Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

When Nawaki agreed to return to Konoha with Hatake Sakumo, who said that his grandmother didn't have much time left and patted his chest to make a guarantee, Sunagawa and Ebizo arrived with a group of menacing-looking underlings who appeared to be elite soldiers.

The three exchanged glances.

Ebizo: Has the story been told yet?

Masato: I told you!

Sunagawa nodded secretly, and with a wave of his hand, his henchmen immediately surrounded Hatake Sakumo.

"...I wonder what Lord Fengying desires..."

Sakumo Hatake rolled his eyes at the three of them, speechless. "Do you guys think I'm blind? Making eye contact with me so openly..."

There's nothing we can do about it. Whether what Shiki said is true or false, their crown prince is indeed in their hands. Putting ourselves in their shoes, if their crown prince were in Konoha's hands, their boss wouldn't have let Sunagakure take him back so easily.

The three men's eye contact clearly indicated they wanted to discuss the price, but this stern-faced guy wasn't played by Golden Lion...

"The saying goes that envoys are not killed in times of war. If it were you, White Fang, who came to our Sand Village and then left on your own, we would absolutely not stop you. But back then, to save this brat, our Sand Village lost several elites and even had to turn against Iwagakure. And you want to leave with this brat after just a few words? How am I supposed to explain this to the families of the dead..."

Sunagawa stepped forward and spoke righteously.

They originally intended to keep the brat around until the war was almost over. If they couldn't defeat Konoha in the war, they could use the brat to their advantage and make some money. However, they didn't expect Hiruzen Sarutobi to be so impatient and send White Fang directly.

Why are you blocking White Teeth here?

Don't be ridiculous. Everyone in the ninja world knows how incredibly stylish White Fang's movements are. Someone who can show off his skills amidst Shinto's chaotic and terrifyingly dense sword energy is unstoppable, no matter how many people try to stop him. The only person who could stop him wouldn't dare let that person fight White Fang in the village, because that would be like hurting yourself first!

So on the way here, he exchanged glances with Ebizo and immediately changed his plans. Since he couldn't stop White Fang and couldn't let Shinto take action, he might as well make some profits first. Although White Fang of Konoha was straightforward, he had been the head of the Anbu for so many years, so he couldn't possibly be bad at dealing with people.

"...30 billion, that's the amount of resources I can utilize within my authority. Lord Kazekage knows these are extraordinary times, and even though Konoha is wealthy, we can't just provide any more resources at once..."

Of course, Hatake Sakumo knows how to behave. The Kazekage's long-winded explanation was simply to get Konoha to give an explanation to the families of the deceased, whose very existence was uncertain.

Speechless, I glanced sideways at Masato, who was feigning ignorance beside me. "I just asked you a number, why didn't you just give me a number? Why are you pretending to be so kind?" ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

"........(⊙_⊙)?"

I was glanced at, and Toru turned his head away blankly, looking like it was none of my business. At a time like this, he must be completely oblivious...

246. White Fang: If you do this again, I won't have the money to ransom you.

"puff!"

When Sakumo Hatake mentioned 30 billion yen, Rojin, the head of the Sunagakure ANBU next to Sunagakure, almost spat out a mouthful of blood. A strong sense of inferiority welled up in his heart, and his son helped him so that he didn't fall to the ground.

Luo Zhen looked up at the sky without tears. They were both heads of the Dark Division, so why was there such a huge difference between them?

Look at the head of Konoha's Anbu; he can just throw around 30 billion in supplies. He has to submit a report even for supplies in the tens of millions...

"Ahem... Since Lord White Fang has put it this way, I can understand the difficulties of Konoha. I believe Lord White Fang is not the type to go back on his word. You can take the person with you for now, and hand them over to Shinto when the supplies arrive..."

Not only Luo Zhen, but also Sunagawa and Ebizo were shocked by the arrogance and power of this Konoha Anbu chief. Back then, the Seven-Tails exchanged 25 billion yen worth of supplies from Konoha's chief advisor. Afterwards, when they learned that the chief advisor had embezzled public funds by falsifying accounts, they were not imprisoned, but they were forced to kneel on durians until they were exhausted.

However, although this head of the Anbu is Hiruzen Sarutobi's right-hand man, his status is indeed not as high as Danzo Shimura's. But damn, his power is too much! He said that he has the authority to use 30 billion in resources to buy this prince from them at once, without having to bother Hiruzen Sarutobi. 30 billion!

The thought of that number sent a wave of intense inferiority through their hearts. It would be easy for the entire Sand Village to ask them to produce 30 billion in gold at once, but to produce 30 billion in supplies...

Their collective selling of their buttocks isn't enough.

Of course, the price of the Konoha Crown Prince would be much higher than this, but it's wartime now, and everyone knows how much they can rip off. If they go too far and Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't budge on the price, acting like he's free to kill or torture them, then keeping this brat around is useless. They can't fight him, they can't kill him, and they'd be feeding him for nothing—it's not worth it. It's better to get these supplies quickly first. With these supplies, they'll have a better understanding of what to do when fighting Konoha later...

"...I will make arrangements as soon as I get back. I'll take my leave now."

Seeing the Kazekage's shamelessness, what could Sakumo Hatake say? Sending the supplies to Shiki was practically telling him that if they didn't get the supplies, their star was going to Konoha to play with sword energy...

"Future brother-in-law, Scorpion! I'm heading back now. I'll come visit you again when I have time!!!"

Nawaki, who had been walking away from Sakumo Hatake, turned back and shouted as if reluctant to leave.

"boom!"

"Hmm? What's wrong, Brother Sakumo?"

"It's nothing, I just slipped..."

Hatake Sakumo patted the dirt off his clothes and looked at the Crown Prince with a helpless expression. The Senju clan's bloodline is really weird. The first and second senators were such shrewd people, how could they have such a simple-minded grandson?

Three hundred billion! Don't be fooled by his nonchalant demeanor. He may have great power as the head of the Anbu, and the big boss trusts him, but it's impossible for him to come up with three hundred billion in supplies. The three hundred billion he mentioned includes the entire wealth of his Hatake clan. Now that all the villages are preparing for the next major battle, even though Konoha is wealthy, it's impossible for them to mobilize so many resources at this time. It would be troublesome if the battle lines were stretched thin. So he plans to use the wealth of his Hatake clan to cover the costs first. Don't be fooled by the fact that he's the only one in his clan; they still have a considerable fortune passed down for dozens of generations since the war era.

However, upon hearing Nawaki's words, Hatake Sakumo felt utterly helpless: "If you do this again, I won't have the money to ransom you..."

......

"You've been leaders for so many years, yet you completely lack the understanding of the essence of negotiation. You just accept whatever price they ask for? You should be the ones who drive up the price first to gain the upper hand and let the other party guess the right price when they try to negotiate! It's a good thing you're not in the business of selling things, otherwise you would have squandered so much of our wealth!"

After Sakumo Hatake and Nawaki disappeared, Masato lectured Sunagawa and Ebizo with a look of disdain.

"Alright, alright, it's not peacetime anymore. Konoha can probably only provide this much as much as they can. We also urgently need these supplies. Onoki sent word that Iwagakure will launch an attack next spring. With these supplies, things will be easier for us then."

Looking at his lecturing face, Hai and Zang wanted nothing more than to stab him twice. If you're so arrogant, why didn't you go for it earlier? You completely disregarded the village's interests for a girl, and now what are you pretending for!

"By the way! Have you found a candidate for the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki? If not, I have a suitable candidate."

Ignoring their murderous glares, Masato changed the subject and asked...

Hatake Sakumo's words reminded him that the best candidates for Jinchuriki are naturally from the Uzumaki clan, especially tailed beasts like the Seven, Eight, and Nine-Tails with their massive chakra reserves. Ordinary people's physiques might not be able to withstand them. If the Eight-Tails from Kumogakure hadn't gotten along with the current Jinchuriki, it would have caused trouble long ago. The Eight-Tails' rampage back then is proof of that.

This is also why Sunagakure has kept the Seven-Tails sealed in a container for so many years without finding a Jinchuriki. The main reason is that they are afraid that ordinary people's chakra is not enough to suppress the Seven-Tails. When he was in the village, it was fine, the Seven-Tails was as well-behaved as a husky. But if he is not in the village, the Jinchuriki's chakra will not be able to suppress the Seven-Tails, and it will be no joke if it goes berserk.

It's true that the Seven-Tails is a bit timid, but that's only relative to its brothers. After being oppressed for so many years, its rebellion could wipe out the Sand Village. The One-Tails used to barely manage to defeat it, and it even gave away Shamon. If Shamon doesn't intervene, the Seven-Tails could truly become a god.

The fact that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Konoha has been replaced has given him a wake-up call. He actually knows that there are still a few members of the Uzumaki clan who are still alive!

Leaving aside the rice carrier from the Land of Rain who received Madara's generous gift, there's Karin... uh, her mother is from Kusagakure, right? If Sakumo Hatake hadn't brought it up, he would have almost forgotten about her!

Karin has the ability to replenish the life force of others, so her mother's bloodline must be very pure, right?

It would be such a waste to leave such a top-notch talent to the Grass Village as a medic. It would be better for him to come to the Sand Village and become a national treasure Jinchuriki. He would be provided with food, lodging, and even a marriage. It would be a way to lessen the sins of Onoki and the others!

To avoid getting beaten up too badly by the Senju brothers when I go to see the old man of the Six Paths.

When the barrier broke, he was playing point guard, mainly responsible for connecting and orchestrating the offense. He probably... didn't take any shots, right?

Hmm... Onoki stole all the opportunities to make a move...? (;￢＿￢).

247. Girls are generally easily swayed by love.

"...What good suggestions do you have? (⊙_⊙)?"

Sunagawa and Ebizo exchanged glances and asked curiously, "Why is this kid bringing up the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki for no reason?"

To be honest, they have been looking for a Jinchuriki over the years, but they have not found a suitable candidate. Not everyone can be a Jinchuriki. They do not expect anyone to be able to live peacefully with the Seven-Tails, but they hope that someone like Bunpuku can be unaffected by the Tailed Beast. It is impossible for the Tailed Beast to go to the battlefield. At most, it can only increase the village's deterrent power.

Generally speaking, children are the most suitable for this, but even so, it is still very difficult. Adults are already mature and difficult to control after becoming Jinchūriki, while children do not have this problem. Although they are not as good as Hiruzen Sarutobi in terms of brainwashing and winning people's hearts, it is not a problem to instill the concept of love and peace in them from childhood. However, in this generation of the village, there is only one child who meets this requirement: Sasori.

He has enough talent, and since Sunagakure was founded by his grandfather, the brainwashing process can be skipped. Moreover, Sasori's temperament is stronger than that of ordinary children, and his intelligence is high enough that the tailed beasts cannot fool him at all.

But... handsome Sasori is the Crown Prince, and the only genius their village can currently boast about. Why would they make him a Jinchūriki?

Are you crazy?

Even if Chiyo agrees, they still won't!

So the matter of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was delayed again and again. Fortunately, the Seven-Tails' temperament was much better than that of the One-Tail Shukaku. It didn't cause much trouble. Especially when Shinto was in the village, the Seven-Tails was as well-behaved as a husky. The complete version of the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique in Konoha was quite effective. Even though it was sealed in a container all these years, there were no major problems. This gave them enough time to find the Jinchuriki.

However, keeping the Seven-Tails sealed in a container indefinitely is too dangerous. The Five-Tails of Iwagakure serves as a lesson, as this kid easily managed to escape with a single breath. Therefore, finding a Jinchuriki is essential.

Now that I'm hearing what the kid is saying, he must have found a good candidate.

"Of course there are good candidates. Actually, I've always had someone in mind, but I'd completely forgotten about her. If White Fang hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have remembered her at all. The best candidate for a Jinchuriki is naturally from the Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki clan was wiped out, but a couple of years ago I heard that there were Uzumaki clan orphans in Kusagakure. However, I didn't think about the Jinchuriki aspect at the time, so I didn't pay any attention to it. Since we can't find a suitable Jinchuriki in the village, why not go to Kusagakure and bring back a member of the Uzumaki clan? Everyone knows how massive the Uzumaki clan's chakra is. Suppressing a Tailed Beast is a piece of cake. It will definitely make it lie down instead of sitting up."

"The most crucial thing, think about it: the Uzumaki clan! Although they've gained some wealth through killing, their chakra and vitality are among the best in the ninja world. If we get this orphan of the Uzumaki clan and find her a good family, even if her future child isn't purebred, she'll still be a top-tier prospect for a future great mage. It's a sure win!"

"True Fighter tempts you."

"...The idea is good, but...they're not one of our own..."

Sunagawa and Ebizo were genuinely tempted by what he said. Needless to say, the Uzumaki clan's talent was immense, with a vast amount of chakra and vitality. As long as their intelligence reached the level of a normal person, even without sealing techniques or optical ninjutsu, they could become great sorcerers in the future. This was indeed very tempting for Sunagakure, where talent was scarce.

However, I'm also a little worried. The Sand Village was one of the culprits who wiped out the Uzumaki clan. You wiped out their clan, and now you want members of that clan to become Jinchūriki? Isn't that just plain stupid?

"Hey! You can rest assured about that. This orphan of the Uzumaki clan is still a child, and most importantly, she's a girl. Girls are the most emotional creatures, and the most easily swayed by love. She might harbor some hatred towards our Sand Village now, but once she encounters the Chosen One, you could ask her to kill her own parents. So when we bring her back, we'll pair her with an outstanding handsome young man... hehe...!"

As he finished speaking, Masato gave a sinister laugh.

Just kidding, if Hiruzen Sarutobi could use the perfect ninja strategy to save the world's mother, why couldn't they use the pretty boy strategy to seduce Karin's mother...?

"..."

Sunagawa and Ebizo looked at each other. Although they thought what he said made a lot of sense, they were curious about where this guy, who was also single like them, got so many tricks up his sleeve. Could he really pull it off? They had absolutely no confidence.

If this were Jie's words, they might have some confidence. After all, he brought girls home when he was only seven, and his flirting skills were quite impressive. This guy, on the other hand, is clearly a single dog, having pursued a thousand-armed princess for over ten years without any progress. Could this guy's methods really work...?

"Hey! What kind of looks are those? You can doubt my character, but you can't doubt my professional skills. If it weren't for the hellish level of girls I pick up, Handsome Scorpion would be an uncle by now! (▼へ▼メ)"

Seeing the suspicious looks in Ebizo and Sunagawa's eyes, Masato pulled out his greatsword, really wanting to chop those two bastards to pieces.

"Ahem... We don't doubt you, it's just that this method is too risky. Anyway, there's no rush to have a Jinchuriki. Luo Zhen, take some men to Kusagakure and bring back the Uzumaki clan child. As for whether to let her become a Jinchuriki, we'll see how things go. It's good to bring back the Uzumaki clan child..."

Upon seeing the golden sword on Masato's shoulder, Ebizo's eyes twitched as he glanced at Rozen behind him.

Whether or not he could become a Jinchūriki was one thing, but leaving the Uzumaki clan's bloodline in Sunagakure would benefit the village in every way. However, thinking of this, Ebizo felt a pang of regret!

Why didn't they think of this when they teamed up to attack the Land of Whirlpools?

If we had brought back a few of the Whirlpool Clan children back then and instilled in them the idea of ​​loving peace, they wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble!

Kusagakure is just a small ninja village. Even the most powerful Kusakage is only an elite Jonin, not even a Red Rank ninja. Ryouma, a Red Rank ninja, can handle it with his men; they don't need their top ninja to show up. Besides, Ebizo doesn't intend to send that bastard. They want to bring back members of the Uzumaki clan. Since the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, their bloodline is incredibly precious. It's better to keep a low profile. This bastard is a natural attention-seeker; he's always the center of attention. What if he gets into some big trouble in Kusagakure and makes headlines again…?

They already have three factions from Tangren Village teaming up to be wary of...!

248. Find a child bride for handsome Scorpion

"...As for pretty boys...I think handsome Sasori is quite good. Just look at that face he perfectly inherited from Aunt Chiyo; winning over a girl would be too easy for him. Age isn't a problem either; it's just a few years. As the saying goes, 'A woman three years older than you is like a golden brick,' right, young man? (???)?"

After Luo Zhen and his men set off, Zhen Dou was already considering who to use to get rid of Karin's mother. He glanced at the quiet, handsome young man next door, and Zhen Dou's eyes lit up. Why let the good stuff go to outsiders? It's better to benefit one's own people than to let others benefit. Besides, he found a girl for this handsome young man. When the time is right, he can add some ingredients and make it a done deal. If he can even get a little scorpion out of it, that would be even better. I'll see if he still will betray us for art!

However... the ages don't seem to match, but it doesn't matter, what if this kid is also head over heels in love...ヾ(^Д^*)/

As he spoke, Zhen Dou picked up the handsome Scorpion and pinched his pretty face, ignoring his struggles.

It feels pretty good.