Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 130 Deceiving Minato Namikaze

With the enhancement of the Seven Days Breathing Technique, Tamura Hao swung his sword wildly, greatly increasing both his strength and speed, especially his explosive power. He cleaved through the fiery fist imprints that bombarded him, exchanging blows with Might Guy.

However, he had no intention of continuing the fight, not only because the two people in the tower had come out, but also because Might Guy's chakra was impacting the Gate of Shock.

Might Guy could withstand opening six gates, but if he opened the seventh gate, the Gate of Shock, he would definitely be forced to kneel.

Moreover, the oxygen stored in their red blood cells is almost depleted, and the oxygen supplied by breathing alone is far from enough to keep up with the consumption.

This is a drawback of the seven-day breathing method.

"Light, stop! We can't fight anymore."

Without further hesitation, Tamura Hao leaped back while signaling Uchiha Hikaru to stop.

Uchiha Hikaru paused, looked up and saw two figures appear on the tower at some point.

"Sister, it's Jiraiya-nii!"

When Nawaki, who had survived the ordeal, saw the two people, he was overjoyed. They were his older sister and his older brother, Jiraiya.

"Young girl, it's not good to be so bloodthirsty."

Jiraiya stepped forward first to check on his disciple. After confirming that there was no major problem, he looked at Uchiha Hikaru with great surprise and confusion.

How does this person have Sharingan?

Isn't it said that transplanted Sharingan cannot be turned off?

"Kid, is this the secret technique you created?"

Tsunade formed hand seals to create four shadow clones to treat the wounded, and then she herself came to someone's side with a very unfriendly expression.

My younger brother almost got chopped up just now.

Many candidates from other villages also suffered losses; only six remain who made it this far, and all of them are injured.

It should be noted that there are thirty-two examinees from the village who have entered the Forest of Death.

Of course, the candidates from the other four major ninja villages also suffered heavy losses; this Chunin Exam was a disaster.

"It's still far inferior to the Eight Gates. Judging from Uncle Dai's appearance just now, he should be able to open one more gate. It's shameless for the Hokage to put someone like Uncle Dai in the Chunin Exams."

Tamura Hiroshi fearlessly retorted, directly calling Sarutobi Hiruzen shameless.

"You and that girl are no pushovers either."

Jiraiya retorted, saying that although he also felt it wasn't right for his teacher to include Might Guy, he was, after all, from Konoha, and the Third Hokage was his teacher.

"I'm twelve years old this year, and Hikaru is fourteen, which meets the standard for the Chunin Exams. Uncle Dai looks at least forty."

Tamura Hiroshi also countered, insisting that the label of shamelessness should be permanently attached to Sarutobi Hiruzen's head.

That way you can explain to Lord Danzo that it wasn't me who was incompetent, but that your best friend cheated. Blame your best friend!

I'm only twenty-five this year.

Might Guy, who was receiving treatment from Tsunade's shadow clones, spoke up to correct her, quite helplessly, saying that he was really only twenty-five years old this year, just that he looked a bit older.

Tsunade and Jiraiya both looked over, speechless.

You look older than you are!

"This is troublesome; only Dai's squad is still safe."

Looking at the six people remaining on their side, Jiraiya felt a bit of a headache.

Minato lost one of his teammates, and Nawaki lost two of his teammates; according to the exam rules, they should be eliminated.

Now only Matt Daly's team is left, and their performance is a bit poor.

"Um?"

Suddenly, Jiraiya turned his head in confusion and saw that the brat had appeared in front of Nawaki. He immediately punched and beat Nawaki until his head was swollen like a pig's.

"I hate it when people insult me!"

Tamura Hao, who finally withdrew his fist, looked cold. He, Tamura Hitoshi, couldn't tolerate any nonsense. Don't think that you can get away with calling me a despicable bastard just now.

"Hey kid, looking for a beating?"

Tsunade was speechless after witnessing this scene. That's my brother! What do you mean by beating up my brother in front of me?

"He was too reckless. His two teammates were injured while protecting him, which led to them being blown up when they couldn't retreat in time when facing the fire jutsu of light."

"With such a reckless and thoughtless nature, he'd definitely die on the battlefield. Teaching him a lesson now will give him a few more days to live, preventing Grandma Mito from having to bury her son."

Tamura Hao casually stated that hitting your brother was for your brother's own good, and even brought up Mito Uzumaki, which made Tsunade's eyebrows twitch, but she couldn't refute it.

My younger brother was a bit reckless in the previous battle, which was indeed a bad thing.

"My brother doesn't need your discipline!"

With a displeased glare, Tsunade turned and walked towards the tower.

"You must be the Fourth Hokage, secretly trained by the Third Hokage. Let's get acquainted. My name is Tamura Hiroshi, and we're the same age."

Tamura Hiroshi walked up to Namikaze Minato and gently extended his palm to shake hands, indicating that they were good friends.

These words immediately drew everyone's attention, their gazes falling on Minato Namikaze, their expressions subtle.

"Hey, hey... don't say things like that, it could kill someone."

Jiraiya's expression changed, and he warned him with displeasure.

Tamura Hao earnestly deceived him, saying, "Lord Tsuchida's analysis must be correct. Your Konoha only captured one Uzumaki clansman, Uzumaki Ninja, while Minato Namikaze seems to be pursuing her."

This is clearly an attempt to create a husband-and-wife pairing like the First Hokage and Mito, paving the way for Minato.

Furthermore, Minato didn't have any family ties, making him perfect for being controlled as a puppet by the Third Hokage and the others to continue maintaining their...

Before he could finish speaking, Jiraiya covered his mouth. Jiraiya really didn't dare let this brat continue, as it would be a disaster for Minato.

Minato Namikaze's face darkened, and he glared at someone with hostility.

My relationship with Jiupin is pure; it's not mixed with any messy things.

"Kid, I'll treat you to a big meal in the village!"

Without further ado, Jiraiya dragged the boy away.

Minato Namikaze glanced at his bandaged arm and leaped after him.

The others looked at each other, each with their own thoughts, and left to treat their injuries and wait for the next round of qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Tamura Hiroshi was led by Jiraiya to the so-called grand meal location. Looking up at the big characters for Ichiraku Ramen, black lines appeared on his forehead.

"This is the feast you were talking about?"

Tamura Hiroshi really didn't want to eat Ichiraku Ramen. It was okay to eat it once, but if he had to eat it again, it wouldn't be the same.

"Don't let the small size of this shop fool you, their handmade food is top-notch, and the prices are reasonable. Everyone who's tried it raves about it."

Jiraiya put his arm around the boy's shoulder and pulled him inside, praising the deliciousness of Ichiraku Ramen.

"I know that. Tsunade brought us here for a meal last time. You guys really are teammates, you made the same thing exactly."

Tamura Hiroshi, who was being dragged to sit down, couldn't help but complain, and then said to Teji, "Boss, same as last time."

He immediately took out a towel and vigorously wiped his face. Just now, that guy had covered his face. Who knows if that guy has a habit of rubbing the sky?

"Alright, Jiraiya-sama and Minato, is it the usual routine?"

The hand busy kneading dough asked, "Are all the people here familiar?" Minato Namikaze, who had just sat down, replied.

"Big Brother, same as always."

"Tsunade brought you guys here to eat before?"

Jiraiya was taken aback; he truly didn't know this.

"Tsunade is a compulsive gambler and practically penniless, so she can only afford to eat at Ichiraku Ramen. You're probably not as poor as her, are you?"

Tamura Hao was puzzled. This guy shouldn't be short of money. Even if he went to buy those big works, it wouldn't cost much.

"Tsunade borrowed all my money!"

With a pained expression, Jiraiya looked as if he couldn't bear to recall the past.

He couldn't protect his money in front of Tsunade.

"Simp!"

He gave her an undisguised look of disdain, thinking, "No wonder you'll be single forever."

"You brat, you've gone too far!"

That sycophantic comment made Jiraiya's hair stand on end; that brat was going too far.

Did that simp eat your rice?

"Impotent rage!"

His disdainful gaze remained, before he turned to Minato Namikaze on the other side.

"Minato, let me tell you, if you want to become the Fourth Hokage, you have to curry favor with the Third Hokage. He needs a genius like you who has no ties to his side to be his puppet and maintain the interests of his faction."

Look how fiercely their faction has fought the Senju faction over the years, wishing they could kill each other. They must also be worried about repeating the same mistakes and being targeted by the future Hokage.

Even if he doesn't consider himself, he has to consider his family and relatives after his death, so he will definitely be very selective in choosing his successor.

You've hit the jackpot! He selected you while you were still in school, but you can't be careless. You've only been selected; you haven't become the Fourth Hokage yet.

Look at Orochimaru, who is said to be the Third Hokage's most outstanding disciple, but in fact the Third Hokage had already given up on him.

Because of his strong personality, he is difficult to control, and there is a high chance that he will clash with the Third Hokage's group after becoming the Fourth Hokage.

Orochimaru also understood the Third Hokage's intentions and realized that following him was a dead end, so he now sided with Shimura Danzo...

Minato Namikaze wanted to run away, but someone grabbed his shoulder and even paralyzed him with lightning chakra, so he couldn't escape at all.

Even the hand kneading dough kept looking up. Is it really okay for you to be making fun of the Hokage here?

On the other side, a young man eating noodles put down his money and ran away with a look of horror on his face. This kind of topic is not to be heard.

"Kid, stop talking nonsense!"

Jiraiya sighed, "This brat is so annoying."

"You can't teach these things. If Minato is allowed to grow up on his own like this, he might very well miss out on the Hokage position."

Becoming Hokage isn't just about having passion; you need to understand human nature, have political acumen, and be ruthless. You can't teach those things.

Tamura Hiroshi cast another disdainful glance at him. "Do you, an outsider, have the right to speak?"

"Young people should be more optimistic and not always think the worst of others."

At that moment, a deep voice rang out from behind him. Tamura Hao turned his head and saw that it was Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"teacher!"

Jiraiya reluctantly got up, regretting bringing the kid to this fancy meal.

"Hokage-sama!"

Tamura Hao also stood up and bowed, after all, he was the village chief of Konoha, so he had to give him some face.

Even without the lightning-attribute paralysis, Minato Namikaze hurriedly stood up and bowed, his heart filled with trepidation.

"Please sit down. I'm here for noodles too, handmade. Give me a large bowl of miso noodles."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down on the other side of Minato Namikaze with a friendly expression and greeted him familiarly.

There was no other way; in order to save his pocket money to support those teachers' masterpieces, he could only eat at these affordable noodle shops. After eating there many times, he became familiar with the owner.

Tamura Hiroshi actually sat down, and pulled Namikaze Minato to sit down as well, continuing to deceive him with his arm around his shoulder.

"So if you want to become the Fourth Hokage, you have to understand the current Third Hokage. This has to start with your Second Hokage."

When the First Hokage passed the Hokage position to the Second Hokage, the major ninja clans of Konoha were dissatisfied. The Hokage position was originally established through an election system, which was the First Hokage's purpose in defeating Madara Uchiha.

However, the First Hokage designated his younger brother as the successor to the position, effectively privatizing the Hokage position and thus eliminating any hope of other ninja clans producing a Hokage.

This was a major taboo for Konoha, which had many ninja clans. The Uchiha were the most dissatisfied with this, but the First Hokage's prestige was too high, the Senju clan was too powerful, and the First Hokage's wife was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so they managed to keep things stable.

Fortunately, the Second Hokage was smart enough to win over the current Third Hokage's small group by taking on disciples in advance, thereby calming down the storm.

However, he also understood that this was the limit. The Third Hokage absolutely could not be a member of the Senju clan, otherwise those ninja clans would certainly not agree, and the Senju clan would very likely become the target of everyone's criticism, or even launch a coup like the Gold and Silver Horn factions in our Hidden Cloud Village back then.

That is why the position of Hokage was passed on to the Third Hokage, rather than to a member of the Senju clan.

However, the Senju clan members are short-sighted and blinded by power, believing that the Hokage position is their private property, and have been fighting openly and covertly with the Third Hokage's group for years.

This created a vicious cycle: the Third Hokage and his allies had to fight openly and covertly with the Senju faction for their own power and interests, as well as for the stability of the village, and the Uchiha were also restless.

It can be said that the internal situation of your Konoha Village is the most complex among the five great ninja villages, even more complex than that of Kirigakure Village.

The path to power is one of no return. If you want to maintain the stability of Konoha, you can only support the Third Hokage's faction, develop and expand it, and then form an alliance to swallow up the various ninja clans. Those who obey me will prosper, and those who oppose me will perish.

In the end, only one voice will remain in Konoha, so that harmony and stability can last. This is Konoha's only path to harmony...

Minato Namikaze broke out in a cold sweat and wished he could slap himself.

Why did you have to be so stupid as to follow me?

Jiraiya was also quite troubled; this kid was too talkative.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi was happily smoking a cigarette. Although the kid spoke bluntly, he hit the nail on the head. The true state of Konoha was indeed like that. He had really had a hard time these past few years, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was beset by internal and external troubles.

"Then comes the ninth rank that you've been pursuing. I must say you've done very well in this regard. The ninth rank is destined to make you the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, which is the strongest power in the ninja world today."

With the support of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, your path to Hokage is at least half complete.

After recounting the history of power struggles in Konoha, Tamura Hao shifted the topic to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, which greatly displeased Minato Namikaze.

"I don't have much interest in the Ninth Rank; I just genuinely like it."

Minato Namikaze emphasized that he genuinely liked Kyuumei, who was the most special girl in the class.

"There is no conflict between them; it is rare for career and love to overlap."

Moreover, you are only qualified to have a romantic relationship with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, or even get married and have children, if you become the Fourth Hokage.

The Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts are the most important force in the ninja village, and they must have a deep bond with the Kage, either as brothers and sisters or as husband and wife.

Only when the Jinchuriki, who controls power, and the Kage, who controls wisdom, unite can the ninja village achieve stable development; otherwise, if the two clash, it will be a disaster for the ninja village.

For example, the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki doesn't have much of a connection with the Third Hokage, and his seniority is too high. It's estimated that the Third Hokage would have had to kneel down to listen to his lectures in the past.

This is clearly unreasonable; even the Third Hokage couldn't command that person...

"Lady Mito was the wife of the first teacher, so it was only right that I went there to listen to her teachings."

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but say something, indicating that he was just showing respect to his elders.

"Look, look, how sincere the Hokage is when he says this. Even I can't tell he's lying. That's the Hokage's strength."

Even if there's a thorn in one's side about this matter, and one wishes that person would die quickly so that a more obedient Nine-Tails Jinchuriki could be found, these emotions won't be shown. That's the composure that a Hokage must possess...

Tamura Hao didn't hesitate to expose his weakness, and even with Hiruzen Sarutobi's composure, his face twitched. Jiraiya even facepalmed, and Minato Namikaze's face turned even paler, a deathly pale color.

"Sir, your noodles!"

At this moment, Shou Da nervously brought over several bowls of noodles on a tray, his expression somewhat like he was about to cry.

It's really inappropriate for you to be discussing such heavy topics in my little shop.

My mouth is a little dry from talking.

Tamura Hiroshi smacked his lips, picked up the bowl, took a sip of the noodle soup, and then slurped it up.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and started eating noodles. Jiraiya glared at the troublemaking brat before also starting to eat noodles.

Minato Namikaze had no appetite, but he had no choice but to eat along with them.

After finishing his noodles, Tamura Hiroshi continued his charade.

There's a saying that goes, "Only by being down-to-earth can you better look up at the stars." The dream of becoming Hokage is great, but you must have enough ability.

This ability is not just physical strength, but also wisdom.

"You can learn strength from Jiraiya, but you can't learn wisdom from him. He doesn't have that kind of wisdom. You can only learn that from the Hokage..."

"Kid, who are you calling unwise? Besides, you should address me as 'sir,' that's the bare minimum of respect."

Jiraiya was also annoyed; he really wanted to rip out that brat's tongue and cut it off.

"Does a pervert who peeps in the women's bathhouse every day deserve my respect?"

Once again casting an undisguised look of disdain, Tamura Honoka felt no respect for this guy.

"Don't talk nonsense, who's the pervert?"

Jiraiya's face turned red with anger; this brat's mouth was too venomous.

"I know you're not old, you just look older than your age."

Tamura Hiroshi added a sentence, which made Jiraiya feel like he had a mouthful of blood stuck in his chest and had to vent it.

"Were all of these taught by your Raikage, who assisted Tsuchikage?"

After finishing his noodles, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe, took a drag, and asked, his heart filled with increasing respect and even apprehension for the Raikage's assistant.

"Lord Tsuchikage has conducted in-depth research on the information of each ninja village, but he has done the most research on Konoha."

Tamura Hiroshi responded frankly, saying that it was all thanks to the wisdom of Tsuchida.

"You told Minato all this in an attempt to change him?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again, guessing the boy's intention in explaining those things, which, at present, must be related to Minato.

"Lord Tsuchida wants to see if Minato can shoulder the dark side of Konoha, and someone like Minato becoming the Fourth Hokage of Konoha is more in line with the future interests of our Hidden Cloud Village."

Tamura Hiroshi is shifting the blame again, but the real purpose of all that talk is to change Minato, to change his mindset.

The continuous flow of destiny's power has just entered his account, demonstrating the significant impact those words had on Minato Namikaze.

There will definitely be a Minato Namikaze in the future who is different from the original storyline. I'm looking forward to it!

Besides, Minato Namikaze will inevitably be opposed by some people in Konoha in the future. It would be perfect if he were to be betrayed and killed by someone inside Konoha.

"Minato, can you shoulder this responsibility?"

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Minato Namikaze, whose face was pale.

Now that the topic has been brought up, there are some things that need to be said.

"teacher!"

Jiraiya was getting anxious; Minato was still just a child.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored Jiraiya and stared intently at Minato Namikaze.

"Minato, if you want to wear the Hokage hat, you must bear its weight. This hat is not light. The top is bathed in sunlight, but the bottom will inevitably be in shadow."

The shadow not only carries everyone's hopes forward, but also bears the weight of all the darkness as it journeys on.

Tamura Hao reached out and placed the Hokage hat that Sarutobi Hiruzen had placed on the table on Namikaze Minato's head, earnestly trying to persuade him.

(End of this chapter)