The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

"Unify the ninja world? That's not easy," Tsunade said, frowning.

“I know it won’t be easy, but how will we know we can’t do it if we don’t try? Besides, I believe in your and Mei Terumi’s strength and wisdom, and I believe in the strength of the Land of Water after I’ve transformed it and the Land of Fire now. The Land of Wind is nothing to us.” Ishihara Akira replied.

"My lord, what are your plans for dealing with the Sand Village?" Temari, who was perched on Ishihara Sho's chest, asked upon hearing this.

"I can allow your Sand Village to retain its independent structure, just like Konoha, but the specific arrangements will depend on the situation later. In short, as long as you serve me well, you and your Sand Village will not lose out," Ishihara Sho said, patting Temari's butt.

"ah……"

……

Leaving aside Ishihara Sho's side, let's return to the rescue team. Although the number of people and participants differed from the original work, the general process of their operation was not much different from the original work. At most, the change in terrain made their tracking more difficult.

After all, Deidara could fly, while the people of Konoha and Sunagakure could only run on the ground. In addition, the terrain changes created a great rift valley, so by the time they arrived at the place where Gaara was kept, it was more than a day later than in the original story.

In other words, Gaara was just a hair's breadth away from dying.

Then came the blocking phase, where Kisame Hoshigaki appeared using a phantom form to fight Guy, while the others continued to advance to provide assistance.

Then Sasori appeared and intercepted Chiyo and the others.

The process is basically the same as the original work, well, not exactly, since Sakura isn't there, breaking Sasori's disguise as Hiruko won't be so easy!

Therefore, the battle between Chiyo and Sasori was predictable: a contest of various mechanisms and puppet techniques, but the outcome...

Chiyo was at a significant disadvantage, and because she failed to destroy Sasori's Hiruko immediately, Asuma and Shizune's attacks were also ineffective, leading to a stalemate and a bitter struggle.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it's safe to say that Sasori won't die so easily this time...

Under these circumstances, Nagato controlled the Gedo Mazo to extract the power of the One-Tailed Shukaku, thus completing the sealing of the One-Tailed Shukaku.

"Intensify the capture of the Two-Tails. Everyone else, disperse," Nagato said.

Subsequently, Deidara, Itachi Uchiha, Kakuzu, Hidan, and others dispelled the Illusionary Body Technique and disappeared into the dark base, leaving only Tendo Yahiko, Ishihara Akira, Konan, and another Six Paths clone behind.

Before Konan could say anything, Tendo Yahiko's body swayed again, and he and another Six Paths clone crashed to the ground with a thud, startling Konan.

"Nagato!" Konan snapped out of her daze and rushed towards Nagato's location immediately.

Ishihara Sho followed.

……

"Nagato, Nagato!" Konan called out urgently, holding Nagato who appeared to be unconscious.

Ishihara Sho didn't speak, but just stood aside and watched his demonic thoughts unfold.

"Save him! I'll do anything you ask if you can cure him." At that moment, Konan, noticing Ishihara Akira's arrival, turned around abruptly, staring intently at Ishihara Akira standing to the side, and solemnly promised.

"Are you sure?" Ishihara Sho asked in surprise.

“I’m sure,” Xiao Nan said confidently.

"I hope you won't go back on your word afterward, otherwise, since I can save him, I can naturally kill him too." Ishihara Akira chuckled, and with a wave of his hand, a White Zetsu was transferred from an unknown place. Before Konan could express any opinion, the entire White Zetsu's body suddenly curled up, and then, like squeezed juice, it sprayed out bright red blood.

However, instead of dripping to the ground, it enveloped White Zetsu's body, melting it and gradually releasing an emerald-colored light.

Then came the second White Zetsu, the third White Zetsu, and the fourth White Zetsu.

Only after there was no trace of any other color remaining in the entire ball of light did Ishihara stop summoning and exploiting the White Zetsu, condense the floating emerald ball of light in front of him, and send it into Nagato's body.

Instantly, Nagato's body began to change at a speed visible to the naked eye—

The pale face regained some color, the withered body gradually gained muscle, and the dry hair seemed to have been nourished, turning a vibrant red again.

Then, Nagato's breathing became heavy, and his chakra reaction became stronger. Apart from not being fully awake yet, he was no different from a normal person.

"Why hasn't Nagato woken up yet?" Konan asked again, genuinely pleased with the changes in Nagato.

His tone was noticeably different from his previous cold attitude.

Clearly, this indicates that the decision was approved by Ishihara Sho.

"I haven't finished treating him yet." With that, Ishihara Akira reached out again, grabbed a ball of green liquid from the void, and injected it into Nagato's body. Then, Nagato's body, which had stopped changing, began to change again, making him look more and more like a normal person.

Then Ishihara snapped his fingers, waking Nagato up.

"Konan, what's wrong with me..." Nagato asked, looking confused.

Chapter 256 The Sand Village's Dilemma

"I didn't expect you to fit the persona so well, and it really suits your codename in Akatsuki." After rescuing Nagato, Ishihara Akane promptly approached Konan, who had left, and made her fulfill her promise.

"What do you mean by that?" Xiao Nan asked, frowning.

“Good kids don’t need to know that much,” Ishihara Akira said with a wicked grin.

"you!"

Based on their actual ages, even if Ishihara Akira uses their real-life age, Minami is old enough to be his older sister, not a child.

Who are you insulting?

“But since you’re so special, I’ll naturally have to study you more carefully and see what makes your code name, White Tiger, so powerful.” After saying that, Ishihara Akira leaned in again and started bullying Konan.

……

Let's leave aside the carefree fun they're having here and get back to the rescue team.

Although Chiyo's situation against Sasori was terrible due to the absence of Sakura and the Super Strength Fist, even Asuma and Shizune, who were watching and assisting in the battle, felt very frustrated, she was still only one person!

In addition, Asuma has Shikamaru with an IQ of 200 on his side. After much trouble and planning, Choji finally managed to break Sasori's Hiruko shell with the Expansion Technique, exposing his true form.

Then Sasori seemed to have a sudden realization, no longer as sharp and terrifying as when he was hiding in Hiruko. It was as if he had been unleashed. Although he still showed an overwhelming level of combat skill, with the cooperation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the restraint of Asuma and Chiyo, and the support of Shizune, Sasori finally died at their hands.

Or perhaps he died at the hands of the puppets he created using his parents' bodies, thus completing his ending in the original story.

Then, the group found Gaara, whose body had already gone cold, and in full view of everyone, Chiyo used the forbidden technique she had developed—Reanimation Jutsu.

It was a truly happy ending.

If we don't count Chiyo, who died because of this.

Afterwards, Gaara and the other Sand Ninja used a sealing scroll to collect Chiyo's body, and then the entire group set off back to the Sand Village.

……

"My lord, Kakashi and the others are back," Yugao Uzuki reported.

"The person was rescued?" Tsunade asked casually.

"This is the mission report." Uzuki Yugao took out a mission scroll from her bosom and handed it to Tsunade. Tsunade took it, opened it, and began to read the mission report describing the process.

“You’re lucky, Gaara was rescued, but Chiyo…” Tsunade sighed.

"What's wrong with Granny Chiyo?" Temari asked hurriedly.

"Take a look for yourself." Tsunade handed the mission scroll she was holding to Temari.

Temari picked it up and started browsing.

"Grandma Chiyo." After a moment, Temari said sadly. But only for a moment, Temari calmed down, and then turned around abruptly to look at Ishihara Akira and said, "I'm sorry, Daimyo-sama, please allow me to return to the village to pay my respects."

"Sure, and also tell the higher-ups in your village what I'm saying, so they can give me a reply as soon as possible. Otherwise, if I take over the Land of Wind and then try to defect, it won't be so easy," Ishihara Akira said calmly, looking at Temari beside him.

"Yes, I will certainly convey your words, sir," Temari assured him.

"Then go ahead." Ishihara Sho waved his hand.

Temari bowed in return, quickly found her clothes and put them on, then tidied her face slightly before leaving the Senju family mansion and running swiftly towards the outskirts of Konoha.

“Yugao, it seems like it’s been a long time since we’ve played together. Why don’t you stay home today and keep me company?” Ishihara Akira said to Uzuki Yugao, who was standing next to him.

“Yes.” Upon hearing this, Uzuki Yugao glanced at Tsunade beside her. Seeing that Tsunade had no objection, she agreed and took off her mask.

……

"Were you detained by that daimyo?" Ebizo asked Temari as she returned after the funeral of Chiyo in Sunagakure.

Beside him were Gaara, the Kazekage who had been rescued, Kankuro, Gaara's relative, Baki, who was valued by Ebizo and planned to be groomed as a future core member, and two other important figures from Sunagakure.

Gathered together to listen to Temari's report, it was a scene of intense social conflict, causing Temari to blush several times and want to run away.

But she couldn't, because what she was about to say concerned the future of Sunagakure. So no matter how ashamed she was, she could only endure it, truthfully report what she knew, and answer Ebizo's questions.

"Yes."

"How is that famous person?"

"He is a rather witty, humorous, and easy-going adult, and very ambitious. I once overheard him talking to the women about his desire to unify the ninja world, and judging from the current situation, he certainly has the vision and power to do so," Temari replied.

"Did you win that person's favor?" Ebizo asked again.

"What kind of favor are you referring to, Elder?" Temari asked, puzzled.

"Exclusive favor, or even if not exclusive favor, you are someone who can win that person's favor. In other words, what is your status among that person's many female companions?" Ebizo asked directly.

"I don't know."

"So, that person hasn't been captivated by you yet... In that case, it seems necessary to have some of the village's female ninjas give you some special ninja training." Ebizo muttered thoughtfully.

"what?"

"Besides these, what was it that you said you had something important to report to us?" Ebizo didn't explain much, but instead seized on Temari's initial excuse and asked again.

"That lord recently planned to attack the Land of Wind, so when I returned, he asked me to deliver a message to you: Does the Sand Village want to perish along with the Land of Wind, or does it want to continue to exist like the Leaf Village?" Temari didn't hesitate, took a deep breath, and relayed the words that Ishihara Sho had entrusted to her.

"What does he mean by that?" one of the elders asked, frowning.

"They probably want to ask us whether we want to join the Wind Kingdom in opposing them, or..." another elder thoughtfully reminded us.

"So what do you mean?" another person asked.

"If it were me, I wouldn't mind joining them. After all, Konoha joined them, and I didn't see that lord treat them differently or reduce Konoha's funding. Besides, we now have Temari. Compared to her, it would only reduce our finances and blame all the problems on our Daimyo of the Land of Wind, which is really unacceptable."

"But we are a ninja village from the Land of Wind. If we betray them like this, what will others think of us?"

"It doesn't matter. In the end, we'll all belong to the Land of Water. The whole world belongs to that person, so what chance do others have to judge us?"

"Are you so sure that the Land of Water will achieve final victory and unify the world?"

Chapter 257 Sealing the Tailed Beast