Chapter 104
"Let's prepare for this first. The preliminary round will be held in the forest outside the village," Zixu announced, setting things in motion. For now, he just wanted to take a break.
"But... didn't the forest get burned down?" At that moment, Karin seemed to recall something and kindly reminded Zixu.
"Ah... then we'll have to find another place. I haven't asked about this yet—what happened? Someone attacked the village?" Zixu frowned, irritation creeping into his voice.
I finally paid off my debts, and now someone's trying to rob me of my points? If I catch them, they're done for.
Hyuga Chinano then explained the details of Deidara and Sasori's attack on the village. While the overall destruction wasn't too severe, there was still some noticeable damage.
"What? Gekkō Hayate was captured by them?" Zixu narrowed his eyes, struggling to understand the enemy's logic. Was he their target from the start? Or was there another reason behind it?
"It's said that the Akatsuki have been hunting down the Tailed Beasts recently," Neji added, recalling some intelligence. "Jinchūriki from various villages have been attacked, and they've already succeeded in capturing quite a few."
"I see... That means Orochimaru is hiding more than he lets on. There's no way he just let Gekkō Hayate get taken without a reason." Zixu wasn't particularly concerned about Orochimaru's secrecy. Dealing with him is always a gamble. It's just a game between the two of us.
"Alright, I'll have to speak with the Daimyō of each nation later. But as long as I can negotiate with the Five Kage, that should be enough. Maybe I should go see the Kage first... but before that, I need some serious rest."
Zixu stretched, feeling a rare sense of relaxation. Now that he was finally debt-free, he could afford to take things easy for a while. Once the country was officially founded, any profits made by the village would earn him additional reward points—it wouldn't be a one-sided grind anymore.
"Now tell me we're not qualified to establish a nation. With all the groundwork we've laid out, there's no way we're not ready." Zixu scoffed, recalling how the system had previously denied him permission to start a village because they "had nothing." That wouldn't be a problem anymore.