Poison Prevention is a Basic Operation

Pakura had intended to continue arguing with Jiang Feng, but at that moment, a figure walking from the edge of the horizon caught her attention.

The man wore a Sunagakure forehead protector. He was middle-aged and had an ordinary face, yet in the cold night of the desert, he stood out remarkably.

The middle-aged Sunagakure ninja slowly approached the group. Once he confirmed that this was indeed the delegation sent by Sunagakure to Konoha, he began making his way from the outer perimeter, greeting everyone at each campfire one by one.

Jiang Feng's attention was also drawn to the middle-aged ninja. "He seems to be quite popular."

People who are well-liked always attract attention wherever they go.

"You aren't the only one who is popular."

Pakura lifted her chin slightly. "Senior Daishi is a veteran Jonin of Sunagakure. He is exceptionally well-liked in the village and is someone I look up to."

"Never heard of him," Jiang Feng said bluntly, his expression unchanging.

"That just means you're ignorant!"

"How is Brother Jiang Feng ignorant? If this ninja named Daishi were as famous as Brother or the Sannin, how could Brother not know him!"

The young girl, Kurenai Yuhi, immediately retorted. In her heart, Brother was perfect. How could she tolerate this woman from Sunagakure daring to call him ignorant?

Pakura gritted her teeth, feeling helpless, because Daishi's fame indeed had not reached the level of Jiang Feng or the Sannin, who were renowned throughout the ninja world.

As they spoke, Daishi, who had been greeting people along the way, finally arrived at the central campfire where Jiang Feng and his group were sitting.

"Senior Daishi."

"Pakura, I knew I'd find you here."

Pakura greeted him warmly. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she asked why he was there. He simply replied that he was leaving the village for a mission and, seeing the Sunagakure delegation, had come over to share a tent.

Pakura nodded. It was common for Sunagakure ninjas to greet one another and share tents or campfires when they crossed paths in the desert.

After the pleasantries, Daishi looked toward Jiang Feng and the others. "And who are these people?"

"The team leader from Konoha... the team leader, Chunin Uchiha Jiang Feng, and his friends." Pakura gestured toward Jiang Feng and Konan, magnificently ignoring Kurenai Yuhi.

"So, it is the Heavenly Flying Immortal, Uchiha Jiang Feng! I must get to know you!" Daishi's spirits lifted.

Jiang Feng smiled and looked up. "I, too, would very much like to get to know Senior Daishi."

"Haha, are you saying my reputation is so great that even the Heavenly Flying Immortal wants to make my acquaintance?"

"Not exactly. Before today, I had actually never heard your name."

"Oh?"

Daishi was immediately puzzled. "If you have never heard my name, why would you want to take the initiative to get to know me?"

"Because Pakura said you are her idol. Yet, when you came over just now, you were able to greet everyone at each campfire without a hint of resentment or a change in expression."

Given Pakura's personality, what kind of person could possibly become her idol?

It would inevitably be a powerful ninja who shares her convictions and possesses an illustrious track record in killing enemies, especially during the Second Ninja World War.

The main opponent of Sunagakure during the Second Ninja World War was Konoha. In other words, this Daishi must have killed many Konoha ninja, and he must have had many comrades and friends killed by Konoha ninja as well.

At this moment, Sunagakure and Konoha ninja are sitting mixed together in this group, yet Daishi was able to greet everyone without a change in expression. Doesn't that prove that his heart leans toward peace?

"Sigh..."

Daishi sat down by the campfire. "That's just how being a ninja is. Today you kill me, tomorrow I kill you. Who can really tell who is right and who is wrong?"

Pakura frowned slightly but said nothing. She followed suit and sat by the campfire; after all, the man was the senior Daishi she respected.

"You are truly a person worth knowing."

Jiang Feng suddenly sighed with emotion. "In this world, one is often forced by circumstances. Feelings and hatred are hard to resolve, and grievances are endless. It is a pity that not many people can see through this."

"You are the one worth knowing."

"Since we both wish to know each other, then we are friends."

"Exactly so. We are already friends."

In just a few words, Daishi, who had an excellent rapport with others and a clear-headed personality, became friends with Jiang Feng. It was incredibly hasty—so hasty that it left Pakura dumbfounded.

Konan and Kurenai Yuhi were used to it; this was how Jiang Feng had originally met Yahiko and Nagato, and how he had met many others as well.

Jiang Feng enthusiastically distributed the grilled meat and brewed milk tea to the four of them: Konan, Kurenai Yuhi, Pakura, and Daishi. If one isn't even willing to share food, how can they be considered friends?

Pakura had wanted to refuse, but the forthright Daishi accepted everything Jiang Feng shared without hesitation, so she stopped insisting and ate along with them.

"The meat is tender, succulent, and juicy. It must be top-quality beef that only aristocrats can afford."

"It is indeed top-quality beef, but it is not something only aristocrats can afford."

"Having eaten such good things from a friend, I must naturally return the favor."

Daishi took several portions of dry rations from his pack and toasted them over the fire. "These are Sunagakure ninja rations. They can't compare to your top-quality beef, but please, do not look down on them."

"I would never look down on them. With friends by my side, anything I eat tastes delicious."

"Haha, that is indeed true."

Before long, Daishi finished toasting the rations. He then took a packet of seasoning powder from his pack, sprinkled it over the food, and enthusiastically distributed it to the group.

Compared to the top-quality grilled meat Jiang Feng had provided, Pakura was more willing to eat the rations given to her by senior Daishi. Just as she was about to put the ration into her mouth, she noticed the enthusiasm in Jiang Feng's eyes suddenly fade away, and he began to sigh while holding his own portion of the rations.

"What's wrong? Is the dry ration not to your liking?" Daishi's smile remained hearty.

"The ration is the same as it ever was, but the friendship is no longer what it used to be. Or perhaps, this friendship was fake from the very beginning," Jiang Feng sighed languidly.

The smile on Daishi's face suddenly froze. Kurenai Yuhi and Pakura were confused, but Konan, appearing thoughtful, suddenly raised her eyebrows and glared at Daishi.

The plan had failed. The hearty smile on Daishi's face vanished in an instant, and he suddenly bolted, running for his life.

Jiang Feng pointed a finger, unleashing the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Shocking Spirit Finger: Awakening of Insects.

A sharp, swift finger strike imbued with wind and lightning attributes tore through the air. It pierced Daishi's knee instantly, sending him crashing face-first into the desert.

Congratulations to the host for defeating a top-tier expert of this era. You are rewarded with the top-tier expert [Murong Fu · Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils] template.

Why did they suddenly start fighting?

The crowd erupted in chaos. Pakura and Jiang Feng sternly ordered everyone to remain silent and quickly approached Daishi.

He was dead, black blood spilling from his mouth.

"It's poison! A deadly poison!"

Pakura frowned. Although she was not well-versed in the ways of the world, she possessed the common sense of a ninja and would not be so unreasonable as to think Jiang Feng had killed Daishi.

Prying open Daishi's mouth, they indeed found a molar that had been hollowed out to hide poison, now crushed.

"The poison he took must be the same as the one mixed into the seasoning. If you don't believe me, feel free to catch a wild wolf and feed it the rations."

Jiang Feng sighed repeatedly. This Daishi was truly a remarkable man to come up with such a method—feigning heartiness to poison someone to their face. Fortunately, he possessed the [Chu Liuxiang] and [Lu Xiaofeng] templates.

Yu Hua once poked fun at Gu Long's novels, saying there was hardly any fighting in them, just constant poisoning.

Defending against poison was an essential skill for almost any protagonist in the Gu Long universe.

Lu Xiaofeng, Li Xunhuan, Chu Liuxiang, and others... they all possessed an instinct, an instinct that guaranteed they would discover it the moment someone tried to poison them.

Jiang Feng had thought this special ability would never come in handy, but he hadn't expected that a single trip to Sunagakure would put it to use.

Sunagakure certainly had many experts in the use of poison.

"But why would Senior Daishi want to kill you?" Pakura asked, puzzled. Could it be that Senior Daishi had come to the same conclusion as her, wanting to use poison to eliminate a major threat to Sunagakure?

"That question should be directed at you. The person he truly wanted to kill was you," Jiang Feng said, looking at Pakura with a playful glint in his eyes.

Daishi had been close friends with Pakura; when he distributed the rations, he gave them to Pakura first before offering them to him. No matter how one looked at it, the person Daishi really wanted to kill was Pakura.

As for him... or rather, the representative of Konoha, he was just an afterthought.

Senior Daishi wanted to kill me!?

Pakura was stunned, her mind a chaotic mess. Before she could even begin to sort through her thoughts, a young man with wine-red hair appeared at the edge of the horizon.

Jiang Feng recognized this person: the future Fourth Kazekage, Gaara's father, Rasa.