Naruto: People are in Konoha, the system arrived 20 years earlier Chapter 040

Having seen through their opponent’s elaborate scheme, Hayato and his group did not act rashly. Instead, like wise strategists, they silently prepared their counter-measures.

Subsequently, the group embarked on their journey together, traversing winding and arduous paths, enduring hardships, until they finally reached the agreed-upon location.

The envoy from the Land of Snow stepped forward, standing before everyone, his voice resonating like a bell.

“We have arrived.”

No sooner had he spoken than a rustling of footsteps was heard from not far away.

Following closely, eight figures appeared in their line of sight, accompanied by two bound youths.

Though the two youths’ mouths were gagged, their eyes gleamed with excitement, and they struggled desperately. However, tightly bound by ropes, they could only writhe in vain.

Witnessing this, Hayato couldn’t help but frown, pondering to himself, “The numbers are off. It seems the other side had the same idea.”

When he had scouted the area before, he had discovered that the enemy had deployed ten ninja there.

Hayato and Sakumo exchanged a subtle glance, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

At this moment, the envoy from the Land of Snow also sensed something amiss, but he remained still, continuing with the original plan: “As agreed, let’s proceed with the exchange now.”

The opposing side nodded in agreement, escorting the two youths slowly forward.

The envoy from the Land of Snow waved his hand, signaling the researchers behind him to follow. They looked nervous but had no choice but to brace themselves and move forward.

Hayato quietly reached for his ninja tool pouch, and Sakumo subtly moved his right hand to his back.

Just as the two groups were only ten steps apart, a low, firm “Now!” simultaneously rang out from both sides.

Immediately after, a sudden storm swept through.

The eight ninja from the Land of Arc rushed towards the people of the Land of Snow like fierce tigers descending a mountain.

Meanwhile, the two youths, who had seemed utterly defenseless, suddenly erupted in a puff of smoke, instantly transforming into ninja wielding swords.

However, no hint of surprise appeared on their faces, for the enemy ninja were already charging towards them like arrows released from a bow.

“What’s going on? Aren’t you worried we’ll harm these talents?” a ninja with a scar on his face roared.

They had originally planned to use these researchers as leverage to force the other side’s hand, but they hadn’t expected the enemy to attack so recklessly.

Seeing this, the envoy from the Land of Snow immediately retorted, “You were the first to break the agreement!”

A ruthless glint appeared in the scarred ninja’s eyes. “I don’t believe you don’t care about their lives. Attack!”

With that, he rushed forward and seized a researcher.

However, at that very moment, the researcher in his hand suddenly dissipated into a puff of smoke.

Following this, the surrounding researchers also vanished into smoke like dominoes.

“Damn it, we’ve been played.” The scarred ninja’s face darkened.

Both sides had thought of the same trick.

“Is it Shadow Clones combined with Transformation Jutsu?”

“The sneak attack failed. It seems we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

The Land of Snow’s side, meanwhile, charged towards the enemy without slowing down.

Knowing that the enemy had made preparations here, they had already arranged all the original researchers in another safe location.

Then, they had the ninja from the Land of Snow each create four or five clones, and use Transformation Jutsu to turn into researchers, to attend the meeting.

The battle erupted instantly, and both sides quickly engaged.

Hayato was the first to confront a blue-haired youth. Seeing Hayato’s young age, the youth couldn’t help but reveal a scornful smile.

“Kid, in such a hurry to die?”

However, before he could finish speaking, Hayato vanished from his spot like a ghost.

In an instant, he appeared to the youth’s left, delivering a powerful flying knee kick with his right leg.

“You talk too much.”

The blue-haired youth felt a tremendous force strike him, sending him flying to the right, sliding a long distance and kicking up layers of dust.

Hayato pressed his advantage, instantly appearing before the youth, his kunai piercing his neck like lightning. Blood splattered.

“Kunai, first kill,” Hayato murmured softly.

He hadn’t expected that the first person he killed in this world would be with a kunai.

And he estimated that the ninja he faced was probably just a Genin.

The commotion here quickly drew the attention of the Land of Arc’s side.

The scarred ninja’s brows furrowed. Casualties had already occurred on their side so quickly.

“Damn kid!” he roared, his ninja sword slashing at the Snow Ninja blocking his path.

After breaking free, he flashed forward, heading straight for Hayato.

“Hayato, watch out!” Sakumo, constantly monitoring the battle, immediately warned.

“Too late!” The scarred ninja gripped his ninja sword horizontally with both hands, chopping down fiercely from above: “Stinking brat, don’t be so arrogant, die!”

However, the ninja sword struck empty air.

Hayato’s voice echoed faintly in the scarred ninja’s ear: “I say, are you really a ninja?”

“What… when?” Before the scarred ninja could turn his head, he felt a heavy punch land in his abdomen.

Before the scarred ninja could react, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and his body rapidly retreated.

“Ugh.”

Hayato quickly performed hand seals.

“Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!”

Three roaring fire dragons lunged at the scarred ninja, engulfing him in raging flames.

The weakened scarred ninja looked at Hayato, and fear involuntarily welled up in his heart.

He couldn’t help but feel anxious, wondering why those few people hadn’t come out yet. Couldn’t they see that their side was no match for the enemy at all?

They were ninja hired by the Land of Arc, serving as cannon fodder at the front lines.

On the other side, the Hidden Cloud ninja hidden in the shadows witnessed everything.

“The Leaf Village really sent someone, Captain, what should we do? Fight or retreat?” A dark-skinned, dark-haired Cloud Ninja asked anxiously.

“Captain!” The others also began to urge the Cloud Ninja captain.

The Cloud Ninja captain remained silent for a moment before finally murmuring, “Damn it, how could the Leaf Village send him?”

This statement left the other Cloud Ninja present somewhat confused.

“That weapon, and that silver hair, I won’t be mistaken, that person is the White Fang of the Leaf,” the Cloud Ninja captain slowly explained.

Upon hearing this, the other Chunin’s expressions hardened, while the Genin were completely bewildered.

These Genin were fresh out of the academy and had not experienced the Second Great Ninja War, so they naturally didn’t know the name of the White Fang of the Leaf.

“Then, Captain, should we abandon this mission?” a Chunin tentatively asked.

The Cloud Ninja captain shook his head: “It seems we can only negotiate first.”

He knew deeply that with the strength of the White Fang of the Leaf, they were no match. Therefore, he decided to change his strategy and seek a peaceful resolution.

After some waiting, after Hayato and the others had captured all the ninja from the Land of Arc, the Hidden Cloud ninja finally revealed themselves.

They wore cloaks, hoods, and masks, appearing mysterious.

However, for Hayato and his group, who already knew who was behind the scenes, their appearance did not cause much commotion.

“Is this your sincerity?” The envoy from the Land of Snow stepped forward, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

The Cloud Ninja captain said indifferently, “You didn’t stick to the agreement either, did you?”

Neither side would budge, and the atmosphere fell into a stalemate.

“Let’s renegotiate,” the Cloud Ninja captain broke the silence. “You bring our demands, and we release the hostages. How about it?”

“Additionally, to show our sincerity, we can release one hostage first this time, and then release the other hostage after the transaction is complete.”

Upon hearing this, the envoy from the Land of Snow pondered internally. He looked at Sakumo, hoping for some advice.

However, Sakumo merely calmly sheathed his White Light Chakra Sabre: “Your Excellency the Envoy can decide for yourself. We will do our best to ensure the safety of the hostages.”

He was clearly avoiding responsibility.

Hayato, standing by, sighed to himself: “A person’s name, a tree’s shadow.” He knew that the other party was hesitant to act due to Sakumo’s strength.

Since the other party was at a disadvantage, why should they be too honest?

So, he quietly walked over to the envoy from the Land of Snow and whispered something to him.

“We are at an advantage now. We can propose some further demands to probe their bottom line, for example, reducing the number of talents we provide.”

“Can it work?” The Land of Snow’s envoy couldn’t help but ask, wondering what if the other side simply broke off negotiations?

“Let’s try it. Haggle a bit. If we can reduce one, it’ll be a great achievement back home,” Hayato continued to push.

The main reason Hayato wanted to get involved was to see if he could keep the Kazama brothers. If they agreed to go to the Leaf Village with him, it would be a huge gain.

Anyway, the negotiation chips had nothing to do with him; he wouldn’t lose anything no matter what.

At this moment, it was as if two little figures appeared in the envoy’s mind.

The little figure in black spoke, “Take a gamble, progress is within reach.”

The pure white little figure pointed at the black little figure and said, “Hmm, he’s right.”

Alright, let’s do it, even if it means death.

The envoy from the Land of Snow took a deep breath and stepped forward, saying, “Our side is very dissatisfied with this transaction. To avoid this situation from happening again, we have decided to only provide technology, not personnel.”

Upon hearing this, the Cloud Ninja captain’s face instantly darkened: “That’s impossible!”

The envoy from the Land of Snow showed no signs of backing down: “Then there’s nothing to discuss? Lord Sakumo, let’s leave first and reconsider.” With that, he turned to leave.

Seeing this, the Cloud Ninja captain’s heart tightened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “We can agree to you providing ten fewer people.”

Upon hearing this, the envoy from the Land of Snow smirked. He turned back, a hint of mockery in his tone: “No! We can provide at most ten people. They are all important talents of our country.”

The Cloud Ninja captain was furious: “That’s too much, Your Excellency!”

However, the envoy from the Land of Snow turned to leave again. Seeing this, the Cloud Ninja captain hastily shouted, “Half! No less than that!”

The envoy from the Land of Snow stopped and turned around. A gentle smile was on his face, as if the person who had just threatened to overturn the table was not him: “Alright! Deal!”

The Cloud Ninja captain secretly resented himself for quoting too low a price, but he could only accept it resignedly.

Meanwhile, Hayato was calculating in his mind: “Half a chance? Then it depends on the Kazama brothers’ luck.”