I have a bunch of relatives who want to become Hokage.

"Of course, I gave them fakes." Shimura Danzo's expression remained unchanged. "They dare to exchange information with Konoha? However, I underestimated them. Not only did they not hand over any information, but they also planned to kill the people I sent. They have quite the nerve."

"Okay, then how was the authenticity of the other side's information determined?"

"I sent two groups of people. The other group verified the authenticity of the intelligence at the Prajna Sect's stronghold, but they were also discovered. In the end, that was all the information they were able to send back."

"Are these Prajna disciples out of their minds? Are they deliberately offending Konoha to the death?"

"It's understandable that they've become arrogant because they've obtained the secret realm," Shimura Danzo said with an understanding expression. "The power of Sage Mode has already been fully demonstrated by Jiraiya."

No, it is Indra and Asura who prove this power.

There is no such thing as magic in this world.

Thinking to himself, Uchiha Shingen had to admit that Shimura Danzo had successfully piqued his interest.

Fellow members of the Prajna assembly, I'm sorry, it's not that I'm being dishonest, it's just that what you're dealing with is a bit too hot to handle.

"Alright, Lord Danzo, how do you plan to do this deal?" He looked at Shimura Danzo, whose lips curled into a rather eerie smile.

"This can be considered an S-rank mission. The reward for eliminating the Prajna Clan is 200 million taels. If we can confirm the location of the secret realm and the method of entry, the reward is 300 million taels."

"Wow, that's quite generous, Lord Danzo. Is it because the Land of Water is going to pay a huge sum of money this time? 20 billion. How much will the village get?"

"I can't tell you that, in the village..."

“I know! I know! There are places in the village where money is needed everywhere, and it’s not just the Uchiha clan that has suffered losses!” Uchiha Shingen waved his hand. “I’ve been on the battlefield myself, and I have comrades-in-arms. I understand.”

"Just so you know. So, how about it? Will you accept this mission?"

How long will it take?

"The latest whereabouts of the Prajna Clan are in the Land of Stone. There is no time limit. If you are not confident, you may simply annihilate the Prajna Clan."

“Heh…” Uchiha Shingen shook his head. “No need, I’ll accept, but don’t send too many people to follow me.”

Why?

"I'm afraid they won't be able to catch up and will waste my time."

"Not bad, you're very confident. Don't worry, even if you want me to send someone, I don't have anyone to send you." Shimura Danzo took out a scroll and handed it to Uchiha Shingen. "The location is on it. Just look at it here. You can go to the Land of Stone alone. The person who will meet you will guide you to the location of the Hannya Clan. The mission has been filed. The 200 million ryo will be transferred to the Uchiha Clan's account tomorrow. Of course, if you're not sure, you can go and verify it again."

"Lord Danzo is always quick to give money, everyone knows that."

Uchiha Shingen opened the scroll, wrote down key information such as the rendezvous point and the code, and then returned it to Shimura Danzo.

He couldn't help but emphasize, "Lord Danzo, I'm not joining 'Root,' I'm just doing a task assigned by the village."

"The Seal of the Tongue's Root is merely a necessary measure for secrecy. Apart from not being able to reveal my affairs, it's harmless. 'Root' is not a member of the Hyuga clan." Shimura Danzo finally showed some displeasure. "The core members are all from your ninja clans. How could you not know that?"

"I really don't know, after all, I'm not a member of 'Root'." Uchiha Shingen chuckled, since whatever his sugar daddy said was right anyway. "Don't worry, Lord Danzo, I guarantee I'll do a perfect job for you."

"Well, there's only one requirement. The secret realm doesn't matter, but the Prajna disciples must die a miserable death to achieve a deterrent effect. You can decide for yourself." Shimura Danzo stated his final request.

Finally, he added, "If the way someone dies can be creative, I'll give you extra money."

"Then you just wait and see." Uchiha Shingen thought to himself for a moment, considering what kind of death existed on Earth but not in the Naruto world, and decided that it wasn't a big problem.

This doesn't mean he lacked integrity; the Hannya clan brought this upon themselves first, and they even killed Konoha ninjas.

The ninja world doesn't value harmony; it values ​​core strength.

"Alright, I've finished explaining. We can begin now." Shimura Danzo sat down again and picked up his sake cup.

"Going today? Is there really no need to rush?" Uchiha Shingen frowned. He didn't like being rushed. "If I go alone, it won't take me more than three days to get to the Land of Stone."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Shimura Danzo frowned as well. "I was talking about a girl. Where is she?"

Uchiha Shingen: "..."

Volume Two

Chapter 1 Entering the Land of Stone

Although the name of the Stone Country contains the word "stone," the main population area of ​​this country is covered by loess.

On the contrary, the northern land of earth, despite having the word "earth" in its name, is mostly rocky.

This is truly the first time Uchiha Shingen has come to the Land of Stone.

I had only heard about the situation in this country before.

This country is shaped like a long, curved strip, bordering the countries of Tu, Feng, and Yu. The northern part of its territory is mostly aeolian landforms, lacking rainfall and mostly desert, while the southern part is loess landforms with sufficient rainfall, but due to the loose soil, soil erosion is very serious, making it not a country with a good environment.

That's how the Naruto world is. It's based on the four provinces of Amegakure, Kusanagi, Takizaka, and Kawawa, and the further west you go, the more absurd it becomes.

Uchiha Shingen entered the Land of Stone from the Land of Rain, entering one of the few relatively pleasant areas in the country.

Unlike the Land of Rain, where it rains almost every day, or the land to the west, where soil erosion is severe, the Land of Stone basically relies on this area for food production.

Upon entering the first town, Uchiha Shingen began searching for a rendezvous point.

Upon arriving in this town, Uchiha Shingen came to a profound understanding that there was indeed a reason why the Root ninjas looked down on the Anbu ninjas, even though they were nominally members of the Anbu as well.

While both involve intelligence gathering, the working environment for ANBU ninjas is far superior. Even though they may gather intelligence overseas, their activities are limited to countries bordering the Land of Fire, all of which are allies of the Land of Fire. ANBU ninjas can freely engage in parkour and show off.

Root ninjas mainly operate on other people's turf. Parkour and showing off? You'll get yourself killed.

The Land of Stone is a battlefield exclusively for the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind. Those who can parkour and show off here are either Iwa ninja or Sand ninja.

So Uchiha Shingen didn't bother with the flashy Konoha ninja battle uniform; instead, he dressed up as a common ninja from the Land of Stone, since dressing up as an ordinary person would only give him away.

The contact person, according to intelligence, was outwardly a teahouse owner.

It needs to be clarified that this is a legitimate tea business, not the kind that's all about substance.

Uchiha Shingen quickly found the teahouse.

The restaurant isn't big, but it's doing good business. They offer freshly made drinks and sell tea directly. If Naruto World didn't lack an app, they could probably easily start a delivery service.

However, the environment is nothing like the shops in Konoha's commercial district. The natural environment of the Land of Stone is not so comfortable. The wind blowing from the northwest carries a lot of sand and dust. If you walk outside for a while, you will be covered in dust.

Upon entering the teahouse, Uchiha Shingen first took off his cloak, shaking off large clumps of dust in the entryway. He then hung the cloak on a nearby clothes rack before walking into the main hall. He ordered a cup of hot tea at the counter, found a seat, and sat down to wait.

Looking around, there were quite a few guests, but few ordinary people; most were energetic members of the community.

The Land of Stone is a ninja country without ninja villages. Rogue ninjas from various countries and wild ninjas roam freely, resulting in a very poor social security environment. It is also a paradise for bounty hunters, and local gangs are very active.

As Uchiha Shingen sized up others, he was also being sized up by the local bullies with unfriendly eyes.

Of course, no one will jump out and shout "Which part are you from?" We're all business people, and we believe in making money through harmony.

After all, there is no bounty for Uchiha Shingen at the exchange shop yet. Even if they wanted to put a bounty on him, outsiders wouldn't know what he looks like, and Kirigakure doesn't deal with exchange shops on the mainland.

The local bullies watched for a while, and determined that the unfamiliar face had no features that suggested it could be exchanged for money. So they all turned their attention away; they weren't interested in a head that couldn't be exchanged for money.

After a while, the shop assistant brought the brewed tea to Uchiha Shingen's table.

After slowly finishing his drink and sitting for a while, Uchiha Shingen got up and went to the counter to pay the bill, using currency issued by the Land of Wind.

During this process, Uchiha Shingen had already completed the information exchange with the contact person.

When he put his cloak back on and left, the people in the teahouse no longer paid him any attention.

This place is even less appealing than the Land of Rain.

With a slight sigh, Uchiha Shingen went to an inn in town and booked a room.

He will stay here for a few days.

Money at the root is really hard to earn, mainly because it's hard to hold back.

Being stared at so brazenly by a bunch of weaklings was only bearable because of his refined and easygoing nature; otherwise, he would have sent them to drink with their ancestors long ago.

For the next few days, Uchiha Shingen stayed in the town like a normal traveler.

At the appointed time, that evening, he checked out of his room and went to the agreed location.

Unsurprisingly, some people followed.

Just a quick scan revealed that none of the newcomers possessed even a Chunin-level chakra.

It seems he overdid it and was actually mistaken for a low-ranking ninja.

Once again, Uchiha Shingen felt how rare chakra perception was in the ninja world. He stopped and waited for the person to appear.

A short while later, several bounty hunters appeared and surrounded him.

"Just the few of you?" Uchiha Shingen sensed that there was indeed no one else.

"Hey bro, first time in the Land of Stone?" The bounty hunters were very generous. "We're a bit short on cash, can you lend us some?"

This is a bit disappointing. I thought it was a spy or something, but it turns out it was this kind of guy.

Too lazy to even draw his sword, Uchiha Shingen instantly rushed over, killed him with a single strike, and looted the corpse in the process.

His pockets were practically empty, so he must have really run out of money and was out for a treat.

Leaving these few trash behind, Uchiha Shingen continued on his way.

The agreed meeting place was a forest, where even the trees looked weak and lifeless, but it was still a place where people could hide.

Uchiha Shingen rushed into the forest and sensed a familiar chakra.

The teahouse owner was squatting behind a large rock, his buttocks sticking out.

Uchiha Shingen swiftly approached him and grabbed his fate by the neck.

"Don't move, this is a robbery. Starting price is 50,000 taels, with no upper limit."

"I have no money, but you can take my life." The teahouse owner wasn't nervous at all, speaking with righteous indignation. "But don't be nervous, I just simply don't have any money. What kind of shadow clone carries money?"

"There are people like you in Root?" Uchiha Shingen stopped joking, let go of his hand, and squatted down next to him. "Where is he?"

There's no need to verify their identities at all. Both of them are ninjas with sensory abilities, so they can just sense each other's chakra to make contact.

“What’s wrong with me? Everyone outside is like me,” the teahouse owner said. “Go north from here, there’s a valley. The Prajna people have stayed there ever since they moved there.”

"Is it reliable? It might just be an empty city ploy."

"This name is good. Don't worry, it's very reliable. We've checked it several times. The Prajna group isn't actually that good; they're just fast runners."

"Alright, I'm off then."

"Wait a minute," the teahouse owner said anxiously, "Do you have any cigarettes?"