Escape From Konoha

Konoha 64, January.

In the harsh winter season, everything is dormant, and it has been two years since the Fourth Ninja World War that established a new pattern in the ninja world.

Perhaps that war consumed too much power of the major countries. In the past two years, the major countries seem to have entered a period of relatively peaceful development. The ninjas in China still have conflicts from time to time, but they are only small-scale battles, and it is not worth mentioning on the stage.

On the surface, the ninja world is calm, and every major war will usher in several years or even ten years of peace, which seems to have become a tradition in the ninja world. However, everyone knows that this is just a sign before the storm.

The friction between big countries has been reduced, but the big country's control of small countries behind the scenes has become a stage for all countries to fight.

Taking the victory of the Fourth Ninja World War as an opportunity, the country of ghosts infiltrated the small countries more rapidly. The small countries in the west of the ninja continent are basically led by the country of ghosts, gradually forming a trend of alliance countries.

The original aristocratic class in the country has been suppressed by force, and the voice they can make is getting smaller and smaller. If things go on like this, it will only be a matter of time before these small countries become the pockets of the ghost country. Anyone with a discerning eye can understand this figure it out.

As the land and population of the "encroachment" of the ghost country are getting bigger and bigger, the two big countries in the west of the continent, the country of wind and the country of soil, can only turn a blind eye to this, even if the ghost country The country's various actions have led to a sharp reduction in the number of tasks entrusted to the Ninja Village of the Great Country, and Fengtu Erguo is only holding the attitude of muddling through, avoiding a direct conflict with the Ghost Country.

After all, the first time the ghost country's military and security forces entered these small countries was to take down the country's black industry and the bandit forces hidden in the country, and suppress them with thunderous and **** means.

Accepting the rule of the ghost country means that the country can enjoy the constant protection of the ghost country's security forces, and there is no need for an existence like a ninja village to solve their problems. If it weren't for the daimyo of the two countries to provide more With the financial support, there may be problems with the normal operation of Ninja Village.

Lu Jiu stood in Hokage's office.

Even after two years, the working environment here is still the same as in the past, there are piles of documents on the desk that can never be processed, and there is a fifth-generation Hokage Tsunade who is constantly busy.

This is already the norm in Hokage's office.

Although as Tsunade of Hokage, he can assign the work of processing documents to other high-level executives to complete together. After all, if there are so many documents, if one person is really required to handle them, he will have to stay in Hokage's office for at least ten hours a day , and occasionally work overnight.

But the rest of the high-level Tsunade can't believe it, especially the two consultants, who are very vigilant existences. If the power of Naruto is divided between the two consultants, maybe the other party will backstab himself.

Tsunade can vividly remember the mistakes made by teacher Hiruzaru Sarutobi.

Therefore, Tsunade will only assign a small number of tasks to Shikaku, the trustworthy Jonin squad leader, and occasionally distribute some documents for Hyuga Hyuzu, who is one of the senior elders, to handle them on his behalf. But most of the time, It's all handled by Tsunade alone.

If you are too busy, you will use the technique of shadow clone to make an emergency.

Standing in front of the desk, Shikajiu didn't say a word, even if there was an important matter to report, he would quietly wait for Tsunade to finish his work before explaining.

It lasted like this for more than ten minutes, Tsunade temporarily escaped from the bitter sea of ​​work, and turned his attention to Shikajiu.

Even after two years, Lu Jiu, who is already a middle-aged man, hasn't changed much on his body, at most, the beard on his chin has grown a little bit, and he has improved a little bit of energy.

The ninjas of the Nara clan, apart from the family-inherited secret arts, have two other notable characteristics. One is lazy and has no motivation to do anything. The other is smart. People of this clan generally have high IQs.

It is not for nothing that this clan of ninjas can hold the position of Konoha Jonin squad leader from the beginning to the end.

At least in terms of work attitude, even Tsunade can rarely pick out any faults from Shikajiu.

\"Thank you, Hokage-sama.\"

\"Isn't this a necessary job every day? Don't worry, physically speaking, I am the same as a young man, and this amount of work is not difficult for me.\"

Tsunade stretched his waist, and let out a long breath. Regarding some of Lu Jiu's worries, Tsunade did not take it seriously.

She is the top medical ninja in the ninja world, so she naturally knows how to take care of her body. Although at her age, her physical fitness has basically reached its limit, and it is impossible to increase any more, but relying on her own medical ninjutsu, even at six Ten years old, the decline in strength is almost negligible.

After all, the hidden wounds left in her body when she was young have already been slowly removed through the usual maintenance and continuous care. In terms of physique, she is stronger than most young ninjas today.

It looks like a lot of work, but for her, it doesn't cause any load on her body, as long as she pays more attention to the balance between work and rest.

\"Speaking of which, is there anything you want to come to me at this time?\" Tsunade turned to ask.\"There are two things.\"

Lu Jiu said. Tsunade didn't speak, but took a sip of tea and listened quietly.

\"The first thing is that the Anbu cultivated secretly in the previous batch has reached the qualified standard, and you can try to cultivate a new batch of Anbu.\"

Because he advised Tsunade two years ago and provided this idea, the Anbu under Tsunade is now divided into two parts, light and dark.

On the bright side, the Anbu is commanded by the chief and deputy ministers. There are six sub-captains, twenty-four squad leaders, and seventy-two team members under his command. These people are the lowest in strength and they are Chunin. The six sub-captains are all elites in Jonin , of the twenty-four squad leaders, more than half of them are Jnin or Special Jnin. These ninjas gathered under Tsunade's command are already a very powerful force.

Compared with the period when the three generations of Hokage were in power, the size and strength of the Anbu have been significantly improved.

And this is also the condition that Tsunade obtained from advisors and ninjas as a matter of course after becoming the Hokage.

In addition, there is Anbu who was secretly cultivated two years ago.

These Anbu are not counted in the Anbu's original statistical list, but recorded on another list, only Tsunade and Shikajiu are eligible to watch.

This Anbu, which is located in the deeper part, has cultivated a total of more than 270 people. Because there are no rules on the level of ninjas, even lower ninjas can be incorporated, so the number of people is relatively large.

Most of them are mainly Chunin, and a few low-level ninjas with outstanding talents are also absorbed, and finally several high-level ninjas are selected as the leaders of this Anbu team.

The strength of this Anbu army is obviously inferior to the Anbu on the bright side. The Anbu on the bright side, there are only twenty jounin gathered together, not to mention, the gathered Chunin are all the same An excellent ninja among the top ranks. However, the biggest role of this Anbu team is to strengthen the direct power of Tsunade. In addition, when there is a problem with the bright side and Anbu, it can quickly replace the superior, and always let the Anbu organization carry out a virtuous cycle. It is not a one-off When hit, it immediately stalls.

Due to the defection incidents of Kakashi and Asami Masumi, Tsunade and Shikahisa are cautious about the ninjas recruited into Anbu.

Any ninja with a little flaw or a "vacancy" in their resume will not be admitted. They will even conduct a 360-degree investigation of their family members, relatives, and friends to confirm that there are no problems in all aspects After that, admission will be made.

This is also the method Tsunade strictly adopted to protect Konoha. \"Oh, have they finished training yet?\"

\"Yes, because there is no need to worry about life, and there is no need to rush around for lengthy and meaningless tasks. Their only task is to train and become stronger. Occasionally, they will use the task channel here to conduct actual combat. In addition, Mr. Hokage, you They also opened many ninjutsu and secret techniques to them, so the ninjas who joined in grew up very fast...\"

Lu Jiu gave an affirmative tone, and couldn't help showing a smile on his face.

These recruited ninjas already have a good foundation, and Tsunade has spared no effort to provide various ninjutsu and secret techniques, as well as various resources, so they don't have to worry about life. Apart from practicing, they are actually fighting. It can't be justified if it can grow rapidly.

It can be said that the effect of this plan is much better than expected. But Tsunade showed a trace of sadness.

\"That's true, but we can only do this on a small scale, while the Ghost Country military is implementing such a policy in an all-round way... Whether it is the ninjutsu and secret art resources that can be provided, or the funds and time, No Konoha can compare with it.\"

\"The steps must be taken slowly step by step. The kingdom of ghosts also started to become stronger after completing the primitive accumulation.\"

\"Of course I know this. Is there enough funds over there? How many people can be admitted in the next batch?\"

Tsunade shook his head and asked this question.

\"With Mr. Hokage's secret support, the funds can continue to circulate. As for the number of people admitted in the next batch, according to the report, there are 161 people who have no problems, but I suggest that three of them be admitted based on merit. Ten people are enough.\"

Although I really want to absorb so many people all at once, it will be very troublesome to deal with the issues of venues and teachers.

To attract newcomers is not to give them ninjutsu and secret techniques, but to study them directly. If this is the case, it is just behind closed doors, and it will not go long at all.

Therefore, the ninja resources that are proficient in education are the real key. Each ninja is in charge of several newcomers, and elite training is carried out in a small class, so that the resources invested in can quickly become the strength of the ninjas themselves.

\"Thirty people? With the previously trained personnel, there are almost 300 people... It seems that there is still a long way to go before the goal of 500 people.\"

This transformation speed is already not slow, not to mention, these are all direct subordinates who can be trusted, so Tsunade can't pick any thorns out of them.

\"At present, Anbu has grown more than a circle, and can solve many problems for Master Hokage. It is that the consultants and ninjas may have noticed the movement here...\"

Lu Jiu pondered.

It was fine at first, but with the increase of personnel, more and more venues were requisitioned, and it was absolutely impossible to hide from the eyes of some people.

\"It's not possible, but they have already discovered it. Just yesterday, those two old things, and several ninja representatives headed by the Sarutobi clan, came to discuss this matter with me.\"

Tsunade smiled coldly. Lu Jiu was startled.

\"Don't worry, after all, I'm still Hokage, and they just protested. What I can't do, let the next generation do it. Anyway, those two old things probably won't stay in the position of advisor for long Bar.\"

It is already blatantly cursing the retirement of the two consultants.

\"Having said that, it might be even worse without the two advisors to lubricate the middle.\"

Lu Jiu thought about this question.

The existence of the consultant was originally to lubricate the relationship between Root and Hokage.

But now the roots have withdrawn from the front stage, and can no longer get their hands on the position of Hokage.

Then, the existence of advisors is to lubricate the relationship between Naruto and Ninja. If there is no lubricant like an advisor, things may develop in a bad direction. After all, there are still many powers that have not been gathered in the hands of Hokage.

\"Even if they don't lubricate in the middle, the situation is similar. As for the Hyuga clan...\"

Tsunade pressed his brow with a headache.

Even though it was her one-vote decision that pushed Hinata Nichizu to the high-level stage. This is also an unprecedented decision.

Because a wealthy family like the Hyuga clan ascended to such a high position, it will further strengthen the power of the clan, making the gap between them and the ordinary ninja clan wider and wider.

But how does Hyuga Hyuzu give feedback? In every meeting, he only has two sentences—the consultant is right.

Hokage-sama is right.

Not only did this make Tsunade helpless, but the consultant probably also felt dumbfounded about it.

In terms of not offending others, even the consultants who used to be the grass between Root and Hokage have to bow down.

Although this is already a traditional practice of the Hyuga clan.

But Tsunade still hopes that Hinata Hyuzu, the newly promoted high-level executive, can do something bigger, instead of being like a dead fish, even if it is fried in a frying pan, it is estimated that it will not move a bit.

\"Forget it, let's not talk about these headaches. What's the second thing?\" Tsunade shifted the topic, not thinking about the bad things about the Hyuga clan.

\"It is an invitation letter sent by the ghost country.\"

Lu Jiu took out an exquisite letter from the document in his hand, with aster-style bronzing on it.

\"Invitation letter? Even if you want to hold another joint Chunin exam, this time is too early.\"

Tsunade said so.

Now that the new year has just passed, not to mention the high-level officials of various countries, even the ninjas have begun to take vacations to reunite with their families.

Only she, Hokage, would be busy with endless work at such a time. By the way, I brought Shikahisa, the squad leader of the ninja, together.

\"It's not the Chunin exam, but we invite Konoha and Fire Country to participate in the 16th-year-old coming-of-age ceremony of the ghost country witch.\"

\"National witches of ghosts?\" Tsunade was in a daze for a while. Shikajiu nodded, and sighed in an inexplicable tone:

\"Speaking of it, the kingdom of ghosts seems to be a theocracy.\"\"...\" Tsunade smiled bitterly.

After Lu Jiu mentioned it, he suddenly remembered such a thing.

For a long time, because the kingdom of ghosts gives people the outstanding impression of strong military power, people have ignored the fact that it is essentially a theocratic country.

\"A coming-of-age ceremony for the shrine maiden? In other words, to send an envoy...\" Tsunade calmed down.

Although the relationship with the ghost country is not good, this is the case in diplomacy.

During the period of hostility, when she assumed the position of Five Generations of Hokage, the Kingdom of Oni also sent an envoy to congratulate her with a generous gift.

At least in terms of etiquette, it must be impeccable, showing the power of a big country, instead of holding on to some things.

\"Lu Jiu, then I will trouble you to go there then.\"

There is only one main maiden in the kingdom of ghosts, and that is the current maiden Shion. In the kingdom of fire, the status of the other party is equivalent to that of a daimyo.

The coming-of-age ceremony of the king of a country should send enough people to attend.

Originally, Jiraiya was also a good choice... But when he thought about the relationship between Jiraiya and the country of ghosts, Tsunade felt that sending him there might cause accidents, so it would be the best choice to let the more stable Shikaku go there.

\"I see.\"

Lu Jiu didn't refuse, so he could probably guess that Tsunade would leave this matter to himself.

Except Hokage\\Advisors who cannot go around without permission, those who are qualified have too much conflict with the ghost country. Those who have no conflict have a little less identity, and they don't seem to pay enough attention.

And among the ninjas who are suitable for status and will not cause conflicts with the kingdom of ghosts, among Konoha, he is the only ninja squad leader.

\"It's troublesome.\" Tsunade nodded, and then thought of something: \"By the way, don't let that brat Naruto know about it. Ghost Country...\"

◎

\"Your Highness Ziyuan, please don't do this, your actions will make us difficult.\"

In a side hall of the shrine, compared with the past, it seems that it is more spacious and brighter because of many repairs and modifications.

The wooden floor is polished smooth and bright, as if you can see the reflection of people from above.

Although some places can be seen to have modern decorations, most places still retain the ancient style.

At this time, the maiden in the side hall is teaching the main lineage maiden Ziyuan about some precautions for the coming-of-age ceremony.

For example, the most basic walking posture will definitely have strict specifications.

Originally, these things should be the foundation that should be laid from an early age, instead of waiting until this time to learn.

However, unlike the previous generation of main line shrine maidens, Ziyuan's personality is too capricious, coupled with the favor of the Minister of Military Affairs, the shrine maidens who usually teach Ziyuan etiquette can only turn a blind eye.

But this time the situation is different, it is the only one coming-of-age ceremony for a witch in her life, and she must not relax her vigilance.

Holding the completion ceremony means that Ziyuan has come of age, and is a veritable monarch of the ghost country, and is no longer a mascot in name only.

Theoretically, as long as you have passed the coming-of-age ceremony, you can control various government orders of the ghost kingdom.

But on the other hand, too much contamination with the breath of the world will make the power of the priestess unclean.

It doesn't matter to the witches of the branch, but the witches of the main line must keep the power of the witches pure to suppress the most powerful monsters - sprites. Once the power of the main line of witches is no longer pure, there will really be problems.

Therefore, the coming-of-age ceremony of the main branch of the ghost country, the maiden, is more symbolic than actual. Even if she has the ability to hold power, she will not interfere too much in the affairs of the world.

With the torii as the boundary, the inside world is ruled by the witches, and the outside world is under the jurisdiction of the military and government of the ghost country, and if necessary, it can be reported to the mainline priestess.

\"Don't stop me! Come-of-age ceremony, let it go to **** when the time comes!\" Ziyuan stretched out her hand towards the gate of the side hall, as if wanting to regain her freedom.

On her body, several witches are like a pendant, constantly obstructing her progress, asking her to stay and learn the various etiquette norms necessary for the coming-of-age ceremony.

After all, the coming-of-age ceremony is not far away, and there is not enough time in the first place. If His Highness is allowed to mess around again, the envoys from various countries will definitely laugh at that time, thinking that the priestess of the ghost country is just a vexatious child.

Although it is true that it is a child, if it is not true that they feel the huge pure power from Zi Yuan, as the branch maidens, they will even really doubt whether the previous maid Maitreya has carried the wrong fetus.

This kind of personality that is free from willfulness is not at all like the mainline witches of the previous generations.

Willful, savage, playful, delicious, half-hearted during the practice of the witch, either dozing off, or wanting to eat snacks, always thinking about running to the \'world\'.

What are you still yelling \'If you don't experience the prosperity of the world, how can you truly detach yourself from the world\' Such big words...

In the end, didn't he find an excuse for his playfulness and deliciousness? It's just that this excuse just sounds nice.

\"We will not let you leave here, Your Highness Ziyuan! Whatever you say today, let you stay here, and learn the etiquette that a lady should have!\"

\"Don't! I will die of boredom in this place where the birds don't shit!\"

It's a pity that a person's strength is always limited, and these witches are extremely firm in their willpower, and they will not let go no matter what.

In the end, Ziyuan, who was alone, was still defeated, and was honestly held in the side hall by the witches, forced to accept etiquette studies.

About two hours later, an older priestess walked into the side hall where she was learning etiquette.

Come to the front of the curtain and stop, inside is a place for Shion to rest.

\"The study in the afternoon has worked hard, Your Highness Ziyuan. I know that His Highness doesn't like this kind of long and boring etiquette study, but it is an important day for His Highness to accept the coming-of-age ceremony. At that time, you must not be rude in front of the envoys from various countries. Well, After the coming-of-age ceremony is over, His Highness will be free again.\"

There was no sound from inside.

On the bed, only the figure of a young girl lying on one side can be seen.

The old priestess sighed, knowing that Shion was annoyed with herself, and she didn't want to pay attention to these tedious and troublesome etiquettes.

However, considering that this year's mainline shrine maidens are slightly different, and the kingdom of ghosts has also undergone tremendous changes, she will turn a blind eye to some of Shion's behaviors that are not in line with shrine maidens.

\"Since His Highness has already rested, as long as His Highness agrees to study here for the past few days, I will not bother you.\"

However, this time, on the bed behind the curtain, the girl still didn't make any sound. \"Your Highness?\" The old witch hesitated for a moment, and tried to call out.

Finally realizing what was wrong, the old priestess swiftly stepped forward to lift the curtain with the agility of an old man, and saw the girl lying sideways on the bed.

The girl is wearing a priestess costume, but she doesn't have the slightest aura on her body, like a doll placed here.

The old witch's expression changed slightly, and he formed a seal with one hand. \"Solution!\"

The witch on the bed immediately turned into a puff of black smoke and disappeared into the air.

On the bed where the girl was lying on her side, there was only a palm-sized scarecrow tied with a red string, which seemed to be mocking her silently.

The face of the old witch suddenly darkened. ◎\"Go to the country of ghosts?\"

Shikamaru, who came back from outside in the evening, was told about it by his father Shikaku the first time he got home.

The sixteen-year-old Shikamaru is not only taller, but also a bit stronger than before, but it is completely invisible under the wrapping of the clothes. But that kind of mature and stable temperament compared to his peers is cannot be faked.

In the past two years, although he often complained about the busy work, the hard work in cultivation, and the inevitable headache of teaching Naruto every week...but in the end he gritted his teeth and persisted.

In a simple sentence, he thinks that his current strength can easily defeat himself when he was chasing Sasuke three years ago.

In terms of such impressive results, it can be regarded as fruitful.

Although the energy and time spent on this made him often exhausted. The days of leisure are gone forever.

However, he has just come back, and he is about to be ordered to go to the kingdom of ghosts. Isn't this oppressing him too intensively?

It is true that he no longer rejects the work of ninjas, but he can't squeeze his body like this, can he?

Sensing Shikamaru's resentful eyes, Shikaku also knew that Shikamaru might be wrong, so he said: "Don't worry, even though it's a mission, I will go with me. And it's not a troublesome diplomatic job, it should be said , it is right to travel at public expense.\"

\"Dad, would you come to me for such a good thing?\" Shikamaru looked at Shikahisa suspiciously.\"Can you have more confidence in me as a father?\"

Lu Jiu complained. \"Then, the specific thing is...\"

\"The priestess of the ghost country is going to hold a coming-of-age ceremony in a week. At that time, all countries will be invited to participate, and Konoha is also in the ranks of invitations. Lord Hokage entrusted me to handle this matter, and I will choose to participate The messenger staff of the coming-of-age ceremony held by the witches of the ghost country.\"

Shikaku's answer made Shikamaru feel at ease.

That being the case, it's really not a troublesome thing, except for the bad thing about traveling long distances, and it's not an exaggeration to use public travel as an evaluation.

He was afraid of going to the kingdom of ghosts for some extremely troublesome diplomacy, not only the body, but also the head would be affected.

He is only a sixteen-year-old child, but he can't bear the pressure caused by the collision between countries, it is too heavy.

\"Then you decide who...\"

\"A total of more than a dozen people, you are one of them, and I am considering the rest. The departure time is the morning of the day after tomorrow. On the way, I will go on the road with the envoy of the Daming Mansion, and arrive at the Kingdom of Ghosts a few days in advance.\"

\"Well, then I'm fine. I just want to relax recently. By the way, Ino and Choji can also bring it.\"

\"As long as you get their consent, there is no problem on my side. As for Naruto, you should know what to do without me telling you what to do.\"

\"Of course, if he knows, he won't be able to shake the sky...\" Shikamaru scratched his head, nodded, and agreed.

Although it's not good to hide it from his friends, but because of what happened to Sakura, he couldn't judge how Naruto would react after learning about it.

Therefore, I have no choice but to hide this matter temporarily, and explain it to Naruto when the limelight passes.

It is better to let him come in contact with the "companion" from the past.