Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 180 The Immortal's Talisman

In a temple deep within Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya looked at the Great Toad Sage, who had just finished bandaging his wounds, with worry and self-reproach, and shared the information he knew.

"They took the big tree from the Land of Waterfalls."

Upon hearing about the large tree in Kumogakure, the Great Toad Sage knew what was going on.

He knew about that sacred tree and had even visited it in person. However, after confirming that the power of the divine tree within it had completely subsided, he paid it little attention. Who would have thought that it would be activated by the Hidden Cloud Village using the chakra of the First Hokage?

He also understood the essence of the First Hokage's Wood Release; it was not a simple bloodline limit, but contained the power of the Divine Tree.

Using the First Hokage's chakra can indeed awaken the power originating from the remains of the Divine Tree within the Sacred Tree to some extent. Now that the Hidden Cloud Village possesses such a Sacred Tree, it will be difficult to defeat them.

"Great Sage, Big Sister and the others are in great danger. We should go to their rescue immediately. I can go ask Tsunade and the others for help."

Jiraiya asked anxiously, while a bad feeling crept into his heart.

Sure enough, the bad feeling was confirmed the next moment.

"Fukasaku and Shima have been murdered."

The Great Toad Immortal felt a pang of sadness, for they were his kinsmen who had been by his side for so long.

Upon hearing that the two immortals had been killed, Jiraiya knelt down with a thud, his face as pale as paper, his lips trembling, filled with immense regret and self-reproach.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault..."

If he hadn't stopped those Cloud Ninja back then, he wouldn't have been targeted by the Third Raikage, who was in a fit of rage, and Gamabunta and the others wouldn't have died. There wouldn't have been this revenge mission by the Big Sister and the others, and they wouldn't have died.

The root of everything lies within myself; I am the one who deserves to die.

"Jiraiya, this is not your fault. It's all fate's arrangement."

The Great Toad Sage offered words of comfort, attributing everything to fate, but unfortunately, it didn't work well, and Jiraiya remained consumed by self-blame.

After observing Jiraiya's condition, the Great Toad Sage shook his head and then used a summoning jutsu to summon Minato Namikaze.

"Great Immortal!"

"Jiraiya-sensei, what's wrong?"

The first thing Namikaze Mizuhan saw upon being summoned was the giant toad sage with the missing arm, and then she saw her teacher Jiraiya, who seemed to be acting strangely.

"Watergate!"

The disciple's voice brought Jiraiya to his senses somewhat, but his face remained deathly pale.

"Jiraiya-sensei, what happened?"

Minato Namikaze was even more puzzled and worried. What had happened to make Jiraiya-sensei like this?

"Minato, come up here."

At this moment, the Great Toad Sage spoke, gesturing for Minato Namikaze to come forward.

Minato Namikaze looked at his teacher with concern, and finally jumped onto the high platform where the Great Toad Sage was.

"This Immortal Talisman can strengthen and transform your body, ultimately forming an immortal body, allowing you to better cultivate immortal arts."

Fate is becoming increasingly perilous, and Minato, your future path will be increasingly arduous. You need to grow up quickly to overcome all obstacles and move forward.

As he spoke, the Great Toad Sage took out a talisman and affixed it to Minato Namikaze's chest. Then, the talisman emitted a glowing green light and disappeared into Minato Namikaze's chest.

Next, the Sage's Talisman will slowly release energy to improve Minato Namikaze's body, enhance his compatibility with natural energy, and save his life.

Jiraiya had said a lot before, not only about information about Kumogakure, but also about some things in Konoha.

He was speechless at the current situation of Konoha. It would be very difficult to fulfill Hagoromo's request, especially after losing the Bunta brothers and Fukasaku Shima, which greatly reduced the high-level forces that Mount Myōboku could mobilize.

Jiraiya's situation isn't too bad. He's already a strong fighter, and as long as he doesn't do anything reckless, his life shouldn't be in danger.

His concern was for Minato Namikaze, and Minato's potential far exceeded that of Jiraiya, making him a more worthwhile investment.

Furthermore, after the establishment of the ninja village system, the situation in the ninja world became much more chaotic and unpredictable than expected. This was not only the case in Konoha, but also in other ninja villages.

Before the new generation of Asura reincarnations appears and grows up, someone needs to be trained to protect them.

Jiraiya was a bit lacking, but Minato was alright.

"Everyone, get out."

Before Minato Namikaze could ask any questions, the Great Toad Sage waved his hand and closed his eyes to recover from his injuries.

The arm being severed isn't a major problem, but the blood had been drained from it, damaging its foundation, so it needs to rest for a while to recover.

He was clearly outmaneuvered this time. He knew about the deaths of Bunta, the other two, and Fukasaku Shima's revenge, but he didn't expect that while they were thinking about revenge, the Hidden Cloud Village was also on guard and was plotting against them.

Not only did he cause the death of Fukasaku Shima, but he was also severely injured.

This made him angry at Kumogakure, and also very annoyed at Konoha.

How could the Third Hokage be so useless?

However, the most pressing issue right now is getting that arm back. I absolutely cannot let my strength leak out. Once I've recovered, I'll go to the front lines of the Cloud Ninja.

Minato Namikaze could only help his teacher up and leave the temple. He then inquired about what had happened, and Jiraiya did not hide anything, telling him everything.

"Fukasaku-senpai and Shima-senpai have also fallen."

Minato Namikaze was shocked to learn that the two had also been killed by the Hidden Cloud Village.

"It's confirmed by the Great Immortal."

Jiraiya felt extremely guilty and remorseful; it was all his fault.

"Kumakuya Village! Tamura Hiroshi!"

Having heard those two names repeatedly, Minato Namikaze became even more eager to become stronger.

Just then, the seal in his abdomen suddenly stirred, and his consciousness was pulled into the sealed space.

"Grandma Mito, you were looking for me?"

Looking at the projected image, Minato Namikaze wondered what was wrong with him at this time.

"It wasn't me looking for you, it was Nine-Tails."

Mito Uzumaki's chakra projection pointed to the Nine-Tails behind the seal; this time, it was the Nine-Tails that took the initiative to contact her.

"Nine-Tails!"

Minato Namikaze was even more puzzled. What did that big fox want to do?

"Kid, I can give you power, but you have to help me get back the tail that was taken from me by Kumogakure."

Nine-Tails stared intently at the boy outside the seal; he had changed his mind.

Although that woman was despicable, he disliked the brat, and disliked being locked up even more, he wanted to reclaim his tail.

Their tailed beasts' tails are special, containing nearly half of their own power.

Since I don't have the regenerative ability of the Eight-Tails, it would be very difficult for me to regenerate, and even if I did, my size would be greatly reduced.

He didn't want his other companions to see him in such a disheveled state, especially Shukaku, that fat cat, who would definitely laugh him to death.

"Why are you only saying this now?"

Minato Namikaze was even more puzzled. He wasn't surprised by Kurama's statement; Kurama's tail had indeed been cut off by the Third Raikage, so it was normal for him to want it back.

What he didn't understand was why the topic was brought up at this time.

Is it because of the Immortal Talisman given to him by the Great Toad Immortal?

"You weren't qualified before. Make good use of that Immortal Talisman to cultivate; it's a very powerful force."

After giving a reminder, Nine-Tails lay down and continued sleeping.

This is just a reminder. Minato Namikaze has to adapt and adjust to his own chakra himself. He is only responsible for providing chakra and controlling it so as not to disturb Minato's chakra.

"This is the first time the Nine-Tails has acted like this; that Immortal Talisman must be extraordinary."

Mito Uzumaki's chakra projection uttered a sigh before sending out Minato Namikaze's spiritual consciousness.

"Those toads aren't pure either."

After sending out Minato Namikaze's spiritual consciousness, Mito Uzumaki's chakra projection was somewhat worried.

She had sensed something was wrong after learning about the Great Toad Sage's so-called prophecy through Minato Namikaze, especially since Mount Myōboku had lost two great sages and the Great Toad Sage himself had been severely injured. Clearly, the so-called prophecy was problematic.

Otherwise, if he could truly foresee the future, the Great Toad Immortal would have avoided these calamities long ago.

So what does that old toad want to do?

Now, they've even offered up a treasure like the Immortal's Talisman, which even the Nine-Tailed Fox takes seriously. Their intentions must be quite ambitious.

"Hopefully, the outcome won't be too bad!"

Minato Namikaze was unaware of Mito Uzumaki's chakra projection worries. He was currently studying the Sage Talisman that had been integrated into his heart, which allowed him to clearly sense the natural energy around him.

At the same time, the immortal talisman continued to emit green light, flowing through his blood and nourishing his body.

The scope of this transformation was small, but it was lasting.

At the same time, Tamura Hiroshi, far away on the front lines in the Land of Hot Springs, was also studying the Sage's Talisman, the secret technique of the Sage's Talisman obtained from Fukasaku Shima's memories.

"So that's how it is."

Having reviewed the secrets of the immortal symbols in both of their memories, Tamura Hao understood what was going on, and even comprehended the secrets of the pure immortal power of the three great immortals of the three holy lands.

The Immortal's Talisman is a special talisman formed by gathering natural energy. It can be integrated into the body of any living being, not only bringing the dead back to life but also transforming the body, allowing it to harmonize with natural energy, thus enabling cultivation by integrating natural energy into the body.

Hamura Otsutsuki was able to awaken the Tenseigan, which was probably due in part to the Sage Talisman he had used. Moreover, the power of the Sage Talisman was also green, the same color as the Tenseigan chakra mode.

The natural energy of the Immortal's Talisman is not simply natural energy; it is an essence refined and transformed over a long period of time, far surpassing the natural energy of the natural world.

Even in a place like Mount Myoboku, where natural energy is abundant, it takes hundreds or thousands of years of accumulation to successfully transform.

"A higher level of natural energy is needed to temper and transform the body; ordinary natural energy is not enough."

Tamura Hao was worried. The energy tempering and accumulation of the Immortal Talisman not only required an extremely long time and a high concentration of natural energy, but also required many precious materials to make the Immortal Talisman. The main materials were only available in the three holy lands.

Obviously, creating a talisman for immortals is unrealistic; we need to find another way.

It would be perfect if we could find a higher level of natural energy, but where would we find such a higher level of natural energy?

After two days of deep thought, a muffled clap of thunder gave him a sudden flash of inspiration.

"Perhaps I should go back to the village."

Looking at the gloomy sky outside, Tamura Hao prepared to return to the village and try to create new immortal techniques in Yunlei Gorge.

Thunder is undoubtedly a natural energy, and one with attributes. If it can be refined, its effects should be no less than those of the Immortal Talisman.

Of course, the power of lightning is extremely violent, and the difficulty of refining it is definitely very high, but the Takemikazuchi Raijin eye technique and the Futsu-mitama spirit sword that I obtained from Uchiha Rai before can be of great help.

Without hesitation, Tamura Hao immediately went to tell the Third Raikage about his plan, and then they returned to Kumogakure together, while Kushina and the other two girls stayed behind.

It takes a day to reach the border of the Land of Lightning, then a train to the foot of the Hidden Cloud Village, and finally to the Cloud and Lightning Gorge.

Yunlei Gorge is the place in Yunyin Village where thunderstorms occur most frequently, with thunderstorms occurring for more than half the year. It is the perfect place to try to develop immortal techniques by drawing on the power of thunder.

"Why did you suddenly come back?"

Mikoto Uchiha arrived with Karura, looking rather unwell.

She already knew that two of her people had died at the hands of this bastard, but it was war after all, and she couldn't say anything.

But why did this bastard suddenly come back without even saying hello?

Without asking any questions, Karura opened the food box, took out the food inside, and placed it on the table.

"Cultivation!"

Tamura Hiroshi tossed a scroll over, then picked up his chopsticks and started eating rice.

"What is this?"

Mikoto Uchiha looked at the scroll in her hand, puzzled.

"It contains a list and detailed information about the Uchiha clan members that Fugaku-kun wants us to kill."

After giving a casual reply, Tamura Hiroshi continued eating.

When it comes to cooking skills, Karura's is the best; Kushina's and Vanilla's are simply inferior.

As for Uchiha Hikaru, his only skill was his swordsmanship.

His appetite had been spoiled by Garuda, and he had been missing her terribly lately.

Mikoto Uchiha stared at the scroll in her hand without saying a word. After a long silence, she finally used her chakra to perform a fire-attribute nature transformation, burning the scroll to ashes.

Although she hadn't gone to see it, she knew that bastard wouldn't lie about this.

Moreover, she knew a bit about the situation in the clan; those people were a headache even for her father. She just didn't expect Fugaku-kun to be so ruthless.

What are the chances of Fugaku becoming Hokage?

Looking at the scattered ashes, Uchiha Mikoto suddenly asked a question.

After swallowing the chicken in his mouth, Tamura Hao took a sip of the tea that Karura handed him before replying.

"It's almost impossible. Konoha's foundation is far beyond what you see. For example, the Second Hokage developed a forbidden technique called Impure World Reincarnation, which can summon the soul of the dead and temporarily revive them, giving them the strength they had in life and almost unlimited chakra."

Although Fugaku-kun awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and possessed the Seven-Tails, he had no chance of winning if the Third Hokage and others summoned the First Hokage.

In addition, Minato Namikaze not only began training in the Flying Thunder God Technique, but also became the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. The combination of these two factors made him virtually invincible, and Fugaku's chances of defeating him were slim.

Konoha's foundation is quite formidable. Even after being ravaged by F4 for so many years, it will still be able to dominate in the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Therefore, it can be said that Fugaku-kun was destined to fail and had no chance of success.

Unless the Sage of Six Paths gives him a power-up, allowing Fugaku Uchiha to obtain the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan or even the Rinnegan, he'll be pretty much the same.

Whether it's ambition or aspiration, it all needs to be supported by corresponding strength.

As that great man said, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, and a person can only eat as much as their bowl allows.

These words made Mikoto Uchiha clench her fists tightly, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.

If that's the case, the family's future will be in danger.

After pondering for a long time, until someone finished eating, Uchiha Mikoto finally made a decision.

"I'll write a letter, and you guys find a way to deliver it to my father so he can select some suitable children from the clan. You guys find a way to bring them over, and I'll persuade them to become Cloud Village ninjas."

"Your awareness is higher than I imagined."

As he sipped his tea, Tamura Hiroshi was surprised; this girl had come to her senses much earlier than he had expected.

Actually, he had subtly discussed this approach with Uchiha Retsuyo back in Konoha, and the old man Uchiha Retsuyo gave an ambiguous response. Now, all that's left is for Uchiha Mikoto, the eldest daughter of the Uchiha clan, to come to her senses.

With this person's cooperation, it was possible to guide the young Uchiha clan members to integrate into Kumogakure.

Only those who can genuinely integrate into Kumogakure are truly talented; those with ulterior motives will ultimately become food for the Ten-Tails. Therefore, the persuasion process is crucial.

I thought that Fugaku Uchiha would only realize his mistake after the Fourth Shinobi World War ended and his schemes failed, but who would have thought he would figure it out so quickly.

"I'm the young lady of the Uchiha clan, don't underestimate me."

Mikoto Uchiha glared at him, annoyed. She had grown a lot since meeting this despicable bastard, especially after arriving in Kumogakure.

She is the eldest daughter of the Uchiha clan, and was born with a certain responsibility. Now that the clan is in such a predicament, she naturally has to do her part.

At least to preserve a lineage for the family.

"I will suggest the arrangement to Lord Tsuchida, but you know our selection criteria and you also know the nature of your Uchiha clan. In this regard, we would rather have none than have bad ones."

Tamura Hao would not refuse the proposal. It's always better to poach talent as soon as possible. If you wait until the night of the extermination to take action, it will be too late.

Moreover, bringing some Uchiha clan members over early on will allow the girl to better integrate into Kumogakure and become a member of the village.

Having bonds here will definitely make them much more obedient, thus avoiding melodramatic plot twists.

"Thanks!"

Mikoto Uchiha sincerely thanked him. Although she hated this despicable bastard so much that she wanted to chop him up and cook him into a dish, he could indeed help the Uchiha.

Of course, he also caused a lot of harm; he was a despicable and shameless bastard.

"Are you also plotting against Lady Tsunade?"

Suddenly, she asked a question, feeling that this bastard must also have ulterior motives towards Lady Tsunade. It must have been quite extraordinary for him to seek medical knowledge from Lady Tsunade back in Konoha.

It's only because Lady Tsunade is so powerful that he would have bullied her just like he bullied himself.

"How can you call it scheming? I was doing it for her own good. Otherwise, I'd probably end up all alone."

Tamura Hao firmly denied it, saying that he, Tamura Hao, had absolutely no bad intentions towards Tsunade, only pure goodwill.

Unfortunately, all she got in return was a disdainful look from the girl. As the victim, Uchiha Mikoto knew all too well how despicable and shameless this bastard was; he was a scoundrel with no bottom line.

"What are Hao-jun's plans? How should we cooperate?"

Karura asked curiously, showing great anticipation for the Senju family member.

That person is the number one medical expert in the ninja world today. Many of my research projects require the participation of such a medical master, especially in the research on limb regeneration and in vitro cultivation.

We have made some progress, but there are still many difficulties to overcome. It is too difficult to do it alone with the strength of myself and the Hidden Cloud Village.

Even if we acquire the foundation of the Senju family, it won't be enough; it would be best to invite that person.

"I plan to find an opportunity to help Nawaki awaken Wood Release to enhance his strength and defend against assassins like Hiruzen Sarutobi."

"After the main Senju force is wiped out, we'll bring the Senju children over. With these, Tsunade will have no choice but to come."

Tamura Hiroshi did not hide anything and briefly explained the plan.

He didn't want to change the fact that the main force of the Senju family had been wiped out, and the mindset of those adults was also difficult to change; taking over would only become a hidden danger.

That's why they only accepted children and women when they were in the Land of Whirlpools, so that they could integrate into the Hidden Cloud Village better and faster.

Therefore, all that is needed is to prevent the Senju family from being wiped out, and the key to this is the Nawaki tree.

If you can lure Nawaki over and trick her into coming, Tsunade will have no choice but to obediently come to your bowl.

"You should use Wood Release to provoke the Third Hokage and the others, forcing them to kill Nawaki. Then you can pretend to be a good person and save him, ultimately forcing Lady Tsunade to submit."

Mikoto Uchiha's blatant exposure of someone's sinister intentions was utterly despicable and shameless.

Just like how he used Fugaku and his father to control her back then, this bastard wants to use Nawaki to control Lady Tsunade again.

How can a person be so despicable and shameless?

Also, this bastard's way of doing things is so different from the mainstream of Kumogakure; he doesn't seem like a Kumogakure ninja at all.

"Young lady, sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing!"

Tamura Hiroshi's expression turned sinister, revealing even more murderous intent.

This girl knows too much!

(End of this chapter)