A simple and unpretentious evening.
Uchiha Nan took over everything in Toma Senju's laboratory. All the experimental equipment that had been purchased at great expense was confiscated and dragged away by the Anbu members without exception.
As Toma Senju left, he glanced longingly at the lab, not because he was still thinking about the Hashirama Cells experiment—well, who wouldn't covet even a fraction of the First Hokage's power? He was, of course, heartbroken over the loss of the experimental equipment. The holes in the accounting had to be covered; selling the equipment as secondhand would at least partially make up for the current loss!
The Uchiha are truly born evil!
Uchiha Nan left the Senju Clan nimbly. This troublesome matter was finally about to be resolved. The remaining cleanup work would be left to Tobirama Senju. All that was needed was for Tobirama Senju to prepare a few doses of medicine every now and then to suppress the erosiveness of Hashirama Cells and keep Toma Senju and the remaining Senju Clan Members alive.
In a year or two, the Hashirama Cells can be openly displayed.
A few days later.
Hokage's Office
"Lord Hokage, you must go to the Land of Grass in person!"
Nara Luyuan's voice was a few decibels louder than usual, but there wasn't much emotional fluctuation. Uchiha Nan was always unpredictable, and after becoming Hokage, he did few things that normal ninjas could have imagined, but the results were surprisingly good.
Nara Luyuan has no way to interfere with what Uchiha Nan has decided. The Lord Hokage might be secretly plotting something else. He can't tell her yet.
Of course, it wasn't as complicated as Nara Luyuan thought. It was simply that Uchiha Nan felt too tired lately. In order to prepare for the arrival of Madara Uchiha, he had to work hard to master Sage Mode, and then he had to deal with the mentally unbalanced Tobirama Senju, clean up Toma Senju's mess, and be tormented by those awful documents every day.
I really need to find a place to relax!
"That's right. The Land of Grass is surrounded by the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Rain. It has powerful external forces, is in chaos internally, and is teeming with spies trying to turn it into Konoha 'Land of Grass backyard. I, the Hokage, have to personally take action!"
However, if the Hokage were to take a spontaneous trip, people could easily find an excuse to slip away under the guise of a business trip, and that would be fine.
"Lord Hokage, I'll compile some information about the Land of Grass, as well as what I had gathered along the way."
Nara Luyuan thoughtfully prepared everything for Uchiha Nan. Before long, a luxurious lineup appeared on the training ground; this was Uchiha Nan's Hokage Guard.
"Remember our goal: to reach the Land of Grass!"
Two words!
"Fairness, fairness, what the hell is fairness?!"
"Set off!!!"
Uchiha Nan led the Shadow Guard Squad on a run of several hundred miles in one go. The ninjas in the guards were all superhumans, only needing a few Soldier Pill to cover a hundred kilometers. They were truly excellent deliverymen. It's just a pity that while there are many talented people, there are few discerning judges of talent. The food delivery business has not yet reached its peak.
A few days later, Uchiha Nan entered the territory of the Land of Grass, where all he could see was grass. But the land here was not barren; on the contrary, it could be described as fertile, otherwise bananas could not be grown on such a large scale.
But the land that should have been planted with crops is now a wasteland, overgrown with weeds, truly deserving of the name "Land of Grass"!
In times of chaos, even ordinary people who want to be honest farmers can't do it.
The internal environment of the Land of Grass is hard to describe. People there are bullies who prey on the Konoha and fear the strong. The Land of Fire of Fire is protected by Konoha, so the various ninjas and ronin don't dare to cause trouble. Some ninjas who can't make it in the Land of Fire end up in the Land of Grass.
Of course, there are also the Land of Earth, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Wind. Missing-nin, missing-nin, and thieves are practically mass-produced during the war.
People always have to keep struggling to survive. If you can't make a living in your local area, then just go for it. There's always somewhere to go in the world—like the Land of Grass.
Uchiha Nan opened the map, which marked the locations of the pro- Konoha forces. Now, the Kusagakure was fragmented and had become like Schrödinger, with the Grass Ninja in a state of plunder, burning, killing, and looting, and they had taken the lead.
The benevolent rulers allocated funds, and the Grass Ninja quickly donned their emblems, emphasizing a carefree lifestyle.
Speaking of head crests... it doesn't take much effort to make one. Who are the real Grass Ninja? It's impossible to tell, really impossible.
Of course, benevolent rulers don't care about these things, since they have the money to hire ninjas to protect their lives and property. The lower classes don't care either, because they don't have the money to hire ninjas.
Uchiha Nan didn't care much about this; obedient and useful Grass Ninja were the real Grass Ninja!
Soon, Uchiha Nan arrived at his destination, a small city where a group of Grass Ninja were stationed.
Before even entering the city, Uchiha Nan saw the market outside. It was essentially a black market; the Insects were renowned for their ruthless and unscrupulous methods, and merchants who were exploited by exorbitant taxes preferred to be ripped off by the underworld outside the city rather than stay within it.
After operating for a month, I opened the ledger and found that the money I made wasn't even enough to pay the taxes. They were constantly finding excuses to make money. What kind of business is that? Even the gangsters outside the city have a conscience; they know to collect taxes once a month or every two weeks.
The underworld has a conscience, but it doesn't skimp on protection money. They have to pay the city's bigwigs, feed their underlings, and even pay tribute to the ninja masters. What ends up in their own hands is... well, you get the shrewd stuff. Their main businesses are loan sharking, gambling dens, and the vast, resource-rich Ninja world. They even have drugs that give you a high. This line of work is incredibly lucrative! A whole set of underworld tactics is all it takes to make a living.
Uchiha Nan entered the city, and the black market lived up to its name; everything about it seemed so "refined and easygoing."
Petty theft is considered somewhat ethical; debt collectors force creditors to sell their children to pay off debts in the street, and people are stabbed to death in the street, splattering blood everywhere. Within five minutes, someone comes to clean up the mess. The people on the black market streets are numb, used to all of this, and even if someone next to them is suddenly killed, they remain unmoved.
Uchiha Nan looked at everything with a hint of pity in his eyes. The world outside Konoha was still so cruel. Having come to this world, he felt he had to do something. He was getting a little sentimental again. After all, he was still a kind person.
As the group moved through the black market, a sudden commotion arose ahead, followed by Kakkō flying everywhere.
"I'm only eating here because I think you're doing me a favor, and you still want money for your meal?"
"I'll burn your shop down! Fire Release!"
Another nobody.
"Murderous!!"
"Go and inform Lord Grass Ninja immediately!!"
"Evacuate the crowd immediately!!!"
The noise was deafening. The gangsters quickly and skillfully formed groups and came out to disperse the crowd. This kind of thing happened every now and then. Although the Grass Ninja was looking after the area, the wandering ninjas were like leeks; no matter how much you cut them, new ones would sprout up.
"Who's causing trouble on my turf!"
"It's you again, Aodebiao! Let me tell you, even if you're just Grass Ninja, this is going too far!"
"Then come on!!"
"Brothers, charge forward side by side, grab him!"
Holy crap, it's an internal conflict within the Kusagakure!!
Uchiha Nan gave a look, signaling his subordinates to follow. Aodebiao was quite strong, having mastered several powerful Ninjutsu with high proficiency, making him a skilled fighter. Facing a group of Grass Ninja ganging up on him, he fought and retreated to an unknown forest.
"Hmph, Aodebiao, run away!"
"Let's see how you run now!!"
The leader, Grass Ninja, panting heavily, looked at the exhausted Aodebiao and laughed smugly as he approached Aodebiao.
"I'll run?"
"You bunch of idiots, you've fallen into an ambush!"
"You've colluded with Iwagakure and Konoha; you're all heretics, a bunch of powerful ninja villages with malicious intentions, all trying to take advantage of the Land of Grass. These wolfish ninja villages don't deserve the trust of the Kusagakure!"
I will unify Kusagakure; the Land of Grass cannot continue like this.
Aodebiao Aodebiao smug when suddenly dozens of ninjas sprang out of the woods behind him, surrounding the Grass Ninja who were chasing him.
"Say you surrender or not!"
Aodebiao tried to persuade the Grass Ninja in front of him to surrender, Kusagakure's fighting force could not be wasted on internal strife.
"Aodebiao, I curse your ancestors!"
"Brothers, charge!"
A major battle is about to break out!
Uchiha Nan watched everything from a distance. Although Aodebiao was a bad person, using Ninjutsu in the crowd and causing a great disturbance to Konoha, Uchiha Nan admired him quite a bit. Aodebiao had great ambitions and wanted to unify the Kusagakure and revive the Land of Grass. He could try to make Ao De Biao his lackey!
Aodebiao just needs a bit of realistic education. The Land of Grass is sandwiched between so many powerful nations, and it doesn't yet have a strong ninja village. Its only option is to be a fence-sitter, becoming a lackey of the great powers.
"Superior!"
Uchiha Nan waved his hand, and the Hokage guards behind him rushed forward. Aodebiao was a skilled fighter, but only in the Land of Grass. In Konoha, he could barely be considered a Special Jōnin. His underlings were just fodder. In just one move, Aodebiao and his men were defeated.
"Where did you hide the money? Tell me!"
If you can't say it before the alarm rings, you'll lose your head!
"Ahhh"
Aodebiao was still in shock. He had clearly been in the lead, so where did this group of bandits come from and rob him of his life?
"Crying counts as time too!"
Faced with a life-or-death crisis, Aodebiao reluctantly revealed the information. Although the process was somewhat dishonest, with the Sharingan Genjutsu, all secrets were exposed.
Aodebiao, the 1250th registered ninja of Kusagakure, attended a private school for two years and knew a few characters. He participated in the First Shinobi World War and served as a vassal in the armies of Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure. After stealing a few Ninjutsu techniques and becoming stronger, he gained a group of followers and built up his own power. Later, he became an information broker, providing Konoha and Iwagakure with false... cough, unverified information.
That's quite an impressive resume!
The Grass Ninja is now fragmented, a chaotic mess when united, scattered across various parts of the Land of Grass. Their factions differ: some want to join Konoha, others Iwagakure, still others Amegakure, and some even advocate exterminating these heretics and forming a new Kusagakure.
"Sir, should we get rid of these people?"
A member of the guard walked up to Uchiha Nan Uchiha Nan asked for her opinion. Opposing Konoha was an unforgivable crime; it would be better if she were killed!
"No need. The Land of Grass will eventually need its own Grass Ninja. If word gets out that Konoha is directly interfering in the Land of Grass, it will have a very bad impact!"
"The Daimyo of the Land of Grass, along with a group of Grass Ninja, are committing heinous acts in the Land of Grass of Land of Grass, causing immense suffering to its people. At the earnest invitation of the people of the Land of Grass, and the now-repentant Grass Ninja, Konoha has come to the Land of Grass to set things right!"
Uchiha Nan revealed his plan, Aodebiao, who was standing to the side, was furious but dared not speak. This Konoha ninja was truly shameless!
"Comrade Aodebiao, are you willing to repent, invite Konoha to quell the rebellion in the Land of Grass, rebuild a brand new Kusagakure, and then make Kusagakure prosperous and strong?"
"I don't... I don't want to!"
Aodebiao looked at the Kunai held under his neck and tearfully agreed to Uchiha Nan's invitation to join his team.
As long as the green hills remain, there's no worry about running out of firewood!
The Kusagakure's vacillating nature and its opportunistic spirit are deeply ingrained in the bones of every Grass Ninja, Aodebiao is no exception. A ninja honed in war would be long gone if he weren't a little more shrewd.
So, Aodebiao, "wholeheartedly convinced," led Uchiha Nan and his group to their Grass Ninja, an unnamed village filled with banana trees.
Rows of banana trees grew in the field, and the air was filled with the scent of bananas. The Hokage's guards, who were following Uchiha Nan, showed joy on their faces; they could eat bananas today.
Bananas are a minor rarity in Konoha. Due to transportation difficulties, storage problems, and the appalling security situation in the Land of Grass, if you drag a cart full of bananas to the market to sell, you could consider yourself lucky if both the bananas and the cart were stolen. It's not uncommon for people to be robbed.
If the Land of Grass is like this, how much better can other Land of Grass that produce abundant fruit be? Even in his previous life in the Rabbit Country, the price difference between the fruit at its place of origin and the price at the place of sale would make Uchiha Nan shake his head. Let alone in this Hokage world, where fruits, a kind of luxury food, are always ridiculously expensive. An ordinary person might live most of their life without ever having eaten a banana. (It reminds me of my dad; he only saw oranges when he was in college, bought by a classmate. He didn't even know how to eat them, so he watched his classmate eat them before learning to peel them and eat the orange flesh.)
The arrival of the stranger attracted the attention of the entire village, but they kept a respectful distance, only daring to look on curiously from afar, without daring to approach at all.
Uchiha Nan and his group looked like powerful ninja masters, while Lord Aodebiao looked dejected, as if he had suffered a defeat. It seemed that the village was about to change its master again.
Hopefully, these new ninja masters will be like Lord Aodebiao and not kill indiscriminately.
The villagers eagerly made their wishes. In the Land of Grass, a ninja lord who didn't kill indiscriminately was already considered a great benefactor.
My roommate had a birthday party yesterday, and we stayed out until midnight.