Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 141 Slaying the Toad

The next morning, after dealing with Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, Mito Uzumaki returned to the Senju clan's territory, only to receive a report that the library had been completely looted, including the sealed book on the top floor.

Reaching the top floor, he dispelled the barrier, picked up the letter, opened it, and read it, a kind smile appearing on his face.

"The little guy is thoughtful, but a bit greedy."

The letter contained a simple invitation, which also served as a way out for the Senju family, just like the Uzushiogakure village back then.

However, this is not a bad thing for the Senju clan now. The actions of Hiruzen Sarutobi and others have made her see the problems of Konoha clearly. The Senju clan is indeed very dangerous.

Although I don't think we'll be wiped out as the letter suggests, it's always good to have an escape route.

"Hashirama, did you ever imagine the village would turn out like this?"

As Mito Uzumaki shredded the letter with chakra, she couldn't help but think of her deceased husband.

Hashirama sacrificed a lot for the village and placed high hopes on it, but now the village has changed and is no longer the Konoha of yesteryear.

……

Leaving aside the situation in Konoha, on the other side, Shimura Danzo, who was far away at the front line, received information from his men here and, combined with the information from someone else earlier, basically understood what was going on.

"Hiruzen is still as naive as ever."

After reading the intelligence report, Shimura Danzo gave a disdainful sneer.

At the same time, he was secretly pleased that the chess piece had worked so well, actually managing to take Uchiha Mikoto away. With the Third Raikage and so many Cloud Ninja around, even that old guy Lieyang didn't dare to stop it.

In this way, we can proceed with the next step of the plan: to ruin the reputation of Fugaku Uchiha, who was favored by that old man Lieyang. It would be even better if we could provoke him into going crazy and doing something.

As expected, the peace of Konoha still depends on me, Shimura Danzo; Hiruzen only knows how to muddy the waters and cause trouble.

"The teacher really cares about that child."

Orochimaru was even a little jealous. As expected, the teacher chose Minato Namikaze and went to such lengths for him.

Yesterday, they were told to quickly dispel their shadow clones, probably to prepare for that plan, as they didn't want them to remain in the village and get in the way.

That's terrible, things have completely gone wrong.

"The plan has to be put on hold for now."

Danzo Shimura was frustrated by this. He had originally planned to have his old buddies join him in ambush and kill the Third Kazekage, but now it seemed that plan was going to fall through.

"Teachers have more thoughts than we do."

A chilling smile crept across Orochimaru's lips. He was eager to see the teacher's expression; it must be quite unpleasant.

"That idiot is probably in for trouble."

He immediately thought of another piece of information he had obtained last night: Jiraiya had been sent out of the village yesterday afternoon and his whereabouts were unknown.

At the time, I didn't understand what was going on, but now it seems that it was preparation for this plan.

Orochimaru's guess was correct; that very afternoon, Jiraiya confronted Tamura and the others.

"Kid, how come there are so many ninjas from your Hidden Cloud Village here?"

Jiraiya appeared and stopped the crowd, puzzled as to why so many Cloud Ninja had appeared.

The old man only told him to come here to meet Minato, but didn't say anything specific. Now that so many Cloud Ninja have appeared, he suddenly felt uneasy.

"We have nothing to say to each other right now. You'd better get out of the way, or you'll die."

Standing beside Yoruichi, Tamura Hao spoke, his expression cold and revealing strong hostility.

The surrounding Cloud Ninja also drew their kunai swords, ready to fight.

They could all see that Jiraiya's appearance here was no accident, but must have been arranged by the Third Hokage.

"None of you are leaving until you explain yourselves clearly."

Jiraiya's stubbornness kicked in, but he didn't overestimate himself. He immediately bit his finger and used a summoning jutsu to summon his strongest contracted toad, Gamabunta.

"Cloud Ninja? Jiraiya, you've gone to the Cloud Ninja's battlefield? Didn't you say that was the Uchiha's responsibility there?"

Bunta looked at the hundred or so Cloud Ninja in front of him with a puzzled expression. Jiraiya had told him about the current situation of the Ninja World War, and that the Cloud Ninja were trapped in the Land of Hot Springs.

Moreover, the area was under the jurisdiction of the Uchiha clan, and Jiraiya seemed to have a poor relationship with the Uchiha.

"Boss Wen, now is not the time to explain. Help me take them down."

Jiraiya couldn't explain it either, because he couldn't understand why there were hundreds of Cloud Ninja in the heart of the Land of Fire, and why they all looked so hostile.

First, take those people down, then interrogate them slowly.

When they saw Gamabunta appear, Ai and the others' eyes lit up.

They had long coveted Tamura Hao's immortal magic seals and their combination with the Seven Days Breathing Technique. If they could have a large heart to store blood, they could not only maintain the application of the Seven Days Breathing Technique, but also not be afraid of bleeding when injured in the future.

That much blood is enough to keep him alive for a long time.

"One isn't enough to go around."

Tamura Hao was also very greedy, but one Gamabunta wasn't enough to go around.

"Is this the immortal medium you said is most suitable for me?"

The Third Raikage, who had transformed into an ordinary Cloud Ninja using a transformation technique, stared at the giant toad as the boy explained the mysteries of the Sage Art: Curse Seal in detail as they ran.

The best medium is the heart, so it can be used in conjunction with the seven-day breathing method.

He didn't value the seven-day breathing method much, but using it to store blood was a good idea.

"No, that's not it. This giant toad is called Gamabunta. According to intelligence, he once used water-style ninjutsu. The intelligence also says that Jiraiya can summon two giant toads, one of which used wind-style and the other used earth-style. The earth-style one would definitely be suitable for you."

You possess the three natures of lightning, earth, and fire, which perfectly complements earth-style chakra. This Gamabunta is even more suitable as a Sage Mode medium for Brother Ai.

Tamura Hiroshi had previously analyzed the Third Raikage and concluded that the toads of Mount Myōboku were the most suitable medium for him.

"Yu Ye, cooperate with me to take down this beast."

The Third Raikage didn't waste any words, gestured to Uzumaki Tamayo, and then rushed towards Gamabunta.

"This chakra!"

Upon sensing the chakra unleashed by the Third Raikage, Jiraiya and Gamabunta both realized something was wrong. However, before they could react, Gamabunta's massive body was knocked to the ground, his chin struck hard, and powerful black lightning paralyzed his entire body.

Following closely behind, Yubako raised her hand and quickly formed hand seals, finally slamming it heavily on Gamabunta's head, sealing his contractual connection with Mount Myōboku and preventing him from being summoned back.

That wasn't all. Yotsuki A and Fukai brandished their swords and charged at Jiraiya, while dozens of Cloud Ninja also unleashed their chakra and joined the fray.

"They're all Jonin!"

Seeing the chakra and speed unleashed by those Cloud Ninja, Jiraiya's face turned green.

He decisively used his psychic powers again to summon a toad, which crawled into his mouth, preparing to use the psychic powers to escape from this place.

Putting aside these dozens of Jonin, the Cloud Ninja who defeated Gamabunta earlier was someone he couldn't handle. His chakra gave him a strong sense of pressure, even stronger than the old man's.

We can't fight them head-on; we have to run.

He simply wasn't fast enough, and Ye Yue Ai swung her sword and cut off one of his legs.

Tamura Hao quickly stepped forward, picked up the leg, sealed it into the sealing space, and handed it to the Ten-Tails to devour. Then, he used the blood flowing from the leg to quickly form hand seals and summon the Jiraiya chakra he had devoured to perform a summoning jutsu.

A massive cloud of mist burst open, revealing a giant toad carrying two swords. However, before it could even react, it was struck down and paralyzed by the Third Raikage, followed by the contract seal of Uzumaki Tamayo.

Tamura Hao once again used Jiraiya's chakra to perform the Summoning Jutsu, summoning an equally enormous toad that held a spiked trident in its hand and carried a huge shield on its back.

The result was the same: the Third Raikage personally took action to knock him down and paralyze him, not giving him a chance to dispel the summoning and leave.

After continuous improvements, he no longer took such a huge summoning beast seriously.

Moreover, they used to fight the Eight-Tailed Fox hand-to-hand, and these three toads are much weaker than the Eight-Tailed Fox.

Tamura Hiroshi tried to use the summoning technique again, but found that he could no longer sense anything.

"Did you notice?"

Reluctantly, they withdrew, realizing that it must have been the two immortals from Mount Myōboku who had taken action.

But these three big toads are enough.

"Get this over with quickly, it's not safe to stay here any longer."

Seeing that he could no longer summon spirits, the Third Raikage turned around and glanced in the direction of Konoha, feeling apprehensive.

Only when facing that person again did I realize how terrifying their strength was, far beyond my ability to contend with.

Without wasting any words, Tamura Hao unleashed the chakra within the Yang Seal to activate the seal on his abdomen, taking all three giant toads inside and making the sealed space crowded.

The little ten-tailed fox was extremely satisfied with this feast that had been delivered to its door. It excitedly swung its long tail and plunged into the bodies of the three creatures, devouring them frantically. It even opened its mouth wide to swallow them whole.

"Ten-Tails!"

The paralyzed Gamabunta was horrified when he saw the image of the Ten-Tails. How could the legendary Ten-Tails be here?

Wasn't this monster sealed away by the Sage of Six Paths?

Before they could figure it out, Kaguya, standing on the little ten-tailed fox, looked over, her Sharingan between her eyebrows slowly rotating, and she used Tsukuyomi to control the three of them.

Tamura Hiroshi's split consciousness entered and used Kaguya's Tsukuyomi eye technique to peer into the memories of the three, thereby understanding the secrets of Mount Myōboku.

Among the three holy sites, Mount Myōboku is the most mysterious, not only because the Great Toad Sage once accompanied the Sage of Six Paths, but also because he possesses a kind of precognitive ability.

Although Tamura Hiroshi believed that the premonition was more like a deliberate guidance, it was enough to prove that the Great Toad Sage was problematic.

Whether it's a real premonition or something else, it deserves serious attention.

After prying into the memories of the three giant toads, Tamura Hao sensed a strong malice. Turning his head, the first thing he saw was a pair of scarlet eyes.

"Miss Mikoto!"

With his signature gentle smile on his face, Tamura Hiroshi walked over, ready to have a chat.

"What did you say to my dad?"

Suppressing her anger, Uchiha Mikoto questioned him in a resentful voice.

She had felt that her father was acting a little strange before, but she hadn't thought much of it. But now that this had happened, there was clearly a problem, and the root of the problem must lie with this despicable and shameless bastard in front of her.

"He didn't say much, he just told our dad about us, and then he agreed to let us elope."

Her gentle smile remained, but it made Uchiha Mikoto furious.

"You despicable, shameless bastard! Who wanted to elope with you? And besides, that's my father, not your father!"

Enraged, his three-tomoe Sharingan rotated faster. How could this bastard be so despicable and shameless?

"Forget about it. I'd rather die than go to Kumogakure with you."

Mikoto Uchiha's attitude was very firm, and as she spoke, she took out a kunai, preparing to end her own life.

"It's better for Mikoto to be alive. Otherwise, those photos will be copied countless times and spread throughout the entire ninja world, especially Konoha. Fugaku will definitely become a laughing stock of the whole village and the entire ninja world, carrying shame for the rest of his life and being pointed at and talked about. I wonder if such a huge shock can awaken Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan?"

Tamura Hao offered a quiet word of advice, but those words caused Uchiha Mikoto's chest to heave violently, and the three tomoe in her eyes to spin even faster.

If looks could kill, someone would definitely turn into a pair of fishnet stockings.

"Despicable! Shameless!"

Cursing angrily, Uchiha Mikoto wished she could chop this despicable bastard into pieces, cook him, and then eat him piece by piece.

This scene made the eyelids of the people around them twitch, and their expressions became strange. Uchiha Hikaru and Uzumaki Kushina even gave them disdainful looks.

That bastard only knows how to bully girls!

The group did not linger; after cleaning up the scene, they continued their rapid advance.

This is, after all, the Land of Fire, and Konoha has that super strong expert in charge. It would be best to return as soon as possible.

Not long after everyone left, a group of people rushed over from Konoha, led by Tsunade.

"That idiot did indeed try to stop him."

Looking at the signs of battle around her, especially the fallen trees, Tsunade understood what had happened.

Grandma talked with the teacher and others all night last night. This morning, she learned from the teacher that Jiraiya had been arranged to come here. Realizing that something was wrong, she rushed over.

But it was too late. A conflict broke out between the two sides, and no one knows what happened to that idiot.

"Lady Tsunade, there are words on this tree."

Suddenly, an ANBU ninja inspecting the scene shouted, and Tsunade rushed over.

"Fortunately, the Third Raikage showed mercy."

After reading the writing on the tree, Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief.

This was left by the Cloud Ninja, who wrote that Jiraiya escaped using a summoning technique and did not die here.

As long as people are still alive, that's all that matters.

"Keep moving forward; we can't let anyone else clash with the Cloud Ninja."

Tsunade gave the order, and the group continued forward.

The journey went very smoothly, and they soon arrived at the Land of Hot Springs. With Tsunade's intervention and the Uchiha's goodwill towards the Cloud Ninja, the Konoha ninja stationed there readily made way for them.

Once they returned to Kumogakure, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Instead of going home immediately, Tamura Hiroshi went to the Raikage's training room below the Raikage Building, the same room where he had experimented with the musket.

He asked the others to wait outside while Tamura Hao and the Third Raikage went inside to talk, as Tamura Hao had specifically requested.

"It's just the two of us here, so just say what you need to say."

The Third Raikage chuckled, thinking that the kid was still keeping him in suspense.

After surveying the surroundings and confirming that everything was alright, Tamura Hiroshi used Kaguya's Tsukuyomi to create an illusionary space and pull the Third Raikage's consciousness inside.

"Is this the kaleidoscope's eye technique?"

Curiously surveying the surrounding space, the Third Raikage knew that this kid had absorbed Hikaru's Mangekyou Sharingan, which should be the one that the girl used back then.

"This eye technique is called Tsukuyomi."

"Now you can tell me, right?"

The Third Raikage's expression turned serious, realizing that what his disciple was about to say must be something very important, otherwise he wouldn't be so cautious.

Tamura Hao's expression was also very serious as he earnestly said, "According to the legends of the ninja world and some records of the Uzumaki clan, the origin of chakra is the Sage of Six Paths. The Sage of Six Paths passed on his own chakra to others and founded the Ninja Clan, which then evolved into the ninjas we know today."

I once had a question: where does the chakra go after a ninja releases it using chakra?

After gaining the power of the Sharingan and Byakugan, I discovered that the chakra of those ninjutsu disappeared into thin air, rather than dissipating, just like the chakra of shadow clones disappears into thin air and returns to the original body.

Upon hearing this, the Third Raikage's expression grew even more solemn, and he began to have some guesses in his mind.

"Are you saying the Sage of Six Paths isn't dead?"

Tamura Hao shook his head slightly and continued, "This disciple doesn't know, but the problem with chakra is huge. Last year, this disciple accidentally obtained a special treasure in the Land of Iron. After Samehada swallowed it, it could purify the chakra."

The purified chakra is much more easily controlled and will no longer disappear into thin air after being released as ninjutsu. Instead, it will be eroded and decomposed by the natural energy of the outside world, becoming part of the natural energy.

Combined with a dojutsu obtained from the light, it can remotely transfer the portion of chakra that cannot be retracted into Samehada's body.

This pure chakra is also an important foundation for my current strength. Next, I need to use the simulated toad chakra to help you create the Sage Art Seal, which will inevitably merge with your chakra.

I'm worried that my chakra might be detected as abnormal by your chakra, teacher, and thus become known to some being.

"You need to purify my chakra first, and then use that eye technique to keep it a secret?"

The Third Raikage understood, and before Tamura Hao could speak, he said, "Then let's begin."

Although this kid's identity is a bit questionable, his contributions to the village over the past two years are undeniable, and he can be absolutely trusted.

"Yes, three generations of teachers."

This trust deeply moved Tamura Hao, who immediately released the Tsukuyomi eye technique, raised his hand and placed it on the Third Raikage's shoulder, imprinting the mark of the Eight Thousand Spears there.

The Raikage forcibly extracted chakra from the Third Raikage's body using the Eight Thousand Spears Inscription, allowing the Ten-Tails to absorb and purify it. The Third Raikage then refined the chakra to assist in the extraction.

After his chakra was nearly exhausted, Tamura Hao further extracted the chakra essence of the Third Raikage, which was imprinted on his bloodline.

At this moment, something seemed to be triggered, and that primordial chakra took the initiative to counterattack.

The Third Raikage immediately noticed this anomaly, his gaze turning cold and sharp.

There really is a problem!

The resistance didn't last long before it was devoured and purified by the Ten-Tails. Then, Tamura Hao transferred the purified chakra, which only contained Kaguya's mark, back into the Third Raikage's body.

"That's such a big improvement."

The Third Raikage was quite surprised to feel the new chakra.

Although I had heard this disciple mention before that control would improve, I didn't expect the improvement to be this significant.

While improved chakra control doesn't directly increase strength, it offers significant benefits in other areas.

"That feeling of perfect control over chakra must be great."

Tamura Hao laughed and said, "This is the real chakra."

"No wonder you've mastered so many secret techniques, even indirectly learning the Flying Thunder God Technique."

The Third Raikage understood why this kid had progressed so quickly and mastered those difficult-to-learn secret techniques.

"Purify Ai and the others later too."

He could understand the young man's concerns about revealing the secret only now; he did need the young man's approval first, otherwise misunderstandings could easily arise.

This child is so thoughtful!

"Currently, we can only purify a small area to avoid attracting the other side's attention; we are still too weak."

Tamura Hao was very wary of this and did not want to be targeted by the Sage of Six Paths too early.

"The ninja world is a very deep pool."

The Third Raikage remarked that the waters of the ninja world were indeed terrifyingly deep.

First there was that mysterious force eyeing high-tech research and development, then the Otsutsuki clan on the moon, and now there's the Sage of Six Paths who might not be dead.

Who knows how many unimaginable things will appear in the future? There are too many pitfalls.

Compared to these beings, the five great ninja villages are a joke.

"And those three holy lands are also suspicious. The contractors they chose this generation are all disciples of the Hokage of Konoha. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen."

Thinking back to the three giant toads they had captured earlier, the Third Raikage could tell with his toes that there was something wrong with the three holy lands.

"Perhaps there is a connection between the three holy lands and Konoha that we are unaware of."

Tamura Hiroshi provided a timely clue, suggesting that the root of the problem should lie in Konoha.

"Perhaps the emergence of invincible powerhouses like the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha was not a coincidence."

The Third Raikage thought of those two invincible powerhouses, who were the biggest anomalies in Konoha. Their strength exceeded the limits of the concept of a ninja, and there was absolutely no reason to believe it.

Furthermore, the First Hokage's strongest power seems to be Sage Mode, and Sage Mode must have originated from the Three Great Sacred Lands. Tsunade, for example, had a contract with Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands.

"What's the deal with that Uchiha girl you brought back?"

Suddenly, he asked a question, something about the Third Raikage felt off.

Judging from the girl's words and the boy's actions, the relationship between the two is a bit complicated.

"It was Danzo's order. He wanted to use this to disrupt the Uchiha clan's succession to the throne and ordered me to take Mikoto away."

Tamura Hao explained it simply, but the Third Raikage could tell that it contained a great deal of information.

Tell me in detail.

Tamura Hao didn't hide anything and recounted everything he had done after arriving in Konoha, causing the Third Raikage's face to twitch uncontrollably.

"The village's gains from the past two years of battles with Konoha are not as good as your quick wit."

Finally, he remarked that this was the first time he had ever seen someone use their eloquence to such an extent.

With this kid's plan in place, Konoha is destined to never have peace again.

Fugaku Uchiha alone could turn Konoha upside down. Perhaps after this Shinobi World War, Konoha would be in chaos, with blood flowing like rivers.

"I am still far behind Lord Tsuchidai."

Tamura Hao habitually offered a humble response, saying, "Lord Tsuchida is the strongest strategist of the current generation in Kumogakure, having devised all the plans. I, Tamura Hao, am merely a lowly executor."

"I feel like you've put the same kind of trapping on Tsuchikyo as Danzo Shimura did."

The Third Raikage's expression was strange, which reminded me of Danzo Shimura, who always addressed him as "Lord Danzo."

(End of this chapter)