Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

The original work doesn't record much between World War I and World War II. Now that I think about it, most of the people who were supposed to die are dead. Madara, who is still alive, is probably still secretly planning his world-destroying project and won't be causing trouble. He can finally take a good look around the ninja world.

"...My father didn't get married and have children until he was over thirty. I'm not in a hurry, and I don't have as much free time as you. I'm leaving..."

Sakumo Hatake rolled his eyes once again and disappeared from Masato's sight.

He's a high-ranking member of Konoha's Anbu, working from dawn till dusk every day, unlike this bastard who's so idle he can even approve his own leave request...

.......

The ninja world is currently in a state of near-complete peace, though not true peace, as minor skirmishes still occur between villages. However, the major ninja villages are relatively restrained, as this is their golden age of rapid development. In the future, the battles between smaller ninja villages will be far more intense than those between major ninja villages.

It could even trigger village-annihilation wars. News of which village was destroyed today and which village was engaged in a large-scale battle with someone else tomorrow was constantly being heard. At first, Shinto was a little interested, after all, it was a war to destroy villages and countries, something he had never seen in his two lives. But after arriving at the scene, he finally understood why these villages or small countries were so easily wiped out, and why they were called "small". The total number of people fighting on both sides in these remote villages and small countries was less than 500, and the highest-ranking leaders were only Jonin level. Such wars were practically child's play to the ninja world. No wonder Konoha, an international police force that advocates for a loving and harmonious ninja world and takes maintaining world peace as its mission, didn't send anyone to act as a peacemaker.

However, in the distant Land of Commerce, Masato unexpectedly encounters his "good brother," Kakuzu-san, the top-tier ninja star who has swept the ninja world in recent years!

168. Watching the big boss Kakuzu

"Kakuzu? What are you doing in the Land of Merchants? Are you... going to fight your friends? (⊙_⊙)?"

Shindou scrutinized the man in front of him from top to bottom and left to right. He was dressed in gold and silver, with ten fingers covered in shiny rings, and a group of menacing henchmen carrying hoes and kitchen knives. If it weren't for the two familiar green lights in his eyes, he would have thought he had mistaken him for someone else!

Is this the bounty hunter Kakuzu?

This guy is definitely a gang leader!

"Ah, last year the Valley Village was established in the Valley Country, and the Daimyo of the Commerce Country invited me to stay and oversee it for two years..."

Kakuzu was quite surprised to see his "good brother". The Kingdom of Shang was located in a remote area. If the daimyo of the Kingdom of Shang hadn't offered him a price he couldn't refuse, he wouldn't have bothered to come to such a small place. You have to know that his current net worth is different. Although he can now take on a deal worth tens of millions.

"So that's what they're doing, guarding the territory for the Shang Kingdom! It seems the daimyo of the Shang Kingdom has quite the audacity...!"

Hearing Kakuzu's words, he was truly impressed. He had just passed through the Land of Valleys, where a new ninja village had indeed been established. The Land of Commerce was right next to the Land of Valleys, and the entire country was almost entirely composed of merchants. Amidst the constant fighting and killing in the ninja world, they simply wanted to do business peacefully. Perhaps due to their traditional education, the merchants of the Land of Commerce were almost always very successful. It was said that no merchant from the Land of Commerce ever lost money in business. Years ago, a merchant from the Land of Commerce bought a large amount of timber from the Land of Wind at a high price, intending to transport it to the Land of Fire to turn his fortunes around. Many people were waiting to see when he would jump off a building. However, this merchant somehow managed to fool the daimyo of the Land of Fire, who bought all his timber at more than ten times the price, causing his net worth to skyrocket. This stunned countless people, and this battle became one of the most classic battles in the business world. That merchant is now the daimyo of the Land of Commerce... Excellent eloquence, extraordinary courage, and exceptional vision—no wonder he was able to rise from a merchant to a daimyo.

Although it is just a small border country, in terms of money, Iwagakure and Kumogakure probably can't even catch up with it. The establishment of the Valley Village by the Valley Country is indeed a threat to the Commerce Country. However, he did not expect that the Daimyo of the Commerce Country would be so generous, actually inviting Kakuzu, the top star of the ninja world. You should know that with Kakuzu's current status, it would cost at least a billion to hire him to watch the show for two years. Otherwise, it would be really impossible to hire him.

"By the way, why would you pursue the princess of the Senju clan of Konoha? Given your status...?"

Although the Land of Merchants is far from the center of the ninja world, news that shocked the ninja world, such as the Sand Village's Golden Lion confessing his love to the Senju Princess of Konoha, spread even in their small place.

However, Kakuzu was also curious. Given his good brother's status and talent, he certainly wouldn't lack for girls. The Sand Village produced Chiyo, the "flower of the ninja world" who could make Madara Uchiha and the First Kazekage Retsuto fight each other. This meant that the Sand Village could also produce beautiful women. So why did he go to Konoha to flirt with girls, and even flirt with the princess of the Senju clan? He even wondered if his good brother's head had been caught in a door. However, considering his good brother's toughness—being hit by a Tailed Beast Ball without any injury—he ultimately rejected this unrealistic idea.

"A beautiful lady is sought after by a gentleman, right? Anyway, where are you all headed? To the Dry Valley Ninja Village? (⊙_⊙)?"

Shindou pointed to a group of his underlings behind him, who were armed with hoes and kitchen knives and looked menacing, and asked.

"A group of ninjas from outside are causing trouble. I'm really thinking of going to check it out..."

Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with a green light as he spoke, which made him furious. The news that he, the renowned top-tier figure Kakuzu, was stationed in the Land of Commerce was known to almost every country in the surrounding area. For the past year or so, even the neighboring Land of Valley, which had just established a ninja village, had not dared to invade. The head of the Valley Ninja Village and the daimyo of the Land of Valley treated him with utmost respect. He never expected that someone would come to his territory to cause trouble today. Wasn't this a slap in the face to Kakuzu? Did they really think he was still the same Kakuzu who had run himself ragged for a bounty of a few million?

He's a top-tier celebrity now!

"Really? Let's go! Let's go see which bastard is causing trouble at my brother's place!"

Shinto was also invigorated, and he drew his pure gold greatsword, slung it over his shoulder, and set off with Kakuzu with great momentum.

With Kakuzu's reputation, several small countries around him definitely wouldn't dare to cause trouble. Kakuzu is a Kage-level shinobi, capable of wiping out such small countries with ease. He also wanted to see who was so arrogant as to come and cause trouble knowing Kakuzu was here. In this era, the leader of the Akatsuki was not even a tadpole, and Madara's standards weren't so low as to consider such a small place. Among the rogue ninja active in the ninja world these days, Kakuzu was number one. No one should dare to cross him, even if...

"Brothers!"

Kakuzu was deeply moved by Masato's reaction, as Masato seemed even angrier than he was!

........

"Huh? Aren't these Cloud Ninja? This place is way away from the Land of Lightning, what are they doing here?"

Upon arriving at the scene, one could see a group of burly men in the distance. Even disregarding their headbands, their physiques, resembling modern-day LeBron James, were unparalleled in the entire ninja world, except perhaps for Kumogakure...

This group of Cloud Ninja were gathered in a tavern, their faces flushed and reeking of alcohol—perhaps they'd been drinking fake liquor—and were furiously smashing things. One of their leaders, a Cloud Ninja who hadn't been drinking, was also spitting angrily at someone who appeared to be the tavern owner. The owner, however, showed no remorse for the vandalism; instead, he acted as if he were the customer's best friend, nodding and apologizing earnestly while being spat on by the Cloud Ninja leader.

No wonder the merchants of the Shang Kingdom are all doing so well; with that "customer is king" attitude, it's hard not to get rich...

Kakuzu and Shinto, who had just entered, exchanged a bewildered glance. This situation was quite different from what they had imagined. Kakuzu was a little scared when he saw the Cloud Ninja, after all, the Third Raikage was known for his violent temper. If he killed one of his underlings, the Third Raikage might chase him to the ends of the earth. What a great mage like him feared most was encountering tough berserkers like the Third Raikage and Shinto. If he couldn't break through and got close, he would be dead.

However, the journey to the Land of Lightning was long, so he wasn't too worried. At worst, he could just take out the money from the Daimyo of the Land of Commerce after dealing with these Cloud Ninja, and then run away. Besides, his good brother was still with him; he absolutely couldn't back down now!

169. The Cloud Ninja cannot handle such an elegant thing.

"Well... cough cough, fellow Cloud Ninja brothers, could you please tell me what happened that made you all so agitated? I'm acquainted with your Grand Strategist and Raikage, and the Land of Commerce is my brother Kakuzu's territory. Isn't it inappropriate for you to be causing such a ruckus here?"

Seeing Kakuzu's hesitant stance, Shinto walked out speechlessly and addressed the group of James. He explained that the enemy was, after all, a major ninja village, and there were quite a few of them—seventy or eighty in total. They were probably planning something big. If Kakuzu really wiped them out, he'd be in deep trouble. The Third Raikage, that super-James, was known for his benevolent and hot-tempered nature; he'd even single-handedly fought tens of thousands of Iwa ninja for his men. If he knew that Kakuzu had easily defeated a few dozen of his men, he'd be chasing Kakuzu relentlessly until the end of time...

"Hmm? Sand Village's Golden Lion? I didn't expect to meet you here. It's a pleasure to meet you! I am Tsuchida, a Jonin from Cloud Village."

The Cloud Ninja, who was still spitting at the tavern owner, turned around. With his golden hair and a signature golden sword slung over his shoulder, he exuded true manliness. Although his tone was very easygoing, there was an innate sense of oppression that made people want to call him "Dad." Who else could it be but the Golden Lion of Sunagakure? He immediately changed to a serious and earnest smile and introduced himself, completely unlike his previous angry outburst at the tavern owner.

As for Kakuzu, no matter how famous he was, he was still a rogue ninja. As a ninja with such conservative ideas, a slight nod was his way of greeting.

"So that's the famous... Lava Release: Tsuchikage, the so-called right-hand man of the Third Raikage. What are you doing here...?"

James of the Cloud Ninja clan is truly powerful in every aspect. In just a few minutes, they demolished a high-end, classy tavern. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought it was an illegal construction by the tavern owner.

"That's right, the owner of this tavern is absolutely despicable! He actually sold us fake liquor! This liquor tastes sweet, but there's no alcohol flavor at all. Lord Golden Lion, what do you think? This tavern should be demolished! Lord Raikage was right after all, none of these merchants are good people! (▼へ▼メ)"

When asked about the details of the matter, Tu Tai became furious and started spitting out his words incessantly.

"(⊙_⊙)? Fake alcohol? No way, these Cloud Ninja brothers are all flushed and reeking of alcohol. They're obviously drunk. Stop, stop, brother, don't tear it down anymore. If you keep tearing it down, the foundation will be destroyed."

After Toudai finished speaking, Shindou and Kakuzu were even more puzzled. These James guys all looked like they were under the influence of alcohol. If they said the boss gave them alcohol to drink, they would believe it. But now they were selling fake alcohol that they couldn't even taste. Damn, apart from the Azabu clan, the other members of the Cloud Ninja are just as good at lying through their teeth.

"If Your Excellency Golden Lion is not comfortable with it, you are welcome to try it yourself. We Cloud Ninja always keep our word!"

Seeing the questioning and disbelieving expressions on Masato and Kakuzu's faces, Tsuchidai became serious and found a still-intact "fake sake" jug, which he handed to the two of them, saying...

"Let me try it... Hmm? Not bad, sweet and mellow. The sweetness of the grapes balances the spiciness of the alcohol, but leaves a slight bitterness, followed by a hint of sweetness. In my experience... this should be a red wine that's been aged for over ten years, right? It's the perfect drink for middle-aged and elderly people. Pack up several dozen kilograms for me to take back to Aunt Chiyo..."

Shindou, acting like a connoisseur of wine, slapped on a bunch of random labels. It was definitely wine, though he didn't know if it was good or not. But he was sure the owner wasn't selling fake wine. However, it wasn't unjust for the owner's wine shop to be demolished. These Cloud Ninjas were all big and burly, clearly accustomed to drinking Erguotou and Niulanshan liquor. How could you sell wine, a drink that only refined gentlemen can handle, to them? Didn't you even consider whether they could handle it?

If you don't take this apart, who will? ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

Aren't the merchants of the Shang Kingdom supposed to be quite shrewd businessmen? How come this boss is so clueless...?

"It's not fake alcohol? (⊙_⊙)?"

Now it was Tu Tai and his group of James's underlings' turn to be dumbfounded. Although they didn't understand a word of what the Golden Lion was saying, they had to pretend to understand in order not to embarrass the village. Anyway, the Golden Lion's words meant that it wasn't fake wine!

"Of course it's not fake alcohol, but it's not surprising. This stuff is only used by literati, professors, and experts to show off. It's not surprising that you guys don't know it. This stuff has a very low alcohol content, but the aftereffects are strong. Judging from your drunken state, you must have drunk quite a lot, right?"

Looking at James and his group, all reeking of alcohol, Zhen Dou realized that with the alcohol content of this wine, these guys wouldn't be this drunk without drinking a couple of bottles...

"Lord Golden Lion, this kind of wine in our shop has been completely drunk up by these Cloud Ninja lords. How about you give me your contact information and I'll go to the factory to get some more and deliver it to you tomorrow?"

The tavern owner's eyes lit up when he saw there was business to be had. He didn't care about the fact that his tavern had been demolished down to just the foundation. He came up to the tavern with the tone of an illegitimate son talking to his rich father, and was as enthusiastic as could be.

As expected, even the most clueless people in the land of merchants always adhere to the policy of "the customer is God," which is why they are so wealthy...!

"Since Lord Golden Lion has said it's not fake wine, boss, I'll write you an IOU. Have someone deliver it to our Cloud Village, and our Raikage will compensate you at the original price!"

Once Tsuchida heard Masato's explanation, he understood. This stuff was the product of those pretentious literati trying to show off to the daimyo. No wonder it didn't taste like sake. Realizing he had wronged them and even demolished their tavern, Tsuchida wasn't embarrassed. He took out a piece of paper and quickly scribbled on it before handing the note, which resembled an IOU, to the tavern owner.

"My lord, it's not like that. This tavern isn't worth much. As long as you all enjoy your drinks, that's all that matters. I'll keep this note as a souvenir and just to remind myself that the ninja doesn't like this stuff, so I won't make a mistake next time!"

The tavern owner, still behaving obediently and sensibly, smiled and accepted the tavern's commotion, handing over the IOU as if he truly didn't care that his tavern had been demolished. Seeing this level of emotional intelligence, Zhen Dou gave him a thumbs up. No wonder he wasn't heartbroken about the demolition; with such high emotional intelligence, even if his perception wasn't perfect, he could still amass a considerable fortune.

Furthermore, the population of the Shang Kingdom is not large, and houses are cheap; demolishing and rebuilding wouldn't cost much...

170. Handsome Scorpion is out!

"Can you guys stop turning around like that? My eyes are blurry. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were giving birth! Jie, who's about to become a father, is so calm, what are you guys so nervous about? But... Jie, shouldn't you be a little nervous when your wife is giving birth? (⊙_⊙)?"

Thirty years in Konoha, twenty-nine years in Sunagakure.

Inside the mansion of handsome Sasori's father, a large crowd had gathered. All the prominent figures from Sunagakure had arrived, and they were all nervously peering toward a house. Outside the house, Sunagawa and Kaizo took turns pacing around, stopping every now and then to peek inside. Inside, all that could be heard were the screams of a woman and Chiyo's cheering.

Shinto, who had been living a carefree life with Kakuzu for several years, looked at the two nervous people, and then at Sasori's father, who had finally completed the arduous task his mother had given him after several years and remained remarkably calm.

Today is the birth of Sasori, the next legitimate heir of Sunagakure. Chiyo has become more laid-back in recent years and doesn't care much about pomp and circumstance anymore, but the celebrations were still turned into a grand affair by Sunagawa and Kaizo, almost like Guan Yu's birthday celebration, only missing a rainbow. She handed a small red card to the heads of all the major and minor clans in the village: "Tomorrow is the birth of Jie's son. Masato has returned; whether you come or not is up to you..."

Good guy!

These family heads are just...wow!

The very next morning, just as dawn was breaking, these people, each carrying a list thicker than a dictionary, lined up at Handsome Scorpion's father's mansion.

Masato didn't give Sunagawa and Kaizo a good look all day, but seeing Sasori's father looking calm, Masato was curious: could this kid not be purebred?

But thinking about it carefully, Chiyo has blue hair, Retsuto has brown hair, and Sasori's parents have brown and black hair respectively. Even if he himself, Shinto, has blond hair... it doesn't match red at all. Yet, Sasori has bright red hair, a really vibrant red. There must be a story behind this...

"...What's there to be nervous about? I've been checking on Yusaori every day for the past year, and everything is fine..."

The handsome, academically gifted Scorpion's father looked at the nervous Sunagawa, his uncle, and his curious older brother speechlessly.

The saying goes, "A poison master is half a doctor." His medical skills surpass even the director of the Sand Village Hospital, let alone the fact that his own mother, a deadly poison master, can bring the dead back to life...

"...Fine, you're a genius, you're awesome. But could you two explain why you posted in my name? And you bunch of bastards! Am I really that scary? Roca! Where's your dad? I gave you a truckload of ninja tools back then, tell me, am I really that scary? (▼ヘ▼#)"

As he spoke, Masato launched into a tirade against the group of guys behind him, each holding a dictionary. It didn't matter that his reputation in the ninja world was mixed, but his persona in the village was that of a kind and approachable person. These bastards actually came to stake out the village before dawn just because they saw his name. Didn't that mean he was bullying people with his power?

"..."

Behind him, a group of clan leaders looked up at the sky. "If we hadn't come, you bastard, you would have made things difficult for our clan's younger generation when you came back. Those three Chunin from the Meichuan clan are still in wheelchairs, training as puppeteers."

But you should only think these words in your mind; you must never say them aloud...

"My father is still in the Dark Guard and can't leave. I'm just here to deliver a gift..."

The son of the head of the secret service who was named was straightforward; he said what he meant without any beating around the bush, though his voice sounded a little tearful when he spoke.

Nonsense, with a bunch of big shots watching him, even his father couldn't protect him if he said something wrong...

"Hmm...you're the most sensible one. You've been out of school for several years now, haven't you? Have you become a Jonin yet? After a few years in the Anbu, come and work for me. Don't be like your old man, sitting in an office all day with no future!"

Seeing Roca, who was fifteen or sixteen years old and still crying, Masato comforted him.

"Hey......"

Sunagawa and Kaizo sighed helplessly upon hearing his words. They were exhausted, especially Kaizo, who wanted to slap himself. But then he thought only an idiot would do that, so he let it go. He really shouldn't have made him a leader in the Jonin squad. Although the Jonin were much more civilized now and understood the importance of queuing, this kid had still managed to poach all his former ANBU underlings to be his secretaries. He had over twenty secretaries in the entire ninja world! Even if each of them worked a shift a day, they'd only be at work once a month—more leisurely than Bunpuku…

The key point is that they get paid for the full month; they'd all want to do that kind of job.

"Hey! It's born! And that cry is really loud!"

"Yes, congratulations, Jie, you've become a father! This is just a small token of our clan's appreciation..."