Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 219 Game of Thrones

The situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for Konoha. They couldn't even deploy the Hyuga ninjas, and they had to send some of them to monitor and guard the area to prevent any trouble from happening.

Now, they are under attack from the combined forces of Kirigakure and Kumogakure, putting them in a very passive position.

Furthermore, the fact that the opponent's Tailed Beast Jinchuriki could unleash Tailed Beast Balls made their fight even more difficult.

As the four members of the Yagura clan continued to launch their Tailed Beast Balls, the defensive fortifications established by Konoha were quickly destroyed, and the allied forces of the two villages took the opportunity to attack.

Without defensive fortifications to rely on, and with the Hyuga ninja not participating in the battle and outnumbered, the casualties of the Konoha ninja army were escalating rapidly. If this continued, they would be annihilated.

"Chirp!"

Suddenly, a loud eagle cry rang out. Jiraiya glanced at the ninja eagle that appeared high in the sky and shouted.

"retreat!"

We can't keep fighting, otherwise even if we aren't defeated, the casualties will be unacceptable to them.

Upon receiving Jiraiya's orders, the group fought and retreated simultaneously, covering each other and cooperating seamlessly.

The camp had already gathered important supplies and was rapidly retreating to the second line of defense. At the same time, they used a large number of explosive tags to block the pursuit of the Hidden Mist Ninja Army.

The Cloud Ninja and Mist Ninja did not pursue further. They had previously unleashed their full power without regard for chakra, which, while incredibly powerful, had also consumed a great deal of their energy.

Even though Tamura Hao's chakra can be recycled and reused, it is not unlimited, and it has almost run out by now.

The ninja army quickly occupied the ruined Konoha camp, searching for valuables and taking stock of the losses.

"Our side suffered 421 dead and 1,675 wounded."

"Killed 1,107 Konoha ninja and collected supplies..."

Sitting in the conference room that originally belonged to the Konoha camp, Tamura Hao and the others listened to the report on the battle. Overall, the losses were considerable, but the gains were also significant.

After all, this is war, and even with all their scheming, they couldn't possibly win without suffering losses.

Unless it's like the surprise attack on Kusagakure, where explosive tags were used to clear a path, and there's an absolute difference in strength, casualties are unavoidable.

Even though four members of their team had died in battle and could not be treated, the rest were all wounded.

This is war!

Yagura and the others all wore smiles, quite satisfied with their victory.

This is a great start, and future wars will be much easier to fight.

News of the defeat at the front quickly reached Konoha, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry upon seeing the battle report that he almost vomited blood.

"Hinata!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi crushed the finely carved tobacco pipe in his hand, filled with intense hatred for the Hyuga clan who had caused all of this.

He had a bad feeling when he learned that Hyuga Hizashi had defected, but he never expected it would cause such a big loss.

"Hiruzen, now is not the time to be angry. The Hyuga clan's problems are very serious and need to be resolved as soon as possible, otherwise the battle lines over there may collapse completely."

Mitokado Homura tried to persuade him, but he was also very annoyed, though more worried than anything else.

The defeat at the front was due to the problems of the Hyuga clan. The hundreds of Hyuga ninjas still on the front lines have become an unstable factor. Not only can they not be used as combat power, but they also need to be monitored and guarded. In fact, if they are not careful, they may even turn into enemies.

If that were to happen, the battle lines would inevitably collapse.

"Go tell Hyuga Hiashi that if they don't find a solution to the problem quickly, then I will go there in the name of Hokage to appoint a new Hyuga clan leader."

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his anger. The Hyuga clan had to give an explanation for this matter, or else he would appoint a new Hyuga clan head and allow the branch family to become independent.

"I'll go tell Hiashi Hyuga."

Mitokado was taken aback by his old friend's radicalism, but he eventually nodded and said he would try to mediate.

Since we've come to this point, we have to be ruthless.

Now, either the Hyuga main family needs to find a way to regain control of the branch family ninjas, or they need to appoint a new clan leader and acknowledge the independence of the Hyuga branch family. Only in this way can they stabilize the Hyuga branch family ninjas and continue to fight on the front lines.

Otherwise, without the Hyuga ninjas, they would be at a great disadvantage fighting the Kirigakure ninjas in the environment of the eastern coastal region.

"And then there's Izumi. The Hidden Cloud Village must have a deeper purpose in capturing Izumi. Hiruzen, you need to be prepared."

Koharu, who was in the dormitory, mentioned that Izumi Shimura, who had been arrested, had a relatively special identity.

"I will write to Danzo to inform him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that Kumogakure was not easy to deal with, and that Danzo was the only one who could handle this, at least by having him use the pawn he had planted in Kumogakure to investigate.

"How about we send some manpower to the front lines? It would boost morale."

Mitokado Yan suddenly suggested that the losses on that side were considerable this time, and the key issue was the impact of this defeat on morale. It was necessary to boost morale as soon as possible, otherwise it would definitely affect the next battle.

"Draw a thousand men from all over the village and send them there along with a batch of supplies. Send all the remaining explosive tags there. The front line there cannot be lost."

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought about it for a moment and then agreed. The front line there absolutely could not collapse, otherwise the entire battle would fall apart.

Although he still possessed the trump card of Impure World Reincarnation, now was not the time to use it.

We must further weaken the Senju clan and the four great ninja villages in the war before we can unleash a decisive blow.

At the same time, the Impure World Reincarnation technique is too taboo, not to mention that he still has a lot of the flesh and blood of the four great ninja villages. Once he summons them, it will definitely enrage the four great ninja villages.

Although the flesh and blood of those powerful individuals they possessed were formidable, they were still insufficient to contend with the four great ninja villages, and they absolutely could not be used now.

After discussing for a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately wrote a letter and had it delivered to Danzo Shimura on the southwestern front.

"Hiruzen, you're becoming more and more incompetent."

After reading the letter, Shimura Danzo was quite disappointed.

He had already seen the limits of his old buddy's abilities, and now it didn't seem like anything special.

Indeed, only I can lead Konoha to greatness again, and even unify the ninja world, ending the war completely.

He didn't intend to heed his old friend's demands in the letter, even though his daughter had been taken away.

That kid had previously used psychic abilities to send a letter explaining the reason.

The extent to which the daughter's mind had been poisoned by the father and son was far deeper than she had imagined; she was even willing to cut her own chest and commit suicide.

It was precisely because he couldn't control it that the kid carried Koizumi away.

That's fine too. Given Koizumi's status, the Hidden Cloud Village is unlikely to kill him, and with that kid mediating and protecting him, there shouldn't be any major problems.

At worst, we can pay some price to ransom them after the war ends. As long as Koizumi is kept away from his old buddy's brainwashing, that's fine.

"Your eyes are always so sharp."

Turning his head to look at the approaching Orochimaru shadow clone, Shimura Danzo felt displeased.

He had barely received the letter from Hiruzen when he learned that this place was still his Root base.

"Is the teacher getting anxious again?"

Orochimaru's shadow clone chuckled, knowing that the teacher must be anxious again, otherwise he wouldn't have taken the initiative to write a letter to Shimura Danzo.

Every time I write a letter like this, it's because I want something from you, and this time will definitely be no exception.

"The betrayal of the Hyuga branch family head will definitely have some exciting developments. There must be some problems on the eastern front. I just don't know if that idiot Jiraiya is dead or not."

He had previously received information about the rebellion of the Hyuga branch family head, and at that time he suspected that there was more to it than that.

"They suffered heavy losses in a surprise attack by the combined forces of Kirigakure and Kumogakure. Their first line of defense was destroyed by the Tailed Beast Ball, and they have now retreated to defend the second line of defense."

Shimura Danzo gave a brief explanation, but he was quite satisfied.

The defeat on that front would not only suppress the Hyuga clan, but also affect Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze's reputation in the village.

These three are all his rivals. Even the youngest one, Minato Namikaze, is showing Kage-level strength. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, even he can't do anything to him.

Such a powerful opponent naturally needs to be eliminated.

"I heard the teacher's son betrayed you?"

Orochimaru understood, and then brought up another matter.

"In the end, he is Hiruzen's son."

Danzo Shimura was not too surprised by Shinnosuke Sarutobi's betrayal. He and Hiruzen used to be one, with their interests aligned, so he was naturally one of their own.

But ever since Hiruzen produced that list of Hokage candidates, his stance has changed, and that idiot Shinnosuke now sees him as an enemy.

"He probably still has some ambitions."

Orochimaru believed that Sarutobi Shinnosuke's transformation was not so simple, and that ambition must have been at play.

Many people are eyeing the Hokage position and want to take it. As the Hokage's son, it's normal for that junior brother to have such thoughts.

"What do you know?"

Danzo Shimura stared intently at Orochimaru, realizing that the other man must know something.

"My snake went to see Shinnosuke. He's reached the Kage level, but his chakra is a bit cold and his temperament has changed a lot. I feel a little creeped out looking at him."

He revealed some intelligence he had gathered earlier: the junior brother had changed a lot. He had not only become much more effeminate, but also more ruthless and manic. Clearly, he had a very difficult time after being captured.

At that time, he thought that if his junior brother were from the Uchiha clan, he would probably have already awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. He wondered what kind of inhuman experiences his junior brother had gone through to have such a big change.

"He's actually quite promising."

Danzo Shimura was slightly surprised and looked at his old friend's eldest son with newfound respect.

What have you been doing all this time?

I haven't seen Orochimaru's real body during this period; all I've seen are shadow clones. I wonder what that guy is hiding for.

"Researching Wood Release and Sharingan."

He replied casually, "That's the truth. I've been researching and developing that body for a while now, and I'm making great progress."

Besides that, he studied Fugaku-kun. His arm and the Nine-Tails sealed inside his body were excellent research materials, which brought him great benefits.

"Did Fugaku Uchiha have any contact with you?"

When asked about another matter, he mentioned that he had not been able to find any trace of Fugaku Uchiha during this period, but he knew from the information given by that excellent subordinate that Fugaku Uchiha had escaped and that the Hidden Cloud Village had not captured him.

Coincidentally, Orochimaru also appeared at that time, and he suspected that the two had communicated, and that the arm might even be related to Orochimaru.

Was it all just an act for myself?

"I was surprised when I saw Fugaku use the power of the Tailed Beast and Wood Release one after the other, and then I made a deal with him."

Orochimaru did not hide anything and recounted his contact with Fugaku Uchiha, but did not go into details.

"The Uchiha clan are all lunatics; don't get bitten back."

After issuing a warning, Shimura Danzo didn't pursue the matter further.

Fugaku Uchiha is practically out of the game. Not only were all of Uchiha's elites wiped out, but his own Mangekyou Sharingan was also taken away. Even with his Wood Release arm and the Seven-Tails, he can't cause any trouble.

"I previously infiltrated Iwagakure and obtained the Second Tsuchikage's cell tissue, but I was unable to successfully use the Impure World Reincarnation technique."

After Orochimaru's shadow clone delivered the last piece of information, he turned and left. He had many things to do and was very busy.

Fortunately, the situation on the southwestern front was relatively calm, which gave him a lot of time for research.

"Second Tsuchikage, Mangekyou Sharingan, Amaterasu, Kagutsuchi—are you trying to fuse them into Dust Release?"

Danzo Shimura had some guesses. At this stage, there are only a few people who have mastered the Impure World Reincarnation technique, so it's easy to guess who is using it.

By connecting those events, the key points hidden within will naturally come to light.

"The Second Tsuchikage knows quite a few techniques, and Hiruzen must have improved considerably as well."

An involuntary surge of excitement welled up inside him. He had initially been quite disappointed in that old fellow, deeming him unworthy of being a match for him.

Who would have thought that my old buddy was also secretly plotting to improve his strength? Dust Release combined with those Earth Release ninjutsu from Iwagakure is something to be taken seriously.

As expected, in this game of power, only Hiruzen was the opponent he needed to take seriously.

After pondering for a while, Danzo Shimura got up and headed to the deepest part of the base.

That is the core area of ​​the root system today, and it is the focus of two studies.

"Lord Danzo!"

Pharmacist Nonou, who was reviewing the data from the Phoenix experiment, saw Shimura Danzo arrive and quickly bowed.

"Has the Wood Release technique not been transplanted yet?"

Looking at the phoenix, whose size had grown to be comparable to that of a tailed beast, Shimura Danzo was not satisfied and could not sense any wood-style chakra inside.

"I was just about to report to Lord Danzo when I discovered that the lotus flower has a higher compatibility with Wood Release, Sharingan, and Uzumaki cells, and can even be described as a perfect compatibility."

The Phoenix is ​​more compatible with the power of the Hyuga Otsutsuki and Kaguya clans, and there seems to be a conflict between the two systems, so I suggested that they be separated to carry one system.

Finally, two seals can be created on Lord Danzo's body: the lotus flower to be sealed in his abdomen, and the phoenix to be sealed in his back, connected to his spine, which is also the bone that can best bear the power of the Shikotsumyaku.

In addition, the black lotus has a higher capacity to withstand that kind of dark power, while the phoenix is ​​less so, and the phoenix also has intelligence, making it difficult to control...

Pharmacist Nonou revealed her research findings and suggestions: the two bloodline systems are difficult to fuse, at least not with current technology; it would be best to separate them.

"Let's do it this way and separate the two systems."

After staring at the phoenix, which was put to sleep by drugs, for a long time, Shimura Danzo agreed to the plan.

He learned many ancient secrets from Miyu Otsutsuki's memories, such as the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother, Hamura Otsutsuki, as well as their mysterious mother.

Although the other party had very few records about that mysterious woman in their memories, it was enough to prove that the woman was powerful, even though the Sage of Six Paths and Hamura Otsutsuki only inherited a part of her power.

Therefore, the power of the two systems can be integrated, but the difficulty is too high.

That most primordial, most ancient power is what he should pursue; that is the true immortal, and it is even possible to reach the realm of immortality.

With that in mind, Shimura Danzo continued downwards to the very bottom, where the Box of Bliss was sealed. The lotus flower he had unexpectedly obtained was also planted there, absorbing the dark power within the Box of Bliss.

The lotus, which was originally purplish-red, has now turned pure black, all due to the absorption of dark power.

However, the lotus is a plant after all and does not possess sentience, so even if it absorbs a lot of dark power, it is not possible for it to go berserk.

Danzo Shimura was most satisfied with this, as it was the best vessel to perfectly contain the power of darkness.

"Are you also a remnant of the divine tree?"

Looking at the ever-growing black lotus, Danzo Shimura began to speculate about its origin.

According to Miyu Otsutsuki's memories, the origin of the tailed beasts is the Ten-Tails, which can evolve into the Divine Tree. The shape of this lotus flower is very similar to the Divine Tree flower recorded in the Otsutsuki ancient books.

Furthermore, this lotus flower also possesses Wood Release power, which can absorb external chakra, and even devour the chakra of tailed beasts.

At that time, he guessed that this lotus flower might be a remnant of an ancient divine tree, just like the World Tree in Hidden Cloud Village.

This makes it even more valuable to cultivate.

"That's not enough. If we can get the Gedo Mazo and capture and devour the nine tailed beasts, it will definitely grow into the second Divine Tree, become the second Sage of Six Paths, and even the mother of the Sage of Six Paths."

Overwhelmed by boundless greed, Shimura Danzo grew increasingly craving for that ultimate power.

Only by possessing ultimate power can one achieve everything one desires and take control of the entire world.

"The foundation for becoming an immortal is already in place; now all that's missing is the transformation of the body."

Looking down at his own body, Danzo Shimura understood that his body was simply not capable of bearing that ultimate power. He had to gather the bloodlines of Hamura Otsutsuki and the Sage of Six Paths, and finally use the power of the Divine Tree to fuse the two bloodline systems into one.

Thinking of this, he turned and left, arriving at a hospital room where a beautiful woman was lying, none other than Otsutsuki Miyu, whom he had captured last time.

At this moment, Miyu Otsutsuki is in a coma, controlled by drugs.

"Where are we at?"

Danzo Shimura inquired about the female ninja who was guarding the place. He needed to use this woman to cultivate a perfect Otsutsuki bloodline. The other half of the bloodline had already been decided, coming from an elite Jonin from the Hyuga clan.

This is not only the foundation for my future integration, but also an opportunity to explore the mysteries of the Tenseigan.

Otsutsuki Shari transformed into the Tenseigan by stealing the Byakugan from the Hyuga main family. If the bloodlines of the Otsutsuki and Hyuga families were fused, it would be possible to cultivate a genius with the potential to awaken the Tenseigan, or even directly activate it.

In addition, he also arranged for the bloodline genes of the former Kaguya clan chief to be preserved.

"The two embryos have begun to take shape, and we are adjusting her physical condition so that she can implant and develop a pregnancy later."

However, if the fetus remains in a coma, it will be detrimental to the fetus's growth and development.

The female ninja doctor expressed her concern that it was too difficult to get a woman to become pregnant and give birth while she was unconscious, as it could easily result in the death of both mother and child.

"A special nutrient solution will be delivered later for her to take."

Danzo Shimura had been prepared for this, having researched the phoenix and discovered its incredible life force. They used the phoenix's blood as the main component to create a special nutrient solution.

With that kind of nutritional supplement, this woman will definitely have no problem completing her pregnancy and childbirth.

(End of this chapter)