Chapter 65 » Sense of Belonging and Identity! When The Hatred Had Consumed!

Seven days later.

When Kisame Hoshigaki led several hundred people from the border of the Land of Fire, transporting cart after cart full of supplies to Kirigakure, the entire Mist Village was once again plunged into wild joy!

Kiri is geographically located near the sea, so its land area is not very large. Moreover, Kirigakure has been at war for years, with hardly any respite. Sometimes, there were even frequent internal conflicts between clans and the village.

Before Yagura Karatachi managed the village, the management of the Mist Village had always been very chaotic.

Although many powerful ninjas emerged, their hearts were not united. As a result, Kirigakure's overall level was relatively backward among the great ninja villages.

Konohagakure, located in the Land of Fire, is rich in land and resources! With very convenient transportation, it has developed quite rapidly. Therefore, the Land of Fire is undoubtedly the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Second to them is the vast territory of Kumogakure.

Then comes Iwagakure. After all, the Tsuchikage of Iwa, Onoki of Both Scales, possesses the Kekkei Tōta Dust Release! And if nothing else, Iwagakure definitely has enough ninjas in quantity!

You should know, in the previous war (Third), Iwa sent more than ten thousand ninjas to besiege the Third Raikage of Kumogakure! In the end, they literally exhausted the Third Raikage to death! So, Iwagakure believes in making up for lack of quality with quantity!

Sunagakure, on the other hand, focuses on puppet techniques and Wind Release. Their combat strength is not to be underestimated!

Although Kirigakure has risen suddenly, they still can't let their guard down. After all, they don't have as much foundation as the other ninja villages. These things all need time to accumulate.

Kisame's return with a full load of supplies made Yagura so excited he could barely speak. The victory in this great battle also gave Kiri an even stronger sense of unity!

"Quick! Notify Yusuke immediately! We need to discuss how to distribute these supplies!" Yagura exclaimed, standing on the rooftop of the Mizukage's office building.

Looking down at the supplies that had already filled nearly ten squares to capacity, he was grinning from ear to ear.

"I'll go personally! I'll invite him myself!" After a moment's thought, Yagura quickly called out to stop the ninja he'd sent earlier.

Then, he activated his Body Flicker Technique and rushed urgently towards Yusuke's residence.

Now, for any major moves in the village, Yagura had to consult Yusuke for joint decisions. He could handle small matters on his own, but for big issues, the big guy must personally give the orders!

In front of a luxurious building stood the Mizukage.

This was the residence of the ANBU Leader and Ice God: Yusuke. Moreover, it was an impressive dwelling that Yagura had personally overseen the construction of for him!

In fact, you could say the level of luxury here was no less than the Mizukage's office building!

Knock! Knock! Knock!

A few minutes later, Yusuke opened the door and regarded Yagura with an indifferent expression. His muscular torso was bare, with only a damp towel covering his lower half.

"Who is it? Coming to disturb us..."

Inside the room, Mei, wearing a sheer nightgown, poked her head out. Her face was full of unhappy expressions.

When she saw it was the Mizukage himself, she finally blushed and ducked back into the room.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem..." Yagura immediately started coughing, then scratched his head and said, "Um... Is this a bad time? Perhaps I should come back later..."

The situation had quickly become awkward.

"It's fine, just tell me what's going on." Yusuke said with a helpless smile, "No matter when you come, it's always going to be a bad time."

During the past week, Mei had been quite... enthusiastic. After all, back on the battlefield, he had promised her that after the war ended, he would properly accompany her in "researching the origin of life."

"Ahem... Well, Yusuke, all the supplies from Konoha have been transported here. We're waiting for you to come allocate them." Yagura said, getting straight to the point.

"Okay." Yusuke nodded, "I'll go right away."

"Good!" Yagura said, then left.

Yusuke returned to the room. Looking at Mei sitting on the tatami mat with her stunning figure, he nodded with satisfaction. Her figure being so good, it would be impossible to say it wasn't partly due to his... influence.

"I need to go discuss something. I'll be right back." Yusuke said with a smile.

"Mmm... is it urgent?" Mei sauntered up to him, gazing up with fluttering eyelashes. She traced her fingers down his chest, her suggestive touch continuing lower, leaving little doubt about her intentions.

"It probably isn't urgent…" Yusuke said, his eyes following the movement of her hand. When it reached a certain spot, he added, "Definitely not urgent."

Then with a wave of his hand, the door was tightly closed.

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Two hours later, in the Mizukage's office.

After much anticipation from the elders, Yusuke finally arrived. Mangetsu and Kisame had also been waiting for a long time.

"Captain Yusuke! All the supplies have been fully counted and verified. It's 50% of the supplies, nothing is missing." Mangetsu reported respectfully.

"Mm." Yusuke nodded.

Konohagakure, recently defeated in battle, wouldn't dare try any tricks. Otherwise, they'd face Kirigakure's wrath. Konoha needed time to recover, and Kiri needed time to develop. Compensating with supplies was the best option for the Leaf Village.

"The distribution of supplies is simple. All clans, civilians, and ninjas will be treated equally!" Yusuke declared from the rooftop of the Mizukage's office building, looking down at the supplies piled everywhere. "Then, we'll distribute based on battlefield performance. After all, some clans have lost... quite a few members. When people risk their lives for you, you must give them something in return."

"The remaining supplies will be invested in the village's construction, defense, medical care, ninja academy, and transportation. We'll strengthen all basic infrastructure and public facilities. Don't let this hard-earned sense of belonging disappear!"

"Sense of belonging..." Yagura's body trembled. He muttered, "Sense of belonging..."

"Yes! Sense of belonging!"

Behind them, the group of elders and ninja representatives from various major clans, including Mangetsu and Kisame, couldn't help but swallow hard.

Sense of belonging!

Without realizing it, all the clans, ninjas, and civilians seemed to be working towards a single goal: to make Kiri stronger and better!

No one knew exactly when it started, but this feeling had begun to permeate the entire Kirigakure. Now, after Yusuke's enlightenment, everyone finally had an epiphany!

In the past, almost no one in the Mist Village had much sense of belonging. The clans were wary of each other, everyone fought for their own interests, and many ninjas even betrayed the village to enemy countries.

But suddenly, without knowing why, everyone began to truly dedicate themselves to the village. They subconsciously started wanting to make it better.

When this subconscious forms, it represents a sense of belonging and identity!

Everyone identified with the village. They hoped it would become better and better, and they all wanted to protect its future!

And the turning point for all of this was Yusuke, standing before them with his hands behind his back!

It was him!

Starting more than a year ago, he gradually changed the village. He saved it! He led it!

Yagura's voice was somewhat choked up. If Yusuke wasn't in the village, perhaps... it would only be darker?

At that moment, everyone's gaze towards Yusuke was filled with fervor and utmost reverence!

No matter how other ninja villages might try to paint him in a negative light — no matter how they might call him a demon, a devil from hell — in the eyes of all the ninjas and civilians of Kiri, Yusuke Kamizuki was a deity! They were willing to sacrifice everything for him!

Swept up in the atmosphere, Mangetsu and Kisame shouted in unison:

"We offer our hearts to Lord Yusuke! We offer our hearts to Kirigakure!!"

Behind them, the ninja representatives from all the major clans joined in the shouting with genuine passion! Tears glistened in their eyes, filled with a fierce light!

And Yusuke Kamizuki? He was their guiding light!

"Hahaha!" Yusuke turned around, looking at his subordinates and the other clan ninjas with their tear-filled eyes. He laughed heartily, "Remember this! After distributing the supplies, we must become even more rigorous! We still need to develop vigorously! Otherwise, we won't be able to change the fate of our ninja village."

"Although we've won this war against Konoha, those old diehards from the Leaf will definitely make a comeback. Kirigakure must become even stronger than it is now!"

"Do you understand?!"

Yusuke's voice was strong and forceful! It resonated powerfully in everyone's ears!

"We understand!"

And the response to him was a thunderous reply!

Yusuke showed no pride after the victory in the war. Instead, he pushed the various clans and ninjas to train even harder! This resolve made Yagura admire him to no end!

If it were him, he certainly wouldn't be able to contain his inner joy, and would be at least a little bit smug. But in Yusuke, no one detected any hint of arrogance.

At that moment, everyone's reverence for their Ice God, The Devil Butcher, The Lightning Captain reached new heights!

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On the border of the Land of Fire, in a room at a hot spring inn, a silver-haired middle-aged man sat reading a letter.

After finishing, he quietly folded it, then poured himself a bottle of sake and drank it all in one go.

"To think such a big event happened in the village..." He sighed, "If things are like this, I'll have to stop my research mission."

Jiraiya clicked his tongue, then picked up the large scroll on the table beside him.

"I guess it's time... to go back and take a look."

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In a small town within the Land of Fire.

"Three sixes! Three sixes! Three sixes!" A woman with enormous "assets", wearing tea-green clothes, was constantly shaking the dice cup in her hand.

As the shaking became more intense, the eyes of everyone in the gambling den couldn't help but shift to something even more enticing. After all, that "something" was far more alluring than the dice cup.

Bam—

The blonde bombshell slammed the dice cup on the table in front of her!

"It has to be three sixes! Phew..."

She let out a slow breath, then under everyone's gaze, she opened the dice cup...

All three dice showed one dot.

"!!!" Tsunade furrowed her brows, gritting her teeth!

"Hahaha! You lost! You've lost everything now!" The people across the gambling table immediately burst into joyous laughter.

With a crack sound, Tsunade crushed the dice cup in her hand to pieces, startling the people around her.

Then, she stood up angrily and said, "Shizune! Let's go!"

After saying this, she flicked her sleeve and left the place directly.

Behind her, a short-haired woman holding a pink pig hurriedly followed.

"Lady Tsunade! Wait for me! Lady Tsunade!"

Obviously, this was the one known as The Legendary Sucker, Tsunade!

Caw! Caw!

At that moment, a crow's call echoed in the sky above the street. The unique frequency of its cry made Tsunade pause. Shizune also recognized this particular call.

"Shizune." Tsunade said, raising an eyebrow.

Shizune immediately understood the command. With a swift leap, she caught the messenger crow and retrieved the message tied to its leg.

Tsunade took the note, opened it, and read. As seconds passed, her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

"Lady Tsunade, what's wrong?" Shizune asked cautiously.

"Damn it! Interrupting my business!" Tsunade crumpled the note in her hand and said angrily, "Shizune! Prepare to return to the village!"

"Huh?"

Although Shizune didn't know what was happening, rumors about the war between Konoha and Kiri had reached their ears during this period.

Could it be... those rumors were all true?

Without hesitation, Shizune nodded firmly. "Mm!!"

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Konoha. At the entrance of the Root headquarters.

"I knew you would come back to find me."

Orochimaru had been waiting here for a long time. Seeing Fugaku Uchiha appear, a smile involuntarily crept across his face. His judgment of people was still quite accurate.

"Orochimaru, I need to see your results before I agree to cooperate with you." For the past week, Fugaku had barely been able to sleep.

Every night, he was haunted by visions of Yusuke Kamizuki's cruel face and the thought of him… venting… in his future wife. These scenes filled Fugaku with such rage he could almost vomit blood.

Although normal training could continuously increase his strength, it was far too slow. Could he really wait and train honestly for three to five years? That was unacceptable!

By then, Mikoto would be completely shaped by that demon! This was something he absolutely could not allow!

So, he came, with hatred completely consuming his mind.

He needed to become stronger — and quickly. It had to be the kind of strength that could increase dramatically in a short time!

"On this point, Clan Head Fugaku can rest assured." Orochimaru said with an effeminate smile.

He knew that to cooperate with the head of the Uchiha clan, he needed to present something convincing. And this, he had long prepared in the underground Root base.

That man with a fanatical belief in the Uchiha clan — even using "Uchiha" as his own name and calling himself Shin Uchiha — had been waiting in the Root base for a long time!

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