Yes, the Hokage!

In just half a minute, Feng Lan had made up her mind: she wanted to!

There was no other reason than that the strength of Takumi Ninja Village was too weak. He didn't need to explain anything to them. Being backward means being vulnerable to attack, which is a universal principle in any world. If it were Kumogakure, Iwagakure, or even the relatively weak Kirigakure, he would have to think twice.

“I remember your Takumi Ninja Village has a pair of swords that can wield the power of wind, I think they’re called the Peacock Twin Swords, and your name is Peacock… Is there any connection between them?” He went back into his smiling tiger mode.

"You!" As expected, Peacock was immediately shocked. "How do you know about the Peacock Twin Swords?"

"Do I need to answer your question?" Feng Lan said calmly. "Hand over the Peacock Swords and I'll let you go..."

Before he could finish speaking, a green light flashed, revealing the peacock making a desperate attempt to break through the encirclement.

However, her strength is at most that of a Chunin (after all, she could only go toe-to-toe with a young Temari while wielding the Peacock Twin Swords). Anyone here is stronger than her, so how can she run away?

The moment the peacock moved, it felt a sharp pain shoot up its spine, its vision blurred, and its breath caught in its throat for a brief moment.

"Don't move."

Zhi Shui pinned her to the ground with a standard grappling technique and said coldly, "Answer Lord Feng Lan's question obediently, or else..."

“Otherwise, I’ll hand you over to that lecherous old man over there to deal with.” Feng Lan replied with a smile, “You haven’t heard about Lord Jiraiya’s romantic exploits, have you?”

"Hey!" Jiraiya protested, "We may be close friends, but I'll sue you for defamation if you talk nonsense."

"Alright, alright." Feng Lan shrugged. "Since Lord Jiraiya is unwilling to condescend, Shisui, you can do it."

"Yes." Zhishui immediately agreed, turning the peacock's head with one hand, forcing her delicate face to face him.

"You, you mustn't..."

Peacock had barely struggled weakly when the Sharingan's genjutsu was activated. Shisui truly lived up to his Sigma man reputation; he showed no mercy or intention to take advantage of the situation. His mind was completely focused on the mission.

Peacock tried to struggle and resist, but the illusion master was no joke. She didn't even have time to bite her tongue like Kisame before she was already under his spell.

"Hand over the Peacock Swords."

"Yes……"

Controlled by Shisui's Sharingan's hypnotic ability, a ninja with insufficient strength is no different from one under the influence of Kotoamatsukami. Peacock slowly removed the necklace from his neck, formed a series of hand seals, and finally used his own blood to unseal it, before he could finally summon the pair of swords that seemed to be imbued with a strong wind.

Feng Lan caught it in one swift motion, holding it in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips: "A fine sword!"

"Yeah, that's really despicable." Jiraiya finished the last sip of his drink and rolled his eyes.

Chapter 65 Squeezing Tsunade dry

When Peacock woke up from the hypnotic state, she saw that Feng Lan was already holding and playing with the two swords. Her feelings of grievance, anger, and resentment were intertwined, but she finally regained her composure and took a deep breath: "So, can you let me go now?"

[Well, although young, he is still one of the Four Celestial Elephants of Takumi Ninja Village (although this high-ranking position in Takumi Ninja Village is mostly based on skill rather than strength or intelligence), and his control over his emotions is quite good.]

Feng Lan nodded secretly. Although it was still very weak now, at least the future was promising.

So he decided to give the other party a chance: "It's not impossible for you to get these two swords back, but you'll have to exchange them for something better."

"What is this?" Peacock's eyes lit up. The most important thing about these two swords was not their ability to control the wind, but their function as a vessel for reviving Qingming.

"this."

As Feng Lan spoke, he took out a scroll that had been unsealed and slowly unfurled it. This was the scientific ninja tool that he had obtained from Orochimaru's base and was still under development: "If you can perfect it and add the effects I want, you can use the ninja tool you create to exchange for the Peacock Twin Swords."

"If we can get into mass production, that would be even better. I can guarantee that Konoha will protect you like treasures and not let anyone harm you in the slightest."

This sounds a bit like a form of domesticated hegemony, but that's just how cruel the world of Naruto is. Small countries either have to rack their brains to play both sides or simply find a large country to obediently submit to. The former was the choice of Takumi Village, while the latter was the choice of Fenglan.

Of course, he didn't forbid the other party from resisting, but if you resist, you should at least have some strength. Feng Lan also had a reason to say, "What village am I leading? I'm leading the Konoha All-Stars! Who are you guys? You want me to lead you?"

What's the current level of Takumi Ninja Village? With just a few people, you expect them to fight the Five Great Nations during the Seimei era? Can they even do it? No, they don't have the ability, you know?

"This, this ingenious design idea..." Peacock, as expected of a researcher, had his eyes light up as soon as he saw the design drawings. If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, he probably would have already started studying it.

“Alright, take it back and study it slowly.” Feng Lan said with a smile, then suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, “By the way, let’s put aside the transaction with Kirigakure for now. Anyway, the Kirigakure team responsible for liaison has been captured by me, so you probably won’t get a response.”

"However, as long as you four Celestial Elephant beings work hard, you might receive more than just protection from Konoha; you might also get the strongest Nine-Tails chakra!"

Peacock's pupils suddenly contracted—Nine-Tails Chakra! This was several times stronger than the chakra of Shukaku or Saiken. If Fenglan could really provide Nine-Tails Chakra, reviving Lord Seimei would almost certainly be a done deal.

"You...are you really in charge?" She looked at Feng Lan with a hint of doubt.

"Of course I can't." Feng Lan spread her hands. "This matter definitely needs to be discussed and voted on by the higher-ups before a result can be given. So you, Takumi Ninja Village, need to perform well. The higher the value you demonstrate, the greater the chance that I will be able to persuade those old guys, and the more generous Konoha will be."

The highest level of lying is to blend truth and falsehood, making it impossible for others to understand. The most common way to manipulate someone is to give them a hard time and then offer them a sweet treat, and Fenglan is clearly doing just that.

First, drive Peacock to the brink of despair, even seizing the ninja tools to revive Seimei. Then, give her a glimmer of hope, dispel her last thought of fighting to the death, and she can only obediently work for him.

Of course, Feng Lan isn't some kind of demon. As long as the other party works hard, he will definitely provide protection and generous treatment.

As for the Nine-Tails' chakra? It's like a carrot hanging on a stick—something you can only dream of but never get.

After the peacock left, Jiraiya slowly spoke, "You bastard..."

“What a bastard.” Feng Lan chimed in, “I know, Lord Orochimaru and Lady Tsunade have both said so, now it’s your turn to say something like that, so I can complete the Sannin achievement.”

"Ha! I saw through you last time, do I need to say more?" Jiraiya laughed loudly. "Anyone who walks the path of a ninja is a bastard. Is Konoha such a noble and righteous place? Back then, they went to war with Sunagakure in Amegakure for their own interests, which affected many innocent civilians... The blood on my body can never be washed away."

"If you and Minato are two little bastards, then I'm a complete and utter bastard, ahahaha!"

Shisui, Hizashi, and Dai all had slight changes in expression, clearly not expecting that Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, would evaluate the village and themselves in this way. On the contrary, Fenglan showed an appreciative look. Compared to Danzo's hypocritical approach, Jiraiya's personality was clearly more compatible with him.

There's no attempt to whitewash or cover it up; I'm just a scoundrel who did everything for personal gain.

As he laughed, Jiraiya sighed in loneliness, picked up the sake jug again to pour himself some sake, but it was already empty, with only a few drops left.

Feng Lan maintained her squinting smile and casually took a bottle of wine out of her bag and handed it over.

"Oh! It's actually the highest grade Dragon Slayer Wine! This is Tsunade's favorite!" Jiraiya's eyes lit up immediately. He couldn't wait to open the cap, chug half the bottle in one go, and exhaled a satisfied breath. "No wonder you became Tsunade's disciple. You really know how to please women."

“That’s right.” At this point, he remembered what he was about to say, “What I was going to say was, you really know how to handle women, kid. That little girl was completely fooled by you. If I had your skills, I would have a harem of women on both sides by now!”

"Rather than saying I know how to manipulate women, I know how to manipulate people's hearts." Feng Lan shrugged. Even if it wasn't Peacock who came to assassinate him, but Water Tiger Treasure Turtle or other older members of the Four Celestial Elephants, he would still get the same result. He would just have to change his words.

This has nothing to do with gender. It's purely because he has the backing of Minato and Konoha, is familiar with the plot and knows the other party's weaknesses. With the overall situation and intelligence on Fenglan's side, he naturally has the capital to earn more benefits.

Feng Lan suddenly raised her voice: "And Jiraiya-sama, the reason you can't have a harem isn't because you don't know how to handle girls, but because of Tsunade-sama, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya paused slightly in his drinking motion, the wine sliding down his chin as he mumbled, "What did you say? I don't understand."

"Deceiving yourself isn't fun," Feng Lan snapped her fingers and said with a grin, "How about I get her drunk for you tonight, then toss her onto the bed, and then hehehe..."

"Hey!" Jiraiya roared in anger. "If you dare do this, I will never let you get away with it. Tsunade is..."

"boom!"

The door to the private room was kicked to pieces, and Tsunade staggered in: "You little brat, you really dare to say that!"

She had obviously lost all her money and might even be in debt, which was why she came to find Feng Lan. She didn't expect to hear such outrageous remarks before she even entered the door. How could she not be angry?

"Even the Dragon-Slaying Wine can't save you this time, Feng Lan, you should repent!"

Tsunade reached out and grabbed at thin air, but only managed to grab air. Looking up, she saw that Feng Lan had appeared next to Jiraiya at some point, grinning and saying, "Wow, this is really scary, Jiraiya-sama, you have to protect me!"

"Flying Thunder God..."

Jiraiya's gaze sharpened, and he looked down at the sake bottle in his hand, where he indeed saw the Flying Thunder God mark.

He immediately realized that a ninja who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique must be a sensory ninja. How could Feng Lan not know that Tsunade was approaching? He deliberately said that to make himself speak the truth!

"You can't escape, you brat!"

Enraged, Tsunade leaped up, and Feng Lan, without holding back, kicked Jiraiya in the butt: "Judging by Tsunade's anger, she must have lost a lot of money. Jiraiya, I'll leave the gambling debts and the broken door to you to pay."

Logically speaking, with Jiraiya's strength, dodging this kick should have been effortless. However, the terrain was narrow, the incident was sudden, and he was somewhat emotionally disturbed by Feng Lan's deliberate actions. As a result, he was kicked squarely and fell straight forward.

This lunge was just like in a classic harem anime, as he crashed directly into Tsunade's arms.

"nice shot!"

Feng Lan whistled, then instantly used Flying Thunder God Technique to appear beside Zhi Shui, patting the shoulders of the three stunned men: "Aren't you leaving? Want to watch the live broadcast?"

"Let's get out of here!"

The four of them immediately turned tail and ran as fast as they could.

"Hey! You bastard!"

Tsunade was both ashamed and angry, and instinctively raised her fist.

"Wow!"

Jiraiya was beaten up by Tsunade since he was a child. Before he even got hit, he crossed his hands to protect his face, trying to preserve his handsome appearance.

However, this time, Tsunade's fist failed to land for a long time.

The air suddenly went quiet. Jiraiya opened his eyes curiously, only to see Tsunade with red eyes, hugging him tightly: "Sorry, let me lean on you for a moment."

"Um……"

Logically speaking, Jiraiya, who could navigate a field of beauties without ever getting entangled in a petal, should have handled this situation with ease. However, he unexpectedly found himself rather flustered, wanting to embrace the other person but not daring to, as shy as Xiao Chu Nan (although he was).

Finally, he simply patted Tsunade's shoulder lightly: "Lean on me however you like. A man's shoulder is for making girls cry!"

"Fool……"

[Hmph, the situation is very favorable.]

Feng Lan, who used her senses to detect the positions of the two people in the room, smiled slightly. Despite Tsunade's usual carefree demeanor, she had been numbing herself with alcohol. After the scar of Dan's death was torn open bloodily, she had been in a state of extreme anxiety and sadness, but had nowhere to vent her emotions.

Who could he confide in? The three generations of teachers in the village might be the murderers (although it seems they aren't now), Minato and Furan are all juniors, and Shizune and Obito are even younger than children.

As for Orochimaru? What kind of thought process would lead someone to think of that? Don't forget, he's the one who tore open that scar!

The once vast Konoha Village had long since changed beyond recognition; it was no longer the home she remembered.

After all is said and done, the only person Tsunade could temporarily rely on and confide in, who was also one of the Legendary Sannin, was Jiraiya.

Currently, under the combined influence of her emotional wounds, alcohol, and anger from losing money, she was already on the verge of collapse. Then, she learned from Feng Lan's words that Jiraiya still loved her and heard firsthand how much he cherished her.

Overwhelmed with mixed feelings, she finally let go of her strong and cheerful exterior and revealed her vulnerable side to him.

Tsunade already had quite a few feelings for Jiraiya, and in the main story, everyone could tell that Tsunade was practically ready to accept his subtle confession before he left for Amegakure. Then, with Fenglan's matchmaking, hmph~

This was the ultimate value of his good teacher in his mind: not only had he learned her ninjutsu abilities and let her teach Rin and Kabuto, but he also wanted to use Tsunade to keep Jiraiya tied to Konoha for a long time, preventing him from running around looking for some prophetic child. Naruto was right under his nose, what the hell was he going to do?

If the Great Toad Sage used a prophecy to make Jiraiya run around on the basis of national righteousness, then Fenglan's move was based on personal feelings. As the saying goes, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman. He didn't believe that Jiraiya would really marry Tsunade and even have children in the future, and would still be like Sasuke, never going home.

As for pursuing Tsunade? Many fanfics do that, but unfortunately, Feng Lan is a very self-aware and Sigma-aware person. He knows he can never win Tsunade over, so he has never considered someone old enough to be his mother as a target.

From the very first moment they met, he was already plotting to squeeze every last bit of value out of Tsunade, and now... he had succeeded.