Yes, the Hokage

At the time, Rasa and the higher-ups were quite pleased with themselves. Since they couldn't control the iron sand without Magnet Release, and this stuff was currently considered useless in Sunagakure, they could actually use it to exchange for a large amount of resources. They were practically grinning from ear to ear.

But now, Feng Lan directly pulled out a ninja tool that could be used in actual combat with the Iron Sand World Technique, which immediately made Maki realize that Konoha had cracked the secret of the Iron Sand and even used it to manufacture weapons, so he immediately stopped laughing.

"Boom boom boom—!"

With an experimental mindset, Feng Lan poured all his chakra into the sand, and the huge iron sand net even spread directly towards Maki, cutting the trees beneath his feet to shreds.

Maki immediately leaped high into the air, but felt a tremendous suction force coming from him, and his eyes narrowed instantly: "Oh no, I have metal ninja tools on me!"

The ninja tools were attracted by the iron sand, which slowed him down. Although Maki acted quickly and immediately opened the ninja tool bag and threw it away, he was still a step too late.

"Pfft—!"

The sharp iron shot pierced his shoulder. Fortunately, despite the excruciating pain, Maki did not panic. He immediately stepped on the iron shot with both feet, used the momentum to flip over and land on the ground, kneeling on one knee, covering his wound with one hand and gritting his teeth.

Feng Lan wasn't really going to kill them all. Since the goal of deterrence had been achieved, he stopped injecting chakra and turned the handle to put away the iron sand. This process wasn't as swift as the Third Kazekage's, and it was a little slower. If this happened on a direct battlefield, failing to kill all the enemies in one attack could easily lead to a counterattack.

Therefore, Fenglan's plan is to mass-produce these sand iron ninja umbrellas. One person will release one umbrella, and when the opponent is about to retaliate, another person will release another. In this way, as long as there is enough chakra, all the ninjas of Konoha can unleash a large-scale AOE at the Kage level, which can scare the enemy to death.

Of course, this ninja umbrella isn't perfect...

"Wow, awesome!" Having witnessed the power of the Iron Sand World Technique firsthand while lying on the high ground, Minato couldn't help but pump his fist. "No wonder Fenglan put so much effort into this; the effect is so powerful!"

Although Minato knew that Pakura wanted to be alone with Fenglan, he was still worried about Fenglan's safety. So, based on the Flying Thunder God kunai, he judged that Fenglan had suddenly accelerated his movement and immediately followed with Shisui and Obito.

Of course, this time he used his sensory ninja abilities to cover himself and the two Uchiha, so Fenglan didn't know they were coming.

It's fortunate that Maki didn't intend to kill Fenglan, otherwise they would have been wiped out in no time.

"The effect is very strong, but the resource consumption is also really large." Shisui smiled bitterly. As someone who stayed in Takumi Village, he was the most qualified to speak on this matter. "The ninja umbrella in Lord Fenglan's hand not only exhausted all the sand iron sent at the beginning, but also consumed two-thirds of the sand iron that was traded from Sunagakure in the first round."

"Based on this ratio, only about three ninja umbrellas can be made per year."

“Three weapons are enough to turn the tide of battle in many situations.” Minato said dismissively, “Anyway, with the full support of me and Konoha, we can build them up slowly.”

"However, Lord Fenglan is not only focused on this one type of scientific ninja tool," Shisui thought for a moment and said. "The Takumi Village is also working on developing other areas. For example, among the Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure, Lord Fenglan is very interested in the Lightning Blade - Kiba and the Twin Swords - Hiramekarei. This time, in cooperation with Kirigakure, he will most likely ask for some of their unique resources for research."

"Sigh!" Minato couldn't help but sigh when he talked about it. "I just hope he doesn't keep thinking about these things and can seriously consider marriage."

“Minato-sensei, you seem to really know a lot about this stuff,” Obito couldn’t help but interject.

"Nonsense, I'm a married man, of course I know more than you two kids," Minato said confidently. "Just you wait and see, after Fenglan saves the damsel in distress, Pakula will definitely fall into his arms!"

"..."

While secretly observing the trio's quiet conversation, Feng Lan had already completely put away the iron sand: "Don't worry, there's no poison in it, so you're just injured. Now that you've left, I can pretend nothing happened."

Maki gasped for breath: "Advisor Fenglan, are you really not afraid of incurring the wrath of Sunagakure and getting burned by your own actions, given your stubbornness?"

"Ok?"

Seeing that the other party actually dared to talk back, Feng Lan's eyes turned cold, and he formed a hand seal in front of him, directly activating an illusion!

This is also recorded in Orochimaru's scroll. Although it's a low-level technique, it's very practical. Naraku, see. Feng Lan once pestered the Second Hokage to teach him a higher-level genjutsu during his time at Yunlei Gorge, so he naturally had no trouble mastering this low-level genjutsu.

In the original work, Kakashi used Naraku-ken on Sakura during the bell-stealing battle, and Orochimaru later used it on the entire Team 7 during the Chunin Exams. The effect is to make the opponent see the scene they fear the most. Although the learning difficulty is only D-rank, it is definitely useful.

Logically, Maki should be able to resist this level of illusion, but unfortunately he was already seriously injured, and his mission had almost failed at the last minute. He was at a weak point in terms of willpower, and he had no idea that Feng Lan could use illusions, so he was naturally caught off guard.

In that instant, the scene before him distorted, revealing the village of Sunagakure engulfed in flames. Screams of agony echoed from all directions as countless Konoha ninja, led by the Golden Flash, stormed into the village and wreaked havoc. Then, Feng Lan stood before him, declaring with a comical expression, "From this day forward, Sunagakure... is dead!"

"Do not--!"

Maki screamed hoarsely and bit his tongue, finally managing to escape the illusion through the excruciating pain. He was now drenched in sweat and collapsed on the ground, looking at Feng Lan who was holding the Ninja Umbrella with fear in his eyes.

"I will definitely protect this person. You'd better refrain from making threatening remarks, otherwise, if I get angry... you might just make the scenes you see in your illusions come true!"

Maki coughed up a mouthful of blood, dared not say another word, and simply waved his hand forcefully: "Go!"

At his command, although there were some casualties, the remaining wounded and missing limbs of the Sunagakure ANBU immediately helped each other and quickly disappeared into the distance.

Seeing the Sand Village ninja retreat, Minato also withdrew from his state of alert, ready to take action at any moment, and chuckled softly, "Not bad, Fenglan. Not only did you save the damsel in distress, but your final performance was also a bit domineering."

“Yes, Lord Fenglan rarely threatens others so directly.” Zhishui nodded.

"Yeah, he always criticizes others in a sarcastic way," Obito muttered under his breath.

"Hehe, this shows that Feng Lan values ​​that girl a lot too. Maybe I'll be able to be his child's godfather soon." Minato was already lost in a beautiful fantasy. "Look, look, Feng Lan helped her up. I bet she'll pounce on her!"

"Uh..." After a few seconds, Obito said helplessly, "Minato-sensei, it seems there isn't one."

“Well, maybe she’s just a little shy,” Minato said awkwardly. “Anyway, let’s leave first and give them some space to be alone.”

"Teacher, you're changing the subject, aren't you?" Obito, after all, often witnessed Fenglan's DDF moments, so he wasn't as easily fooled as Shisui.

"Shut up, you talk too much!"

……

On the other side, when Fenglan helped Pakula up, she did have a momentary urge to rush over, but she quickly restrained herself: "Thank you, Lady Fenglan."

"Are you alright? Let's go back to the village and find a medical ninja to take a look." But someone as cautious as Feng Lan would definitely not be satisfied with just one injection.

"The numbness in my body has subsided, but I still feel a bit weak..." Pakula replied, looking down.

"I really can't do anything with you." Feng Lan shrugged and turned around.

"Yes, I'm sorry."

Pakula instinctively apologized, but then saw Feng Lan already squatting in front of him: "Come on up."

"Are you... are you going to carry me on your back?" Pakula stammered.

"Otherwise, it's quite far from the village. It would take a long time to walk back with you. Do you want me to carry you in a princess carry?"

"Then, thank you for your trouble, sir."

After Pakula finished speaking, he slowly lowered his center of gravity and stiffly pressed his body against Feng Lan's not-so-strong back.

She's even thinner than I imagined... but she's so warm and comforting.

After a while, her body relaxed a little, and she pressed her face against the other person's shoulder.

She silently absorbed everything, but a thought suddenly popped into her mind: [I wonder if Mei Terumi ever lay here?]

The moment this thought crossed her mind, her initial joy at being rescued quickly vanished. Pakula tried to restrain herself several times, but ultimately couldn't hold back and weakly murmured, "Lord Fenglan..."

"Ok?"

"Why...why did you marry Mei Terumi?"

Chapter 178 Pakula's Request

Feng Lan had anticipated that Pakula would ask this question, but he still thought for a few seconds before answering: "Well... I guess it's because I respect her position and will."

“Respect…?” Pakula clearly didn’t understand.

“Yes, if we save her in other ways, Mei Terumi will still be alive, but it can also be said that Mei Terumi herself is dead. She can never appear in Kirigakure or even the ninja world in public again. She can only live underground for the rest of her life. Perhaps she can still do her best for the village, but she can never be a Kirigakure ninja again. In the eyes of the world, Mei Terumi will always be a rogue ninja.”

Feng Lan calmly explained her concessions in the treaty and how she would protect the other party: "By marrying me, she will still be the Mizukage advisor of Kirigakure. I can use her to further control Kirigakure, and she can use me to further strengthen Kirigakure. It can be said that it is a mutually beneficial relationship."

"Of course, even without her, I can win alone, but I won't win by this much. I'm not the kind of person who is short-sighted and narrow-minded, so I naturally choose a win-win situation because I'm confident that Mei Terumi can get a lot from me, but I can get even more through her."

"Because we are both chess players, I have far more pieces and chips than she does. If I don't dare to gamble under these circumstances, I might as well not play chess at all and just overturn the table and wipe out Wuyin."

After listening to Feng Lan's words, Pakula remained silent for a while: "Her value is really high."

This was the first time she had ever seen Feng Lan willing to give up the benefits she had already gained in exchange for the safety and position of a pawn.

"It's just that you and I haven't spent much time together," Feng Lan smiled. "I've never been one to pursue extreme profits; I prefer steady, long-term development. After all, I'm not some kind of demon."

Upon hearing this phrase that he had mentioned many times before, Pakula didn't know why, but he felt that his mentally scattered state suddenly improved a lot, and his vision and senses returned at that moment.

The world seems to have regained its color.

In fact, when Pakula saw Feng Lan appear before she died, her feelings were quite complicated. She was naturally happy that the other party had come to save her, but she was also worried about Feng Lan coming alone. Most importantly, she also had a trace of doubt and unease, that is, what was the other party's position in coming to her?

Then she heard his voice: "My subordinates, when did it become Sunagakure's place to make decisions?"

In the past, Pakula would have been overjoyed to hear these words, but this time her feelings were still mixed. She began to breathe again, but unexpectedly, it was not smooth, even though she had been injected with the antidote.

Unlike Mei Terumi, Pakura lacks Mei's strong aggressive personality and inner drive. She needs constant external affirmation to confirm her existence, but correspondingly, she is not someone who will take the initiative to ask for things or express her feelings in straightforward language.

To put it simply, it's the type of person who secretly wants to ask someone they admire for praise but can't bring themselves to ask. However, if they don't receive praise, they tend to shed tears in bed at night, which puts them under a lot of pressure.

Although Fenglan taught her a lot and tried to teach her to live for herself, Pakula did learn to take initiative. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to ask why she married Terumi Mei. But in the end, she was still not good at expressing her feelings.

No, she wasn't even good at understanding her own feelings, especially since Pakula's feelings for Fenglan were very complicated, not just simple liking.

But the body and mind don't lie, and Pakula knew at least that he would not be upset because Rosa had a wife.

Even if she was upset, her actions would only be indirect and tentative. She wouldn't ask directly, but would at most try to gauge the gap between herself and Mei Terumi through certain events or by hinting at things.

For example, when she left the village absentmindedly this time, she must have hoped that Feng Lan would catch up with her, but that hope was so small that she herself dared not be sure.

Feng Lan understood her personality well. After all, when this woman was in despair, her first reaction was to kill herself by becoming someone else's possession. Therefore, he unusually dropped his defensive stance and took the initiative to attack.

Because there are many things that, if you don't proactively explain them, this guy will die from internal conflict.

“You are different from her. You are the person I chose. You were the one who confirmed that you were willing to walk together, and then everything that followed happened. She did have some shortcuts, but you were the starting point.”

Pakula's arms around Feng Lan's neck seemed to tighten a little: "During the Samsara Festival, Mei Terumi should be returning to Konoha with you, right?"

"It's hard to say. Theoretically, given her status, she should be able to visit Konoha, but if Kirigakure is too busy, she probably won't have time," Fenglan replied casually.

After a few more seconds, Pakula seemed to struggle to force himself to ask, "And what about me?"

"You'll naturally come back with me after this matter is settled. Do you intend to return to Sunagakure?"

Pakula felt that the world seemed to have become even more colorful. Through the conversation just now, she confirmed one thing: she didn't need to be a special existence. She was already a part of the foundation and had been there since the Land of Iron. Fenglan had no intention of changing her position.

The other party won't stop needing her just because they're married; she'll still be part of his plan, only she might need to share the same framework with Mei Terumi.

That's enough, because she wasn't jealous at all. She was just used to using Feng Lan as a coordinate system to define herself, and she was only worried that the coordinate system itself might change.

Yes, that's enough...

Is that enough...?

She shifted her head slightly, moving closer to Feng Lan, but didn't reach out to touch him; she simply made sure he was still within her reach.

The anxiety had subsided, but another emotion welled up inside, something even more indescribable and incomprehensible than the previous complex feelings.

Logically, I shouldn't have these feelings. Feng Lan chased after me, fought for her, threatened Sunagakure for her, and carried her back to the village... All my unease should have been soothed, so why do I still feel this way?

Pakula couldn't understand, or rather, she dared not think about, dared not crave such a thing—she wanted to confirm whether she was also qualified to obtain the "fourth one".

She may not want to get married; she just wants to confirm that she is also given the right to choose.

She remained confused, silent, and hesitant to confirm anything... because this was something Lord Fenglan had not given her, and she dared not ask for it. She felt that he had already given her enough, and she should be content and happy.

But at that moment, Feng Lan spoke up: "If one day you also need an identity to accomplish something, I will give it to you in the same way, but you must understand that this is still essentially a transaction."

He gave it very cautiously and coldly, but Pakula's inexplicably complicated emotions vanished in an instant. His whole body relaxed completely, pressing tightly against the other's back. The aftereffects of the poisoning seemed to arrive late at this moment, making him feel tired and drowsy.

Logically, he should have answered and expressed his gratitude, but Pakula said nothing and simply pressed his face against Fenglan's.

……

Without saying another word along the way, Feng Lan carried Pakula directly to the medical room in Kirigakure. Although the room was already overcrowded, Qing, who had come upon hearing the news, still urgently provided the two of them with a tent and a professional medical ninja.

Knowing the details, he was terrified. If Fenglan and Pakura were killed within the territory of the Land of Water, even if everyone knew that the murderer was Sunagakure, Kirigakure would not be able to escape responsibility.

The female doctor gave Pakula a professional and quick examination, then used her palm magic to heal her wounds, giving a reassuring answer: "The toxins in her body have been completely eliminated. She will recover completely after a few days of rest."

"Thank you for your trouble." Feng Lan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to express her gratitude.

"No, just call me anytime if you need anything." After leaving those words, the medical ninja hurriedly departed. With so many wounded in the battle to capture the village, she was extremely busy.

The tent fell silent again, and the atmosphere was slightly awkward.

"You should get some sleep." After a while, Feng Lan slowly spoke. "You have a lot of injuries and fatigue accumulated from the long war. You deserve to rest."

"And what about you, Lord Fenglan?" Perhaps because of her weakness, Pakula's voice carried a hint of longing that she herself was unaware of.

“Of course I’ll stay here as a guard. After all, with so many people and so many things to do, who knows what might happen?” Feng Lan didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down directly on the edge of the bed.

"How...how could I let you, sir..."

"What's the big deal? Don't forget I'm a ninja who participated in the Third Shinobi World War. What's wrong with sitting here for one night?" Feng Lan chuckled. "Just sleep soundly. I think I'm still pretty good at fighting."

After successfully unleashing the Iron Sand World Technique, he felt a bit cocky, thinking that with the Ninja Umbrella in hand, he was at least a weak Kage-level fighter. Besides, he had learned quite a few secret techniques from Tobirama. If things hadn't been peaceful for the time being, he would have really wanted to find someone to test his skills against.

As the saying goes, Minato envies Fenglan's cunning and scheming that kills without leaving a trace, while Fenglan envies Minato's unparalleled combat prowess. Indeed, what you don't have is always the best.

[Hmm, I was originally planning to bully Yahiko... I'll postpone it until after tomorrow's meeting. It'll be a good opportunity to test my skills against Nagato; I'm feeling incredibly arrogant right now.]