Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

236. Would Handsome Scorpion have his eye on him?

And this handsome scorpion probably knows not only his best buddies, but even the name of the little girl next door (⊙_⊙)? He's a super genius, and once he finds a new direction in life, wow! That's incredible!

Wait a minute... He's way cooler than Sunagawa now, surely Sasori wouldn't be so heartless as to target him!

"...No way?"

Hearing her nephew's words and recalling Uncle Madara's arrogant manner, Chiyo felt a chill run down her spine and began to hesitate. It would be good if her precious grandson was as arrogant as Uncle Madara, but it would be terrible if he were as inhuman as Uncle Madara.

"Please be more confident and remove the 'ba' at the end. You may be strong in biochemistry and ninjutsu theory, but when it comes to adolescent mental health, I am an expert. Look at your precious grandson. He is indeed a super genius, and his precocious maturity is reassuring, but precocious maturity doesn't mean he can't have friends, right? At most, we adults can prevent him from feeling lonely, but there will always be a generation gap between adults and him. Look at him, always with a poker face, even in front of his parents he only has a fake smile. When he is happy, no one shares with him, and when he is unhappy, he bears it all alone. If such emotions are suppressed in his heart for a long time, psychological problems will arise. When he reaches adolescence, once it explodes, things will be unpredictable... How many geniuses in history have turned to the dark side because their parents did not pay attention to their children's psychological development?"

Seeing that Chiyo was listening so attentively, Masato also started spouting nonsense with a straight face. Although he didn't know if it was true or not, he thought it made a lot of sense.

"Clap clap clap!"

"Samato-sama!"

Is Master Shindou home?

"(⊙_⊙)?....Someone is looking for me?"

"Looking for you? (⊙_⊙)?"

Just as Masato and Chiyo were bragging, there was a knock on the door, and the tone was quite polite. This left Masato and Chiyo puzzled. Masato only had one or two friends in the village, and judging from the way the knocking was done, it definitely wasn't an ANBU member. ANBU members in the ninja world never knock on doors, and it wasn't someone they knew. Even if they knew someone, they wouldn't use honorifics when calling him. Besides, the voices sounded like those of young people.

Most importantly, although Masato is the village's top star, his reputation in the village has always been mixed, and over the years, not many people have come to his house to knock on the door looking for him.

"Ishii, do you think Lord Shinto might not be home?"

"No, I've inquired. Lord Masato has almost never left the house lately. I guess he's just not up yet... I heard Lord Masato likes to sleep in..."

"Should we come later? What if we wake up Shinto-sama and he gets angry and chops us all up..."

"We can't wait any longer, or this brat will die. Lady Chiyo is definitely home too; we need her to help detoxify him..."

The three men knocking on the door were getting increasingly impatient after knocking for so long without any response from inside.

Especially Ishii, who was holding a little devil in his arms, almost cried as he watched the Konoha Crown Prince's face grow lighter and his breathing weaker.

Originally, they planned to bring the Konoha Crown Prince to Lord Shinto as soon as they returned to the village. Along the way, he had been administering the drug to the Crown Prince on time and in the correct dosage to keep him unconscious. Everything was going well. As long as they returned to the village and handed him over the next day, they were ready to rise to prominence and reach the pinnacle of their lives!

When they returned to the village, they were treated like heroes. They'd never been treated like this before! The neighbor's extended family practically wore out their doorstep, eager to introduce them to girls. After being flattered by these relatives, they were completely carried away, forgetting all about the "Prince." Shi Jing even forgot to give him the antidote on time, treating him like a puppet. He just threw him on the ground when they got home and went off to see the girls…

It wasn't until this morning that they remembered the Crown Prince of Konoha. When Ishii opened the cloth strip and saw that the Crown Prince of Konoha's face was pale and his lips were black, if it weren't for the fact that he was still breathing faintly, they would have thought that the Crown Prince of Konoha had died.

Although he made the poison himself, his chemistry skills were lacking, and he wasn't capable of dealing with someone who was already deeply poisoned. Originally, they wanted to just bury the Konoha prince alive, but faced with the temptation of a high-paying job and a meteoric rise to power, they decided to take a gamble. Lady Chiyo was an expert in poisons, and his little bit of poison was nothing to her. Lady Chiyo would save the brat.

If Master Shindou is in a good mood, he won't blame them. Isn't there still a chance?

Aren't their Fengying masters the kind of people who believe that only those who dare to fight will win, and that only those who dare to sing will become famous?

So the three of them, risking a 50% chance of being killed by the big boss, carried the deeply poisoned Crown Prince of Konoha to the door and knocked.

However, seeing this wooden door that could be kicked open with one foot, which seemed like a death trap, especially for the real culprit, Ishii, his legs had already gone weak. If his friends hadn't been supporting him, he would have collapsed to the ground by now.

"Huh? You guys are... here to use connections... Holy crap! My brother-in-law? Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

When Shindou opened the door, he saw three puppeteers standing trembling at the entrance. He assumed they were trying to climb the ranks by giving gifts to the puppeteer's captain's older brother. But when he saw the light-yellow-haired boy in one of the puppeteers' arms, he was shocked. This was his brother-in-law! It turned out these three had taken advantage of him.

"Lord Shinto, this...that...(?^?)"

The three puppeteers were also taken aback by the big shot's reaction, and stammered, unable to speak. This guy called himself his brother-in-law right off the bat, and their hearts sank.

"What happened? What were you doing, letting this brat stay poisoned for so long? If it weren't for his strong will to live, he would be dead by now..."

Upon hearing Masato call him "brother-in-law," Chiyo appeared at the doorway like a streak of light, faster than the Flying Thunder God Technique. She frowned and spoke after glancing at the little brat in Ishii's arms, presumably the prince of the Senju clan.

"Actually, we didn't want this either. We originally planned to send her to Lord Masato after we returned to the village, but we were so busy these past few days that we forgot about her. Lady Chiyo, is there... is there any hope? ╥﹏╥"

Seeing the powerful figure in front of him reach into his ninja tool pouch, Ishii organized his thoughts and explained with a tearful face.

237. What is the value of the Crown Prince of Konoha?

"...He can be saved, but fortunately the poison you made is relatively weak. If you had brought him any later, it would have been hard to say. Bring him in. As expected of Hashirama Senju's grandson, his vitality is truly amazing!"

After examining the young master of Konoha, Chiyo sighed, "Although the poison made by this little poisoner is of very poor quality and not very toxic, he has been poisoned for several days. Most people would have become ghosts long ago. It's amazing that this grandson of Senju Hashirama has been able to hold on until now."

"If you're not awesome, you wouldn't be called Hashirama Senju. Tell me, what exactly happened? How did you manage to bring this kid here? You probably don't know his identity, right?"

When Chiyo started to detoxify, Masato asked the three of them with a curious look. Nawaki hadn't even debuted yet, and very few people knew that he was the crown prince of Konoha. Only some high-ranking officials from various ninja villages knew. Given that these three were just peripheral underlings, they probably didn't know Nawaki's identity. And he guessed that Nawaki wouldn't be stupid enough to tell others outside of Konoha that he was the grandson of Hashirama Senju.

Isn't this just asking for trouble? Hashirama Senju's grandson's price on the black market is even higher than Hiruzen Sarutobi's...

"...This is what happened @#￥%#￥@...."

The three men, one after the other, began by recounting their own heroic exploits in the war. They then went on to explain how they discovered the identity of the Konoha Crown Prince, followed by their internal struggles and how, with lightning speed, they managed to capture him. They were extremely cautious along the way, fearing anything might happen to the young master, even timing the administration of the drug precisely to the second...

In short, the three of them basically said that they overheard Nawaki calling Tsunade "sister" during the war, then, through careful analysis, they discovered his identity and brought him to the village...

They never uttered a single word of their true thoughts, but Masato could see their ambition to rise in rank from their eyes. Otherwise, they wouldn't have handed the people over to him. Wouldn't it have been better to just hand them over to Sunagawa and get the red flag and 500 yen?

"Alright, alright. Report to the Upper Ninja Class tomorrow. Just say I sent you. As for how well you do in the future, that's up to you."

Seeing the three people's expectant eyes, Shindou couldn't stand it anymore and said, "They're so willing to give me their brother-in-law, and I don't even want to show any appreciation. It's not easy to rise in the puppeteer's unit. Handsome Scorpion's parents are easygoing, but they can be very strict in managing the unit. If you don't meet all the standards for promotion, it's too difficult to get promoted. Even becoming a squad leader requires being an all-rounder. Don't they think that if they have that kind of ability, who the hell would want to be a subordinate?"

Everyone knows this rule, but it's hard to say anything. After all, he's the legitimate heir, with powerful connections. Even Sunagawa and Ebizo turn a blind eye. It's also because Sasori's father and mother are too strict in their management and the conditions for promotion are too demanding, which motivates many aspiring members to work harder to improve themselves and become talents who can contribute to the village.

Of course, some people also want to take shortcuts and find ways to get in through back channels. These three in front of us are examples of that. Since we have already seen that they are so ambitious, we will let them go to Fengying Tower as they wish. That is the center of the highest power in the village. As for how well they can do, that depends on themselves.

Masato is still a bit slow to realize that his future brother-in-law's brain seems to be a little fuzzy.

He's not even fully developed yet, and he hasn't even collected all six essential items, but he dares to reveal his identity to outsiders. Has he never died before?

No wonder the original work was killed off.

You're just a little kid who hasn't even fully developed yet, running onto the battlefield shouting that you're Hashirama Senju's grandson...

It's no wonder they're being targeted and attacked.

"Thank you, Master Shinto! We'll report to the Jonin class tomorrow!"

Upon hearing Masato's words, the three puppeteer underlings instantly perked up, straightening their heads, chests out, stomachs in, and buttocks, extremely excited—they had made the right bet!

I'll be the secretary of the Jonin class!

The job is easy, the pay is high, there are plenty of holidays, and you don't have to fight or kill anyone. Most importantly, you have such a young and powerful boss protecting you, so you can at least live a carefree life until retirement...

"You already have so many people covering for you, why are you still stuffing people in? Aren't you afraid that Sunagawa will come and block you... What are you going to do with this kid?"

Chiyo watched the three puppeteers' backs as they left, then changed the subject after saying her piece in an annoyed tone. She was already used to her nephew abusing his power, and even among the nine sons of a dragon, there were differences. She had seen far too many people using back channels to climb the ranks over the years, and was no longer surprised. Back then, many people came to her for favors, but she simply ignored them. Not everyone could be as honest as Mada's father, who felt so guilty about Shamen's death that he exiled himself to the border.

Besides, who doesn't want to stand out these days? What future is there in being a lackey your whole life?

"I actually hope he comes to ambush me, then I can retire legitimately. To be honest, I've been in this business for over twenty years now. If we're talking about seniority, not many people in the village can compare to me. In terms of achievements, probably only your uncle, the village's first generation, can surpass me. Look at your brother, going to work and coming home every day in the same monotonous routine, he's become so decadent. People who know him would think he's Jie's uncle, but people who don't would think he's Jie's grandfather..."

"This brat... I haven't decided yet. Letting him go back to Konoha like this feels like a loss, but taking him to Konoha to ask for favors... would damage the image I, Golden Lion, have built up in the ninja world over the years. I'm a person of standing, after all, and it's not appropriate for me to do something like this again..."

Shindou looked at his future brother-in-law, whose complexion had become rosier after being cured of the poison, and pondered.

Before, when he wasn't fully developed, there was no other way for him to cheat and swindle. But now that he's fully equipped, it's really beneath him to do these things.

"Sigh... think about it yourself. But the Crown Prince of the Senju Clan's offer is even higher than the Senju Clan Princess's offer!"

Chiyo thought about it and realized that her nephew made some sense. When he first started out, he wasn't famous and wasn't at the top level, so it was normal for him to be a little unscrupulous in order to complete the mission. Now, her nephew was a big shot who was famous throughout the ninja world. If he were to use a child to threaten Konoha, it would indeed be a bit petty.

However... the wealth of the Thousand Hands Clan's Crown Prince is so tempting that even she, who has been a Buddhist for many years, can't resist it!

If a single Seven-Tails could be exchanged for so many supplies from Konoha, then what is the value of the Konoha Crown Prince? Chiyo's blood pressure soared just thinking about it.

However, this concerns his nephew's lifelong happiness, so let him decide for himself...

238. Handsome Scorpion, a born criminal genius

"...How about...we try to negotiate a price with Konoha first?"

Shinto was also moved by Chiyo's words. There was nothing he could do; Sunagakure was just too poor. After the battle in the Land of Rain, if it weren't for Hanzo of the Salamander being so loyal, providing food and drink and sending supplies to Sunagakure after every battle, Sunagawa and Ebizo would have already gone to the Land of Rain to kidnap him and bring him back after such casualties.

As someone whose character is born a resident of Sunagakure and will die a demon of Sunagakure, shouldn't he be able to give up such a good opportunity for a girl?

He wasn't sure how much the Senju clan's crown prince was worth, but if Hiruzen Sarutobi had to trade his best friend for him, Hiruzen would do it without hesitation. He could have many best friends, but the crown prince was his only asset...

However, the thought of bidding against Konoha would clearly show that he had taken the crown prince, and his friendship with Tsunade would drop to zero again, which made him a little unwilling!

"......"

Chiyo shrugged, giving off an air of "It's your happiness, you decide; whether you want a girl or the village is up to you."

The village is important, but my nephew's lifelong happiness is also important. He's over thirty and still single. If he continues to drift along, he'll really be wasting his amazing talent.

"...What's so difficult about that? It's just that you don't want people to know it was you. You could easily lie and say you saw this guy being kidnapped on your way back, how much effort you put into rescuing him from those guys, and then, out of consideration for the younger generation not being implicated in the war between the two countries, you'd be willing to send him back to Konoha. In short, you'd put yourself on the moral high ground throughout the whole incident. I don't think Konoha would just sit idly by without even offering a word of thanks! As for whether you can fool Konoha and the others, that depends on how convincing your story is..."

At this moment, the handsome young boy Scorpion suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He glanced disdainfully at the lewd old man who had the face of wanting to be a prostitute while pretending to be chaste, and then casually said something while feeling Rope Tree's bones as if he were measuring something.

The child was still developing, so after being busy in the room for most of the day, he got a little hungry and came out to find something to eat. He overheard his grandma talking to his stupid uncle and gave the stupid uncle a lot of contempt.

Although he rarely went out from a young age and stayed at home as a dutiful grandson, he knew what people outside said about this foolish uncle. However, because Chiyo wanted her precious grandson to study hard, she instilled in him the idea of ​​changing his destiny through knowledge from the age of two. She even used Masato, a slacker who only knew how to kill people and didn't study, as a negative example to educate him. Therefore, under her influence, although this uncle was as strong as the villagers boasted, he was still considered a foolish slacker who didn't even understand the idea of ​​changing one's destiny through knowledge.

...

quiet...!

Masato and Chiyo exchanged shocked glances, then stared in disbelief at the handsome Sasori whose gaze made Masato want to kill someone. It was true that super geniuses were quick-witted, but how could a mere kid who hadn't even grown a beard come up with such a perfect lie...?

This guy is a born criminal genius!

Chiyo glared at her nephew with a tightness in her chest and a murderous aura. She hoped her precious grandson would become a popular idol like Hashirama Senju, not a criminal genius!

This was definitely taught to me by that little bastard; only that little bastard would have such a bizarre idea...

"Hey, hey, hey! Aunt Chiyo, don't glare at me! I swear to the uncle upstairs, I definitely didn't teach you that. Little rascal, look at my big sword, I'll allow you to look away. And honestly, where did you learn this from? Don't tell me you saw it in a book. Your old man has read every book in the study, but he didn't teach you any of this..."

Sensing the killing intent emanating from Chiyo, Shinto pulled out his greatsword and waved it in front of Sasori.

"...I never learn it. Anyone with a brain could think of it, you just can't think of it."

With the large golden knife in front of him, even held to his little brother, Handsome Scorpion didn't know what it meant, but he still withdrew his gaze, grabbed two pieces of cake from the table, said something casually, and then trotted back to his little room to study the puppet.

"...Holy crap! This little bastard is looking down on me! Σ(⊙▽⊙a)"

"You brat! If it weren't for your parents' low chances of conceiving, I'd castrate you! Aunt Chiyo, don't stop me, if I don't teach this brat a lesson today, I'll be his son! (▼he▼メ)"

Realizing he'd been looked down upon by a little brat, Masato's eyes blazed with fury. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to storm into the room and beat the kid up.

After all these years in the industry, he was actually looked down upon by a little kid!