was just not good enough. In order to avoid a situation similar to that of the Third Kazekage, he had to give up the great treasure Nawaki and choose the perfect grand-disciple.

However, Konoha's lineup is now exhausted. Since he wants to find a soulmate, he will definitely need to spend a lot of time. But as the Hokage, he simply doesn't have that time. That's when the role of the great Nawaki comes into play.

Although he doesn't have the talent of Sakumo, Orochimaru, or the perfect grand-disciple Minato, if Nawaki returns, Tsunade will definitely return as well. Moreover, Nawaki's unique advantages as the heir of the Senju clan are unmatched by others. At worst, once Nawaki takes the throne and finds his soulmate, he can personally take up his sword and become Nawaki's bodyguard. He doesn't believe that something like what happened with the Third Kazekage will happen again.

Moreover, Nawaki and Tsunade's sixth sense told him that Shiki was definitely up to something, otherwise he wouldn't have sent his first horseman there. However, he was held up by the Nine-Tails' matter and didn't have time to take care of things there.

Now that the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' Night has been mostly dealt with, and Tsunade and Nawaki have been in Sunagakure for quite some time, it's understandable that he's worried that Shiki might be eyeing his precious Nawaki this time.

He'd grown indifferent to Shiki's designs on Tsunade over the years. Even though Shiki's motives weren't pure, he'd genuinely helped Konoha withstand the Nine-Tails' attack during the Nine-Tails' attack, significantly reducing their casualties. And considering how devoted Shiki had been to Tsunade all these years, if he actually managed to win her over, even against her will, he'd just turn a blind eye.

But what if that bastard gets his hands on Rope Tree? That would be terrible!

Upon thinking of this, he immediately ordered his underlings to bring the leader over and ask him.

"...Golden Lion summoned them to Sunagakure so that Nawaki would pursue his disciple, Sunagakure's Scorching Release user, Pakura, and Tsunade seemed to have agreed..."

Sakumo Hatake said without any hesitation.

He himself agreed with Shiki's approach. After all, although Nawaki's talent was lacking, the powerful genes of the Senju clan were undeniable. The women in Konoha who were worthy of Nawaki were already mothers. They couldn't really force those mediocre girls to dilute the Senju clan's genes, could they?

Perhaps it was because Nawaki's mother was mediocre that she diluted the genes of Lady Koma, resulting in Nawaki's mediocre talent. Tsunade's success was entirely due to the fact that the First and Second Hokage were still alive back then, but Nawaki did not enjoy such treatment.

Since Konoha doesn't have one, and the Sunagakure girl with the Scorching Release technique is barely acceptable, it wouldn't hurt for Nawaki to marry a girl from another village... At least she's not bad either, she has a bloodline limit after all.

"What?!"

"Cough cough...! That bastard, I knew he was up to something! He actually set his sights on the Thousand Hands clan!"

Hatake Sakumo didn't think much of it, but Sarutobi Hiruzen was not happy at all. He took two puffs of his opium pipe and almost coughed up tuberculosis.

The Senju clan is a household name in Konoha. For years, people have mentioned Hashirama Senju whenever they talk about Konoha. The Senju clan has left a deep mark on Konoha. As the Second Hokage's disciple and as the Hokage himself, he cannot allow the Senju bloodline to flow out of the village. It's one thing if it stays in their own village, but if it flows to another village, especially the Sand Village, which the Second Hokage hates the most, then he'll be in for a beating by the Second Hokage.

Although he claims to be the strongest Hokage in history... he's just spouting slogans; he can't outdo his arrogant teacher.

"Well... that family shouldn't be able to do anything, right? After all, Tsunade is there, and she knows how important Nawaki is to Konoha..."

Seeing his former leader so excited, Hatake Sakumo said uncertainly.

Everyone knows Nawaki's status in Konoha. Even if he goes to Sunagakure to flirt with girls, those girls will definitely marry into Konoha in the future.

Judging from the old leader's words, it seems he's still worried about Nawaki coming to visit. Although Tsunade is usually carefree, she's still quite composed when it comes to matters of principle. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to remain unmoved by Shiki's advances for so many years. Although Shiki's flirting skills are a bit lacking, he's just too rich!

Tsunade really likes this kind of thing...

"...It's better to be safe than sorry!"