Preparations Before Returning to the Village

The Land of Fire, Daimyo's Mansion.

Inside a luxurious hotel, Sannin, one of the Legendary Sannin, exuded an air of elegance and nobility more akin to a Princess Tsunade than a ninja, expressionlessly examining the wine glass in her hand.

After a long pause, Princess Tsunade finally frowned, a look of impatience and disgust on her face, and slowly said, "Shizune, you mean the Fire Temple was destroyed?"

Although Shizune was quite perceptive, due to the information gap, she assumed that Tsunade was upset about the matter.

"Lady Tsunade, according to intelligence, first the elder monks of the Fire Temple who were preparing to visit the Daimyo's Mansion were attacked, and then the Fire Temple itself was attacked; not a single person in the entire temple survived."

Shizune spoke with a somewhat solemn expression, her eyes revealing shock and anger. The Fire Temple was an important symbol of power in the Land of Fire.

"Now that the Daimyo has learned of this, he is furious and has ordered the Third Hokage of Konoha to dispatch the Anbu and Root to thoroughly investigate the matter. At the same time, he has ordered Fire Temple, Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Jirō of Land of Fire, to rebuild the Fire Temple and has recalled all the wandering monks of the Fire Temple."

Since the Fire Temple was a place for training ninja monks, the ninja monks trained there would naturally serve the daimyo and participate in escort missions and various secret missions. In addition, with the division of labor for wandering and intelligence gathering, it was impossible for them all to be silenced.

However, all the ninja monks in the Fire Temple were killed, along with several high-ranking monks who had been responsible for training ninja monks for the daimyo for many years.

The Fire Temple suffered a severe blow, and as one of its important armed forces, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, enraged, would certainly not sit idly by and watch its power truly collapse. After all, its foundation was still intact; it just needed his support to become an important force once again.

Upon hearing Shizune's report, Tsunade gave a disdainful sneer, her eyes filled with disgust.

"Dirty, conspiratorial politics."

Shizune, who would later become the Fifth Hokage's right-hand woman, was no naive girl. Upon hearing her Lady Tsunade's words, her face instantly turned pale.

Shizune was startled and began to ponder silently. It seemed that, judging from Lady Tsunade's words, this involved their own people.

"Shizune, pour the wine."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Frustrated and agitated, Tsunade wanted to vent her emotions with alcohol, and in her heart, she was cursing the old geezers in the village to death.

As expected, the brat was right. She secretly infiltrated Daimyo's Mansion and discovered some information, or rather, it was almost impossible to keep it a secret any longer.

The Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire were split into two parts, and it seems that the conflict intensified after Sarutobi Asuma arrived.

It would be a miracle if this hadn't been orchestrated by a few old guys in the village.

The matter in the Daimyo's Mansion has caused quite a stir, but now the Fire Temple, a vital source of armed force for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, has been wiped out.

All of this, when put together, would be truly unbelievable if it weren't for the involvement of a few old men in the village.

Tsunade was even more annoyed. The Shinobi World was not yet completely stable, and these old guys were already causing trouble. Wasn't destroying the Fire Temple a warning to the Daimyo and weakening his power at the same time? Only Konoha would benefit.

It has to be said that, from the last conspiracy theory to this current coincidence, Konoha is truly in a terrible predicament now.

Moreover, Konoha actually did intend to put pressure on the Daimyo's Mansion, but Konoha didn't have that much courage yet. They merely wanted to ambush and kill one of the radical elder monks from the Fire Temple as a warning.

Such things are commonplace in the Shinobi World; it's just a covert competition between the two sides.

But Tsunade just happened to stumble upon it. What a coincidence! With a little investigation, she found traces of Konoha and quietly destroyed the Fire Temple within the Land of Fire.

Tsk tsk, this time Konoha is truly suffering in silence. The Daimyo is genuinely enraged; Konoha has gone too far, and this is a warning to him.

You can fight amongst yourselves in private, but this time you've crossed the line. When the Third Hokage of Konoha found out, his face turned green. Damn it, he couldn't clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

"A bunch of old guys, they get bolder as they get older."

Tsunade drank her wine in silence, cursing under her breath. The current situation was clearly orchestrated by Konoha. Even if Konoha wasn't behind the Fire Temple, their actions were still suspicious, and they might have hired external forces to carry it out.

It has to be said that the misunderstanding was huge. The Twelve Guardian Ninjas of the Land of Fire were already challenging her bottom line enough, but when the Fire Temple came out, wow, these old guys were even more unruly than when they were young.

This situation, in particular, made Tsunade feel even more chilled. She was now truly certain that the old folks in the village must have mastered some kind of power, such as Wood Release or the Mangekyo. Otherwise, there was no way to explain why Konoha, which was currently the weakest village, could still cause so much trouble.

In the forest on the Land of Fire Border, amidst the howling wind and snow outside, a light flickered inside a hidden tree hollow.

Inside the tree hollow, there was a figure with a high bun, dark green hair, and a wisp of brownish-yellow hair peeking out from either side of the Forehead Protector.

Beneath her delicate features, this stunningly beautiful female ninja, wearing Sunagakure Forehead Protector and dressed in a thin, revealing backless dress, was surprisingly dressed in the cold wind.

The fire crackled and popped inside the tree hollow, but Pakura subtly glanced at the wind and snow outside.

"You can come out if you've seen enough."

The crisp sound echoed in the wind and snow, as if talking to itself. However, the next moment, the sound of footsteps on the snow slowly rose, and a black figure slowly walked out.

Upon seeing the newcomer's undisguised Konoha Ninja Forehead Protector, Pakura immediately smiled, but the smile was tinged with coldness.

"I thought you Konoha weren't coming, but you only arrived when we were almost at the border."

Travel-worn Uchiha Yoru removed his straw hat, revealing his handsome face. He casually brushed the snow off his shoulders and slowly walked to the fire, sitting down. The relationship between the two was just like the alliance between the two major ninja villages on the surface.

However, Pakura remained calm and wary, saying indifferently, "It seems Konoha is determined to win this time, having even sent out a genius from the Uchiha."

It was obvious that Pakura recognized him at a glance. After all, Uchiha Yoru was no longer an unknown nobody. He was Sannin 'Orochimaru's Disciple, a frontline commander, and even had talent that surpassed Hatake Kakashi. His information had already spread to all the major ninja villages in the Shinobi World.

"There have been many frictions between Sunagakure and Iwagakure along their border, but most of them are due to disputes over mineral resources. It seems that Sunagakure has sent you here to gain the support of Kirigakure, or perhaps to trade goods."

Despite the secret alliance between Sand Ninja and Stone Ninja, the Shinobi World's pie is only so big, especially given their adjacent territories. There are frequent frictions not only over mineral resources but also over various cross-border missions, which is normal in the Shinobi World.

However, this also means that Sunagakure needs external assistance. As for Konoha? Given what happened recently, Konoha is unlikely to easily provide aid to Sunagakure. Therefore, Sunagakure's choice is Kirigakure, which can be reached by sea. Kirigakure happens to have the resources that Sunagakure lacks, and vice versa.

Looking at the magnificent and heroic ninja of Sunagakure before him, Pakura Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but take a few more glances and exclaimed, "Truly worthy of the Beautiful Back Pakura."

Upon suddenly hearing such a nickname and seeing the other person's gaze, Pakura's eyes twitched. Although women love beauty, she was also a mature ninja.

"Want some?"

Born in the Wind Country Desert, Pakura has a delicate and refined air about her, but she also possesses a bold and forthright personality. She smiled and handed over one of the fruits that had been roasting in front of the fire.

Uchiha Yoru did not hesitate and instead accepted it frankly, squinting as he scrutinized this character from the original work, whose appearance was extreme yet incredibly stunning.

The other party's strength and reputation are enough to make him worth trying to win them over.

"What, are you getting impatient?"

Seeing that Uchiha Yoru hadn't eaten the fruit, Pakura shrugged and smiled. "It seems Konoha's intelligence network is quite impressive. Even though I've been so secretive, I didn't expect you guys to still find out."

"Pakura, Elite Jonin of Sunagakure, is 166.3 cm tall, weighs 46.3 kg, has blood type A, and was born on April 9th. Now she is a hero of the village, and her influence is rivaling that of the current Fourth Kazekage."

Uchiha Yoru calmly stated her information, but Pakura shook her head and said, "It seems that Konoha has come to disrupt the Sunagakure-Kirigakure Alliance."

The Shinobi World has never lacked instances of assassinating envoys from other countries mid-journey, thereby disrupting peace talks and alliances between the two nations.

But this time, Uchiha Yoru nodded calmly. "That's right. Someone from Sunagakure sent us intelligence, so we wanted to break your alliance. However, this time is a little different."

"These are warm clothes. Your Beautiful Back is beautiful, but you still need to keep warm. I also have a gift and a message."

Looking at Pakura, Uchiha Yoru made no attempt to hide his feelings, narrowing his eyes as he said, "Your reputation is too high. In Sunagakure, you're already showing signs of overshadowing the current Fourth Kazekage. Don't you think that's dangerous?"

"Danger?" Pakura gave a self-deprecating laugh, as if mocking his clumsy attempt to sow discord.

Uchiha Yoru didn't offer much explanation. Some things you'll never believe until they happen, and some people just won't turn back until they hit a brick wall.

"Intelligence has revealed that the Sunagakure leadership and the current Kazekage want to eliminate this threat, so they've sold you to the Kirigakure, hoping to use the Kirigakure to remove the threat while also establishing a friendship."

Despite Uchiha Yoru's calm voice, Pakura's expression remained perfectly calm; she neither believed him nor showed the slightest anger.

As a renowned ninja, how could he be easily provoked? Besides, the other party's words were too absurd.

Seemingly sensing Pakura's distrust, Uchiha Yoru gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Some things you only understand after experiencing them. I'm giving you this book. You might not understand it now, but we'll see how things go this time. If you survive, you might understand. If not, you can always go to the Underworld."

He pulled out Red-Covered Book and tossed it to the other person. Pakura caught it and looked at the words "My Struggle" with a suspicious expression.

Is this guy crazy? He came and didn't do anything, just ridiculously sowed discord, and then gave me a book?

"Judging from your expression, it's such a pity."

Pakura's expression made Uchiha Yoru click his tongue and shake his head, as if regretting something, "Such a beautiful Beautiful Back, it would be such a waste to fill it with Kunai."

"This gift might save your life when you're on the verge of death, but it could also send you to your demise much faster."

A black snake, about the thickness of a finger, slowly crawled out of Uchiha Yoru's sleeve, its tongue flicking, and was then placed into a Sturdy Glass Tube and tossed to the other party.

Looking at the venomous snake in the test tube and confirming there were no traps, Pakura stared at the other person with suspicion.

"I don't need to take action. I've already told you, intelligence indicates you'll be lying in ambush in Kirigakure."

Uchiha Yoru spoke jokingly, but Pakura shook her head, her eyes filled with distrust. "Your purpose."

"My goal is quite simple."

Faced with Pakura's distrust, Uchiha Yoruro a pitiful look and then sighed, "We should say we're both in the same boat. If we can't persuade each other in the future, we'll have to encourage each other."

The fact that the hero Pakura was feared by the Fourth Kazekage meant that it wasn't just a matter of strength, but that he also had his own Political System. Although he didn't know the details, he understood that Pakura was definitely not a lone wolf.

Therefore, if Pakura is rescued and they return to Sunagakure, there will at least be a division and rift between the factions, and Pakura will definitely be at a disadvantage.

The Uchiha Clan was also in a weak position in Konoha. More importantly, in the Land of Fire, the Uchiha were isolated and had no choice but to seek allies from outside forces.

The Sunagakure is right next to the Land of Fire, so they might become allies. There's also Mei Terumi from the Kirigakure.

As for the failure, it didn't affect him at all; Pakura would simply die.

Pakura was no fool to have come this far. Although she still didn't believe the village would betray her, she was more serious than anything else. The Uchiha ambitious.

However, this is a good thing for both her and the Sunagakure.

Having figured this out, Pakura smiled, slowly putting away the gift, revealing a politically fake smile.

"Alright, I look forward to the day when we form Alliance."

Originally, he said this more as a joke, or rather, he was just looking for trouble and didn't mind making Konoha worse, which other countries would naturally be happy to do.

However, seeing Pakura's confident smile, Uchiha Yoru inwardly scoffed, "You want to watch the show, but little do you know you're the one who's getting the joke."

The excitement will start with you.

After a night, the two seemed to be exchanging pleasantries as friends, but they were both wary and suspicious of each other. The snowstorm stopped at dawn.

"They're gone."

After the two parted ways, Pakura proceeded cautiously until they reached the border, changing boats several times before setting off. Only then did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief. What exactly was the other party's purpose?

Throughout the entire ordeal, Pakura never doubted that his village would betray him, which only shows his extremely low political awareness.

Meanwhile, on his way back to Konoha, or rather, on his way back to Tanzaku City to pick up his students Uchiha Yoru's confident smile masked a deeper gravity.

He went to great lengths to arrange all of this, all as a backup plan for himself.

Upon returning, he learned that the conflict between the village and the Uchiha would escalate further. With Shinnosuke's death, those old men, for the sake of their self-righteous village stability, had already begun preparing to deal with the Uchiha.

After the snowstorm, it was a new year. Uchiha Itachi was nine years old, and the Night of the Massacre occurred when Uchiha Itachi was thirteen years old.

Many people felt that the Tsunade storyline progressed too quickly, actually because there were about 30,000 words missing in the middle. The reason for that, well...!

It's related to the book I wrote yesterday, so you know what happened, it couldn't be done anymore. I was in a hurry to go to Shanghai, Jinli I had to delete those 30,000 words, which is why the plot is a bit abrupt.

I won't touch those things later on; the author's writing has always been about positive energy.