Naruto: I Roamed the Ninja World as a Woman

Chapter 232: 6 Kakuzu = 1 Ayane Amamiya = 0.3 Hashirama Senju!

Return to Konoha?

Upon hearing Madara Uchiha's words, Kushina's face showed a rare look of bewilderment.

"Madara-sama."

She thought for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "Do you have something for me to do? Or are you just here for casual conversation?"

"What's the difference between these two?"

Madara Uchiha asked in return, while picking up another dumpling.

He found the steamed meatballs to be very well made; not only did they taste great, but the chef seemed to have taken into account his dental issues as an elderly man.

"If it's the former, I'll treat it as a ninja mission, just like when I went to Kusagakure before, and I won't refuse."

Kushina tilted her head: "But if it's the latter, then to be honest, there's really no need for it."

"Because I didn't make any friends at all in Konoha."

She spoke frankly, then added expectantly, "If you really want to give me a break, why not send me to the River Country? I've heard it's quite lively there lately!"

Actually, friends and such —

If we really have to say, there's one more!

That was Uchiha Mikoto, who was born into the Uchiha clan.

They were not only teammates in the same ninja squad, but also best friends who could talk about anything and even shower and sleep together.

As for why the two are so close—

Perhaps it's because the Uchiha clan and the prospective Jinchūriki were somewhat similar in their roles within the village?

They are all in a unique state of being observed and guarded against, but without being subject to overly strict or obvious restrictions.

Both young women were sensitive and introverted, so it was inevitable that they would feel a sense of mutual appreciation.

Madara Uchiha pondered for a moment.

He didn't rush to answer, but instead formed a hand seal with one hand.

The dark and ferocious demonic statue behind them made a gesture of clasping their hands together, holding the two of them in their palms, and then lifted them high off the ground.

Kushina Uzumaki was stunned by what she saw.

What is this going to do?

"You'll have a chance to go to the Land of Rivers someday."

"But now, you still need to go to Konoha first to gather some crucial intelligence for me."

Madara Uchiha said in a deep voice, "This information is very important to me. I don't trust anyone else to gather it."

Kushina Uzumaki looked at him in surprise, then at the ground a hundred meters below her feet. Seemingly understanding, she tentatively asked, "You don't even trust Black Zetsu?"

Ban shook his head, answering with his actions.

"In that case, I'll go to Konoha."

Kushina said nonchalantly, "However, I don't know what secrets Konoha holds for you."

In terms of seniority, Madara was the founder of Konoha and knew many secrets.

Moreover, in her opinion...

Madara Uchiha was aloof and didn't seem like the type of person who would bother with petty, trivial matters.

As for collecting ninjutsu, secret techniques, and the like—

The opponent's strength is unfathomable, even surpassing that of Mito. What ninjutsu from Konoha could possibly be worth their attention?

"Otsutsuki".

Madara Uchiha calmly said, "I need you to go to Konoha and investigate a ninja clan called the Otsutsuki."

"This clan must have had some connection with the Hyuga clan a long time ago."

"When I was young, I vaguely remembered hearing this name from my father."

He suggested a direction for the investigation: "Perhaps the Otsutsuki clan is similar to the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure, both being related. You can start from this angle."

Uzumaki Kushina: "————"

"Spot's father," she thought to herself, "that's really a long time ago."

The girl asked curiously, "What are the characteristics of this race that make you so interested?"

Madara Uchiha did not answer.

The Battle of Loulan was earth-shattering.

Whether it was Urashiki Otsutsuki, Ayane Amamiya, or even Jiraiya in his Sage Mode, they all displayed astonishing strength in this battle!

Such important information should, in principle, be absolutely not something he could ignore!

But ironically, Black Zetsu, who is currently in charge of gathering intelligence on the ninja world, hasn't reported this matter to me.

If it weren't for Madara Uchiha's good relationship with Tobi, a White Zetsu with a quirky personality and unique ideas, and the fact that the other party happened to be nearby—

Perhaps, this news was indeed kept secret by Black Zetsu!

Madara Uchiha always firmly believed in the contents of the Naga Stone Tablet.

He was also unwavering in his belief in his identity as a descendant of the Six Paths.

but.

Now, a new pair of Rinnegan has appeared on the so-called "Otsutsuki Urashiki" —

How could Madara Uchiha not pay attention?

"I will have Kirigakure send a delegation to Konoha under the guise of diplomacy to distract them."

"But you infiltrated Konoha secretly through other means."

"This combination of overt and covert operations, working together, will make it easier for you to gather intelligence."

Kushina Uzumaki nodded, indicating that she understood.

"As for Rin, she's not strong enough, so let's not have her come with me. She should stay here and take care of you, Lord Madara."

Rin was a member of the Uzumaki clan whom she had accidentally found in the Land of Grass; she would later become Karin's mother.

"what ever."

Madara Uchiha retorted indifferently, "However, I'm not at the age where I need to be taken care of!"

Kushina ignored his stubbornness and added, "After I leave, please remember to eat on time!"

Ban glared at her, saying impatiently, "You little brat, you're so long-winded!"

The brat is actually trying to boss this old man around!

You should know that even Mito Uzumaki back then didn't dare to speak to me like this!

This is truly a reversal of the natural order!

Early September.

More than ten days have passed since Ayane Amamiya woke up.

However, this news is now strictly controlled and circulated among a small number of people. At least to the outside world, Ayane Amamiya, the highest leader of the Land of Rivers, has never appeared.

This situation is one of "no leader".

This naturally ignited a small, restless flame in the hearts of many ambitious individuals.

The daimyo of the Land of Rivers, who had been the focus of Mei Terumi's attention, was undoubtedly one of the most active and proactive among them.

Daming Mansion.

The twelve guardian ninjas recruited by the daimyo gathered together for the first time in a long time.

Kakuzu sat at the head of the left.

After working on infrastructure projects for more than half a year, he finally has some free time and is now listening to Daming's impassioned mobilization order with nothing to do.

"I still remember when the Ninja World War ended and the Land of Rivers was first pacified."

"I was instructed by the Fire Lord to summon Rain Shadow to the territory, hoping that both sides could benefit from each other and support one another."

"But unexpectedly, the Rain Village ninjas have been acting against the tide of history domestically, exploiting the people, engaging in extravagant construction projects, and wasting the nation's resources!"

The daimyo angrily denounced, "Even now, they are spreading their henchmen in various towns, establishing special guard units, and seizing power! If this continues, the people will only know Amegakure and not the daimyo. Isn't this tantamount to plotting a rebellion?"

The crowd below reacted in various ways upon hearing this.

Even Might Guy, who always adhered to his duty as a "guardian ninja," couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Most ninjas are not very politically astute.

Therefore, they did not know whether Yu Yin was plotting a rebellion.

But the claim that Daming oppresses the people and wastes the nation's resources is simply blatant lying!

Under the supervision of Ayane Amamiya.

The Land of Rivers has now fully implemented a ninja entry registration policy, and its control over ninjas within its borders is exceptionally strict, making it a well-regarded safe trading zone.

This has led to an absurd phenomenon.

Despite the already strained relationship between Konoha and the Land of Rivers, wealthy merchants from the Land of Fire are actively courting them.

Kakuzu remained silent.

Throughout his decades-long ninja career, from Takigakure to the underground black market, Kakuzu observed a crude but accurate truth during thousands of missions.

That means being an idiot isn't scary.

The most terrifying kind of idiot is someone who lacks ability but can't even recognize their own shortcomings!

Since Ayane Amamiya hadn't shown up, people assumed that something was wrong with her health.

That kind of person —

How could he possibly die so easily?

Angle is someone who has seen the world.

He was sent by the higher-ups of Takigakure to assassinate Hashirama Senju. Although he failed in the end, he paid close attention to the First Hokage and kept a close eye on him in secret.

After the battle at the Valley of the End.

He also made a special trip to the battlefield to observe the traces left by Madara and Hashirama during their battle.

How to put it—

Kakuzu felt at the time that even if ten of him fought at full strength in the Valley of the End for a month, he wouldn't leave such terrible battle marks!

Just a few months earlier, Kakuzu had been ordered to go to the border of the Land of Rivers to repair the river.

At that time, he witnessed firsthand the lake on land created by Ayane Amamiya's Dust Release technique, and he secretly compared it to the battle at the Valley of the End—

Kakuzu made a rough estimate—

Judging from the destructive power at the scene, Ayane Amamiya's strength is at least 0.3 to 0.4 times that of Hashirama Senju!

And himself—

Kakuzu, without any modesty, said that he was at most equal to 0.05 of Hashirama Senju!

However, it's important to understand that the difference in strength between ninjas can never be simply summarized by numbers.

So if a fight really breaks out...

Ayane Amamiya could easily defeat a dozen of herself.

Therefore, seeing the daimyo of the Land of River courting death, Kakuzu not only remained unmoved, but was even somewhat tempted to join in.

Should I wait until after the meeting to tip them off?

Should we wait until the daimyo takes action before informing him?

never mind!

How about we do it now?

Make up any excuse to resign, and then go and tip off the enemy!

"In short, I believe that the ninjas of the Land of Rain have become the biggest cancer hindering the development of the Land of Rivers!"

"Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to take steps to correct these errors!"

At this moment, the daimyo's mobilization speech entered a new phase. He loudly proclaimed, "Of course, the enemy is too powerful to be defeated by force. Therefore, to ensure a safe outcome, I have specifically sought the enthusiastic assistance of several virtuous individuals from the ninja world!"

The voice just fell.

Several men whom he called "virtuous men" then emerged from behind the screen.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, and his previously lazy attitude suddenly became serious.

It's Konoha's Anbu!

Moreover, judging from the leader's attire, he seems to be of high status, at least a captain of a secret service unit.

He glanced at Matt Day across from him again, and saw that the other man also looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected to see someone from the village here.

"Gentlemen, I probably won't go into too much detail about their identities!"

Daimyo waved his fan, his chubby face beaming with pride: "With the help of these friends, this operation is naturally a sure victory!"

Kakuzu coldly asked, "So, what exactly is the action plan?"

I will not answer your question.

The leader of the Konoha ninjas said indifferently, "It's simple, just split into two groups."

"We will distract them by sabotaging some of Rain Village's important facilities, including the administrative residence, mission meeting place, school, and warehouse."

"Once the Amegakure forces have dispersed, all the Guardian Shinobi only need to focus on one thing: a full-scale attack on the hospital!"

"As long as the decapitation strike is carried out, this battle will surely be a success."

Kakuzu watched coldly from the sidelines, finding it all laughable.

Whether this so-called action plan is reasonable or not is another matter.

Isn't this blatantly treating the daimyo of the Land of Rivers as a pawn?

It's likely that Konoha never considered the consequences of the operation failing; their sole purpose was to cause destruction.

Well, besides that, it might also be to test that person's recent state of mind —

"Stir it up!"

He muttered to himself: The more you guys stir things up, the smoother my job change will be!

In a ward at the River Country Hospital.

Konan sat by Ayane Amamiya's bedside, peeling an apple and telling her about the fun things that happened at the ninja academy.

"Oh, right!"

"Yesterday after school, I saw several girls writing love letters and confessing their feelings to Yahiko!"

She smiled with satisfaction: "And they even prepared gifts, chocolates and origami cranes—"

Those paper cranes are really well folded!

The ninja academy in the Land of Rivers has started.

This school opening is quite special because it is the first time that local students have been enrolled, so the students range in age from very young to very old.

Mei Terumi also mixed in ninja students of similar age from the Land of Rain into each class.

This method of having experienced mentors guide newcomers subtly and gradually.

It just so happens that Yahiko is quite charming.

Although he's usually a bit unkempt, when he really dresses up, he already has a hint of the future "Super Brother" vibe. He's very popular with the girls in his class.

Amamiya Ayane thought to herself: For a paper-folding master like Minami to give such a high evaluation, it's clear that those girls who confessed their feelings really put their hearts into it!

The girl's most primal gossip instincts surged within her.

She pressed on curiously, "And then? And then? Did Yahiko agree?"

"without."

Konan said helplessly, "Yahiko thinks those girls are too troublesome. He said that if he had time for dating, he would rather go and do more physical training with Nagato."

Upon hearing this, Ayane Amamiya was filled with awe.

This is the passionate bond between Yahiko and Nagato!

How could it be ruined by a group of women?

But Xiao Nan then changed the subject and continued, "However, he still accepted all the gifts."

"?"

Ayane Amamiya was taken aback.

"Yahiko said that he plans to recruit these girls into the newly established Akatsuki organization and lead them to become stronger together."

Konan explained, "Moreover, Yahiko said that there is another advantage to doing this, which is that the newly established Akatsuki organization will definitely receive more attention on campus."

'

Ayane Amamiya was speechless for a moment.

Under his influence, the Akatsuki organization has transformed from an evil villainous group into a youth student club.

Yahiko's initiative is just too strong —

Perhaps, this child will truly become Yuying in the future!

Just as she was about to speak, Xiao Nan handed her a box: "Also, a new classmate named Sara asked me to bring you a gift, Ayane-nee."

Sarah has probably matured a lot since the Loulan Dragon Vein incident.

After the queen recovered from her illness, she also enrolled in the ninja academy in the Land of Rivers.

Ayane Amamiya took the box.

When she opened it, she was surprised to find that what was inside was a fragment of her sword, Stormbringer.

And now.

They were then skillfully pieced together by the artisans of Loulan, and were almost identical to the original.

A note was also attached, which read, "Thank you for your sacrifices for Loulan."

of course.

The current Stormrazor is just for show and can no longer be used in actual combat.

Is this what Sarah found in the ruins?

Ayane Amamiya sighed inwardly. The girl had thought that these fragments would never be found again!

She looked up and said, "Tell Sarah for me that I really like this gift."