Chapter 891: War is the Best Catalyst!
Chapter 891: War is the Best Catalyst!
Konoha!
The village has undergone significant changes compared to the past.
Numerous new buildings have sprung up!
Due to the numerous battles that took place, especially the devastating attack by the Akatsuki, large areas of the village were destroyed.
And these destroyed areas naturally needed to be rebuilt.
As a result, one can see a blend of modern and old architectural clusters.
It can be said that the numerous great wars directly plowed through Konoha, also knocking down the villagers' pride.
In the past, the villagers of Konoha had an unmistakable air of pride and confidence written all over their faces.
After all, they were the leaders among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
But after experiencing several attacks on the village and the defeat by the Sunlight Nation, this pride shifted to the people of the Heavenly Fortress Tower.
"Look at all those Glider Wings over there!"
Quan looked up at the sky in the direction of the distant Sky Tower and noticed several black dots swirling in the air.
Air Force!
All major powers now understand the importance of strengthening their air forces.
Especially for Wind Style Ninjas! Even if they are only Genin, as long as they can skillfully master the Glider Wings, their value on the battlefield is absolutely no less than that of Jonin.
With this premise, it's no wonder that Konoha has abandoned its previous conservatism and rigidity, directly transferring resources to cultivate and train flying ninjas.
The training methods are entirely based on those of the Sunlight Nation.
Whether it's tactics or techniques, everything is moving towards their model.
And this is the most headache-inducing aspect.
Before the Great Shinobi War, the Sunlight Nation could keep related intelligence and technology secret, leaving other ninja villages clueless about how to copy them.
But after the large-scale aerial battles, various intelligence naturally leaked, leading to the rapid 'evolution' of the major ninja villages, and they already possess the momentum of the Sunlight Nation.
War is the best catalyst!
This saying holds true not only in Tang Ping's previous world but also in the Shinobi World; it's universally applicable.
With the war against the Sunlight Nation, countless useful tactics and techniques have prompted the major ninja villages to evolve, even to the point of disregarding everything else.
The ninjas understand that not evolving means waiting for death.
If it were the nobles talking, they would argue for ten days and a half about funding, and there would be all sorts of corruption and embezzlement. But ninjas don't have such detours; they take proactive measures when faced with threats.
That's why Tang Ping is concerned about the Ninja Alliance but not afraid of the coalition, including the nobles.
This time, his identity is that of a merchant.
It's not that he has a particular fondness for this identity, but in the Shinobi World, very few professions allow for free movement.
Among them, merchants are the most common and well-documented type.
Moreover, their identities are of the 'verifiable' kind, leaving no fear of exposure.
"Quan, have you noticed that there seem to be fewer of those loud and mischievous kids around these days?"
Tang Ping glanced at the street.
In the past, the streets of Konoha were filled with unruly children.
Especially the young ninjas led by Naruto were notorious for their mischief.
But now?
In the cold war atmosphere, everyone is diligently studying.
If they don't study hard, they won't make it back from the battlefield.
Under such a realistic threat, it's no wonder that parents are strictly disciplining and training their children.
They all understand that in critical moments, every ninja, even Academy Students, must be ready to fight for the village.
This is not the first time, so no one has a lucky mindset.
Tang Ping also has some inside information.
That is, among the Twelve Shinobi of Konoha, the remaining ones have all entered a state of 'diligent training'.
This is very different from the original storyline.
In the original story, aside from the deeply wronged Shikamaru and the incredibly determined Rock Lee, the rest were inconsistent, lacking discipline.
But in this life, due to the consecutive deaths of friends, family, and teachers, these young ninjas have been stimulated, leading to a rapid increase in their strength. The weakest among them are now capable Chunin, and there's no shortage of Jonin.
The Shinobi World's education pioneer!
Tang Ping feels that the education sector should award him for his contributions.
Speaking of which, the consequences of his continuous poaching and draining of resources can also be seen in the Twelve Shinobi.
Currently, half of them are under his command!
It can be said that Tang Ping now holds over half of Konoha's foundation.
Especially the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, each capable of being the pillars of a Great Ninja Village, have now all moved to the Heavenly Fortress Tower. This is no longer just poaching; it's uprooting the entire village.
Not to mention the lower-ranked ninjas from the Yuhi and Inuzuka clans.
They were almost draining Konoha dry!
At this moment, Konoha's strength might surpass that of the Cloud Village, but their potential might not necessarily be superior.
In other words, the Cloud Village's long-awaited goal had already been achieved.
The two walked towards the commercial street.
They were going to meet someone.
After all, they didn't have Hyuga Tsukuyuki with them this time, and it was impossible to use the Reincarnation Eye to find Shonju, so it was only natural to seek help.
Kakashi!
He was now a standard Shadow Rank-level powerhouse, and his status in Konoha was unquestionable.
Not only did he serve as the deputy minister of the Anbu, but he also held the title of the head of the Security Department.
With the help of such an influential figure, finding Shonju would be a breeze, especially since he wasn't the type to hide his capabilities.
Yes, his strength was formidable with the resources he had, but it was all relative. In Konoha, finding him would be a simple task.
As for him staying elsewhere?
Impossible.
Aside from the harsh living conditions in other places, the mere distinction between ninjas and ordinary people was enough to ensure he would only stay in a ninja village.
Not far away!
Tang Ping and the others saw Sakura and Naruto exiting a flower shop, holding white chrysanthemums as they headed towards the memorial stone.
It seemed they were going to visit the memorial of Asuma and Saji.
Even after returning over two months ago, they still couldn't shake off the events of that mission.
If they had chosen to retreat at the first sign of trouble, would they have avoided losing two of their comrades?
Regret and sorrow had led to their significant growth.
Compared to the original storyline, not many people close to the protagonist had died, but now Naruto had lost too many.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, noticing her companion's sudden pause.
Naruto furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, and then shook his head, indicating it was nothing.
He had been touched by something, which made him stop and turn back, but finding nothing, he suspected he had made a mistake.
Behind them, Tang Ping, even without turning back, could clearly sense what had happened.
'Is it Asura's chakra or the Nine-Tails?'
He didn't think that their disguise would be seen through by Naruto.
If it were the latter, it would be understandable, as the Nine-Tails had a natural sense of malice and wasn't weak in perception.
If it were the former, it would mean that the current Naruto might have lost his sense of self, becoming indistinguishable from Asura.
Normally, such a situation wouldn't occur.
Just thinking about Sasuke's situation made it clear; chakra reincarnation had an impact, but not to this extent.
However, Kakuzu had manipulated things before Naruto's birth, causing Asura's chakra to have a more significant influence, directly distorting Naruto's original personality.
Otherwise, that saint-like temperament wouldn't have been so firmly and obsessively twisted, like a Sharingan-induced spiritual distortion.
From outside the shop, one could see Ino Yamanaka deep in thought inside the flower shop.
Her beauty was undeniable, and it was no wonder Tang Ping felt that her marrying Saji was like a pig getting the best of the lot.
But he didn't have any strong opinions about it.
After all, it was her father, Inuzuka Yuki, who had foolishly challenged Hyuga Tsukuyuki and met his end without explanation.
Speaking of which, two of the previous generation's 'Boar Deer Butterfly' trio had fallen to Hyuga Tsukuyuki's hands, and on top of that, Fukasaku Sennin, Asuma, and Saji had also met their demise at his hands.
So, was Hyuga Tsukuyuki the 'Konoha Slayer'?
After killing her father, he was now trying to win over her daughter. Tang Ping's values, formed from a young age, wouldn't allow him to do such a thing.
Unfortunately, he didn't know one crucial thing.
At that moment, Ino's thoughts were indeed related to him.
The Espionage Plan!
It was a plan proposed by Ayame.
The goal was to infiltrate Tang Ping's side and steal intelligence, or even find a way to take him down.
If you can't beat them head-on, strike from the shadows—a common tactic among ninjas, not an uncommon occurrence.
In the end, Ayame chose Ino.
And the reasons were more than sufficient.
(End of Chapter)
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