Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 196 The Reaper's Scythe

"Why would you trade away your celestial power?"

That night, Yekura couldn't help but ask.

The power of Sage Techniques is very strong; logically, the Hidden Cloud Village shouldn't be trading them.

It should be understood that although the four major ninja villages have formed an alliance, they are still rivals, or even enemies, and may turn against each other at any time in the future.

If we pass on Sage Mode to other ninja villages now, and they become enemies in the future, it will inevitably cause huge damage and casualties to Kumogakure.

She didn't believe that the Hidden Cloud Village couldn't see this, yet they still offered it for trade; there must be a secret they didn't know about.

Tamura Hao rubbed his cheek against that smooth, beautiful back before speaking, trying to deceive her: "There are many reasons, but there are three main ones. One is that Sage Mode is difficult to cultivate because it requires too much chakra."

Secondly, Konoha is too strong. According to the intelligence we have, Konoha has been conducting experiments on the First Hokage's cells in an attempt to recreate Wood Release.

Since Konoha has already mastered the method of bloodline transplantation, obtaining the power of Wood Release will not be difficult.

At this stage, our Hidden Cloud Village is the most hated by the Hidden Leaf Village. Once they recover, they will definitely target us.

Finally, the immortals of the three holy lands are still alive. They are beings who have lived for hundreds or thousands of years and will inevitably seek revenge against our Hidden Cloud Village. We need strong allies.

Of course, you could also interpret it as shifting the blame elsewhere.

He only talked about the Wood Release experiment, but didn't mention the Impure World Reincarnation. At least, it would have to wait until Konoha stole the remains of the three great ninja villages' predecessors and then resurrected them using Impure World Reincarnation.

This will further ignite the anger of the three great ninja villages, making their four-village alliance more stable and potentially lasting until the next Shinobi World War.

"Knowing this would be the outcome, why did you still attack the three holy lands?"

Ye Cang rolled his eyes, not minding the Hidden Cloud Village's attempt to shift the blame. After all, it was a mutually agreeable transaction, and since they chose to make the deal, they were naturally prepared to bear the consequences.

But the Hidden Cloud Village was too reckless, directly attacking the three holy lands. It's no wonder they retaliated.

"We had no choice. The hatred had already been formed, so we had to strike first."

Despite wearing a helpless expression, Tamura Hao was actually quite satisfied with the attack on the Spirit World and the three holy lands, which brought him a huge amount of destiny power.

Although his own cheat ability wasn't very noticeable, it was truly powerful. He owed more than half of his rapid growth to it, so naturally he needed to collect more of the power of destiny.

"Are you leaving tomorrow?"

Tamura Hiroshi was somewhat reluctant to change the subject.

The smooth skin on that beautiful back feels so good to rub against; I really want to hug it forever.

Yekura remained silent. The Third Kage would arrive the next morning, then begin the second Four Kage Summit, complete the deal, and leave that same day without staying.

I also need to return to the front lines; we can't afford to be short-handed there.

"Go back and tell Karura that I will take good care of Yashamaru."

After a while, Yekura started talking about Karura's younger brother.

"Um!"

He gave a faint reply, then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

The two remained silent. Ye Cang did not cultivate tonight, wanting to get a good night's sleep.

It's a pity that being pressed against something like this is very uncomfortable and I can't sleep well.

Early the next morning, Tamura Hao opened a portal and returned to his room. Yekura also got up and washed up, waiting for the Third Kazekage to arrive. She then informed him of the information she had gathered during this time, so that the Third Kazekage could make a decision in the upcoming transaction.

The Third Tsuchikage, Yagura Karatachi, and others arrived around the same time. After talking with Hirotsuchi and Tsukusa no Eito who stayed behind, they went to the meeting room again.

Upon arrival, all three of them gave Hanzo a thorough once-over.

Hanzo has changed a lot. The respirator on his face has been removed, indicating that he has transferred the venom sac in his body to the Cursed Seal White Serpent.

However, the biggest change was in his mood and temperament. Last time, Hanzo seemed very tired and anxious, clearly overwhelmed by the war and under a lot of pressure.

Today, Hanzo is beaming with joy, radiating a powerful sense of confidence.

Seeing this change, all three understood that Hanzo must have gained immense power from Sage Mode.

"This is for purchasing the Tailed Beast Ball Control Technique and the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique."

Onoki took out a sealed scroll and placed it on the table.

The Third Kazekage and Yagura Karatachi also took out a sealed scroll. As the representative of Kirigakure, Yagura Karatachi only wanted to obtain the method to condense the Tailed Beast Ball in this round of transactions.

Tamura Hao used chakra threads to pull the three together and unfolded them in front of everyone, revealing a lot of metal and even a number of ninja tools.

After a careful inspection, he put it away with satisfaction and said, "We did not create a perfect Jinchuriki. Instead, we cut off the tails of the Tailed Beasts and sealed them into the bodies of the ninjas. This reduces the difficulty of controlling the Tailed Beasts' chakra."

At the same time, since there is no tailed beast consciousness on the tail, its corrosiveness will be much lower, and it will not be easy for it to go berserk and out of control.

At this stage, we gather the chakra of the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki and release it together. By mixing and compressing it in a yin-yang ratio of 2:8, we can form a super-dense sphere, which is the Tailed Beast Ball.

Once you have complete control over the Tailed Beast's chakra, you can create a Tailed Beast Ball individually, at most a little smaller in size.

After saying that, Tamura Hao took out three scrolls, handed the one with the number 1 to the Third Kazekage, and the ones with the numbers 4 and 5 to Onoki. As for Kirigakure, they already had them.

This is a sealing technique that is tailored to the three tailed beasts, making it more targeted.

It's just a question of whether the Tailed Beasts will still help humanity during the Fourth Shinobi World War after being dismembered like this.

Really looking forward to it!

"Tailed Beast Split Jinchuriki!"

Everyone was taken aback by this statement, never expecting that the Hidden Cloud Village operated in this way.

Immediately, Onoki and the Third Kazekage waved to the sealing ninjas they had brought behind them. The group stepped forward, picked up the scroll containing the sealing techniques, and examined it to confirm its authenticity.

Only the Third Kazekage looked displeased, because the One-Tailed Beast only has one tail, so how should it be divided?

Or how about chopping off all four claws to make separate Tailed Beast Jinchuriki?

"This involves trading immortal techniques; I want all three types."

Starting with Onoki, he took out another sealing scroll.

The Third Kazekage and Yagura Karatachi followed suit, their eyes even more covetous of Sage Mode, something they absolutely had to acquire.

Tamura Hao used chakra threads to pull the scroll over again, opened it and checked it once a day. After confirming that there were no problems, he took out a large pile of scrolls, divided them into three portions, and handed them to the three people respectively.

"This is the inheritance of immortal techniques from the three holy lands, containing all the immortal techniques of the three holy lands. In the future, you will be able to better deal with the spirit beasts and immortal technique practitioners of the three holy lands."

Each of those small scrolls contains three bottles, each filled with the flesh and blood of immortals from the three holy lands and powerful spirit beasts. These can be used as a medium to create immortal spell seals. If you want more, you can hunt them yourselves.

A friendly reminder: only a Kage-level ninja can withstand this, or an elite Jonin with a bloodline limit. Otherwise, they will be completely corrupted by the Sage Art curse seal, and you definitely don't want to know what that will mean.

Since they paid him, he naturally wouldn't try anything funny. Whether it was a sealing technique or a magic technique, there was no problem with it.

He even hoped that the three great ninja villages could master the Tailed Beast Ball as soon as possible, so that he and Black Zetsu could collect Tailed Beast Chakra more quickly on the battlefield and allow the Ten-Tails to advance further.

Compared to other energies, the tailed beast chakra is more compatible with the Ten-Tails, allowing it to undergo a fundamental transformation.

"Shouldn't the immortal cultivation methods in the three holy lands have other mediums?"

The Third Kazekage suddenly asked, "The Sage Art Seal was created by the Hidden Cloud Village, so the real medium for cultivating Sage Art is definitely not this."

"Yes, there are. They are toad oil tainted by the Great Toad Sage's magic power, the White Snake Sage's venom, and the Slug Sage's acid. If you have the ability, you can get your hands on them."

However, the risks of training using that method are much greater. Without their watchful eyes, survival is almost certain, and the demand for chakra is also much higher, which none of the people present possess.

Tamura Hiroshi did not hide anything and told him frankly.

The three of them stared at the boy for a while before turning their attention to the scroll of immortal techniques they had obtained.

They kept watching until the afternoon before Onoki and the others finally confirmed that the scrolls they had acquired were fine.

"Your Hidden Cloud Village is offering these deals so readily, it's not just about getting those special metals, is it?"

After completing the transaction, Onoki inquired and also realized that Kumogakure was still hiding something.

"The main problem is that Konoha is too strong. We have discovered that Konoha is conducting experiments on Wood Release transplantation, and it seems that there have been successful cases."

In addition, we discovered that they were secretly conducting some kind of experiment, throwing in many prisoners, but the specifics are difficult to ascertain.

Tamura Hao remained very frank, sharing information from Konoha.

Upon hearing about the Wood Release experiment, Onoki's expression turned serious. After thinking for a moment, he turned to look at the Third Kazekage.

"Kazekage, have you gathered any relevant intelligence?"

He had been observing the Senju clan's ninja forces around the clock and had not discovered any secret experimental bases.

Since there are no large-scale experimental bases, it is highly likely that they are on the front line led by Danzo Shimura.

"We discovered several underground experimental bases and organized a force to attack them, but the other side was very vigilant. Each time, they would take away the relevant items or destroy them directly, so we didn't gain much."

But it's certain they're conducting human experiments, and the subjects come from various places: ninjas from our Sunagakure village, as well as Iwagakure and Kirigakure, and even more from smaller villages—the numbers are staggering.

The Third Kazekage solemnly revealed this information, saying that if Konoha was indeed conducting Wood Release experiments, it would be troublesome.

Although he had never witnessed the First Hokage's Wood Release technique used to quell the chaos of the world, he could sense the terrifying power of that technique simply from written descriptions.

"Wood Release!"

Onoki was also very troubled by it. He had never personally witnessed the power of Wood Release, but he had seen the power of Madara Uchiha. Even Madara Uchiha was killed by the First Hokage, which showed how terrifying Wood Release was.

It would be terrifying if Konoha were to develop Wood Release, or even mass-produce it.

The group shared information about Konoha and grew increasingly wary of the village, deciding to reinforce their forces and intensify their attack on Konoha.

Although they are both top-tier ninja villages, Konoha is clearly far superior. They must join forces to eliminate Konoha first, otherwise, if Konoha produces another First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, they will be out of options.

That level of existence is even more terrifying than the tailed beasts; one person alone is enough to destroy a great ninja village.

We must never allow such a thing to happen again!

After reaching a consensus, the three parties left overnight.

Onoki used the Super Light Rock Technique to fly away to his own people, and the Third Kazekage also used iron sand to take his own people into the air and leave. Yagura Karatachi led his men by boat down the river to the sea, where they were met by Kirigakure's warships and ninja army.

They were all well-prepared and not afraid of being ambushed.

As for Tamura Hao, he stayed behind, waiting for Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others to make a move against Nawaki, so that he could poach him as soon as possible.

He also had to teach Konan and the other two, and learn swordsmanship from Hanzo.

The way to ask for advice is simple: just play against each other.

At his level, there's no need for verbal communication; combat is far more efficient.

In a desolate mountain outside Rain Hidden Village, two figures moved rapidly, constantly exchanging blows.

Both sides were moving too fast to see clearly; only during the slight pauses in their clashes could one catch a fleeting glimpse of their figures.

The three Rain Ninjas and Konan, watching from the mountaintop, were all incredibly shocked.

It's truly hard to imagine that physical combat and swordsmanship could reach this level.

Tamura Hao did not use the Chidori series of ninjutsu, nor did he use the Seven Days Breathing Technique. He simply used the Sage Art Seal to amplify his abilities, especially the ability to levitate.

Even so, the speed at which it erupts is extremely terrifying.

They fought for nearly an hour before retreating at the same time. Hanzo looked at his scythe, whose blade had turned into serrated teeth, and felt a pang of heartache.

He immediately looked at the long sword in the boy's hand, his heart filled with envy.

It can be basically confirmed that it is a famous sword, a sword that surpasses even the most supreme treasures, a sword that is extremely rare and hard to come by.

"Your swordsmanship is already on par with mine; Mifune was right about you."

Looking at the boy opposite him, Hanzo was filled with emotion and amazement.

It's hard to believe that he was only thirteen years old.

"Thank you for your guidance over the past few days, Senior Hanzo. Please accept this scythe of death."

Tamura Hiroshi stepped forward with a gentle expression, took out a huge scythe, and handed it over with both hands.

This was specially made for Hanzo before he came. Compared to the small scythe in Hanzo's hand, this one is much larger, measuring 2.1 meters, and the blade is also extremely huge.

The design is inspired by the Grim Reaper's scythe used by Saint Cai'er in The Throne of Gods, giving it a high-class feel.

Of course, this is merely a supreme artifact, not a famous sword.

Moreover, it wasn't originally intended for Hanzo; he was just to use it first, and later they would find a way to pass it on to Konan.

Konan possesses Yang-attribute chakra, making her well-suited for taijutsu training. During this time, he has been teaching her swordsmanship and superhuman strength techniques, and she has made considerable progress.

When Hanzo dies or grows old, he can pass this Grim Reaper's scythe to Konan.

Hanzo was stunned by the enormous scythe in front of him. He hesitated for a long time before finally reaching out to take it and making a promise.

"Our Hidden Rain Village and Hidden Cloud Village will be friends forever!"

The boy had previously said that the Hidden Cloud Village wanted to form an alliance with the Hidden Rain Village, which would not be detrimental to the Hidden Rain Village.

After all, they have no conflict of interest or grudges with the Hidden Cloud Village, so cooperation would benefit both sides.

"The friendship between our two villages will last forever!"

Tamura Hiroya also looked sincere.

"Come on, it's my treat today."

Hanzo laughed heartily, quite satisfied with the scythe he had acquired.

Although it was much larger and heavier than his previous scythe, it provided a huge boost to his physical abilities after casting the Immortal Technique Seal, making it just right for him.

The group followed Hanzo back to Amegakure. The next day, Tamura Hiroshi brought the three children to a training ground, where Hanzo was already waiting.

The three children were very nervous because today was the day they would be tested, which would determine whether they could become Hanzo's disciples.

"I will only use pure physical skills; you all attack me with all your might."

Hanzo sized up the three little ones and signaled them to attack.

The three of them glanced at Tamura Hao, who had gone to the sidelines to watch the game, then looked at each other and encouraged each other with their eyes.

"Water Release·Water Formation Wall!"

Nagato quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a Water Wall, creating a high-speed rotating vortex water wall to protect himself. He then crashed into Hanzo, propelled by the water wall.

"What amazing chakra!"

Upon seeing the little boy's use of Water Release techniques, Hanzo couldn't help but sigh.

The water barrier can only block attacks for a short time, but it can be maintained for a long time, but it requires a lot of chakra.

However, the Uzumaki clan has no shortage of chakra.

Yahiko also formed hand seals and used Water Release ninjutsu, spitting out a stream of water from his mouth to attack.

With his current strength, using it like this naturally wouldn't have much cutting power, but it would have a certain impact, enough to cause interference.

Moreover, in an environment like the Land of Rain, it is easier to use Water Release ninjutsu.

Konan wasn't idle either. Using her family's secret technique, she controlled a paper crane folded from an explosive tag to fly towards Hanzo, while simultaneously charging forward with a scythe in hand.

During this period, she mainly studied knife skills and superhuman strength, and then her family's secret origami technique.

Origami techniques themselves aren't very powerful, but when combined with explosive tags, they become quite potent.

Unfortunately, I can only control one origami paper at the moment.

Faced with the three's attack, Hanzo showed admiration, then nimbly dodged Yahiko's water attack and bypassed Nagato to attack Konan first.

Konan did not dodge, but controlled the paper crane to fly to Hanzo's side, while swinging her scythe to slash at Hanzo's legs.

Yahiko turned his head and spun the waterline back to continue the assault, while Nagato quickly changed direction as well.

Hanzo threw a punch, using the force of the punch to blow the exploding paper crane away, while at the same time he used the iron plate on the back of his other hand to precisely block the tip of the scythe's horizontal slash.

However, his arm was shaken by the enormous force, which surprised Hanzo, who realized that this was a technique using superhuman strength.

But to be able to unleash such incredible strength at such a young age shows that he has considerable talent in physical combat.

At the same time, Yahiko's waterline turned around, and Hanzo dodged it with a difficult gymnastic move.

The four of them then began to fight in the training ground. Yahiko used water lines to provide long-range interference and support, while Nagato maintained the water array wall for a long time and served as a meat shield for defense.

Konan uses explosive tags and a scythe for both ranged and melee combat, taking advantage of her small stature to target the lower body, forcing even Hanzo to take her seriously.

Furthermore, the three had excellent teamwork, making it difficult for Hanzo to defeat them using only physical skills for a while.

This was true taijutsu, without even chakra enhancement; otherwise, he could have defeated the three children in an instant.

This was just a test to assess the three kids' abilities; the outcome wasn't important.

They fought for several minutes, until Konan was exhausted and Yahiko's chakra was almost depleted, before Hanzo finally retreated.

Looking at Nagato, who was still under the protection of the water barrier, I couldn't help but marvel once again at the talent of the Uzumaki ninja.

"Alright, I'm very satisfied with your performance. Now, I'll ask you a question: Why do you want to become ninjas?"

(End of this chapter)