Evil Uchiha Itsuki

It turns out that Kurenai was overthinking things.

One day? That was really overestimating Tsunade.

In just half a day, while Kurenai was enjoying her afternoon tea, Tsunade stormed in furiously.

"Tsunade sama , where's the money?"

Kurenai: "You didn't…"

Tsunade: "Yes, I lost it all."

Tsunade was shameless, speaking as if she was totally justified.

Kurenai: "..."

After a brief moment of shock, Kurenai quickly pulled out the IOU. "Before you borrow more money, you should really read the terms…"

"No need!"

Tsunade snatched it away confidently. "I'll win it back for sure."

Kurenai: "..."

If it weren't for Itsuki warning her to control her expressions, she was sure her face would look really weird right now.

Lady Tsunade, why are you so confident?!

Your confidence isn't contagious; it's terrifying.

Watching Tsunade walk off with her head held high, Kurenai sighed quietly.

Looks like the medical system of the Hidden Leaf Village won't be in danger after all.

The most frustrating part? The money still ended up back in Itsuki's hands.

It was just like moving money from one hand to the other! Tsunade was just feeding her gambling addiction.

And losing was the addiction!

Suddenly, Kurenai felt a bit sorry for Tsunade.

Itsuki's behavior… how should she put it...

It was truly despicable!

Of course, being on his side felt kind of nice.

"You'll get used to it!"

A voice sounded in her ear.

Kurenai looked up.

Shizune had quietly walked in.

"You're all better now?" Kurenai asked after a brief silence.

Being another one of Itsuki's women, seeing her was always a bit of a complicated feeling for Kurenai.

Uchiha Itsuki, you bastard!

"Mhm!" Shizune blushed slightly and said, "I'm a medical ninja."

Alright, so she treated herself!

"Not bad!" Kurenai smiled. "By Itsuki's standards, you should have been bedridden for a day. I thought Uchiha Itsuki went easy on you."

Shizune's face turned even redder.

Strictly speaking, Shizune was Uchiha Itsuki's first woman.

The two had met on the battlefield.

Itsuki saved Shizune's life, and over time, they grew fond of each other.

Eventually, they got together.

But!

At the time, one was a disciple of Orochimaru, and the other was a disciple of Tsunade.

In many people's eyes, they seemed like a great match!

Two disciples of the Sannin!

But honestly, people were like: get away from each other!

Or else, we'll end you both!

When Orochimaru took Uchiha Itsuki as his disciple, he was already on bad terms with the village. Itsuki had always been a tool for Orochimaru's revenge on the village.

Under those circumstances, there was no way Tsunade would approve of Shizune being with Itsuki.

Was she asking for trouble?!

Still, Tsunade didn't go as far as to tear them apart. She simply explained the situation to Shizune and let her make her own decision.

Even if the Uchiha did rebel, Tsunade was confident she could protect one person. No problem.

Eventually, the two kept their relationship a secret.

Now, things were as they were.

Though Shizune was Itsuki's first woman, her shy personality made her feel awkward around his other women.

Especially since Itsuki had gone overboard the night before.

She was still a young girl, and yet he openly played the field…

Outrageous!

Kurenai too—at first, she was shy, but in the end, she really let go.

So bold...

She'd opened up a whole new world!

"Sigh!"

Shizune suddenly sighed. "From the moment Itsuki started eyeing Lady Tsunade, I knew she wouldn't be able to avoid it."

"Oh?"

"Tsunade-sama's weaknesses are too obvious."

Shizune helplessly added, "When she drinks too much, it's like no one in the entire ninja world can stop her."

"Pfft!"

Kurenai couldn't hold back and sprayed her tea.

Grinding her teeth?

Is she a dog or a rat?

"Really!"

Shizune sighed again. "And let's not even talk about gambling. When she's really into it, she'd probably bet herself if she could."

"Well, her staying here might be a good thing!" Kurenai laughed. "At least you can take care of her."

"I think so too!" Shizune smiled. "Compared to wandering outside, at least here she's got food and shelter, and we don't have to worry about debt collectors banging on the door every day."

At this, Kurenai's expression grew strange.

Not worry about debt collectors?

You're overthinking it.

Rumor has it that Itsuki had an entire team prepared, just waiting to collect Tsunade's debts.

In Itsuki's words, "You can't treat Tsunade too nicely. Don't let her get too relaxed. You need to keep pushing her."

Otherwise, once she starts having fun, no one could stop her.

At the time, Kurenai's first thought was: You really do know her well.

...

"Oh, it's you. I remember your name… Rukki?"

Itsuki entered the reception room, saw the Sand Village visitor, and smiled.

Baki's expression stiffened. He forced a smile. "My name is Baki!"

"Oh!"

Itsuki nodded in realization. "Rukki, Baki—close enough. Don't mind."

Baki: "..."

"Lord Mokage, you should know why the Sand Village is here."

"I don't know!"

Itsuki shook his head sincerely. "If you don't tell me, how would I know? I can't predict the future."

Baki: "..."

After taking a deep breath, Baki said seriously, "We'd like Lady Pakura to return to the Sand Village to become the Fifth Kazekage!"

"Oh!"

Itsuki nodded. "Pakura? The hero of the Sand Village? Wasn't she dead? Did she come back to life? You sure you're not mistaken?"

Baki fell silent. After a long pause, he slowly said, "Lord Mokage, just state your conditions. Whatever the Sand Village can agree to, we won't refuse."

Itsuki looked at Baki and smiled. "Are you in charge?"

"Of course!"

Baki firmly replied, "I'm a high-ranking official in the Sand Village. My position is equivalent to a Jonin captain in the Leaf. I can make decisions."

Itsuki looked troubled. "But the Jonin captain of the Leaf is pretty useless. Now I trust you even less."

Baki: "..."

Shikaku Nara, miles away: "..."

"Alright, now that the mood is light, let's get down to business."

Itsuki smiled at Baki.

Lighten the mood? 

Baki was speechless.

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't beat Itsuki, he'd have taught him a lesson by now.

The Sand Village is only missing a Kage. In terms of resources, they're quite strong.

Is the Hidden Leaf really that strong?

We're not afraid!

"First of all,"

Itsuki's expression turned serious as he looked at Baki. "If Pakura is to become the Fifth Kazekage, the Sand Village's high council must unanimously approve her. And all the negative rumors about her in the village must be cleared up."

"No problem with that!"

Maki agreed immediately without even thinking.

This was also what Chiyo had planned.

The cunning Chiyo sensed her own impending death.

So, she didn't want Pakura, whom she had pushed into power, to become the trigger for a civil war within Sunagakure.

She wanted to do one last thing for the village.

The unanimous approval was also Chiyo's intention.

She had practically forced the current leadership of Sunagakure to recommend Pakura as the Fifth Kazekage.

As for the negative rumors, they had been cleaned up long ago.

Some blame was shifted onto Rasa.

Some onto Konoha.

Chiyo herself even bore part of the blame.

As Itsuki said, Chiyo's contributions to Sunagakure were beyond measure.

The elders of Konoha combined couldn't compare to her.

Now, Pakura was clean, and the leadership of Sunagakure unanimously recommended her as the Fifth Kazekage.

Born in Sunagakure!

Her disciples were also in Sunagakure.

She was the legitimate successor!

The Kazekage that everyone supported!

From beginning to end, Pakura had not the slightest flaw.

Itsuki nodded and said, "Pakura has a few friends who will also join Sunagakure and hold high positions."

"And as a trade-off, I agreed to help you dig a large river."

"A river?"

Maki shot up from his seat and exclaimed, "What do you mean? What river?"

Itsuki clapped his hands, and Pakura walked in, holding a map.

She spread it out.

It was a map of the area around Sunagakure, including the Land of Rivers, the Land of Birds, and the hidden villages of Amegakure and Kusagakure.

And on the map!

A black line extended from Amegakure all the way to Sunagakure!

Maki's hands trembled.

"Is… is this even possible?"

Amegakure, perpetually shrouded in rain, had so much water it was almost annoying.

Sunagakure, located in the desert, sometimes had water that was worth as much as gold.

If...

According to the markings on the map, a large river would extend from Amegakure directly to Sunagakure, ensuring that the village would never lack water again.

This would be incredibly important for Sunagakure.

"Would Amegakure agree?"

Maki asked directly.

The idea of drawing a river from Amegakure was not new to Sunagakure, but it had never been realized.

Simply put: even though Amegakure couldn't defeat Sunagakure, they could sabotage the river.

They controlled the upstream; they could do whatever they wanted.

At worst, they could turn it into a sewage river.

What's that? You want to fight us?

Haven't you beaten us enough already?

During the Ninja War, you turned Amegakure into ruins.

And you keep harassing us; we're used to it by now.

That's the power of having nothing to lose!

As for wiping out Amegakure...

That's a dream!

It's a critical buffer zone between major nations.

Not just Sunagakure, even Konoha and the other villages wouldn't agree to eliminate it.

Without Amegakure, in case of war, the other villages could attack Sunagakure directly.

Would they allow that?

Absolutely not!

So, even though Maki was excited by Itsuki's proposal, he didn't hold much hope.

Pakura calmly said, "As long as Sunagakure agrees to my conditions, I can make it happen. I'll handle the negotiations with Amegakure."

"Pakura... Lord Kazekage!"

Maki said seriously, "You are part of Sunagakure's leadership; you must understand the difficulty of this."

Pakura coldly replied, "That's why you have to agree to my conditions. Otherwise, don't even think about it!"

"Four people!"

Pakura held up four fingers and said calmly, "There are twelve people in Sunagakure's leadership with decision-making power. I want four of those seats. Who you remove is up to you. I won't interfere."

Maki fell silent again.

After a long pause.

"Lord Kazekage, you are the leader of Sunagakure. Don't you think…"

"The Kazekage must at least protect their own life!"

Pakura interrupted coldly, "If I can't even protect myself, what makes you think I'd care about Sunagakure's welfare? Do you still think I'm the naïve Pakura from before?"

Maki was filled with bitterness.

Pakura might not be hostile toward Sunagakure, but she was certainly wary.

Letting someone like her be Kazekage...

There was no choice!

If they had an alternative, Maki wouldn't have wanted Pakura as Kazekage, considering her hands were stained with Sunagakure's blood.

But alas.

They had no other candidates.

The Sand Village, after its victory in the Konoha Crush Plan, never even considered Gaara.

A twelve-year-old kid didn't even qualify as a candidate.

At present, Sunagakure had stable military power.

They had abundant resources.

The resources they had plundered from Konoha could sustain them for years.

The only thing missing was a leader!

In the original story, Sunagakure suffered a major loss in the Konoha Crush Plan.

They had offended Konoha and were always at risk of retaliation.

Their Kazekage had died.

Their resources had dwindled to almost nothing.

And they couldn't find a suitable Kazekage, so they dragged it out until Gaara, after years of stabilizing emotionally, finally became the Kazekage.

But now, with Pakura as a candidate, they weren't considering anyone else.

"This is beyond my authority!"

Maki sighed. "I need to go back and discuss it."

"Can't handle it already? I haven't even mentioned the other conditions yet."

Itsuki raised an eyebrow.

"There's more?"

Maki was already sweating.

When Itsuki finished listing his conditions, Maki fell into a stunned silence.

Are you serious?

With these kinds of outrageous demands, how do you think we'd ever agree?

"Don't be hasty."

Itsuki smiled. "Go back, talk it over with Chiyo. If you agree, come back and take Pakura with you. If not, don't bother coming back."

Maki left, deep in thought.

"Your terms are practically killing them. Do you think they'll agree?" Pakura asked Itsuki.

"I never intended for them to agree."

Itsuki held Pakura's hand, teary-eyed. "If they agree, my dear Pakura will suffer. How could I let that happen? Stay with me and live comfortably."

"You're such a smooth talker!"

Pakura huffed, but her face was full of smiles.

"Seriously though!"

"Heh, they'll definitely agree!"

Itsuki watched Maki leave and smiled. "A direct river to Sunagakure is worth any price to them. And most importantly, Chiyo might be close to death."

Pakura was startled. "What does that mean?"

Itsuki kept smiling, but this time his smile was colder and more ruthless.

"A dying person has no scruples. Right now, Chiyo fears nothing. Anyone who stands in her way, she'll kill."

"If she thinks this is good for Sunagakure, she'll do it. Four seats? That's nothing. If she goes mad, she might wipe out all twelve for you!" 

(End of Chapter)