A Welcome Sight

At the same time, the high-ranking officials of Konoha gathered together.

"That little brat really knows how to stir up trouble!" Danzo slammed the table, his voice filled with rage, though a hint of worry lingered in the depths of his eyes.

Although the information brought back by Xiao Yu was extremely important, and the Daimyo Ginseng mentioned within was a treasure of inestimable value.

It had also caused a massive problem!

According to Anbu intelligence, the Amegakure had dispatched a team of ninjas to the Great Warm Valley a day ago.

The team consisted of one elite Jonin leading three Jonin and nine Chunin.

One must understand that apart from the necessary village guards, the major ninja villages rarely had high-level ninjas idling within their borders.

To be able to mobilize such a force in such a short time, the determination of the Amegakure could be imagined.

"Calm down, Danzo. Now is not the time for anger," Utatane Koharu said in a measured tone.

"Actually, this isn't entirely a bad thing. After all, the Great Warm Valley is within the borders of our Land of Fire, and it is closest to our Konoha. The ninjas we dispatched will certainly be able to arrive in time," Mitokado Homura analyzed as he adjusted his glasses.

Torifu Akimichi chuckled and said, "Little Xiao Yu is quite capable, isn't he? Don't be angry; anger harms the body."

Danzo glanced at the man's obese frame and thought to himself: Easy for you to say, with your carefree nature.

"According to historical records, a commoner did indeed become famous for his longevity several decades ago. Rumors say he lived to be 92, while others claim over 150. Even more exaggerated accounts suggest he lived for several hundred years. Legend has it he consumed a Daimyo Ginseng. However, because Konoha had not yet been established at that time, our records regarding this are extremely scarce," Utatane Koharu reported the findings from the Medical Corps.

Danzo's expression remained heavy: "According to reports from Anbu spies, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure have each sent a squad to the Great Warm Valley. Only Kirigakure, being too far away, has made no move."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly: "I have already sent my personal Anbu guard unit to the Great Warm Valley. This time, Shimura Xian Yu has performed a great service. This Daimyo Ginseng might be inconsequential to the other villages, as their Kage are still young, but for our Konoha, it is of vital importance!"

"Hiruzen!" Hearing this, the four of them were shocked!

The Hokage's guards were a crucial force for protecting the safety of the Hokage! He had actually sent them all out.

Torifu Akimichi added: "Not only that, but because speed is of the essence, we didn't have time to notify you, but the Ino-Shika-Cho Team has already set out with the Anbu. Calculating the time, they should be arriving soon."

"Hiruzen, are you intending to give it to that person..." Danzo seemed to have realized something.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with a smile; Konoha was determined to obtain this Daimyo Ginseng!

Just as the four parties were baring their fangs and sharpening their claws, our little student Xiao Yu did something that exceeded everyone's expectations.

"Oh my, harmony brings wealth! Here you go," Xiao Yu said, tossing the sandalwood box, along with the Daimyo Ginseng, over to them.

"Little ninja... what are you doing?" The old village chief was somewhat anxious.

Hua Qi scrambled to catch it, examining the Daimyo Ginseng inside the sandalwood box in detail. He even called over a young man to confirm it was genuine multiple times, but after doing so, it was his turn to be stunned.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hua Qi found it unbelievable! There must be some conspiracy!

"It doesn't mean anything. You wanted to take this job, right? So let you be the ones to escort it. Just don't forget to pay the village chief," Xiao Yu shrugged, acting indifferent.

"Village Chief, don't worry. The ninjas from my Konoha will arrive shortly, and we will uphold justice for you. Whether they buy it or steal it, we in Konoha remain neutral. Besides, you're just looking to sell it for money anyway; as long as someone is willing to pay, what difference does it make who you sell it to?" Xiao Yu felt quite helpless.

His plans had been completely disrupted.

He had originally intended to perform a show of swallowing the Daimyo Ginseng in front of everyone... by cheating with his Space Backpack.

That way, in everyone's eyes, the Daimyo Ginseng would have already been consumed by him.

But just as he took hold of the Daimyo Ginseng, a strange change occurred... beside the Daimyo Ginseng, a line of text appeared. A line of text only he could see...

This had never happened before!

Could it be a new function from the Treasure Chest System after it devoured that batch of gems?

"[Century-Old Ginseng]: Age 101, highly effective for nourishing vital energy, tonifying the spleen and lungs, promoting fluid production, calming the mind, and enhancing intelligence. Due to mutation, its appearance resembles that of a Daimyo Ginseng."

Look at that, just look at that. While this thing was indeed highly nourishing, it had absolutely nothing to do with the legendary Daimyo Ginseng. It was merely a visual resemblance. A fake!

Better to toss this hot potato to them and let them play with it...

He wondered which village would go through all that trouble and hardship, only to end up bringing back such a 'supplement' to nourish some old man or woman.

Just thinking about it made him feel it was a delightful sight to behold...

Not to mention that in Xiao Yu's Diamond Shop, there was a 120-year-old ginseng for sale for 1,000 diamonds.

Even if one searched through pharmacies in big cities, one could still find a few genuine ones, with prices starting at 8 million Ryo, depending on the age. The only difficulty was that genuine goods were hard to find.

Why go through all the trouble of fighting to the death...

Xiao Yu was familiar with this stuff; aside from it being a good supplement, all that talk about increasing lifespan was complete nonsense...

A few hours later, the Konoha ninjas were the first to arrive.

Leading the team was a young man with a pineapple-style haircut, clearly from the Nara clan, and a fat man who had developed horizontally, with Naruto-roll-like patterns on his cheeks—needless to say, he was from the Akimichi clan. Another was from the Yamanaka clan. The famous Ino-Shika-Cho Team had been dispatched. Behind the three of them followed thirty Anbu ninjas.

However, these were all characters who had not appeared in the original work.

Xiao Yu found an opportunity to report the situation there.

Soon, the thirteen-man ninja squad from the Amegakure arrived, but upon understanding the situation, they were left dumbfounded.

"Gentlemen, do as you see fit. In any case, Konoha will not interfere. However, it isn't easy for this village to grow some Child Ginseng. Whoever wants this Daimyo Ginseng, it's something that can be bought for ten or twenty million Ryo. It shouldn't be worth outright stealing for your village."

"..." The air suddenly went quiet.

This was something no one had anticipated. After all, the Daimyo Ginseng had indeed appeared before, and every family had more or less some archival records of it. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to such great lengths.

However, the Rain ninjas, unaware of the truth, scratched their heads in confusion, unable to fathom why the Konoha ninjas were acting in such a manner.

Wasn't the original script supposed to be that the Konoha people would snatch the Daimyo Ginseng and run, and then we would give chase?

But look at their lineup now... damn it, they were fighting on their home turf with superior numbers; if a real fight broke out, their reinforcements would arrive in no time! If any single faction tried to take them on alone, they couldn't win, and the Konoha side had already made it clear: they didn't want the Daimyo Ginseng, and as long as they were paid, they wouldn't interfere.

Soon, the Rock, Sand, and Cloud ninjas all arrived as well.

After some intense bargaining—how could ninjas out on a mission possibly carry tens of millions on them?—the dozen or so wealthy Sand ninjas pooled their resources, even putting up quite a few valuable ninja tools as collateral. Only then did they manage to scrape together roughly 15 million in value to take the Daimyo Ginseng away.

As for what unspeakable things might happen between them and the other factions on the road back to the Land of Wind, Xian Yu could only say: it was a delightful sight to behold.