Escape From Konoha

Although they had made a plan to cause trouble for their father, for the three people present, it was just a talking point before dinner, but they did not actually intend to do such a prank that only children would do.

Even Cai, the youngest among the three, is now sixteen years old.

In this era when the average life expectancy is only about forty, the reality of sixteen years is almost half of the time. It can be regarded as an adult who has become the backbone of a family, and can no longer cling to the arms of parents and act like a spoiled child like in the past.

The waiter in the restaurant quickly brought the meals ordered by the three of them. A touch of family warmth lingered among the three of them. This was a rare atmosphere.

Since graduating from ninja school, the chances of all three being present were rare.

Since the Chunin Examination three or four years ago, Asuka has been working in the research department of the Demon Country's military, working in heavy industry. In this field, he has slowly established a foothold.

Ichiji is busy with the connections between the small alliance countries and the Kingdom of Demons, and secretly eliminates some forces that interfere with the layout of the Kingdom of Demons. She spends most of the year abroad.

Aya travels between various border fortresses in the Kingdom of Oni, mainly performing important patrol work in the border areas confronting Iwagakure. Occasionally, they would fight against Iwagakure ninjas because of some things, such as disputes on the border, or because of their mutual hatred. The war has ceased and small frictions continue. This is the normal situation at the border between the Kingdom of Ghosts and the Kingdom of Earth at this time.

"The three of us moved out this year. The old man and the three of us may be relieved at this time."

Ichiji shook the cup in her hand and mentioned this matter.

At the beginning of this year, the three of them moved out of their original home, left their parents' wings, and began to live independently.

This is natural. They are not children and cannot live with their parents all the time. What's more, compared to ordinary people, ninjas have a stronger sense of independence.

And it’s actually not that difficult to meet, it just requires a few extra steps. You can also encounter them at work.

"Yes. However, after being taken care of by Sister Tianyu for so many years, I suddenly came to live alone. As a result, I have to do everything myself. I have been very busy these days alone."

Asuka frowned in distress.

If you think about it carefully, in the past, Tianyu's daughter took care of all the chores such as laundry, cooking and cleaning in her original home.

Although she is nominally the 'sister' of the three of them, she is better said to be a free maid hired by the family to take care of everyone.

Once he became independent, he could no longer enjoy Tianyu's meticulous care, and all kinds of problems appeared.

"This is also a personal practice. After a while, you will get used to it."

Sai said this, comforting Asuka.

Ai often held the position of team leader at the border, and Cai was not particularly confused about living independently.

Even at the border, there will be times when you have to do your own thing. At that moment, it is a test of one's ability to survive. In comparison, these trivial things now are not difficult at all.

"So, Cai, are you going back directly after the annual vacation?"

Asuka asked at this time.

"No, if necessary, I will probably return to the border in May. I will take a Jonin test in April, and the results will be available in more than half a month... But I can't say for sure now. Maybe there will be new changes by then. Bar."

Cai said meaningfully.

There was a hint of caution in the pure white pupils.

Although he spent the past two years basically in the border area, it does not mean that his information channels are blocked.

He and his parents, as well as Tianyu Nu and others, still exchanged many letters every month.

Especially her mother Ayane, who serves as the head of the Ghost Country's security force. As long as there are any changes in the top management of the Ghost Country, she will be informed of it immediately. Then through a letter, mentioning it briefly in the letter can also make Cai understand that the international situation this year may undergo earth-shaking changes.

Just like the Fourth Ninja War more than two years ago.

The outbreak was extremely sudden, detonating in the winter that no one expected, and the Kingdom of Ghosts was suddenly besieged by the four major powers. That battlefield changed the balance between the major nations, and at the same time also affected the issues surrounding the survival of the major nations. of small countries.

This is also the reason why Yiji has been traveling outside in the past two years.

The alliances of the four major powers are far apart from each other, but they have not disbanded and have always maintained close contact.

They openly showed weakness to the Kingdom of Ghosts, but secretly they began to use the small country as a battlefield and quietly became hostile to the Kingdom of Ghosts. The two sides had countless secret fights between the small countries.

In the invisible undercurrent, it has already experienced a bloody storm.

Although her mother Ayane rarely mentioned these aspects, Aya would not naively believe that the alliance of the four major powers would simply admit defeat.

Let’s just say that in the border conflict area between the Kingdom of Ghosts and the Kingdom of Earth, if the current situation continues to develop, sooner or later the anger between the two sides will be intensified to the maximum extent, and then explode in a concentrated manner.

At that time, war will definitely break out between the two countries again.

When the time comes, will the other three major powers in the alliance sit back and watch, or will they advance and retreat together?

This issue is unpredictable, but preparing for the worst is nothing more than the outbreak of the Fifth Ninja War.

Maybe even Yunyin, who has been 'keeping to himself', will intervene.

Plus that organization that targets tailed beasts...

Cai feels that things may be a little busy this year.

"Is there a change? Yes, the production of armored vehicles has been rising steadily in the past two years. Every year, we receive orders to produce thousands of vehicles... This year, it is even more exaggerated to produce two thousand vehicles. In addition, In addition, there are four hundred of the latest flying ninjas, and orders for chakra armor are also increasing crazily, not to mention the production of other weapons..."

Asuka sighed sadly.

It’s not that I am pessimistic about war. After all, force is an effective way to protect the country and the people. There is nothing wrong with producing this kind of thing in any amount. Asuka couldn't say he objected to such an arrangement.

However, when I think about the large orders I saw at the beginning of this year, this year may be another extremely busy year.

And this is also a terrible sign before a storm is coming.

With the power currently accumulated by the Demon Kingdom, the Earth Kingdom can be destroyed in a very short period of time by means of blitzkrieg.

The only problem is that the conquered land and population are not easy to manage, unless some tough measures are used to get rid of all the people who come forward. In that way, it is true that the land and people are controlled, but how is this approach different from the five major countries in the past?

"Another eventful year..."

◎

"The child Shion sneaked out again. Fortunately, he was found in time and didn't cause any trouble. He was brought back to the shrine by the witches."

Shiraishi, who was reading a book in the living room, heard the sound of someone coming downstairs and raised his head to look at the person.

It was his wife Hinata Ayane.

It seems that the years have not left any scars on her face, and it is still as beautiful as ever.

His hair was wet, and there were still some water droplets on his skin that had not been wiped clean. His body was only wrapped in a loose one-piece pajamas, with long black hair that accidentally stuck to his shoulders and collarbone, which made Shiraishi slightly distracted. .

"Although Shion is a little willful, she is not an indiscriminate person. She will go back on her own initiative when she is tired of playing. Those miko make too much fuss."

Shiraishi is not worried about Shion's safety.

Although most of the power of witches is used against existences such as monsters, it does not mean that they will not be able to resist when facing humans.

Moreover, all the power of the previous miko Maitreya was inherited in Zion's body. When encountering danger, she would take the initiative to prevent disaster for Zion.

Able to protect the Kingdom of Demons from monsters for many years, the power of miko is not inferior to that of ninjas, except that the conditions for use are more stringent and cannot be used on a large scale.

The same is true for the declining monks and samurai, who also have their own solutions.

As far as Shiraishi knows, traces of immortal magic still remain in some ancient temples.

In the past, these humans who could use extraordinary power through chakra were called "ninja". Ninjas were a group that gradually formed in the past hundred years and took advantage of the special situation of the Warring States Period to grow rapidly.

"That's what I said, but the miko who communicated with me just now is quite angry about your relaxed education. If I weren't concerned about your current status, I would probably want to curse you directly."

Ayane came over and smiled.

Miko, like monks, can use chakra, but they tend to cultivate their moral character. Compared with ninjas and samurai who cultivate strength, they focus more on the 'spiritual' realm. They generally have good tempers and do not get angry easily.

And to make such a self-cultivated miko angry, one can imagine how angry they were towards Shiraishi.

"Unsurprisingly, most of the miko who focus on spiritual cultivation are unsophisticated. Because of this, their chakra can have the effect of 'destroying evil'."

The 'evil' that ninjas refer to and the 'evil' that miko refers to are not the same thing.

"However, since I have gone back, there is no time to trouble me. After all, in a few days, the main lineage miko's coming-of-age ceremony will be held."

This kind of thing cannot be called cumbersome. After all, the witches will take the initiative to arrange these things. They know this process best and will not let ordinary people do it.

At that time, as the Minister of Military Affairs, he only needs to send some ninjas to maintain some order, and then invite high-level officials from various countries to watch the ceremony.

The only troublesome thing is that among the personnel sent by various countries, there must be some thorns who want to spy on the intelligence of the Kingdom of Ghosts.

Shiraishi never overestimates the self-knowledge of some people. In fact, the communication technology in most areas of the ninja world is not very developed. Perhaps it is because the military power of the Kingdom of Demons is too strong, so some talents are even more unable to figure it out. The details of the Kingdom of Ghosts. Only major countries that have actually fought against each other are fully aware of the weight involved.

There is a serious lag in news from many areas.

If you want to connect the entire ninja world, the current technology and manpower of the Demon Country are far from enough.

"In a blink of an eye, the children have all grown up."

Ayane expressed such emotion.

Although I still want to prove that I am a young person, in fact, many things are beyond my ability. This is the trouble of middle-aged people.

Time is not forgiving.

Even if she still looks like a young woman of eighteen or nineteen years old, standing with her children, she will be mistaken for a sister-brother relationship, but in the end it cannot change the cruel fact that she is a middle-aged woman in her forties.

"Speaking of which, Shiraishi-kun, have I gained weight? I always feel that my body is heavier than before."

Ayane was more concerned about this aspect. She looked down at her body, visually checking whether her body, which had given birth to a child, was out of shape.

Shiraishi glanced at it.

"It's too much to worry about. If there are really changes, I will definitely be able to feel it immediately."

"That's right."

Ignoring the fact that Shiraishi knew her body better than herself, Ayane just nodded in realization.

"I'm back."

The sound of the door opening sounded at the entrance.

Liuli and Tianyu Nu each stood at the entrance carrying a convenience bag and began to change their shoes.

The convenience bag contains various ingredients bought from outside. Tian Yunv puts these ingredients in the refrigerator one by one, planning and storing them in categories, with extremely skillful movements. After all, after twenty years of doing the same thing every day, I have become accustomed to these tasks and have become instincts engraved in my body.

"You are finally back. I'm almost starving to death. It's too late to prepare dinner today. I've even taken a shower."

Ayane touched her empty stomach, which was making a growling sound, and began to protest dissatisfiedly.

"It's not because you said you wanted to eat meat, so you wasted a lot of time choosing ingredients."

Liuli complained.

"That's it, thank you for your hard work. Then, let me reward you."

Ayane stepped forward and hugged Liuli's soft waist, and wanted to bring her face to her.

"Stay away from me, you're squeezing me."

Liuli held down Ayane's face that was trying to get close to her, and frowned in displeasure.

"Also, have you gained weight?"

"Uh, is there any?"

Ayane's body suddenly stiffened.

"You'd better not eat meat tonight, no, it's better not to eat any food at all."

Liuli broke away from Ayane's embrace and walked towards Shiraishi, leaving Ayane with a stiff face and constant self-doubt.

"Even if you want revenge, don't deliberately make up lies."

Shiraishi sighed helplessly.

For menopausal women, weight is a big no-no.

What's more, as a 'masseur', Shiraishi knew that Ayane's weight had not increased at all, it was just an illusion caused by anxiety as she grew older.

"She has too much useless fat."

I don't think that's useless fat. Shiraishi glanced at the heavy fruit on Ayane's chest, which was still the same as before, and thought so.

However, after noticing Liuli's sharp gaze, he immediately coughed and turned his attention to the book.

"Speaking of which, since Asuka and the other three left, the house has been a lot deserted recently. I wonder if Asuka and the others can take care of themselves after living alone after Asuka and the others left? After Shion's coming-of-age ceremony, we can take the time to go and visit. Bar."

"They are not children, so there is no need to interfere in their lives."

"Then, we have to pay attention to the affairs of the next generation, right? Speaking of which, are there any women of the right age among the current Uchiha clan?"

Shiraishi put down the book in his hand and began to think about the life-long events of his eldest son.

Although the secret art ninja clan in the Kingdom of Demons has ceased to exist in name only, families such as the Blood Successor Limited Family, which rely on blood to pass on abilities, still retain some of their past traditions. For example, in order to ensure the purity of the blood, they will conduct intra-clan marriages. .

If Asuka wants to get married, there is a high probability that he will find a wife from among the females of the same age group.

"So, are you finally starting to turn into that annoying old man who is always mumbling about his children's marriage and eager to have his grandchildren?"

However, Liuli's words were like a sharp blade that pierced Shiraishi's heart mercilessly, causing him to stop breathing.

◎

It took less than two days to drive from Konoha to the Bear Country. The envoys from Konoha and the Fire Country Damingfu took the train in the Bear Country and began their journey directly to Shion City, the capital of the Ghost Country.

In fact, if it weren't for the purpose of taking care of the envoys from the Fire Country's Daming Mansion, the envoys sent by Konoha would have come to the Bear Country earlier and headed to the Ghost Country.

Needless to say, for the Daimyo Palace of the Land of Fire, Konoha sent a total of seventeen ninjas, headed by the Jonin squad leader Nara Shikaku, for the coming-of-age ceremony for the main lineage miko of the Kingdom of Demons.

In addition to the three new generation Ino Shikacho, there are also ten chuunin and four jounin.

Nara Shikaku, the Jonin squad leader, is one of them.

There were three other Jonin, one of whom was from the same clan as Shikaku, named Nara Suzaku.

He was a ninja of the same era as Shikaku.

Among the Nara clan, he is also Shikaku's right-hand man, proficient in family secrets, and participated in the second, third, and not long ago Fourth Ninja War. He has rich combat experience and is one of the pillar jounin of the Nara clan and Konoha Village.

One of the remaining two was from the Sarutobi clan, and the other was from a commoner.

Needless to say, the former is a jounin of the powerful Sarutobi clan of Konoha, while the latter is a jounin promoted by Tsunade. This time, following Shikaku to the Kingdom of Ghosts, Tsunade also had some considerations. For example, by adding some beautiful resumes to your own people, you can accumulate reputation in the village, quickly occupy important positions, and assist the Hokage in his work.

After all, establishing 'diplomacy' with the Kingdom of Demons is a task that not just any jounin can participate in.

Inside a box, one could vaguely hear the sound of the train's rollers outside, and the scenery outside the window kept moving rapidly backwards.

There are only four people in this carriage.

Shikaku, Shikamaru, and the other two Ino Shikacho who are of the same new generation as Shikamaru - Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino.

One is good at the doubling secret technique based on Yang Escape, and is the spear and shield that combines offense and defense among the Pigs, Deer and Butterfly.

One is the secret art of turning around based on Yin Escape, and also has strong perception ability. In most cases, it serves as the microphone and eyes of the Pig Deer Butterfly.

Shikamaru, who is mainly responsible for the brain and command, is sitting face to face with his father Shikaku, with a pair of shogi in the final stage in the middle. Judging from Shikamaru's tightly furrowed brows, he is obviously trapped in In the midst of a bitter battle.

As Shikaku put down the chess piece in his hand lightly, he said lightly: "General."

Shikamaru closed his eyes, knowing that his round ended in failure.

"In this way, my side will have eleven wins and two losses."

Shikaku smiled lightly.

Shikaku opened his eyes, glanced at his father helplessly, and said, "You are really merciless, dad."

"A lion fights a rabbit with all his strength. Besides, you are not a 'rabbit' who has no power to resist. In this case, isn't it natural to fight with all your strength?"

Shikaku replied nonchalantly.

He barely managed to win a few games. Although he was not as experienced as his father, Shikamaru was able to quickly absorb the experience of failure through an ordinary chess game, and then use it to make up for his shortcomings. In this way, Shikamaru Kuya had to deal with it carefully.

If you are not careful, you will lose everything.

"It seems that I still have a long way to go before I can become a Jonin squad leader."

Shikamaru took his jade general and played with it in his hand, sighing that the road ahead was bleak.

"You are too unambitious, at least try your best to become Hokage."

Shikaku glared at Shikamaru's unambitious ideals.

"I'm not fit to sit in the spotlight. Just thinking about it makes me feel horrible."

"If your mother knew about it, she would definitely have to lecture you again."

"Dad, you are the one. You don't dare to have a quarrel with my mother."

Shikamaru's words made Shikaku's mouth twitch.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Jiu took a long breath, looked at the settled chess game on the chessboard, and said: "However, you don't have to care too much about winning or losing in the game. In reality, there is no such thing as a completely equal match. The strength of the available chess pieces, their quantity, the firmness or decadence of the will... will all affect the outcome of a battle. Moreover, some players can ignore the rules, tear down the chessboard and rewrite the rules."

When Shikamaru heard this, he also became somewhat silent. Because of Shikaku's words, he gradually felt pressure.

He knew who the chess player Shikaku was referring to who could ignore the rules of the chess game and overturn the chess board——

——The country of ghosts.

So far, although the Kingdom of Ghosts is still acting according to the rules between major powers, it has not deviated from the rules. It is not that they dare not, nor that they cannot do it, but that they have not reached that moment yet, and they do not have the ability to do so. necessary.

When they feel that they have the need, that's when they ignore the rules of the great powers and follow their own rules to completely overturn the chessboard of the ninja world.

At that time, the existence of the Ghost Country will become more dangerous and terrifying than before.

At this time, the door of the carriage was opened, and artificial buildings could be seen outside the window.

"Shikaku, it's time to arrive at the station."

The accompanying Jonin Suzaku Nara appeared at the door and greeted Shikaku inside.

"I see."

Shikaku stood up and said to Shikamaru and the others: "You three should also clean up."

With that said, he followed Nara Suzaku out of the carriage and began to set foot on the land of the ghost country.