Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 283 Elite Academy

Mito Uzumaki's shadow clone followed Tamayo Uzumaki on a tour of the academy, even venturing into the junior academy area, where they saw several of their clansmen's children.

It's clear that these children are very serious about their studies; none of them play or sleep in class, unlike Tsunade when she was a child, when teachers would complain about her.

"The teaching ability of Kumogakure is very good, and these children are all very eager to learn."

Mito Uzumaki was very satisfied. The growth of Kumogakure was indeed not accidental; it had surpassed Konoha in every aspect.

This is the kind of village that Hashirama and he longed for, unlike Konoha which is still embroiled in internal strife and infighting.

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly noticing her niece's strange expression, Mito Uzumaki was puzzled.

Is there something wrong with it?

"It's nothing."

Whirlpool Jade Leaf suppressed her emotions and shook her head to indicate that it was nothing.

Seeing that her niece didn't want to talk about it, Mito Uzumaki was puzzled but didn't ask any further questions.

The two continued walking, when suddenly Mito Uzumaki noticed a tall and magnificent school gate not far to the side, with the words "Elite Academy" written on it, which piqued her curiosity.

"Weren't those students we saw before considered elites?"

"Uh, that's a special academy, there's not much to see."

Yu Ye didn't want to go there; the educational methods there were too bizarre and simply unbearable to watch.

"The chakra of the Rope Tree."

Mito Uzumaki wasn't particularly curious, but suddenly she sensed her grandson's chakra erupting over there.

Is the rope tree over there?

Looking at her niece, whose expression was becoming increasingly strange, Mito Uzumaki walked over curiously.

Before they could even get close, they saw a boy's figure suddenly emerge from the side wall.

As soon as the boy landed, eighteen figures suddenly appeared and blocked his path, striking various poses.

"The Eighteen Bronze Men of Kumogakure, reporting for duty!"

"It's you bunch of inhumane bastards again! Patrolling at night is one thing, but why are you patrolling during the day too? Don't you ever get any sleep?"

The boy was on the verge of a breakdown when he saw the eighteen burly men with bronze skin suddenly blocking his way.

"Welcome to Night Moon Steel's seventh training course in the Copper Skin and Iron Bones Body Refinement! Brothers, let's go!"

The burly man at the head of the group grinned maliciously. After speaking, he ordered his brothers to rush forward and surround the boy. They unleashed a variety of ruthless moves, some even using tools like bricks and folding stools for assistance. The fight was incredibly bloody and cruel, leaving Mito Uzumaki stunned.

After beating the boy for more than ten minutes, the eighteen burly men finally dragged him away, wiping blood all over the ground.

"That's a body-refining method contributed by the Night Moon family. It's derived from their hand-blade technique and can continuously strengthen muscles and bones by shattering them to pieces. Xiao Hao and the others have practiced it before."

That student acquired a surname at the academy, presumably by revealing it, and was subsequently transferred here for special instruction.

Whirlpool Jade Leaf explained, saying that she was already used to what had just happened.

The academy was originally named the Socratic Academy by the niece's husband, who proposed that bizarre and cruel Socratic education. However, it was later changed by Lord Raikage to an elite academy and elite education.

Those who are mischievous or have poor academic performance in the ninja academy will be transferred here for further study.

Generally, it is done on an academic year basis. Only those who pass all the assessments are allowed to leave; otherwise, they will be kept to continue their studies until they complete all the assessments, especially the psychological evaluations.

"Will the child's parents agree to this?"

It took Mito Uzumaki a while to come to her senses, and she still found it hard to understand the bloodstains left behind.

"Those who disagreed also went in to receive education. The dean of this elite academy is Lord Raikage, and no one can refute him."

Whirlpool Jade Leaf shrugged, indicating that this was the highest institution of learning in the entire school district, and no one could come.

"I'll talk to the security guard and have him call and report to the Ray Shadow Building. Then we can go in."

After speaking, they walked towards the gatekeeper standing guard at the main gate. The guard recognized Uzumaki Tamayo and did not refuse them. He reported to the Raikage Building by phone and asked for permission. After receiving permission, he opened the small door and let the two of them in.

Upon entering, Mito Uzumaki was amazed. The first thing she saw was a pack of wolves chasing a crying, chubby little boy. They were running incredibly fast, rushing past her in a flash.

Some people were locked under a large, suspended rock and frantically answered questions, with candles burning the rope holding the rock nearby, seemingly with a time limit.

Some people were buried in the sand, with only their heads showing, and a teacher was standing in front of them giving a lecture.

Similar teaching methods emerged one after another, making Mito Uzumaki's eyelids twitch.

This really is elite education.

Anyone who can persevere will definitely become an elite; those who aren't elites can't make it.

"Aren't you afraid of causing serious injury by doing this?"

After watching for a while, Mito Uzumaki voiced her doubts, feeling that these methods were going too far.

"In the event of injury or disability, the injured person will be sent to the front of the college for open surgical treatment. All students are welcome to attend and watch, and there will be dedicated medical teachers giving lectures on site."

For those seriously injured, Karura and Tsunade will come to take over. The village has now mastered the transplantation of various organs; as long as the brain is not damaged, they can be saved. Nawaki was left with only a head, and then a new body was cloned from him.

Yu Ye used to think this kind of education was too cruel, but later she felt it was nothing. The educational policy here is to teach as much as possible, even if it doesn't kill you. It's all the little guys' own choice.

Therefore, all the students in the academy are very well-behaved, extremely serious and hardworking in their studies, and even those who weren't hardworking have become extremely serious and hardworking after coming here.

This explanation made Mito Uzumaki's eyebrows twitch again, but she couldn't say anything.

The two continued on their way and soon saw the rope tree.

Nawaki was currently wearing the instructor's uniform and fighting against a dozen boys and girls, but the methods he used left Mito Uzumaki dumbfounded.

"Konoha's Ultimate Taijutsu Technique: Thousand Years of Death!"

Seizing the opportunity, Rope Tree used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind a boy, clasped his hands together to form a special hand seal, and decisively thrust out with ruthless ferocity.

The boy who was hit turned deathly pale instantly, then bluish, and finally purplish-red. His face became extremely distorted, as if he were dying a thousand years ago.

The most terrifying thing was that there was a large group of people watching the battle, including instructors, trainees, and even several cameras and video recorders taking pictures.

Especially after Rope Tree unleashed that terrifying martial arts technique, several cameras flashed wildly, capturing the horrific scene forever.

In addition, an instructor with a large megaphone was loudly explaining the battle.

Once she confirmed that it was her grandson, Mito Uzumaki turned and left decisively, as if afraid of being recognized.

Mito Uzumaki is a respectable person; she cares about her reputation.

Yu Ye also hurriedly turned and left, equally afraid of being recognized as having a kinship with that perverted boy.

She knew that Rope Tree taught here, and even received a year of education here, graduated successfully, and then came back to teach, but she never expected it to be in this way.

"call!"

The two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief as they walked briskly out of the gates of the elite academy.

"When did Konoha develop such evil and cruel taijutsu techniques?"

Suddenly, she asked, "Why haven't I heard of any martial arts skills in the village?"

"It's from Konoha, and I heard it was founded by Sakumo Hatake."

Whirlpool Jade Leaf replied with a strange expression.

"White teeth?"

Mito Uzumaki was stunned, never expecting that such a martial art actually existed, especially since it was created by Sakumo Hatake.

Who knew Little White Teeth had this side to her?

You really can't judge a book by its cover!

"Let's go. They should have persuaded them enough. It's time for me to leave."

After glancing around the academy area, Mito Uzumaki knew it was time for her to leave.

Although this chakra can still hold on, it's meaningless.

After the other shadow clone persuaded the Senju clan members, he had nothing left to worry about or miss.

Whirlpool Jade Leaf felt a little sad, but she also understood that some things cannot be forced.

The two returned to the place where the Senju clan members were temporarily staying in the Shaman World, and Tamura Hiroshi also arrived there.

There, a shadow clone of Mito was walking among the Senju clan members with Tsunade. Compared to how unwilling the Senju clan members were when Tsunade forced them, their emotions were much more stable now.

"Grandma Mito!"

Tamura Hao greeted the arriving shadow clone of Uzumaki Mito. With this person's intervention, the Senju clan members' resistance had indeed decreased significantly, and there were no die-hards left.

Tsunade was quite sensible in this regard; she didn't bring any of the clansmen she couldn't persuade, but left them in Konoha instead.

Mito Uzumaki nodded with satisfaction, then merged with the chakra of the shadow clone she had left behind, knowing that the persuasion work here was progressing fairly smoothly.

"Little Hao, come on."

Looking at Tamura Hao, Mito Uzumaki knew that her chakra already knew too many secrets of Kumogakure and had to be eliminated to prevent leaks.

She actually knew some of the secrets, and given the speed of development and numerous hidden aspects of Cloud Village, it was indeed necessary to keep them confidential.

"Excuse me!"

Without hesitation, Tamura Hao raised his hand and absorbed Mito Uzumaki's chakra, transferring it into the Origin Sphere where it was devoured by the Ten-Tails.

When it comes to his own life, fortune, and future, he naturally shows no mercy whatsoever.

Although Uzumaki Tamamo and Tsunade were saddened, they knew that this was something they couldn't stop.

"Observe them for another month, and if there are no problems, we can send them to settle in the village."

Turning his gaze to the busy Senju clansmen not far away, Tamura Hao was quite satisfied with the current results. After another month of observation, they could be sent out to live in the villages.

"I wonder how those fools who stayed in the clan's territory are doing now."

Tsunade thought of the clansmen who remained in the clan's territory. Although it was their own choice, they were still her clansmen.

"They're gone. They've most likely become test subjects."

Tamura Hao gave a definite answer: this was information that White Zetsu had gathered. Shortly after they left, someone captured all the remaining people in the Senju clan's territory.

With personnel from the Anbu, Root, and Orochimaru's men, it goes without saying that they all became experimental subjects.

There's not much to say about that; power struggles are always brutal and bloody, and the losing side loses everything, including their life.

Just like the Uchiha clan in the original story, if you stage a coup or rebel, you will die, and it will be a total annihilation, no questions asked.

If it weren't for Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't have survived; he would have been eliminated without a trace.

Although many netizens and Naruto fans tried to whitewash and exonerate the Uchiha clan in the past, that was just a matter of perspective.

If the birthplace is Uchiha, then Uchiha is naturally correct, while Hiruzen Sarutobi and others are evil, and even Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha are traitors.

However, if the birthplace is elsewhere, then the Uchiha who want to rebel are considered evil, and most transmigrators will even try to steal the Uchiha Sharingan.

Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of stance. One cannot betray one's stance, or there will be no good end. Just look at the fates of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.

That's terrible!

There's nothing to regret about the Senju clan ending up like that; it was all their own choice, and they have to bear the consequences.

Tsunade fell silent, feeling deeply distressed.

"You've done enough."

Whirlpool Jade Leaf comforted her, saying that she knew what those people were thinking, and that she had even heard from Rope Tree that they had called her and her brother traitors to the family.

It can only be said that those people never recognized reality until their deaths, still immersed in the glory of the first and second generations and unable to get out of it. There is nothing to regret about their deaths.

"Has Fugaku returned to his clan's territory?"

At this moment, Uchiha Retsuyo, who was leaning on a cane, came over and inquired about the situation of his clan, focusing on whether Fugaku had returned.

The Uchiha clan's situation wasn't much better either; only Fugaku's return to the clan's territory to take charge could keep some people in check.

Of course, relying on Fugaku alone is not enough; they also need to form alliances with other ninja clans, such as the Hyuga clan.

"They've already gone back. They returned to Konoha openly and honestly, together with the Hyuga clan leader, Hyuga Hiashi."

Tamura Hiroshi knew this; it wasn't exactly a secret.

The return of these two is still within the tolerance range of Hiruzen Sarutobi and others. Only Senju Orange Water is impossible to return to. If she appears, she will definitely be surrounded and killed by Hiruzen Sarutobi at all costs.

This can be seen from the fact that the Senju clan members were captured; Hiruzen Sarutobi is determined to have a complete and irreconcilable feud with the Senju clan.

The main reason is that the Senju clan has too much prestige in Konoha. If they really wanted to cause trouble, it would be very troublesome. Eliminating them completely is the best approach.

The struggle for power allows no hesitation or sentimentality; otherwise, one wrong move could lead to utter ruin.

"Can Fugaku awaken the Kaleidoscope again?"

Uchiha Retsuyo asked a question, feeling sorry for Fugaku.

Having had his eyes stolen twice, it's uncertain whether he'll be able to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan a third time.

"Impossible. His bloodline potential has been exhausted. No matter how much stimulation he receives, it will not awaken."

Tamura Hao decisively denied it. He then assisted Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Chiri in awakening their Mangekyou Sharingan for the second time. That was only because they relied on stimulating and nurturing the bloodline power of Senju and Uzumaki deep within their bloodlines.

At the same time, because Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Chiri were of excellent aptitude, that is, because the Uchiha bloodline had greater potential, they were able to awaken a second time.

However, the second awakening is already the limit. Even if Fugaku Uchiha fused with some of the Yin-Yang Release power, it would only be able to assist in the second awakening of the Mangekyou Sharingan. A third awakening is simply impossible.

After all, he wasn't the reincarnation of Indra.

"Sigh! I hope he can lead the family to continue its lineage."

With a sigh, Uchiha Retsuyo knew that the Uchiha clan had lost and there was no possibility of them rising again.

Everything turned out exactly as that brat predicted; the Uchiha clan really isn't suited for scheming and plotting.

Perhaps leaving Konoha with Madara Uchiha was the right choice, but unfortunately, they didn't have the foresight of him.

Why has Konoha become like this?

Tsunade felt somewhat lost. The Senju and Uchiha clans had joined forces to establish Konoha, but now they had been betrayed and suffered heavy losses, even nearly being wiped out.

This shouldn't be happening!

"Because Hiruzen Sarutobi is too weak."

Tamura Hiroshi revealed the key reason, which surprised the group, who then fell into deep thought, as if it were indeed true.

"Establishing a village is not easy, but protecting it is even more difficult. The First Hokage was too powerful back then, and the Konoha he created was based on his ability standards. By the time it was passed down to the Second Hokage, it had become very difficult. Hiruzen Sarutobi was even weaker and could not control such a large Konoha. He could only keep weakening it until he could control it perfectly."

This is actually easy to understand; it's similar to the emperors of the past.

Take, for example, Liu Bang, Cao Cao, and Zhu Yuanzhang in their previous lives; these three were the most ruthless in killing their ministers.

At that time, Liu Bang was in a state of alliance among the feudal lords. If he wanted to consolidate his power and unify the world like Qin Shi Huang, the only way was to kill.

In the early days, Cao Cao used the pretext of restoring the Han dynasty and even held the Han emperor hostage. Although he gained a considerable advantage, he also sowed the seeds of future troubles. It was difficult to tell whether his ministers were loyal to the Han or to him, which made Cao Cao even more suspicious.

Zhu Yuanzhang's situation was similar to Liu Bang's; both sought to consolidate their power, but Zhu Yuanzhang was more ruthless and had the greatest bloodlust.

The situations of Hiruzen Sarutobi and others are essentially the same: in order to stabilize their own power and rule, they can only kill those who do not submit.

Otherwise, if those people were to stab us in the back at a critical moment, no one could withstand it.

No matter who it is, any ruler would choose to kill.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi maintained a good image by leaving all the dirty work to Danzo Shimura, which made him appear as a righteous and kind-hearted person.

"Grandpa's ideas were indeed wrong."

Tsunade understood; her great-grandfather's original idea for establishing the village was flawed and could never have succeeded.

The existence of ninja clans and villages is inherently contradictory; only one can exist, otherwise there will only be endless power struggles, internal strife, and attrition.

"Your Hidden Cloud Village is decisive enough to complete the reforms early on, eliminating the ninja clan system and completely unifying the village."

Uchiha Retsuyo understood as well, and couldn't help but admire the decisiveness of Kumogakure, as well as the magnanimity of the Third Raikage, who even led the disbandment of his own clan. People like Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly couldn't have done that.

Furthermore, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not possess absolute strength in Konoha; if he had actually done that, he would have certainly met a gruesome end.

This is an advantage unique to Kumogakure. The fact that Kumogakure was able to reform so smoothly is also due to the rebellion during the last Shinobi World War, which weakened many ninja clans within the village and greatly reduced the resistance to reform.

It would be difficult for other ninja villages to imitate them. In this respect, Kumogakure has already taken the lead and will inevitably become stronger in the future, leaving other ninja villages far behind.

(End of this chapter)