Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 89 Scapegoat, no, it's my scapegoat.

"Sigh, it's a pity that most of those orphans haven't refined their chakra yet, and they can't even throw kunai or shuriken properly. Sending them to the battlefield..."

An elder slammed his fist on the table and said, “Leader, this is no time for hesitation. If they don’t die, we will. Besides, we’ve raised them for so long and fed them so much food; otherwise, they would have starved to death long ago.”

The leader, sitting at the front, rolled his eyes at him. Everyone knew the truth, but he brought it up now simply to project a positive image, after all, he was the leader of the village.

The elder, however, did not understand and continued, "Besides that, there are also the more than one hundred wandering ninjas and samurai we recruited. However, it won't do to send them to Konoha alone; someone must lead them."

The leader said, "So, what do you think we're discussing right now?"

He cleared his throat and asked in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, do you think there's anyone suitable to lead this time?"

The numerous Jonin hesitated and exchanged glances.

No one wants to take on this death-defying job, but right now we have to find a scapegoat.

At this moment, an elder said, "I think we guys are all getting old, and the future of Kusagakure should eventually be handed over to the younger generation. So, we old folks won't get involved."

"Yes, young people are more energetic."

Ultimately, they unanimously agreed that Negishi Kusanagi was the most suitable candidate.

His name alone might not be recognized, but he has a unique skill: he can evade or deflect some minor ninjutsu.

He was very young, cynical, and highly talented. Before he was even twenty, he had offended almost all the Jonin.

This is precisely why, despite his formidable strength, he was not allowed to participate in the Jonin Conference.

In addition, he will have another identity in the future—a puppet of the Hungry Ghost Realm.

But now, there are still nearly ten years before he reaches his peak and dies.

In Aburame Shisei's view, with his current strength, he is at most equivalent to a special Jonin of Konoha.

Once the candidate was chosen, none of the twenty people present raised any objections.

The next day, the order was delivered to Negishi Kusanagi.

Aburame Shigeaki monitored the entire process. He recognized the man; they had worked together on missions before, but hadn't exchanged many words. The man always had a cold expression and was extremely arrogant.

He was a boy of seventeen or eighteen, thin, with sharp eyes and a head of black hair tied haphazardly behind his head.

He is the youngest Jonin in Kusagakure, and his nickname is "Greedy Demon".

This nickname perfectly matches his personality: never satisfied, always yearning, always demanding. Power, status, resources, respect... he wants everything, yet he always feels that someone is suppressing his talent and gifts.

In Kusagakure, he had few friends. He was too arrogant and spoke too bluntly, offending too many people. The veteran Jonin disliked him, and he looked down on the weak young ninjas, so no one wanted to be close to him.

So he was pushed out to be the scapegoat.

When he received the order, his face turned ashen, and he sat alone in the room for a long time.

Through the crystal ball, Aburame Shisei saw him pull out the kunai and put it back in, repeating this more than a dozen times.

His expression revealed his inner turmoil about whether to defect. But in the end, he did not choose that path.

He left the room, found the leader of Kusagakure, and presented his conditions:

"I will choose them myself. Twelve elite Chunin, selected by me personally. Otherwise, you'll have to find someone else."

The leader initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the other party's almost murderous gaze and considering that this mission was basically a one-way trip, he remained silent for a moment and then nodded: "Okay, I agree."

Although it hurt a little, as the saying goes, you have to feed a horse if you want it to run. It was just twelve elite Chunin; the Grass Village could afford to lose them.

"Okay." After saying that, Negishi Kusa turned and left.

That morning, he began selecting people. He chose Chunin who were usually overlooked, had no background, but were truly capable. These people, like him, were unhappy in Kusagakure and had nothing to lose.

Aburame Shisei was, of course, also on the list.

He was already in the cannon fodder camp, and Negishi Kusanagi's purpose in choosing him was self-evident—to increase his chances of survival by relying on Aburame Shisei's perception ability.

Therefore, when Negishi Kusanagi found him, he only said one sentence: "Your perception ability is our only hope of returning alive."

Aburame Shicheng nodded without saying much. This was part of his plan all along.

Once the twelve had assembled, Negishi Kusanagi stood before them, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces.

"Our mission this time is to probe the borders of Konoha."

"To put it bluntly, it's about going to our deaths. Let those cannon fodder charge ahead, and we'll sabotage from behind. We'll loot what we can, kill what we can, and run away if we can. Whether we succeed or fail, as long as we don't get wiped out, we've completed the mission."

"I know what you're thinking. Being pushed out as a scapegoat is hard for anyone. But I can assure you—if you come back alive this time, I, Negishi Kusamu, will not treat you unfairly. I will use this achievement to squeeze into the inner circle. At that time, you will be my people. Resources, status, respect, you will all have what you deserve."

He looked at everyone and said solemnly at the end, "Of course, that's on the condition that you come back alive."

Aburame Shicheng stood in the crowd, looking at the young man, and knew very well that he was lying.

Or rather, he's making empty promises to himself and others. Getting into the inner circle, the resources and status—those are all secondary considerations. The key now is how to survive.

But he didn't expose it. That's exactly the kind of person he needed—ambitious, capable, discontented, and opportunistic.

Moreover, with such a "high-quality employee" as him, the promises and words made by the other party may well come true.

"Can I say a few words?" Aburame Shisei suddenly asked.

Negishi Kusanagi looked at him and nodded.

Aburame Shisei stepped forward.

"The key to this mission lies in intelligence. We know nothing about the size, strength, or commander of the Konoha border garrison. Rushing in recklessly would be suicide."

He looked at Negishi Kusanagi: "So we need to send people to scout first. Not those cannon fodder, but our own people. Sneaking over quietly, figuring out the situation, and then deciding how to fight."

The grass on the bank of the root suddenly lit up.

"You can sense it?"

Aburame Shisei said, "Yes, but I need to get close to the border and release dragonflies to gather intelligence. However, the process will be slow and will take three days."

That's a lie. He already knew the situation on the Konoha border thoroughly during his recent mission. But to say he could find out in ten minutes is a bit too much of an exaggeration.

"Okay, you go first. The rest of you stay put."