Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

That bastard Mizukage! He's obviously bullying us because we're not as strong as Konoha, isn't he?! Call in reinforcements! Let's fight him! (▼he▼メ)”

Kirigakure's move instantly provoked Onoki's short temper.

He did the deed, that's for sure. If Kirigakure can find evidence that it was him, he'll admit it. He can just apologize to the Kirigakure ninja and admit it was a mistake made while drunk...

But these bastards didn't even think twice before claiming the culprit was Iwagakure. Isn't that a clear sign they're afraid to fight Konoha? Isn't that just bullying the weak? If Onoki really admits it, how will he ever face the ninja world again?! (▼へ▼メ).

"Lord Tsuchikage, this is probably very difficult! The Land of Water is on the other side of the sea, and our people are not familiar with naval warfare... Moreover, the current situation in Iwagakure is not suitable for fighting Kirigakure. I killed the person, so why don't you hand me over, Lord Tsuchikage? I only hope that you will take good care of my wife and children..."

Mizuki, with an arm slinged beside him, looked like he was going to his death and said to Onoki.

The village suffered heavy losses from the Four-Tails and Five-Tails incidents to the Takigakure incident. If it were to go to war with Kirigakure now, the village's economic development would be set back by at least several decades. In fact, Kirigakure did not suffer much damage in the first World War, except for the death of a Mizukage.

Rather than watching the village fall into ruin, it's better to hand it over to Kirigakure and give them an explanation. As a member of the Iwagakure clan, he still has that much spirit of sacrifice.

"Damn it! There's absolutely no way I, Onoki, will call for reinforcements! Tell Kirigakure that if they want to fight, then fight! Do you think I, Onoki, am afraid of them?!" (▼he▼メ)

Onoki was deeply moved by Mizuki's serious expression and his selflessness in sacrificing his family for the greater good. Their Iwagakure village had no shortage of ninjas who would sacrifice themselves for the village, but they lacked people like this!

It's not easy for a Red Stick to rise to the top; there aren't many in the village, let alone Mizuki, who was promoted by Onoki.

...

Within days of Kirigakure's statement, everyone in the ninja world was eager to see Iwagakure's reaction. Anyone with eyes could tell what Kirigakure was up to with this move: Konoha was too strong, and Iwagakure was relatively weak compared to Konoha.

However, Iwagakure's reaction made everyone realize that Onoki was really damn tough!

Iwagakure says that since they weren't in charge of the Hozuki clan anyway, if they want to fight, they should fight and stop talking nonsense!

Now all eyes in the ninja world were on Kirigakure. Onoki was stubborn and refused to admit defeat, even taking the initiative to challenge them. Everyone was waiting for Kirigakure's reaction. Onoki had gone this far. If the Mizukage didn't accept the challenge, how much would it cost for one of the Five Great Ninja Villages? Even the most cowardly Kusagakure would look down on them.

However, at this moment, the Mizukage and his secretary, who had suggested targeting Iwagakure, were in an awkward position. They had underestimated the village's unity. When they actually notified all the clans and departments to prepare for battle, apart from the Hozuki clan and the commoner ninjas, only the Mizuki and Bones clans, whose core forces made up a large number of people, remained completely silent and expressed their intentions to the Mizukage.

If it's for the sake of the village, they agree to send people to prepare for war, after all, it's everyone's shared glory. Back when the Second Mizukage wanted to send troops to fight Konoha or raid the Land of Earth, they never hesitated to ask for people or money for the sake of the village's honor. Even the clan head personally stepped in.

But this is not a time of war. You, the Mizukage, are going to start a war with Iwagakure just because you are the former leader of the Hozuki clan. You can give the Hozuki clan an explanation, but who will give us an explanation when our people die on the battlefield?

So, with the Minazuki and Bones clans remaining inactive, the Mizukage watched as the Hozuki clan and his commoner underlings... What good were they against Iwagakure with just that few people? Going there would just be suicide missions. But he had already made his statement, and Onoki had even challenged him to a duel. If they didn't make a move, the ninja world would really look down on them!

But without the Minazuki and Bones clans joining, the Hozuki clan and their commoner underlings really can't beat Iwagakure. With two of Kirigakure's three main forces gone, how the hell are they supposed to fight?

Just as the ninja world was about to smack their opponents, seeing that Kirigakure hadn't made a move for a long time, Konoha, the dominant force that championed harmony and unity within the ninja world, spoke up again. Standing on the moral high ground, they rebuked Onoki for his excessive temper, saying that with a high-ranking member dead, it was understandable that he might lose control. They added that Onoki hadn't experienced the death of a high-ranking member and couldn't understand the feeling. After calming Kirigakure down, Onoki proposed that the ninja world should prioritize harmony, emphasizing that more understanding would lead to less bloodshed and a better world. He then called upon all villages to work together to build a harmonious and beautiful homeland...

Konoha's words gave the Mizukage, who had been cornered, a way out. After calming the Hozuki clan with something, the Mizukage immediately expressed his willingness to respond to Konoha's call to work for the peaceful development of the ninja world and to build a harmonious and beautiful home.

The back-and-forth between Konoha and Kirigakure left everyone bewildered, especially Konoha. People without a certain level of cultural literacy wouldn't really understand what Konoha was talking about, but it sounded very sophisticated. Meanwhile, Sunagawa, who was waiting to reap some benefits when Kirigakure and Iwagakure started fighting, and Kaizo and the Raikage were currently in their offices spitting on Hiruzen Sarutobi's "last portrait." This could be considered the greatest contribution since the invention of the camera, the greatest invention of mankind in recent years.

With Kirigakure and Iwagakure at war, the experienced Raikage once again set his sights on the two outer towers of the Land of Earth. Meanwhile, the equally experienced Sunagawa and Kaizo, longing for the seafood they brought back from the Land of Water, decided to indulge in some delicious treats while the two sides clashed. However, Konoha intervened, spouting a bunch of incomprehensible nonsense, and then sent Kirigakure off to rebuild their beautiful homeland...

"This speech by Hiruzen Sarutobi must have been written by that cultured man, Homura Mitokado. You really can't understand it without a master's degree."

Watching from afar as Sunagawa and Kaizo took turns spitting on Hiruzen Sarutobi's portrait, Masato stroked his chin and said, "I wasn't optimistic about Kirigakure and Iwagakure going to fight this time. No matter who goes to war, they'll definitely be the ones who suffer. Just look at Sunagawa and Kaizo's reactions. Onoki, that cunning guy, can't be brainless; he's just all talk. Besides, the Minazuki and Bones clans in Kirigakure won't fight for a former leader of the Hozuki clan. It won't benefit them. And how can the second-in-command rise to power if the leader doesn't die? I doubt many members of the Hozuki clan will actually fight; they're all busy vying for power..."

158. Handsome Scorpion's dad is in for a tough time!

"Lord Kazekage, news has come from the Land of Water. The Mizukage of Kirigakure ordered preparations for war some time ago, but neither the Minazuki nor Kaguya clans joined the preparations. Moreover, the Hozuki clan has begun vying for the position of clan leader. Perhaps for this reason, the Mizukage cannot start this war."

Just as Sunakawa and Kaizo had finished spitting out their saliva, Luo Zhen walked in and said.

"What do you mean 'maybe'? Uncle Luo Zhen, please be more confident and remove the word 'maybe.' Although Onoki isn't a great person, Iwagakure under his leadership is exceptionally united, almost to the point where he has absolute power. This is because Onoki has a good background, sufficient strength, and illustrious battle achievements. But this Mizukage of the Hozuki clan doesn't have such a good background as Onoki. Whether he's strong or not is unknown, but his battle achievements are also insufficient. He only rose to power because the Hozuki clan supported him. Once a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. No matter how glorious one was in life, once dead, one is dead. You want Mizuki and Kaguya's people to stand up for the Hozuki clan? You're dreaming! Don't even mention the Hozuki clan's leader, even avenging their former leader, Hozuki Gengetsu, is impossible. That's human nature! Why are you looking at me like that..."

Shinto propped his head up with one hand and tapped the table with the other in boredom, trying to stay awake. As the leader of the Jonin team, he was considered a member of the leadership team. He used to avoid these leadership meetings whenever possible, but this morning, before he even arrived at the Jonin team to sign in, he was blocked at the door by Kaizo.

After he finished speaking, he found that the three people were looking at him in surprise, as if they didn't recognize him.

(⊙_⊙)！ ！ ！ 。

"No... how old are you? Where did you get so many insights into human nature?"

Hai Zang said with a look of surprise, "This kid doesn't read books or newspapers at work, he just sleeps all the time, yet he can come up with such a thought-provoking and insightful statement."

"Tch, this thing isn't about life experience, it's about personal comprehension. Even if I explained it to you, you wouldn't understand. Alright, you all stay here and slowly contemplate the true meaning of life. I'm going to deliver some tonics to Jie. If this continues, I'm afraid you'll really be outliving your children..."

After giving the three a disdainful look, Masato ignored their disgusted expressions and turned to leave.

"...ヽ(ー_ー)ノ."

The three men, watching the kid's retreating figure, barely suppressed their urge to fuck him until he shit himself, and began to contemplate life...

......

"Look at you, you've gotten so thin lately. Here, I had White Fang bring me some more of the Nara clan's special tonic pills. Having a child is something you can't rush. If it's meant to be, it will be; if it's not, you can't force it. You have to do what you can!"

At the home of Handsome Scorpion's father, seeing that Handsome Scorpion's father had lost a lot of weight, Masato took out a tonic pill, handed it to him, and said...

All mothers in the world, even Chiyo, couldn't escape the urge to have a grandson. After the wedding of handsome Sasori's father and mother, Chiyo took a sick leave certificate to Sunagawa and personally applied for two years of sick leave for her beloved son and daughter-in-law. Her only goal was to have a baby!

Given the conditions in Sunagakure, it would be impossible for genius puppeteers like Sasori's parents to take leave. They would be lucky to get two days off a week. However, Chiyo came in person, and considering that the Miyamoto clan had only two heirs left, one of whom was still single and the other was not suitable to be left without a successor, Chiyo, under the watchful eye of the Chikamatsu Ten, who had already made some repairs, granted the two genius puppeteers a two-year leave.

However, although the official holiday has been granted, Chiyo did not give them a holiday. Every day, the ten members of the Ten Guardians guarded the door, looking like they would not give up until their little grandson came out. Seeing this, Shinto silently mourned for Sasori's father for half an hour.

He didn't know when Sasori was born, but this year was only the 26th year of Konoha, which was still many years away from World War II. World War II lasted for about three or four years. Based on his memory, Sasori should have been born a few years before World War II, and was a few years older than Hatake Sakumo's son, who was a bit of a 50/50.

In other words, before handsome Scorpion was even born, his father was going to have a tough time... How pitiful!

"Go tell that to your mother..."

Handsome Scorpion's father took the tonic pill and said weakly, "I thought that after getting married and moving out, I would be the head of the family and my status would definitely be much higher than under my mother's tyrannical rule. But it turns out that getting married and moving out is even worse than not getting married."

"Sigh... Your mother is worried about you. You know that being a ninja is a high-risk profession, and you commit a lot of sins. You might get taken away by the heavens one day. If you die without leaving a single seed, how will you face your father when the day comes? Who will inherit such a large foundation as the entire village? There's a saying, 'If you don't stand guard, and I don't stand guard, who will protect the country? Who will protect the home?' Don't you think so?"

Masato rolled his eyes. Go tell Chiyo? Are you kidding me? Chiyo's practically insane right now. If he goes and tells her, he might just get himself into trouble.

However... speaking of which, Tsunade should be starting to take shape by now...

......

When Kirigakure announced its response to Konoha's call, the ninja world focused all its attention on Iwagakure, wanting to see if Onoki was really tough. But after waiting for more than a month, the previously rock-hard Onoki showed no reaction whatsoever, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Could Onoki be a guy who's all show and no substance?

But I don't want to...

However, Onoki in the Tsuchikage Tower was secretly relieved. Although he spoke with great bravado, he was actually quite nervous inside. After all, what Mizuki said was true. If they really went to war with Kirigakure, their resources would be wiped out. They had finally managed to restore their village, and Sunagakure had no more debts. This was a great opportunity for Iwagakure to rise to prominence. At this time, they should have been developing stealthily like Kumogakure. If it weren't for that bastard Homura Mitokado being so hateful and insulting him in front of so many people, he wouldn't have killed the Kirigakure people and shifted the blame. He didn't know anyone who would let his underlings take the fall. Onoki had been able to survive for so long because of two things: loyalty and a lot of underlings. Everyone in the ninja world knew his reputation for loyalty and righteousness.

If he handed over his underlings, how would he face anyone afterward? However, at this point, Kirigakure had already been persuaded to withdraw from Konoha, so he couldn't provoke them further. He really didn't want the Mizukage to be a reckless fool who would recklessly fight Iwagakure; that would be disastrous...

159. Shiki was flirting with Tsunade.

"Hey! Tsunade, long time no see. You guys are all all armed...are you getting ready to go chop someone up?"

On the main street of Konoha, Shinto, who was surrounded and closely guarded by a row of Konoha ANBU, "coincidentally" ran into a "gambling, prostitution, and drugs" gang. Judging from their fully armed appearance, plus Jiraiya's serious expression, they were about to do something big.

Last month, after comforting Sasori's father, he finally remembered that Tsunade should have already taken shape. He immediately signed a leave note for himself and threw it to Kaizo before speeding up to Konoha. The people of Konoha were still so unfriendly. As soon as he landed, a large group of Anbu had already set up the Heavenly Gang Five Elements Formation and were ready for battle.

However, by sheer coincidence, they encountered three people involved in prostitution, gambling, and drugs, all fully armed and preparing to leave the village to raid their friends.

"Golden Lion? What are you doing in Konoha?"

Tsunade was only slightly wary of the creditor, fearing he might be there to collect a debt. Jiraiya and Orochimaru, already serious, were even more vigilant, instinctively gripping their ninja tool pouches tightly. It wasn't that they hated Shiki; in fact, they didn't seem to have any real grudge against him. They'd even had a good time together when they went to Sunagakure to deliver the Seven-Tails. While their relationship wasn't quite at the level of Shiki's—a mix of rivalry and friendship—a friendly exchange during peacetime was perfectly acceptable. But now, this guy had inexplicably come to Konoha instead of looking for Sakumo, and was instead playing the "chance encounter" game with them...

Others might not know, but they certainly did. How much money did Tsunade, that spendthrift woman, owe this guy? If you really put it all together, even selling the Senju clan's land wouldn't be enough. They were both from commoner families, one an orphan and the other whose parents died young. Although they had accumulated some wealth through years of completing missions, this was their research funding. They were terrified that this guy would bring up the matter of repaying the debt and have his spendthrift wife ask them to gamble.

"Don't make the atmosphere so serious! Didn't you Naruto fans say that we're all a loving family? Hearing that was like a sudden awakening! Every time I close my eyes, the first thing that comes to mind is your image, as outstanding and vivid as a firefly in the dark, making me lose my appetite. At that moment, I finally knew what it felt like to be in heat... ugh! This was the feeling of love! At that moment, I realized that the heroine I'd been waiting for all this time was you!"

Shinto ignored the "Yellow and Poison" duo and glanced at Tsunade. Hmm, although she was wearing a Jonin's vest, it was still vaguely clear that she was no longer the A-rank scenic spot she used to be.

After gathering his emotions for a moment, he took two steps forward, grabbed a somewhat bewildered Tsunade, and, under the shocked gazes of everyone, spoke to Tsunade with the utmost affection.

......

σ(⊙▽⊙a

Time seemed to stand still; whether they were passersby or a group of secret agents, everyone was dumbfounded, as if they had been petrified.

What did they see?

Did Shiki from Sunagakure confess his love to their princess Tsunade? σ(⊙▽⊙a

Holy crap, this DJ is amazing! So exciting, my heart can't take it...

"My goodness... Princess Tsunade actually got confessed to! σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

"Yeah, but who's that blond hottie? He seems to have a lot of influence, with so many secret agents as his bodyguards..."

"Holy crap! Isn't that the Golden Lion of Sunagakure? The one who's on par with our White Fang! ??)?д?(?"

"No way! The Sand Village's Golden Lion likes Princess Tsunade!! (｀?д?′)!!"

"What do you mean you can't? Didn't you hear me just now? But I must say, I didn't expect the Sand Village's Golden Lion to be so eloquent. ヾ(^д^*)/"

After a brief pause, the surrounding passersby instantly erupted in an uproar!

What's even more surprising is that the person who managed to confess his feelings to Princess Tsunade was none other than the infamous Golden Lion of the Sand Village!

My God! What a tragic love story!

"Alas! What a pity! The devoted golden lion ultimately achieved nothing..."

An elderly man with a story to tell, but no wine, was also moved. Watching the heartfelt struggle, he finally shook his head and sighed.

They were a perfect match in terms of social standing; one was the princess of Konoha, and the other was the top courtesan of Sunagakure. It's just a pity they were born in the wrong place!

"Holy crap! I need to report to the Minister right now... no! Reporting to the Minister is useless, I need to report to the Hokage!"

The surrounding Anbu members also realized that this guy wasn't here to fight their captain, but rather to flirt with their Konoha princess!

This is even worse than getting into a fight with their minister!

If their Konoha princess were really kidnapped, they would be in big trouble. Based on the Golden Lion's flirtatious words earlier, he really didn't have much confidence in Princess Tsunade. After all, although their Princess Tsunade was beautiful, she was too violent and no one had dared to pursue her all these years. Now, after being charmed by the Golden Lion's heartfelt words, he would have fallen for her if he were a girl!

So at this point, informing their minister is useless; we need to notify the Hokage!

"What?! Did I hear that right? This guy likes violent psychopaths? That's some serious taste! σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

Jiraiya rubbed his eyes in disbelief, completely stunned! A sudden sense of crisis arose within him; his intuition told him that his greatest rival had appeared!

Perhaps it was from the time Tsunade "grew up" that his feelings for her quietly changed from friendship to romantic love. However, considering Tsunade's violent nature, he always acted like a coward and dared not confess. How embarrassing would it be if he were rejected!

Furthermore, it was precisely because of Tsunade's violent nature that no one dared to confess their feelings to her for over a decade. Therefore, he felt that since no one dared to flirt with Tsunade anyway, it didn't matter if he was a little cowardly. If he continued to be a coward, maybe one day he would still have a chance.

But now!

The biggest enemy has appeared! This ruthless person, who's so vicious they'd even tear down their own house, actually has such extreme tastes!

"Hiss... You heard me right, Shiki is flirting with Tsunade..."