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Shin strolled through the streets of Sunagakure, attracting quite a few gazes, especially from women.
“My irresistible charm… it’s a burden, really.” Shin lamented melodramatically.
If Kushina and the others were here, they’d accuse him of being narcissistic. But Shin wouldn’t consider himself narcissistic—he was just stating facts.
“Sunagakure looks even more dilapidated than before.”
Shin surveyed his surroundings.
It had been over a decade since his last visit. In that time, Sunagakure hadn’t improved at all—in fact, it had deteriorated further.
The primary reason was the Third Shinobi World War, which had completely drained Sunagakure’s resources.
The Land of Wind, though a large nation, wasn’t particularly wealthy. Its vast territory was mostly desert, with a harsh geographical environment.
Coupled with Sunagakure’s defeat in the war, the Land of Wind Daimyo stopped funding the village. Sunagakure was forced to tighten its belt and adopt an elite ninja training policy.
It wasn’t a choice—they simply didn’t have enough money to train a large number of ninja.
Training ninja was incredibly expensive.
BOOOOOOOOM!
As Shin walked, an explosion sounded nearby. He looked up to see Deidara bombing Sunagakure with his explosive clay.
“Quite arrogant.” Shin chuckled lightly, then paid it no further mind.
“Owner, a bottle of sake.” Shin entered a tavern and addressed the panicked owner.
“Just take it yourself! No charge!” The owner fled in terror. The explosions outside were terrifying; his life was more important than a bit of money.
Shin casually took a bottle of sake from the counter and walked out of the tavern. Sunagakure’s ninja had all been alerted by now.
“HAHAHAHAHA!” Deidara cackled atop his clay bird, reveling in the sight of the panicked Suna ninja below.
Gaara stood on the Kazekage Tower, looking up at the small black dot in the sky—Deidara on his bird.
“<Sand Shuriken!>”
Countless shuriken formed from sand shot towards the sky, targeting the cackling Deidara.
Deidara, sensing danger, quickly leaned to the side, but he was a step too slow. A lock of his hair was severed, and a bloody scratch appeared on his face.
“I’m flying this high, and he can still hit me?” Deidara was surprised and angered. He controlled his bird to descend, wanting to see who had attacked him.
——
“That idiot, Deidara! He’s making too much noise!”
Sasori, who had infiltrated Sunagakure, fumed. He had thought Deidara was just scouting, but Deidara had actually started attacking.
Since Deidara had made his move, Sasori, though reluctant, had no choice but to act as well. He didn’t believe Deidara could complete the mission alone.
This was Sunagakure’s home turf—and Sasori knew Suna had hidden power, like his grandmother, Chiyo.
His grandmother Chiyo was Sunagakure’s strongest puppeteer. Though Sasori now believed that title should belong to him, he didn’t underestimate his grandmother.
Furthermore, there was Ebizō, whose combat strength was once Kage level. Even if age had diminished his power, he was still at least Quasi-Kage level.
If they appeared… Deidara would likely be killed—
Sasori controlled his puppets, attacking the Suna ninja.
——
Meanwhile, Deidara had already engaged Gaara in battle. Deidara’s explosive clay was completely blocked by Gaara’s sand.
With his Armor of Sand—even powerful explosions couldn’t break through Gaara’s defense.
Shin, observing from nearby, took a sip of sake and nodded lightly. Gaara’s strength was indeed sufficient to be Kazekage.
Well, just barely. Among the Kage of the Five Great Villages, Gaara’s strength was likely the weakest, probably not even comparable to the current Mizukage, Hiashi Hyūga.
“SHIN UZUMAKI! WHY ARE YOU IN SUNAGAKURE?! IS THIS YOUR DOING??!” An angry voice questioned Shin.
“Chiyo, you’re not dead yet?” Shin didn’t turn around, but he knew who was standing behind him.
In the original story, Chiyo and Ebizō only appeared after Gaara was captured. It seemed things had changed.
The old woman Chiyo’s nose practically contorted with rage. She was about to attack Shin, but the quick-witted Ebizō stopped her.
“Sister, consider the bigger picture! Don’t act recklessly!” Ebizō earnestly advised Chiyo. If they really fought, they definitely wouldn’t be Shin Uzumaki’s match.
They weren’t his match before, let alone now…
So many years had passed—Shin Uzumaki’s strength had surely increased significantly, while theirs hadn’t improved and had likely even regressed.
With this disparity, they would probably be crushed.
“Hmph!” Chiyo snorted coldly but heeded Ebizō’s advice and didn’t attack.
“Recognizing me just from my back… you’re quite impressive,” Shin said with a faint smile.
Ebizō remained silent, touching a spot slightly to the right of his heart, which ached faintly.
Ebizō had once been nearly killed by Shin Uzumaki, his heart almost pierced by Shin’s blade. His memory of Shin was incredibly vivid.
“Are you involved in this? Do you want to destroy Sunagakure?” Chiyo glared angrily at Shin.
“Don’t make baseless accusations. This has nothing to do with me. Besides, do you want to see me destroy Sunagakure? Shall I demonstrate how to destroy Sunagakure for you?” Shin turned around, looking at Chiyo and Ebizō.
Shin wasn’t just talking; he was actually doing it.
“<Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!>”
Countless trees erupted from the ground, destroying Sunagakure’s buildings. Nothing escaped the Wood Release’s destructive power.
In the blink of an eye, the original Sunagakure was transformed into a forest.
“Sunagakure should be considered gone now, right?” Shin said with a faint smile.
“Relax. I didn’t kill anyone. Just destroyed all of Sunagakure’s buildings. Actually, you should thank me. I’ve given you a vast forest.”
Chiyo’s face turned ashen. She was almost overcome with anger by Shin’s words.
“This is Wood Release! When did Shin Uzumaki learn Wood Release?” Ebizō looked at Shin, his eyes filled with apprehension.
Shin Uzumaki was becoming increasingly unfathomable…
“Sister, absolutely do not attack!” Ebizō quickly stopped Chiyo, who looked like she was about to explode.
Shin Uzumaki had only destroyed Sunagakure’s buildings.
Though the loss was great, it was still acceptable. But if they attacked Shin Uzumaki, he would likely start killing.
Shin Uzumaki was no saint!
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