Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"Speaking of which, shouldn't our battle of the rich and powerful be coming to an end? This kind of fighting can't go on forever. I think it would be better to hold a vote and let whoever gets the most votes be in charge. We all talk about democracy now. Otherwise, it will always be the same few families playing the main roles. No matter how much investment there is, the box office won't be high."

Shinto complained that he had sensed something strange about the village ever since he stepped into the village. Just like what Kaizo had said back in Konoha, everyone was vying for attention. The "gatekeeper" standing guard at the village entrance was clearly a ninja from one of the major clans. In the past, those clan ninjas would never bother with guard duty, leaving it to the commoners. But now, in order to get firsthand information, all the guards who walked from one end of the village to the other were clan ninjas. Not a single commoner ninja could be seen. This was practically driving them to their doom.

"...Originally, I planned to let them fight it out for a while until they were battered and bruised, and then let them come up with a solution. But your method is worth a try."

She hadn't been having a good time either, constantly being bothered by those guys. If it weren't for not wanting the village to become like the Hidden Cloud Village it is now, she would have already released the poison.

........

Today is an important day for Sunagakure and its villagers. Their village's leaders have gone mad and decided to hold a Kazekage election. They are to vote for whoever they want to be the next Kazekage.

In other words, the decision of who the Wind Shadow is is no longer up to the higher-ups, but is now decided by these villagers!

So exciting!

Before dawn, the villagers arrived in front of the Wind Shadow Tower with the tickets issued by the Dark Guard, forming a long queue. They would decide who would become the Wind Shadow, which meant that the status of these unarmed people in the village would be much higher, and at least they would no longer be looked down upon by the powerful families.

"Look...you've all seen it too, this is the legendary public opinion. Your old ways are outdated. Times are changing, and our Sand Village must keep up with the times. If you fall behind, you'll be eliminated. It's no longer just clans fighting each other, but large-scale battles between villages and even nations. Population is power. A major battle can easily involve tens of thousands of people. I wonder if all your clans combined have that many people. Do you really think that Uchiha from Konoha can take on five people at once? Even if Uchiha took on five people, he was still defeated by Iwa ninja! If our Sand Village wants to become stronger, we can't do without the support of these villagers. Without their support, without their efforts to create more people to contribute to our development, where would we get all those cannon fodder...Pah! So many brave warriors have sacrificed their lives. Now you see how powerful public opinion is, right? Each of these people could kill you with a single spit!"

Standing on the platform above the Wind Shadow Tower, Shinto pointed to the dense crowd below and addressed the old man behind him, each of whom had a member of the Chikamatsu Ten, who stood trembling and dared not speak, like a father disciplining his son.

Chiyo is always quick, ruthless, and accurate in her actions! During the day, she said that Shinto's method was worth a try, and that very night she gathered these old guys together to announce the method of electing the Kazekage by vote. However, apart from Sunagawa who remained silent, the other old guys were not happy about it. Although they rarely interacted with the lower classes, they knew what kind of people their family members were like. If they really implemented democracy and let the villagers vote, then not only this term, but they would also have no chance of becoming the next leader.

However, Chiyo, who had already made up her mind, was no longer going to reason with these old guys. The time for winning people over with virtue was over. As soon as the Chikamatsu Ten appeared, the originally noisy venue immediately quieted down, and they all looked at Chiyo with the timidity of grandsons.

You're the boss, so whatever you say goes.

To ensure the smooth conduct of the vote, each of the old men was equipped with a puppet coated in her newly developed deadly poison by Chiyo. Looking at the black puppets with a hint of green light behind them, the old men nodded obsequiously to Shinto, who was speaking. Although they were very unhappy about being lectured by a brat, their lives were in Chiyo's hands, so they had to do what Chiyo said. After all, Chiyo had the bigger fist...

"Sir, will this method work?"

The underling standing next to Sunagawa whispered, "Although their village's genius has earned the title of 'Golden Lion' at such a young age, for some reason, this method, which I initially thought was reliable, now seems less so after hearing it from their genius..."

"No problem. No one has left the meeting room since last night. Even the notices were posted by Lord Hai Zang himself, completely eliminating the possibility of buying and selling tickets. The rest is up to the villagers to decide..."

Sunagawa's voice trembled slightly as he twisted his thigh tightly with one hand, using the stinging pain to stimulate his central nervous system and force himself to calm down as he explained to his underlings.

79. Sunagawa: I'm about to become the boss!

I'm so excited!

Unbelievable excitement!

Even though Sunagawa had recently read extensively and was very knowledgeable, she didn't know what adjectives to use to describe her feelings at this moment.

At that moment, she really wanted to go home and tell her elderly parents, whose portrait hung on the wall, "Your son is about to become the eldest child!!!"

Chiyo-sama's move was incomprehensible to his underlings, but as Shamon's close subordinate for many years, how could he not see through it? Chiyo-sama was trying to secure his position!

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the meaning was quite clear: getting the villagers to vote for these candidates was tantamount to sending him to power. The other candidates were all from wealthy families. To put it bluntly, although these wealthy scions were usually arrogant and domineering in front of the villagers, it would be a miracle if the villagers actually voted for them. As long as they weren't given the opportunity to illegally buy or sell votes, he was guaranteed to be the Fengying!

At this moment, Sunagawa is filled with many emotions!

Once upon a time, the title of Kazekage was an unattainable dream for him. Back when he was just a lowly underling, he had admired the First and Second Hokage from afar more than once, fantasizing that one day he could wear the Kazekage's robes, stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world, and step onto the stage of history.

However, for someone born into a small, peripheral family, even with the awakening of the incredibly powerful Magnet Release technique, especially the Iron Sand version, becoming Kazekage was just a grand fantasy without the support of his family. But fate is unpredictable. An unexpected encounter led him to meet the Second Kazekage and gain his favor. At that time, he didn't even dare to dream of becoming Kazekage. As the saying goes, "Thirty is like a wolf, forty is like a tiger," and the Second Kazekage was in his prime, at the peak of his life. According to the village's legal retirement age, the Second Kazekage would have to serve for at least twenty or thirty years. By then, both Shinto and Kai would have grown up and be fully capable of inheriting the throne. It would be impossible for him, a "clean-blooded" junior, to be in the position. So, he only thought that with his background, being able to reach a high-ranking position in the village was already a rags-to-riches story. He would obediently follow in the footsteps of the Second Kazekage for a few decades, find a girl, get married, start a family, and build a powerful clan. Perhaps his descendants might even become Kazekage in the future, but his generation could basically forget about it.

But just as he was following the Second Hokage step by step, it was as if the heavens favored him. The Second Hokage was killed by the One-Tailed Beast, leaving the village leaderless. Chiyo said that Jie and Shinto were involved in the Kazekage conflict. Originally, he had no intention of doing so, but when he saw that the clan members who were put on the table were all ugly and incompetent, and that they were not capable of leading the village, a large number of commoners stood up to support him. This made it impossible for him not to fight!

He originally thought that after the peace talks ended, Lady Chiyo would hold some kind of real-person PK to decide who would take the throne. As the number one powerhouse among the younger generation in the village, he was not worried at all. It wasn't that he looked down on these family members; those family members were good at letting him boost his stats.

One-on-one?

He gave them their hands and feet!

But when he was summoned by Lady Chiyo last night and heard her suggestion, he was completely dumbfounded. Happiness came too suddenly. Lady Chiyo was clearly making him take over!

If he weren't so excited that he couldn't calm down, he would already be thinking about his acceptance speech!

........

"Ahem! Well... everyone! Uncles and brothers! I'm sure you all know why I've gathered you all here today. Ever since our beloved Second Generation Lord passed away, the village has been leaderless, and some incompetent individuals have made a mess of things. Under these circumstances, our wise and capable, beautiful and intelligent Lady Chiyo couldn't bear to see the village continue like this. So, after racking her brains for days and nights, she's become quite haggard, and finally, she's come up with a solution..."

After lecturing the old guys, Masato ignored their murderous glares and turned to walk onto the platform to host the event. The main problem was that no one else wanted to do it. After reading his prepared speech, neither Kaizo nor Chiyo could bring themselves to do it, especially Chiyo. While her descriptions of being wise and powerful, a woman who was no less capable than men, and possessing both beauty and intelligence were true, she wasn't shameless enough to praise herself. The underlings willing to host either lacked education and eloquence or didn't have enough prestige. Sunagawa was a suitable candidate; after the previous pre-battle mobilization, his skin had indeed thickened considerably. However, now that he was a candidate, he couldn't be the host. That left only him, the rising star of the ninja world, the "Golden Lion" of Sunagakure. Although he was a bit young, his prestige was high enough...

"?????"

These days, the general level of education in the village is relatively low. Many people can't even write their own names. A group of illiterate people look up blankly at their village's genius spouting nonsense. Although they can't quite understand what their genius is babbling about, and wonder why it's not time to vote yet, this is a rare grand event, so they'll just have to bear with it...

"Times have changed, and we in Sunagakure must keep up with the times. This era values ​​democracy. The Kazekage isn't just one person's Kazekage, but everyone's Kazekage. Therefore, the great and beautiful Lady Chiyo has decided that from now on, the Kazekage will be elected by your votes, one by one. Put your votes in the box with their names on it if you think you have a favorite. Even if you can't read, it's alright. We've invited the famous painter from the Land of Wind, Master Shinto... to paint a portrait of each of them... and hang it up. You can identify them by comparing their features..."

"Jie, who is this 'True Fighting Master' you're talking about, brother? Does our Land of Wind have such a painter???"

In the crowd, Scorpion's mother looked at Scorpion's father with a question mark on her face. She was also a top student, or rather, almost all aspiring puppeteers these days were top students. When Masato mentioned the famous painter Master Masato, she listed countless famous artists in the Land of Wind in her mind, but she couldn't find any trace of Master Masato.

"...Isn't the eldest brother's name Masato? He's bragging about himself. Look at the pictures pasted on those boxes, who else but him could draw such ugly portraits...-_-||"

Handsome Scorpion's father covered his face with both hands, looking ashamed to be seen, and said...

80. The villagers resolutely refused to vote for the ugly guy.

Look at all this talk! They've painted Sunakawa-san so alluring, and he looks incredibly seductive in that costume he wore in the Land of Fire. If it weren't for that huge metal lump on his head, I'd think he was a girl...

However, his older brother's drawing skills weren't very good, but he did manage to capture the characteristics of those people: Sunakawa's charm, this one's big nose, that one's triangular eyes... they all had distinct features.

"Wow! I never expected Lord Sunakawa to look so handsome in his costume! For that reason alone, I'm voting for him!"

"Yes, our Kazekage can't be too shabby. Look at this big nose, and that face full of black spots, either pockmarks or acne. Oh! This one is even uglier. Even if you cover his face, you can tell he's ugly just from those triangular eyes. Lord Sunakawa is much more pleasing to the eye..."

"......"

When it came to the voting stage, the villagers weren't in a hurry to vote. Instead, they first admired the masterpiece of their famous painter from the Land of Wind, "Master Shindou." After comparing the two, they realized that, apart from Lord Sunagawa, the other candidates were all ugly and deformed. They didn't know why they hadn't noticed it before, but after seeing the portrait, the sense of identification was particularly strong. Afterward, the villagers reached a tacit consensus.

I absolutely refuse to vote for that ugly guy!

This has nothing to do with whether those people are members of families they dislike or not; it's a matter of the village's image. Shadow is the face of the village, and although their current face is their genius young master, Shindou, he's still a window into the village, isn't he?

If they elect an ugly person as village chief, wouldn't that damage the village's image? It'd be embarrassing if word got out...

"This....σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Those on the high platform were at least Jonin, so they could hear the villagers' discussions below. The group watched in disbelief as the villagers cast their votes for Sunagawa's box. It wasn't because Sunagawa had more votes; they were all seasoned veterans who had known their clan's chances of being nominated were slim ever since Lady Chiyo came up with this method and even brought out the Chikamatsu Ten Ninja to act as their bodyguards.

Chiyo-sama clearly intended for Sunagawa to take over. No matter how unwilling they were, there was nothing they could do. Their fists weren't big enough. Moreover, in the next generation, Chiyo-sama's family would dominate Sunagawa. Whether it was the First Hokage's son, Kei, a genius puppeteer who had already reached Chunin level at the age of seven, or Shinto, who had already made a name for himself in the ninja world and even had a Dao title, their family would still be in charge of Sunagawa for the next few decades. For the sake of their own lives or for the sake of their family, they had to back down this time.

So they could have predicted that Sunagawa would get a lot of votes, but what they never expected was that these villagers voted for Sunagawa not because of his talent and virtue, but because he was good-looking and more handsome than their family's candidate!

This made them feel worse than if they had eaten feces, even though he had never eaten it before....

If everyone just chooses village chiefs based on looks, then there's no point in arguing in Kirigakure; they can just let Minazuki take charge.

Onoki, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current James—all those people are ugly...

"Brother Sunakawa, have you prepared your award-winning manuscript yet? I just prepared one for you... I never thought it would be such a looks-obsessed era! Luckily, I look more like my mom than my dad... Ouch!"

Just as Sunakawa was in a daze, Masato came to Sunakawa's side and sighed, only to be slapped on the head by Chiyo.

The election was like a predictable outcome, even before it began. Although the reasons given by the villagers differed somewhat from what Masato and Sunagawa themselves had in mind, the election was only halfway through, with half the people still in line, and Sunagawa's box was already overflowing with ballots. This already proved that Sunagawa was the ultimate winner.

"Um... wait two minutes, let me go change into my costume..."

Sunagawa snapped out of his daze and vigorously rubbed the effeminate man's pretty face, forcing himself to calm down. He was definitely excited; he was about to become the leader of Sunagakure and be recorded in the history of Sunagakure, on par with the First and Second Hokage.

Of course, there were some awkward moments too. After all, he thought it was his character and talent that earned him the villagers' respect, but it turns out it was all because of his face...

If he had known the victory would come so easily, and that these lovely villagers would admire him so much in his costume, he should have taken the morning off to change. But it's not too late; he's already planning to give these adorable villagers who admire him a free performance...

"No! Please don't! This is such a formal occasion, I think it's better to be more formal. If you really want to thank these villagers, you can find another time to hold a solo concert for them and perform for free. Let's forget about it now..."

Seeing that Sunakawa was about to change into his costume in a fit of emotion, Masato quickly grabbed him!

Putting aside whether Sunakawa sings well or not—although Chiyo and Kaizo both said Sunakawa's singing skills are internationally acclaimed—he really can't appreciate it. To avoid getting a sty, he absolutely can't let him sing...

"Hmm...you're right, singing at this time isn't really a good idea. Forget about your speech, go and prepare a copy first..."

Sunakawa, who was being held tightly by Masato, nodded in agreement. He seemed to be gloating a little at the start of the event. Who knew if these old guys would trip him up after he took power? However, feeling Masato's powerful strength and expectant eyes, Sunakawa ultimately declined his offer. Although the kid wasn't highly educated, his speech-writing skills were quite superb. He was afraid that he would write some nonsense in it, and if the villagers shouted that they were going to go and fight Konoha as if they had taken some kind of red potion after he finished reading it, then it would be a tragedy.

Life is only once, so it's more reliable for him to give his acceptance speech himself!

"Sigh...you really don't know what's good for you. My dear elders, you've all seen the situation now. This is what you call judging by looks...bah! It's the will of the people. If you want the next generation to rise to power, then your sons and daughters should hurry up and find a beautiful wife or a son-in-law who will live with you. The future is an era that judges by looks. If you don't have a pretty face that matches your ambitions, then don't even bother showing your face..."

After watching Sunagawa Masato slip away very quickly, he shook his head regretfully and then joked to those old guys who had eaten shit.

81. At least Sunagawa didn't plagiarize Konoha.

Sunagawa's rise to power signifies the arrival of the Third Kage era in the ninja world, and also the end of the old era. The older generation of the five great ninja villages have all retired to the second line. After all, new people have new styles, and as veterans, they naturally know the consequences of relying on their seniority.

Furthermore, being a ninja is a high-risk profession. Although the income is high, the risks are extremely high. Almost every ninja, after reaching a certain age, will experience a sudden outbreak of hidden injuries in their body. With age, declining beauty, and weakened immunity, many cannot survive this ordeal. This is why, even in peacetime, dying at fifty is considered a happy death in the ninja world. Those like Chiyo and Kaizo, who focused on health and survived until Shippuden, are truly rare. If Onoki couldn't fly, Boruto would still need him, and he probably would have died even earlier than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Given his volatile temper, even his own two Jinchuriki wanted to take him down...

So, as soon as the new "village chief" took office, the remnants of the previous generation from all the major villages submitted petitions to "retire and return home." Konoha did this, Iwagakure did this, and Sunagakure did the same. As for Kumogakure... well, the village had been dealt a major blow by the Third Raikage, and they were completely out of talent. Even wanting to "retire and return home" wasn't an option; they had to attend meetings with the Raikage at 2 AM, even though they were practically half-dead.

Being 30 seconds late means you'll have to kneel on a durian!

After Sunagawa took over, those old guys went home to retire under Chiyo's gaze. The new generation of young family members took over their positions. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he found that the village's appearance had been completely transformed. Although Sunagawa might die a tragic death in the future, his political skills were indeed much better than Shamon, who was just a Kazekage who only copied Tobirama Senju. At least Sunagawa didn't copy Konoha anymore... In the past, in order to suppress those old guys, Shamon's method was as simple and brutal as Chiyo's and Retsuto's: raise your fist and make them kneel down and sing "Conquer".

While this method is simple and effective, it only provides temporary suppression and cannot be used permanently, thus offering no benefit to the village's development.

In contrast, Sunagawa's methods were far more sophisticated. In just two months, he had already become one of the guys who had once been his adversaries. Every day, they would act as if they were his superiors, which greatly surprised Masato. He didn't know if these guys were just naturally spineless or what, but they completely lacked the backbone of the older generation. As a result, the changes in the village during Sunagawa's less than a year in power were greater than the changes during Shamon's several years in power. Of course, it cannot be said that Shamon was inactive when he was in power. In fact, Shamon had many ideas when he was in power, but he could only use strong methods to suppress those old guys and make them obedient. He could not achieve the effect of Sunagawa speaking and his subordinates starting to act the next second.

In addition, Shamen's political talent was just so-so. He had many ideas but poor execution skills. Because of the attitude of those old guys, the people below him always performed the tasks assigned by Shamen to the minimum, and they were dissatisfied with any more or less.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot, Aunt Chiyo, I saw this lying next to Kinkaku when I went to collect Tobirama Senju's body last time, and nobody picked it up. See if anyone in our village has any connection to the Six Paths Elder, and ask them to try it out. If it doesn't work, hang it in our main hall. After all, it's a prop the Six Paths Elder used for fanning himself, so it's respectable."

Today is the day that Masato finishes his cowardly development at home and sets off with Miss Slug to Shikkotsu Forest to practice his immortal arts.

In just over a year, Masato had successfully transformed from a ten-year-old boy into a twelve-year-old. During this time, Masato had successfully embodied the spirit of those who "don't become monks until they reach a certain level," sweating profusely in the training ground every day. Perhaps it was due to his age, but his body was beginning to change, and his strength had increased more rapidly in the past year than it had in the previous four years. He had developed both types of Haki to an impressive degree, most notably Armament Haki, which covered every inch of his skin, turning a deep purple-black color. Even Chiyo's most formidable ten members of the Chikamatsu Puppet Masters couldn't break through the defenses on his clothes. Although he had never fought a Tailed Beast one-on-one, his sixth sense told him that he could easily withstand the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball. However, thinking of Mito Uzumaki's ultimate move that summoned the Grim Reaper, he ultimately abandoned this immature idea.

However, getting rid of that fat cat in their village would be no problem at all. To be honest, he had never actually seen that fat cat since he transmigrated. This was mainly because Chiyo had done a good job of keeping it a secret, and because the Jinchuriki Bunpuku felt guilty for causing Shamon's sacrifice, he had Chiyo seal him in a cave. Only Chiyo and a few people guarding the sealing site knew the exact location. This also made it impossible for him to get the fat cat out for a one-on-one fight. The Tailed Beast Sealing Technique developed by Mito Uzumaki was undoubtedly superior, its level being many times higher than their original broken-down version. In the past two years, apart from the last time the people of Konoha stole it, according to Bunpuku's account, the fat cat was as obedient as a husky in his belly, unable to even stand up.

While he hasn't yet developed his Observation Haki to the point of being able to hear other people's thoughts—that's a super-powerful skill for flirting with girls, since that's too far-fetched and he doesn't even know where to begin—he can still manage to foresee the future for five seconds like Katakuri in One Piece. It's not difficult; it's just an extension of his ability to sense the direction of attacks.

There hasn't been much progress in swordsmanship yet; he's still at the level of a Great Swordsman, above Sword Master but not quite. The advancement from Sword Master to Great Swordsman depends on one's understanding of swordsmanship. This thing is even more mysterious than Observation Haki. When you have a good understanding, it will naturally come to fruition; if you don't, no amount of hard work will help. However, with his dual-color Haki, he's already a solid Double-Flower Red Stick. He's not in a hurry to go out and have fun right now, partly because the fierce Tsunade is still young... cough!

Secondly, because he once obtained Miss Slug's summoning scroll through some underhanded means and signed a contract, Miss Slug ignored him for a whole year. Even when he summoned her, it was just a smoke bomb. Miss Slug is different from a three-legged toad or a tsundere snake. Even if one toad ignores you, you can summon another toad. But in the entire Shikkotsu Forest, there is only Miss Slug herself. Whether it's Hashirama Senju or Tsunade, what they summon are just her clones. If she doesn't want to, even someone as powerful as Hashirama Senju can only summon a fart.

Over the past year, in an effort to improve Miss Slug's opinion of him as a respectable gentleman, he has read countless... oops! fairy tales. By reading one fairy tale every day, he has gradually salvaged his image in Miss Slug's mind.

82. That kind of person is either in Konoha or in Konoha.

Just after telling Miss Slug a fairy tale today, we chatted about Sage Mode. Miss Slug wasn't sure if she could learn it either. After all, Sage Mode is very random; not everyone who's a genius can learn it, and not everyone who's a failure can't. But Miss Slug said that with her current chakra control and great physique, she could give it a try. After all, she'd never seen anyone with such strong vitality who wasn't from the Uzumaki or Senju clans before, so it wasn't certain she could learn it.