"Wow! So this is the legendary Sunagakure. It's really…"
So poor~
Qi Hai sighed inwardly.
Looking at these mud houses, they seemed like they could collapse at any moment.
He couldn't help but smirk to himself. Hmph, even though the ninja world has strong combat power, it's poor and still stuck in an ancient village era. In terms of economic development, my pirate world is definitely not inferior.
After escorting Qi Hai into the village, Sapo left, as he was on duty and couldn't accompany Qi Hai to wander around aimlessly.
Qi Hai used Observation Haki to scan the area and confirmed that no one was monitoring him.
Observation Haki is one of the three types of Haki in One Piece. It allows the user to sharpen their senses to an extraordinary level, enabling them to perceive nearby living beings, emotions, and other details. It's an essential skill for survival and exploration.
Of course, no one from the ANBU was watching Qi Hai. After all, Sunagakure had very limited manpower. They wouldn't assign someone to keep an eye on a civilian without chakra.
Gurgle!
Qi Hai's stomach growled loudly.
"Are you hungry?"
Suddenly, a woman's voice came from behind Qi Hai.
He turned around and saw the speaker. She was tall, with striking yellow-green hair, a standard oval-shaped face, and her hair tied up in a bun—a perfect blend of intelligence and beauty. What caught his attention was her outfit: a sexy, backless dress. Qi Hai was instantly stunned.
So beautiful!
That back... I could—
"Are you hungry? My name is Pakura. I can treat you to some food." Pakura said with a smile. Under the golden sunset, Qi Hai was left dumbfounded.
Pakura.
A jōnin from Sunagakure and a user of the Scorch Release kekkei genkai. She was also known as one of the kindest people in the village. She had initially been on her way to a meeting under the Kazekage's orders but, hearing the sound of a boy's stomach growling by the roadside, she decided to help him out for fun.
"Um..." Qi Hai nodded. "Ninja big sister, I really am hungry."
Ninja big sister?
Pakura found Qi Hai's odd form of address amusing. However, after sensing his lack of chakra, she understood that he was just an ordinary boy, so it didn't seem too strange.
The two of them arrived at a restaurant.
To Qi Hai's surprise, the restaurant specialized in beef dishes.
But then he thought of Yura, Haipo, and the others' attire and realized it wasn't so surprising. Sunagakure was very halal!
"One bowl of beef ramen!" Pakura said sweetly, then turned to Qi Hai, asking, "Do you want a large portion?"
Qi Hai smiled awkwardly and said, "Make it extra-large, please."
Pakura didn't mind and told the restaurant owner, "One extra-large bowl of beef ramen!"
"Ninja big sister, can I have twenty bowls?"
Twenty bowls?!
Pakura's smile froze.
An extra-large bowl of beef ramen cost 30 ryō. Twenty bowls would amount to 600 ryō. As a jōnin, she wasn't exactly poor, but she wasn't keen on spending so much on a random act of kindness.
Her initial good impression of Qi Hai dropped significantly.
Was she being treated as a fool? Could he even eat all that? Did this shameless little kid plan to pack the leftovers for his relatives?
"Hahaha." Qi Hai chuckled. Ever since he ate the Mizu Mizu no Mi, his appetite had grown immensely. He usually consumed about 100 kilograms of food per meal. Thankfully, the animals in the ninja world were also unnaturally large, so he hadn't gone hungry yet.
Pakura forced a smile and said, "Twenty extra-large bowls of beef ramen."
Thirty minutes later.
Pakura stared in disbelief at Qi Hai, who was wiping his mouth. He had actually finished all 20 bowls of ramen, even drinking all the soup!
Qi Hai patted his stomach with a grin. "Ah, I'm half full now."
Pakura responded mechanically, "Little boy, do you want more?"
What the hell? Why so polite?
Qi Hai's eyes lit up. "Can I?"
Pakura held her forehead in frustration. "Boss, bring—"
"Bring another 20 bowls!" Qi Hai interrupted enthusiastically!
"Ninja big sister, you said you're a jōnin from Sunagakure?"
After eating, Qi Hai walked alongside Pakura on the street.
Pakura proudly replied, "That's right. I'm a very capable jōnin!"
Qi Hai's eyes lit up. From their conversation, he had deduced that, besides the Kazekage, jōnin were the highest-ranking combatants in Sunagakure.
This meant that through Pakura, he might get a clearer idea of the ninja world's true strength and even estimate the Kazekage's power!
Thinking this, Qi Hai leaped a few steps ahead, pointed at Pakura, and declared, "Ninja big sister, I challenge you!"
Pakura, seeing Qi Hai's greasy face and sensing no trace of chakra in him, had three black lines slide down her forehead.
Suddenly, she smacked her forehead and said with a bitter smile, "Oh no, I forgot about the Kazekage's orders! I'm going to be late for the meeting!"
Qi Hai's ears perked up. He had heard that.
"Ninja big sister, are you going to see the Kazekage? I want to go too!"
"No way. Only the village's ninja can meet the Kazekage!" Pakura said, wagging her finger. She was in a rush and couldn't spare any more time for Qi Hai. With a Body Flicker Technique, she leaped onto a rooftop and quickly headed toward the Kazekage's office.
What the heck! She just left like that?!
Left with no choice, Qi Hai turned his body into water and used Observation Haki to track Pakura, following her closely.
This was a rare opportunity to meet the Kazekage, and he didn't want to miss it.
Qi Hai's Observation Haki could cover the entirety of Sunagakure, giving him a massive sensory range.
Unfortunately, his lack of combat experience meant that he hadn't yet developed the ability to glimpse into the future like Katakuri!
Pakura darted through the village, completely unaware of the water-like entity trailing behind her, eyes fixated on her exposed back.
Meanwhile, Pakura was deep in thought. The sudden appearance of Orochimaru, a rogue ninja from Konoha, combined with the Kazekage's strange recent orders…
Is the village planning something big? Pakura frowned. She truly hoped Sunagakure, which was growing weaker, wouldn't get involved in any conflicts.
Inside the meeting room of the Kazekage's office, the village's top combatants gathered around a table.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
The advisors, Chiyo and Ebizō.
Jōnin such as Baki, Jinto, and three others.
And two captains of the ANBU.
This was currently Sunagakure's highest combat strength—a pitifully small number.
Compared to Konoha, where jōnin were as numerous as dogs and the ANBU swarmed like ants, this group wasn't even enough to match Konoha's Root Division.
Still, despite their limited strength, they were determined. Sunagakure was planning to attack Konoha, the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Nations!
Sitting in the main seat, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, spoke with a serious expression:
"Orochimaru and his Sound Village ninjas want to join forces with us to attack Konoha. I've agreed."
As he spoke, the high-ranking Kazekage didn't show any emotion, leaving no room for debate.
For 20 advanced chapters: patreon.com/Adrian91