IW: Chapter 140 - First Meeting with Konan, and Her Wavering Heart.
"Is this what they call the Ninja Country?"
After Konan and Zetsu separated, Konan entered the Village alone, and everything inside the Village shocked her.
It turned out that it was truly possible to gather all Villages together, and for everyone to live together.
The Ninja had already removed their original headbands and put on headbands newly customized by the Land of Shinobi, but from the distinct features of each Ninja Village, it was still possible to discern where they originally belonged.
Because many people had just moved in, business here was exceptionally booming; all sorts of things Konan had never seen in the Land of Rain were available here.
Perhaps this was what they had always been searching for.
"Big sister, would you like to buy a bottle of perfume? This is today's special perfume, you know! To commemorate the five great Ninja Villages becoming one Ninja Village, the Hokage—no, the Leader—said this is a special limited edition, with a unique design, and it won't be sold again in the future! It has great commemorative and collection value!"
In front of Konan, a child was promoting perfume.
Many people who had just arrived, due to not having jobs, were offered sales-like positions; as long as they sold something, they would get a commission.
This was favored by many children from smaller Ninja Villages who had just joined the Village.
They came from small places, didn't have much money, and lacked the foundation of large Ninja Villages; they would do any job that paid, and this indeed allowed them to earn money.
Now, the entire Ninja Village was developing, and many things could be sold quite easily.
"Limited edition?"
Konan picked up the perfume bottle the child handed her and examined it for a moment.
Due to the promotion by the Uchiha Merchant Guild, these products had also appeared in the Land of Rain.
In the Land of Rain, Konan had also bought a bottle of perfume, and although she only used it once to try it out and hadn't used it since, the scent of osmanthus was still fresh in her memory.
This was the first time she had heard of such a limited edition.
"Big sister, would you like to buy a bottle? It won't be available later."
"Which Village are you from, child?"
"From Land of Snow. Everyone said coming here would lead to a good life, so I followed along."
The child said somewhat shyly.
He came from a small country and was afraid of being discriminated against, but after coming here, he found that it seemed no one cared about such things at all.
This also allowed his suspended heart to completely settle down.
"Land of Snow, huh?"
Konan murmured, looking at the limited edition perfume in her hand.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How much is it?"
Although the Akatsuki Organization was very short on money right now, and Kakuzu was working hard while she still spent money, which made her feel a bit guilty, seeing the hopeful eyes of the child in front of her, and realizing that he, like her, came from a small country and came to Konoha to make a living...
Konan decided to buy it, not because it was a limited edition.
"Three thousand ryo."
So expensive?
Konan muttered to herself, but since she had already spoken, it would be awkward to return the perfume.
No wonder the things on this child seemed mostly sold out, except for this one; it appeared not many people could afford this.
Such a small bottle selling for three thousand ryo, if he sold ten thousand bottles, wouldn't that be thirty million ryo? Isn't this simpler than doing missions?
After Konan handed the money to the child, she felt a faint regret.
Kakuzu trusted her so much, giving her the money to keep, and although she had been buying explosive tags, this was truly related to personal enjoyment.
But since she had already bought it, Konan completely suppressed that hint of guilt in her heart.
Then, she was attracted by some other novelties in Konoha.
All day long, Konan forgot what she was supposed to do; she just looked wherever she went, ate wherever she went.
With the integration of the five Ninja Villages' characteristics, plus some characteristics from other small Ninja Villages,
everything here was so new to Konan.
She didn't even remember how much she had eaten or how many things she had bought.
She only knew that she seemed to have spent a lot of money this time, and this made the guilt Konan had originally suppressed suddenly rise again.
She thought about it and finally decided that she would absolutely not spend like this tomorrow!
But this ramen was quite delicious.
Is it Ichiraku Ramen?
Konan looked up at the sign, seemingly having heard the name of this ramen shop before in the Land of Rain.
"Lord Koyuki, are you really not returning to Land of Snow?"
"No, Land of Snow is gone, and everyone has already moved here.
Everyone is striving for a better future, there's no need for us to cling to the past anymore.
Besides, didn't we find out what the treasure Father left behind was when we went back?"
"Boss, one bowl of ramen here! Samui, don't leave, I'm definitely going to win against you today!"
Inside Ichiraku Ramen, the place was bustling with noise, and Konan felt somewhat infected by the atmosphere inside, her mood suddenly relaxing quite a bit.
"Hey, hey, hey, Bai Ye-sensei, how was my training progress today? Sooner or later, I'll defeat you and become the second leader of the Land of Shinobi!"
"Naruto, you idiot, sensei can never be defeated by you in this lifetime! Only someone from our Uchiha can defeat sensei!"
Sasuke retorted, and the four walked into the ramen shop, one after another.
Besides the original Naruto and Sasuke, Bai Ye had taken Hyuga Neji as his disciple due to Hyuga Hiashi's request.
The four-person team was thus formed.
Following the sound, Konan subconsciously looked up.
Noticing Konan's gaze, Bai Ye also looked over, and upon seeing Konan, a hint of surprise flashed in Bai Ye's heart.
He hadn't expected to meet Konan here.
Because he had unified the Ninja World, was the Akatsuki Organization preparing to come here to investigate some intelligence?
A slight smile flashed across Bai Ye's face.
Konan instinctively froze for a moment, then returned a very unnatural smile.
It seemed she hadn't smiled in a very long time; she seemed to have forgotten how.
Thinking this, she lowered her head and didn't look at Bai Ye, instead focusing on eating her noodles.
The one next to her, is that the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki and Uchiha Itachi's younger brother?
Before coming, Konan had specifically investigated the detailed intelligence of that side.
Besides that, all the other Jinchuriki were now here.
It seemed the easiest Jinchuriki to capture was now training with Bai Ye, so it wouldn't be easy for them to make a move.
Moreover, it seemed they might not even need to make a move this time.
As Nagato had said before, coming here was merely to investigate the intelligence of this place.
And Bai Ye was contemplating whether to absorb the Akatsuki Organization.
Aside from a few who were truly unabsorbable, any other survivor who was absorbed by him could provide him with a lottery chance, which was much more amazing than what the entire Ninja World War had given him.
"Bai Ye-sensei, are you listening to me?"
Naruto grumbled, annoyed by Bai Ye's disregard for him.
He decided he would definitely teach Bai Ye a lesson later.
Recently, he had learned a Ninjutsu called Shadow Clone Jutsu, and building upon that, he had developed an even stronger Ninjutsu.
He believed Bai Ye would definitely be defeated by his Ninjutsu when he saw it.
"Naruto, wasn't your dream to become Hokage?"
Snapping back to reality, Bai Ye turned his head with a smile and asked Naruto.
Back then, he kept saying, "I want to become Hokage."
Why the change now?
"Hokage is outdated! Besides, I want to surpass sensei and my father, whom I've never met!"
There was no Hokage anymore!
What he wanted to be was the Leader of the Land of Shinobi!
"So you think defeating and surpassing me will make you the Leader of the Land of Shinobi?"
Bai Ye's words affected not only Naruto but the other two as well.
Compared to Sasuke, who frequently interacted with Bai Ye, and Naruto, who was naturally sociable, Hyuga Neji was somewhat aloof and had just met Bai Ye, so he was a bit reserved and hadn't spoken much.
But not speaking didn't mean he didn't have thoughts.
He wanted to break his fate, and he felt like a Caged Bird Curse Mark now.
"Of course!"
Naruto nodded, answering seriously.
In his opinion, as long as he surpassed Bai Ye, he could become the Leader!
Although he just wanted others to acknowledge him.
Even though he had already shed the title of 'Demon Fox,' and with other Jinchuriki joining Konoha, Naruto had gained more Jinchuriki friends, such as Gaara, whom he recently met.
Although Gaara was somewhat reclusive, the two seemed destined to become friends.
He heard that only by becoming the Leader could he gain recognition from many people, so he wanted to become the Leader, to gain more recognition from more people.
"It's not by becoming the Leader that you gain others' recognition, but by gaining everyone's recognition that you can become the Leader.
Naruto, your path ahead is still long, no need to rush."
Bai Ye saw through Naruto's thoughts and chuckled softly.
He wanted to gain recognition, and it didn't necessarily mean becoming Hokage.
Ultimately, the Jinchuriki policy back then was actually distorted.
And with the unification of the Ninja World, Bai Ye also planned to extract all the Tailed Beast without harming the Jinchuriki, allowing these Tailed Beast to live near the Village.
In fact, Tailed Beast are not terrifying, as seen in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations; it's just because humans want to capture them and keep them sealed.
Who wouldn't go crazy if that happened to them?
"This guy's words certainly have a way of making sense."
Konan listened from the side, watching Naruto's thoughtful expression, and a new understanding dawned in her heart.
After a day of observation, Konan also discovered that the prices in the Land of Shinobi were much lower than before, and many policies had changed.
The previous policy of nobles monopolizing everything was no longer viable here.
Even commoners had the right to live well, which made Konan somewhat waver.
If they were to capture Tailed Beast and start a war again, would they break this peace in the future? Would they then be considered criminals?
"Neji, later I will talk to Hiashi about the Caged Bird Curse Mark imposed on the branch family; at the very least, I will release your Caged Bird Curse Mark."
Since Bai Ye had taken Neji as his disciple, it was naturally impossible for Neji to still have the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
Moreover, he would also strive for the branch family.
If they were to reform, then the Hyuga clan was also a major part.
Maintaining the branch and main families, wasn't that the same concept as the nobles and Ninja Villages back then?
So Bai Ye would not allow this situation to occur, though initially, negotiation would certainly be the main approach.
"Release the Caged Bird Curse Mark?"
Hyuga Neji's eyes flickered with a hint of disarray.
Could he also be freed from the Caged Bird Curse Mark?
The moment the Caged Bird Curse Mark was etched upon him, Neji once believed he was finished, because the entire branch family existed only to serve the main family.
The Caged Bird Curse Mark, in essence, was a cage, and he was a bird in that cage.
Furthermore, because of the Caged Bird Curse Mark, his Byakugan still had a weakness.
"I said that the purpose of establishing the Land of Shinobi is for everyone to be equal, and I didn't just say it."
"Sensei, I..."
Hyuga Neji clenched his teeth.
He, who had always been strong, now felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
He always felt that there was an uncrossable abyss between himself and Bai Ye, Naruto, and Sasuke.
Leaving Bai Ye aside, both Naruto and Sasuke were free, unlike him.
He was bound, always disguising and defending himself with a cold demeanor.
Everything was because of the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
And this was why Neji always believed he was inferior to others.
"Don't cry.
If you cry, you'll be laughed at by these two for the rest of your life."
Changing the Caged Bird Curse Mark wasn't just a whim; on one hand, it was to fulfill his promise, and on the other, to see if there was a chance for a lottery draw.
"I won't, thank you, Sensei."
Neji said softly.
He was just feeling a bit bitter, a pang of sadness in his heart.
Since his father's death, he hadn't felt such warmth in a long time.
He was touched, but not to the point of crying.
"Eat quickly, and then go home."
Bai Ye had some matters to attend to today.
As for Konan, he didn't have the mind to deal with her for now.
He wasn't sure of her purpose for being here, but under the surveillance of Observation Haki, Bai Ye could detect her at any time.
So he wasn't in a hurry to find Konan; instead, he needed to quickly deal with the matters at hand.
After finishing Ichiraku Ramen and sending the three home, Bai Ye spent several consecutive days dealing with government affairs.
Once everything was completely handled, he finally realized he had forgotten someone.
In his Observation Haki perception, Bai Ye discovered that Konan was still in Konoha.
After some hesitation, Bai Ye decided to go talk to Konan.
At this moment, Konan was strolling through Konoha.
Although she had been working with the intention of gathering information during this period, as Konan delved deeper, she increasingly felt that what they were doing now seemed wrong.
Others were already heading down the path of peace.
People from other Villages, originally scattered across the world, gradually began to move to the old site of Konoha.
At the same time, the current Ninja Country was expanding daily, continuously spreading outwards.
The population was growing, and many people wanted to come here to seek opportunities.
As people continuously gathered, Konan even seemed to have seen some commoners from the Land of Rain.
It seemed everyone liked it here, and if they were to destroy this place, would they be destroying what others cherished in their hearts?
She also decided to tell Nagato everything she had seen and heard here; perhaps Nagato would also have an answer in his heart.
Wasn't this what they had always pursued?
"We meet again, Ninja lady."
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