Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

The Chunin underling who kept babbling on and on in front of the Savior looked somewhat familiar. He could only be Iruka, the future legend of the Konoha teaching world and the first person in ninja history to rise from a commoner to become the principal of the Ninja Academy and the Savior's first mentor.

This is not bragging. Not only in Konoha, but in all villages in the ninja world, the position of principal of the ninja academy is usually held by the village kage. Even if it is not the village kage, it is usually held by a pillar of the village like Chiyo.

After all, the children in each village school are the hope of the village, and the situation in the village is quite complicated. If the principal can't keep an eye on things, it's easy for others to interfere, which is something no village can allow.

Iruka's ability to rise from a commoner chunin to the position of principal of the ninja academy many years later is truly legendary in the field of education.

However, Iruka is a natural-born teacher. His work ethic and sense of responsibility are rare qualities. He could talk non-stop for half an hour in front of the savior without stopping. This amazing ability to talk is unmatched by most people. At least in all these years in Sunagakure, they haven't found such a talent. Moreover, Sunagakure can't do what Konoha does, where all the teachers in the school are commoners. After all, they have an elite system. Commoner ninjas don't have much skill. The children they teach, especially the children of clans, are okay, but if commoner children are taught by these people with little skill, then each generation will be worse than the last. You can't become strong and protect the village just by loving it. That's the difference between Sunagakure and Konoha.

While Konoha hasn't produced any outstanding geniuses in recent years, they have plenty of talent. Every clan, big or small, possesses one or two secret family techniques. When they're young in school, they can't learn many techniques anyway, so it doesn't matter if they're a bit weak. Later, they can learn one or two family secret techniques and still become top-tier fighters. Sunagakure doesn't have that advantage. Aside from the puppetry techniques of the Umekawa and Yusa clans, he hadn't heard of any other clans possessing secret techniques. Even Pakura's clan, despite having a bloodline limit, only awakened it after decades of ancestral graves burning, and now none of the next generation have awakened Scorch Release.

And it's even more incredible that the Savior, with such a rash personality, hasn't shown any impatience these past few days.

"I must say, Konoha really has a lot of talent. If our Sand Village teachers had half the sense of responsibility this kid had, while I'm still able to fight, I dare say Sand Village would be in charge of the ninja world for the next ten years..."

Seeing Iruka constantly babbling on and on, Masato shamelessly entertained himself.

"........."

Looking at the Chunin underling below who kept nagging Naruto, Sakumo Hatake couldn't keep up with his own rant and even looked at the Chunin underling with considerable surprise.

Although he had attended the Ninja Academy, he was merely a figurehead. When the Second Hokage founded the academy, his father, out of respect, allowed him to attend. However, because he was so outstanding, the Second Hokage permitted him to train at home after only one day of attendance. Therefore, he didn't have a deep connection to the Ninja Academy. Even when his son attended, he didn't pay much attention to it; after all, the success of the Hatake clan's men had little to do with the teachers…

931. They are a high-income group.

Seeing that Naruto showed no impatience whatsoever in front of this Chunin junior, even though he was too far away to hear what they were saying, there weren't many people who could make Naruto act like that; even his old boss couldn't do that.

I never expected there would be such a talented person in the school.

"Your Sand Village has plenty of talented people too, why don't you spend your time with Tsunade instead of coming to our Konoha to roam around..."

At that moment, a strong smell of smoke came from behind, almost choking Shinto. Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared behind them with a group of henchmen, carrying a large opium pipe.

He knew that this bastard had come to Konoha last night and that the Hatake clan had appeared. To this bastard, Konoha was like his backyard, undefended and impossible to guard against. Not to mention this bastard's strange abilities, just his ability to fly allows him to go anywhere in the entire ninja world. Although this bastard never comes to Konoha with good intentions, with his leader around, he is still at ease and hasn't chased him away. This bastard once helped Konoha fight the Nine-Tails. Although his perfect grand-disciple and Kushina died in the end, and Konoha had to rebuild, it didn't cause a large number of casualties back then.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't an ungrateful person. Even disregarding the fact that this bastard had been flirting with his disciple for years, he had already stabbed him with his ever-growing and thickening fire poker, letting everyone see that although Hiruzen Sarutobi was old, he was still the ninja hero who could stab Onoki.

However, he had just witnessed the farce of his perfect grand-disciple's son at the Hokage Building. To be honest, he had gotten used to it over the years. Although it was a headache that Naruto's child was just like his good-for-nothing son, perfectly avoiding all of his parents' perfect genes and inheriting Kushina's personality but not her talent. Moreover, he wasn't even as handsome as his perfect grand-disciple. If it weren't for his golden hair and half of the Uzumaki clan's genes, he would have suspected that Minato had switched the babies.

However, he was, after all, the child of his perfect grand-disciple, a great hero. Although he wasn't very talented, wasn't handsome enough, and wasn't as well-behaved as his perfect grand-disciple, he would turn a blind eye to him unless it was something serious. He would even let him draw his portrait on the Hokage Rock as a girl.

However, when he saw that bastard Shiki and his leader staring at Naruto from afar, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a bad mood. Although that bastard hadn't tried to take the Nine-Tails when he was invited by Tsunade to help, there was the example of the Seven-Tails from Tsukuyomi. Naruto was about to graduate this year, and this bastard just happened to come to Konoha. All these possibilities combined, after all, he was a disciple of Senju, so he couldn't help but imagine a bunch of conspiracy theories. He quickly called for his men and brought a bunch of his underlings to see what this bastard wanted to do in Konoha.

Others may not know who the Jinchuriki of Konoha is, but when the perfect grand-disciple sealed the Nine-Tails, this bastard was right beside them. Naruto has the same golden-yellow hair as him, anyone with a brain would know.

Although Sakumo can still fight, being a young tail at his peak, this bastard could have taken on the Nine-Tails one-on-one more than ten years ago. Moreover, this bastard has maintained himself quite well over the years; Chiyo is an expert in health preservation. Who knows if this bastard can still fight now? The Third Raikage, that old pen, was over sixty years old and could still fight against ten thousand Iwa ninja. Now, half a Nine-Tails might not be able to defeat him.

This kind of super-powerful item is the most troublesome. If this bastard has any ill intentions towards this half of the Nine-Tails, and a fight breaks out, aside from whether we can stop him, Konoha might become a battlefield and have to be rebuilt again...

"...It's all because of your incredible luck at gambling, you good-for-nothing disciple. I, Golden Lion, have never lost in my entire life, but these past few years have nearly driven me to the brink of collapse. So I came here to recover, and also to ask Nawaki if the Senju clan has any other real estate besides the land deeds. Otherwise, Nawaki will have to go mining after he gets married. What are you doing, making such a big fuss about to kill someone? I'm not here to fight. Sarutobi, you two scoundrels, put your weapons away! You've been a monk under your daimyo for years, eating vegetarian food for a few years, and you think you've reformed? You're still a scoundrel, always ready to fight and kill, with no manners whatsoever. No wonder your great Sarutobi Hiruzen hasn't left you the family business after all these years..."

Looking at the menacing group of underlings behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose worst members were all Special Jonin, he pointed at Hiruzen Sarutobi's good-for-nothing youngest son, who had a big beard and a cigarette in his mouth, and acted like a father to his son.

I have to say, it felt pretty good to berate the youngest son in front of his father; I just couldn't stop.

"......"

Sarutobi Asuma, who looked like Hiruzen Sarutobi's younger brother's youngest son with a big beard, was speechless. If he wasn't unsure whether the old guy could still fight and didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the red-eyed girl, he would have gone up and started fighting without waiting for the old man to say anything.

This old bastard insulted him in front of his own father, which was one thing—their father-son relationship was just so-so anyway—but to insult him in front of the red-eyed girl was something he couldn't stand.

"...You don't need to worry about these things. Sakumo, you should take good care of him on behalf of Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi also felt a toothache. Judging from Shiki's appearance, he didn't seem to be there for the Nine-Tails. He took a few puffs of his pipe, finished speaking, and left with his men.

That bastard's mouth is so damn foul, he's really afraid that if he stays any longer he'll summon Death to take this bastard to the underworld with him...

You bastard, how dare you insult my son in front of me? Do you think I'm a dead man?

If he had a successor, he would show this bastard just how awesome the "strongest Hokage in history" who could send Onoki flying would be!

"Hey! These young people, you're so hot-tempered at such a young age, it's not good for your health. Go and put out your fires when you have time. You guys in Konoha can probably get a discount, right?"

Watching this group arrive and leave in such a hurry, Shinto deliberately used his Observation Haki to ask Hatake Sakumo in a "quiet" voice, trying to make sure that all the Konoha underlings could hear him.

"That bastard... don't pull me away, help me take care of my wife and kids, I can't take it anymore..."

"Don't be impulsive, that old guy is tough, just bear with it..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi is a seasoned veteran, so he naturally wouldn't be affected by a few words. However, his underlings, all of whom have fiery tempers, couldn't stand it. This old guy was so arrogant on their turf, and he even wanted to offer a discount on that stuff.

Whom do you look down on?

They're ninjas, a high-income group!

932. This guy has been a big mouth since his debut.

"...ヽ(ー_ー)ノ"

Kakashi, who was also showing off his horse in the crowd, rolled his dead fish eyes and looked at the old man who had almost caused a public outcry. If the Konoha ninjas were of higher quality, they would have almost turned into a group of angry men beating up the old man.

The only reason someone with such a foul mouth has survived this long is because he's tough enough. Anyone else would have been ambushed in the bushes long ago.

"Sigh... let's go."

Hatake Sakumo was used to his way of speaking. It had been so many years, it was too difficult to get this guy to speak seriously. Seeing his underling about to turn around in a fit of rage, Hatake Sakumo quickly pulled him away.

They are people of Konoha with high moral character. If word got out that dozens of angry men had beaten up an old man, it would damage the village's image. What's more, this guy is a bit of a blabbermouth. He strongly suspects that this guy was the one who spread the love triangle scandal between the First Kazekage, Madara, and Chiyo. Although there is no evidence, recalling that only Chiyo was still alive back then, she had no reason to smear herself. And this guy has been a blabbermouth since his debut, so it's hard to say that it wasn't him who spread it.

Having known him for so many years, the more I understand him, the more likely it seems...

"Phew...this is really troublesome."

After watching Golden Lion being dragged away by Hatake Sakumo, Nara Big Head, who had just comforted his companion, sighed helplessly. The Nara clan's ancestral aversion to trouble and fear of their wives had now resulted in a major problem.

Based on the major events that have occurred in Konoha over the past few decades, almost every single one has the shadow of the Golden Lion. It has become a rule. To say that the Golden Lion doesn't cause trouble in Konoha is something even his family's ancestral big head wouldn't believe.

Putting aside the fact that it's peacetime now and they're guests, they can't very well turn them away. Even in wartime, with their village's current strength, they couldn't handle someone who could fight the Nine-Tails one-on-one more than a decade ago. This guy is even tougher than the Third Raikage back then, and much more difficult to deal with. This guy can fly, too.

If the Third Raikage could fly back then, he wouldn't have been tricked and killed by Onoki.

Flying is practically a BUG in the ninja world.

"Hiruzen, is that bastard Shiki's purpose in coming here because of the Nine-Tails?"

After everyone dispersed, only the three giants of Konoha gathered in the Hokage's office. Another giant, a pillar of Konoha, was also absent as usual. The cultured Mitokado Homura asked with a furrowed brow.

Although more than a decade has passed, and the Forest of Death has recovered its lush foliage thanks to Konoha's vigorous efforts in planting trees and restoring forests, many things have changed. His sacred place is no longer the same as before; it's not the original. Every time he thinks of that bastard Shiki, Mitokado Homura grits his teeth. It's one thing for that bastard to have gone to the Daimyo's capital to hang out with Tsunade these past few years, but they've turned a blind eye. Back then, this guy tricked Onoki, leaving Onoki still owing money to their Daimyo, which he still finds quite satisfying.

But now this guy is back in Konoha, and they're all in a bad mood, especially since he's been secretly eyeing the Fourth Hokage's son. Even though he's old and might not be as powerful as he used to be, the Nine-Tails isn't the same Nine-Tails anymore; it's only half left...

They wouldn't believe excuses like him losing to Tsunade too much and getting tilted. Everyone in the ninja world knows that Tsunade hasn't won in decades. Nawaki has lost to Tsunade for decades, but he hasn't gotten tilted. They think it's more plausible that he came to Konoha for the Nine-Tails. After all, the Seven-Tails from Takigakure is an example. That bastard's character is so fickle.

"...It's not certain yet, but with Sakumo with him, nothing should happen..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi also had a headache. He took several puffs of smoke and waited until his two friends were almost vomiting from the secondhand smoke before slowly speaking.

He certainly didn't believe in Golden Lion's character, or rather, that bastard had never been one to act with integrity. But the saying "guests are always welcome" was true. In peacetime, they couldn't simply refuse entry without a reason. Ever since that bastard's debut, Konoha had always been his backyard. That bastard could fly; they had no way to restrict him. Besides, it was only other villages that restricted Konoha ninja from entering; there was no reason for Konoha to restrict others' entry and exit. That went against Konoha's spirit of love and peace...

"Ah! I hope so..."

Zhuan Xiaochun sighed helplessly. With so many people in Konoha, every major battle they fought was a one-against-many battle. These past few years have been too humiliating. Just because the two top members of their village died or left, they had to swallow their pride and shift the blame to the head of the Hyuga branch family in order to avoid war when facing Kumogakure. Such a thing has never happened in the decades-long history of Konoha.

Even though the Golden Lion had come a few times in the past, they were only worried that he would cause trouble, but they were never worried. But now, the only one in the village who could fight was Sakumo. His friend was already sixty-nine years old. He could talk a lot and raise his voice, but it would be difficult for him to actually fight. Now, the Golden Lion had only come to Konoha and hadn't even caused any trouble yet, but he had already made them tremble with fear.

Such a life is humiliating to even think about, but there's nothing they can do about it. It's been many years since anyone in Konoha has risen to the rank of Double Flower Red Staff!

"In recent years, the friction between us and other villages has become increasingly intense. It seems that everyone knows Shuomao is getting old. What can you do?"

Seeing his two friends sighing and complaining, Hiruzen Sarutobi forcibly changed the subject, saying that Konoha had a lot of talent, with a large number of people in all walks of life. Just like Iruka, whom Golden Lion had mentioned before, he was definitely an outstanding teacher of the year. Compared to other ninja villages, Konoha was definitely developing very well.

However, compared to Konoha, which boasts the number one village in the ninja world, they are in an awkward situation. The older generation of top ninjas have aged, but no one in the new generation has taken their place. Although he can still stab Onoki, he can't change the fact that he's old. In the past ten years or so since Minato's passing, the village has relied on Sakumo's name to protect it, making the surrounding ninja villages wary. But as time goes by, they still can't do anything about it. As the saying goes, it's easier to deal with the Grim Reaper than the underlings. Whether it's Kumogakure, Sunagakure, or Iwagakure, although the friction with Konoha has intensified in recent years, the real trouble comes from the smaller ninja villages. The big ninja villages care about their reputation, so even if it's a real fight, they will fight openly and honestly. But the smaller ninja villages are much more despicable, vile, and shameless.

933. Fat Cat is a Good Teacher

Those small ninja villages, caught between the major and minor ninja villages, have no shame to speak of, let alone face. In previous years, Sakumo's reputation still held them in check, but its effectiveness has waned in the last two years. They probably think Sakumo is too old. And what's most disgusting is that they never confront the major ninja villages head-on. They're even more sneaky than wild ninjas, coming to their Land of Fire to harass them, grab some benefits, and before they can even send anyone over, the ninjas have already arrived. Although they suffer a little loss each time, they can manage, but it's still incredibly disgusting.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't have a good solution to this problem. He couldn't just send a large army to start a war of annihilation, because that would definitely trigger a world war. Konoha, located in the center of the ninja world, has always been a place where a single move can have far-reaching consequences. As long as they make a move, apart from Kirigakure which is a special case, the other three major villages will definitely take action. Right now, even with himself, Konoha only has two Red-Haired Servants. If a world war breaks out, Konoha simply won't be able to protect them.

Moreover, Konoha has always advocated love and peace, and it is impossible for them to initiate a war and slap themselves in the face. Only those who have experienced war know how terrible it is, especially since Konoha always fights against many opponents, and the number of deaths they suffer each time is the highest in the ninja world.

But this can't go on. At least he can still fight now, and Sakumo is still at the tail end of his peak. In another two or three years, when he really can't fight anymore, and Sakumo is really old, then there will really be no way to fight.

"...I think it would be better if our Konoha also held a joint Chunin Exam. Although Onoki's plan failed last time, it achieved its deterrent purpose. In those two years, because of Itachi Uchiha, the pressure on our Konoha was indeed much less. In recent years, it is because of Itachi Uchiha's defection and the Uchiha clan that those guys have become so unscrupulous..."

After analyzing the situation, Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, offered her suggestions.

Although Konoha hasn't produced any outstanding geniuses yet, they have plenty of talented individuals. While they can't be said to be as exceptional as the Uchiha clan back in the day, their talent pool is still among the highest in the entire ninja world. They can take this opportunity to intimidate their colleagues in the surrounding smaller ninja villages and flex their muscles, letting the ninja world know that although Konoha's top ninjas may be getting old, the next generation is just as outstanding.

"agree!"

The cultured Mitokado Yan nodded in agreement with his friend's suggestion. Konoha had indeed been keeping a low profile for too long; it was time to let those other ninja villages see how Orochimaru... ugh! Orochimaru pooped.

The three giants of Konoha decided to hold a joint Chunin Exam, but they didn't take action. After all, such a large-scale cultural event requires a lot of preparation, and they also planned to hold it after this year's graduating class, since the quality of this year's graduating class was much higher than in previous years, and many of Konoha's clan heirs were in this class.

......

"Idiot Gaara, that guy is just a Jonin trash. One Sandstorm Funeral would have taken him down. Stop with all that fancy stuff!"

In a remote village in the Land of Wind, Maki, along with Rasa's three children, was facing off against a small Iwagakure squad that had come to raid the area. In the end, Maki's squad achieved a resounding victory with zero casualties, defeating two Jonin and one Chunin.

Although Gaara and his two siblings haven't graduated yet, they're practically there. In the elite education system of Sunagakure, any outstanding genius is assigned to a mentor before graduation to help them adapt to ninja life. While Gaara's eldest daughter and second son aren't exactly geniuses, they're still considered outstanding among their peers, being the children of the Kazekage, giving them a much higher starting point. And because Gaara doesn't have to be wary of his youngest son like in the original story, he didn't eliminate his brother-in-law, Yashamaru. Although Gaara is very busy, Yashamaru is a good uncle, and with a loving father like Gaara, his eldest daughter and second son aren't mediocre either.

Moreover, there is Gaara, the youngest son who has been recognized by the One-Tailed Fat Cat since childhood and can borrow part of the One-Tailed Fat Cat's power. The three of them have grown up with the reputation of being genius boys and girls, and their strength is indeed far superior to that of other children of the same age.

It must be mentioned here that although the One-Tailed Fat Cat is the weakest among the Tailed Beasts, that's only in comparison to the Tailed Beasts. However, it has lived for hundreds of years and its vision is indeed unmatched by ordinary people. Moreover, it was tricked by Shinto back then and felt sorry for Gaara, who lost his mother at birth. Over the years, it has devoted itself to teaching Gaara. In order to defeat its little brother Kurama, the idiot Jinchuriki, the Fat Cat has taken great care of Gaara, treating him even better than its own son. In order for the child to have enough sleep and grow up healthily, even when Rasa comes home from get off work after 10 pm and wants to see his little son, he is blocked by a barrier made of sand.

After Gaara turned three, it began to teach him the basics. Over the years, because the relationship between the two is different from the original story, one teaches him wholeheartedly, while the other, without sleep problems, becomes irritable. In addition, Gaara has been able to borrow the power of the fat cat since he was a child, so his strength has developed rapidly. At least for now, the momentum is very strong. At the age of twelve, he defeated an ordinary Jonin without taking any damage.

However, Fat Cat was a good teacher. Fearing that Gaara would become arrogant and complacent, he scolded Gaara in a teacherly tone after his sister and brother had to work together to barely defeat the Chunin, while he was able to defeat the Jonin without taking any damage.

As Rasa's children, their supervising teacher was no ordinary person either. Rasa originally planned to ask Yekura or "Conan's father" to take care of his three children, but Yekura was the leader of the Jonin team and had no time at all, and "Conan's father," who was a free man, was also busy with training and had high hopes for his son who was not called Conan, so Maki had to be the babysitter for his three children.

Actually, the main problem is Gaara's youngest son. Although he has become proficient in communicating with the fat cat over the years, he is still a tailed beast. In addition, his identity is very sensitive. He can deal with ordinary Jonin without any problem, but if he encounters something tough and someone breaks the seal and releases the fat cat, his youngest son will really be doomed. If he weren't Kazekage and had too many things to do, he would want to personally be his youngest son's babysitter.

If it weren't for the fact that Shinto and Sasori's father were of such high seniority that he couldn't ask them to help, he would have asked them. After all, he had promised his wife to protect their youngest son. Yekura and "Conan's father" were too busy, and he couldn't get Sasori's father or Shiki to help either. So, he could only send Maki, who, although a bit weak, was still reliable. After all, Maki was someone Shiki had mentored, and was nominally his disciple; he couldn't be too weak...

Unbeknownst to Rasa, because of Maki, Masato always considered Maki the biggest failure of his teaching career...

934. Gaara's Fat Cat Grandpa