[The Konoha-nin tried many methods, attempting to locate your true body or stop your shadow clones from entering Konoha, but all attempts failed. Sarutobi Hiruzen even threatened to declare war on Iwagakure, but those words probably weren't believable even to himself.]
[Ultimately, the powerless Konoha sent the ninjas you were familiar with to sue for peace. Looking at Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata, you could only feel amused. Konoha seemed to have exhausted all its tricks, even pushing out ninjas who had just graduated from the academy.]
Nojuro Ryun was not surprised by this. After all, having Ryun's friends plead on his behalf seemed much more normal than Danzo directly killing the Hokage's son.
Moreover, Ryun was very curious about what these girls' attitudes towards him were at this moment.
Although Ryun's favorability with them was genuine, their loyalty to Konoha, as the youngest generation of elite rookies, was also beyond doubt.
When Ryun and Konoha were placed on opposite ends of a scale, what choice would they make?
The answer was somewhat unexpected to Ryun.
[You thought they would become distant because of what you had done, but the first thing they did upon meeting you was to ask if you were hurt and if you were doing well over in Iwagakure. After talking with them for a while, Ryun realized that the dissatisfaction within Konoha towards Sarutobi Hiruzen had reached its limit.]
[This dissatisfaction had actually existed ever since Namikaze Minato's sacrifice. After the Nine-Tails attack, the number of Konoha-nin drastically decreased, and the village's strength and economic situation rapidly deteriorated. At that time, the Konoha-nin worked together, believing they could overcome the crisis, but to this day, the situation still hasn't improved.]
[Your experience became the fuse that ignited this dissatisfaction: a civilian genius, who hadn't made any mistakes, was actually directly driven out of Konoha by Danzo. Konoha thus lost a large number of elite ninjas. The culprit, Danzo, remained unpunished under Sarutobi Hiruzen's protection, and to this day, no one had even seen him again.]
[Many people expressed goodwill towards you through the girls and had no intention of making an enemy of you. Some even advised you that as a civilian, you didn't need to pay any mind to the label of a missing-nin. You just needed to live your life well in the Land of Earth, and Konoha would never send ninjas to disturb you.]
Ryun suddenly understood. It seemed these clans had reached a consensus behind Sarutobi Hiruzen's back, not wanting to form a deadly grudge with Ryun.
Indeed, a ruler like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who kept aging yet clung tightly to power, would incur the resentment of almost everyone outside his own family. He not only blocked many people's paths, but the immense uncertainty he created became an unbearable Sword of Damocles for everyone.
Seeing this, Ryun temporarily lost much desire to continue tormenting the Konoha-nin.
It wasn't because Ryun was merciful, but because the Chunin Exams were about to begin.
Once Sarutobi Hiruzen died, the situation in Konoha might change drastically.
Ryun also wanted to see what Konoha would become next.
What Ryun didn't expect was that his simulated self actually pulled another stunt.
[Out of consideration for the girls, you gave up on the idea of further humiliating Konoha, but you also demanded that Konoha revoke the bounties on you, Anko, and Kurenai. At the same time, you asked all the girls to go back and think about a question: would any of them be willing to leave Konoha with him in the future?]
Ryun wanted to give his simulated self a thumbs up. How could he propose such a request that was almost impossible for anyone to agree to?
Well, considering his state of mind at the time, he probably really could do something like that. After all, in his eyes, Konoha had no dignity left.
But Ryun still didn't think anyone would agree to such a thing.
Once again, the answer took Ryun by surprise.
[The girls left with complex expressions. They all sent you replies the next day. They didn't directly agree, but they didn't outright refuse either. Almost all asked to wait a few years before giving an answer. You felt this might be the result of someone's guidance, an attempt to delay you for a few years with this method.]
[You weren't very concerned about this. After all, in Iwagakure, you already had Kurenai and Anko. During the time of your escape, your relationship with Kurenai had rapidly deepened. With Anko adding fuel to the fire, you were only waiting for a suitable opportunity to take the final step.]
Ryun looked at the simulated text in surprise.
The girls' replies were mostly within Ryun's expectations, but when did he manage to win over Kurenai?
Although he did want to take the opportunity to win over Kurenai, was such an important plot point just skipped over?
Once the simulation ended, he would definitely need to critically appreciate the process and details.
Ryun thought this segment had ended and the Chunin Exams were next.
But the subsequent developments left Ryun utterly astonished.
[Baki sought you out, wanting to get to know you, the Konoha missing-nin. He extended an invitation to you: Sunagakure was willing to offer you a position as an advisor to the Kazekage. At the same time, he introduced Temari to you. A blushing Temari shyly greeted you, the implications of which were almost too clear.]
[Meanwhile, your true body received a message from Iwagakure. When you returned to Iwagakure, you found that Kurotsuchi had already become good friends with Kurenai and Anko. The reason was that Kurotsuchi was learning makeup techniques from the two of them, as Iwagakure had almost no research in this area.]
[With so many people making such obvious moves, you clearly understood the underlying meanings. But you chose to go with the flow. After all, you were about to become a father, and you had a beautiful, motherly Kurenai waiting for your comfort.]
[One day, Anko, using the excuse that she wasn't feeling well, kicked you out of bed. You happened upon Kurenai in the living room, wearing a red, semi-transparent nightgown, drinking alone but having prepared two cups. You shared a drink, reminiscing about your点点滴滴 in Konoha. You promised Kurenai you would make her as happy as Anko, and Kurenai accepted you.]
The Ryun in reality now had only one thought.
Wasn't the simulation over yet?
He needed to go criticize this morally questionable behavior!
He just wondered if it was still possible for Kurenai to become pregnant and have a child now that they had consummated their relationship in the simulation. Ryun had been coveting Kurenai's data for a long time.
[Your relationship with Anko and Kurenai became stable, leading you to ignore the invitations and hints coming from all directions. The people of Konoha also grew accustomed to your unpredictable appearances and disappearances. Gradually, many even began treating you like an ordinary Konoha citizen, completely ignoring the fact that you had once been a wanted criminal.]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen began to live in seclusion, with many matters handled by Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. You realized Konoha was facing a serious power crisis. At the same time, Konoha was also about to face a crisis from Sunagakure. In your view, Konoha's situation was perilous.]
The real Ryun cooled down and also began to ponder this issue.
In the original Konoha Crush plan, although Konoha's top-tier fighters didn't even get injured, the mid to low-tier forces actually suffered significant losses.
The Nine-Tails attack, the Uchiha clan massacre, another Konoha Crush plan... If this time it was compounded by a power crisis and the variable that was Ryun, could it truly invite the immense crisis of Konoha's destruction?
The more Ryun worried about something, the more it appeared in the simulation.
[The Chunin Exams began, proceeding according to the original plan. However, because Kurenai had come to Iwagakure, Asuma died in battle, reducing the strength of the original Team 10, and Team 8 was completely disbanded. This indirectly led to Sasuke being severely injured during the second stage of the exams, losing his chance to participate in the third stage.]
Seeing this, Ryun's heart sank. Was it really happening?
[Originally, Gaara's opponent was Sasuke, but now it was Neji. Neji was directly severely injured by Gaara. Subsequently, Gaara successfully transformed into Shukaku at the Chunin Exam arena, dealing a devastating blow to Konoha.]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen died in battle. Elite jonin like Kakashi and Guy were also injured. Finally, Jiraiya used Sage Mode to repel Shukaku, defeat the three giant snakes, and clear the battlefield, turning the tide.]
[Meanwhile, the armies of Iwagakure and Kumogakure had assembled at the border. The Akatsuki organization, which originally couldn't proceed with the tailed beast extraction plan, also gathered, seemingly awaiting an order to be issued.]
[The Konoha Crush plan led by Sunagakure ended, but the real collapse of Konoha had only just begun.]
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