novel bin Chapter 321 Nobody Cares
Chapter 321 Nobody Cares
"'The Box of Elysium'? It's just a side hustle, don't bother with it." After listening to White Zetsu's report, the man wearing the orange mask ignored the information. What he cared more about was the most casual sentence in the report: "The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was actually kidnapped from his own home. It seems that the Immortal Duo's mission is not very stressful."
"What a pity, the Seven-Tails was sent directly to Konoha Village, accompanied by that annoying Nine-Tails the whole time. I didn't get any useful information at all." White Zetsu was really annoyed by Naruto, who could sense him. No matter what he disguised himself as, that kid could always find him with perfect accuracy.
The number of White Zetsu lost so far has reached a considerable figure, with the highest casualties all related to the Nine-Tails. These were either clones deployed to Konoha or clones tasked with scouting the Nine-Tails. Moreover, the pattern of these losses isn't entirely absolute; those near Konoha are almost certainly doomed, while those tasked with scouting the Nine-Tails have a certain survival rate. This survival rate is unpredictable and has no direct correlation with distance from the Nine-Tails, disguise, or methods of intelligence gathering. It's more like... the enemy occasionally having a whim and letting them go.
For this damn reason, they couldn't even figure out the Nine-Tails' current range of perception.
"The Nine-Tails can't possibly deliver the Seven-Tails directly to Takigakure; there will be opportunities to observe along the way. The time for the plan to start is approaching, and the intelligence we obtain now is crucial for future operations."
"He's just a teenage ninja; Kakuzu and Hidan can handle him." A deep, pale purple light shone in the darkness, and Pain, who had been silent until now, opened his eyes. A ninja who had developed the power of the Rinnegan to perfection indeed possessed strength that could rival the ninja world. Moreover, every ninja who joined Akatsuki was no ordinary person, and they operated in small teams. Taking down a less prominent Jinchuriki was not difficult.
Xiao Nan, sitting to the side, showed a slight change in expression, but ultimately said nothing, lowering her eyes to hide the reluctance in them.
"Ban" observed the person opposite him without showing any emotion. The puppet's face was so stiff and lifeless that nothing could be seen. Although Konan wavered slightly, she prioritized Pain's will over her own thoughts. As long as Pain was alive, this woman could not possibly betray him.
"The Seven-Tails is nothing to worry about, but the Nine-Tails' growth rate has far exceeded expectations. If I remember correctly, the sudden incident at Hozuki Castle and the upheaval in the Land of Frost happened at the same time. He supported both directions simultaneously and took them both down." He understood the arrogance of the strong, but he still had to give the reminders. After all, the Flying Thunder God Technique was truly the most troublesome and difficult ninjutsu he had ever encountered.
However, Pain had never faced this technique before and couldn't yet comprehend the unpredictability of the Flying Thunder God Technique. With the Six Paths' assistance, he believed he could achieve a perfect balance of offense and defense, making him invincible. The only thing he needed to worry about was the Nine-Tails' massive chakra, which might be difficult to handle.
While Xiao was holding a small meeting at the base, Beichen was also holding a closed-door meeting to discuss the impact of this incident.
Thanks to the Sage of Six Paths, Jiraiya seemed to have taken the second color of Wood Release that appeared that day as some kind of natural protective mechanism. He didn't mention it to Naruto, nor did he specifically explain it to Tsunade. However, they had no way of knowing what this overly perceptive ninja was thinking, since Naruto was probably hoping he would forget about it as soon as possible and certainly wouldn't ask about it.
"So, this incident was completely a losing proposition." Izuna's assessment was as sharp as ever. "Oh, I wasn't talking about the Land of Frost, but Hozuki Castle. Even if you said you spent half a day getting there, it would be better than saying the amulet you gave had the Flying Thunder God mark."
"...Many people witnessed my arrival right on time, so this can't be explained away." Naruto, unusually, didn't use his Golden Wheel persona at the base, and even pouted with a wronged expression. "Didn't Sasuke call Gamabunta 'boss'? If we want to keep his presence a secret, I have to take the blame myself."
Izuna smiled and leaned forward, saying "kindly," "Do you remember what our plan was for the Sixth Hokage's rise to power? Your loyalty to the Daimyo and your harmless nature are the best advantages. You'd better make the Daimyo believe that you're just a silly, overly kind person who would give away Flying Thunder God Talismans indiscriminately."
Naruto was speechless and silently shifted his gaze to Uncle Hashirama. Normally, their persuasion chain would go from Hashirama to Tobirama to Izuna, with the Uchiha patriarch occasionally listening to the opinions of his junior, Fugaku. Unfortunately, this time Hashirama was in dire straits himself and couldn't help, only able to wink at Naruto.
"The Daimyo might come to test you soon, so be prepared." Fortunately, Tobirama was a reliable person, and he easily changed the subject.
To be honest, even now Naruto wouldn't dare say he can understand the Daimyo's thought process.
While the entire nation prepared to confront the Otsutsuki clan, this person killed him with a special cup of poisoned wine. However, he couldn't recall any of the poison's effects, seemingly dying while not fully conscious. As for the system of governance, the Daimyo was incredibly adept at it, repeatedly restricting Konoha's development through budget cuts and decrees. For example, they couldn't touch raw material production or heavy industry; doing so would inevitably lead to various "accidents."
Being young, I couldn't understand the implications; it was Kakashi-sensei and his team of advisors who shouldered everything. Konoha's period of rapid development coincided with the Sixth Hokage's golden decade in office, and the development direction was already firmly set within the framework. Even Kakashi-sensei couldn't secure the two aforementioned goals, only managing to acquire some small factories in light industry and various wholesalers.
As everyone knows, wholesalers are in a frustrating industry where they have to negotiate with suppliers and find retailers. Unless they are incredibly large, they have to appease both sides; offending either one means they'll starve. The fact that the Fire Country Daimyo only allows Konoha to have this kind of business, while preventing them from touching the most important production and most profitable heavy industry, speaks volumes about his intentions.
The ninja village is ultimately a weapon of the daimyo. If a weapon can be self-sufficient, then why does it need to continue protecting its "master"?
This sense of apprehension permeated the entire ninja village system. From worrying that there were too many of them, to worrying that they were too idle, to worrying that they were too well-fed, it was all for the sake of protecting the daimyo's own interests.
Forget it, worrying about these things won't change the situation. The only way out is to honestly carry the revolution through to the end.
Naruto smiled calmly and said, "It's alright. I'm the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he can't possibly send someone to kill me, can he?"