Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

989. Handsome Scorpion was also tied up like this by his wife once.

"What?! Brother Scorpion, your daughter's opponent is too weak. It ended so easily."

In the crowd, Deidara, who was clinging tightly to his opponent, watched the battle end in less than half a minute and complained in disappointment. He felt that Konoha had become so weak. Back when they were in the Chunin Exams, Konoha was supposed to be strong, right? Especially that bastard Itachi Uchiha who stole his thunder.

"...That's because Karin's sealing technique is powerful. Once the Uzumaki clan's sealing technique is locked, even a tailed beast can't break free, let alone a mere genin."

Sasori, hiding in his strange shell, was displeased to hear Deidara's words. Driven by paternal love, he had to praise his daughter, but his expression was not pleasant at the moment. Seeing his daughter's sealing technique reminded him of his less-than-pleasant memories.

Back then, that shrewish woman Xiuli used this trick to tie him to the bed...

This is a disgrace he will never forget, and the worst part is he can't get it back.

"Sigh! So it's a sealing technique. But Brother Scorpion, isn't your family involved in puppetry? How come your daughter is now involved in sealing techniques?"

Since joining Xiaotian Troupe and teaming up with Handsome Scorpion, their relationship has been pretty good. Although they often argue about their art, those are just academic differences. However, they share the same passion for art, so overall, he gets along well with Handsome Scorpion, this handsome and talented older brother.

When someone bragged about their daughter, he couldn't very well contradict his older brother to save face.

"Haha, this guy who's about as handsome as me doesn't know this, does he? Handsome Sasori's wife is from the Uzumaki clan. This is an exclusive sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques are unparalleled. Karin also has Uzumaki clan genes. Wouldn't it be a waste if she didn't use sealing techniques? How about it? This move is powerful, right? Handsome Sasori was once tied up like this by his wife?"

"Nephew, I'm not trying to criticize you, but if you want to see your daughter, just come openly. Why are you doing this so sneakily? Although I'm getting old, I can still protect you. Konoha wouldn't dare to kick you out. This young man is just as handsome as me, right?"

Before Handsome Scorpion could speak, a voice he hated came from behind him, and a figure jumped out, sat between them, hooked his arm around Deidara's shoulder, and then complained to Handsome Scorpion.

"Hmm, this old man is right...! Wait, aren't you Brother Scorpion's uncle, Golden Lion?"

Deidara hadn't yet seen who the newcomer was, but the phrase "handsome guy" made him overjoyed. He completely agreed with the newcomer's words. It wasn't that he was bragging; with their art troupe and his ability to fly, where in the ninja world couldn't they go? In his opinion, Sasori was just too low-key. If he had Sasori's reputation for being a heartthrob, he would have been flying around signing autographs and going on dates with girls long ago. However, after seeing who the newcomer was, he realized that it was Sasori's uncle, Golden Lion.

"Wow?! I didn't expect that the super genius of Iwagakure would actually know this old man. That's quite a surprise! By the way, young man, are you now my nephew's teammate?"

Shinto, looking delighted to be recognized, spoke to Deidara in an even more friendly tone.

"Yes, I've heard the old man mention it a few times before."

The phrase "super genius" almost made Deidara go wild, and he looked at his older brother and uncle with exceptional warmth, as if they were old friends who had met too late.

What's the point of living in this world if not for fame and fortune?

He's never lacked altruism; he could easily make money from a bomb or two, not to mention he gets a large amount of art funding from Kakuzu every month. But he lacks fame. For the past few years, his reputation has been overshadowed by Itachi Uchiha. Few people in the ninja world still remember him as the super genius of Iwagakure. Now, being recognized by a legendary ninja like Shiki, who is even more famous than the old man, makes him feel indescribably bittersweet, as if he has met a kindred spirit too late.

The Golden Lion isn't as bad as the old man says.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect Onoki to bring me up again. But let's not talk about us old-timers. You super geniuses like you are the future of the ninja world. The future of the ninja world depends on you..."

"Haha, you flatter us. We are still very young and have much to learn from you seniors..."

"No, no..."

"You flatter me, you flatter me..."

"...This idiot."

Watching his little brother being completely fooled by the old bastard and engaging in mutual flattery with him, Handsome Sasori was speechless. Teaming up with Uchiha Itachi was actually quite good, even though the chemistry wasn't great. But Itachi's aura was exactly what he needed as a teammate. How could he have agreed to team up with this idiot in the first place...?

"By the way, Uncle Golden Lion, you just said that Brother Sasori was also bound by this move. Are the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan very powerful?"

The two flattered each other and their relationship progressed further. They even started calling each other "uncle." The other person was Scorpion's uncle, and he was Scorpion's teammate, so calling him "uncle" wasn't wrong.

Although Deidara had been in the ninja world for several years, the Uzumaki clan was something from decades ago, and those who knew about it back then were almost all dead. Now, there were only three or four members of the Uzumaki clan left in the ninja world, and no one dared to mention them, so he had never heard of the Uzumaki clan.

However, he knew Sasori's strength quite well. The claim that he was the strongest puppeteer in the ninja world was just talk. Now that Sasori's uncle said that Sasori was actually bound by this move, he became even more curious. He didn't notice that the handsome Sasori hiding in the strange shell had a black face.

"That was decades ago, so it's not surprising you don't know. Back in the day, the Uzumaki clan was so powerful that they could establish a country and a village on their own, and they were feared by every village in the ninja world. Their unique sealing techniques were so sharp that they were impossible to defend against. That's why they were attacked by all the major villages in the ninja world. Your teacher, Onoki, was one of the leaders. Just imagine, a country and a village established by a clan required the combined efforts of all the villages in the ninja world except Konoha to wipe them out. That shows how powerful their sealing techniques were. The sealing technique you just saw was just average among the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques. Some sealing techniques are so powerful that they can even summon gods."

Shinto wasn't exaggerating; the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques can indeed summon gods. Aren't Shinigami gods? I still remember the scene of a group of Uzumaki summoning Shinigami; just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. So many Shinigami—it's terrifying to even look at them…

990. The Battle of Konoha's Elite Families

"Holy crap! So the Uzumaki clan is this powerful. No wonder even Brother Sasori got kidnapped by his wife. They're much stronger than that so-called Uchiha who could take on five people at once. They were actually defeated by a twelve-year-old kid."

Deidara suddenly realized what was going on, but he didn't forget to scorn the Uchiha clan, since Itachi Uchiha had almost become his obsession.

Look at the Uzumaki clan, almost the entire ninja world mobilized to wipe them out. And look at the Uchiha clan, they were actually defeated by that bastard Itachi Uchiha. The Uchiha clan is just famous, there must be a lot of frauds inside!

“(⊙_⊙)????”

When Masato saw Deidara looking like a wronged woman when the topic turned to the Uchiha, he wondered what had gotten into this kid that caused him to bring up the Uchiha even when listening to stories. If Madara knew that this kid was so disdainful of the reputation he had earned for the Uchiha by taking on five opponents, he wondered if Madara would make this kid question his existence if he were ever summoned again.

"Have you said enough? We're leaving now if there's nothing else."

These two bastards talk about being tied up by their wives seven out of ten times. The two handsome scorpions, hiding in their strange shells, are as black as charcoal. After saying that, they turned and left.

He really wanted to kill those two bastards; Deidara was such a blabbermouth.

If we leave those two together any longer, who knows how much dirt that old bastard will spill on him.

"Hey, Brother Scorpion, wait for me. Aren't you going to talk to your daughter?"

"Say one more word and I'll kill you..."

Although he got along well with his older brother's uncle and even wanted to exchange compliments, Deidara ultimately chose his teammates and quickly chased after his older brother when he saw him leaving.

“…”

Masato watched the two figures leave. Although he had known for a long time that only Onoki, the blond disciple, was the perfect match for Sasori, and only Onoki's somewhat naive personality could withstand Sasori's sharp tongue, just like when Nawaki and Sasori became friends, he still found it quite interesting to see how the two got along for the first time.

Deidara's simple and straightforward personality is similar to Nawaki's. However, Nawaki's upbringing was largely unaffected by Sasori's sharp tongue, as he was often severely beaten by Tsunade from a young age. Deidara's upbringing seems different from Nawaki's, and it's unclear how he can tolerate Sasori's biting wit...

......

After Karin's real battle with the pink-haired girl ended, it was time for the rookies to fight each other again. The genin protagonists from Konoha who were destined to save the world and hadn't been eliminated also entered the fray. However, most of the strong ones at this stage were weak and hadn't yet received the shared halo of the savior and the second male lead, so there wasn't much to see.

However, it's unclear whether Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he hadn't earned enough from this and wanted to boost the ratings, or perhaps because there were more participants in this year's Konoha Joint Chunin Exams than in the original story, the original savior vs. tragic Hyuga boy scenario, where the tragic Hyuga boy was ultimately defeated by the savior's verbal sparring, didn't happen.

Instead, it turned into a battle between Konoha's elite clans, and this exam instantly became the focus of the entire audience. The viewership ratings skyrocketed, breaking records in ninja history and continuing to climb. Uchiha vs. Hyuga!

When Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga appeared on the big screen, an eerie silence fell over the entire venue. Shinto almost fell off his chair. Although he couldn't remember many of the plot details, he still remembered the final part of the Chunin Exams very clearly. The savior's opponent should have been the tragic young man from Hyuga, and Gaara's opponent should have been the second male lead from Neji's brother. Now, with this turn of events, it had become a battle between Konoha's strongest clan and a fight for the title of the tailed beast leader.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is something else! Isn't he afraid that Kurama and the fat cat will destroy Konoha?

Gaara's identity as the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast was never deliberately concealed by Sunagakure. Although they didn't explicitly state it, it was easy for anyone with a few spies in Sunagakure to find out.

After all, the current situation in Sunagakure is completely different from that in the original story. With Shiki the Golden Lion in Sunagakure, which village would dare to release a tailed beast into their village? Aren't they afraid that the tables will turn?

Even Onoki, who had been spared by Shinto several times, only thought about it in his mind. Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi must know that Gaara is the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast. Although there are rules between villages that prohibit bringing one's own village's Jinchuriki into the territory of other villages, such rules are like peace treaties, and should be taken with a grain of salt.

So even though he knew the One-Tailed Jinchuriki was coming to Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have said anything as long as he didn't make a big fuss about it and let the ninja world know. But now that Hiruzen Sarutobi has actually arranged for the Savior, the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, to fight Gaara, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, on the same stage, that's interesting.

However, it seems Hiruzen Sarutobi is genuinely unaware of the ill-fated connection between Kurama and the fat cat...

Meanwhile, the audience held their breath, their eyes glued to the two boys about to appear.

It's not that Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga are particularly famous, but rather that the Uchiha and Hyuga clans behind them are renowned and prestigious families throughout the ninja world, the oldest and most prestigious clans in the ninja world.

The name Uchiha needs no introduction. Even though the clan has been wiped out, the popularity of Itachi Uchiha, the most popular ninja in the ninja world, has not diminished with the extinction of the clan. On the contrary, its fame has become even greater than before. When it comes to Itachi Uchiha, one must mention his famous battle. What was his famous battle?

The Iwagakure Joint Chunin Exams?

Of course not. Those chuunibyou-level exams don't have much impact on the ninja world, nor can they change the ninja world's landscape. They can't even be recorded in ninja history. Even if Uchiha Itachi won MVP, people would just say that Uchiha Itachi was a genius with a promising future.

The Uchiha Clan Massacre was his true claim to fame, a battle that transformed him from a genius into a ninja powerhouse. It had a significant impact on the ninja world, altering its landscape and earning a place in ninja history, much like how Madara was always mentioned when discussing the Uchiha clan decades ago.

While the Hyuga clan may not be as famous as the Uchiha, they are still one of the oldest clans in the ninja world. The Senju clan is reduced to only two siblings, the Uchiha clan to only two brothers, and the Uzumaki clan was even wiped out. Only the Hyuga clan remains standing. This alone demonstrates how powerful the Hyuga clan is, not to mention their Byakugan, one of the three great dojutsu of the ninja world.

The Third Shinobi World War was only a little over ten years ago. Many of those who experienced the war are still alive. The Hyuga clan's remarkable performance in the war, where they would use the Rotation Technique to deflect kunai thrown at them, is still remembered by many. Not to mention the battle in which the previous Hyuga clan leader, who was recorded in history, broke through the defense of the Third Raikage, a "super tough guy" who was said to be able to defeat ten thousand men. This battle dominated the shinobi world's trending topics for several months decades ago.

991. Now girls' immunity has improved.

One is the youngest son of a wealthy family, and the other is the heir of the Hyuga branch family. Although neither of them is a legitimate heir, it did not diminish the audience's enthusiasm. Especially after hearing some people from Konoha introduce the two, although they are not famous in the ninja world, they are considered rare geniuses in Konoha.

This alone makes the audience even more eager for the upcoming battle between the elite families of Konoha.

However, the second male lead and the tragic Hyuga boy did not disappoint the audience. Both of them were masters of pretense and did not inherit the good habit of talking before the battle in the ninja world. They did not talk and started fighting right away. Although the second male lead was quite pretentious, he also perfectly inherited the fine tradition of the Uchiha clan. He started by using an ancestral fireball to try to open the game.

If a skilled member of the Hyuga clan were to face a small fireball like the second male lead, the standard procedure would be to first give a disdainful snort and then use a backhand rotation to deflect the fireball back. However, the unfortunate Hyuga boy, while a genius, is only comparable to someone else. Compared to some nameless and unknown little karami, he is certainly considered a genius.

However, there is still a considerable gap between them and the truly renowned geniuses. Moreover, although the Hyuga clan is of royal lineage, they are only descendants of Otsutsuki Hamura, the father of the Sage of Six Paths. The current leader of the ninja world is Otsutsuki Hagoromo. Although they are related, their bloodline is distant. The Hyuga clan has never produced any truly outstanding geniuses.

The previous Hyuga clan head, who used a forbidden technique to break through the Third Raikage's defense, was already considered one of the best geniuses in the history of the Hyuga clan. However, there was no record of anyone in the Hyuga clan being able to learn the Rejuvenation Technique at this age. Therefore, he didn't have many ways to deal with the small fireballs spewed by the second male lead. He could only move quickly to the sides to avoid the range of the small fireballs and then look for an opportunity to engage in close combat.

Close combat has always been an advantage for the Hyuga clan. The Hyuga clan started with Gentle Fist, and with their Byakugan that allows them to see through things, they can clearly see the pressure points all over the human body. Then, they use the more subtle techniques of Gentle Fist to seal the opponent's pressure points, making the opponent unable to move, thereby achieving the goal of defeating or killing the opponent.

However, after saying all that, the first thing needed is to close the distance and engage in hand-to-hand combat. After all, the Hyuga clan lacks ranged skills, which is why the Hyuga clan has always been subordinate to the Uchiha clan for many years, whether it was before Madara's rise during the chaotic war era or after the decline of the Senju clan during the ninja village era. The lack of offensive means is a major factor. When the Uchiha clan was repeatedly targeted and had already declined, the Hyuga clan's desire to compete with the Uchiha clan for the title of the number one clan was just empty talk. Their real comeback and establishment as the number one clan in Konoha only began after the Uchiha clan was wiped out.

After all, the Uchiha clan possesses a wide variety of skills, including Fire Release and Genjutsu for ranged attacks, and their taijutsu is also formidable in close combat. Their Sharingan can perfectly copy not only ninjutsu but also taijutsu. This is why, even after the Uchiha and Kaguya clans fought fiercely during World War III, almost resulting in the Hyuga clan's demise, they still couldn't compete with the Uchiha clan. It's truly incomparable!

The current predicament of the young Hyuga is just that awkward. The second male lead is born for big occasions. Although he is also the reincarnation of the eldest son of the Six Paths, his talent is not yet comparable to Madara. But it doesn't matter. The more audience there are, the faster his skill in showing off will increase. In addition, his fire release is indeed flashy enough. The audience likes this. It's as if you can hear the screams of the girls in the audience. This makes the second male lead even more motivated.

Although he was unexpectedly admitted to the ICU during the elimination rounds, and being an orphan who was just a fallen nobleman unaware of the characteristics of the Hyuga clan, he was confident in his taijutsu. Seeing the tragic Hyuga boy charging towards him, he wanted to have a hand-to-hand fight with this previously hyped genius and show off the style of the Uchiha clan. However, encouraged by the girls, the second male lead did not choose close combat. Instead, he took this rare opportunity to show off the Uchiha clan's ancestral fire release techniques and let everyone know that there was more than just Uchiha Itachi in the world; there was also a man like him, born for revenge!

"Go Sasuke!"

"Sasuke is so cool..."

To be honest, although the second male lead with the pants isn't very strong now, his pantsy appearance and flashy fire release techniques are quite attractive. Especially since he had a good foundation back in Konoha, he was always surrounded by girls wherever he went. Now, seeing the second male lead with the pants showing off his fire release techniques so carelessly, those who have never seen a handsome guy before can't resist his charm.

One by one, everyone's eyes turned to hearts. If they hadn't been held back by the people next to them, they would have pounced on the screen to lick it.

Of course, these girls are limited to Konoha girls who haven't been around for long and haven't even seen Orochimaru poop yet.

Girls from other villages who are used to the world don't really like the second male lead, who's all about pants.

Uchiha Itachi was a rogue ninja of Konoha. No matter how popular Uchiha Itachi was in the ninja world, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never promote his village's rogue ninja in his own village. The same goes for Sasori, the handsome guy from Sunagakure. He would only help old lady Chiyo boast about her grandson if he was sick. So, girls living under the sunshine of Konoha can only focus on the present.

Unlike other ninja villages, neither Itachi Uchiha, the most popular ninja king, nor Sasori Sand, the most handsome man in the ninja world, belong to their village. No matter how big their influence or how high their popularity, it doesn't matter to them. Although Onoki was very annoyed that his beloved granddaughter was obsessed with Itachi Uchiha, he did not prohibit such entertainment culture. In fact, the more famous Itachi Uchiha became, the more disgraced Konoha became, and the more disgraced Konoha became, the happier he was.

The same logic applies to Sasori. It's rare for Sunagakure to produce a super genius after Shiki, yet he actually defected.

When Onoki heard the news, he even held a grand banquet in the village for three consecutive days to celebrate.

Sasori's status in Sunagakure is very special. Almost all of his parents are super big shots in the village. It would be impossible for Rasa to stop the spread of his fame. Moreover, Sasori's reputation was promoted by the old man Shinto. Rasa could only turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it.

So, although the second male lead is very timid and Xiao Huo is very impressive, the girls who are used to big scenes have too much immunity and won't be as crazy as the girls from Konoha.

"Grand Uncle, that guy keeps breathing fire. Does he have that much chakra?"

Just like Xiang, who suffers from severe infatuation, after getting a charming and handsome guy by her side, she even forgot the name of her ex-lover, let alone the second male lead, Kuku.

Karin stood close to the wicked Bai, watching the second male lead below who was frantically spewing fire. Her attention wasn't on his good looks or his pants, but rather on the way he was spewing fire; she knew he'd run out of mana and get taken down soon.

992. Grandpa Ban is multi-talented.