Naruto: Starting from Eating the Gold Fruit

Chapter 78 Second Generation Wind Shadow, Shamen

Yuya was somewhat bewildered when he learned that the Second Kazekage was so straightforward and was ready to come to Konoha.

Is this guy really that brave?

Aren't you afraid that Konoha and the Land of Rivers will plot against him?

Well, Yuya would never do something like that.

even……

We also need to hurry up and clean the guesthouse that Konoha has prepared for its guests.

The Second Kazekage certainly didn't make a point of traveling to Konoha just to negotiate peace with the Land of Rivers.

He had an even bigger goal.

That is to see what's really going on with Konoha's current development. The policies and development strategies that Yuya has implemented in Konoha have been reported to some extent by people from other villages.

However, compared to the praise of Konoha in the letters sent by their people, we still need to see it for ourselves to be truly sure.

And there is another reason...

It's about seeing how large Konoha's military is right now.

After attending the first Five Kage Summit with the First Kazekage, the Second Kazekage met Hashirama Senju, the strongest man in the ninja world who ended the war.

From that time onward, the First Kazekage established a national policy—to strengthen the military.

We cannot trust Konoha's so-called peace. It was possible to maintain peace when Hashirama Senju was alive, but what about after he died?

Konoha is so powerful that we must guard against the possibility of Konoha attacking Sunagakure.

Since then, Sunagakure has developed a distinct martial spirit, and the Second Hokage has dedicated himself to improving puppetry techniques, utilizing the terrain and environment of Sunagakure for defensive purposes.

Yes, who could have imagined that the Sand Village, which would later be constantly plotting to attack Konoha, initially aimed to prevent Konoha from attacking it?

So, for the third generation, when it comes to foreign relations, they cannot be soft...

In order to investigate the current situation and military strength of Konoha and understand the gap between the two sides, the Second Kazekage has arrived.

The Second Kazekage didn't have many followers, which is normal, considering this is Konoha. To be honest...

In fact, he had already mentally prepared himself that he could not go back.

But he had to get his hands on the information about Konoha, no matter what means he had to use.

The Second Kazekage, who has a tattoo on his head, mostly covered by the Kazekage's hat with only one eye showing, has a dragon claw. Although he looks like a scoundrel, you can tell from the things he does that he is not as brainless as he appears.

On the contrary, he is a very intelligent person who can judge situations in a very long-term way.

However, sometimes, being thoughtless is actually a good thing.

When the Second Kazekage, accompanied by his two personal guards, representatives of the Sunagakure merchants and clans, arrived within the territory of Konoha, they were greeted by three ninja squads:

"You must be Lord Kazekage and his party from Sunagakure."

That's obvious; the Second Kazekage, Shamon, clearly has the character for "wind" (風) on his hat.

The Konoha team indicated that he was there to greet them.

The monk calmly indicated that he could.

The squad of ninjas led Shamon ten kilometers inland before switching shifts.

Watching the other party's skillful maneuvering and the scene of the two exchanging secret signals, Shamen closed his eyes.

Anyone with a brain knows this code changes every day.

How many ninjas are there on the outskirts of Konoha Village?

Shamon didn't know the specifics, but he closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, and he sensed no less than five teams of ninjas.

Even excluding the fact that he, as the Kazekage, came to upgrade the defenses, including the two teams in front of him, there should normally be at least three teams of ninja patrolling within a 20-kilometer radius. It is more likely that these seven teams of ninja are usually organized in this way.

With this assurance, Shamen knew that the plan to assassinate the enemy was doomed to fail.

Shamon remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't noticed anything, and followed the Konoha ninja towards Konoha.

The ninjas changed three times along the way, which further confirmed Shamon's suspicion that this was the case.

Upon arriving within the territory of Konoha Village, the ninja responsible for leading the Kazekage's group handed Shamon over to a guide sent by the Hokage's office, who had the words "Konoha" carved on a boundary marker.

After shaking hands with the Kazekage, the guide respectfully gestured for them to proceed, and the group crossed the boundary marker and arrived in Konoha.

Shamon was curious. There were some buildings in the distance, and many construction sites. He looked at the guide with a puzzled expression: "Is this the outer city of Konoha?"

Director Xiang nodded: "Yes, Lord Kazekage, this is the outer city of Konoha."

Shamen nodded, but his mind was racing.

The outer city of Konoha...

It doesn't look that great. The only difference between it and Sunagakure is that one is sand and the other is soil.

However, after turning a corner, the place that was originally a dirt road suddenly turned into a flat cement ground. The buildings on both sides were not much different, all of them were very formulaic double-layer building templates, and it was like copying and pasting.

Shamon looked at the guide: "Are these houses... inhabited by the villagers of Konoha?"

The guide looked at Shamen with a puzzled expression and shook his head: "No, strictly speaking, these are not people from Konoha. They do not have Konoha identification. They are just refugees who came to Konoha."

The monk became interested and asked, "Identity?"

The guide looked even more puzzled, while a smile appeared on Shamen's狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face: "If you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

The monk's appearance was not so much kind and benevolent as it could be described as ferocious and terrifying.

That laugh almost made the director jump up in fright.

Fortunately, this guide was sent by Youya to pick up people, so his mental fortitude wouldn't be so fragile.

and……

"As the agent has said, I can answer any questions you have that don't involve Konoha's secrets," the guide said, continuing to lead the way.

"Refugees from other places cannot apply for Konoha identity certificates immediately; they can only apply after staying in Konoha for five years."

Of course, there is another type: those who are ninjas who serve Konoha and, after being vetted, can be given an identity certificate that grants them the right to live in Konoha's inner city.

However, this would no longer go through the Hokage's office review process; it would have to be reported directly up the chain of command to Tobirama Senju for a decision on whether to approve it. Naturally, Tobirama wouldn't reveal this.

The monk nodded, so...

Is this area outside the city actually prepared for refugees...?

There's really no need to put effort into building these structures; you can just copy and paste a batch of barely habitable ones.

Suddenly, Shamen spotted a building and pointed curiously at it, at the one with a drawing of a man and a woman on its door: "What's that?"

"Public toilets".

The director explained it.

Shamon nodded. Their Sunagakure village also had them, but not in this style.

After that, Shamon was taken to the gates of Konoha by the guide.

Standing at the gate, looking inside, separated only by a wall, one side has a floor paved with flat blue bricks, while the other has a smooth, flat cement road...

Without a doubt, the blue brick road has a more sophisticated feel.

Not to mention...

The endless rows of high-rise buildings that only stopped when the view was blocked...

The monk sighed inwardly.

He knew it at a glance.

The inner city was far superior to the outer city...

(End of this chapter)