Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 462 A Nighttime Talk Between Husband and Wife

Before Gaara became the Fifth Kazekage, the relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure was very bad.

Or, to put it another way, because the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth are separated only by the Land of Rain, the three great nations have been constantly fighting each other due to their geographical location, including during the Third Shinobi World War.

Minor skirmishes are constant, and major wars are also on the horizon.

However, since Gaara became the Fifth Kazekage, due to a series of reasons, the relationship between Sunagakure and Konoha has become the best.

This can be seen from the fact that Shikamaru and Temari broke down the barriers between major powers through marriage, a groundbreaking move that began in Sunagakure.

but……

Shikamaru was somewhat stunned.

Brother Yun's gaze, the timing, and the specific person he chose were all special. Others didn't notice, but he could clearly sense the unusualness in it.

"Shikamaru, what's wrong?"

After more than a decade of getting to know each other, Temari looked at Shikamaru and asked him a question with a puzzled expression.

Shikamaru smiled and said casually, "I'm a little surprised by the necessary conditions for learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, but even if my reaction speed isn't fast enough, this technique is still very convenient for traveling."

Temari nodded and smiled, "If Yako can learn it, it will be much easier for her to visit her family back in the village. After all, the Fourth Hokage and Lord Kumo are not as easy to ask for help as Yako."

Shikamaru chuckled and shook his head slightly.

However, in his mind, he was analyzing his wife's expression just now.

It seems... there's nothing unusual.

Even when he mentioned returning to Sunagakure to visit relatives, he said it so openly and naturally, in front of Brother Yun, with complete composure.

"By the way, Shikamaru, how's things going with Research Division 1? Do you need any help?"

The sudden question made Choji pause for a moment, even as he picked up the grilled meat.

Shikamaru was slightly taken aback and unconsciously looked at Temari.

Fortunately, Temari didn't pay attention and continued chatting with Sakura beside her.

"Brother Yun, since you didn't get involved in the first place, it means this matter isn't a big problem, right?"

Shikamaru sighed and said, "If we have to rely on Brother Yun for everything, then there's no point in us existing."

Yun waved his hand: "That's not right. Without you guys, if I had to do everything myself to make changes in the ninja world over the past ten years, I'd probably be exhausted to death."

"However, you're right, it's not a big problem. Some things, more than a decade later, are already set in stone, and no one can stop them from happening."

As he spoke, Yun took a sip of wine and looked at everyone present. More than a decade had passed, and these little guys from back then had now become the leaders of Konoha.

"No one can stop the march towards unification—not the four great ninja villages, not the various small countries, and certainly not those so-called high-ranking officials!"

"It's not like it was a decade or two ago anymore. The majority of ordinary people at the bottom have become accustomed to the benefits of peace. With all the intricate connections, the things that the middle and lower classes also crave are things that some clowns can't achieve."

"If someone jumps too high, just slap them to death. If they jump too frequently, a light tap will do."

After he finished speaking, the private room fell silent.

These words, spoken by the very person before us, are suggestive and their implications are thought-provoking.

Even Ino looked up slightly in confusion, glancing at Temari and the others out of the corner of her eye.

After a while, Yun smiled and tapped the table: "Don't be so nervous... Let's drink, let's drink. It's been a long time since we got together, don't make the atmosphere so dull."

……

At the gathering, Tian Tian, ​​as the host, clearly achieved her goal.

However, the guests who were there to accompany the guests ended the second half of the event with heavy hearts.

"Bang."

After the door closed, Temari sat down directly on the sofa in the living room.

Shikamaru then hugged the sleeping Shikadai tightly in the bedroom, then closed the door and left.

"Activate the shielding barrier. As the Hokage's assistant, you have certain powers within your household."

As soon as he entered, Shikamaru felt a pressure coming towards him.

After a moment's thought, he still set up a barrier.

Just as Temari said, as a high-ranking official, he has this power, but it is limited to his own household, and only he can make arrangements with specific authority.

"call……"

After letting out a breath, Temari seemed to relax as well.

"Are you questioning outsiders like us who married into Konoha?"

One sentence was enough to make Shikamaru's parents break out in a cold sweat.

A smart person will never choose a partner who is an idiot. Putting aside the impact on the next generation's genes, it would also be troublesome and cause communication problems in daily life.

"You are not outsiders. The so-called suspicions are only based on the most likely candidates given the existing circumstances."

"Snapped!"

The words had barely left his mouth when a loud bang was heard.

A pretty hair tie was slapped onto the coffee table, a decorative deer was smashed, and a miniature receiver was found inside.

"Although that kid gives me gifts every year on certain holidays and my birthday, he's too impatient."

Temari looked at Shikamaru: "He'll definitely use it every day, and he'll wear the new things his son gave him for a while, so he'll be at close range. This kid has truly inherited your intelligence; he's very clever..."

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru immediately fell silent.

As expected, being young still means lacking experience. Why the rush? Doesn't he know his mother is a smart person?

Finally, Shikamaru could only cautiously ask, "You knew all along?"

Temari nodded: "I noticed something was wrong when Shikadai gave me the gift. The information about immortality spread too quickly; it was only the beginning, and I already realized something was amiss."

Shikamaru realized what was happening at that moment.

So he confidently prepared to sit down, but before he could even put his bottom down...

Did I offer you a seat?

"Huh? Um... didn't you say you didn't care?"

Temari glared at him, then ignored him sitting next to her.

"Due to their different positions, as the Hokage's assistant, and even Shikadai potentially the next Hokage's assistant, the Nara family's intellect can reduce the Hokage's workload, something other families don't possess."

"I know perfectly well whether I've done anything wrong or not. Making a scene is pointless and will only warn the real bastards. Besides, if this ends up being left unresolved, it will leave a stain on Lutai's future."

As she spoke, Temari reached out and grabbed Shikamaru's ear: "That doesn't mean I've forgiven you, you bastard. I'm doing this for my son's future!"

Shikamaru feigned pain and begged for mercy before Temari let him go.

Rubbing her reddened ears, she finally spoke after a long pause: "So if it weren't for that person today, you would probably pretend you didn't know anything, right?"

Temari nodded slowly.

As the older sister of the Fifth Kazekage, she was also a high-ranking member of Sunagakure before marrying into Konoha.

Those at the top... inevitably need a certain level of political wisdom, and even if they don't, their current positions will force them to learn it in a short time.

As for those who couldn't learn it, they're already dead.

"Given his abilities, he couldn't possibly be unaware of what's happening throughout Konoha. He probably already knew about it when that person received the intelligence in the Research Department."

Temari frowned as she spoke, "But what I don't understand is why he would bring it up during the dinner party. Doing so would only alert him and serve no other purpose..."

Shikamaru shrugged and smiled helplessly, "He doesn't care. Just like he said, it's nothing important."

"After you married into Konoha, he lived a secluded life in the Uchiha clan compound, so you don't know much about him. The reason he brought it up might be simple: it's just his perverse sense of humor; he wanted to see how nervous you two would be."

"However, it's clear you didn't succeed in getting his twisted sense of humor working; I don't know about the others."

Temari's eyes twitched at those words: "It's...that simple?"

Shikamaru replied, "After the destruction of the Daimyo's mansion, the five great ninja villages had to center themselves on Konoha. Under his and Uzumaki Sora's will, they began a comprehensive reform. As a result, no one knows the extent of his power."

"Or rather, apart from the Otsutsuki, no other form of resistance in this world is meaningful to him."

As he spoke, Shikamaru looked at Temari with a serious expression: "You should know. The entire landscape of the ninja world has been changed. The Daimyo's regime was destroyed, and reforms were initiated with Konoha as the center. What, then, truly forms the foundation of all these changes..."

"Smack."

Temari slapped Shikamaru on the back of the head and replied with a smile, "I don't need you to remind me. Do you think I'm dumber than you? Everything is built on the absolute power of Uchiha Kumo and Uzumaki Sora; there's no way to resist!"

"And just as he said: more than a decade has passed, and the middle and lower ranks, who make up the largest proportion, have accepted this peace and have even become accustomed to orders from Konoha."

"The tide has turned; any resistance is futile. Konoha could simply stop supplying high-yield seeds and export a range of technological products, turning the Land of Wind back to the desert, banning exports to the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, and blockading the Land of Water..."

Temari's voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"There's absolutely no need to fight. Not even a single ninja is needed, and they wouldn't dare to attack anyway. Just this is enough. Within six months, the five great nations' regimes will crumble, and under the influence of the majority, they will join the Land of Fire and Konoha."

"The lower class is indeed the lower class, but in the development over the years, 99% of the middle class are closely related to the lower class. Without the support of the lower class, the so-called upper class is nothing."

Seeing his wife's hand trembling slightly, Shikamaru took it in his hand and said softly, "Don't worry, unification is not a dictatorship, and the selection of Hokage is not like that of a Daimyo, where the position is passed down from father to son."

Temari nodded silently.

After a long while, my heart calmed down a little.

Then he looked at Shikamaru and said, "Don't worry, after Gaara became Kazekage, his will was always to protect everyone in Sunagakure. After the Daimyo's downfall, it was to protect everyone in the Land of Wind."

"In the current peaceful environment, everyone can see that life will get better and better in the future. Even if it is unification, as long as the interests of all the people of the Wind Kingdom are guaranteed, it will not be an obstacle, but rather an aid."

This first open and honest conversation with his wife on this matter gave Shikamaru a sense of confidence.

Fortunately, his brother-in-law wasn't the kind of person who was driven by power to the point of being unable to let go, otherwise his situation would have been very awkward.

This also reminded him of a conversation he had with his father thirteen years ago, when his father laid out all the pros and cons before him.

Now it seems my impulsiveness has proven to be effective, and it hasn't led to any bad results.

"Go to sleep, don't worry, I believe in you."

"It's no use believing me. I'll keep wearing this tomorrow. Be smart."

"Understood, understood. Let's pretend nothing happened tonight."

"Under no circumstances can the future of Lutai be affected, understand? This is my bottom line!"

"Okay, okay, am I really that stupid?"

Upon hearing this, Temari glanced at him and said, "The Fifth Hokage is your childhood friend. Who knows if you might blurt out anything in a moment of passion?"

Shikamaru was speechless.

Temari lost interest in continuing, broke free from the embrace, got up, and went back to her room.

Meanwhile, in Lutai's bedroom, the little guy was pressing his ear against the door.

My bastard dad wouldn't just sell me out like that, would he?

It's definitely another barrier!

Abusing power for personal gain is utterly despicable...

Will my mom tear me to pieces tomorrow?

"Smack."

The living room lights went out, and Lu Tai knew the conversation was over. He could only lie in bed, lost in thought and unable to sleep.

……

Meanwhile, the Yun family of three, who had also returned home, were drinking tea in the living room.

Ino dissolved some honey in water and handed it to Yunhou, asking, "Is there trouble with the Choji and Shikamaru families?"

Yun smiled and replied directly, "It's that guy named Karui, Killer Bee's disciple, so it's not surprising."

After Ino sat down, she seemed to be deep in thought: "So she went to the research department to get the Akimichi clan's secret pills? Choji is the clan head, she certainly has that authority."

Uchiha Yu, who hadn't gone to sleep, looked at his parents and asked suspiciously, "What are you talking about? A mole?"

Ino glared at him: "You got a great score of 65. Did you eat your reward barbecue today? Keep up the good work tomorrow... If you get sent back to school, I think Yu might as well try living at the school."

⊙_⊙？ ？

What did I just do?

Yu was completely bewildered. She had only asked one question that didn't avoid her own thoughts, so how did she offend her mother?

Sixty-five points, that's not low, except for Ya Zi.

"Um, Mom... I'm going to wash up and go to bed."

Yun gave him a chuckle: "Starting tomorrow, think carefully about what exactly you want to protect."

Yu Zheng nodded, then got up and left.

Ino naturally changed the subject from the unpleasant topic: "Sixty-five points, almost failing. Although everyone was about the same except for Mei, the first score that came out almost made me slink back home in shame."

Yun took a sip of tea, seemingly unconcerned.

"The written test is about memorization, and the second test is about applying what you've learned. But these aren't what I'm hoping for. What I'm thinking about is how long it will take for him to truly discover what he hopes for, expects, and protects."

……

(End of this chapter)