Konoha: Tsunade, I am the Hokage

Chapter 157 Sunagakure: No Soil for Heroes

At night, Yekura leaned against a tree, gazing at the twinkling stars, her mind drifting away.

She has no ambitions left.

Whether you live or die, it doesn't matter.

but.

She glanced at the masked ANBU ninja not far away, who was manipulating chakra in his hands, seemingly trying out and refining some kind of ninjutsu.

Yekura couldn't help but feel curious: "I have a question to ask."

You can speak, but whether I answer is up to me.

While studying the art of smoke transformation, Kyohiko casually responded to Yekura.

During the day, he tried to control his enemies using the smoke technique, but unsurprisingly, he failed. So he began to consider how to further explore and apply his smoke technique.

"I haven't seen what Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha looked like when they were young, but I think they were probably about the same age as you."

"You are already very strong."

"Why do you still have the motivation to become stronger? You're not that old; normally, you've already achieved remarkable things at this age."

Yecang was puzzled.

Back then, the child in front of me was only seven, eight, or nine years old. In any village, at that age, most people would be content with being called a genius and receiving praise.

but.

This child is different.

He has been making progress, and now it is observed that even when they are traveling like this, the other party is trying and researching new ninjutsu.

He seemed determined not to let a single minute slip by.

Why?

Why work so hard?

She couldn't understand how a boy could have such a resolute heart.

Jingyan glanced at her.

After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Before I was seven, I was just like most people, nothing special..."

He recounted his past.

Ye Cang sat up straight.

Even Genma Shiranui and the others were looking over at that moment.

Everyone in Konoha has heard about Kyohiko's past, but nowadays, his past has been embellished with increasingly fantastical and outrageous stories, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

This is the first time he has dictated it himself.

"war."

Ye Cang looked at the night sky and fell silent for a moment.

The reason that caused the other person to change was actually war and the loss of parents and relatives.

She couldn't help but think of Sasori of the Red Sand.

They share the same family background.

In fact, Sasori's situation is much happier than Kyohiko's; at least Sasori of the Red Sand has a grandmother who loves him.

As the grandson of Elder Chiyo and a descendant of the village hero, Sasori has basically never suffered a loss since childhood, and has everything he needs in terms of ninjutsu and training.

What about Kyohiko?

There was nothing there, and even their own belongings were taken away.

However, it is a miracle that Jingyan rose against the odds to become the world-renowned genius he is today.

In comparison.

Everyone in Sunagakure knows what kind of person Sasori is.

She sighed deeply: "Every villager is experiencing the pain of war..."

"That's just how it is. War is the fastest way to get promoted, but many people also die in war."

Jingyan said calmly, "What is their enemy is my hero. Most things in this world cannot be clearly divided into black and white."

Yekura fell silent.

She couldn't refute what the other person said.

For Konoha, Kyohiko and Minato Namikaze are undoubtedly heroes.

For many in Sunagakure, they wished the two would die every day, especially after the death of the Third Kazekage, but as Kyohiko said...

Is there any absolute right or wrong in this world?

Only stance.

She sighed and whispered, "Thank you for your answer."

After Ye Cang finished speaking, he didn't intend to ask any more questions.

She could face her own death with equanimity, but faced with Kyohiko's abilities, even suicide might be impossible for her.

At this moment, Kyohiko said, "I think the ninja world shouldn't be like this."

"Um?"

Yekura opened her eyes and looked at Kyohiko with a puzzled expression.

What does he want to say?

Jingyan said seriously, "If you hit me today and I hit you tomorrow, hatred will be passed on and accumulated, and in the end, war will never be eliminated."

"Does the fact that the Land of Wind only has oases in the desert and a small area in the south where we can grow crops, develop, and build towns mean we should be poor?"

Ye Cang snorted coldly, then said, "It's just a difference in stance. Or do you think that's enough to convince me to help you?"

"Neither Sunagakure nor Konoha needs a Scorching Release ninja, and Konoha is even less likely to send a Sunagakure ninja to the battlefield."

Jingyan responded calmly.

Ye Cang was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but wonder...

What exactly is this guy trying to do?

Moreover, she had a feeling that her emotions were being guided and interfered with.

Illusion?

Yekura was startled and immediately began to try using chakra. She discovered that there was indeed genjutsu, but the effect of the genjutsu was probably just to make her emotions more positive.

It has no other function.

She looked at her with suspicion: "What exactly do you want to do?"

This is the same question that Kakashi and the others wanted to ask.

Elite Jonin like Yekura have no chance of defecting to the enemy; keeping her around would only require a lot of effort to keep an eye on her.

Generally speaking, killing is the right choice.

"To explore a path to peace."

Jingyan looked up at the sky, his expression serious. "Some things have to be done and explored by someone, otherwise we'll always stagnate. And you..."

He smiled.

You can think of you as a guinea pig for my communication and experimentation.

Ye Cang was stunned.

Under the moonlight, Kyohiko wore the uniform of the Dark Division, making it impossible to discern his age or size; instead, it added to his imposing presence.

She stared, stunned.

Then, he chuckled.

"You? Peace?"

"Yes, just like you said, at my age, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha would probably have had about the same strength as me."

Jingyan said calmly, "If they can achieve lifelong peace, why can't I?"

At this moment, the boy in front of me seemed to be glowing, sacred and clear.

Ye Cang looked at him without saying a word for a long time.

She sighed inwardly—

Why can't such a hero be from Sunagakure?

Then, she couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Sunagakure will never produce someone like you."

Why?

Kakashi was curious.

At this moment, he began to understand what Jingyan wanted to do.

Exchange and communication.

As he himself said, this was an attempt at a path to peace!

Just like how the teacher saved Yahiko and the others.

Kakashi was lost in thought.

Jingyan was about to continue when he heard a prompt.

As Hokage, you didn't deliberately try to win people's hearts; you still gained the complete trust of your subordinates through your amazing personal charisma.

[Reward: Upgrade to Flying Thunder Formation Technique]

Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi, and Aoba Yamashiro?

Jingyan observed secretly.

Sure enough, the three of them had completely different expressions and emotions than before, even Kakashi and Pakura were the same.

I hadn't even considered this possibility, so it was a pleasant surprise.

At that moment, Yekura glanced at Kakashi.

She wasn't quite sure of the identity of this member of the secret service, but he must be quite young, otherwise he wouldn't be asking such a question.

After a second or two, she replied, "Because, from the moment we start school, we have to work hard and struggle to survive."

"From top to bottom, we are all thinking about how to lead Sunagakure out of its current predicament and how to make the village stronger."

"We don't have time to think about these things, so I think the Sand Village doesn't have the soil for heroes."

The Land of Fire is very wealthy.

Konoha is very powerful and has a large number of strong clans and ninjas. Although it always has conflicts of interest and regional frictions with several major powers, it is generally stable.

Thinking of this, Yecang said sincerely, "The situation of your ninja village is probably the ultimate goal we are pursuing."

Kakashi's mask twitched several times before finally closing again, but he remained silent.

"Let's go, it's time to set off."

……

A day has passed.

At the Anbu base, Orochimaru was surprised and shocked: "She actually agreed to come back with you? Or have you been watching her all along?"

For an elite Jonin, especially one skilled in Scorch Release.

Even if she is acupunctured and sealed, Jingyan can't keep an eye on her forever.

In theory, if Yekura were to lose her composure for even a moment, she would have the ability to end her own life.

"At first, I was watching her, but later, it seemed like she didn't want to die anymore."

Kyohiko replied.

Orochimaru was very surprised.

He looked Jingyan up and down, a playful smile appearing on his face.

"Not bad!"

"Young man, you already have the ability to seduce a woman of strong will. I think Tsunade would be very pleased to hear that."

After Orochimaru's good-natured joke, he became serious again.

"What did you promise her that made her willing to cooperate?"

"No, I just said that I want to try to explore the path to peace through dialogue and communication, and she is my test subject."

Kyohiko replied.

He smiled.

"Furthermore, I don't intend to do anything to her. We already have samples, so we don't need any more blood. As for the ninjutsu techniques, she's unlikely to tell us."

"It doesn't matter, Konoha has no shortage of Scorch Release."

Orochimaru shook his head.

In fact, Kyohiko could understand what Yekura meant.

This is the difference between a large country and a small country.

Although the Land of Wind is not small, its economy and strength rank among the bottom two of the five great nations. It is poor and backward, which is quite different from the state of Konoha.

Like Konoha...

From the First Hokage to Naruto, they were mostly large countries that set and influenced the rules and the direction of the ninja world.

The two are not comparable.

Orochimaru said, "Anyway, as long as she doesn't run away, we won't lack food. The only problem is that she might pretend to agree and then run away."

He smiled and said, "My spell-marking technique has become increasingly sophisticated recently. Why don't I place a spell-mark on her?"

In "Reanimation Jutsu", Orochimaru once envisioned a method to transfer his life essence by transferring his own chakra.

The curse seal was one of the methods he came up with.

He showed it to Kyohiko.

The initial version of the cursed seal was very simple, consisting of sealing techniques, chakra, and some special ingredients unique to Orochimaru.

However, Orochimaru should be working on the second version by now.

Kyohiko suddenly realized, "The cursed seal you gave Kazuma, is it the latest cursed seal?"

"Yes, I've used it on monkeys. As long as the dosage is controlled and combined with sealing techniques, poison, and chakra isolation, it can maintain a relatively stable state within a certain period of time."

Orochimaru nodded.

Kyohiko pondered for a moment, then said, "Could it be those cells from when I used ninjutsu?"

"As expected of Kyohiko-kun."

Orochimaru smiled.

Jingyan understood.

Most of the cell's vitality was absorbed by the tree world, and its vitality was far less than before. It was also in a special state of semi-treeification.

Using toxins and chakra in conjunction with sealing techniques can indeed suppress cell activity to some extent.

but.

Once the seal fails or the toxins gradually lose their potency, the curse will backfire.

"As for Yekura, just seal her chakra for now and restrict her movements. There's no need to contact or interrogate her."

"Kyohiko said."

The Scorching Escape technique isn't very useful right now.

but.

If Madara or White Zetsu were to appear in the future, the Scorching Release would be a powerful weapon against White Zetsu, saving a lot of manpower and resources.

Furthermore, unifying the ninja world's thoughts and ideologies is also a crucial step in achieving unification.

In this respect, Kyohiko did not deceive Yokura.

Orochimaru didn't care, but as he put down a scroll and was about to leave, he stopped and reminded him, "Tsunade probably won't mind, but it's hard to say about the old man and the others."

"I know."

Jingyan picked up the scroll.

This is a study on the new curse seal for the Reincarnation of the Undead.

He glanced at it.

Sure enough, it was pretty much what he expected.

Such a curse seal cannot grant the subject powerful abilities, but if the method of control is correct, the danger is also lower.

Orochimaru's approach has indeed changed.

He put it away.

"By the way, how's the research on the smoke-transformation technique going?"

"That's about it. Let's go together when you're free."

"Tomorrow."

Jingyan nodded.

Today, he also has to organize information about the Flying Mine Array.

Having learned the basics of Flying Thunder God, it wasn't difficult for Kyohiko to learn the Flying Thunder Formation. He had even studied it for a period of time beforehand, so he already had a "proficient" level of foundation.

If he were with Minato, the two of them could unleash the Flying Thunder Formation.

but……

It's pointless; they can fly using Thunder God Technique on their own, and this kind of ability and skill cannot be passed down through teaching.

The task now rewards 1 level of proficiency.

Jingyan secretly looked forward to starting the memory fusion after Orochimaru left.

Flying Thunder Array...

proficient.

In an instant, a flood of complex memories rushed into his mind, and even though he had experienced this many times before, he still found it difficult to adapt.

Then--

Kyohiko understands!

Barrier spell.

He and Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique also incorporated some barrier techniques, and the Flying Thunder Formation adopted some of these techniques.

but.

For ordinary people, such barrier techniques and space-time skills are too difficult and extremely hard to learn.

Kakashi and the other three are all quite capable, all of them are at the level of those who will be remembered in later generations, yet they haven't even reached the beginner level yet, which shows how inadequate they are.

Master-level Flying Thunder Formation...

One approach is to increase the number of participants to support and stabilize the spatial passageway, thereby reducing the difficulty of learning.

In other words.

Using more people to release the Flying Thunder Array might yield even better results.

after all--

With more participants, there is more chakra.

Another option is the mature version developed by Genma Shiranui and his team later on, which combines the three elements and utilizes them skillfully.

even.

If mastered properly and skillfully, it may still be effective in combat.

Jingyan picked up his pen and began to write.

First, there's the barrier spell to stabilize the spatial passage...

After writing a portion, Jingyan glanced at it a few times and felt that it looked somewhat familiar. Then he suddenly realized that the main part of it was very similar to a part of spirit communication or reverse spirit communication.

In addition, there is the integration of existing barrier techniques such as spatial solidification.

This is a new type of barrier technique created by integrating some knowledge and skills.

(End of this chapter)