Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Although it was a bit of a shame that Patrick didn't get beaten up, it didn't stop Shinto from teasing Onoki. And losing this match was a slap in the face for Onoki. He originally thought he would have to wait for Itachi Uchiha's youngest son to take the stage, but unexpectedly, Patrick encountered Darui, the little boss, in his first match.

According to the test takers, Patrick Star should have no problem winning the exam as long as he doesn't run into Darui and Itachi Uchiha, his youngest son. These genin really can't withstand Patrick Star's grasshopper bombs, after all, they are all made of flesh and blood. Only Darui, a jonin, can withstand them.

However, seeing that Onoki and Tsuchiki's expressions were not good, he guessed that there must be something fishy going on. This exam was definitely presided over by Tsuchiki, and with Tsuchiki's intelligence, he couldn't possibly not know that Darui was a natural counter to Patrick in terms of both strength and ninjutsu. But in the first round, Patrick from their village was matched against Darui. Could it be... that Tsuchiki was short of money and was bribed by the Raikage?

That can't be.....

"That bastard... Next game. (▼he▼メ)"

Seeing Masato's gloating face, Onoki wished he could stamp his size 36 shoe on that size 38 face, but with so many people around, as the host and the person in charge, he had to maintain his composure...

The most crucial point is that this bastard's reminder just now made him realize that the idiot Daimyo had bet 50 billion on Iwagakure. Now that their core fighter Deidara has already lost a match, it means their chances are over. Even if he tries to get Deidara back into the game, there's still that little Uchiha brat behind them.

Five hundred billion!

Just thinking about that number makes Onoki's blood vessels burst!

They have no choice but to pay. With that bastard's big mouth, if he reneges on the debt, their Land of Earth will be on the front page tomorrow. But think about it... where the hell are they going to get 50 billion?!

That damned bastard! He ruined the village's reputation that he had maintained for so many years.

They finally paid off their loan to Sunagakure back then and no longer had to put up with Sunagakure's attitude, but now they've incurred an even bigger debt.

If I had known, I shouldn't have chosen that idiot to be in power back then!

Ono was in pain. Deidara had already lost, and he'd lost face. He didn't care about the upcoming exams anymore; he needed to figure out how to get that 50 billion yen note signed by Golden Lion first...

The first exam ended rather abruptly, and the following exams were just another bunch of novice ninjas fighting each other, which was quite boring. There were no flashy ninjutsu scenes like Deidara and Darui's earlier battles. It was mostly a group of genin fighting hand-to-hand, and there were no impressive visual effects. It was quite boring to watch. To be honest, there were no talented people in the villages at this time.

After all, it wasn't the beginning of a great era yet. The group of chosen ones were all still young, and there wasn't a single one of them who was worthy of consideration. Masato glanced over and saw that they were all cannon fodder types he didn't recognize. Even in Konoha, apart from Itachi Uchiha, none of the other kids were familiar faces.

Even when it was Itachi Uchiha's turn to appear, he would close his eyes and open them again before his opponent was already down.

It has to be said that the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, combined with genjutsu, is indeed very impressive, especially in clearing out mobs. It is comparable to Kakashi's Hatake sword technique. Even when the Cloud Ninja team led by Darui finally encountered the Konoha team led by Itachi Uchiha, it was not as exciting as everyone expected.

Previously, when Darui fought Itachi Uchiha one-on-one, everyone felt it wasn't exciting enough, since he started off so fiercely but was ultimately defeated by a genjutsu. This time, in a three-on-three battle, the size comparison between the two sides is like LeBron James facing off against elementary school students—it's simply impossible for them to win.

Once the two Konoha brats around Uchiha are dealt with, the three-headed Cloud Ninja James will form a triangle attack to sandwich Uchiha Itachi. It's really hard to say who will win. Although Uchiha Itachi is very strong for these examinees, he is not strong enough to ignore the number of people. So when the two sides meet again, everyone thinks this will be a wonderful battle.

result.....

Within a second of the start, Darui's two minor Konoha ninja companions were glared at by Itachi Uchiha and immediately collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely. Only Darui, having learned from his experience in the first one-on-one duel, never looked Itachi in the eye. Instead, he immediately entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode and engaged in close combat using the same tactics. After defeating the two other minor Konoha ninja companions, he was caught off guard and ended the battle in a flash. It can be said that from beginning to end, Itachi Uchiha never showed off his ancestral Fire Release like he did in the first one-on-one exam; he basically ended the battle with a single glare.

Although the process was boring, it once again showed the world the power of the Uchiha Sharingan. Especially when a boy with such amazing genjutsu talent is paired with a pair of Sharingan, he is simply unbeatable among his peers!

He collapsed before he could even make a move...

903. Onoki has committed many misdeeds over the decades.

"Gentlemen of your stature, I imagine you wouldn't stoop to not repaying a debt, would you?"

The second exam concluded as expected.

As expected, Itachi Uchiha of Konoha was selected as MVP with a perfect record of two wins. As for the second and third place... no one really cared. To these kids of varying levels, Itachi Uchiha was simply a big boss.

And it was time for Masato to happily accept the spoils. Arriving at the daimyo's private room, Masato smiled and addressed the heads of state of various countries, mainly targeting the three who had gambled 50 billion yen, especially the daimyo of the Land of Earth, who was no longer in high spirits but looked like he hadn't been able to defecate for decades. The daimyo of the Land of Wind was one of their own, so it didn't matter whether they accepted the spoils or not; in the end, it would all go in one hand and out the other. However, in front of so many people, they still had to put on a show.

It wouldn't be good if these veteran players accused them of teaming up to sabotage them.

The Fire Country Daimyo is a winner, but there's no rush. He can only make up for it after the Earth Country Daimyo pays. He doesn't have 50 billion yen himself. There are only a few people in the ninja world who can afford that much money. Even Kakuzu, who is busy making money all year round and supports an entire country, probably couldn't afford that much.

The Six-Tails of Kirigakure only has a few billion, and not even all of it in cash. Kirigakure might have been able to come up with that amount during its peak, but back then, Kirigakure was crippled by Obito, and the remaining small, half-crippled clans only managed to scrape together a couple billion.

"No problem, I'll have someone send it over right away."

"It's only right to pay back lost money; our men are here to deliver the money..."

Those who hadn't bet much, including the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, patted their chests and said with great pride, "It's only a billion or so. It's just a small amount of money for us. Buying a few bags for those top stars would cost more than that."

They also knew that Shiki wasn't targeting them, but rather the daimyo of the Land of Earth. The daimyo of the Land of Fire had already won, and the daimyo of the Land of Wind was related to Shiki, and his family was very wealthy. Five hundred billion seemed like a lot, but compared to the gold sands scattered all over the Land of Wind, it was nothing.

However, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth wasn't so lucky. It was all Onoki's fault for his terrible actions; his relations with neighboring countries had been strained for decades. Iwagakure lacked a diplomatic expert like Shinto, and not only did they have a long-standing conflict with Kirigakure, but the last major war also resulted in the death of the Third Raikage, escalating the conflict between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning to its peak. Onoki and Hiruzen Sarutobi were constantly at odds, and Onoki would even send his son to raid the Land of Fire from time to time, further straining relations between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. As for the smaller countries... only the Land of Earth's lackey, the Land of Demons, had a good relationship with them. But there was nothing they could do about it; the Land of Demons' geographical location bordered the Land of Earth but wasn't adjacent to any other countries. If they didn't cling to the Land of Earth's coattails, they might very well be eliminated.

Just like Takigakure today, without the Seven-Tails as the big boss, even the Takigakure Kage is a weakling. If you give Kakashi a tank, he can wipe out Takigakure in one go. Although they are located in a secluded place, they are right between the three great nations. If they want to survive in the ninja world, they need to find a strong backer. In the past few decades, Konoha has been the strongest backer. Hiruzen Sarutobi has a kind appearance. If he doesn't stick with Konoha, who else can he stick with?

This is why, when the daimyo of the Land of Earth was being pursued for debts, all the other daimyo except the daimyo of the Land of Demons looked gloating. Even the daimyo of the smaller countries didn't show any gloating, but their schadenfreude was still unmistakable.

Only the Daimyo of the Land of Demons was genuinely trying to find a solution for his elder brother, but damn it, 50 billion? He didn't even have 50 billion in assets! What solution could he possibly have? Back then, when he sent people to infiltrate the Land of Wind to raid for the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, many people already died. This time, the number was so large, and with Shiki still here, he dared not launch another attack. Another attack would set back the strength of the Land of Demons by decades. Their current strength was only enough to slightly bully the upright Hoshigakure; another attack would mean the Hoshigakure would turn the tables and become the masters...

"Hahaha, I knew you daimyo were people of your word and kept your promises. So, what do you say, Daimyo of the Land of Earth? This is just a small business of mine, you probably won't renege on your debt, will you?"

After finishing speaking, Masato deliberately raised an eyebrow at the daimyo of the Land of Earth and asked with a grin.

"This...this Golden Lion Lord, could you possibly grant me some time..."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth asked anxiously, wiping away cold sweat. He was even thinking of running away, but the ninja world was so vast that if Onoki and Shiki had their eyes on him, he couldn't escape even if he wanted to!

Although he was a veteran player and it was true that he wasn't doing his job properly, he also knew that their Land of Earth simply couldn't come up with that much money all at once. In peacetime, although their jade mines were still worth some money, even if they went to find Onoki... he was really afraid that the hot-tempered Onoki would give him a map-wide attack and turn him into dust.

It's a shame those Iwa ninja brats are so disappointing. They couldn't even get an MVP on their own turf. What's the point of such an easy victory at the start?

"Daimyo, this is not right of you. You were the one who asked for 50 billion back then. I'm just a small business owner and I didn't want to accept your price. But I couldn't bear to spoil your fun because you were so generous back then. But now that you've lost, you can't come up with the money. This puts me in a difficult position! The Daimyo of the Land of Fire is still waiting for my compensation."

Shindou rolled up his sleeves, covering his large, shiny black fists, and said with a troubled expression.

"boom!"

"Damn it! Golden Lion, what do you mean? Are you trying to make a move here? (▼へ▼メ)"

Just then, the door to the private room was blasted open, and Onoki Kazuki strode in first, followed by a group of his underlings. He stood in front of Masato, and the two were only a few centimeters apart, almost kissing.

Although Onoki was also annoyed by this idiot daimyo, there were outsiders around, so they naturally had to unite against outsiders. They could deal with the family matters behind closed doors later. The most important thing now was to deal with the idiot daimyo's 50 billion yen in foreign debt.

"Oh ho! When you're in the game, you have to accept your losses, and paying back debts is a matter of course. Onoki, judging from your posture, are you planning to bully us with your numbers and refuse to pay your debts? Or... do you not have the money? No way? No way? The Land of Earth, one of the Five Great Nations, is actually a poor country?"

Shinto shifted two steps to the left to dodge Onoki's death kiss, and raised an eyebrow at the swarm of Iwa ninja underlings behind Onoki that almost filled the private room.

904. White Teeth: They can't pull this off.

"You bastard! (▼he▼メ)"

Looking at this bastard's smug face, Onoki's nose turned purple, but he couldn't say a word. Their Land of Earth really couldn't come up with 50 billion. Not to mention the Land of Earth, even the Land of Fire couldn't come up with that much money in a short time. He really couldn't think of any way to deal with it. He only came to disrupt the situation, but this bastard kept calling him a poor bastard. He wouldn't fall for the trap at all if he didn't have money.

This was the first time in so many years that someone had pointed a finger at him and berated him without being able to talk back. Just thinking about it made his liver hurt. It was all that idiot Daimyo's fault!

"I don't care if I'm a jerk or not, you guys still get paid!"

Masato shrugged and said slowly.

"you..."

Onoki grew angrier the more he looked at the shameless guy. The white light flashing in his hand made him want to give this bastard a map-wide attack and then the world would be quiet.

"Oh ho, you want to fight, huh? Come on, whoever chickens out today will have to walk out this door on their knees. You owe money and still want to fight? Is there no justice? Is there no law?"

Shinto, seeing the white light in Onoki's hand, got angry and jumped onto the stool, becoming two heads taller than Onoki. He rolled up his sleeves and gave Onoki a disdainful look.

"You bastard, let's fight one-on-one if you dare!" (▼へ▼メ)

That familiar gaze completely ignited Onoki's anger, which surged to the top of his head. If there weren't too many kids around and he didn't want to hurt innocent people, he would have loved to fight this bastard to the death right here.

"Fine, let's fight! Do you think I'm afraid of a short, red-nosed brat like you? Come on, let's see what you're capable of..."

Shinto grabbed the daimyo and the nearest Iwa ninja underling, ignoring Onoki's death glare, and said...

"You bastard..."

Onoki was furious, but he didn't dare to make a move. He didn't care about the idiot daimyo; if he died, he could just replace him with another one. After all, the previous daimyo had so many sons, but this bastard had captured one of his underlings.

"Lord Tsuchikage, do it! We Iwa ninja are not afraid of death! I only hope that after my death, Lord Tsuchikage will take care of my elderly parents and tell them that their son is unfilial..."

Unlike the Daimyo who was practically wetting his pants, this Iwagakure kid was much tougher, looking like he was ready to die and feeling that it wasn't enough, so he insisted on adding a romantic subplot to his life.

Which director wouldn't want to pay 500 yuan to hire an extra who can add scenes?

Anyway, Onoki liked him to death. Seeing such a tough little brother, he was gratified and even more reluctant to kill him.

"Um...."

The surrounding daimyo, watching the clash between Shiki and Onoki, swallowed hard, cold sweat pouring down their faces. Those with weaker mental fortitude felt their legs go weak, while the daimyo of the Land of Fire was drenched in sweat, his face completely soaked. He watched the two with trepidation, no longer thinking about the 50 billion he had won. He was terrified that Onoki might be provoked and launch a massive attack, making him the shortest-serving daimyo in the history of the Land of Fire.

His grandfather reigned for thirty years, and his predecessor, the famous father, had a better foundation and reigned for over forty years. He has only been in power for about ten years, so he still has decades to live a carefree life.

In short, "time period" is not a pleasant word for him as a man... Now he doesn't want the 50 billion anymore, he just wants to go home as soon as possible, back to his Daming Mansion, because it's just too damn dangerous outside!

The bodyguards didn't know what was going on either. Weren't they told to go find White Fang? Why haven't they come yet...?

The Fire Country Daimyo was unaware that his twelve bodyguards were outside the private room, blocked by a group of Iwa ninja, preventing them from entering. Moreover, when they went to find White Fang, he simply replied, "They won't fight," and left with his Konoha underlings.

To outsiders, the feud between Golden Lion and Onoki is a once-in-a-lifetime event, a battle of titans where ordinary people would suffer. However, within the circle, it's commonplace. They've been bickering for decades without ever actually fighting. This is Onoki's territory, surrounded by his men; he's unlikely to actually confront Golden Lion here. They mostly just exchange barbs...

White Fang isn't exactly a master of verbal sparring, so he won't get involved in this kind of situation.

"Ahem, Lord Tsuchikage, Lord Golden Lion, please calm down. This is not a solution. We will naturally accept defeat if we daimyo lose, but words are not enough. I wonder if you could let me take a look at the note written by the daimyo?"

Seeing that his boss and the Golden Lion showed no signs of stopping, and that his boss, who was always in the wrong, was always at a disadvantage, Tu Mu knew that he had to step forward and give his boss a way out. There was a reason why he had been able to serve as the leader by his boss's side for decades. Not only did he have to be intelligent, but he also had to have good judgment. So he stepped forward and said slowly and deliberately.

“We’ve all known each other for a long time. I’m giving you, Tu Mu, face because it’s because of you that Iwagakure hasn’t been dragged down by this short, red-nosed guy.”

When Masato saw Tsuchiki come out, they had been close for decades, so he still gave him face, since it wouldn't hurt him. He took out the bet written by the daimyo of the Land of Earth and handed it to Tsuchiki, taking the opportunity to tease Onoki.

He wasn't worried that Tsuchimuk would destroy the betting code. After all, he had been a leader of Iwagakure for decades, and Tsuchimuk still had his pride. Iwagakure couldn't afford to lose face like that.

"Humph!"

Onoki gave a cold snort and didn't say anything. This kind of low-level provocation didn't work on him. After all, he was the second generation of old schemers after Tobirama Senju kicked the bucket. He was always the one provoking the other side. When did it become his turn?

"His Majesty the Golden Lion is impressed... Hiss!"

After being modest, the civil engineer took the order and glanced at it. Although he already knew that the idiot had bet 50 billion and even signed a written agreement, seeing it with his own eyes still made him feel a toothache and an urge to slap the idiot to death.

You not only wrote it down and signed your name, but you also stupidly pressed your fingerprint on it. What else is that but stupidity? You didn't even give him a chance to find fault with it. Five hundred billion! That's several years' worth of total revenue for Iwagakure.

Although Iwagakure made a fortune from this joint exam, the time was too short, and they didn't even make 8 billion yen. This idiot daimyo, on the other hand, gambled away 50 billion yen in one go! Seriously...

"See that? It's written in black and white, and there's a signature on the back. Although there's no fingerprint test, the ten whorls on your thumbs shouldn't be fake, right?"

Seeing that the civil engineering students were almost going crazy, Masato raised an eyebrow smugly.

nonsense!

Five hundred billion.

Even if it were Rosa, it would still take a while to draw blood...