Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 115 The Inevitable Enemy

"Mikoto, go cook."

Seeing that his daughter was about to explode, Uchiha Retsuyo helplessly said, "Get your daughter away as soon as possible."

Seeing this, Tamura Hiroshi didn't know what to say, but an hour later he regretted it a little.

Looking at the so-called delicious food in front of me, I really couldn't bring myself to eat it.

Like the Japanese cuisine of my previous life, it was bland and watery, and many dishes were even raw, such as sashimi, which was simply served with a little soy sauce and wasabi.

He honestly didn't care much for this kind of food; who knew if it contained parasites? He preferred cooked food to raw meat.

And then there's that curry rice. The moment he sees curry, he can't help but think of those Indian dishes he saw on Douyin that you can skip but you absolutely have to treat your friends to, and he instantly loses his appetite.

In his opinion, these dishes were not as good as Western food.

"Don't these suit Haojun's taste?"

Seeing the boy's expression, Uchiha Mikoto still tried her best to maintain her last smile, her fists still clenched tightly.

If you dare to speak ill of my cooking skills, my cleaver won't discriminate.

"Haven't you ever been to a food and entertainment center?"

Tamura Hiroshi countered with a question, saying he didn't want to lie, as that wouldn't fit his public persona.

"I've been to Konoha Entertainment City. Although they have a wide variety of food, the taste and texture aren't very good."

With an air of arrogance in her voice, Uchiha Mikoto believed that her cooking skills were no worse than those of the people in the entertainment center.

The food there is indeed very innovative, but the taste and texture are really just average.

"I'm talking about the Food and Entertainment City, not the Konoha Entertainment City. The food there is all made by stealing recipes, and they haven't even mastered the essence of it yet."

In the Land of Fire, many major cities now have food and entertainment venues. The chefs there are professionally trained by the venue companies and have unique seasoning recipes; that's where the truly delicious food is made.

Tamura Hao said something simple, then took out a set of equipment from the sealing technique, lit the gas stove to boil water, put in a piece of secret hot pot base, then prepared the dipping sauce, and started making hot pot with the meat slices and vegetables prepared by Uchiha Mikoto.

The people on his side have already explored the art of hot pot to an extreme, developing dozens of different broth flavors. Before setting off, he bought some from the food court in the capital of the Land of Iron to use on the road.

This thing is quick and easy to use, healthier than grilling over charcoal, and doesn't require constant supervision.

The fragrant aroma of the hot pot wafted through the air, causing Uchiha Retsuyo and Uchiha Fugaku, who had been silent until now, to twitch their noses.

Even Mikoto Uchiha couldn't help but look over, quite surprised and puzzled.

She knew how to make hot pot, but the taste wasn't right; it wasn't as fragrant.

And the flavor is so strong. Is it really delicious to make hot pot with such a strong flavor?

Uchiha Retsuyo and Uchiha Fugaku looked at the bland dishes in front of them, then at the boy over there who was eating heartily, and wondered if they should change their diet.

They knew about hot pot, of course; there was one near Konoha Entertainment City, but the flavor was quite strong, which they didn't really like.

But the scent today is different from that at Konoha Entertainment City. Could it be that their Konoha Entertainment City really didn't learn the essence?

They were thinking about it and craving it, but after feeling the girl's cold gaze, they sighed and could only deal with the food in front of them.

"Mikoto, your eyes have evolved!"

Suddenly, Fugaku Uchiha realized something was wrong. He looked closely at his girlfriend's eyes and discovered that her single tomoe had turned into a double tomoe.

"Has it evolved? No wonder it felt so strange."

Mikoto Uchiha finally realized what was happening and immediately glared angrily at someone.

It's all because of that wretched brat.

That's outrageous!

Uchiha Retsuyo looked at his daughter, then at the boy opposite him who was still eating heartily, and his expression was strange.

He has always cherished this daughter, especially after the passing of his sons. She has never suffered any hardship since she was a child, so she only has one tomoe Sharingan at the age of sixteen. This one tomoe Sharingan was awakened eight years ago when her brother passed away.

The Sharingan needs emotional stimulation to awaken and improve, especially negative emotions. He had protected his daughter too well, which prevented her from improving.

He didn't care about this, since he never intended for his daughter to go out on missions and fights anyway. She was destined to be a housewife, so her strength wasn't important.

I never expected that being provoked by that boy today would escalate my situation so much; I guess it's a good thing.

Tamura Hao paid little attention to the changes in the expressions of the others; it was not a good thing for Inaki not to be focused.

"You pig!"

Seeing that someone had cooked and eaten all the lettuce, Mikoto Uchiha mentally complained as she cleared away the dishes.

But what I'm thinking about more is that food and entertainment complex. I thought it would just be like the ones in Konoha Entertainment City, but now it seems to be even better.

I must go and check it out once that food and entertainment center in the village is built.

"Is Hao-jun well-versed in the Sharingan?"

After moving to the living room, Uchiha Retsuyo asked, "Did this young man mention the prediction that Fugaku would awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan? He must know quite a bit about it."

Is it the Hidden Cloud Village that is conducting related research?

Fugaku Uchiha once again turned his gaze to the boy, eager to see what kind of research the Hidden Cloud Village had done on their Sharingan.

"Ever since the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha displayed their unparalleled power beyond comprehension, all factions have been curious about it, and our Hidden Cloud Village is no exception."

"We obtained some Uchiha ninja corpses during the last Shinobi World War, and after conducting some research on them, we made some discoveries."

Tamura Hao took a sip of cool water, indicating that he did indeed have some knowledge of the Sharingan, and then shifted the blame to the Hidden Cloud Village.

Both Uchiha Retsuyo and his companion remained calm, having already known about this matter and even knowing that some people in the village had intervened.

Tamura Hao continued to deceive, "Our research has discovered that the bloodline power of your Uchiha clan is very unique. It can transform emotional power into a special Yin attribute chakra, which is the Sharingan's eye power, especially negative emotions."

This is a shortcut to increase power, but cultivation emphasizes gradual progress and a down-to-earth approach. Such a shortcut will inevitably have side effects.

Negative emotions accelerate the improvement of the Sharingan, but they also integrate negative emotions into the Sharingan, continuously affecting one's mental consciousness. In severe cases, it can even drastically change a person's personality, making them extremely dangerous.

Especially when they are young, they are more easily influenced because their own beliefs have not yet been truly stabilized, and they are easily led astray.

We believe this is a flawed approach to improvement. The correct way to enhance the Sharingan is to cultivate Yin-attribute chakra to nourish the brain and eyes, gradually transforming it into ocular power.

This path is certainly difficult, but it allows for perfect control over one's will and eyes, rather than being controlled by them, ultimately leading to a loss of control and the creation of terrible things.

He had been researching the Sharingan's power, using Kaguya and the Ten-Tails as a guide. In particular, after separating the evil part, the pure power of his eyes became even clearer.

Its essence is Yin attribute chakra, or Yin Release chakra.

Theoretically speaking, Yin-attribute chakra that has undergone nature transformation can assist in the conversion of bloodline into ocular power, and the improvement of ocular power can lead to the improvement of Sharingan.

"You've actually researched it to this extent?"

Uchiha Retsuyo was surprised; this level was quite profound.

"Yin attribute chakra is not as easy to cultivate as you think."

Fugaku Uchiha said that they all understood this path and were aware of the hidden dangers of the Sharingan, since the Uchiha clan was the most knowledgeable about the Sharingan.

They even knew the method for awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan, but they did not spread the method.

The side effects of awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan are too great, causing people's thoughts to go to extremes. The few pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan in the clan now are enough to cause headaches. If more pairs were to appear, the Uchiha clan would collapse without anyone else even needing to attack.

Few can remain clear-headed and rational after awakening the kaleidoscope.

As for improving the Sharingan by cultivating Yin-attribute nature transformation, that's unrealistic. Yin-Yang nature transformation is more difficult to cultivate than other nature transformations.

Even Jonin are not qualified to touch it; only those who have reached a level beyond Jonin can train in it.

However, if one's strength truly reaches the level of a Jonin, the improvement brought by the Sharingan is not significant. At least, the improvement of the Sharingan at the tomoe level is only average, unless it is the Mangekyou Sharingan.

However, the Mangekyou Sharingan has a higher level of ocular power and is more difficult to obtain through training.

In addition, given the Sharingan's reliance on emotional stimulation, the Uchiha clan members are currently all of the type who rely on stimulation to awaken and enhance their Sharingan.

"Is that black-haired girl who came with you a product of your Hidden Cloud Village's research?"

Uchiha Retsuyo suddenly mentioned a person who possessed some intelligence.

An Uchiha who could severely injure a powerful figure like Orochimaru with his eye-power genjutsu had to be taken seriously, which was one of the main reasons he decided to meet this boy.

"No, last time our Hidden Cloud Village captured the Third Hokage's summoning beast in the Land of Whirlpools and obtained some information from its memories."

That was a period earlier than the time of the First Hokage. Back then, the Uchiha clan turned a girl who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan into a weapon of war. In the end, she was killed by the Senju and Sarutobi clans using the Reverse Four Symbols Seal.

Fortunately, she survived by relying on her Mangekyou Sharingan and held on until we broke the seal and rescued her.

"As the head of the Uchiha clan, you should be aware of this secret. In fact, you're practically an elder to us all. Even if Madara Uchiha were still alive and saw the light of day, he would have to address you as 'senpai'."

Tamura Hiroshi did not hide it, nor was there any need to hide it.

Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha, who had just returned, were stunned. Such a thing was true?

"Nameless?"

Uchiha Retsuyo recalled a record that his clan had indeed once trained an ultimate weapon.

Although there are few records left, it is indeed true that the person did not die and was sealed away until now.

"Her name is Guang? Why doesn't she come back to the family?"

Mikoto Uchiha was very excited; there was still an Uchiha who had been living away from home.

"What are you doing here? Are you going to use Fire Release to burn the Uchiha clan's territory to ashes?"

Tamura Hiroshi smiled knowingly.

"Compared to the Senju and Sarutobi clans who sealed her away, Hikaru's hatred for you Uchiha is much stronger."

"How is that possible..."

Mikoto Uchiha didn't believe it and wanted to ask again, but Fugaku Uchiha, who was standing next to her, shook his head to stop her.

Compared to Mikoto Uchiha, who had always been well protected, Fugaku Uchiha had more experience and a better understanding of the problems within the clan, especially some of the radical ideas of the clan members.

The term "ultimate weapon" doesn't sound very good.

It seems that Uchiha Hikaru will not be able to be invited back to his clan. However, it is not necessarily a bad thing for him to stay in Kumogakure, especially now that they have secretly formed an alliance with Kumogakure.

After chatting for a while, Uchiha Retsuyo asked his daughter to take Tamura Hiroshi to the guest room to rest, while he continued his conversation with Fugaku.

"Uncle, the various ninja clans in the village are already dissatisfied with our front line, and even suspicious of it. Today's contact with him will only make them more suspicious."

Fugaku Uchiha looked worried; the clan's current situation was not good.

Although the situation on the front lines is very good and no clansmen have suffered losses, this has caused dissatisfaction among ninja clans on other fronts. In addition, with the instigation of some people, some unfavorable remarks have begun to appear in the village.

"But only in this way can we attract the attention of the Senju and their group, giving Hiruzen Sarutobi and his schemes a chance to unfold."

Uchiha Retsuyo leisurely sipped his tea. He was well aware of the current situation, but he also wanted to see further ahead.

"Would the Hokage and the others really dare to do that?"

Fugaku Uchiha didn't quite believe that the Third Hokage and his ilk would dare to go to such extremes.

"He's right. The destruction of Uzushiogakure was just the prelude to their plot against the Senju clan."

Uchiha Retsuyo is now even more certain that the Third Hokage and others will plot against the Senju clan, and may even collude with external enemies.

For example, Iwagakure Village.

The Senju clan is powerful, but compared to a ninja village, they are far inferior.

The reason why the front line has been able to be stabilized in the past two years is mainly because Iwagakure is still wary of that person and has not used its full strength.

This is just a tentative exchange; the Ninja World War hasn't truly begun yet.

Once that person passes away, the demise of the Senju clan will begin its countdown.

Many people and forces hope that the Senju clan will be wiped out and disappear. The ninja world does not need another invincible powerhouse like the First Hokage.

After a moment of deep thought, Fugaku Uchiha nodded in agreement, then turned to another topic.

"Should the cooperation with Kumogakure really continue?"

After all, the Hidden Cloud Village is an enemy force, and it wouldn't be good to cooperate too deeply with it.

"Kumakushi only wants to see us continue fighting with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, so that Konoha will be constantly weakened by internal strife. Once we exceed their limits, we will instantly become their enemies. What we want is the Hokage position."

This Ninja World War is our best opportunity. After the Senju faction and Hiruzen Sarutobi are both severely weakened, we can step in and clean up the mess.

However, to rightfully claim the Hokage position, one must have sufficient achievements.

The three-tomoe Sharingan appeared on its own; Uchiha Retsuyo had been planning this all along.

"Hidden Cloud Village?"

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly realized that if he could defeat the ninja army of Kumogakure on the front lines and invade the Land of Lightning, it would be a great achievement. If he could penetrate into Kumogakure and cripple them completely, that would be even better.

The Hidden Cloud Village gained a great deal from this Shinobi World War. First, it took half of the Uzumaki clan, and then it took several ninja clans from the Hidden Mist Village, including the three top-tier ninja clans: Kaguya Hozuki and Mizuki.

Although those ninja clans are half-crippled, their foundations are still intact, and they will be able to recover in another ten years or so. At that time, the Hidden Cloud Village will surely be incredibly powerful.

If the Uchiha clan takes power in Konoha, they will inevitably have to confront the Hidden Cloud Village.

They even had to severely damage Kumogakure first before they could reclaim their Uchiha power to suppress the various ninja clans within the village and help them become Hokage.

Otherwise, according to the Hidden Cloud Village's plan, they would definitely preserve their fighting force intact during this Ninja World War, which would be disastrous if they were to launch a surprise attack and invade Konoha.

Therefore, they are destined enemies, and cooperation and alliance are only for the present stage.

"He's right. We can't outmaneuver Hiruzen Sarutobi and his gang when it comes to political maneuvering. We must seize this opportunity, or things will get even more difficult in the future."

Uchiha Retsuyo decided to take a gamble, and that was all he could do.

The Senju clan had that leader in charge, plus the legacy and prestige left by the First and Second Hokage, which allowed them to fight the Hiruzen Sarutobi faction to a standstill. The Uchiha clan didn't have those advantages.

If they wait until Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group recover and then specifically target them, the demise of the Uchiha clan will only be a matter of time.

No matter how powerful the Uchiha clan is, they can't possibly overpower the entire Hidden Leaf Village. This is their only chance.

"Kumakuya Village!"

Fugaku Uchiha muttered to himself again, a surge of heroic spirit rising within him.

Let's use this Hidden Cloud Village as a stepping stone for Fugaku Uchiha to become Hokage!

At the same time, in the Hokage's office on the top floor of the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi and a few others were discussing someone entering the Uchiha clan's territory and walking into the Uchiha clan head's residence.

"The Uchiha clan really is colluding with the Hidden Cloud Village!"

Koharu slammed her fist on the table in anger, declaring that the Uchiha's actions were a betrayal of the village.

"This is not a bad thing for us."

Mitokado Yan pushed up his glasses to conceal his inscrutable gaze, a scheme forming in his mind.

Xiaochun, who was sitting next to her, was taken aback, then seemed to understand something and fell into deep thought.

"We don't need to concern ourselves with the Uchiha's affairs, as long as they don't openly betray the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shared the same idea; their primary objective in this Shinobi World War was the Senju clan, with everything else being secondary.

Only by defeating the faction led by the Senju can their status and interests be stabilized.

Otherwise, he himself would be forced to abdicate as Hokage, and his clan would inevitably be suppressed by the Senju faction, or even destroyed.

Just as they are now trying every means to destroy the Thousand Hands, they will certainly make the same choice once they gain power.

The position of Hokage is tempting, but it's not easy to hold. Once you're in it, there's no turning back; you can only keep moving forward.

In this respect, Koizumi's statement about the Senju boy after returning from the Land of Whirlpools was correct. He agreed with it, acknowledging that he had indeed changed and was different from before.

That Senju boy was insightful enough, but he was also very good at hiding his identity. I haven't been able to find out his identity in the past two years, and even Tsunade didn't know.

Was it a hidden trick left behind by Tobirama-sensei?

"What exactly is the Third Raikage thinking? Doesn't he want to truly intervene in this Shinobi World War?"

Mitokado Homura changed the subject to the Hidden Cloud Village, expressing his bewilderment at their actions over the past two years.

"Haven't he interfered enough? He took half of the Uzumaki clan during the War of the Land of Whirlpools, seized the inheritance of several ninja clans' children in Kirigakure, and finally formed an alliance with Kirigakure to target our Konoha."

Taking a drag of his cigarette, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a growing sense of apprehension towards both the Hidden Cloud Village and the Third Raikage.

My initial impression of the Third Raikage was that he was just a slightly intelligent but reckless man. Who would have thought that he would be proven wrong in the last two years, and that his deep scheming would shock me.

I underestimated Kumogakure before.

Meanwhile, the Third Raikage, whom Hiruzen Sarutobi was keeping an eye on, was having a good time in the Cloud Thunder Gorge.

(End of this chapter)