Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"Lion. Thousand Cut Valley!"

"Sukuni-ichi! The captain's fighting with Konoha's White Fang, should we...?"

"Kid! Just behave yourself. Didn't you see how fierce the captain's sword aura is? The last guy who thought like you is now in a wheelchair and has switched to puppetry..."

"Just watch with peace of mind. This level of battle is beyond our reach..."

In the 22nd year of Konoha's reign, and the 21st year of Sunagakure's, on the border of the Land of Earth, swords clashed and sword energy crisscrossed. A blond-haired man wielding a great gold sword clashed with a white-haired youth, their weapons striking each other with a melodious clang. Their henchmen, watching the two exchange blows, were terrified, wanting to help but lacking the ability. The two men's aura on the battlefield was so powerful that even from a distance, they felt the pressure.

However, there are always young people who want to rise to the top. A rookie from Sunagakure thought of rushing up to help their boss take down Konoha's White Fang, and he would become the number one support in the ninja world!

The elderly person next to him immediately extinguished his reckless idea.

His boss's chaotic, indiscriminate swordplay turned a two-person battle into a massive melee. Only someone like Konoha's White Fang, a master of technical skill, could perfectly dodge it. They rushed in but were hacked to pieces before they even got ten meters away.

They've seen this kind of thing many times. In recent years, whether it was when their leader led them to the Land of Fire and they were blocked by White Fang, or when White Fang of Konoha led his men to the Land of Earth and they were blocked by their leader, the two of them were bound to have a battle, and in the end, they would each go back to their own homes.

In recent years, thanks to their leader's presence, the village's defenses have greatly improved. Almost no village's secret agents have been able to break through their leader's defenses and enter the village. This is also their leader's last battle in his secret agent career; anyone who dares to interfere will face severe consequences...

Their leader's duels with Konoha's White Fang were practically a given; it was almost commonplace. Perhaps this was what they called love at first sight... oops! The mutual respect between powerful figures of the same era.

In any case, neither side's underlings dared to interfere, and in this environment filled with sword energy and flashing blades, they had no ability to intervene even if they wanted to.

In recent years, everyone in the ninja world has gotten used to their boss's "shady dealings" with Konoha's White Fang. A couple of years ago, when the two fought, some even compared it to the final battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End. But after they fought for three hundred rounds and then went their separate ways, everyone was constipated...

It's not even considered gossip anymore. Anyway, there are only a handful of people in the entire ninja world who can take on their boss one-on-one. Konoha's White Fang is one of them, but even Onoki can't beat him. Last time, Onoki's nephew was "accidentally" beaten up by their boss, and Onoki came in a rage, almost getting chopped down by their boss.

"boom!"

"Haha, Little White Fang, you should go back. It's because Konoha's wages and benefits aren't good enough. People naturally want to move up, and water naturally flows downhill. Why stop someone from seeking a better job? Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents!"

"Brother! Don't worry, once you're in Sunagakure, you're one of us. We Sunagakure have plenty of money, but we certainly won't let you down in the future!"

After forcing Sakumo Hatake back with a sword strike, Shinto retreated and patted the shoulder of a traitor who had escaped from Konoha and was being protected by his underlings. The traitor had been stabbed two, three, four, or five times by Sakumo and was hanging by a thread, on the verge of collapse. He said, "Two." Having worked in the Anbu for five years, he'd seen far too many traitors like this. Today, either people from other villages were attracted by the Sand Village's golden sand, or members of the Sand Village couldn't stand the hardship and went to other villages to enjoy themselves. These people's hearts were already elsewhere; there was no way to stop them.

101. Our captain hates traitors the most.

Over the past five years, he's killed countless rogue ninja trying to escape from Sunagakure. Unless they possessed top-secret files and were on Sunagakure's kill list, he usually spared them out of consideration for their past as comrades... breaking their legs and throwing them in jail. He was incredibly loyal...

The same goes for the ninjas of Konoha. There are too many talented people in Konoha, and many talented people find it very difficult to stand out. Although the people in Sunagakure are a bit poor, they have more money and it's easier to get ahead. He has seen far too many people, whether they came from his village or defected from other villages! He also hates these traitors, and given his and White Fang's sentimentality, he wouldn't mind giving them to them.

However, this operation was his final battle in his career as an ANBU. After this, his ANBU career would come to a perfect end. In a few years, Chiyo and Kaizo would nominate him for the ANBU Hall of Fame. To give his illustrious ANBU career a perfect ending, he couldn't afford to fail this time. If his retirement mission failed, what would be the difference between that and Michael Jordan needing someone to give up his spot in his last All-Star game? How humiliating! He might as well become a truck driver...

"...I heard he's planning to leave the Anbu."

After glancing at the traitor who had been stabbed two, three, four, or five times but hadn't fallen yet, Hatake Sakumo showed no concern for the traitor's situation. Instead, his Konoha underlings behind him asked Shinto with a hint of regret in their voices.

"Holy crap! Are all the spies in your village this good? They even know about such secret things?! (｀?д?′)!!"

Masato looked at Sakumo Hatake with a surprised expression.

-_-||....

His fierce fighting style made his group of underlings feel ashamed.

Hey bro! You've been talking about retiring since last winter, everyone in the village who's not blind or deaf knows it...

"...Let's go."

Seeing his attitude, Hatake Sakumo was too lazy to argue with him. He glanced at the traitor who was hanging on by a thread after being stabbed by him, then turned and left with his underlings.

The atmosphere became somewhat melancholic, as if everyone was now strangers.

"Captain, that guy seems to be dying..."

Not long after Sakumo Hatake left, one of his underlings came to Masato's side and said something.

"I expected this. I'm the only person in the entire ninja world who hasn't died after being stabbed so many times by Hatake Sakumo. Do you think this guy is Ultraman? Hatake Sakumo fought me here for so long, and he checked on this traitor seven times in total, just to figure out how long he could live and not give us time to take him back for treatment."

Masato said nonchalantly, "So what if he's dead? He's just a traitor anyway." Based on his years of experience watching police and gangster movies, he knew that a traitor could betray someone for money today, and would betray you for something else tomorrow. Keeping him around would only lead to trouble sooner or later, and he was just a minor character.

Kameda?

Such an awful name, it sounds like someone who's just a background character...

"Captain, you knew Konoha's White Fang's plans, yet you still fought him for so long..."

The newbie who had just wanted to go up and play support to kill Konoha's White Fang asked curiously.

"I'd love to! Is it okay? You're new to this world, aren't you?"

Masato rolled his eyes at the newcomer, who was barely two years younger than him, then turned and left. He still had to go back and prepare his retirement speech; he didn't even know if there was such a ceremony...

"Can.."

"Shh! Don't say that, our captain hates traitors the most."

Before the newcomer could say anything more, he was immediately stopped by his veteran teammates. How many rogue ninjas had they encountered in the past few years? Every time the Kazekage sent the captain to pick up someone or to capture a rogue, the captain would almost always kill them. Even if they were one of their own, the captain would break their legs and throw them into prison to fend for themselves.

.....

"Lord Kazekage, the mission is basically complete. We met up with that guy Kameda at the border, but he was stabbed several times by Hatake Sakumo and couldn't hold on any longer, so he died. This is the report on the mission. Also, there is my resignation letter."

Feng Yinglou, as the captain of the action team in the Dark Division, is the highest-ranking member in the entire Dark Division besides the Minister Luo Zhen. The position of Deputy Minister was removed two years ago. Now, the highest leader in the Dark Division is the Minister, followed by the action team captains, then the heads of departments such as the interrogation team and the sealing team, and then the squad leaders.

Sunagawa reluctantly accepted the action report and resignation letter from Masato, then gave Kaizo a meaningful look: Lord Kaizo, let's go!

The Anbu's outstanding performance over the past few years has nothing to do with Ryouma, its supreme leader. It's mainly because Shinto is incredibly capable, making the village's defense system comparable to Konoha's. Apart from sometimes acting on his own whims, he's impeccable. For example, when he was sent to pick up the rogue ninja who escaped from Konoha, this guy once again caused the target to "die unexpectedly." However, these are minor issues compared to Shinto's achievements for the Anbu. Although these people are talented, they're just so-so. For Sunagakure, one more or less makes no difference. Anyway, many rogue ninja have already "died unexpectedly" at his hands.

So he really couldn't bear to let this guy leave, but he couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he could only ask Hai Zang, his nominal uncle, to try to persuade him.

"Aren't you going to consider it? Luo Zhen has mentioned more than once that you should replace him."

After receiving a look from Sunagawa, Kaizo immediately began to persuade him. In recent years, the Anbu's performance has taken off, and he rarely has anything to bother him, which makes him extremely happy. As the Minister of Military Affairs, he has to deal with countless matters every day, just like the Kazekage, and he is overjoyed that he doesn't have to worry about anything. Moreover, the Anbu's achievements in recent years have been remarkable, and even Onoki was almost shot down by this kid. The reputation of Sunagawa's Anbu is unparalleled.

After receiving a look from Sunagawa, Kaizo immediately spoke up to persuade him.

"I think I'd better not. I'm getting a bit tired of working in the Dark Division these past few years, and all that messy stuff in the Dark Division isn't for me."

Shinto shook his head firmly. He was joking. He had spent the last few years in the Anbu just to accumulate seniority in preparation for becoming a big shot in the future. Now that he had earned the seniority, would he be crazy to continue living this life of going to bed at 10 p.m. sharp every night and being woken up by the Anbu before dawn?

He's not like Sakumo Hatake, destined to follow in his father's footsteps...

With his record of killing the Hokage's brother, taking down Onoki's nephew's underling, and nearly causing Onoki's plane to crash, his career was basically over if he didn't become Kazekage. He wouldn't have to complete a certain number of missions every month like the other ninjas in the village. Genin have countless D-rank errand missions, Chunin lead Genin through countless errand missions while also completing three C-rank missions a month, and Jonin, while more humane and relaxed, still have several B-rank missions and one or two A-rank missions each month.

102. He wouldn't even take the position of head of the secret service.

At this time, ninja ranks were not yet clearly defined. There was no such thing as a "special jonin" between chunin and jonin, so even jonin had a tough life. The official ranking system didn't have any of those messy elite jonin, quasi-kage, or kage-level titles. These were just names for people who were strong enough to reach a certain level. In the ninja world, the highest-ranking ninja in all the villages was registered as a jonin. Even the Hokage, Raikage, Kazekage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage were listed as jonin in their village records, only their strength exceeded that of a jonin or quasi-kage and reached the kage level.

Even Jonin with insufficient seniority and few achievements still have to painstakingly accept missions every month. The Land of Wind has the harshest environment; a C-rank mission requires leaving the village, and a B-rank mission might require crossing the border, trekking for months in the vast desert. Only the native inhabitants of the Land of Wind have high heat tolerance; ninjas from other countries simply cannot endure this hardship...

What was the point of all those years of hard work and sacrifice for the village? Wasn't it so that he could stay home like Chiyo, "cultivating his mind and body," and enjoy life?

"...Hey! You should go back first."

Kaizo sighed helplessly upon hearing this. This kid had been causing trouble since last winter and into this summer. He had a feeling that if they didn't agree to his resignation, this kid might actually pull off a spectacular feat of slaying the Kazekage with a sword. Onoki had been beaten to a pulp by him, and Sunagawa certainly couldn't beat him either. Who the hell would have thought that their Sunagakure's number one warrior was this kid who was barely seventeen or eighteen...

"Alright! See you later...!"

Masato waved his hand and turned to leave with a flourish, then politely closed the door behind him.

.....

"Lord Kaizo, are you really planning to let Masato just sit around doing nothing?"

Sunagawa stared speechlessly at the closed door, sensing that the kid was in a good mood. Every time he came to Fengying Tower before, he would just blast the door open.

He was speechless and helpless about the kid's naive personality. He had almost forgotten the great dream he gave in class when he first entered school.

These days, which young person isn't fighting tooth and nail for power and position? Having more power and more followers makes you look good when you go out!

But this kid is only seventeen and already acts like he's seen through the world; he wouldn't even take the job of head of the secret service...

Where the hell can I go to complain about this? ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

But this kid really can't sit idle. The number of people in Sunagakure can be counted on one hand, and if you count them from head to toe, and then from toe to head, you can count them on one hand. And among those people, apart from him and Lady Chiyo, this kid is the only one in the village who can match Konoha's White Fang. If this kid stops working, he has a feeling that their Anbu will be beaten to a pulp by Konoha's White Fang.

"It's good to let him rest. This kid has indeed become much more gloomy in the past few years. He's not the same kind of person as Konoha's White Fang."

Hai Zang knew what Sunagawa meant, but there was nothing he could do. This kid had always listened to his sister and treated everyone else's words as nonsense. Moreover, his sister felt that he had killed too many people in recent years and was gloomy all over.

The reason why Konoha's White Fang is so successful is because of his family's upbringing. Each generation teaches him by example, cultivating his values ​​and beliefs from a young age.

But his brother-in-law, the patriarch of the family, died a long time ago, and his sister never forces the children. What kind of teaching and guidance is there? Didn't you see that Jie started bringing girls home when he was only seven years old? If his sister hadn't found out early last night, he probably would have been holding a grandson next year... His values ​​and beliefs... I've never even heard of them.

......

"Wow! Beautiful lady, are you preparing a dowry for your precious son? Well, your precious son is already fifteen years old, and apart from not having achieved anything in his career, he is indeed old enough to get married."

His career in the Dark Side was over, and he could finally live like a king. Masato walked home with a swagger, and as soon as he entered, he saw Chiyo not tending to her poisonous flowers and plants, but holding a red booklet as if she were counting the dowry for her precious son.

However, he also felt that handsome Scorpion's father and mother could indeed be married. They started their relationship at the age of seven and are still fifteen now, which is a year longer than the seven-year itch. This kind of love story, which is stronger than gold and has no third party involved, should not be allowed to end in marriage. Chiyo would probably be criticized by future generations.

"Don't talk nonsense. Jie's betrothal gifts were sent over last year, but they are still children. We'll let them get married in a few years."

Chiyo, who had successfully entered middle age and whose face was beginning to show slight crow's feet, said in an annoyed tone.

"Tch! It's just that you can't bear to part with your son and don't want him to move out. Do you need to make up so many excuses? I've never heard of a seven-year-old who knows how to bring a girl home to meet his parents. Your son is the first one."

Shindou pouted. In Sunagakure, there's no custom of living in groups, nor are there large clans like those in Konoha that have their own enclaves. Generally, married children move out to establish their own families, even for the crown prince like Jie. It's not appropriate for him to live with his mother after getting married. The mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship is an age-old problem no matter where you are.

But speaking of which... it seems like Handsome Scorpion's dad, that mama's boy, doesn't plan to move too far, right? It's just next door, less than three meters around the corner... does it make any difference? ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

"Alright, I can't argue with you. You must have just returned from the Wind Shadow Tower, right? How long are you planning to rest? You know our village is different from Konoha, which is full of talented people."

Chiyo could tell from his good mood that he had successfully left the Anbu today. As the head of the village, she couldn't possibly let her nephew do nothing all day. It was fine for him to rest for a while and adjust his mindset, but he certainly couldn't rest like this forever. Their village wasn't a retirement home.

"We'll see! He's killed too many people in the past few years, and his mentality has become a bit problematic. You're practically a doctor, so you know that mental illness takes time to heal. What? Judging from your tone, is the village planning a major uproar?"

Masato was spouting nonsense. He hadn't even started his vacation yet, and he was already asking when he was coming back to work. What kind of boss was that? But judging from Chiyo's tone, she didn't seem to really want him to rest now.

"...I've received word that Onoki, like Shamon, wanted to research the Tailed Beasts and control their power to create weapons of war. Shamon failed, but I'm worried that Onoki might succeed. So I'd like you to go to Iwagakure. If possible...it would be best to release the Tailed Beasts and cause them some trouble."

Chiyo squinted, looking exactly like Tobirama Senju.

103. Five years! He waited a full five years!

"Tch! It's not that I look down on Onoki, but researching such a high-level scientific project as the Tailed Beasts is a waste. He's just an uneducated guy with a bulbous nose who only knows how to fight. Even if he were given ten years, he'd only end up with nothing. Does Iwagakure even have that kind of high-level talent?"

Upon hearing Chiyo's words, Masato deeply despised Onoki, but he didn't reject this underhanded tactic. This was a real world, not just filled with fighting and killing between ninjas, but also with conspiracies and schemes.

Although all the major ninja villages share the same enemy, Konoha, the relationships between them are quite delicate. They may talk about developing together and building a better home, but their conflicts with each other are never insignificant, and they certainly don't want the other to be stronger than themselves.