Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

If it weren't for their long-standing friendship and the promise he had made to Mada, Shinto really wouldn't have wanted to take Maki as a student. The reason was simple: Maki was just too damn bad. Although he was a minor character with a name, his talent was really not good. He couldn't even compare to his father, Mada. Although Mada wasn't very quick-witted, he was at least quite talented. Although he wasn't a great genius, he had already reached the level of a Jonin at the age of fifteen, which was considered a minor genius in the talent-scarce Sunagakure.

But when it comes to Maki, to be honest, he's really unwatchable. If he didn't have some role in the original story, Masato would have suspected he was just a background character. His personality is alright, his whole family is a bit stubborn and argumentative, but the key issue is his talent; his strength is truly lacking!

From a young age, Maki was highly regarded by Mada and his father. He began formal training at the age of three, giving him a higher starting point than most children. Because he was the only heir in his lineage, he was strictly controlled by Mada and his father, preventing him from becoming one of those spoiled second-generation rich kids. However, his talent was far inferior to that of his slow-witted father. Mada had promised to teach Maki one-handed hand seals to prevent him from following in his footsteps. Although Maki didn't know how, he had managed to get a set of one-handed hand seal practice methods from White Fang. But talent is talent. Anyway, back in World War III, Maki was still practicing one-handed hand seals on his fingers every night on the front lines. Now, more than ten years have passed, and no one knows how he has progressed.

However, Maki does have the title of Golden Lion's disciple. Although Shinto is very reluctant to admit it, it is a fact. In the ninja world, people believe that a great teacher produces a great student. Maki himself is obviously very weak, but he has been lucky. So far in his career, he has not encountered any strong enemies. In Rasa's eyes, he is like a hidden talent. With the title of Golden Lion's disciple, Rasa thinks that this Maki should have some skills.

Since Yekura and "Conan's dad" didn't have time, and they couldn't invite Masato and Sasori's dad, and they didn't dare to invite Umekawa, it was fine to let Maki do it.

"Gaara, are you alright?"

Maki is a straightforward person. Although he doesn't have much knowledge, he inherited the character of his father and grandfather and always strives to complete the tasks assigned by his superiors perfectly.

Right now, the fat cat was spewing wildly inside Gaara's stomach, but only Gaara could hear it. After seeing Gaara stand there dumbfounded after single-handedly defeating an Iwagakure Jonin, he asked with concern.

After all, he knew Gaara's identity, so after being sent by Rasa to be the babysitter for the three kids, he took great care of them, especially Gaara. He was very concerned about Gaara's well-being, afraid that Gaara might have even the slightest problem, since there was a tailed beast in his belly.

His unreliable teacher hadn't been in the village for the past few years, and this place was far from the village. If something happened, he really couldn't protect him. He had naturally witnessed Gaara's strength over the past year, easily defeating many Chunin. However, this was the first time he had soloed a Jonin, so he couldn't help but be a little worried.

"I'm fine... I'm just a little tired."

Gaara snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and said to Maki.

It has to be said that Gaara today is very different from the original character. Unlike the original character who was constantly being attacked by the fat cat in his belly and became prone to violent outbursts, the current Gaara is an excellent young man who loves the village. If it weren't for Karin's incredibly powerful bloodline, he would be the hope of the entire village in this generation!

Moreover, he's gotten used to being criticized so many times over the years. At first, he was quite sad and upset when Fat Cat criticized him, but after all, Fat Cat was the one who told him bedtime stories every night about how he single-handedly defeated the eight tailed beasts. In his heart, Fat Cat was the most majestic being. Over the years, Fat Cat had also taught him a lot, just like his life mentor. So, although Gaara didn't know why Fat Cat criticized him this time, he knew that Fat Cat was criticizing him for his own good!

After all, his progress over the years has been visible to the naked eye, so it doesn't matter if Fat Cat criticizes him occasionally.

"Phew... It's good that you're alright. The mission is complete. Let's go back."

Seeing that Gaara was indeed alright, Maki breathed a sigh of relief. Although being Gaara's babysitter was a promising career, it also made him worry every day. Times have changed. In his era, it was common for twelve or thirteen-year-old ninjas to kill people, but the living environment of children nowadays is not as cruel as it was in his time, and they have not experienced war. So he was really worried that Gaara might have mental problems.

If the Jinchūriki has psychological problems, then it's no small matter.

"Hmph! This brat is such a waste, getting all nervous over the smallest things. I really don't know why they let Rasa be your team leader; he's nowhere near as good as Shinto..."

The fat cat inside Gaara's belly, oblivious to Maki's anxiety, scoffed and complained in disdain.

While Gaara was still inside Gaara's belly these past few years, he wasn't as feared as he was inside Bunpuku's. Although that brat Rasa had become more eloquent, he wasn't as natural as Shinto. Although he appeared calm, as a tailed beast, his senses were very sharp. He could sense the wariness Rasa harbored deep within him, and his demeanor was somewhat forced. So, although he taught Gaara, he still disliked these people. In the entire Sunagakure, only that brat Shinto was someone he could stand.

True Fighting Boy is its true confidant when it guards the crane!

"...Grandpa Shukaku, don't say that. Maki-sensei is also very good. After all, he is Shinto-sama's disciple."

Hearing the fat cat's complaints, Gaara sighed inwardly.

Shinto-sama is only fearless against you because he can beat you to a pulp. Maki-sensei is just a Jonin; how could you not be nervous facing him...?

However, he couldn't say this out loud. After all, even his father, the Kazekage, felt pressured in the face of his fat cat grandfather, let alone Maki-sensei. According to his father, the only person in the entire ninja world who could face a tailed beast without any pressure was Master Shinto.

"Hmph! I really don't know what Shinto sees in this good-for-nothing brat. He's so nervous about just two Jonin. He's unlikely to amount to anything. You should stay away from this kid in the future. You are the genius that I, Shukaku, have chosen. You are the one who will take down that idiot Jinchuriki Kurama in the future. You can't be such a coward."

Fat Cat had become accustomed to the role of teacher, and he patiently and skillfully taught Gaara from a teacher's perspective, using Maki as a negative example.

935. Temari doesn't like Itachi Uchiha?

"Maki-sensei, you've finally managed to get out of town, don't go back so soon, sis. Didn't Karin ask you to buy her something to take back with her?"

Having just left the village after several days of travel and a fight, covered in sweat, they were about to rush back. Luo Sha's eldest son, who was carrying two babies on his back and looked rather flamboyant, was unhappy. Although he had left the village two or three times in the past year, each time he had only gone a short distance away from the village and had to return immediately after finishing his task. Now that they had finally managed to get away from the village, of course he didn't want to go back so soon.

However, he also knew that his status had been severely damaged by his father's excessive boasting and poor character over the years, leaving him with little influence with the teacher. So, he immediately dragged his older sister into the mess. He'd often heard villagers say that the dolls outside were more realistic, more detailed, and had a better feel than the puppet on his back, but he'd never seen any. His father wouldn't tell him either. He decided to take this opportunity to see for himself how those dolls differed from the puppet on his back…

"Idiot! Don't drag me into this. But... teacher, Karin did ask me to buy a limited edition photobook of Itachi Uchiha for her. How about we go for a stroll around the capital of the daimyo before heading back?"

Luo Sha's eldest daughter slapped her younger brother's dog head with a big fan and gave him a good scolding. Then, for the sake of her best friend, she instantly changed her expression and acted like a well-behaved student, saying to Ma Ji.

"...Okay, but I can only stay there for half a day, then I have to leave. Sigh..."

Maki covered his forehead and looked up at the sky, finally agreeing with no other choice.

It's common knowledge that the little princess of Sunagakure likes that rogue ninja Uchiha Itachi. He really doesn't understand. He and handsome Sasori were teammates back then. Handsome Sasori has a face that can be called the flower of the ninja world. Even if Karin has never met her father in person, there are photos at home, so she must have seen the photos, right?

Back then, handsome Sasori was so good-looking. Putting aside his talent, in his opinion, Sasori's looks alone could completely outshine that rogue ninja. But he really couldn't understand why this little princess liked that rogue ninja when she had such a handsome father to compare with.

So what if he's a bit more talented? But Handsome Scorpion's talent is also amazing!

Besides, there are quite a few talented young people in Sunagakure. Isn't Gaara by his side a good candidate? He's at least handsome, and his talent is also very strong. He could defeat a regular Jonin at the age of twelve.

Why would I fall for a rogue ninja?

When Itachi Uchiha first became popular in the ninja world, many people thought it was just a temporary phenomenon. After the hype died down, his popularity began to decline. After all, in all the years in the ninja world, only his teacher, Shinto, has been able to maintain his peak popularity for decades. Even the White Fang of Konoha, who was on par with his teacher, had a period of dormancy. Only his teacher, who was always in the news, could maintain such a large following.

However, things didn't go as planned. Since his defection from Konoha, Itachi Uchiha hasn't made any big news, but his popularity has remained consistently high, making him a top-tier celebrity. Over the years, countless talented rogue ninjas have been overshadowed by his aura, and even Onoki's disciple's defection from Iwagakure couldn't make a significant impact.

Those girls were like they were on drugs, completely infatuated with Uchiha Itachi, their unwavering devotion sending chills down Maki's spine just thinking about it. Like their Sand Village princess, anyone who dared to speak ill of Uchiha Itachi in front of her, even his teacher and her great-uncle, would be met with a barrage of criticism...

However, even if he has a headache, it's useless. Over the years, his teacher's family has talked to this little princess a lot, but the effect has not been great. They have been trying to persuade her for several years. If she can change her mind, then she can change her mind.

He really couldn't see what was so special about Itachi Uchiha that made so many girls so infatuated.

"I really don't know what's so good about that Uchiha Itachi, that girl is so infatuated with him..."

Rasa's eldest son also chimed in with his own complaints. Years ago, he saw posters of Itachi Uchiha everywhere on the street and casually made a small comment. Perhaps his voice was a bit too loud, because he was ambushed and beaten up by a group of girls on the street. The one leading them was none other than Karin, that crazy girl. Years of friendship were gone in an instant. If it weren't for the fact that he was the eldest son of the Kazekage and that the Anbu came to his rescue in time, he would have almost died young. Even now, thinking about that scene still fills him with fear.

"Speaking of which, you don't seem to like that Uchiha Itachi very much, sister."

Gaara was already used to Karin's fanaticism for Itachi Uchiha, but he was even more curious and asked his older sister.

As soon as Gaara finished asking, Maki and Kankuro also looked at Temari with the same curiosity.

According to incomplete statistics, more than half of the women in the ninja world are fans of Itachi Uchiha. The girls in Sunagakure, except for those who are older and might still have strong teeth, are almost all fans of Itachi Uchiha. However, Temari seems to have no interest in Itachi Uchiha at all. Which girl in the village doesn't have one or two posters or photos of Itachi Uchiha at home? Although not as exaggerated as Karin, since those unscrupulous merchants sell Itachi Uchiha posters and photos for a lot of money now, not many people can be as rich as Karin and buy every version.

However, Temari and Karin are best friends, and Karin mentions Itachi Uchiha's name seven out of ten times over the years. But they discovered that Temari really has no interest in Itachi Uchiha at all, which is very puzzling.

"It's alright, I don't think there's anything special about that Uchiha Itachi."

Temari shook her head blankly. In her opinion, Uchiha Itachi wasn't even as handsome as her best friend's dad. Anyway, she didn't have any special feelings for Uchiha Itachi.

"..."

The three of them stared at each other, as if they were seeing Temari for the first time.

Although they said that Uchiha Itachi was nothing special, they couldn't deny his irresistible charm. Among them, Maki, who was over thirty and still single, felt it the most.

It's an era where looks matter. His father was able to find his mother because of her family background, but girls these days don't care about those things anymore. They just look at his appearance. So now he's in his thirties and has been on several blind dates without any results.

And that Uchiha Itachi was even more popular than Sasori back in the day! Now, seeing Temari say the same things as Kankuro, but without Kankuro's sour undertone...

No wonder she's the daughter of the Kazekage; look at her magnanimity...

936. Chiyo regrets her actions now.

"After a few years of having a good time away from home, I've finally decided to come back."

When Shinto returned to the village carrying specialties from the Land of Fire, he had barely stepped inside when Chiyo, leaning back calmly in her pure gold armchair, looked at her beloved nephew and said with a hint of reproach.

Seeing that the golden hair on his head, now over fifty, was turning a few gray hairs, Chiyo felt increasingly desperate. Although this child wasn't her son, she had raised him herself. Because his parents had both died, she had cared for this precious nephew more than her own son since he was little. And that's how she watched this brat grow up day by day. Now he was over fifty, her son was already a grandfather, and her great-granddaughter was about to graduate, while this kid was still a single dog.

Having her younger brother, a single dog, at home is enough. After all, Ebizo was never a genius. His talent was just average. So, he dedicated his life to the village and is now all alone. Chiyo can understand that. She has several cousins, and her maternal clan doesn't need Ebizo to have more offspring.

But this precious nephew is different. He has been incredibly talented since childhood, and his genetic mutation allows him to sense strange and unusual energies, developing powerful taijutsu and swordsmanship. He has even managed to make the mutated Magnet Release a powerful support. With such talent, he is an amazing and decisive super genius. It's hard to say whether the offspring of such a superior breed can inherit his mutated genes and sense those strange and unusual energies, but awakening the mutated Magnet Release is a certainty. Just by awakening the powerful Magnet Release that my nephew has, he will definitely be a top-tier double-flower red stick in the future. Even if the environment in Sunagakure is harsh, they will still be able to stand at the top of the ninja world for decades to come.

Therefore, her expectation for her beloved nephew has never been to dedicate his life to the village like her brother, and her beloved nephew doesn't have that ability either. Leaving behind an excellent bloodline for the village is his greatest contribution to the village.

But now, looking at her nephew whose head was already covered in white hair, Chiyo was filled with regret. She shouldn't have supported him in flirting with Tsunade. Before, her nephew was still young, and although it would have been difficult for them due to their social status, Chiyo thought that with her nephew's dashing appearance and his still handsome looks after some grooming, there was still a chance. Moreover, she had her son, a master of flirting who had brought his girlfriend home to meet his parents at the age of seven, helping her with advice. The success rate was at least 80%.

If my nephew, with his exceptional genes, were to combine with Hashirama Senju's bloodline, they would likely produce a monster.

Because she had held onto this fantasy for so many years, she had always tacitly accepted her nephew's romantic relationship. Even though Tsunade was too extravagant and slugs would come to her every month asking for her nephew's allowance, what did a little money matter if the village could have one more demon in the future? She accepted being called a sucker in the ninja world.

But so many years have passed, from when my nephew was a teenager until now, a full thirty years. Even the iron tree in front of our house has blossomed, but my nephew is still that single dog. Looking at my nephew, who is still carefree, even though I had prepared myself for it years ago, I still feel despair. My nephew and Tsunade are already in their fifties. Although Tsunade has the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques and looks like a young woman, she is indeed in her fifties. Even if my nephew succeeds now, who knows if Tsunade can still have children? Advanced maternal age is very dangerous. There has never been a woman in her fifties giving birth in the ninja world. The Senju clan's vitality is indeed very strong, and Tsunade's medical skills are also amazing, but she really can't say whether this will break a record.

Looking at her nephew's indifferent and unambitious appearance, Chiyo felt a deep resentment towards his lack of ambition!

When her beloved grandson was little, she had to worry about him. Then came Karin's growth. Now that Karin has grown up, the only thing she can't let go of is her nephew.

But while my nephew is exceptionally skilled at killing people, when it comes to flirting with girls, he's just utterly speechless.

"Look at what you're saying, what do you mean by 'carefree'! I'm just trying to promote friendly relations between the village and Konoha and build a peaceful ninja world. Karin is growing up and will soon become a qualified ninja. Wouldn't it be troublesome if a world war broke out? Why have you suddenly become so sentimental? This doesn't seem like a super elder of our Sunagakure."

Looking at Chiyo's resentful eyes, Shinto said with a toothache, "These past few years, I guess I've gotten too old. Although I don't have Parkinson's syndrome and my mind and body are relatively healthy, my tendency to dwell on the past and be sentimental is a headache. In the past two or three years, every time I give money to Miss Slug, she asks about his progress with Tsunade."

In fact, after so many years, he has gotten used to his way of getting along with Tsunade. He is no longer obsessed with winning Tsunade over and having a child with her. He thinks it's fine this way. It's been more than 30 years, and he's gotten used to everything. If he really won Tsunade over and they lived together, it would actually be quite strange.

However, he really couldn't tell Chiyo Akira these things. After all, he was getting old, and if he couldn't handle the shock and passed away, he would feel incredibly guilty.

"Hehe, only your mouth can make me happy. Speaking of which, Karin is about to graduate. Gaara and the others have been on missions for a year now. Maki is their team leader. Yesterday, Rasa came to me and asked what I thought about arranging Karin's team leader and who should be her team leader."

Chiyo asked with a smile.

Although her great-granddaughter's puppetry talent was not bad—after all, she was her beloved grandson's child, so naturally she wouldn't be too bad—it was only at the level of her son, and couldn't compare to her beloved grandson's super talent at all. Moreover, because of her personality, the child couldn't settle down to play with puppets. Whenever she had time, she would be glued to the poster of Uchiha Itachi, which gave Chiyo quite a headache and also made her think that if it was true love, she should have her nephew go and bring Uchiha Itachi back.

However, because Itachi Uchiha might be in that terrorist organization in the Land of Rain, and to avoid unnecessary trouble and her beloved grandson's undercover mission, she gave up the idea.

Fortunately, Karin still possesses the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, boasting exceptional chakra and health, and she inherited Shuri's super-healing abilities. She's also quite adept at learning sealing techniques from Shuri. It's precisely because of this that Chiyo doesn't force Karin to learn puppetry from her. After all, the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques are profound and complex, and just those miscellaneous sealing techniques alone would keep the child busy enough.

937. No teammates or teachers to match with Karin.

Originally, she planned to have Karin enter the Sealing Class directly after graduation. After all, compared to killing people, Karin would be more useful to the village in the Sealing Class. Moreover, her family had risked their lives for the village for two generations for so many years, and there was no need for the next generation to fight to the death. Besides, Karin might be the only heir in their family in the future. Their beloved grandson had been away from the village for so many years and was already in his thirties. They couldn't force him to have children with Shuri like they did back then.

Needless to say, even if her nephew were to move the heavens and allow her to win Tsunade's heart, she wouldn't dare let them cause any deaths.

As the sole heir of her family, she naturally didn't want Karin to show her face in public, increasing the risk. After all, her nephew had accumulated so much hatred in the ninja world over the years, especially among Iwagakure. Other villages were alright; because of her nephew's reputation, smaller ninja villages knew Karin's identity and dared not touch her. Kumogakure, out of consideration for her nephew's past favor in protecting the Third Raikage, would at least consider their old relationship. Konoha, which constantly proclaimed love and peace, wouldn't go so far as to kill her. However, Iwagakure had been tricked by her nephew countless times over the years, selling out the tailed beasts twice. If Iwagakure discovered Karin's identity, things would be terrible.

However, Karin insisted on staying with her friends and refused to go to the sealing class. From this perspective, the effect of Chiyo taking her to play with her friends every day was at least not as solitary as Sasori.

But the bond with her friends seems to be too deep. Even after graduation, she wants to stay with them. When Maki took Gaara and the other two on a mission, the little girl insisted on going with her best friend Temari. Back then, they could give her a reason to leave, but now that they're about to graduate and be assigned to different classes, it's not so easy to get rid of her.

In the little girl's words, Temari and Gaara are the sons and daughters of the Kazekage, and they can all go, so why can't she, who is just the great-granddaughter of the First Kazekage, go?

Besides, even Kankuro, whom she easily defeated, got involved...

Luo Sha was also having a headache over the matter of assigning this little princess to a class.

It's not because this little princess is weak. In terms of strength, this little princess, who is proficient in various Uzumaki clan seals, might not even be able to defeat his youngest son, Gaara, if he weren't protected by Shukaku. But their statuses are different. The reason he dared to let Maki take his children on a mission a year early is because, although he is the Kazekage, his influence and contributions to the village are far less than those of the Miyako clan. Moreover, he only debuted during the Third Shinobi World War and didn't have many enemies. Even if they encounter a tough opponent that Maki can't handle, he still has Shukaku protecting him, so there won't be any major problems.

Moreover, sending his three children on missions at such a young age will also enhance their family's reputation.

But this little princess is different. No matter if it's Lady Chiyo or Lady Jie, Lord Shinto is still alive. Over the years, he has accumulated countless enemies in the ninja world, especially Lord Shinto. If something happens to this little princess, he will truly feel ashamed towards Lady Chiyo and the others who supported him and helped him for so many years.

Moreover, assigning teammates to this little princess is a big problem. Although his eldest daughter and eldest son are not as talented and strong as his youngest son, who has been taught by Shukaku since childhood and can borrow some of Shukaku's power, they are already considered to be among the best in the village. The rest are almost all ugly and cannot match this little princess at all.