Difficulties

"My god, the incident a few days ago that caused such a stir in Konoha, the White Wolf Maru's fur being plucked, was actually you?"

Hyuga Hyakusho stared at Zhou Duan in shock:

"Clan Head Inuzuka Ryo was cursing all night that day. My place is nearby, and the sound was chilling. Zhou Duan, your grudge is beyond measure!"

"There's such a thing?"

Senju Nawaki also looked at Zhou Duan with amazement, then fell into thought:

"As expected, youth is for doing impulsive things. Should I try plucking some dog hair too? After all, when I become Hokage, looking back at my youth, I won't have a single thing to brag about. My childhood will be too bland and empty!"

"Zhou Duan, do we need to make a move?"

Water Gate, standing nearby, asked gently:

"I've compared Inuzuka Rui's strength. The four of us plus your potions can definitely beat him to the point where he can't take care of himself. To prevent any retaliatory actions he might take against you later, I think it's a good idea to strike first!"

"Don't rush!"

Zhou Duan stopped Water Gate, who was about to act. It wasn't surprising that Water Gate, Nawaki, and Hyakusho were so tense, it was entirely because of Inuzuka Rui's identity – the fourth son of Inuzuka Ryo!

You have to understand, ninja dogs in the ninja world are not ordinary stray dogs. If nothing unexpected happens, they can usually live as long as ninjas, and some even live over a hundred years old. As Inuzuka Ryo's son, Inuzuka Rui grew up practically on White Wolf Maru's back. The bond between the man and the dog was incredibly strong!

At the same time, one could imagine what kind of mindset Inuzuka Rui would have facing Zhou Duan after learning that Zhou Duan had shaved White Wolf Maru and plucked its fur until it bled. And how would he treat Zhou Duan when he became Zhou Duan's captain?

"I already considered the consequences of plucking dog hair when I acted!"

Zhou Duan said calmly. He didn't suspect the Third Hokage had leaked the information; after all, a village leader was too busy with his own affairs to bother messing with Zhou Duan. It was just that Zhou Duan's own reputation was known throughout Konoha. To commit such a cruel act to a ninja dog, one didn't even need to think; it could only be Zhou Duan, who concocted potions to give cats diarrhea, diuretics to dogs, and berserk potions to people, constantly causing chaos in Konoha!

"After all, I was in the wrong first. Although I had a noble purpose, and although I only took a tiny bit of White Wolf Maru's fur, I still caused a negligible amount of trouble for White Wolf Maru."

Zhou Duan said with some "shame":

"It's only right that Inuzuka Rui wants to vent his anger!"

Namikaze Minato: "..."

Hyuga Hyakusho: "..."

Senju Nawaki: "..."

"To say such shameless words in a tone of shame, Captain, you really have it tough!"

Hyakusho's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably: "I clearly heard Clan Head Inuzuka Ryo cursing that day. White Wolf Maru's entire body was shaved, its fur was plucked until it bled, and it even attempted suicide five times, all of which Inuzuka Ryo forcibly prevented. Just wait for Inuzuka Rui's revenge!"

As expected, everyone's worries became reality. Inuzuka Rui led Zhou Duan and the other three to their destination, pointing to several giant pools emitting strong odors ahead:

"This is the sewage pool in Steel Rock Valley. The sewage disposal team has always handled it, but today they have other missions. This cleaning work will be assigned to you. Your task today is to clear one of these sewage pools. Don't worry..."

Inuzuka Rui gave everyone a "kind" smile:

"I'll be watching you closely!"

"Holy crap, are you crazy?"

Although he knew Inuzuka Rui was up to something, Nawaki never expected someone could be so shameless. He immediately refused: "Captain Inuzuka Jin assigned you to familiarize us with the battlefield, not to do manual labor. Will cleaning sewage pools improve our combat effectiveness?"

"Stop the nonsense!"

Inuzuka Rui looked at Nawaki triumphantly: "Obeying orders on the battlefield is the duty of every ninja. Besides, in chaotic battles, there are always dismembered limbs, flying blood and flesh. Every ninja will inevitably get stained. Perhaps these things will affect your mindset. Today's work is to prepare you psychologically, so you don't get killed on the battlefield due to mindset issues!"

Not to mention how little the sewage pools have in common with a battlefield filled with flying blood and flesh, just looking at Inuzuka Rui's smug expression told you what this guy was thinking. But Zhou Duan didn't say any of this. Instead, he held back Nawaki, who was about to retort:

"We will obey the arrangements of our superiors. We'll do it!"

"Very good!"

Inuzuka Rui knew Zhou Duan somewhat. He was an extremely cunning guy who gave the whole village a headache. Seeing him "back down" in front of him, he couldn't help but feel smug. He took out a chair he had been carrying on his back and placed it on the ground. Just as he was about to sit on it and watch Zhou Duan's miserable state under Nawaki's angry gaze, a ninja appeared, interrupting Inuzuka Rui's mood:

"Jonin Inuzuka Rui, combat meeting, report immediately!"

"Yes!"

His dream scenario interrupted, Inuzuka Rui had no choice. After all, it was a combat meeting, and Inuzuka Rui hadn't lost his mind to hatred to the point of not knowing priorities. He could only glare hatefully at Zhou Duan:

"Although I'm leaving, your mission remains unchanged. You must clear at least one sewage pool today. If you fail, you can expect punishment!"

With that, he vanished from the scene!

"Oh god, Zhou Duan, why didn't you refuse him just now!"

Looking at the sewage pool not far away, Nawaki collapsed onto the ground in despair: "This Inuzuka Rui is clearly making things difficult for us on purpose. One sewage pool is three days' work for a small team. We can't possibly finish it, and the smell..."

Nawaki closed his eyes in pain: "If I have to clean it, I'll have nightmares!"

"Don't worry, Nawaki."

Zhou Duan comforted Nawaki, then turned to look at Water Gate:

"Water Gate, what do you think?"

"Inuzuka Rui's intention to make things difficult for us is obvious. We definitely won't finish this sewage pond today, and if we strongly object, he'll just come up with other ways to trouble us..."

Water Gate crossed his arms:

"Besides, judging by your expression, you seem confident about this situation, and might not even need our help!"

"Of course, the mess I made, I'll handle it myself!"

Zhou Duan bit his finger, formed a hand seal, and with a puff of smoke, a red turtle the size of a millstone, wearing a flower wreath and carrying a hoe, a pickaxe, and a backpack, appeared before the four people:

"Mizuno, long time no see!"

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