Yes, the Hokage!

"Thank you, Lord Fenglan!" A hint of excitement flashed in Inuzuka Tetsuya's eyes. Many of the Inuzuka family's secret techniques require the cooperation of ninja dogs to be performed. As long as he obtains ninja dogs, he is confident that he will be no worse than anyone else.

"By the way, could you ask me something else?" Feng Lan suddenly spoke up, "I've already brought out all the branch families of the Hyuga clan. Was your father among them?"

Inuzuka Tetsuya was clearly caught off guard, his cheek twitching involuntarily: "He... died, he died in the Third Shinobi World War."

Feng Lan pondered for a moment, not in a hurry to settle Inuzuka Tetsu's mother, but calmly instructed, "Tetsuka, take him to a separate room, provide him with food, water, new clothes and ninja tools, let the boy rest well tonight, and we'll set off tomorrow."

"Yes." Tie Huo immediately accepted the order.

"My lord, I will certainly not let you down." Inuzuka Tetsu bowed deeply.

"Hmm." Feng Lan's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm really looking forward to it~"

After Inuzuka Tetsu left, Shisui said worriedly, "Master, is it really okay for him to be alone? What if the secret letter is intercepted..."

"Being kidnapped proves he's nothing special, lacking the strength to match his ambitions. He's dead, so be it." Feng Lan said calmly, casually picking up a pen and paper and writing a sentence on it: "This person is usable."

He casually handed the paper to Shisui: "Seal this up and give it to Inuzuka Tetsuya tomorrow."

Feng Lan never intended to report the details of the situation here to Minato in writing. Besides, he was going to do something big behind Minato and Tobirama's back. It wouldn't be good to let that guy know about the Edo Tensei too early, or he might accidentally let it slip.

The tiny contents of this letter simply determined Inuzuka Tetsu's fate; whether he could control his destiny was entirely up to him.

Although Shisui was completely confused, he still agreed: "Yes."

"Feng Lan." It was Tsunade, who had seen through everything, who wore a complicated expression. "You..."

“What a jerk, I know, I know, no need to keep mentioning it.” Feng Lan yawned. “Besides, to deal with a jerk, using ‘jerk’ is more appropriate… I’m going to eat and sleep now. Team leader, can you help me out?”

He knew that Yunyin wouldn't wait long, and that his time was running out, but it would be best to rest today.

……

Meanwhile, in the Hidden Cloud Village.

The Fourth Raikage, A, concluded his meeting to discuss strategic deployments and returned to his office.

He was undoubtedly a reckless brute, but a reckless brute with a brain. But regardless of whether he had a brain or not, this fight still had to be fought among his own. The Will of Lightning treated everyone as good brothers, and now that a good brother had been killed, if you didn't go up and demand an explanation, the ninjas who believed in this doctrine would find it unacceptable.

To the outside world, Kumogakure has always presented itself with a tough and domineering attitude. The fact that they did not react when their diplomatic envoy was killed will damage Amegakure's hegemonic image. Other forces will then suspect that Kumogakure suffered too much damage in the Third Shinobi World War (after all, the Third Raikage died). Even small countries will be unable to resist coming to test them, and many interests that originally belonged to the village will be lost.

Therefore, this battle is absolutely necessary, and it must be fought well. We don't need to cripple Konoha, as long as we can gain the upper hand on the main battlefield, Iwagakure will be unable to resist taking action. At that time, Sunagakure and Kirigakure will swarm in, and even if the Yellow Flash has three heads and six arms, it will be useless.

"father……"

His gaze moved upwards, looking at the portrait of the Third Raikage hanging above his office: "Back then, your Lightning Blade wasn't fast enough, nor was it ruthless enough! But rest assured, with me and Bee here, Kumogakure will definitely stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world!"

Chapter 87: The King of Guanzhong Has Arrived

It was unusual for Amegakure to be dry this morning. A crack appeared in the gray clouds, letting in a beam of pale golden light that fell on the muddy open space at the village entrance.

The Akatsuki members gradually woke up from Hanzo's stronghold. Some stretched, some stretched their necks, and some rubbed their stomachs. Last night's hearty meal was the most satisfying meal they had eaten in days.

Nagato's spirits have recovered considerably. Although the side effects of the Rinnegan have not completely disappeared, he can at least walk on his own without assistance.

Everyone patted each other on the shoulder to encourage each other and welcome the new day. Although there was no specific goal yet, it didn't matter. Yahiko would lead us. This was the unanimous thought of everyone in the Akatsuki organization, including Nagato.

Xiao Nan came out of the shed, carrying a wooden basin in her hand. Drinking water was scarce at the moment, and she was going to collect some rainwater to wash up. However, she stopped abruptly as soon as she stepped out the door.

"Yahiko, Nagato, come quickly and see!"

As Yahiko was stretching his aching shoulders, he heard a strange sound in Konan's voice and immediately came out with Nagato. The two followed Konan's gaze, their pupils slightly contracting.

A small group of people were walking slowly along the muddy path at the village entrance. Their clothes were worn and covered in mud, and they carried things in their arms. Their steps were unsteady, but their eyes shone with light, as if they had walked a long way to get here.

This was a group of children, the oldest no more than twelve or thirteen years old, and the youngest seemingly only four or five. Some clutched half a piece of dry food tightly in their hands, some carried several pieces of clothing wrapped in cloth on their backs, and a few huddled together, supporting each other as they walked.

They walked unsteadily, but step by step they approached Amegakure, clearly with a goal in mind.

Upon seeing the outline of Amegakure, the little boy at the front beamed with joy and shouted, "We're here! There are houses!"

The children behind cheered, their tired faces breaking into smiles, and their pace quickened. Some started running, some fell and got up again, and a little girl ran while turning back to shout, "Hurry up, the uncle said there would be food for us when we got here!"

Nagato's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Xiao Nan, being the most observant, whispered, "These children... were they taken in by Feng Lan along the way?"

Yahiko didn't answer, because the answer was already there. The dry rations and clothes the children were carrying bore the mark of Konoha, and some of the bags were even exactly the same as the ones his group had opened the night before.

"The things that Jiraiya-sensei sent yesterday..." Konan, who was in charge of logistics, said with a change in expression, "are only enough for our Akatsuki organization to eat for three days."

Yahiko slowly clenched his fist, knowing that this was yet another layer of pressure exerted by Fenglan.

He did help the children, but when he was giving them aid and distributing supplies, he deliberately told them, "Keep going, and when you get to Amegakure, someone will help you settle down."

He channeled the children's hopes to Amegakure, turning them into an invisible bargaining chip. The food Jiraiya sent was just enough to feed the Akatsuki, but far from sufficient if the children were included.

This guy had calculated the children's progress beforehand, which is why he gave them three days when he said he needed to think about it some more. Right now, these children are the ones closest to the village. If Feng Lan started making money as soon as he entered the Rain Kingdom, then there would only be more and more children to come.

“He did it on purpose.” Yahiko gritted his teeth.

Xiao Nan frowned slightly: "But those children did receive help..."

“I know,” Yahiko interrupted her. “He did help those children, I don’t deny that, but he also put their future on our shoulders.”

“But even if Fenglan doesn’t suppress it, don’t these children’s futures still rest on our shoulders?” Nagato also spoke up.

“You’re right.” Yahiko closed his eyes. He was genuinely moved, genuinely angry, and genuinely fearful.

Feng Lan is a person who does good deeds, but he also does a lot of evil deeds. However, every action he takes is like a chess piece placed on a chessboard. Once it is placed, the person on the other side has no way to retreat.

If you ally with this kind of person, you might be devoured without a trace if you're not careful.

But I... have no other choice.

When he opened his eyes again, his expression was much calmer: "Konan, Nagato, gather everyone."

Nagato was taken aback: "What are you going to do?"

Yahiko turned and walked back, his voice not loud but firm: "Help those kids settle down, and then... I'll go find Fenglan."

Xiao Nan asked softly, "Have you decided?"

Yahiko paused for a moment, but didn't turn around: "He gave us a reason we couldn't refuse. If we continue to drag this out, it won't just be our Akatsuki comrades who suffer, but also those children."

He paused, lowered his voice, as if speaking to himself: "Besides, he's so calculating. I can't let him think I can't see through him, otherwise we'll only be in a more passive position."

Nagato and Konan exchanged a glance and asked no more questions; they had grown accustomed to following in Yahiko's footsteps.

The group of children at the village entrance were still chattering away. They didn't know what had happened, nor what burden they carried. All they knew was that someone had told them, "Keep walking and you'll find food," and now they had actually arrived.

Soon, members of the Akatsuki organization came forward with food and water and welcomed the group of happy children inside.

……

In the distance, towards the camp, Fenglan, who had just woken up, was eating a quick meal of meatballs and red bean soup after washing up.

"My lord!" Soon, a member of the Hyuga branch family who was on lookout ran over to report, "The Akatsuki organization has brought the first batch of children into the village."

"Mm." Feng Lan nodded, swallowing the dumpling in her mouth. "It's time. Get ready to line up."

After demonstrating your intentions, you should also appropriately show your fangs; a combination of kindness and severity is the way to manage subordinates.

Standing behind Feng Lan, Shi Shui had grown somewhat after following him for so long and had roughly deduced the whole story. He couldn't help but whisper, "My lord, aren't you afraid that Yahiko will be angry?"

“It’s good that he’s angry.” Feng Lan wiped his mouth. “Anger shows that he’s using his brain. If a leader can’t even get angry, then I’d really have to worry about whether he can be relied on after the alliance. But given Ya Yan’s rationality, he would rather control his anger and directly ask for benefits than he would do.”

"Let's go." His eyes were still bloodshot, but he stood up. "Go to the door to greet our distinguished guest."

Shisui watched his retreating figure without asking, "What if Yahiko refuses?" because he knew the answer. Fenglan wouldn't let those children go to waste; the adults would show Yahiko that what he offered wasn't just scheming, but also a path for Amegakure to truly survive.

However, that road happened to lead in the direction he wanted.

……

Because Jiraiya was on night watch last night and they were too exhausted to pay attention to Fenglan, they were truly surprised when they arrived today.

The most eye-catching feature is that the wooden houses are not makeshift shacks, but neat and orderly wooden houses with beams in the roof, gaps in the walls, and ventilation openings in the window positions.

Obito's skills have clearly improved, and the speed at which he built the structure far exceeded the expectations of the people of Amegakure.

"The house..." Xiao Nan whispered a reminder.

Yahiko knew what she was thinking, of course. Amegakure was impoverished year-round. Apart from the most central area of ​​the village, where Hanzo and his men lived, most of the villagers' houses were old and dilapidated, far inferior to this little wooden hut.

If Fenglan's people can build houses quickly, he'll agree to help. At least replacing some houses in Yuyin Village would solve the immediate problem.

Upon closer inspection, two rows of Konoha ninja stood ramrod straight at the camp entrance. They wore identical dark uniforms, their backs ramrod straight, hands behind their backs, eyes fixed straight ahead, their faces expressionless. Their uniform posture suggested neither rest nor alertness, but rather a silent declaration: we are not a motley crew, we are an army.

Yahiko paused, he had never seen anything like it before. Ninja battles were always about teamwork, individual raids, and stealthy assassinations, but this group of people, just standing still, exuded an immense sense of oppression.

The posture of this group of people inexplicably reminded him of the samurai formation he had seen when passing through the Land of Iron a few years ago, that kind of "we can draw our swords at any time" kind of aura.

Similar to the previous square formations and chanting slogans, this was Feng Lan applying his pre-transmigration military training experience to the ninja drills. For ninjas, this was certainly not the most effective training method, but it must be admitted that the visual impact of this group after the training was completed was very strong.

If the ninja's fighting style is like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, whose appearance is deadly, then this high-profile and flamboyant formation is like a tiger crouching and a dragon coiled—not necessarily practical, but definitely imposing enough.

Sitting in the living room, Feng Lan began to put on airs, picking up a glass of water and bringing it to his lips, but instead of drinking, he glanced sideways at the three people who entered the room. If it weren't for the lack of background music and the inappropriate timing, he would have said, "Ah, it's the King of Guanzhong."

Behind Feng Lan, Shisui, Obito, Tsunade, and other Kage-level powerhouses stood on both sides, along with Hizashi, Dai, and elites from various clans, all watching them intently. Every gaze fell upon the three of them, bringing an extremely heavy sense of oppression.

Jiraiya, who was following behind the three, frowned but did not dare to speak. The only thing he could do for his disciples was not to stand behind Fenglan and help him show off.

Yahiko wasn't unfamiliar with powerful individuals, but this was the first time he'd been simultaneously observed by such a group of strong people. He couldn't help but recall what Feng Lan had said during the negotiations: "If I wanted to seize the Rinnegan, I wouldn't have come alone to this meeting."

Now, the other party has shown that they are not coming alone, which means they have enough strength to seize the Rinnegan. It also silently shows that Feng Lan's willingness to come alone to negotiate last time was a sign of their sincerity.

If it had been under the watchful eyes of so many powerful figures, Yahiko wasn't sure if he would have had the courage to haggle so much.

After a few seconds of silence, Feng Lan finally put down her water glass and gestured for her to sit: "Sit."

His tone was calm, and the ninjas behind him all looked away, but at that moment Yahiko felt that he had no other choice but to sit down as instructed.

“I was the one who had those children walk along the main road,” Feng Lan said frankly before the other person could ask. “And this is only the first batch; there will be many more to come.”

Yahiko looked him straight in the eye: "You did this on purpose."

“Yes.” Feng Lan nodded without hesitation. “I have my own plans, and I can indeed help you solve some of your problems… such as housing and supplies. But I’m only responsible for getting the people and roads in place. How you choose is up to you.”

Yahiko clenched and unclenched his fists, his gaze sweeping over the people behind Fenglan, lingering longest on Obito. He could sense that Obito's eyes were the most special, in no way inferior to Nagato's, and that Obito was undoubtedly well-trained.

It seems that I really can only continue down that path.

"I agree to the alliance."