Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 192 Nagato the Uzumaki

The rest of the time was relatively relaxed. Tamura Hao wandered around Amegakure during the day, and sometimes even went out of Amegakure to travel within the Land of Rain. Sometimes he would have meals and chat with Huang Tu and Tongcao Yeren, since they were all acquaintances.

At night, he sneaks into Ms. Yekura's room to sleep and instructs her on how to train for the Rasengan.

After making preparations, Hanzo quietly set off with his trusted subordinates to assassinate the Great Serpent.

The day after Hanzo left, Tamura Hiroshi, guided by Black Zetsu, found Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, who were wandering around.

"The situation in the Land of Rain is really not good."

Looking at the three little ones curled up sleeping in a dilapidated wooden hut, Tamura Hiroshi couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the cruelty of war.

"The geographical location of the Land of Rain destined it to be anything but peaceful. Konoha used to suppress Amegakure far too much. Konoha took away most of the missions in the Land of Rain, forcing Hanzo to declare war on Konoha."

Black Zetsu chuckled sinisterly. Konoha was incredibly domineering; they even dared to snatch missions from the major powers, let alone the smaller neighboring countries.

Without mission assignments and with the Land of Rain being relatively poor, the Daimyo's government couldn't provide much support to Amegakure. Hanzo had no choice but to go to war.

"In the end, it's all about the struggle for interests. This world has entered a vicious cycle. Only by completely destroying it can a perfect order be established."

Tamura Hiroshi raised his hand and felt the coldness of the raindrops, which felt like the tears of the world.

"This is Hagoromo's philosophy: that concentrated power only leads to corruption and suffering, and that only by dispersing power can peace be achieved. What a naive idea."

He made a sarcastic remark, expressing utter disdain for the Sage of Six Paths' philosophy.

"He might not be naive, but rather he doesn't want the power to gather and make the ninja world aware of his existence, so that the ninja world can better refine his chakra."

Tamura Hiroshi offered a different perspective, arguing that the Sage of Six Paths was not a naive idiot and that everything he did must have a deeper meaning.

Furthermore, if he were the Sage of Six Paths and didn't have any cheat abilities, he would most likely have done the same thing, making the entire ninja world obediently assist his cultivation.

As for the settings and plots given by the previous Naruto, just take them with a grain of salt; if you actually believe them, you've already lost.

Moreover, those were all said by the other party, which are subjective perceptions and have nothing to do with objective facts.

Just like in the court judgment in my previous life, I only listened to the statements and the key was to look at the evidence. At least the credibility of the evidence is much higher than that of words.

Therefore, the plot and character settings of Naruto should only be used as a reference and should never be taken as gospel.

Black Zetsu fell into deep thought, it seemed that such a possibility really existed, or rather, this way of thinking was more reasonable.

"How long will it take for those eyes to stabilize?"

Tamura Hao shifted the topic to the Rinnegan, expressing his strong envy for the eye techniques, especially the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan of Uchiha Madara.

Madara Uchiha is now no less powerful than Indra. Indra's chakra can awaken the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, and Madara Uchiha's eye power and chakra should be able to do the same, especially his eye power.

Furthermore, the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan itself is of great research value.

"It will take at least another year."

Black Zetsu gave a timeframe, but Uchiha Madara is not Hagoromo after all. Even if he awakens the Rinnegan with Hagoromo's eye power, it will still require a long period of nurturing, especially the nurturing of Uzumaki chakra.

That's why Nagato Uzumaki was chosen. At the same time, the Rinnegan can also stimulate Nagato's Uzumaki bloodline, enhance its bloodline potential, or rather, guide the bloodline back to its ancestral form, allowing it to refine more chakra to nourish the Rinnegan.

At the same time, a plan has been devised to get Madara Uchiha to agree to transplant weakened Hashirama cells into Nagato Uzumaki, which would not only extract more chakra, but also greatly improve the quality of the chakra.

It can nurture those eyes to make them even stronger.

"Recently, both Senju Orange Water and Jiraiya's chakra have greatly increased. Senju Orange Water has also developed Wood Release chakra and both have powerful Sage Mode abilities."

Orochimaru secretly cultivated a clone of Hashirama Senju, but it lacked a soul; however, it possessed powerful Sage Mode abilities.

By exporting the latest intelligence, Black Zetsu knew that these people were about to make their move.

"It should be the work of the three great sages. As for Orochimaru cultivating a soulless clone of Hashirama Senju, it is unlikely that it was intended to serve as a vessel for the resurrected First Hokage. Perhaps he wanted to take over that body in some way."

Tamura Hao has done his analysis, especially the one about Orochimaru, which is almost certain.

He was well aware of Orochimaru's style of doing things, but he didn't expect that cloning technology would be developed so quickly, and that a clone of Hashirama Senju would be created.

"The ninja world is getting more and more interesting."

Black Zetsu was very much looking forward to it. As those people's strength increased, they could be guided to target the forces of Hamura's descendants and Otsutsuki Isshiki, and even bring out Hagoromo ahead of time to disrupt their plans, so that they could fish in troubled waters.

"Konoha has great potential. By forcing out the Wood Release experiments and the Impure World Reincarnation, the alliance of the four villages in the next Shinobi World War can continue to be maintained and jointly besiege Konoha, paving the way for the unification of our Hidden Cloud Village."

Tamura Hao is most wary of Konoha because of its immense potential.

At the same time, Konoha is the main focus of the story, and weakening and destroying it is the only way to obtain more power of destiny.

Therefore, not only did the four major ninja villages have to join forces to besiege Konoha in this Shinobi World War, but they will also have to besiege it in the next Shinobi World War.

To achieve this, we must show the Hidden Sand Village, the Hidden Stone Village, and the Hidden Mist Village the terrifying strength and potential of Konoha, making them fearful and apprehensive.

"After the Senju clan is destroyed, Ashura's chakra can only be used to select the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Konoha."

The old toad's so-called prophecy must refer to this, and coincidentally, Minato Namikaze is also a contractor of Mount Myōboku; this must be their plan.

Black Zetsu can now roughly guess what Ashura's chakra will be attached to in the future.

First of all, the Uzumaki clan in Kumogakure would definitely not be chosen; the existence of that World Tree alone makes it impossible for Hagoromo to guide the situation in that direction.

Therefore, it can only be Konoha, and at that time, Konoha's only choice will be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

"They have their plans, and we have ours. Fortunately, the situation, both overt and covert, has been partially reversed."

Withdrawing his hand that had been touched by the rain, Tamura Hao stepped into the dilapidated wooden hut where the three little ones were, sat down cross-legged, and waited for them to wake up.

A small dog lying nearby heard the noise and raised its head. Just as it was about to bark warily, Tamura Hao's chakra threads wrapped around it, lifted it up, and tapped its neck, silencing it.

After glancing at the three little guys who were still fast asleep, Tamura Hao sat down cross-legged, put the puppies on his lap and teased them, and took out a sausage to rub on the puppies' noses.

The puppy was very thin, with its ribs clearly visible, indicating that it had been starving for a long time. Even so, the puppy remained steadfast in the face of the sausage temptation, and was very wary of the two-legged creature that had suddenly appeared.

More than three hours later, Nagato Uzumaki was the first to wake up. After a moment of confusion, she immediately noticed something was wrong.

Turning his head, he saw a figure and instinctively stood up, on guard, his right hand gripping a kunai without a point.

"Who are you?"

While questioning them, he woke Yahiko and Konan up.

"Little one!"

Seeing the puppy being tormented on someone's lap, Xiao Nan felt very worried and heartbroken.

"I'm awake!"

Tamura Hiroshi smiled and released the puppy he had been teasing.

The puppy immediately jumped down and ran to Xiao Nan's legs, not forgetting to snatch away that wretched sausage.

"Who are you?"

Yahiko also took out a worn-out kunai, asked warily, and prepared to escape.

"My name is Tamura Hiroshi, and I am a Chunin from Kumogakure. My fiancée is Uzumaki Kushina, the granddaughter of the previous head of the Uzumaki clan. She also has beautiful red hair, which is the symbol of her clan."

Tamura gave a brief self-introduction, and at the end, he specifically looked at Nagato Uzumaki.

"swirl!"

Yahiko and Konan both looked at Nagato's red hair. The same surname, the same hair color, could he really be a member of the clan?

"Are they from my mother's clan?"

Nagato Uzumaki said that he had heard his mother mention the Uzumaki clan and knew of its existence.

"It seems you've become an orphan. Were your parents murdered?"

Tamura Hao said with a hint of regret that he hadn't paid much attention to Nagato's situation. After all, the person who was paying attention to him was quite powerful. Neither the old man with age spots nor the Sage of Six Paths hiding in the shadows were easy to deal with, especially the Sage of Six Paths.

He didn't want to come into the Sage of Six Paths' sight too early.

This trip was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and we won't be spending too much time together.

Nagato fell silent, his heart filled with sorrow and resentment, and his hands clenched involuntarily.

"You guys look like you haven't had a good meal in a long time. I'll take you to the food and entertainment center for a nice meal."

Tamura Hiroshi stood up and gestured for the three of them to follow.

Watching the figure walk away, the three exchanged glances, and finally Yahiko nodded. The three then quickly tidied themselves up and followed.

Tamura Hao led the three people and the dog forward. When they came to a small stall selling steamed buns, he found that the three of them were staring longingly at the steaming buns and clutching their stomachs, clearly very hungry.

"The steamed buns smell delicious, let's have some first."

Tamura Hao said gently, then went over and bought five steaming hot buns. He gave four to the three people and the dog, took one for himself and started eating it, while chatting with the woman selling the buns.

"Auntie, these steamed buns taste pretty good. Why don't you open a shop in the food and entertainment center? It seems like there's no rent there; you just pay a percentage of the revenue. You should be able to earn more there."

These buns taste really good, and they have a lot of the characteristics of the Land of Rain.

"My son and daughter-in-law run a shop over there. I have trouble walking, and the neighbors are used to my steamed buns. Since I'm just sitting at home doing nothing, I made some and started selling them."

The woman said with a smile, expressing her satisfaction with her current life.

The three children glanced at the person chatting with the aunt, then at the steamed bun in their hands, and finally couldn't resist taking a bite.

The little dog that had been following Xiao Nan around finally lowered its guard and started eating the bun when it saw its owner start chewing on it.

Tamura Hao finished the bun in a few bites, and only after the three little ones had finished their buns did he say goodbye to the aunt and head to the food and entertainment center.

The three children had never been to a food and entertainment complex before, and they were deeply impressed by its luxury and bustling atmosphere.

"Come on, let's buy you some clothes first."

He gestured to the three children, then led them to a clothing store where he bought ten sets of clothes for each of them. After that, they went to a bathhouse for a soak, and even washed the little dog in a basin of water. Finally, they went to a hot pot restaurant for a meal.

When it comes to whetting the appetite, nothing beats this spicy hot pot. All three of them were quite full, including the little dog named Little Dot.

After this interaction, the three little ones became much less wary of Tamura Hao, and even felt a bit affectionate towards him, especially the little one, whose tail wagged very happily.

"The Land of Thunder seems to be very far from the Land of Rain. Why did you suddenly come to the Land of Rain?"

Yahiko couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why did the other party come all this way?"

Judging from their previous behavior, they didn't come specifically for Nagato; they seemed surprised by Nagato's existence.

"I am here on behalf of Kumogakure to attend the Four Kage Summit and discuss matters related to the upcoming war."

While teasing the puppy with its round belly, Tamura Hao casually replied.

This isn't a secret, there's nothing wrong with saying it.

"Another war? Why start a war?"

Nagato's voice was filled with hatred. If it weren't for the war, how could his parents have died?

Yahiko and Konan also felt grief and disgust towards the war. They were both orphans because of this Shinobi World War, so how could they not hate it?

"You hate Hanzo-senpai for declaring war on Konoha?"

Tamura Hao looked up in surprise and realized that the three of them seemed to hate Hanzo, who had taken the initiative to declare war, even more.

"He started this war!"

Nagato Uzumaki still harbored hatred.

"Have you ever considered that if Hanzo-senpai hadn't first joined forces with Sunagakure and Iwagakure to declare war on Konoha, the three great ninja villages might have set up the battlefield in the Land of Rain, just like the First Shinobi World War?"

It's important to know that Amegakure actually existed long ago, but it was destroyed during the First Shinobi World War. It was Hanzo who rebuilt Amegakure.

The Land of Rain was in an even more tragic situation at that time. Without the suppression of Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village), many bandits, robbers, and wandering ninjas emerged, bringing the Land of Rain to the brink of collapse. The resulting suffering far exceeded that of the war itself.

Tamura Hiroshi gave a simple explanation, saying that he could understand the mindset and thoughts of the three.

Furthermore, the three of them will also take the initiative to become Jiraiya's apprentices, who is a Konoha ninja. It should be noted that Konoha ninjas killed Nagato's parents, and Yahiko and Konan are probably in a similar situation.

It's understandable that the three of them have this understanding, but this understanding is too superficial and doesn't see the essence of the matter.

This explanation stunned the three children, who were unable to comprehend such a profound issue given their limited understanding.

"War is not as simple as you think. You only saw Hanzo-senpai take the initiative to declare war on Konoha, but you don't know that Konoha has been harming the interests of the Land of Rain and Amegakure for a long time."

You should know that the Ninja Village has two main sources of income: one is the government funding from the daimyo's government of the country where it is located, and the other is the commission from commissioned missions.

In the past, most of the missions assigned to the Land of Rain were handled by Konoha. This allowed Konoha to strengthen itself while also suppressing the development of Amegakure.

This is Konoha's usual strategy towards the small countries surrounding the Land of Fire, and Amegakure, with Hanzo-senpai, is a key target for Konoha's suppression.

Without sufficient funding for development, the village will only grow weaker and weaker, eventually being eliminated by the ninja world.

This is an invisible blade that Konoha uses to harm people. For the sake of Amegakure and the Land of Rain, Hanzo had no choice but to form an alliance with Sunagakure and Iwagakure to wage war against Konoha, pushing the battlefield outside the Land of Rain.

"But Konoha is too strong, and it will still be attacked from time to time..."

Tamura Hiroshi's explanations are factual, at most guiding the audience from the perspective of Amegakure and Hanzo.

Although the three children couldn't fully understand, they still listened attentively.

After listening for a while, Yahiko suddenly asked a question.

"Are you taking Nagato with you?"

"Nagato's parents have been killed, and he has no other relatives here. Moreover, he is too young. I must take him back to Kumogakure, where his clansmen live and will take good care of him."

Tamura Hao nodded, but he knew that Nagato Uzumaki would most likely not leave with him.

He had already seen the bond between the three of them. Compared to the completely unfamiliar Cloud Village and its people, Nagato Uzumaki was closer to Yahiko and Konan.

"Why not take them to Uzushiogakure? Nagato once said that the Uzumaki clan seems to be in Uzushiogakure, not Kumogakure."

Yahiko remained somewhat wary, as all he knew before was what the other party had said, and it was difficult to distinguish whether it was true or false.

"Don't you know yet? Uzushiogakure was destroyed by Konoha, and nearly half of the clan members died in battle. The remaining clan members migrated to our Kumogakure."

Tamura Hiroshi feigned surprise, with a hint of doubt.

"Destroyed by Konoha?"

The three children were stunned, not expecting that the Uzumaki clan's ninja village had been destroyed.

"My mother seems to have said that the Uzumaki clan and Konoha are allies."

Nagato was puzzled. Although his mother rarely mentioned the family, she had mentioned some things, and he had some memories of it.

"To be precise, the Uzumaki clan and the Senju clan of Konoha are allies. The First and Second Hokage of Konoha were from the Senju clan, and Kushina's great-aunt was the wife of the First Hokage."

However, the current Hokage of Konoha is the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who is not from the Senju clan and has been engaged in open and covert struggles with them.

Kushina's great-aunt, Mito Uzumaki, was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha. Due to her advanced age, it was necessary to select a direct descendant of the Uzumaki clan to become the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a major asset and power of the Senju clan, and they want to keep it under their control, which the Third Hokage's faction naturally does not want.

Just then, the four great ninja villages joined forces to besiege Uzumaki Village, wanting to seize the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques to perfect their own tailed beast jinchūriki. The Third Hokage then dispatched Danzo Shimura with his men, ostensibly to support and escort Kushina, who was to become the next Nine-Tails jinchūriki.

They secretly planted terrible poisonous insects and countless explosive tags in Uzushiogakure, which eventually erupted when Uzushiogakure fought against the invasion of Sunagakure and Iwagakure, killing everyone except for women and children who were protected and evacuated.

"Our Hidden Cloud Village ostensibly went to join forces with the other three great ninja villages to attack the Hidden Uzumaki Village, but in reality, we allied with the Uzumaki clan to first wipe out the Hidden Mist Ninja Army, and then confront the forces led by Danzo Shimura..."

Tamura Hao recounted the events of that time in detail, telling everything except for his own deception of the old man. It was the purest truth, capable of withstanding any investigation or evidence gathering. Even if those people were resurrected and interrogated, they would only give this version of events.

After listening, Yahiko and Nagato Uzumaki fell silent, digesting the information.

If that's really the case, then Konoha doesn't seem to be a good place at all.

(End of this chapter)