Konoha: Tsunade, I am the Hokage

Bang!

A series of sounds came from ahead.

Kakashi followed the sound and saw a tall wooden tower rise up, then quickly collapse and disappear.

Wood Release?

Is Jingyan conducting an experiment?

He darted forward and quickly arrived at his destination, then couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

It wasn't Kyohiko, but...

Yamato? ! !

How is that possible!

Although he was only the captain of the Dark Division, during this period, his position was not much different from that of a captain, and he had information on the personnel of the Dark Division.

He was naturally aware of Yamato's strength.

He does know Wood Release, but he can't be called "strong" in the traditional sense. At most, he's at a usable and not weak level, with his overall strength falling between elite Chunin and special Jonin.

but.

The Yamato of today is far beyond this level.

The strength of his Wood Release technique is not as good as Kyohiko's, but it is much stronger than before, definitely at the Jonin level.

Soon, he noticed the puppet arm in Yamato's hand.

Is that it?

He was secretly surprised.

That arm could amplify Yamato's ninjutsu?

So strong!

Just as I was surprised...

Whoosh!

A whooshing sound came from beside him, and Kakashi instinctively pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword. The next second, Kyohiko's voice came from beside his ear.

"Why did you come here so suddenly? Is there something you need?"

"Uh, oh, your secret channel just delivered a piece of bark, but there was no other information. I wasn't sure what was going on, so I came to find you right away."

Kakashi explained the situation.

Jingyan did the math and then realized that it was indeed time to replace Yecang's curse seal!

He nodded.

"Understood. It's not too late to go over via the Flying Thunder Formation after things are settled here."

Jingyan looked down.

"What is that?"

Kakashi finally found an opportunity and couldn't resist his curiosity.

These puppet arms look incredibly powerful.

Jingyan smiled and briefly explained the principle behind the arm.

Kakashi was stunned and speechless.

"That's possible? So, this kind of puppet arm is already usable?"

"It's still early. Right now, this kind of puppet device can only be used by Yamato. Others can't mobilize the power in their cells; it will only unilaterally increase the strength of their cells."

Jingyan shook his head.

Orochimaru had naturally tried to teach ordinary people Wood Release, but...

Currently, it is still very difficult to create such a puppet device.

The good news is that Yamato can control the power of the puppet device quite perfectly. Once the feasibility of this device and its structure is confirmed, it will be possible to continue manufacturing arms, legs, and even body armor.

Based on Kyohiko and Orochimaru's complete concept, the final version was "artificial wooden doll".

"What a brilliant idea!"

Kakashi couldn't help but admire.

Instead of using the chakra armor for defense or to amplify chakra, they used it in reverse to defend against Hashirama's cells.

In this way, as long as the strength of the Hashirama cells reaches the set level, it will naturally be fed back to the "Chakra Armor".

A brilliant idea!

Then...

"What a pity."

Kakashi sighed softly.

This puppet device is destined to be usable only by Yamato. Fortunately, with this additional device, Yamato's strength will be further enhanced.

This is a great thing for Konoha.

"Wait a little longer. After some time, I'll have Orochimaru make some further improvements and see if we can create a chakra battery."

"I have plenty of chakra!"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi's face immediately darkened.

Jingyan patted him on the shoulder: "It's not your fault that you have less chakra, there's nothing to be ashamed of in admitting it."

"I have plenty of chakra, you're just too freakish!"

Kakashi reiterated.

Kyohiko couldn't help but laugh, "No matter what, if your chakra can be raised to a higher level, your strength will definitely improve. You don't know sealing techniques, so you can't be like Minato..."

"Thanks."

Kakashi finally thanked him in a low voice.

He understood that the other party's plan was indeed a very simple and convenient path.

but.

Relying on external things is ultimately not enough.

You yourself must become stronger!

Kakashi clenched his fist, then breathed a slight sigh of relief as he thought of Genma Shiranui, whom he had captured as a "substitute."

These days won't last long!

In a few months at most, I will be able to temporarily break free and return to improving my strength.

……

A morning passed.

After Yamato continued to recover, perform magic, and recover, Orochimaru finally obtained relatively accurate data.

If chakra is used extensively twice without repair, it will break down, and continued use will become extremely dangerous.

It can be used three to four times when the chakra output is relatively low each time.

The repaired device can continue to be used without affecting its strength.

but.

This did not satisfy Orochimaru.

The current Yamato is too weak.

Once he grows up and his chakra becomes stronger, this level of strength may not be able to keep up with the speed at which Yamato improves.

In other words.

He has to undergo this test every so often.

Yamato agreed.

It wasn't Orochimaru's coercion, but rather that these ninja tools were simply too powerful!

And now.

"Kyohiko, can we move on to the next step?"

Orochimaru licked his lips.

Full-body armor.

If he were to complete such a creation, all other puppetry techniques would be utterly inadequate in his eyes!

No matter how powerful a puppet is, it is still just a puppet. How can it be as powerful as directly enhancing the ninja himself?

"I've already drawn the sketch, but to achieve full-body armor, there can't be any gaps. I think we also need to make a complete chakra armor."

Kyohiko made the suggestion.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Double protection is safer, that's not difficult. It would be best to study further whether we can enhance the efficiency of chakra, but there's no rush."

Making the full-body armor is more important than making improvements.

but.

As they were preparing to consider their next steps, a system notification popped into Jingyan's mind.

Under your leadership, the new intelligence system, centered on summoning contracts and summoning techniques, has been improved and completed, greatly enhancing Konoha's intelligence network.

[Reward: Beast Modification Technology (Grandmaster)]

Have the three generations of adults completed their research?

it is good!

OK!

Jingyan felt a secret joy in his heart.

Then, he couldn't help but think—

I hope Tsunade will let the Third Hokage continue his research; he absolutely cannot be idle!

……

Inside the Konoha office, Tsunade smiled as she looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Teacher, how is it?"

"Um……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't answer for a moment.

He was shocked, surprised, and even felt a little absurd.

They had conducted numerous experiments with the first-generation cells, but all of them had failed.

and so.

Konoha had once sealed off the development and research of Hashirama's cells, abandoning the idea of ​​continuing to master Wood Release. Yamato, on the other hand, was an unintentional creation of Orochimaru and did not possess universality.

Clearly, intercolumnar cells have significant limitations.

But now, Kyohiko has taken a different path—

Cell technology?

He didn't know what to call him, but it was clear from the current creations that Kyohiko intended to create a series of amplified ninja tools centered around Hashirama cells.

"Once a ninja reaches a certain level, it becomes extremely difficult to improve their strength further, while those with bloodline limits find it easier to break through bottlenecks and reach higher levels..."

"It's not hard to imagine that everyone can become stronger through these ninja tools!"

Tsunade's tone was slightly excited.

The situation is tense.

Puppet ninja tools are more effective than simple training, and can be said to be the simplest and most direct way to improve one's abilities, allowing Konoha to suffer fewer losses in future wars.

For her, nothing was more important than this!

Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, was somewhat worried: "I'm afraid the enemy will steal it. If that happens, this thing will probably be misused."

"Old man, you're overthinking it!"

Tsunade was somewhat speechless. "If we don't use it, Madara won't give it to someone else? What is Obito's Wood Release? And what is that black and white guy?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was powerless to refute.

He rubbed his temples.

indeed.

Even if they don't use them, Madara is still abusing Hashirama cells—

Although it is unknown how Madara Uchiha did it, that white life form can be basically identified as a clone of the First Hokage in terms of its genetic sequence.

"I will request more funding from Your Majesty."

Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer hesitated.

At this point, there's no point in hesitating.

Invest heavily in research and manufacturing!

Tsunade glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, her eyes darting around, and asked, "Sensei, how's your summoning jutsu research going?"

"Of course it's done. I already gave it to Yamashiro Aoba today and asked him to get started on it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard, looking quite proud.

Tsunade nodded slightly upon hearing this.

No wonder you had time to come over!

She immediately took out a scroll and laughed, "Who in Konoha doesn't know your strength? Your mastery of ninjutsu is almost unmatched!"

"Stop, stop, stop! What is it? Just say it!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hands repeatedly.

Having worked with Tsunade for so long, he couldn't stand hearing such compliments anymore—

When Tsunade says nice things, trouble is definitely brewing!

"Well, it's actually quite simple. The Wood Release puppet is now complete in terms of design and manufacturing. The next step is to further refine it, but it's only a first version. Our goal is to make it usable by everyone..."

???

A look of astonishment appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"Let me study it?"

His first thought was—

Kyohiko and Orochimaru have only created the simplest Wood Release version so far, so that Kyohiko can research more complex and widely applicable Five Elements puppets.

Tsunade is trying to work this old man to death in the lab!

"Ahem, of course I'm not asking you to do it alone. The main thing is for you to research how to improve the chakra armor."

Tsunade quietly tucked a scroll away with one hand.

Then, she slid a booklet out of her sleeve with her right hand and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"These are all the research findings on the Chakra Armor from the past. You can take a look and study them. According to the current research, different armors can be manufactured with different functions..."

"Wait a minute!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately called out to her.

He took it, flipped through it for a while, and said as he read, "Tsunade, you have to take care of this old man. I'm not like I was a decade or two ago; my mind doesn't work as fast as yours young people."

He is fifty-seven years old this year.

How can it compare to when I was in my prime?

Tsunade chuckled awkwardly, then stopped talking and interrupting.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly glanced at it, gaining a relatively deep understanding of the chakra armor. After pondering for a few seconds, he said, "The chakra armor alone isn't actually that strong..."

"That's right, this metal is extremely rare. Even the Land of Snow and our Land of Fire don't have much of it, so it's impossible for everyone to have a chakra armor."

Tsunade nodded.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to understand: "Kyohiko is researching puppetry because he wants to use this armor technology in conjunction with puppets to create a war puppet that can accommodate multiple people moving together?"

"That's right, teacher, it's only thanks to you that you understood it at a glance!"

Tsunade praised it, saying it was like throwing money away.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips twitched slightly, then he took a deep breath, held his breath, and focused his mind even more intently.

Tsunade also stopped speaking.

Let the old man think about it carefully!

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was talkative, verbose, and old-fashioned, Tsunade had to admit that her teacher's skill in ninjutsu was indeed very strong.

The Five Elements Puppet was researched by Hiruzen Sarutobi, so there's no doubt about it!

After pondering for a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "It is indeed a very good idea. Take my Five Elements Great Combo as an example. This technique is very powerful, but the requirements for using five ninjutsu at the same time are too demanding."

"If this kind of puppet can accommodate five people at the same time, it can release the five elements escape techniques simultaneously, combining them into a special ninjutsu."

Although combination ninjutsu is not a fusion nature transformation of bloodline limit, it can unleash even more terrifying power through the mutual reinforcement and restraint of attributes.

If we could use puppets to enhance the power of these ninjutsu and reduce their damage...

Five Jonin controlling a puppet together can unleash a combat power on the battlefield that far exceeds the simple cooperation of five individuals.

But how enormous would such a puppet be?!

How do we solve the energy core problem to drive such a puppet?

Simple interstitial cells probably cannot replace it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, then glanced at Tsunade, the "Yin Seal" flashing through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

The Yin Seal is too difficult!

As an S-rank sealing technique, even Jonin have very few who can master it.

That is……

Tailed beasts, or another chakra storage technology.

Tsunade seemed to see through his thoughts.

"Teacher, you don't need to worry about chakra. Kyohiko and Orochimaru will take care of that. You just need to finish designing the armor."

"All right."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately abandoned his thoughts as well. "I'll take this booklet back and study it carefully, to figure out its principles."

"no problem."

Tsunade smiled and saw her off.

Hiruzen Sarutobi grabbed the booklet and left the office without lingering.

He walked out of the Hokage's office and almost reached his home before suddenly stopping.

"wrong!"

"That Tsunade..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the booklet in his hand and realized that Tsunade had already decided to continue giving him research tasks.

Even if he doesn't go today, Tsunade will probably still look for him another day when she finds out that Yamashiro Aoba has completed the formation of bird summoning beasts.

"Those brats!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had a dark expression on his face.

can.

Soon, he sighed softly, feeling somewhat relieved.

Aside from Orochimaru and Kyohiko, he is probably the most suitable person to conduct such research.

"Let's just consider it a way to contribute our remaining energy!"

"Sigh!" (End of Chapter)