The Desperate Gap in Strength

"You two want to be my enemies?" Ye Liangnai looked at Ryū Tarō and Shida Chiba, who were still standing there, opened her eyes, and said calmly.

The words were spoken in a very soft tone, yet they carried an inexplicable power that seemed to freeze the surrounding air. A terrifying pressure descended, causing Sakura Haruno and the others to groan involuntarily, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

They seemed to see a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with a nauseating stench of blood that was both terrifying and chilling.

"No, no, no, that's not it!" The two, who had been so brazen in front of Kakashi, were now extremely flustered, saying, "We haven't received our payment yet..."

"I've paid your wages! Don't worry, I, Ye Liangnai, never bully others!"

Upon hearing their words, Ye Liangnai immediately understood what was going on. She then tossed out two plaques and said, "Go to the Land of Water's Bounty Office and collect your money!"

After catching it, the two looked at each other and turned to leave without hesitation.

Before this, Naruto Uzumaki could never have imagined that there could be such an easy battle in the world.

Just a few words, and the enemy abandoned their mission and left. That's incredible. And incredibly cool!

Sakura Haruno couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.

Sasuke Uchiha, who had previously been so outstanding in her eyes, now seemed utterly lackluster to her.

Fire Fly and the bright moon are completely incomparable!

There's a saying that goes something like this, "If you've seen someone truly amazing when you're young, you'll never settle for anything less for the rest of your life!"

Sakura Haruno knew she couldn't possibly do that, but she couldn't help thinking it to herself.

"So, President Gato, what's your choice?"

Ye Liangnai looked at the lone commander, Gato, and spoke again.

"You... you... you..."

Gato retreated in terror, drenched in cold sweat. He wanted to beg for mercy, but found himself unable to speak. The words of pleading were stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.

"Kimimaro, send him on his way!"

Seeing Gato like this, Ye Liangnai turned around and gave Kimimaro a command.

"Yes!"

Kimimaro responded and then rushed to Gato in a flash, a bone spike emerging from his palm and piercing Gato's chest.

"Ha!"

Gato's eyes widened, and he let out a low, beast-like growl. After struggling for a few moments, his neck lolled to the side, his eyes lost their luster, and he was lifeless.

"Tazuna, right!"

Ye Liangnai turned around and looked at Tazuna, who was being protected by Sakura Haruno and the others.

"What are you thinking?!"

His words immediately made Kakashi speak up with extreme vigilance, his body tensing instantly.

Naruto and the other two were still struggling to recover from Gato's death.

Gato died just like that!

Just seconds before, he was a living, breathing person. Seeing his gruesome death, the three of them couldn't help but feel a sense of shock.

"Kakashi, don't be so nervous. You should know you're no match for me! It was the same four years ago, and it's still the same now! If I wanted to kill him, do you think you could stop me?"

Seeing Kakashi so nervous, Ye Liangnai couldn't help but tease him.

Kakashi couldn't refute these words, but he clenched his fists in frustration.

If it weren't for Ye Liangnai, even if the Hokage were in front of him, he would dare say he was confident he could stop him.

But who could blame him when the man standing in front of him was named Ye Liangnai!

"What exactly do you want from Mr. Tazuna? If you slaughter civilians, public opinion in the Shinobi World won't be very favorable for you!"

Kakashi's forehead was unusually beaded with sweat. Tazuna, standing behind him, nodded, his face deathly pale.

Even Gato died so helplessly when he targeted him, he didn't think he could be any better than Gato.

"Don't worry, how could I possibly hurt a bridge-building expert like Tazuna!"

Ye Liangnai smiled and said, "I just wanted to invite Mr. Tazuna to join the Land of Water's economic zone plan!"

"I have a few bridges I'd like Mr. Tazuna to help build! Mr. Tazuna, what do you say, would you consider it?"

He was extremely polite, showing none of the murderous intent he had displayed earlier; instead, he was remarkably peaceful.

This left Tazuna completely dumbfounded. Ye Liangnai had actually invited him to build a bridge? Had his reputation really grown that much?

"What are the conditions? How long do I need to join?"

Although Tazuna was pleasantly surprised, he wasn't foolish enough to agree immediately, so he asked aloud.

"Someone will come to talk to you about this soon! If Mr. Tazuna feels that our offer is not good enough, he can refuse!"

After speaking, Ye Liangnai looked at Kakashi and said, "I remember the Chunin Ninja Exams three months, right? It seems like it will be held by your Konoha again this time. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the new generation of Konoha performs!"

"Well then, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, see you then!"

Having said that, Ye Liangnai Nara and Kimimaro left, leaving the four of them completely bewildered.

How did he know our names?

Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed in utter surprise, but Sasuke Uchiha suddenly shouted, "Wait a minute!!!"

His words startled Kakashi, who quickly said, "Sasuke, you..."

Ye Liangnai stopped in her tracks, turned around, and asked leisurely, "What do you want to know from me?"

He actually guessed Sasuke Uchiha's intentions.

"You know Itachi Uchiha, and you've fought him, right?"

Sasuke Uchiha looked serious and expectant.

Upon hearing this, Ye Liangnai showed a rare hint of reminiscence and replied, "I've met him. He was an exceptionally talented ninja. Hmm, his talent was so exceptional that it was a once-in-a-century talent, as outstanding as your village's Fourth Hokage!"

Hearing this, Sasuke Uchiha clenched his fists, asking with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, "So what do you think of me? How long will it take me to surpass him?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Liangnai laughed and shook her head.

Seeing him like this, Sasuke Uchiha felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and a look of resentment appeared on his face.

"Your level of excellence is about the same as your teammate Naruto Uzumaki!"

Ye Liangnai's answer left Ye Liangnai Sasuke Uchiha stunned and bewildered, his eyes clearly saying, "Are you kidding me?"

On the contrary, Naruto boasted arrogantly, "Did you hear that, Sasuke? He said I'm just as good as you!"

Sasuke clenched his fists, his face extremely grim, and said, "Is this all I am in your eyes? Then does that mean I'll never catch up to Itachi Uchiha?!"

He was extremely resentful! When did he fall to the point where he was as good as Naruto, a loser?