Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 114 Beauty is a Curse

Uchiha Retsuyo finally signed both scrolls, while Tamura Hao immediately took out a blood sample and used it as a medium to perform a summoning jutsu, using a summoned beast to send one of the signed scrolls back to Kumogakure.

"After this Chunin Exam, our village will send some of our younger generation of ninjas to the front lines for training. We hope that Chief Lieyang can arrange the necessary personnel to cooperate. Some of the younger members of the noble clan can also be sent there for training and sparring."

After sending the contract scroll away, Tamura Hao made his next suggestion.

They were very sincere towards the Uchiha clan and also wanted to change the rules of war.

Will you participate?

Uchiha Retsuyo became interested, and he was also very interested in the boy. He seemed to be more than he had thought, and was at least not an ordinary henchman.

"meeting!"

Tamura Hiroshi paused for a moment, then nodded.

He was the one who proposed this idea, so naturally he would participate in it, using it as a stepping stone and a beginner's area to find some strong opponents to spar with.

"The fact that the Raikage sent you to meet with me suggests that you hold a high position in Kumogakure."

Looking at the boy opposite him again, Uchiha Retsuyo was very curious about the little guy's position in Kumogakure.

"I was lucky enough to gain the favor of Lord Tsuchitai, which is why I was given this mission as a training opportunity."

Tamura Hao remained as open and honest as ever, which was typical of his Hidden Cloud Village. As a member of the Hidden Cloud Village, he naturally possessed this quality, and at least he could put on an act.

"Is it the Raikage's assistant?"

Uchiha Retsuyo understood that the Uchiha clan was leading the battle against Kumogakure and were paying closer attention to Kumogakure's intelligence. With the help of Sharingan genjutsu, they had obtained a lot of information and gained an understanding of the current high-ranking officials in Kumogakure.

The earthen platform the boy mentioned was the assistant to the Third Raikage. Although he was young, he was very intelligent.

It seems that the planning for the battle in the Land of Whirlpools came from that Tsuchidai, and all the schemes and the final results could be included in textbooks for people to study and research.

The fact that this young man is valued and trusted by the Raikage shows that he must be quite intelligent.

Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha looked at the boy in surprise, not expecting him to have this identity.

That's impressive!

"You've visited Konoha and our Uchiha clan's territory before. What are your impressions?"

Uchiha Retsuyo asked with interest, knowing that the kid had wandered around the clan's territory before, which was definitely not just for sightseeing, but probably to gather intelligence.

What can this little guy possibly figure out?

Tamura Hao did not answer immediately. Instead, he first glanced at Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, then looked around the room before finally fixing his gaze on a shogi board.

"You really enjoy playing Go, senior?"

"Would you like to play a game of chess with me?"

Uchiha Retsuyo smiled. He quite liked this, but unfortunately, very few people in his clan knew how to do it, and even fewer had that kind of patience.

"I don't know how to play chess, but I can present you with a puzzle that you can't solve."

Tamura Hao had a bold idea. He had some conversations with Uchiha Mikoto when he was shopping before. Although she didn't reveal much, she did let him know some information.

For example, his relationship with Uchiha Fugaku is almost at the point where they hold hands.

This is a good starting point.

"Mikoto!"

Uchiha Retsuyo was surprised and gestured to his daughter to bring over the chessboard.

Mikoto Uchiha didn't say anything, glanced at someone, and then got up to fetch the chessboard.

Tamura Hiroshi also didn't say much, and picked up the chess pieces to place on the chessboard.

Uchiha Retsuyo watched intently, initially just interested, but gradually his expression became serious, even gloomy.

Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha were also watching, and gradually they began to understand what was going on.

"This deadly situation is called Konoha. Can you possibly solve it, senior?"

Tamura Hao smiled. What he had set up wasn't actually a chessboard, but rather the location of the clan territories of the major ninja clans in Konoha. These clan territories were cleverly arranged by Tobirama Senju with the assistance of the First Hokage.

In particular, the Uchiha clan's territory is surrounded, and its location is also very clever. Even if a rebellion breaks out, it will not cause too much damage to the village and can be quickly suppressed.

"It's an unsolvable deadlock; I can't solve it."

After staring at it for a long time with a gloomy expression, Uchiha Retsuyo finally sighed.

This is indeed an unsolvable dead end.

Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha also looked very unwell; the problem was serious.

"Lord Tsuchidae has carefully studied the history of your Konoha and the governing philosophy of that Second Hokage. Although he is cold-hearted, he is essentially a conservative, which is more due to his own lack of strength."

He wasn't specifically targeting the Uchiha clan, but rather all the other ninja clans. He wanted to create a balance of power, where each clan could check and restrain the others, by arranging their clan territories and addressing past conflicts.

The ninja clans surrounding the Uchiha clan were all those with whom they had previously had bad relations, which allowed them to be wary of each other and even monitor one another.

This is like a net that binds all the ninja clans in the village together. If this continues, either the conflicts will grow bigger and bigger, or the conflicts will be dissolved and they will form a whole.

Based on our research into the Second Hokage's deeds, he should have been thinking of the former, but that was too difficult, almost impossible.

After the Third Hokage took office, in order to secure his own position, he forcibly promoted several of his comrades to higher positions, gradually squeezing out the members of the Second Hokage's faction. This changed the balance of power created by the Second Hokage and made the internal conflicts increasingly acute.

The outcome is clear: either the Third Hokage's faction will eliminate the Senju faction, or the Senju faction will eliminate the Third Hokage's faction. The two will inevitably face a next one, which is the current Shinobi World War. There is no possibility of coexistence.

Regardless of which one falls, the Uchiha will inevitably be the next target, because the Uchiha are too strong, especially since an invincible powerhouse like Uchiha Madara has emerged.

No one wants another Uchiha Madara to appear; wiping out the clan is the safest course of action.

The Shadow is the highest combat power in a village, representing the village's limit. If the Shadow cannot represent the limit of combat power, then his position will be difficult to maintain.

The Third Hokage is in this situation now. Although he is powerful, he is not top-tier and cannot suppress the major ninja clans, putting him in a rather awkward position.

To secure his position as Hokage and the interests of his faction, he had no choice but to weaken the power of others. The Senju and Uchiha clans, both of whom had produced invincible powerhouses, were his first targets to eliminate.

In particular, the Senju clan, which produced two Hokage, enjoyed immense prestige in the village.

The destruction of Uzushiogakure was merely the prelude to their plot against the Senju clan...

Then there are some individual powerhouses, like that Konoha White Fang who has become famous in the last two years. If I were Hiruzen Sarutobi, I would definitely try to suppress him. After dealing with the Senju clan, he would be my next target.

Tamura Hao earnestly fabricated his story, incorporating elements of the Naruto plot to create a convincing narrative. He emphasized that these were all researched by Tsuchida-sama, and that he, Tamura Hao, was merely recounting them.

Uchiha Retsuyo listened silently. He understood many of the key points, but there were also some that he hadn't noticed and that made a lot of sense.

It now appears that the Uchiha clan's situation is more perilous than imagined, making it even more difficult to produce a Hokage.

There are too many obstacles in their way. Almost half of the ninja clans would not agree to the Uchiha becoming Hokage, especially the Senju and Hyuga clans, as well as the Shimura and Sarutobi clans. Then there are the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, who are closely allied with the Sarutobi clan.

However, this Ninja World War is also an opportunity for the Uchiha clan to weaken their rival ninja clans.

After listening and pondering for a while, Uchiha Retsuyo looked at the boy opposite him again, only to find that the boy was sizing up his daughter and Uchiha Fugaku with a strange look in his eyes.

Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha both felt quite uncomfortable watching this.

"What did Hao-jun notice?"

With a smile, Uchiha Retsuyo thought more highly of the boy. Although what the boy had said before was the result of the analysis and summary by the Raikage and Tsuchikage, this child was not simple and might become the assistant to the Fourth Raikage in the future.

"It seems that neither Senpai nor Fugaku-kun are particularly obsessed with the position of Hokage."

Tamura Hao looked at Uchiha Fugaku and said something, while wondering to himself whether that idea would be able to fool him successfully.

"How should I put it?"

Uchiha Retsuyo was curious: what had this boy figured out?

"When I came to the Uchiha clan's territory before, it was Fugaku who stopped me. This proves that he didn't want the Uchiha to have any contact with our Kumogakure. His style is conservative."

After I produced the alliance contract with the Raikage, Fugaku-kun did not take it upon himself to bring me here. Instead, he came to ask his senior for instructions and only came to find me half an hour later.

This is enough to prove that neither the senior nor Fugaku were decisive people, nor were they persistent enough in their pursuit of the Hokage position; they were merely people who wanted to maintain the status quo.

According to my calculations, the Uchiha clan will most likely be defeated and destroyed by Fugaku in the future.

Moreover, given Fugaku's mindset, awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan wouldn't be easy; the chances are slim for at least ten years.

As for Miss Mikoto, she is very gentle, but too gentle. That gentleness is enough to wear down the ambitions of most men. In addition, she is quite beautiful. Whoever marries her in the future will probably lose their fighting spirit and achieve nothing.

Tamura Hiroshi remains open and honest; this is his current public persona, and he must maintain it.

As for Uchiha Mikoto, she was a femme fatale who eroded Fugaku's fighting spirit and ambition, and was one of the reasons for the Uchiha clan's annihilation.

It's too dangerous for such a femme fatale to stay by Fugaku's side; we must find a way to remove her.

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha's face darkened, and even his three-tomoe Sharingan involuntarily surfaced.

That kid's words are too hurtful. He hasn't even taken over the position of clan leader yet, and he's already cursing himself to become the leader of a doomed clan.

They even said I didn't have the aptitude to awaken the Kaleidoscope, that's so mean.

If I didn't have some self-control, I would have used an illusion spell to teach that kid a lesson long ago.

Mikoto Uchiha's Sharingan involuntarily surfaced, glaring fiercely at someone.

My gentleness has become a sin; what a wretched brat!

Also, what does it mean to be considered "good-looking"?

Uchiha Retsuyo was speechless. "You little brat, do you even want to listen to what you're saying? Are you even speaking human language?"

Ignoring the three people's gazes, Tianhao added a sentence.

"I'm not saying that Fugaku is bad, but his style can be countered by the Third Hokage and the others. Strategy and tactics are not what the Uchiha are good at. Using them to fight against the Third Hokage and the others is like using one's weakness to attack the enemy's strength, which will inevitably lead to defeat."

"They will use this Second Shinobi World War as an opportunity to plot against the Senju clan, and they will inevitably target the Uchiha clan in the upcoming Third Shinobi World War. Even if the Uchiha clan survives, they won't last long."

"It wouldn't be good to be radical at this time."

He said in a deep voice that Uchiha Retsuyo somewhat agreed with the boy's words. Fugaku was indeed not the kind of radical person, and at this time, the Uchiha clan absolutely could not have a radical clan leader.

"So the Uchiha clan is now in a dead end. No matter what they do, they will not escape the fate of death and extermination of the clan, unless an invincible powerhouse like Uchiha Madara emerges and breaks the deadlock with absolute strength to suppress everything."

Shrugging, Tamura Hao smacked his lips and then looked at Uchiha Mikoto.

"Miss Mikoto, does your Uchiha clan run out of tea?"

We've been talking for so long and still haven't received any tea. They're so stingy.

Mikoto Uchiha glared at this, thinking, "You wretched brat, you want tea?"

I'll make you die of thirst!

"Mikoto!"

Uchiha Retsuyo gestured, saying he had forgotten about that, mainly because the words the young man said after arriving were too astonishing.

After glaring angrily at someone, Uchiha Mikoto got up and went out. A moment later, she came back in with a tea set, put down the tea set, and began to demonstrate her tea ceremony.

Tamura Hao and Uchiha Retsuyo continued their conversation, with Uchiha Fugaku occasionally chiming in.

Not long after, a cup of tea with a strange smell appeared in front of each of the three people.

Just looking at the greenish thing in front of him, Tamura Hiroshi frowned deeply.

If it weren't for the fact that Uchiha Retsuyo and Uchiha Fugaku had the same thing in front of them, one would have suspected that the woman was trying to poison them.

They were practically saying, "Dalang, it's time to take your medicine!"

He had drunk tea before, but it was the clear tea popular in Kumogakure. As a commoner, he was not qualified to witness this kind of tea ceremony, and today was the first time he had seen it.

Moreover, judging from the smell, the main ingredient should not be just tea powder, but also mixed with other things.

"Why aren't you drinking?"

Looking at that expression on someone's face, Uchiha Mikoto really wanted to kick him.

It's already a rare privilege for me to demonstrate my tea ceremony to you, so what's with that disgusted look on your face?

Uchiha Retsuyo and Uchiha Fugaku, who had just picked up their teacups, also looked over, their faces filled with confusion.

Is there something wrong with this tea?

"I actually prefer drinking plain water!"

With a smile, Tamura Hiroshi said that he prefers plain water.

"You drink it!"

These words only made Mikoto Uchiha even more dissatisfied, and all the anger she had been holding back exploded.

Suddenly, his kneeling legs sprang up and lunged forward, grabbing Tamura Hiroshi's chin with one hand, and pouring the mushy tea down his throat with the other. He then sealed his mouth with his palm to prevent the tea from being spat out.

This outburst caught Tamura Hao completely off guard, and Uchiha Retsuyo and Uchiha Fugaku were even more dumbfounded, especially Uchiha Fugaku, whose expression was quite strange.

Mikoto wasn't like this before. Was she just pretending in front of me?

"Ahem!"

Perhaps noticing the change in his future son-in-law's expression, Uchiha Retsuyo coughed lightly, signaling his daughter to be careful.

At this moment, Uchiha Mikoto realized that she had lost her composure. She quickly returned to her position, knelt down, and resumed her previous gentle and obedient demeanor. She even glanced cautiously at her boyfriend before glaring at him resentfully.

It's all that wretched brat's fault!

Tamura Hiroshi felt very uncomfortable, with a strange taste in his mouth, a mixture of too many flavors in the tea aroma, making it all feel odd.

I'll remember this debt and repay it a thousandfold in the future.

Also, this art style is a bit off. What happened to the gentle and considerate demeanor we were promised?

Indeed, women are born actresses; they are too good at disguising themselves.

"Excuse me, senior!"

Tamura Hao glanced calmly at the girl glaring at him, said something to Uchiha Retsuyo, then got up and walked out. He took out his toiletries from the sealing technique and brushed his teeth first.

Having a sealing spell like this is a great thing, so we should make good use of it. Although it's not as useful as a storage ring, it can still carry quite a lot of things.

He always brought his toiletries; he didn't want to smell bad.

I also washed my face. Who knows if that woman has a mouth, nose, or even a habit of picking her toes? I just had my face pinched and my mouth covered. Doesn't she know that I, Tian, ​​am a germaphobe?

"Are you saying my hands are dirty?"

Suddenly, a chilling voice came from behind her. Turning around, she saw that it was none other than Uchiha Mikoto.

At this moment, Mikoto Uchiha said that she was very angry. Her father had asked her to come out and see what was happening, and she saw that wretched brat washing his face, which made her even angrier.

I was disliked again, this time because my hands were dirty.

"Just in case!"

Tamura Hiroshi wiped his face with a towel, explaining that it was simply a precaution and he didn't mean to be disgusted.

Mikoto Uchiha clenched her fists, wanting to punch him.

Tamura Hao calmly returned to his room, followed by Uchiha Mikoto, whose face was gloomy.

Looking at his daughter's appearance, Uchiha Retsuyo shook his head helplessly, then said, "It's getting late, Hao-jun, why don't you stay for dinner and stay here tonight?"

Now that we've already brought this kid here, one more night won't make a difference. The Third Hokage must already know about it.

"Thank you for the meal!"

Tamura Hiroshi did not refuse; he had come specifically at sunset to stay overnight.

No hotel can compare to the comfort of the Uchiha clan's mansion.

"Mikoto, go prepare dinner."

Uchiha Retsuyo gestured to his daughter, but this caused Tamura Hao's expression to change slightly.

"Is it Ms. Mikoto who's cooking?"

Tamura Hao was taken aback. He had thought the servants were cooking, after all, this was the Uchiha clan head's house.

Look at the Hyuga family; their young ladies all have dedicated servants to take care of them.

"Am I cooking wrong?"

The Sharingan unconsciously surfaced, and Uchiha Mikoto sensed that this brat was thinking about something rude.

"I ate at Ichiraku Ramen before, and their ramen was pretty good. Why don't you have someone go and buy me a serving?"

After that cup of tea, he no longer trusted the woman's cooking skills; he felt more at ease eating handmade ramen.

Moreover, he had already experienced the food culture of Konoha, and even the entertainment center's version was only superficially similar.

While it's true that ninjas shouldn't be picky eaters, that's only under special circumstances. If you have the means, there's no need to torture yourself.

"No need for that, I'm a very good cook."

Mikoto Uchiha tried her best to maintain a gentle smile, but her hands were clenched tightly, with fine veins showing on the back of her hands, and her Sharingan was becoming increasingly crimson.

"I sincerely recommend Ichiraku Ramen. Even Princess Tsunade of the Senju clan said it was good. You should try it."

Tamura Hiroshi still refused; he didn't want to suffer the injustice of his stomach.

"I'll try it again when I have the chance!"

Mikoto Uchiha clenched her fists even tighter, and her voice took on a chill.

I'm going to make you eat my cooking today no matter what, otherwise who knows how this wretched brat will slander my culinary skills in the future.

"I almost forgot, I need to go back as soon as possible to report the results of this discussion to Lord Ai. Farewell!"

Seeing that the girl insisted, Tamura Hiroshi had no choice but to get up and leave.

"sit down!"

Before she could even get up, a pale hand landed heavily on her shoulder, and a pair of scarlet eyes came into view.

They're not going to let him off the hook!

(End of this chapter)