Chương 38: In this world, influence matters.

"Why do we want to see whales? Is there a special reason?" Lucy asked.

The reason, of course, is that it's on the way.

There's no particular reason.

"Whales are very intelligent. You probably haven't had any close contact with them before. They would make great monster friends."

Like the Sage of Six Paths, who shared the seeds of chakra to create ninjas, Yura wanted to create monsters.

"Uh..." Lucy couldn't muster any enthusiasm. I have quite a few animal friends.

"Little demon~" As they flew over a town, Jieluo looked down at the brightly lit, bustling town and said, "Let's go down and find a place to stay."

A hotel!? Lucy's eyes lit up! Finally, she could eat human food!

"But... do we have money?"

"Yes!" Jieluo said confidently, "Lots and lots!"

Not long ago, Jieluo wiped out three ninja clans. Real estate can be ignored, but his funds are considerable.

"Could I have one?" Lucy asked.

"I've never seen money before, what does it look like..."

Jieluo gave it to him.

Just one, that's all.

Here's a five-yuan coin, you're welcome.

Holding the money, Lucy swooped down, a sudden realization dawning on her. After landing in the woods near the town, she looked at Jiro expectantly and said, "Um, if I pull your rickshaw from now on, can you pay me?"

Jieluo paused in her steps and turned to look at Lucy.

Look at this poor child.

"How much was it that time?" Jie Luo asked with a light smile.

"Little devil~"

"Um..." Lucy held out a hand, fingers spread, looking tentatively at Jieluo. She still had some sense, and said, "Like this?"

But his opponent was Jie Luo.

"Fifty?" Jie Luo asked.

The number sounded very low, and Lucy, not being stupid, looked like she was about to cry, as if she was about to break down.

"Five hundred?" Jie Luo asked.

Five hundred? Lucy's eyes lit up. It sounded like a lot, and her tears welled up back.

"No," Jie Luo said immediately.

"I can only give you one hundred."

One hundred?

That works too!

Lucy nodded with difficulty and said, "Fine, one hundred it is. No take-backs, or I'll be a dog!"

"Yes," Jie Luo said with a light smile, "Anyone who goes back on their word is a little dog~" Lucy reached out her hand, looking at Jieluo expectantly.

Jieluo gave her one hundred.

Lucy happily stuffed the hundred into her pocket, humming a song as she followed Gero.

"Rat poison~ Rat poison~" In a hotel in town, a masked Konoha ANBU ninja suddenly opened his tightly closed Byakugan.

Jieluo paused in his steps.

The hostility directed at them came rushing in.

Jie Luo smiled faintly.

More reckless insects flew in.

The haunting spirit of Konoha!

"I'm definitely incompatible with you guys..."

"Me?" Lucy tilted her head in confusion, then walked briskly into the city. What should she buy? Her mind was wandering, and she was absent-minded.

As night fell in the town, the bustling streets were filled with noise and crowds, and in the midst of a lively celebration, processions danced and made a ruckus as they marched through the streets.

In an inn, four ninjas wearing various white masks and fully armed with ANBU uniforms met together.

"What is it?"

"A giant chakra body has been discovered, suspected to be..." The female ninja with Byakugan, hidden behind the fox mask, said in a deep voice, "A Jinchuriki."

How is that possible!

The three ninjas frowned, and the leader asked, "White Fox, are you sure?"

The village's plan to capture the Tailed Beasts has just begun. Only the Anbu in the village know what a Jinchuriki is. In order to assist Hashirama Senju's actions, they have already begun to gather intelligence. Their mission is to search for traces of the Tailed Beasts within the Land of Fire.

"Confirmed, Captain."

Squad leader, platoon leader, and commander-in-chief.

A group of four is called a squad leader.

The current Konoha is arguably the most prosperous period in the history of Konoha. In terms of combat strength alone, all four of them are elites of the clan, at the level of Jonin.

"Jinchūriki..." The captain was momentarily at a loss, as no one had told him what to do in this situation. After thinking for a moment, the captain decided not to cause trouble. The mission was only to find the tailed beasts, not to capture the jinchūriki. He said, "Ignore them."

After saying that, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. The four of them alone might not be a match for the Jinchuriki.

but...

"Captain..." White Fox hesitated, unsure whether she should explain the other situation.

"Speak plainly, White Fox," the captain said gently.

"We are comrades."

Although the village had just been established and the various ninja clans had reached a consensus, there were still some strange things going on in their daily interactions.

"Next to the Jinchūriki is the number one target listed in the assassination manual," the White Fox said.

"I can't be mistaken."

Upon hearing this, the other three were startled, and one of them exclaimed in a low voice, "Ghost Princess!"

This makes the situation even more complicated.

The captain pondered and made a decision, carefully weighing the pros and cons.

This was an extremely dangerous being specifically designated by Lord Tobirama, and he had always trusted Lord Tobirama's judgment since the Warring States period.

A long silence followed.

"Captain..." a ninja wearing a bird mask said, "We are Konoha, the strongest ninja village in the ninja world."

"Squad Leader Niu is nearby..."

It takes time to assemble the people, and...

"With a Jinchūriki present, one squad isn't enough," the captain said.

"Will it be enough time to gather two squads? If the enemy becomes alert and retreats, it won't be easy to get another chance like this."

"Captain..." White Fox said, "Excuse my bluntness, but that Oni Princess's chakra is pitifully weak. If I didn't look closely, I would have thought she was a commoner..."

"White Fox, don't let your guard down," the captain said.

"Do you think a ninja who can silently kill three Jonin single-handedly has pitifully weak chakra? That's precisely why we need to be even more vigilant!"

One person killing three Jonin might be possible in a one-on-one situation, but in a one-on-three situation, the four people present would just turn around and leave.

"No, quite the opposite," the white fox said.

"My Byakugan can see clearly enough. If someone has a huge amount of chakra like Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama, no matter how much they suppress it, they could never suppress it to such a low level. With the eyesight of my Byakugan, it's not impossible for me to follow her from a distance."

Wow, you're very confident.

Outside the window, a butterfly fluttered its wings in the night. In the street celebration, Gyro licked a sugared apple, while Lucy beside him had her eyes darting around, her gaze shining as she looked at the vendors on both sides of the road.

Exactly, looking at those exorbitant prices makes me feel uncomfortable.

100 taels, that's really not much...

"Anyone who goes back on their word is a little dog~ You little devil~" As soon as Lucy turned her head, Jieluo chuckled and said.

Lucy turned her head, looking somewhat broken.

"I hate it so much..."

Yura's crimson eyes swept over the street vendors. Those Byakugan eyes, as expected of the Otsutsuki's eyes, even though their bloodline had degenerated considerably, could still spot her at a glance.

"Well then..." The captain looked into the white fox's confident eyes and said, "Notify the surrounding teams to assemble. The mission has been temporarily changed to: track down the Demon Princess."

He didn't mention capturing Jinchuriki; he knew about the clan leader, Hashirama.

His obsession with peace in the ninja world is almost obsessive; he will not kill ninjas unless absolutely necessary, especially those from other villages.

"Ha!" the crowd responded.

A ninja wearing a monkey mask stood up, wrote on a scroll, and released a ninja hawk. Under the cover of night, the ninja hawk flapped its wings and soared into the clouds. However, just as it flew over the city, the ninja hawk trembled slightly, and a strand of hair swiftly and silently shot into its body.

Jieluo licked the frosting on the apple, then bit into it with a snap, the frosting and fruit crunching crisply between her lips and teeth.

As time passed and the ninja hawk flew far away in the sky, its brain was silently burned away under the influence of resentment.

Sure enough, when you're out in the game, you need influence.

Lucy stared longingly, swallowed hard, and decided to buy apples instead; they looked so delicious.