Chapter 152: Prince of the Flower Tree (Part 1)

As the capital of the Land of Wind and the important city where the Daimyo resides, Wind City is built on an oasis.

Perhaps due to the underground rivers flowing beneath, the scenery inside and outside Wind City is completely different.

Outside the tall city walls is a desolate desert, but within the high walls, lush vegetation flourishes, with groves of swaying palm trees.

Amid this picturesque landscape, many luxurious, exotic spire-topped buildings stand proudly, looking both stunning and appealing.

Wind City truly is a dazzling emerald gem in the desert!

From above, Hattori could clearly see the bustling scene at the city gates. In one phrase, it was "a sea of people and a continuous stream of carriages!"

Flying all this way, Hattori was certain that nowhere in the Land of Wind could compare to the splendor of Wind City.

Precisely because of this, almost all the country's aristocrats and wealthy merchants gathered here, living lives of lavish indulgence amidst nightly celebrations.

The wars of the Shinobi World seemed entirely unrelated to this place!

Seeing this lively scene before him, Hattori, who had just hurried over from the Hidden Sand Village, couldn't help but sigh.

"Damn it, the difference between the boss and the hired muscle is way too damn big!"

At that moment, Hattori realized that both the people of Hidden Sand Village and he himself had been foolish.

While he and the other shinobi fought life-or-death battles with rival villages, the Daimyo and nobles didn't have to worry. They enjoyed the good life in the oasis, simply waiting for the outcome of the war.

After all, according to the unwritten rules of the shinobi world, it was mostly shinobi fighting each other, and the Daimyo were rarely targeted.

Even the bodyguards protecting the Daimyo were generally on guard against political rivals rather than shinobi from other nations.

Hattori had always known this, but he'd never given it much thought. Living in the shinobi village environment, he hadn't considered such issues.

But now, in Wind City, the realization hit him, prompting him to make a "difficult" decision.

"I want to become one of the Land of Wind's great nobles, or even... the Daimyo!"

With this decision made, Hattori's eyes became resolute, and he directed his giant winged dragonfly to land at the city gate.

The gate guards immediately approached and respectfully bowed when they saw him land.

"Are you a shinobi from the Hidden Sand Village?"

"A shinobi?" 

Hearing the respectful greeting, Hattori was momentarily stunned.

He recalled that according to the *Naruto* lore, shinobi were essentially the Daimyo's enforcers, so they weren't highly regarded. Why were these gate guards being so respectful?

He quickly realized, though.

While shinobi weren't highly ranked compared to the Daimyo and the great nobles, they still held a higher status than ordinary citizens due to their martial prowess.

And as a shinobi with a summoning beast, he was among the elite, so the guards' deference made sense.

Understanding this, Hattori smiled at the gate guards and nodded.

"Yes, that's right, I'm a shinobi from the Hidden Sand Village!"

"May I ask if you have your identification?" one of the gate guards politely inquired.

"Identification?"

Hattori was taken aback for a moment before slapping his forehead.

"Oh, you mean my shinobi registration papers? Sorry, I forgot to bring them. Does that mean I can't enter the city?"

"No, no, not at all!" The gate guard hastily explained. 

"Because we're in wartime, there's an order that if a shinobi from the Hidden Sand Village is here on business, we must assist them. So we need to confirm your identity!"

"Oh, I see."

Hattori nodded, waving them off.

"No worries. The war is pretty much over now, so I'm not here on business. I'm here to settle down."

"Huh? The war is over?" The two gate guards were shocked and nervously asked, "Does that mean... we lost?"

Their anxiety was understandable. The Land of Wind was historically weak, having lost the previous two wars.

Seeing their worried expressions, Hattori laughed and waved his hand.

"Hahaha, no, no... Our Hidden Sand Village is very strong. There's no way we lost! The Leaf and Stone Villages were scared of us, so they paid reparations and formed alliances. The Mist Village refused to bow, so they suffered the most!"

"What do you mean by 'suffered'?" the two gate guards asked eagerly.

Hattori chuckled, showing a row of sharp, white teeth.

"Those Mist Village water monkeys provoked the *Flame Salamander* Hattori from our Hidden Sand Village. Their shinobi village was destroyed, and even their Third Mizukage was killed!"

"Whoa..."

The guards were stunned.

"Is that true? How shocking!"

"Yeah, it's totally unexpected..."

As they stood there in shock, a luxuriously decorated ox-drawn carriage pulled up at the city gates.

The window rolled down, revealing a young man's face.

"Hey, red-haired friend, your story interests me. Can you tell me more about the *Flame Salamander*?"

"Huh?" Hattori raised an eyebrow at him. "And who might you be?"

"I am—" The young man began to introduce himself, but a nearby sword-wielding bodyguard interrupted.

"Mind your manners! This is Prince Hanaki!"

"Prince?" Hattori raised an eyebrow. "So, you're a noble?"

"That's correct," Hanaki nodded. "My father is the Daimyo of the Land of Wind."

"Oh..." Hattori nodded and gave him a slight smile.

"Nice to meet you, Prince Hanaki. But you should know, there are only two ways to get information from a shinobi!"

Hattori raised two fingers.

"First, defeat me and threaten my life. Second..."

"I know, you pay for it!" Hanaki quickly interrupted, laughing.

"So, how much do you want?"

Hattori held up five fingers.

"At least this much!"

Hanaki nodded instantly.

"Five million? That sounds fair!"

Hattori: (*ω`)

What the hell? I meant fifty thousand, not five million!

Fifty thousand had been his salary as a newly promoted jonin, so he thought it was a fair amount to ask for. He never expected Hanaki to multiply the offer by a hundred!

And this was just for information everyone in the Hidden Sand Village already knew. This guy really had money to burn!

If only the shinobi world had cell phones, Hattori would have messaged the Hidden Sand Village's intelligence department:

**"There's a rich sucker here! Get over here, quick!"**

(End of Chapter)