Chiyo slowly stood up, sighed, and said solemnly, "I've long heard that Konoha has produced a rare genius. For the sake of Sunagakure, please forgive this old woman for being shameless, Lord Shinsei." With that, Chiyo softly called towards the door:
Gaara.
Gaara, carrying a gourd on his back, walked through the door.
Chiyo nodded at Baki again, and then said:
"Including myself, the three of us are issuing a challenge to you. If we are fortunate enough to win, I hope Lord Shinsei will not go back on his word."
The Sunagakure is out of options. Even a nearly 70-year-old woman is willing to fight him. What if something goes wrong? Will she try to extort money from him?
However, Shinsei then thought that he was also a minor, and children and the elderly each had their own advantages in terms of public opinion.
"I will certainly not go back on my word, but if I win, you'd better keep your word too."
Shinsei hoped they could become stronger, so that they could share some of the pressure when dealing with the Akatsuki.
The Sunagakure's challenge was scheduled for the afternoon, so there was no need to continue negotiations. Shinsei left the room immediately.
Konoha declined the elders' invitation to lunch and went to a street food stall.
Although Sunagakure is not as commercially developed Konoha, it still offers a unique and novel experience for newcomers.
The main products sold here are dried fruits made from various cactus fruits, which are sweet and sour and taste pretty good.
The two girls especially liked it and bought some extra to bring to other children in the village.
Temari was accompanying them, recommended that they try a dish made with sandworms. The deep-fried sandworms looked particularly crispy and were served with various condiments.
Shinsei frowned, hesitant to take a bite, while Hinata next to him ate without any hesitation.
Shinsei asked, "How does it taste?" Hinata felt her face burning, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and whispered, "It's not bad, you should try it."
Shinsei took a bite and found it surprisingly delicious, without feeling nauseous, so he ate it in large mouthfuls.
Shino Aburame had been around insects since childhood and wasn't afraid of them, so she ate them with great enjoyment.
Kiba Inuzuka fed the sandworm dish to Akamaru, and only after Akamaru finished eating it did Kiba put the sandworm in his mouth. Kurenai Yuhi, seeing that the students weren't afraid, mustered up her courage and carefully picked up a sandworm and put it in her mouth.
After lunch, the group wandered aimlessly around Sunagakure, and before they knew it, they had reached the outskirts of the village.
Just as I was about to head back, I saw a pretty girl with a bandage wrapped around her head and two purple paint lines on her face walking towards me, holding a bouquet of flowers.
This girl's appearance is somewhat similar to Rin Nohara, Obito Uchiha's goddess, except that she has gauze wrapped around her head.
The girl walked straight through the group and placed the flowers she was holding in front of a tombstone.
The tombstone clearly reads "Tomb of Pakura ".
" Pakura, she's a tragedy for Sunagakure."
Seeing Shinsei's expression, Kurenai Yuhi asked, "Do you know him?"
Shinsei nodded slightly and said, "I know Pakura. She possessed the skill of Scorch Release and was a hero of Sunagakure. However, she was betrayed by the higher-ups of Sunagakure and died at the hands of Kirigakure."
"You're talking nonsense! My teacher sacrificed his life while carrying out a secret mission!" The young woman pointed at Shinsei, her face full of anger.
"What nonsense do I have to spout?" Shinsei laughed. " The Fourth Kazekage Rasa, did more than just this one foolish thing. He even tortured his own son. Sending his own clansmen to other villages to appease their anger was just his normal practice."
Not only Rasa, but also the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was like that.
Hinata next to her, is the victim.
The Kumogakure attempted to steal young Hinata, but their attempt backfired. Instead, the Kumogakure's envoy turned the tables and demanded the hand over the head of the Hyuga Clan.
The Third Hokage remained silent, Hyuga Clan head had no choice but to hand over his own younger brother.
At the time, Shinsei was still young and could only protect himself with trepidation. Now that he has finally become powerful, he speaks of this matter with no restraint in his sarcasm.
The young woman glanced at Temari beside her; she knew, of course, that this was Rasa's daughter.
Although Temari didn't know the specific reasons Shinsei mentioned, she knew her father's personality very well.
Temari said to the woman, "Maki-senpai, I don't know the details of Pakura- senpai's situation, and my father has already sacrificed himself. However, I promise that if you want to do anything for Pakura- senpai, I will help you in any way I can."
Although Temari disliked Shinsei's nonsense, she couldn't afford to offend Konoha, so she could only comfort Maki.
Shinsei scoffed.
Rasa wasn't a sacrifice; he just had a dogfight with Orochimaru that ended in a minor conflict.
After this incident, no one had the heart to continue strolling around. Shinsei returned to his room to prepare for the afternoon's challenge from Sunagakure.
Time flew by and it was already afternoon.
Outside Sunagakure, there was a flat sandy area where many villagers had already gathered.
After a morning of publicity, most villagers already knew that the genius ninja of Konoha was going to challenge the combined forces of Chiyo, Baki, and Gaara.
The villagers whispered amongst themselves, mocking the Konoha Ninja's overestimation of their abilities.
Some villagers were even shouting for Elder Chiyo to kill the so-called Konoha genius.
Among the crowd, a red-haired boy wearing a mask stared blankly ahead.
Kankuro leaned down and asked in a low voice, "Sasori-senpai, can Chiyo and Gaara defeat Shinsei?"
Kankuro believed in Chiyo and Gaara's strength, but as a puppeteer, he was well aware of Sasori of the Red Sands's reputation. Shinsei was a genius ninja who could defeat Sasori of the Red Sands and Deidara together, though he wasn't the only one.
Scorpion shook his head slightly, without saying a word.
What Kankuro could understand, Chiyo naturally understood as well.
She took out a scroll and slowly unfurled it. Instantly, ten puppets draped in white robes appeared in the room.
The surrounding noise grew louder, and someone recognized the origin of the suite puppet, exclaiming in surprise, "This is the Lord First's White Secret Technique: The Ten Ninja of Chikamatsu!"
Why is Chiyo being so cautious when dealing with a child?
"Shut up!"
An elder tapped his cane and shouted at the crowd.
The crowd suddenly fell silent, becoming unusually quiet.
Gaara removed the stopper from the gourd on his back, his expression grave as he looked at Shinsei, who remained calm in the distance.
He had fought against Shinsei before, and even One-Tail Tailed Beast had suffered a loss at his hands.
Baki held the Kunai in his hand and glanced at Elder Chiyo beside him. Chiyo slowly nodded to him.
"Although a three-on-one battle damages the reputation of Sunagakure, I have no choice but to do so for the sake of the village. Please be careful, Lord Shinsei." With that, Chiyo shot out Chakra Threads from Chiyo ten fingers, connecting them to the ten puppets.
Many of the puppets raised their heads and looked at Shinsei in the arena.
Shinsei smiled and said, "Please don't be so polite, Elder Chiyo, and please make sure you all take this seriously."
A strong wind blew up, and dust flew everywhere.