"Scorpion, it's been a long time. It's only been two years, and you've grown so much. You've also joined the Puppet Brigade," the Third Kazekage patted Scorpion's head, showing concern.
Finally, his gaze fell on the only young man in the field whom he had not met before.
"Lord Kazekage, his name is Hardy. He ranked first in the selection this year and joined the Puppet Brigade as a newcomer!" Leaf nudged Hardy's leg discreetly and introduced him to the Third Kazekage.
Hardy had to pretend to be excited and stuttered, "Lo...Lord Kazekage, I'm Hardy, eleven years old this year!"
"Ah, I remember," the Third Kazekage reached out his hand and patted Hardy's head, showing a friendly and approachable demeanor.
Those who could enter the Puppet Brigade were talented puppeteers. Ranking first in the selection at such a young age meant that Hardy was undoubtedly an elite Jonin seed. As the leader of the Sand Village, the Third Kazekage naturally paid attention to and nurtured these young talents.
At least as the Kazekage, he was doing a good job. From the original work's perspective, the Sand Village was at its strongest during the Third Kazekage's era. Not only was he among the top Jonin in strength, but also the village had the most top-tier experts during his tenure.
The older generation had the Chiyo siblings, the middle generation had Scorpion's parents, and the younger generation had produced the couple Rasa and Karura and Yashamaru.
Later on, the Sand Village declined and became the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, purely due to misfortune.
Scorpion's parents encountered Byakugan, a formidable opponent who specialized in countering puppeteers, leading to the interruption of their lineage. This resulted in Scorpion growing up lacking love and with an abnormal mind, ultimately assassinating the Third Kazekage.
After Rasa came to power, he even used political means to betray Yashamaru, who posed a threat to the Kazekage position. Eventually, Karura died in childbirth while giving birth to Gaara, who died shortly thereafter.
Even in the end, Rasa was assassinated by Orochimaru.
If during Naruto's time, Konoha's decline was due to the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife...
The incompetence of the three generations of Hokage in their later years led to the unfortunate situation in the Hidden Sand Village. In just over a decade, only Chiyo and Ebizo, two old folks, were barely holding things together. They couldn't even find a suitable candidate for the position of Hokage, so they had to reluctantly promote a Jinchuriki to the position.
If it weren't for the incident with White Fang, by the time Gaara's generation grew up, the Hidden Sand Village might have been the strongest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
It can be said that the foundation laid by the Third Hokage for the Hidden Sand Village was very good, but unfortunately, they encountered White Fang from Konoha, who disrupted the normal inheritance of the Hidden Sand Village.
"Hokage-sama."
Gaara suddenly called out to the Third Hokage.
"Gaara, what's wrong?"
The Third Hokage crouched down, patting Gaara's head.
"Is White Fang dead?"
The Third Hokage's movements paused involuntarily, his eyes dimmed, but he forced a smile on his face.
"Sorry, Gaara, White Fang is very strong. I couldn't kill him, but with the help of the shinobi from Ishiguro, I have already severely injured him. If there's a next time, I will definitely kill him!"
Seemingly not wanting to see disappointment in Gaara's eyes, the Third Hokage turned around, smiling at everyone.
"I, as the Third Hokage, declare that the original A-rank mission to capture Uchiha failed, but the mission was reclassified as part of a higher-level mission to ambush White Fang. Now, Kakashi Hatake has been severely injured, and even with Tsunade present, he won't be able to appear on the battlefield for a short time. Therefore, the mission was successful."
The A-rank mission failed, but the S-rank mission succeeded.
It can be said that Gaara and Shizune were almost the first in the history of the Hidden Sand Village to participate and complete an S-rank mission as lower-ranking shinobi.
The reward received afterward would also increase by at least double.
...
...
DC Universe.
Gotham, the slums, the old industrial district of Gotham, a certain abandoned factory.
"From today onwards, the Cole Gang belongs to me, managed by Fleysher Walt. Any objections?"
Shizune sat calmly on a chair, her left hand propping up her chin on the armrest, looking at the thirty or so thugs in front of her.
Standing silently behind her was a towering figure of over two meters, exuding a strong presence. At Shizune's feet lay a blurry mass of flesh and blood, the former leader of the Cole Gang, Chidi Cole.
After exchanging glances in confusion, the thugs began to discuss among themselves.
At that moment, a bald man with a gold chain suddenly raised a pistol and aimed it at Shizune.
"Now you don't have that iron lump on you, Mr. Walt, and I can kill you with just a pull of the trigger. It seems like I am more suitable to be the leader of the Cole Gang."
Shizune chuckled.
"I admire your courage. What's your name... never mind."
Shizune's palm on the armrest swiftly flipped, launching a slender steel nail that pierced the bald man's forehead.
If it were someone like a funeral bell or a ninja master, they could easily react, but this bald guy was just a slightly stronger ordinary human.
"I'm not interested in knowing the names of dead people."
The thugs trembled, quickly changing their tone towards Shizune.
"We've seen Boss Walt!"
"Long live Boss Walt!"
"Boss Walt is mighty!"
They shouted various praises, their voices chaotic, clearly a group of unruly individuals.
Shizune's face lit up with a satisfied smile, watching the fortune on the panel rise.
Though minimal, it was indeed rising.
Sure enough, becoming the leader of a faction could boost one's fortune.
Next, it should be a continuous expansion of power, right?
"Um... Boss Walt, there's something I'd like to report to you."
A thug with green-dyed hair in a messy style reached out to Shizune.
"Speak!"
Shizune crossed her legs.
"Chidi Cole has a brother named Kerman Cole, who is the leader of the Two-Face Gang. Every month, our Cole Gang has to gather contributions to hand over to the Two-Face Gang, so that we can be protected by them and avoid trouble from other gangs and the police."
"Being protected by the Two-Face Gang means we won't be bothered by other gangs, I understand that. But what does this have to do with the police?"
Shizune curiously asked the thug with green-dyed hair.
"Hey, Boss, you might have just entered this line of work, so you might not be very clear, but in Gotham, those police officers and such all have side incomes. The big gangs have connections with the higher-ups in the police department. They cooperate with the police, provide information, and in return, the police won't come looking for trouble with them. Sometimes, they even leak some information to them."
"When those police officers need achievements, the big gangs will willingly offer up scapegoats, and they can even actively manage and restrain the smaller gangs below them to prevent things from getting too chaotic, so the big shots won't lose face."
Shizune nodded in realization.
Indeed, with just that bit of money each month, why would those police officers come and fight to the death with the underworld gangs?