Chapter 387: Candied Haws
"Hiruzen, you sly old fox!"
Upon learning the true purpose behind Hiruzen rushing over with a group of ninjas, Masahiko could only laugh and curse...
Hearing that the many Daimyos of small countries who left the Land of Rain yesterday were attacked, Hiruzen, far away in Konoha, immediately grasped the 'business opportunity'.
Some timid Daimyos, or those with weak guards, worried about being attacked again. They were currently 'trapped' in the Land of Rain, unable to leave.
The reason Yahiko's residence was so noisy yesterday evening was that these Daimyos were 'making a fuss', hoping that the Land of Rain, as the organizer of the assembly, would send guards to escort them back.
This was the source of Yahiko's headache. Every single one of these Daimyos was not short on money, and all wanted to hire Jonin guards. But the Land of Rain only had a little over ten Jonin in total. Yahiko couldn't possibly send them all out. In the end, there would only be three or five people. How should they be divided, and to whom?
Hiruzen, however, stated that Konoha had plenty of manpower. Moreover, by taking on these missions, not only could they earn a massive sum of mission funds, but they could also gain the friendship of the Daimyos of many small countries. It was incredibly profitable.
In the villa area.
Masahiko watched with a face full of smiles as the Konoha ninjas took on one 'big order' after another.
Beside him, Yahiko looked completely speechless.
Hiruzen walked out from inside, his old face wrinkled into a smile like a chrysanthemum. However, when he approached Masahiko and Yahiko, his expression became serious.
He first nodded in greeting to Masahiko, then turned to Yahiko. "I have already heard from Kakashi about the contents of the Akatsuki organization assembly yesterday. You did very well. Jiraiya has taken a remarkable disciple."
Masahiko raised his eyebrows, his smile widening. Hiruzen was using his status as a grandmaster to exert pressure.
Yahiko bowed slightly. "You praise me too much. Back then, you said you needed to consider whether to join the Akatsuki organization. Now that a year has passed, have you made up your mind?"
Hiruzen's expression remained unchanged. "Our Konoha is inclined to join, but I cannot guarantee it on the Daimyo's end. We still need some time to discuss it."
He still hadn't agreed immediately.
The current Konoha was too strong. They didn't need to join the Akatsuki organization at all; they could handle that young man themselves. If he dared to pull a 'let the world know pain' stunt like Pain in the original story, the Uchiha's four Susanoo could tear him to shreds.
The only one capable of making the current Konoha know pain was Masahiko.
After exchanging a few perfunctory words with Yahiko, Hiruzen's expression turned slightly grave. "Elder Masahiko, the goal of the Dark Akatsuki leader is... to capture the Tailed Beasts?"
Masahiko nodded. "It always has been. I just didn't expect him to start taking action so early."
"The reason?"
"Gather the nine Tailed Beasts, summon Shenron... ahem, resurrect the Ten-Tails. Then become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki? Defeat me? Destroy the world?" Masahiko said casually, "It's probably something like that."
Hiruzen looked completely bewildered, but he grasped the main point—the enemy's targets included Kushina and Naruto.
"Then you..."
Masahiko waved his hand to interrupt, indicating he had a plan, and looked up at the sky.
In the distance, Onoki, his old face scrunched together, was flying towards them rapidly.
"His temper is quite fiery, looks like he's in good health. He has a chance of becoming the third longest-living ninja after me and Kakuzu. You won't do, Hiruzen, you're far behind."
Hiruzen smiled bitterly. He and Onoki were considered old rivals. When they were young, they could fight to a draw, but now... his body had long been hollowed out.
Yahiko also saw the little old man Onoki flying from a distance and hurriedly led people to greet him.
Within the villa area, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane walked out with over a dozen ninjas, nodding to Hiruzen. These ninjas were the leftovers, having 'failed the draft' and unable to secure a mission.
Masahiko swept his gaze over them: a bunch of random Chunin, plus a green vest bowl-cut...
"It would be weird if any Daimyo chose Guy to protect them. This is ultimately a world that looks at faces..."
Speaking of which, Konoha truly went all out this time to show sincerity to the Daimyos and secure missions. Not only did Hiruzen, the Hokage, come personally, but two of the three Konoha elders also came.
They came in a hurry and left in a hurry. After taking the missions, they withdrew, taking away not a single cloud, only a bunch of Daimyos.
Masahiko could only offer a few simple words to comfort Onoki, who was hurting inside but refused to show it on the surface, and told him to pay attention to protecting the village's Five-Tails Jinchuriki.
When he returned to the village, his 'well-behaved' granddaughter would make Onoki forget about his sorrow.
...
"The Seven-Tails... is in the wild?"
In front of Kakuzu, Masahiko looked surprised. He absolutely hadn't expected to get this answer.
Kakuzu continued, "That was before I took charge of the Hidden Waterfall Village. During the First Shinobi World War, the Hidden Waterfall Village launched a sneak attack on the Hidden Stone Village and snatched the Seven-Tails. Later, Onoki..."
"Oh, right, I have an impression of that. After he mastered Dust Release, he almost wiped out the Hidden Waterfall Village. The remnants of the village then asked you to return and be the leader."
Kakuzu nodded and explained naturally, "In that battle, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki died under the Dust Release. Later, when the Seven-Tails resurrected, I failed to catch it."
Masahiko was startled. He remembered the Seven-Tails seemed to be a giant bug adept at disguising itself and digging into the ground. This thing would be very hard to find...
"Add to that the Six-Tails Jinchuriki who defected from the Hidden Mist Village many years ago... Assuming the worst-case scenario, that bastard has already collected a third of the Tailed Beasts?" Masahiko frowned slightly.
...
Two days later.
"Karin, this is the desert you always wanted to visit. Are you happy?"
Karin's tongue hung out like a dead dog's. "It's so hot, so dirty. Haku! Come over here quickly and let me cool down."
"Haku, you're not allowed to go. It's a desert, after all; you have to enjoy the sandstorms and the heat." Masahiko looked refreshed, a smile in his eyes.
Haku turned to Karin, showing a helpless expression.
Karin became even more dispirited. "Kimimaro-kun, aren't you hot? Kimi... Eh? Ah!"
Masahiko, walking in front, paused and turned his head, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "Kimimaro, put your clothes on. We're almost at the Hidden Sand Village."
"Yes! God."
There was a fifth person in the group: "We'll be there in about three thousand meters. We ninjas who live in the Hidden Sand Village have long been accustomed to this kind of environment."
Masahiko smiled. "Every time I come here, I feel you guys really have it tough, Chiyo."
"That is why generation after generation sacrificed themselves in wars with Konoha. I... was truly crazy in the past few years. That child Gaara, it is also a sin I committed." Chiyo sighed.
"As for the hatred, thankfully there's Sasori, right?"
...
Following Chiyo, the four of them entered the Hidden Sand Village unimpeded. Masahiko also saw the target of his trip—Gaara.
The 'Love' character on his forehead, the large gourd on his back, plus the heavy dark circles under his eyes made him extremely recognizable.
"The One-Tail is noisy to begin with, and you even used an unstable sealing method. You've really harmed people deeply."
Chiyo sighed slightly. "Senior, please reinforce his seal while you're at it."
"Easy to say." Masahiko nodded. He looked at how the pedestrians on the street avoided the place where Gaara was, then looked at the two Anbu filled with vigilance not far behind Gaara. His gaze fixed on the Calabash Brother's gourd. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "I'll go say hi to little friend Gaara first."
"Senior..."
In the next second, Gaara, walking on the street, suddenly felt his shoulder lighten. At the same time, a red-haired uncle who 'wasn't afraid of him' appeared in his line of sight.
Masahiko, holding a gourd in each hand, smiled and said, "Little friend, did you drop this sand gourd, or this Truth-Seeking gourd, or... uh..."
"Ice Release: Ice Gourd Jutsu!"
"Or this... candied haws (ice sugar gourd)?"
Gaara: "...I'll kill you!"
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you