Yes, the Hokage

As expected, many large snakes hissed and tried to stop them along the way, but most of the time Obito didn't need to make a move. Shinja only needed to bury his head and push or squeeze with his body to knock these guys off balance. They couldn't withstand it at all.

A few strong enough snakes could barely contend with Shinja in terms of strength, but the opponent had Obito as an ally. Facing the swarming snakes, Obito unceremoniously used Tree World Advent to bind them all.

And so, Xin Ya swept through the enemy lines with unstoppable force, arriving directly in front of the old temple, his voice booming like thunder: "Old woman, get out here!"

"Hehehe..."

The surrounding scenery suddenly changed, and the White Snake Immortal reappeared, sitting on the stone chair, while the two guards around Feng Lan and the giant snake Xin Ya under their feet had all disappeared.

"Using illusion magic right from the start, huh?" He sneered, then slowly sat down on the ground. "Looks like you knew I was here to demand an explanation."

"Orochimaru did indeed flee because of me." The White Snake Sage took a leisurely puff of his pipe. "After all, I owed him a favor, not too much or too little, and besides, his request wasn't too unreasonable, so I had no choice but to agree."

"Isn't it too much to ask to help kill the Third Hokage of Konoha?" Feng Lan said with a sneer.

"I have no idea who he wants to kill. I only left a shadow clone in Ryuchi Cave as a backup plan, at Orochimaru's request." The White Snake Sage exhaled a smoke ring. "Besides, he placed this clone a long time ago. At that time, I didn't even know your name, so you can't say that I was maliciously targeting Konoha."

"When did he create a clone?"

The White Snake Sage gave a time, and Feng Lan calculated that it was Orochimaru who had left this trick right after Tsunade let him go. It seemed that he had underestimated this snake.

He also understood how Orochimaru instantly restored his chakra; it was the same technique Naruto used against Pain: the Shadow Clone Elimination Technique.

Because shadow clones have the ability to recall memories, once the clones are deactivated, not only will the fatigue and experience of the clones be transferred to the main body, but the absorbed natural energy will also be returned. Naruto, who can only maintain Sage Mode for five minutes, relies on his two clones to continuously recharge and repeatedly enter Sage Mode to deal with Pain.

Orochimaru clearly used this technique as well, leaving a shadow clone in Ryuchi Cave beforehand. Although he didn't know Sage Mode, he could release the shadow clone at the crucial moment and let the surging natural energy restore his body's chakra and injuries, thus severely injuring the Third Hokage in one fell swoop!

Chapter 198 Uchiha Momo's "Opportunity"

After figuring out Orochimaru's methods, Feng Lan's expression softened slightly: "You can't be considered the mastermind behind this, but you still bear an undeniable responsibility."

"I don't deny that losing the Third Hokage before the Samsara Festival must have been a major headache for Advisor Fenglan," the White Snake Sage said calmly. "As compensation and a solution, how about you listen to my suggestion?"

"please say."

"I will send the Three Goddesses to Advisor Fenglan so that they can support you during the Samsara Festival and show all forces that Ryuchi Cave and Konoha have reached a deep cooperation. The three holy lands are quite famous. With this relationship, I think those forces will not dare to be too unreasonable. What do you think?"

Feng Lan's eyes narrowed slightly. The White Snake Sage's suggestion was indeed quite effective. With Ryuchi Cave backing them, it should be enough to keep most unscrupulous individuals at bay. Moreover, this was a win-win situation. Konoha would fend off malicious enemies, and Ryuchi Cave could instantly rise to prominence within the village, replacing Mount Myōboku as the "state religion" trusted by most Konoha ninjas, without needing to go through any more time-consuming efforts.

The question is whether she came up with this suggestion only after he questioned her, or whether she had already envisioned everything that would happen when Orochimaru placed the shadow clones, and that's why she wanted to form an alliance with him.

If it's the latter, then the snake's cunning is rather terrifying.

Regardless of the circumstances, it seemed that he had no choice but to accept the proposal, though his wariness of the White Snake Immortal had deepened considerably.

After the two parties reached a deal, the White Snake Immortal dispelled the illusion. In reality, only a moment had passed. Xin Ya, naturally unaware of what had happened, was still standing upright, his neck bulging, his scarlet tongue flicking out, looking like he was itching to start a battle.

"Alright, Xinya, it's just that I didn't give you a chance during the previous dragon transformation ceremonies." The White Snake Immortal chuckled. "Now that the Dragon Transformation Spring is almost full, I'll give you the chance to bathe next time. After bathing, you can also transform into human form like the Three Goddesses."

"Is this really true?!" Xin Ya was, after all, a straightforward guy. Upon hearing the White Snake Immortal's promise, his murderous aura vanished instantly, and a look of anticipation appeared in his large snake eyes.

Feng Lan: [...This kid is really easy to deal with. If he were a human, I would have toyed with him in no time.]

"After all, you are now considered the top summoning beast in Konoha. If you can appear in human form, it can further enhance the influence of my Ryuchi Cave." The White Snake Sage's words were reasonable and convincing, which convinced the snake.

Xin Ya's anger turned to joy, but after looking up, he hesitated and wagged his tail, saying, "But, but I promised Feng Lan I'd help him out..."

"It's alright. The matter between me and the White Snake Immortal can be resolved through conversation." Feng Lan chuckled and patted its head. "Go back first and prepare for the dragon transformation ceremony."

"Oh." Xin Ya nodded honestly, put Feng Lan and the other two down, and then rode away with Xiao Qu'er.

"The last time I refused to let him undergo the dragon transformation ceremony, my reason was that he would lower the average IQ of the entire Dragon Land Cave," the White Snake Immortal complained, feeling rather annoyed.

"Hey, not everyone and every snake can be a scheming bastard," Feng Lan shrugged. "There still need to be some likable characters, like Obito, or Shinji..."

“Lord Fenglan,” Obito said, squinting, “I’m right here.”

"I'm praising you," Feng Lantian shamelessly coaxed.

"Hehe, that's true." The White Snake Immortal chuckled vaguely. "These three goddesses are sisters I've watched grow up since they were little. I never expected that after they transformed into human form, their personalities would be so different."

As she spoke, the three goddesses flew out of the shadows one by one. They were all dressed in plain white shrine maiden outfits, but their human forms were different. Takoshi-hime was a gentle and virtuous older sister; Tatsumi-hime was a beautiful and youthful girl; and Ichikishima-hime was a lively and cute loli.

Judging by appearance alone, these three are undoubtedly beauties, and many people might want to become Xu Xian. But if you saw their half-human, half-snake appearance with scales all over their faces, even the bravest Xu Xian would not be able to say "I can".

As a transmigrator, Feng Lan had naturally seen the three of them in their true forms in the anime long ago, so she had no intention of being like Xu Xian: "Let me make it clear in advance that although humans taste delicious from your perspective, please restrain yourselves when you arrive in Konoha Village, otherwise it would be bad if you frightened the children or the flowers and plants."

"Please rest assured."

The three goddesses bowed in unison: "We are the representatives of Ryuchi-dō, so naturally we won't do anything out of line... *slurp*"

Feng Lan: "..."

If it weren't for that obvious sucking motion at the end, he might have actually believed it.

Taking advantage of the situation is necessary, but we need to find someone to keep an eye on these three snakes and prevent them from causing trouble.

Seeing Feng Lan's obvious gaze sweep over him, Obito quickly shook his head: "I have to perform on stage with Kakashi and Rin during the Rinne Festival, so I don't have time to play with these three."

That makes sense; we can't keep targeting him.

Feng Lan pondered for a moment. If Obito wasn't an option, then Shisui would be the only choice. They couldn't very well let Itachi or Kabuto handle it. Although one was a snake-catching master and the other had a snake affinity, they were still quite young. Letting them look after the Three Goddesses now would be like sending lambs to the slaughter.

However, there are three goddesses in total. If they were to deliberately cause trouble, Shisui alone would be overwhelmed if they were to split up. Fenglan glanced at the white snake immortal and found her leisurely coiled on the stone chair. If snakes had expressions, she would probably be wearing her usual smiling expression.

[Besides offering help, was there also an element of testing me involved?]

Feng Lan narrowed her eyes slightly. After all, she had only heard about what the White Snake Immortal knew about her. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. No matter how great the reputation was, it was not as good as actually testing it herself.

In other words, whether Ryuchi Cave will fully ally with Konoha depends on my future actions.

Fenglan pouted: "Zhishui, you are responsible for receiving one of these three. When you return to Pakula, you will be responsible for one of them. I will be responsible for one myself."

The three goddesses all smiled and seemed to have no complaints. It was unclear what mission the White Snake Sage had instilled in them.

Shisui glanced at the three and took the initiative to choose the strongest one, Tashin-hime. Fenglan chose the most quirky one, Ichikishima-hime. As for the last one, Tsuratsu-hime, who was relatively easy to deal with, he left it to Pakula.

Soon, Feng Lan and his group were sent back by the Reverse Summoning Technique. When they saw the three people behind him, Minato and the others were initially surprised, but after Feng Lan explained the reason, they all nodded in understanding.

“I have already announced the news of the Third Hokage’s passing to the entire ninja world. I believe many forces will respond within half a day.” Minato shook his head and sighed. “Orochimaru’s arrest warrant has also been issued. Mr. Shikaku and others have begun to take over various affairs. You don’t need to worry about so much. Take a rest for now.”

“I would like to rest, but…” Feng Lan looked at the three goddesses behind her and smiled wryly, “Anyway, it’s morning now, I’ll go and take Pakula and treat these three to a meal first.”

Walking on the streets of Konoha, the three goddesses were already attracting attention because of their shrine maiden outfits and outstanding looks. However, Ichikishima-hime didn't walk properly and instead floated in mid-air, curiously looking around. Every time she saw something new, she would excitedly shout, thus attracting even more attention.

Helpless, Feng Lan could only lead the people back to her residence and prepare to go next door to call Pakula over.

It happened to be the weekend, and when Fenglan opened the door, she found that Uchiha Momo was also there.

"Lord Fenglan!" The girl rushed over excitedly, only to be pinned down by him like a gorilla blocking a hat. "Pakula, I have a mission for you."

"Yes!" Pakula immediately stood up, looking ready to go.

"I've invited some guests from Ryuchi-dong, and they need you..."

"Wow!"

Before Feng Lan could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Uchiha Momo's exclamation. The girl stood there blankly, pointing behind Feng Lan with one hand: "You, you are..."

Feng Lan turned her head and saw that the three goddesses who couldn't sit still had already followed her over, and the person that Uchiha Momo was pointing at was Ichikishima-hime, who was floating in mid-air.

"Oh my, you are..." Tianxin Shenji actually flicked her bright red tongue without any hesitation. Snakes use their tongues to collect scent molecules in the air, and she was clearly trying to identify the scent of Uchiha Momo.

"It tastes familiar." Princess Tsuratsuno also flicked her tongue and smiled sweetly.

"It's you! It's been a while!" Ichikishima-hime's reaction was the most surprising. She actually flew directly to Uchiha Momo's side and hugged her. "You still smell as delicious as ever, but why are you so weak? When will you be able to summon me to play with you at this rate?"

She actually stuck out her tongue and licked Uchiha Momo's cheek. The latter wasn't afraid at all, but just smiled and hugged the little girl's body: "I've been working hard to train, but I'm still a long way from being able to summon you."

Fenglan became increasingly suspicious as she listened: "Tao, do you have a contract with the giant serpent of Ryuchi Cave?"

“Yes!” Momo answered excitedly, “The contract was signed three years ago!”

"Who guided you in signing the contract?"

As mentioned earlier, to acquire a summoning beast, aside from a few lucky breaks, one needs to be guided by an elder with whom one has already formed a contract. The elder with whom one has formed a contract in Konoha Village and Ryuchi Cave... isn't that Orochimaru?! Could it be that Momo Uchiha was targeted by Orochimaru when she was a child?

However, at this moment, Princess Ichikishima took the initiative to speak up: "I was the one who helped her sign the contract. We had a lot of fun playing together and our personalities were very compatible, so I signed a contract with this little girl, thinking that one day she could communicate with me and come out to play together."

Although she looks like a little girl, she can transform into human form and was raised by the White Snake Sage from a young age. She must be at least several hundred years old, so calling Uchiha Momo "little girl" is perfectly acceptable.

[So that's how it is. This child has his own destiny...] Feng Lan glanced at Uchiha Momo and made a judgment in his heart.

Just as he was about to ask further, Uchiha Momo spoke up, "Lord Fenglan! Do you need someone to receive these goddess sisters?"

"Uh, yes." Feng Lan answered subconsciously.

"Please leave it to me!" Uchiha Momo's big eyes blinked, full of excitement. "It would be my honor to be able to help you!"

"This..." Feng Lan hesitated. The three people she had chosen, including herself, all had a certain level of combat ability. In case the Three Goddesses lost control, she could suppress them directly with force.

Although Princess Ichikishima acted as if she and Momo Uchiha were very close, this little girl didn't have much fighting power. If she were to turn on him...

"I want to play with this guy!" Princess Ichikishima shouted, raising her hands high in the air.

"Since she's said so, we should just follow this little girl's lead." Princess Tianxin smiled gently. "Lord Fenglan, you may not know this, but it was Ichikijima who proposed the matter of cooperating with humans and Konoha."

"What?" Feng Lan was taken aback. "If it was her idea, why would the White Snake Sage need to use the Hokage's power to reprimand you?"

"Because at that time, the two of us were still not convinced," Tsurugihime explained from the side. "And the Ryuchi Cave Great Illusion Formation requires three people to work together to perform, so Ichikijima cooperated with us to fight against the Hokage."

As she spoke, she suddenly smiled and said, "To be honest, our impressions of humans mainly come from Orochimaru, which is why we strongly resist cooperating with Konoha. If we had met that child earlier, like Ichikishima, or Advisor Fenglan, we might have been willing to cooperate with you much earlier."

At this moment, Feng Lan did not understand the implied meaning in the other party's words. He never trusted people easily, not even snakes, so he was still hesitating about whether to nod in agreement.

“Lord Fenglan, since Tao wants to help you, please agree to her request,” Pakula said. “I will also help from the side. If it really comes to the point where force is needed, I will protect Tao while sending a signal to request support using the Scorching Release.”

"Hmm...that's fine too."

Feng Lan pondered for a moment and then nodded: "If the three goddesses do not object, then Uchiha Momo and Pakura will be in charge of entertaining you during your stay in Konoha."

If the most troublesome task is shared with Uchiha Momo, he will have more time and energy to solve other problems. Besides, he is also very curious about Uchiha Momo's "fortune" and plans to investigate how she got involved with Ryuchi Cave.

Chapter 199 Sand Village Envoys

Because Uchiha Momo unexpectedly took on the important task, and after observing her for a few days, Feng Lan found that she was actually handling the Three Goddesses with ease. He himself had a lot of free time, enough to properly arrange the entire Samsara Festival to make money, and to prepare measures and rhetoric for dealing with the delegations of those great powers.

Before the Reincarnation Festival, Inuzuka Tetsu returned with his team right on time.

"My lord, I have not failed you." This young man was still young after all, and no matter how hard he tried to hide it, he still couldn't control the joy on his face. "This is the report on this mission, as well as a secret letter from Yahiko, the leader of Amegakure."

Feng Lan could tell at a glance that this guy had taken a lot of kickbacks. After all, both Takumi Ninja Village and Yahiko had just been severely punished by him, and now they were eager to show their loyalty. They ran into Inuzuka Tetsuya, who was taking advantage of them. The two sides were basically like Zhou Yu and Huang Gai, one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit.

Of course, since Feng Lan sent this kid, it meant he tacitly approved that the kid could profit from it. Of course... too much is not allowed. No matter how much you take, you should always share some with your superior.

So, while reviewing the report delivered by Inuzuka Tetsu, confirming that he had indeed given Amegakure and Takumi-nin Village a good talking-to, he hummed in a toneless voice, "Sorrow for the nation's hatred, my heart is secretly wounded~"

Inuzuka Tetsuya was naturally cunning and knowledgeable. After Fenglan finished reviewing his report and nodded in satisfaction, he hurriedly stepped forward with a fawning smile and said, "Sir, the leaders of those two villages are grateful for your magnanimity and have specially gathered some things to express their gratitude. The total is... 380,000 taels."

This kid knows how to talk. He was clearly taking kickbacks, but he made it sound like the other party was expressing their feelings. However, as mentioned before, the purchasing power of "two" in this world is limited. Feng Lan knew immediately that this kid was dishonest: "Those two bastards, as the village chiefs, actually embezzled so much money. The thing I hate most in my life is corruption."

As he said this, his finger was already pointing at Inuzuka Tetsuya, a veiled insult: "I will definitely report to the Fourth Hokage and have those who embezzled executed by being torn apart by five horses!"

"Gurgle—!"

Inuzuka Tetsuya involuntarily swallowed, then pretended to flip through the report pages: "Sir, I made a slight mistake. The amount those two offered as a token of their appreciation should be three million eight hundred thousand taels."

"What?!"

Feng Lan slammed her hand on the table and sang two more lines in a sarcastic tone: "Hatred is like the ocean, never to be forgotten!"

"I must petition the Fourth Hokage again and ask him to pass the skinning method used to deal with corrupt officials. Do you know what it is?"

"H-How is it?" Inuzuka Tetsu felt himself drenched in sweat.

“First, bury your whole body in the sand.” Feng Lan casually grabbed Inuzuka Tetsu and pressed him into a chair. “Bury him well, leaving only his head sticking out. Then cut open the middle of his head with a knife, create a hole in the head, and then borrow some parasitic insects from the Aburame clan and throw them in. Wow, then you’ll be itching uncontrollably.”

"What will happen after the difficulty ends?" Inuzuka Tetsuya was clearly getting nervous.

"When it gets really hard, it will struggle desperately to find a hole to crawl into. By sheer chance, it saw a hole on the top of its head. Wow, it didn't even care about its skin anymore and crawled out with a 'whoosh'."

Seeing Inuzuka Tetsuka's guilty expression, he sang two more lines: "I wonder when, in what month or year, my wish will be fulfilled~"

"Don't you feel itchy?" Feng Lan patted the other person's shoulder.

"Oh, it itches so much, sir." At this moment, Inuzuka Tetsuya had already started to tremble. "I, I've looked carefully, there are a total of 13.8 million ryo."

"Hmm~" Feng Lan sat down with satisfaction. "You did a good job this time. Take out 3.8 million taels. Three million will be distributed as extra bonuses to all the ninjas who participated in the mission. The 800,000 is a reward for you. Just do your job honestly from now on, and I won't treat you unfairly."

He emphasized the words "honestly" very much. Inuzuka Tetsuya is capable, otherwise he wouldn't have handled things so well. But once his ambition was ignited, it was also considerable. Others would only get a small cut off from the kickback, but this kid dared to cut off the entire amount upfront. He's quite ruthless.

"Yes, I understand." Inuzuka Tetsu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Lord Fenglan was not going to pursue the matter this time.

"Go down."