Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

887. Uchiha Itachi: We really can't hold back anymore.

"It's...it's said that an agreement has already been written...Lord Tsuchikage, we have no way out!! 〒▽〒"

The Iwa ninja cried. He knew the seriousness of the situation; if they lost, their Iwa ninja really wouldn't be able to afford to pay the huge sum of money.

"Hiss... Phew! That idiot Daimyo! How could I have ever promoted such an idiot to the position?!"

With his nose blackened and so many people present, Onoki couldn't afford to lash out. He could only take deep breaths and force himself to suppress his rage, his fists clenched in a ferocious expression, wishing he could rush into the private room and wipe out everyone inside with a single, devastating attack...

However, that's clearly unrealistic. Even if they could take down those daimyo, they still couldn't take down that bastard Shiki. With that bastard's big mouth, Iwagakure would definitely be making headlines in the ninja world.

Back then, the previous daimyo was really focused on a woman's belly. When eleven daimyo candidates were vying for the position, he only accepted the daimyo's gifts and helped him rise to power because he thought the current daimyo was brainless and easy to control. Now it seems that even supporting a piece of char siu would have been better than supporting him...

"...Notify Civil Engineering that the remaining matches will all be arranged for Konoha, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure..."

Since killing them to silence them was not an option, and there was no way out, they had no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end.

Originally, he hadn't planned to uncover too much of a conspiracy. After all, anyone with a brain would know there was something fishy going on with the three villages of Konoha, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure constantly clashing. Onoki, being a man of principle, couldn't afford to go too far. But now he was in a bind. He wasn't worried about Kumogakure and Sunagakure; while the big guys in Kumogakure were strong, they weren't a threat to Deidara. He only needed to be wary of that Uchiha brat from Konoha who had his precious granddaughter smitten. But now, thanks to this idiot daimyo's actions, Onoki couldn't be blamed for being shameless...

.....

"This guy..."

Not only Onoki found out about the Daimyo's bet, but White Fang and the Raikage also found out. After all, it was so noisy in the Daimyo's private room earlier, so they had to go and ask what happened. When White Fang heard his son Kakashi convey the Daimyo's message that they should do their best to win the Chunin Exams, he rubbed his temples with a headache.

He knew that bastard Shiki wouldn't stay quiet for long and would always cause trouble. He thought that the bastard had been too quiet lately because he was getting old and had changed his ways. Even he could see that Onoki was pulling strings. That bastard was never one to suffer a loss. His village had been cheated so many times, yet he hadn't done anything. This surprised him. But now it seemed that the bastard was still the same bastard. He had been waiting for him all along.

It's one thing to go around conning those daimyo to start gambling games, but to con so many people? Although the Hatake clan is small, they are still considered a powerful family. Although their wealth can't compare to that of the long-established royal families like the Uchiha and Hyuga, the Hatake clan has still accumulated a considerable fortune through generations of fighting. If each generation continues to be a single heir, even if the next five or six generations are all extravagant, as long as they aren't as generous as Tsunade, they can live a carefree life without any problem.

Even so, he was still taken aback by the Daimyo's extravagant spending. That was a whopping 50 billion! He didn't even know if his Hatake clan's coffers contained half of that. He estimated that they didn't. In the entire Hidden Leaf Village, only the Uchiha and Hyuga clans could probably come up with that much money, and even they would probably suffer a bloodbath.

The daimyo's loss of 50 billion won't affect Sakumo Hatake much, as the daimyo can't command him anyway, since they're not under the same system. However, the daimyo will definitely have to step down. That's not the most crucial point. Losing 50 billion will deplete the national treasury, which will more or less have some impact on Konoha. Since the founding of the village by the First Hokage, there has never been a daimyo in the history of the Land of Fire who was ousted before even dying. Money is a minor matter; it's the loss of face that's more of a blow.

What was supposed to be a large-scale cultural and sports event promoting harmony and unity within the ninja world was ruined by that bastard's meddling. His main task was to bring Uchiha Itachi to humiliate Onoki. Although it was about flexing his muscles in front of the other villages and showing them that Konoha's next generation wasn't lacking, he hadn't considered the final outcome. After all, Onoki was so blatantly manipulating things, that even if Uchiha Itachi was highly skilled, he couldn't withstand Onoki's schemes and couldn't carry that many people. In the second round, there was still a team battle, and Uchiha Itachi could only carry two people.

"Father, what should we do next?"

Looking at his father, who was suffering from a headache, Kakashi rolled his eyes. He knew that this joint Chunin Exam wouldn't be so simple, especially after meeting that old guy. The old guy's love-hate relationship with Onoki was almost as intense as that of their Hokage and Onoki. If he didn't cause some trouble, not only his father, but even he himself wouldn't be used to it.

"Let's do our best in the first game, and then we'll see in the next one."

Sakumo Hatake rubbed his temples and said helplessly.

Although Itachi Uchiha was formidable, one-on-one combat was ultimately a solitary endeavor. With all the examiners being Onoki's men, Itachi had no real advantage. His only hope was that Itachi could dominate the final team battles and rack up impressive stats...

"Itachi... I'm counting on you for the next match."

Kakashi nodded and then turned around to pat the shoulder of his little brother who worked in the Anbu.

He was Itachi Uchiha's captain in the Anbu. Because of his close friend Obito, and because Itachi was different from other Uchiha, he was one of the few in the Anbu who didn't treat Itachi with prejudice. Instead, he was impressed by Itachi's amazing abilities. The difference between his close friend and Itachi was far more than just having a powerful father...

"Captain Kakashi, don't worry, I know what to do..."

Itachi Uchiha nodded. He didn't like bullying the weak, nor did he like violence. When the Hokage sent him here, he specifically asked him to use force to defeat the Tsuchikage's disciple and give the Tsuchikage a good slap in the face. At first, he was reluctant, but considering the relationship between his clan and the village, he had no choice but to agree. However, he kept thinking that he couldn't be too ruthless. After all, this was a confrontation between the Hokage and the Tsuchikage, and the Tsuchikage's disciple was innocent. Moreover, he heard that the disciple was only eight or nine years old. He couldn't bear to crush the disciple's dream of becoming a ninja. So he thought that he should stop when the time was right, and it would be best to have a "narrow victory" or something, so that he could complete the Hokage's mission without crushing the disciple's dream of becoming a ninja.

But now, thanks to that blond powerhouse he once witnessed fight the Nine-Tails single-handedly, despite his young age, he's far more mature than his peers, having joined the Anbu at nine and been there for two years. He knows that if the Daimyo loses, it's not just about money; it's about the face of the Land of Fire, or rather, Konoha. It seems they really can't hold back...

888. Raikage: This name lacks power.

Among his companions who came to Iwagakure for the exam, although he didn't want to admit it, they were indeed incredibly weak. Apart from him, almost all of them were members of small clans or commoners. There wasn't even a member of the Hyuga clan. Relying on them alone was definitely not enough. Even when they encountered the puppeteers of Sunagakure, they were all flaws in his eyes. He could have easily defeated them in one round, but these companions actually had to rely on the antidote they had prepared beforehand to barely win. When they encountered those big guys from Kumogakure, if they hadn't raised the white flag in time, they would have been smashed flat by their big fists.

If this kind of plastic surgery doesn't embarrass the village, then he can only rely on Kai Rui to make the whole scene.

.....

"Hmph! That Daimyo guy actually has so little faith in us, only beating such a small amount! (▼へ▼メ)"

Onoki and Sakumo Hatake reacted in the opposite way. When the Fourth Raikage learned that the three daimyo of the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind had each staked 50 billion on their villages, while the daimyo of the Land of Lightning had only staked a mere 5 billion on Kumogakure, which wasn't even a fraction of what the other daimyo had staked, he began to question whether the Land of Lightning actually had 50 billion. In any case, the Fourth Raikage was very unhappy.

Although another daimyo from the Land of Water, one of the Five Great Nations, only bet two billion, it's worth noting that Kirigakure didn't come.

Your village is fighting right now. Sunagakure has lost every single match so far, and Konoha has lost more than it has won. Only Kumogakure and Iwagakure are winning every single match. The daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind have bet 50 billion on their own villages. How come you have such a lack of guts?

Anyway, the Fourth Raikage was quite unhappy. It was a matter of face. He felt that their Daimyo's 5 billion was far weaker than the other's 50 billion!

However, he didn't have a good solution for this daimyo. Although this daimyo was as brainless as other daimyo, he was different from them in one way: he had a very good relationship with his deceased father and had supported him for many years. Even when his father was heroic, this daimyo cried at his father's grave for a whole day and night. The scene moved even his son deeply. Moreover, this daimyo probably liked to eat pork kidneys, so he was in good health and had lived a carefree life for so many years. Other countries' daimyo had changed several times, but he had managed to stay in power until now, breaking the record for the longest reign of a daimyo in the Land of Lightning and making history. He was still alive and kicking.

Even though he was annoyed, he wouldn't do anything to Daiming, just because Daiming had cried at his father's grave for a whole day and night. He was simply annoyed.

"...Lord Raikage, even if we sell all the explosive tags and ninja tools in the village, it would probably take us ten years to raise 50 billion... Those three daimyo are betting their entire fortunes, and I doubt the Land of Earth can even come up with 50 billion. -_-||"

A young man, whose build was thinner than the surrounding Cloud Ninja, explained to the Fourth Raikage.

When the Fourth Raikage travels, he can't just bring the participating teenagers. The village chief's presence is still necessary. Although the Fourth Raikage has a strong personality, he still needs to bring a guard team. In addition, the female head steward of Kumogakure is worried about the Fourth Raikage's temper and deliberately has her clansmen come along, just in case the Fourth Raikage acts impulsively.

In fact, every generation of Raikage is intelligent. Although the Third Raikage had a bad temper, he was able to control it. He knew when to be angry without causing harm and when to suppress his temper. That's why he was able to take over the damaged Kumogakure and lead it to new heights. The Fourth Raikage, although the Third Raikage's son, was far less adept at controlling his temper than his father. If it weren't for the young man from the Azabu clan explaining things to him...

I reckon he'll personally go to Golden Lion and raise the amount to 50 billion...

.......

"Teacher, aren't you dragging our names down with you?"

When Shinto returned from the daimyo's private room and learned about the gambling incident, Umekawa said speechlessly to his teacher.

He thought his teacher might come up with some way to salvage his reputation by getting involved in romantic affairs with those daimyo. But that didn't really matter; the daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth had nothing to do with their adventures. However, it was a bit unfair that his teacher had even dragged his own daimyo into it.

Five hundred billion!

Even though his math teacher, who was the son of a wealthy family in Sunagakure who was never short of money, died young, he still couldn't calculate how many tons it would be if replaced with gold dust...

Although they have big names and are rich, what can he actually produce?

In the entire ninja world, the only one who could probably come up with 50 billion yen is probably their Kazekage, Rasa...

He knew what kind of kids these were. Although he really wanted them to win, Onoki kept doing things this way, and they kept running into either Kumogakure or Konoha. These kids simply couldn't win. If the daimyo couldn't come up with 50 billion, wouldn't they also lose face?

“Look, even the daimyo himself isn’t worried, so why are you? The competition among daimyo each year is more dangerous than the Nine Princes’ Succession Struggle in novels. A daimyo who can rise to the top can’t be without a bit of intelligence. Don’t be fooled by this daimyo’s years of eating, drinking, and having fun; his intelligence hasn’t declined at all. This is exactly what our village hopes to see. Of course, he knows he can’t come up with 50 billion, but this is to stand up for my Golden Lion. When he returns to the Land of Wind and shows off my Golden Lion’s name, even if the national treasury isn’t opened, Rasa will still give him a gold sand package.”

"Besides, I'm in charge now. I've already given the daimyo title, so no one will doubt that a daimyo from the Land of Wind who belittles gold can't come up with 50 billion. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Masato sat leisurely in his seat, propping his feet up on the railing in front of him, and explained to his disciple.

This disciple is intelligent and knowledgeable, even more so than his teacher. After all, he hasn't been reading those books on ninjutsu development at home for nothing. In terms of cultural level, probably no one in the whole village is more cultured than him.

However, this disciple has a flaw: he lacks experience. After breaking his leg the first time he left the village, he stayed at home. After switching to an office job, he became even more of a homebody, lacking any experience in the world. Conan's father and Yekura, who are a few years younger than him, are now pillars of the village. Even Maki has won Rasa's heart. Yet, he still lives at home as a homebody, bearing the title of his disciple. If this continues, he'll really be wasting his life.

Orochimaru may be a tech geek, but he was a renowned figure in Konoha, a potential Hokage candidate. Switching to an administrative role doesn't mean he can just stay home all day and not contribute to the village, right?

889. Itachi's appearance ignited the entire scene.

Holy crap!

"That bastard Ohnoki is truly despicable! (▼he▼メ)"

Just as everyone was hearing the names of various countries placing their bets and harboring their own thoughts, a battle of wits between weaklings had just ended when the names of Uchiha Itachi and Darui suddenly appeared on the large screen above. This almost made the Fourth Raikage jump up and down. In the end, he barely suppressed his urge to avenge his father and glared at Onoki next door, his eyes blazing with fire.

He had naturally heard of Itachi Uchiha. He'd been so popular lately, and as the young head of the Uchiha clan, no one would believe he wasn't capable. Besides, Hiruzen Sarutobi was just as he'd imagined: they were here to humiliate Onoki. The other kids in Konoha were just nobodies, but this young-looking Uchiha kid was Konoha's top pick, just like their Darui. And Onoki, shameless as ever, let them clash in the very first match. How utterly despicable!

"Whoa! Here it comes, here it comes, Uchiha Itachi is on the field!"

"Oh! The Uchiha clan, huh? I didn't expect Konoha to send someone from the Uchiha clan."

A follower from a girl commented: "Wow! Itachi is so handsome....(●???)"

Before the person even appeared, just their name was enough to ignite the entire audience and instantly reach the climax. Only the name Uchiha could have such an effect.

In the ninja world, you might not know who your country's daimyo is, or even who your village's kage is, but if you can't recognize the name Uchiha, then you're incredibly unsophisticated.

Even ordinary people who don't understand ninjutsu have heard some legends about the Uchiha clan in their childhood, not to mention Madara Uchiha, the most awesome clan leader in modern history, who left such a profound mark on the history of the ninja world. Even though Konoha deliberately tries to cover up Madara's history, it's only limited to ordinary civilians within Konoha. From the largest to the smallest clan in Konoha, is there any clan that doesn't have one or two records about Madara's peak period? Whether it's the founding of Konoha or the end of the chaotic era, which event can be separated from Madara?

Even now, those kids in Sunagakure who know a little about history know that their First Hokage died young because he was competing with Madara for a girl. Other villages don't hide Madara's glorious deeds like Konoha does. Even Onoki, who hates the Uchiha this season, has never hidden Madara's history. Although he hates Madara for fixing his image and this matter cannot be made public, he also hopes to use Madara to inspire the next generation of children. Children all admire the strong.

Moreover, for decades, the Uchiha clan has been the core fighting force of Konoha, the number one village in the ninja world, and has been recognized as the number one powerful clan in the ninja world for decades. The Uchiha clan deserves at least 30% or 40% of the credit for Konoha's dominance as the number one village for so many years. In the most recent world war a few years ago, the Uchiha clan fought head-on with the Kaguya clan of the Land of Water and finally eliminated the Kaguya clan, which fully demonstrated the prowess of the Uchiha clan.

Moreover, the Uchiha clan has been known as a clan of geniuses since ancient times. Wasn't Shisui of the Body Flicker also from the Uchiha clan a couple of years ago? And this Uchiha Itachi isn't just any Uchiha; he's the young head of the Uchiha clan. Unless something unexpected happens to his father, he'll be the head of the Uchiha clan. With this added advantage, Uchiha Itachi's fame is even higher than Shisui of the Body Flicker two years ago. The atmosphere at the scene is sure to be completely ignited even before the fight starts.

Especially when the young ladies saw Uchiha Itachi, who calmly appeared without any pretense and looked like a young heartthrob, their eyes instantly lit up with a green light like Kakuzu's. Especially when compared to Darui, who had an ordinary appearance and a burly figure, it made him seem even more elegant.

"Kuroto, be careful, this is the third floor!"

"Ah, Itachi-sama...(●???)"

At the railing on the third floor, Huang Tu tried his best to stop his beloved daughter. Seeing his daughter's eyes turn into hearts and she completely ignore what he was saying, rushing forward, he felt inexplicably sad.

"That damn little brat. (▼he▼メ)"

Onoki was furious at his granddaughter's appearance, feeling as if his beloved cabbage, which he had raised for many years, had been stolen by someone else's pig. He carefully examined this little rascal from the Uchiha clan, noting that he wasn't even as handsome as he had been in his youth. He couldn't understand how she could have bewitched his granddaughter like this.

Don't they have any in the handsome guy's village?

"This...is this too exaggerated?! They're that popular?!"

Mei Chuan Neiyi and the Sand Ninja boy beside her were also startled by the sudden outburst of atmosphere, almost biting their tongues. They all knew that Uchiha Itachi had become very famous recently, and that a group of young ladies would be waiting outside the hotel every day. They had seen it before, but it wasn't this crazy back then. Now, seeing those girls with their eyes turning into hearts, if someone hadn't stopped them, they would have jumped off the building. It was too damn exaggerated.

"Uchiha, well, the name alone is enough to make them the center of attention, not to mention this kid isn't bad-looking either, and he's got that aura down perfectly..."

Masato stroked his chin, watching his youngest son calmly make his entrance. To be honest, by ordinary standards of beauty, Itachi Uchiha's face, which resembled his father's, wouldn't even crack the top twenty in the ninja world's looks rankings, and he was far inferior to his nephew. However, this kid possessed a maturity beyond his years that made people forget his less-than-stellar looks, which was perhaps why this brat was so popular.

Moreover, the Storm Release boy who appeared with him was rather ordinary in terms of both looks and temperament, which made this kid stand out even more.

Even the best pilot needs a wingman to truly showcase their skill!

"...Kakashi, you didn't even get this kind of treatment when you were a kid, did you?"

The white-haired father and son on the other side were also startled by the scene. This father and son were used to big scenes. Whether it was Hatake Sakumo or Kakashi, they were both popular when they were young. However, the social atmosphere in Hatake Sakumo's era was not so open, and girls were still relatively reserved. But in Kakashi's era, the social atmosphere had gradually opened up. When Kakashi was young, he attracted a lot of attention from girls wherever he went. However, it was still quite different from the scene today.

"..."

Kakashi listened to his father's words, rolling his dead fish eyes in exasperation. Then he glanced at the blond, middle-aged man from Sunagakure who was stroking his chin, seemingly lost in thought. He couldn't help but wonder if his straightforward father had caught the influence of that middle-aged man...

890. Is this a genin?

"Well... Cloud Village Darui, please guide me."

In the ninja world, it's a tradition to talk for a few minutes before a fight to build up the atmosphere. Even those who aren't talkative will rack their brains to say a few words to boost their own power. This Cloud Ninja's Storm Release youth is clearly not that kind of player, and he's also averse to trouble. He's been racking his brains all the way here but hasn't been able to come up with anything impressive. Seeing the calm Uchiha youth who's a few years younger than him, he figured he's the type who's ruthless and doesn't talk much, so he just went straight for the starting stance.

"Konoha's Uchiha Itachi, please guide me."

"So handsome!! (●???)"

Uchiha Itachi looked at the Cloud Ninja who was two heads taller than him, whose arms were longer than his thighs, and remained calm and collected. Sometimes, he didn't need to deliberately show off, but his arrogance still involuntarily burst forth. The young lady, who had just calmed down, started another wave of people jumping off buildings opposite her...