I work as an editor at Marvel.

But just as Natasha was about to sign the list, Akali nudged her and then gestured towards the distance.

Natasha looked up and saw a large group of men carrying weapons angrily walking towards her.

This group of guys, who were clearly here to cause trouble, consisted mostly of civilians, with a few being genin and chunin from the Sand Village, and not a single jonin among them.

That's why Akali, who was on guard, didn't launch an attack immediately.

"Stop! You outsiders! What do you want to do to our land!" an old man leading the group shouted at Natasha, brandishing a sickle in the air, seemingly trying to scare the two people in front of him away.

Natasha's gaze flickered across the scythe, a muscle in her right forearm twitched, and a dagger fell into her hand.

If these guys really make a move, she won't hold back. Don't forget, Natasha's former title was Black Widow, also known as the Widowmaker.

"Don't rush," Akali said, pressing Natasha's hand down. "Wait five minutes and see if their shadows come over."

This is the buffer time set for conflict in the agenda, based on distance. The closer to the ninja village, the less buffer time is left for the Kage.

According to regulations, before the buffer period expires, SUPP citizens should avoid armed conflict with civilians, provided they can protect their own lives.

Simply put, it's okay to engage in verbal sparring, but don't resort to violence, especially don't be the first to attack civilians.

Seeing that Natasha and her companion seemed to be "turning the other cheek," the civilians who had come over became even more unruly, uttering increasingly offensive words.

However, Natasha and Akali did not get angry, argue, or fight as the person behind it all had predicted.

After all, for an assassin or a ninja, controlling one's emotions is a required course. Let alone being scolded for a few minutes, even if these people scolded her for a whole day, Natasha wouldn't change her expression.

There are plenty of people who criticize me, so who are these guys in front of me?

About three minutes later, a gust of wind blew from the direction of Sunagakure, followed by a cloud of sand.

Amidst the sandstorm, a figure can be vaguely seen; it is none other than Gaara of the Sand.

The strong winds and sandstorms that swept through the area silenced all the trolls; their mouths would be filled with sand the moment they opened them. Anyone who could still make a sound under such circumstances was no ordinary person.

Gaara slowly landed in front of Natasha, and as he landed, the sandstorm gradually subsided.

"Cough! Cough!"

A series of coughs rang out in the crowd, and then an older man fell backward, as if he had fainted from coughing violently.

"Father!" A young man beside him slid in and caught the old man, then turned to Gaara and roared, "You monster! You traitor! You killed my father!"

Gaara glanced coldly over there. He wouldn't believe it if there wasn't a script. His father was dead, how could a normal person say such things?

Gaara could see it, but those who were being manipulated couldn't, and they turned their guns on Gaara.

When facing more familiar figures, these people became even more exaggerated in their actions and tone, and some even threw their weapons at Gaara in a fit of rage.

Gaara gently squeezed his hand, and the sand directly enveloped the flying weapon, then crushed it into dust.

Even if such actions cannot intimidate everyone, they can at least suppress the unpleasant atmosphere.

This time, however, Gaara's actions were seen as a sign of weakness by the people below. Several of the more impulsive individuals even raised their weapons, preparing for close-quarters combat.

Fortunately, just as they were about to make a move, the ninjas in the group intervened and restrained them, as if the person behind the scenes did not want to cut off all escape routes.

"Step down! Step down! Step down!"

The shouts gradually became unified under deliberate guidance. Gaara's expression remained unchanged, but he knew that this matter was not going to be easy to resolve.

Maki and Temari were sent out by Gaara a couple of days ago because of some unusual signs at the border. Now that I think about it, those signs were probably staged.

Now, Gaara has no one at his disposal who can handle this situation.

"Shut up, all of you!"

At the most critical moment, a voice burst forth from behind the crowd.

Hearing that familiar voice, the crowd parted to make way for Granny Chiyo, who walked slowly with her hands behind her back.

Halfway there, Granny Chiyo glared at a Sand Ninja, which frightened him into abandoning his plan to embellish the story.

"What do you want to do?!" Granny Chiyo walked to the front and back of the crowd and questioned them loudly.

"Lord Chiyo! That monster killed the villagers!" a young man shouted, pointing at Gaara.

"The monster you speak of is your shadow. And where is the corpse?" Granny Chiyo said coldly, her hands behind her back.

The young man turned around and realized that the old man who had fallen and the man who appeared to be his son were gone.

"Now, get back to the village!" Chiyo roared.

Chiyo's prestige is undeniable, and the person behind the scenes wouldn't dare target her. Few would dare to attack Gaara, but if Chiyo were involved, they would have many more enemies, and even many within their own ranks would turn against them.

After the crowd dispersed, Chiyo walked up to Natasha and bowed slightly. "On behalf of the Sand Ninja, I apologize to you."

Natasha and Akali ignored her and turned to look at Gaara. They didn't care who Chiyo was; they only recognized Gaara, the person who appeared at the Five Kage Summit.

"On behalf of Sunagakure, I apologize for this incident," Gaara said, bowing his head.

“We accept your apology, since no real damage was caused anyway.” Akali brandished the scythe in her hand. “Also, you can give us a list privately, and I’ll give you a mission for free.”

Akali's scythe whistled through the air; she hadn't been insulted in a long time.

“Let me do it; I’m better at this,” Natasha said. Akali’s attack wasn’t assassination; it was unleashing her full power.

“No need!” Gaara suddenly spoke up. “I will give you an explanation, but this is an internal matter of our village, so I won’t trouble you.”

Gaara's sudden assertiveness was a bit of a surprise to Akali; she had thought Gaara was someone who could be easily manipulated.

"Since you're not willing, then forget it," Akali said nonchalantly. To be honest, she was starting to admire the young man in front of her.

Grandma Chiyo stood to the side, quite pleased with Gaara's actions. Gaara had not disappointed her trust in rushing over here.

Chapter 367 If I'm wrong, I'll gnaw this tree right now!

Since the conflict on the Sand Village side ended with Chiyo's appearance, things have progressed exceptionally smoothly. Apart from the occasional invitation from the other three villages to change their bases, there's nothing particularly noteworthy to note.

The reason why other villages suddenly became enthusiastic and envious was naturally because these two different positions were constructed quite perfectly.

In Iwagakure, some of the traditional defensive structures have been completely demolished, replaced by cold, futuristic reinforced concrete buildings. Drones, controlled by a makeshift central AI, constantly take off and land in the sky, bringing all the necessary resources to the area.

One of the best advantages of drones is that they don't need to rest and can build around the clock, which greatly speeds up the construction process. In just half a month, the site went through the early and middle stages of establishment and entered the final stage.

"Mr. Onoki, it's been a long time." Ivan Vanko said, gesturing to Onoki, who was visiting the position for the first time in half a month.

Onoki has given Renren all the permissions, so now that they want to come and visit, they can't refuse.

After a brief discussion, Tony Stark and Ivan Vanko temporarily sealed off some equipment that was not convenient to release, and then agreed to allow Onoki to enter.

Looking at the earth-shaking changes before him, Onoki was filled with shock, but his face still wore the same smile that Ivan Vanko usually showed, revealing the least amount of information.

Bang bang, tapping his fingers twice on the wall, feeling the force returning from his fingers, Onoki looked at Ivan Vanko and said, "Mr. Ivan, do you sell this material, the formula... no, the finished product?"

"I'm sorry, but according to the UN Export Act, this type and grade of product is prohibited from sale." Ivan Vanko said apologetically. The material that Onoki had his eye on could even be used as part of the internal construction material of a spaceship, making it an absolutely controlled product.

Onoki looked slightly disappointed, then turned and asked, "So, after the mission is completed, will the things here be dismantled... or...?"

“Um…” This question made Ivan Vanko think for a while. “The main structure can be left, but some additional equipment must be taken away.”

Hearing this, Onoki smiled with satisfaction; this deal was worthwhile.

Ivan Vanco wasn't too worried. The technology for refining and recasting these materials is very difficult. It's not as simple as melting them and waiting for them to solidify. Doing that would only result in scrap products that are even worse than iron in various aspects.

The two continued walking forward. After passing the wall, the first line of defense appeared in front of Onoki, with some things he couldn't understand standing there.

"Is this your weapon?" Onoki touched the thing in front of him with some curiosity. It looked like a fire poker attached to a base.

Ivan Vanko nodded. The miniature automatic electromagnetic railgun and the magnetic energy disintegration ray generator were more than enough to serve as the first line of defense.

"Can I take a look?" Onoki asked immediately. He had been thinking about it for a long time, but apart from its appearance, he really couldn't see any difference between it and the "city wall" outside.

“Sure.” Ivan Vanko readily agreed. This was part of the pre-arranged plan, and demonstrating a bit of force would also be beneficial for future cooperation.

Sizzle...

With Ivan Vanko's operation, several magnetic energy disintegration ray generators aimed their firing ports at the distant mountain that was about to be "amputated." Originally, that thing was supposed to be completed in the next few days, but now it was being done ahead of schedule, which neither wasted resources nor failed to meet Onoki's requirements.

Immediately afterwards, some slight noises rang out, and Onoki's hair stood on end. Before he could even figure out what was happening, several pale purple rays shot out simultaneously, then converged into one in the air and struck the top of a distant mountain.

There were no special lighting effects. Onoki only saw the once beautiful mountaintop disintegrate and disappear bit by bit, like a painting that had been erased by an eraser, after being swept by the rays, leaving not even a trace.

Upon seeing this, Onoki's first reaction was to take control of the equipment, but before he could act impulsively, reason regained its grip. "This..."

“This one can’t stay.” Ivan Vanko seemed to have guessed what Onoki was going to say and refused outright.

Onoki forced his gaze away from the equipment. He didn't quite understand how it worked, but judging from the final result, these were practically artificial dust jutsu generators. The situation was similar when he used dust jutsu to dismantle his enemies.

Over the next period of time, Ivan Vanko took Onoki on a tour of the areas outside the core area. The conversations that were like generators were repeated many times. Onoki seemed to believe that it was worth asking questions and that he would make a huge profit if he came across one. He would ask any question he could.

Even if it's just a useless washbasin—of course, Ivan Vanko could just give that washbasin to Onoki; it's just a small piece of furniture they use for daily life.

When Onoki returned to the place he had entered after the tour, the opposite mountain peak had disappeared, just as it had been during the initial discussion of the plan. The speed of its disappearance shocked Onoki once again.

Right now, he's just craving it, craving it so badly, but unfortunately, it belongs to someone else, and he can't keep it.

Meanwhile, on another front, a few dark clouds hung in the sky, and a light rain was falling. Every rain was a gift from heaven to the Sand Village, especially during this usually dry season.

No one caused trouble in the village anymore, partly due to Chiyo's actions, but also because of the rain.

It's been raining lightly for ten days in half a month, what more could you ask for! What more could you possibly want!

Go to Sunagakure and see how many civilians are cleanest in history, with the fewest dead skin on their lips. Now, anyone who dares to cause trouble in Fina's territory is going against all the civilians. They might as well drown them all with a spit.

“It’s astonishing, unbelievable.” Chiyo stood in the rain, head held high, letting the drizzle fall on her face.

The old man was in a good mood during this time. Sasori came back, and although he didn't stay, he was able to see him before he died. Moreover, he witnessed the rainy season. Having lived in Sunagakure for so long, Chiyo had only ever dreamed of such a scene.

"Gaara, have you found out the reason? Can we keep this technology?" Chiyo opened her eyes and asked Gaara beside her with great concern.

Gaara shook his head. "I asked, but I didn't quite understand. However, it seems they can't leave. According to their internal regulations, such large magic arrays and elemental pools must be dismantled after the mission is completed."

"Sigh~" Chiyo sighed deeply, then the old man's eyes suddenly lit up. "That's right, I remember that little girl is still unmarried, right? Hurry up and win her over, then the village won't have to worry about rain anymore."

“Mother-in-law…” Gaara was a little helpless. Putting aside whether she was worthy of him or not, this was too utilitarian. “I haven’t finished speaking yet. Although the magic circle can’t be preserved now, it’s actually just a tiny, insignificant function of that magic circle.”

“Master Fina told me that once everything is over, she can help create a semi-permanent magic circle to help stabilize the sand and prevent wind. If there is enough residual energy, it can also be used for artificial rainmaking.”

"Then what are you still standing here for?!" Chiyo tapped Gaara. "Hurry up and see if there's anything you can do to help. Also, add a few more lines of cordon for the Anbu, expand them outwards. If you don't have enough manpower, bring in people from other places. Let's see who dares to disagree. When the time comes, this old woman will storm their house!"

"The arrangements have been made, but I'd better not help. I'd only cause trouble if I went." Gaara had a clear understanding of himself.

Gaara went to see Fina on the first day it rained, and after listening to her use a lot of technical terms, he asked her if he could learn how to build this thing.

Fina didn't directly refuse Gaara, but instead tossed him a test paper. It wasn't a test paper for mages, but rather an ordinary college entrance exam paper from China on Earth.