Naruto: Starting from Eating the Gold Fruit

Let's focus on Chapter 654...

At the entrance of Sunagakure Village:

Gaara looked at the large group of over a hundred people in front of him, then at Yua, who was smiling at him as the leader. He bowed slightly to show his respect and said, "Thank you all for your help to Sunagakure. If you need anything, please feel free to contact me."

With that, Gaara looked at Yua and said, "Please come with me, Hokage, to pay my respects to the Kazekage."

Yuya smiled and nodded, then followed Gaara into the village of Sunagakure.

After so many years of development, Sunagakure Village has transformed from a desert environment filled with flying sand into a beautiful desert oasis with a pleasant climate.

Moreover, many plants that can survive in the desert have begun to be planted around Sunagakure.

Yuya followed Gaara to the Kazekage Building.

Amidst the curious, respectful, and inquisitive gazes of the crowd, Yuya led Nara Shikaku to the Kazekage's office.

Upon entering and taking a look, Yuya immediately complained, "I mean, you're supposed to be a Kazekage, does it have to be this bad?"

Apart from a desk, there were only two other things in the entire Fengying's office.

A sofa for sitting and a bookcase.

As for the telephone on the table and the various paper documents scattered all over the floor, You Ya didn't seem to care much.

Luo Sha looked up at You Ya, pursed his lips, and said, "I just don't want to waste money. What's the point of all that fancy stuff?"

Yuya walked over to the guest sofa without any ceremony and sat down, then slapped the armrest: "Wait, where's the tea? I'm a Hokage, you know? I came here and there's no tea?"

Luo Sha thought for a moment and pressed a button on the table: "A cup of green tea, please."

Then Luo Sha looked at You Ya: "Enough with the small talk, let's get down to business. This time, our village here..."

Youya raised his hand: "Stop talking nonsense. I can roughly guess what's going on with you. Asking for our support is just a pretense; your real intention is to find out our village's attitude."

Luo Sha frowned as he watched Yu Ya sitting with his legs crossed and a calm expression on his face.

How could he have seen through our plan at a glance after we'd been discussing it for so long?!

After thinking for a moment, Luo Sha said, "It's a fact that our village was flooded..."

You Ya rolled his eyes: "Fine, since that's the case, I'll ask you a few questions. After you answer them, I'll do my best to help you with disaster relief, how about that?"

Luo Sha put down his pen: "I'd like to hear the details."

Youya: "How much of your city was submerged in this flood?"

Luo Sha: "About one-fifth, it's quite serious, actually..."

How much of the commercial street was flooded?

Luo Sha was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant, and shook his head with a chuckle: "So that's it, no wonder you could tell at a glance."

Yuya crossed his legs smugly: "The commercial street is the foundation of a village's prosperity. I treasure my Konoha's commercial street very much and will not let anything happen to it."

"After arriving here, all I need to do is check if your commercial street has been damaged to know whether you're truly suffering or just pretending."

There's another point: the disoriented and the confident people after a disaster show completely different sides of themselves.

Of course, there's no need to explain these things to Luo Sha in such detail.

Luo Sha nodded to You Ya: "The flooding of the canal is a fact, but it was also within our expectations."

This year, the rainfall in the Land of Rain has increased dramatically. We had already expanded the area of ​​the inland lakes, but it still wasn't enough. The canals are still very dangerous, so to prevent things from getting out of control, I deliberately blew up the dikes and created a small breach. I originally thought it would only flood one-tenth of the area, but it flooded one-fifth. However, the commercial district is indeed unaffected.

You Ya nodded: "You see, so it's impossible that you weren't prepared. The reason you sent us here for disaster relief must be because you had other preparations."

Then it's very simple; you must have another purpose.

"And right now, what you guys are most concerned about in Konoha is who the next Hokage will be."

Luo Sha asked, seemingly nonchalantly, "Then... who could it be?"

You Ya laughed, and was about to start cursing when there was a knock on the door.

Temari walked in carrying a cup of tea.

Rasa nodded to Yuya: "Give it to the Third Hokage."

Temari then brought the tea to Yua.

As Yua accepted the tea, he smiled at Rasa and said, "Temari is such a good girl. What do you think of that Nara kid who defeated her during the Chunin Exams? I think they look like a perfect couple."

Temari was stunned for a moment, then her pretty face turned bright red, and she instinctively reached out to slap the plate in her hand at Yua's face.

Fortunately, considering that the other party was the Hokage, and that doing so would be suicidal, Temari held back.

Yes, Temari told herself that she endured it for the sake of the village's greater interests.

As for why I felt so ashamed and annoyed...

Temari subconsciously ignored it, or rather...

She dared not think about it further.

Rasa looked at Temari, then at Yua, and a thought flashed through his mind.

"Third Hokage, you're not kidding, are you?" Rasa looked at Yua, who was comfortably taking a sip of tea.

You Ya smiled slightly: "Guess?"

Guess what I'm guessing, or are you going to guess?

Luo Sha thought to himself, but he was somewhat lost in thought as he looked at his daughter.

Temari, however, no longer wanted to stay there and left the Kazekage's office with a flushed face.

Yuya crossed his legs, glanced at Rosa, and sneered, "You know I can't tell you who the next Hokage will be, so you pulled this stunt."

If other villages are affected by disasters, I would definitely send people to help with disaster relief, given my personality. If I only send one person to help with disaster relief, then you can use that person to determine who will be kicked out of the power center. If all the candidates come, you will know that the candidates are serious and that I am really preparing to choose a successor. What a cunning plan! This method was not your own idea, was it?

"Let me think... Chiyo, that old hag?"

Luo Sha sighed.

When he first took office, he was full of ambition. He thought Chiyo was a piece of trash and that Sunagakure would definitely become stronger under his leadership.

However, once I actually stepped onto the stage, I realized, "Damn, was Grandma Chiyo really this hard-working all along?!"

Not only does he have endless official duties every day, but he also has to deal with various emergencies and face various tests from other villages. Moreover, Chiyo has even more to do than him. Chiyo is the director of the hospital in Sunagakure and often has to go to the hospital to check on things.

After taking office, Luo Sha realized how difficult the position was.

Fortunately, he still has a few trusted confidants who can share the burden.

Thinking of this, Luo Sha looked at You Ya: "So, among those candidates, is there really someone you want to succeed you?"

You Ya nodded.

In fact, his ideal candidate was Shisui.

He has a calm mindset and is capable.

only……

It's too soft.

Simply put, putting Shisui in power could lead to a situation like Hiruzen Sarutobi's.

Even if someone slaps Konoha in the face and cautiously tests Konoha's bottom line, Shisui won't care about such a trivial matter; he will only care about the overall development.

Well, how should I put it? If Shisui were the Kage of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, or even Sunagakure, this kind of personality wouldn't be a problem.

But Shisui happens to be from Konoha Village...

This is a difficult situation.

However, this is only Yua's impression; Yua still wants to see how Shisui performs in the actual game.

So even though he knew that Rasa had deliberately staged this to find out who the next Hokage would be, Yua still sent over candidates like Nara Shikamaru and Uchiha Shisui.

The purpose was to train and select the Fourth Hokage.

The method that Rasa, Chiyo, and the elders of Sunagakure came up with was actually quite simple.

If Yua only sends one person, such as Minato Namikaze, to provide disaster relief, then it can be basically concluded that Minato Namikaze and the candidates behind him are not qualified to inherit the throne.

Of course, Naruto has already left, so this is just an example.

If Youya sends more than two people, it means that Youya intends to create competition among multiple parties.

As for what we're competing for?

What else could it be besides the position of Hokage?

As Youya said, this idea doesn't seem like something Luosha could come up with.

And that is indeed the case.

"As expected of the Third Hokage." Rasa said sincerely to Yua, then turned and took out a file folder from his own folder and handed it to Yua.

Yuya turned and gestured for Nara Shikaku to go and take it.

Nara Shikaku took the file bag and then opened it to read it.

Nara Shikaku gasped after just one glance.

Yuya glanced at Nara Shikaku: "What's wrong?"

Shika walked over to Yua, bent down and whispered, "It's a five-year cooperation agreement."

You Ya immediately raised an eyebrow.

Yuya took the contract from Shikaku's hand and began to read it.

After reading it, Yuya curled his lip: "It does look like we've really made a fortune, but setting up a business office in Konoha like this... tsk tsk tsk, providing you with a dedicated diplomatic venue would be enough. Playing these kinds of tricks is getting a bit boring."

Rasa smiled slightly: "Wasn't the Third Hokage's first thought to use this to test the children?"

You Ya narrowed his eyes, then chuckled and shook his head: "Indeed, it's a good idea."

"Fine, then tell me what you really want me to do."

Rasa nodded and said in a deep voice, "We are preparing to apply to hold a Chunin Exam."

You Ya paused, his hand gripping the teacup, then smiled and shook his head: "You guys... are really smart."

What can a highly successful international sporting event bring...?

Youya knew all too well about his past life.

That is what can truly unite the people of the whole country and work together to achieve this goal.

If the event is successfully held and has special significance, the people of Sunagakure will have an unparalleled sense of belonging to their village.

Yuya only needed to think for a moment to know what Luosha wanted.

"Are you trying to publicize that I participated in the last Chunin Exam during my tenure as Hokage?"

Rasa didn't hide anything and nodded directly: "That's right, we will jointly organize this Chunin Exam."

I'll pay your share; I just want the title.

You Ya propped his head up with his hand and began to think, then chuckled and joked, "Is my name really that valuable?"

Rasa nodded: "That's right, it's that valuable. If you agree, I can even agree to cooperate with you as much as possible during our time in Sunagakure to test your candidates."

You Ya's face darkened: "Damn it, do you think I'm stupid? You're going to test the waters for me? You'll find out who the final winner is after you test them."

Luo Sha smiled without saying a word.

You Ya stroked his chin, then smiled and said, "That's fine too. I'm okay with most of the conditions."

but……

What I just said about that kid, Temari, is true.

That Nara kid is also interested in your Temari. You should think about it and decide whether or not to let those two get together.

In short, I definitely agree for now, but as for the specifics...

Let's analyze it in detail when the time comes.

With that, Yuya stood up and left the Kazekage's office with Shikaku.

Luo Sha was left alone in the office, lost in thought.

……

And the other side:

Nara Shikamaru, Hyuga Hinata, Hyuga Neji, Uchiha Shisui, and Shimura Ichigo arrived at the flooded area.

Gaara explained to the group, "The flood is largely under control in our village, but we can't handle the subsequent reconstruction work and the rebuilding of the dikes, so we have no choice but to ask you for help."

Gaara can lie without even blinking.

Yes, that would make him a very good candidate for a scam.

After all, look at Gaara's expressionless face, does he look like someone who would lie?

Hyuga Neji and the others looked at the affected area of ​​the flood.

It must be said that even if the flood destroyed insignificant areas, the destructive power still appears to be terrifying.

Hinata Hyuga watched this scene with some worry, then turned to Gaara and asked with a sorrowful expression, "How many people died in this disaster?"

Gaara was taken aback, then looked somewhat embarrassed, but this expression only lasted for a moment before he said, "Because we were prepared in advance, no one died."

Hinata Hyuga: "???"

Why don't you take a look at a history book? Throughout history, when has there ever been a natural disaster or man-made calamity that didn't kill people?

Hinata Hyuga looked at Gaara with some suspicion.

Naruto, who had come with her to protect her and take care of her pregnancy, had already wrapped his arms around Gaara's neck: "Hahaha, long time no see, kid~ Do you remember me? We met during the Chunin Exams!"

Gaara turned to look at Naruto.

He certainly knew him; he was one of the candidates, and then he withdrew...

Gaara nodded expressionlessly: "Hello."

Those who dropped out of the candidate pool don't need to be closely monitored...

"Let me introduce you, this is my wife, Hinata Hyuga. We've been married for a year now~"

Gaara: "..."

Hmm... let's add the list of key targets.

(End of this chapter)