I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

"So it's a Chunin from a small ninja village..."

Zabuza revealed a disdainful expression and said in his true colors, "I am a Jonin of Kirigakure. You better not let me find out your secret, otherwise the ninja village behind you won't be able to protect you."

Jiraiya quickly nodded and said, "Of course, I just want to go to the Land of Whirlpools to make a living. If I've bothered you gentlemen, I'll leave right away, right away."

Jiraiya acted very well, and Naruto also began to intensify his efforts, saying to Zabuza, "Zabuza-senpai, this uncle is so old and still a Chunin, he shouldn't pose any threat to us, so don't make things difficult for him."

"It's up to you, but if you always have this mentality, you'll suffer a great loss in the future."

Zabuza snorted coldly, then left the deck with Haku. He was worried that if he continued to play the role of a strict elder, he might be targeted in the future, and what if he was resented?

Besides, would a ninja who can make Menma-sama take things seriously be an ordinary ninja?

On the surface, he claims to be a Chunin from a small ninja village, but if you actually believe that, then the ninja village can't protect him.

After Zabuza left, Naruto completely let loose and immersed himself in the role of a naive genin, asking curiously, "Uncle ninja, how long have you been a ninja? Have you had any interesting adventures during that time?"

A series of questions left Jiraiya speechless.

But he also confirmed one thing: the boy in front of him had only recently become a ninja and held a naive attitude towards the profession. This kind of silly boy was perfect for extracting information from.

After winning Naruto's favor by sharing several mission experiences, Jiraiya subtly inquired, "Menma, is your trip to the Land of Whirlpools really just for tourism?"

Naruto's eyes lit up with suspicion: "Of course it's just a trip. Don't try to get any information out of me. I'm a professional."

Jiraiya smiled and said, "That's a real shame. I was hoping to be of some help and earn some money, since ninjas my age don't have many requests to take on..."

Naruto said warily, "Don't lie to me. Senior already told me that you can't be trusted, you old fox. If you want to know why we're going to the Land of Whirlpools, tell me your reason for going there first."

"Didn't I tell you? I'll go to the Land of Whirlpools and see if there are any requests. If not, I'll just join any wandering ninja organization. We can't starve to death because we're short of money. You'll understand later."

Hearing this, Naruto lowered his guard and looked at Jiraiya with disdain: "When I was your age, I would have become a Jonin in the village long ago. I wouldn't be looking so pathetic."

"Alright, I've finished enjoying your free ninja story. It's time for me to go back and report to Zabuza-senpai."

After watching Naruto disappear on the deck, Jiraiya said with some emotion, "Youth is wonderful. Minato and Orochimaru were just as stupid back then."

Chapter 117 Landing and Raid

Naruto had a pleasant chat with Jiraiya, which gave him the feeling of listening to his neighbor's old man bragging.

However, through some details of the conversation, he could conclude that Jiraiya's purpose in going to the Land of Whirlpools was definitely not to travel there. It was highly likely that he discovered the Uchiha clan active in the Land of Whirlpools, which is why he made a special trip there.

However, as long as his identity remains unexposed, it's not a major problem.

After all, as long as the Land of Whirlpools doesn't follow Amegakure's example of closing itself off from the world, the Uchiha clan in Whirlpool Village will eventually be known to the world. This is one of the reasons why he signed an alliance agreement with Kirigakure.

People may not know how powerful Uzumaki Menma is, but they will at least have some regard for Kirigakure, one of the five great ninja villages.

Even so, Jiraiya's trip to the Land of Whirlpools still gave him a headache, and he had not yet come up with a way to deal with Jiraiya.

Back in his room, Zabuza asked curiously, "Menma-sama, was that ninja uncle some important figure in disguise? I felt he was quite extraordinary."

Naruto glanced at Zabuza and chuckled, saying, "He's pretty strong, his strength is about on par with the Five Kage."

"Comparable to the Five Kage..."

Zabuza felt a wave of fear. He had actually challenged such an important figure. If Menma hadn't been there, he probably would have met a terrible end. But amidst the fear, he also felt a secret thrill. Was this what it felt like to borrow the tiger's power?

At this moment, Haku seemed to remember something and said, "Lord Menma, could it be that such a powerful person went to the Land of Whirlpools because of you? Otherwise, there would be no need for him to go to the Land of Whirlpools."

Naruto nodded and smiled, "They're probably here for me. What, are you scared?"

Bai shook his head: "We are a little scared, but Zabuza and I are more worried about your safety. If anything happens to you, we will find a way to escape with you."

Naruto glanced at Haku, shook his head and chuckled, "He's no threat to me. If you want to kill me, you'd better think twice before sending out two or more Kage-level shinobi."

"Two or more Kage-level powerhouses..."

Zabuza gasped, gaining a new understanding of Naruto's strength.

Naruto wasn't exaggerating; his strength did indeed surpass that of a typical Kage, allowing him to completely overwhelm elite Jonin, mainly due to his young age.

If he were a few years older, he could easily take on Pain and the other six Paths of Pain one-on-one.

After all, his many shortcomings in ninjutsu and taijutsu were already the limit for other ninjas.

After a peaceful night at sea, the ship arrived at the port of the Land of Whirlpools. Although the newly built port was very simple, it had already become one of the docking points for ships from the Land of Fire.

After disembarking, Bai looked around at the surrounding buildings and residents, and said with great emotion, "Is this Lord Menma's country? It's much better than the Land of Water. There's no oppressive atmosphere at all."

Upon hearing this, Zabuza fell silent.

He had to admit that the area here was much better than the Land of Water. This was just the outer port, and the atmosphere inside Uzushio Village far surpassed that of Kirigakure Village, which made him very envious.

Investigating and imitating Uzushio Village was also one of the tasks assigned to him by the Mizukage.

Naruto didn't pay much attention to Haku and Zabuza's expressions; his focus was entirely on Jiraiya, the legendary Sannin, who deserved his attention more.

In a sense, Jiraiya can also represent the attitude of Konoha Village.

Since Jiraiya landed in the Land of Whirlpools, his expression has been very strange, as if he is on guard against something, and he has lost all his previous composure.

Was Jiraiya wary of the Uchiha clan in the Land of Whirlpools, or something else?

Naruto had his doubts, but soon he received a message from the old patriarch of the Uzumaki clan. After hearing the contents of the message, his expression became serious.

Besides Jiraiya, the Land of Whirlpools has gained some powerful uninvited guests.

This is perhaps why Jiraiya was wary after arriving on the island, and there are probably no more than twenty ninjas in the entire ninja world who could make Jiraiya wary.

After excluding the Kage and elders of the major ninja villages, only members of the Akatsuki organization remained.

……

Inside the forest outside Wochao Village.

Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand stood on a small hillside, looking down at the Uzushio Village undergoing massive construction in the distance, their eyes filled with interest.

Their main goals were the Sharingan and the creation of human puppets.

Before arriving in the Land of Whirlpools, they thought finding the Uchiha would be difficult, since the Uchiha were traitors who had fled Konoha, and if they were found by the Konoha ninja, they would inevitably be hunted down by the Anbu.

However, upon arriving at Uzushio Village, they were surprised to find that the Uchiha had joined the village and were even starting construction there, which did not fit the image of the Uchiha in their minds.

After all, arrogance, haughtiness, and disdain for others are the traditions of the Uchiha clan.

What magic does Uzushio Village possess that makes the unruly Uchiha clan obedient? Is it simply because the Uchiha found a suitable location to establish a village?

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Orochimaru looked at Sasori beside him and deliberately said, "Sasori, the materials for the human puppet are right in front of you. Aren't you going to make a move to snatch the Sharingan? If you don't, all these Sharingan will be mine."

Scorpion snorted coldly: "Is there such a good thing? Why don't you make the first move?"

Clearly, Sasori also sensed something was amiss. After all, the behavior of this group of Uchiha was too strange; they actually chose to establish a new clan territory in the Land of Whirlpools instead of other major ninja villages with greater potential.

After ruling out the possibility that the Uchiha leader had mental problems, only one possibility remains.

The Uchiha clan felt that staying in Uzushio Village was safer than staying in other major countries, and that the future held more hope for them.

What he and Orochimaru feared was the safety that would bring to the Uchiha clan.

After patiently waiting for some time, Orochimaru and Sasori still couldn't find anything that would bring safety to the Uchiha clan. Instead, they discovered the construction site for the Fire Gate and Shisui.

The former was just an unknown nobody, so they didn't care about him; the latter, on the contrary, attracted their attention.

Based on the current investigation, Shisui is the strongest member of Uzushio Village. If they can defeat Shisui, the two of them can divide the Uchiha clan in Uzushio Village and conduct a deeper investigation.

Once they succeed, it won't matter whether there are other powerful individuals in Vortex Village or not.

Having made up his mind, Scorpion took out several puppets from the scroll. The puppets burrowed into the ground and approached Shisui with lightning speed, bursting out of the ground and revealing their sharp tail blades.

Orochimaru also activated the Orochi Style Body Flicker Technique, approaching Shisui and shouting, "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

In an instant, dozens of venomous snakes emerged from Orochimaru's sleeves and shot towards the nearby Fire Gate.

Chapter 118 Orochimaru is about to go astray again?

At the critical moment, Shisui sensed the danger behind him.

After pushing open the fire door beside him, Shisui drew his katana and blocked the mechanical tail blade's attack, with about a dozen afterimages appearing around his body.

Under the onslaught of the Instantaneous Movement Technique, the Shadow Serpent Hand, positioned in mid-air, turned into a cloud of blood mist.

Fire Gate also noticed the presence of the enemy, quickly said thank you, and then took out the kunai he always carried, aiming it at Orochimaru and Sasori who were slowly walking towards him in the distance, his expression gradually becoming serious.

The legendary Sannin are renowned throughout the ninja world, and even a ninja like him who lives on an island knows Orochimaru's power.

After a moment's thought, Himon turned to Shisui and asked, "Shisui, are you confident you can handle them?"

Shisui switched his eyes to the three-tomoe form and said solemnly, "If it were just Orochimaru alone, I could barely guarantee not being defeated, but with the puppeteer beside him, I'm afraid I'm no match for him..."

Shisui's words caused Kamon's expression to change slightly. He sighed and said, "Why did the enemy choose to attack the village when Menma wasn't around? If we let them run wild, all the construction we've done these past few months will be ruined."

Shisui glanced at Himon and then said, "I can hold out for a while. Go and notify the ordinary villagers to take refuge, and have all the Uchiha ninjas come to support us."

Fire Gate nodded quickly and used his Body Flicker Technique to rush towards the center of the village.

Seeing this, Sasori of the Red Sand hurriedly sent out several puppets to give chase, but just as he was about to catch up with the Fire Gate, the chakra between him and the puppets was forcibly severed.

The Uchiha team was responsible for severing the chakra threads; they quickly arrived to provide support after noticing the commotion.

With the clan's ninjas to rely on, Shisui immediately breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze fixed intently on Orochimaru before him, and he said coldly:

"It's been a long time, Orochimaru. If you don't give me a reasonable explanation, don't even think about leaving Uzushio Village alive."

Orochimaru ignored Shisui's warning and said in a low voice, "Uzushio Village? I seem to remember that the Uchiha are Konoha ninjas. Have you betrayed Konoha and become rogue ninjas? Without Konoha's protection, how will you Uchiha continue to exist in the ninja world?"

Shisui snorted coldly: "You don't need to worry about that. The Uchiha have their own ways of surviving."

Orochimaru gave Shisui a deep look, then waved his hands, causing a large number of venomous snakes to emerge from the ground. Shisui easily severed them, then asked with curiosity:

"Why is it always in the three-tomoe form? Didn't you awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan?"

This time, Orochimaru responded with a ninjutsu. Accompanied by Uchiha's hand seals, the fan-shaped Great Fireball Technique attacked from four directions, completely enveloping Orochimaru and Sasori, distorting the surrounding air.

Scorpion manipulated the puppet to emerge from the flames, and the puppet opened its mouth, spewing out a dense storm of thousands of needles.

The senbon needles had extremely strong penetrating power, piercing through the Uchiha's ninja robes and getting stuck in his chainmail. The pierced skin quickly developed dark purple marks.

Shisui swung his sword, slicing away the flesh and blood from his clansman's arm. He frowned and said, "You all keep an eye on Orochimaru. I'll deal with this puppeteer. Remember to play it safe and don't even think about defeating Orochimaru."

After saying that, Shisui pounced on Sasori of the Red Sand, fighting with Hiruko while searching for the puppeteer.

The key to defeating the puppeteer is to kill the puppeteer himself; otherwise, a prolonged tug-of-war will eventually reveal a weakness. However, no matter how Shisui observed with his Sharingan, he could not find where the puppeteer was hiding.