Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 285 Loulan Dragon Vein

"Where are Kimimaro and Haku?"

Tamura Hao asked about Fukai-sensei and Yozuki Ai's child. He didn't know if it was a coincidence or what, but Fukai-sensei had married a woman from the Minazuki clan, and Yozuki Ai had followed his advice and married a woman from the Kaguya clan.

The eldest sons of the two families were named Shiro and Kimimaro respectively, and it is said that both names were given by the women.

After that, they had several more children, but Tamura Hao cared more about his two eldest sons.

Since they've been named Kimimaro and Haku, then that must be it. They were just born a few years too early; they're both seven years old now.

"They just underwent a near-annihilation training a few days ago and are still lying there."

Kakashi walked over, sat down, and replied.

"They're already doing that kind of training at such a young age."

Tamura Hao was surprised. "Teacher Fukai and Brother Ai are really ruthless."

"They were led astray by that hot-blooded idiot, Kaina."

Kakashi reluctantly revealed the reason: Guy, like himself, came from Konoha, so they had a better relationship.

However, that idiot Kai is too hot-blooded, especially when it comes to training. He's practically risking his life, relying on the medical skills of Tsunade and others. He trains until he's dead, as long as he doesn't die.

He even took Lord Ye Yue Ai as his teacher and practiced the Ye Yue family's technique of shattering bones to pieces. Just looking at that technique made his scalp tingle; it was simply inhuman.

"Brother Hao, is another war about to begin?"

He handed his younger sister to his younger brother beside him and earnestly asked about the war.

He had sensed something was wrong when his parents suddenly decided to go on a trip three months ago, and the atmosphere in the village had become more tense during that time.

He even saw envoys from the other three major ninja villages arrive recently, which all indicates that something big is about to happen.

"It should be starting soon, but not so soon. We've only just seen a hint of it yet."

Tamura Hao was not concerned about this war. He had passed the stage where he needed war to hone his skills and grow. In the future, he would need to clash with those top experts.

After these years of reflection, those people will surely become even stronger, making them perfect whetstones for me.

Of course, this battle itself is still very important. It is the first and most crucial step in the great cause of unifying the village. We must take over the land of the Land of Fire and destroy the Daimyo's mansion to establish the Ninja Country.

Before that, it is necessary to guide Lord Danzo's ambition to erupt, destroy the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Fire, establish the first ninja country, start the era of ninja countries, and attract the attention of all sides.

"Can I participate in this Ninja World War?"

Kakashi had some hope that he could participate in the Shinobi World War.

"No, the ninjas participating in this Shinobi World War must be at least eighteen years old, excluding those who are eighteen."

Tamura Hiroshi refused without even thinking.

"Why? Brother Hao, you all participated in the war very early on. You were only ten years old when you participated in the War of the Whirlpool Country. I'm no worse than you were back then."

Kakashi was very dissatisfied. His talent was already top-notch. After arriving in Kumogakure, he obtained many precious resources and secret techniques, and his strength improved by leaps and bounds. He is now a Jonin and has even mastered Chidori.

"We were forced to rely on war to accelerate our growth, at any cost."

Our purpose in doing so was to prevent children like us from going to the battlefield. The battlefield is not as simple as you think; it is very cruel.

Sending a child like you to the battlefield would be a denial of all our efforts.

Tamura Hiroshi doesn't like sending his children to the battlefield. He had no choice in the past, but now that he has the means, he naturally won't agree.

Moreover, the village doesn't lack Kakashi's fighting strength now.

War has a profound impact on people, causing both physical and mental devastation. Without a mature mind, it is easy to break down.

The reason Kakashi was so dejected in the original work was because he was too young when he suffered setbacks and his ability to cope was not as strong as that of an adult.

No matter how precocious a child is, they are only growing faster in certain aspects, not in the overall development. They still have shortcomings, defects, and even hidden dangers.

"I see!"

After a moment of silence, Kakashi nodded to indicate that he understood.

He was a rational person, and after learning the reasons, he understood that it was something that could not be changed.

"Don't rush to show off. You and I are both ninjas without bloodline limits. If you want to grow better, you need a lot of knowledge to fill your foundation."

Especially since you have the talent for all attributes, you will inevitably need to cultivate all seven attributes in the future, which will require even more knowledge.

"At your current level, you won't go far."

Tamura Hao pointed out that Kakashi's talent was indeed very good, but he did not have an advantage over those bloodline ninjas.

If a bloodline ninja continues to train systematically, becoming an elite Jonin is only a matter of time, and even breaking through to the Kage level is not impossible.

Kakashi Hatake, however, is not as physically gifted as a bloodline ninja. Don't be fooled by the impressive-sounding name of having all seven attributes; it simply means being able to master techniques of all seven attributes.

This requires more knowledge and more effort to cultivate, making it more difficult to improve and break through.

"I see!"

Nodding solemnly to indicate that he had noted it down, Kakashi calmed himself down and realized that he had indeed been somewhat impetuous and arrogant lately.

"You are different from Kai. Kai is a pure hard-working genius who can only become stronger through his own efforts, and even break through his own limits."

You, on the other hand, are a gifted genius, and you need to use your wisdom to develop your potential, so you are more inclined to follow my path.

Tamura Hao still had high hopes for Kakashi. In the original work, if he hadn't succumbed to setbacks and become despondent, his achievements would have been far from low.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Kakashi deliberately became depressed to lull certain people into a false sense of security. After all, no one is a fool. Moreover, Kakashi's recovery was more after Hiruzen Sarutobi's death than after Sasuke's defection.

Although this is just speculation, the human heart is indeed a complex thing.

Tamura Hao was chatting with Kakashi and his brother-in-law when his wife and the others returned. Tsunade and the others also came over for a free meal.

After finishing his meal, Tamura Hiroshi continued playing with his little ones.

Although he was somewhat wary of children in this age group that he disliked, he could still play with them for short periods of time.

"Is this the life you yearn for?"

Looking at the person playing with the child over there, Tsunade glanced at the people around her, especially the heavily pregnant Yekura, and was quite dissatisfied.

Ye Cang had initially been furious and wanted to roast that brat alive. She thought he was a comrade-in-arms who was on her side, but who would have thought he would betray her in the blink of an eye.

"What else can I do? He's bullied me so much. If I don't get married, I'll be at an even greater disadvantage, and I'm not getting any younger."

Ye Cang rolled her eyes as she sipped her milk tea. Although she was furious back then, she still chose to get married.

If we don't get married, wouldn't we just be taken advantage of for nothing?

Moreover, that lecherous brat possesses the power to become stronger, especially the ability to live a long life and remain forever young—there's really no way to refuse that.

That wasn't a fake youth created by Tsunade's Yin Seal and medical ninjutsu combined; it was a real extension of lifespan, just like the immortals of the original three holy lands, who could easily live for hundreds of years.

How can you refuse a lifespan of several hundred years and youth?

"And you?"

Although she was dissatisfied, Tsunade couldn't say anything. She turned her head to look at Uchiha Mikoto, who was eating while holding two dolls beside her.

This girl was once my comrade-in-arms, but she betrayed me too.

"My situation is similar to Yekura's, and I also have a father who is still alive."

Mikoto Uchiha was also helpless, and even regretted bringing her father along.

She didn't want to get married at first, but her father kept nagging her every day, which was so annoying that she eventually had no choice but to get married, only to be bullied even more by that jerk.

"Don't look at me, I only want to drink his blood."

Seeing Tsunade looking over, Shimura Izumi coldly stated that he only wanted to drink blood to increase his strength faster.

That bastard's flesh and blood are far more effective than the injected life energy. Injecting life energy only enhances life force, but that flesh and blood can improve one's physique.

"Just for sucking blood?"

Tsunade gave him a disdainful look, as if to say, "Don't think I don't know what you've been up to."

"That's her, not me!"

Shimura Izumi maintained his aloof expression; that was done by Dark Izumi, and had nothing to do with me, Shimura Izumi.

"Tsunade could also marry that big bad guy, otherwise no one in the ninja world would dare to marry you now. By the way, you seem to be approaching forty now."

"If you don't get married, it will be difficult for Rope Tree to get married, and it might be a blow to your confidence."

Kushina Uzumaki sipped her milk tea through a straw and took a moment to offer a word of advice.

Although milk tea can easily lead to weight gain, those little ones can eat so much that mothers, who have a lot of energy expenditure, can't gain weight even if they want to, and can eat and drink as much as they want.

"I don't need you to remind me, and I would never be interested in that brat even if I were single for the rest of my life."

Tsunade glared at him. Two years ago, when that brat got married, her aunt, Uzumaki Tamayori, had told her about it, and her grandmother had even given her permission.

But how could she possibly get together with that brat?

Absolutely impossible!

"Then you can stay single!"

Karura, who was also eating while holding her child, laughed. Tsunade's circumstances and personality were such that no one would dare to want her.

Especially in the last two years, his gambling addiction has resurfaced, and he has lost all the savings he had accumulated, even having to borrow money from them.

They didn't tolerate this and collectively refused.

You really shouldn't lend this kind of money!

Fortunately, at Hao's suggestion, there were no casinos or similar establishments in the village, and no one dared to gamble with Tsunade. In the end, they could only gamble with Hao, and all the money ended up in Hao's pocket.

"I still have Chiri with me."

Tsunade didn't care; she had a good friend by her side.

Uchiha Chiri, standing to the side, glanced at him helplessly but didn't say anything.

"How's the virtual world development going?"

Karura suddenly asked a question. She also realized that the Ninja World War might break out again, which meant that the village's plan would be officially implemented, and the virtual world was a key part of that plan.

"It has entered the final debugging stage and will take several more years."

Uchiha Chiri, who was in charge of this matter, replied that he had been mainly responsible for the construction and improvement of the virtual world in recent years, and the progress was going smoothly. It had entered the final testing and debugging stage. Once this step was completed, it could be officially expanded.

"War is about to begin again!"

Tsunade sighed, knowing that the Fourth Shinobi World War was about to begin again, and that countless old friends would perish in this war, with only a few remaining afterward.

"Therefore, it is even more necessary to completely eliminate war and turn the whole world into a village."

Karura increasingly agrees with Hao's philosophy, especially after witnessing the rapid development of Kumogakure, and understands that this is the future.

The ninja world must be unified, even if it means destroying former villages.

Because the suffering caused by war is too great, not to mention that such wars can continue indefinitely.

As long as the five great ninja villages exist, war will not cease; that system itself is flawed.

Leaving aside the girls' conversation, Tamura Hao played with the little ones until ten o'clock before going to bed.

As for the little ones, they were all hypnotized into sleep by Uchiha Mikoto using genjutsu; children's sleep cannot be delayed.

Meanwhile, Tamura Hao was naturally in a state of war, using all sorts of methods in turn, causing groans to fill the room, the bed to creak constantly, and even the bed legs to move a considerable distance.

This fierce fighting continued until the sun was high in the sky the next day—literally high in the sky.

"We really need to bring Tsunade and the others in as soon as possible!"

Karura, who was the first to collapse and the first to wake up, looked at her little man and complained helplessly.

They were absolutely monstrous; even when the women joined forces, they were no match for them. They were repeatedly slaughtered and left hoarse from shouting.

Tamura Hiroshi didn't say anything, but he smiled smugly.

I've trained my body to be this good precisely so I can cope with this kind of war.

As for the issue of having so many women, I'm not some player who relies on deception to fool people's feelings. I'm a higher-level sea god. Every wife I've married has been legitimate, and I'm serious about my feelings for each of them.

Will you participate in this Ninja World War?

Karura asked, though she didn't know how much Hao's strength had improved in the past five years, but she was certain he was very, very strong.

"No, let Thor's clone have some fun. My opponents are just those other guys."

Tamura Hao shook his head. He was no longer interested in war. After all, wars in the ninja world were really low-class, mostly involving hundreds or thousands of people. A war with a scale of 100,000 people like the Fourth Shinobi World War was an unprecedented and earth-shattering battle.

Of course, this is mainly because ninjas are stronger, just like fully armed special forces soldiers in the previous life.

However, for a powerhouse of his caliber, the strength of a ninja is nothing; they are merely large ants, easily swept away with a single strike.

Fighting the weak won't improve him, and he has no interest in mowing down weaker opponents.

Moreover, it's time to make some deeper plans.

After spending some time with his wife, Tamura Hao got up, washed up, went downstairs to eat the lunch prepared by his brother-in-law, and then went out to meet up with Thor's clone. They quickly traveled through space to Loulan, located in the desert of the Land of Wind.

"What a barren little town!"

Looking at the small town standing in the desert, Tamura Hao marveled at the long history of the dragon vein's power.

The existence of the Dragon Vein is quite ancient, similar to that of the Grell Empire. It existed before the arrival of Kaguya Otsutsuki and survived the battle between the Sage of Six Paths and Kaguya Otsutsuki, continuing to this day thanks to the protection of the Dragon Vein's power.

Of course, Loulan kept a low profile, and with the vast desert separating them from the world, few people knew of Loulan's existence.

However, Loulan was indeed a country, and even a kingdom, at a higher level than the countries in the world today.

Those so-called daimyo were just larger lords, so the leaders of the five great kingdoms were called daimyo, and the leaders of the smaller kingdoms were also called daimyo, not kings, let alone emperors.

However, Loulan had a system of hereditary queens. The key point was Loulan itself. The bloodline of the Loulan queen could control the power of the dragon vein, which was also the foundation of Loulan's existence.

"With these conditions in the desert, just surviving is a miracle!"

It's understandable that Black Zetsu, possessing Thor's clone, was in a difficult situation in Loulan. Given the terrible environment, it would be good if he wasn't buried by sandstorms.

The environment in the Land of Wind is truly harsh. A massive sandstorm can bury a city. Countless cities have been buried by yellow sand over the centuries. It is an incredible miracle that Loulan has been able to survive for over a thousand years.

"How's it going with getting used to this body? The upcoming Ninja World War will be your home turf."

Tamura Hao examined the Raijin clone. What he told Raikage and the others was that he had separated a portion of Samehada's consciousness and integrated it into the Raijin clone, allowing the Raijin clone to gain a certain degree of independence and fight independently of itself.

In reality, it was about allowing Black Zetsu to merge into the body and take control of it.

It has even been improved in many ways, gathering the bloodlines inherited from the Sage of Six Paths brothers, and restoring the pure Otsutsuki bloodline with the help of Kaguya and Black Zetsu's power. Then, it is equipped with many bloodline powers, which can be considered Black Zetsu's physical body.

This was Black Zetsu's own request; he wanted a real body so he could have some fighting power, just in case.

Of course, Black Zetsu can still separate a portion of his Yin-Yang Release form to continue his previous schemes, which can reassure Hagoromo and the others.

Otherwise, if she really disappears, Yu Yi will definitely become wary.

"Very good."

Black was very satisfied with this body, especially since it had fused with those bloodlines under the extension of its mother's power, reverting to the Otsutsuki bloodline, and had been nurtured by the little Ten-Tails for a long time, which was equivalent to the mother's nurturing.

This is the body my mother shaped for me; now I'm no worse than Hagoromo and Hamura.

They walked towards Loulan Town while chatting with Black Zetsu. Because of the khaki trench coat they wore, they blended in with the surrounding yellow sand and were hard to see from a distance, so they weren't worried about being discovered.

However, before they even got close to Loulan Town, Tamura Hao made an unexpected discovery.

"Minato Namikaze? What's his Flying Thunder God Technique here? Could it be that Konoha is also eyeing the power of the Roran Dragon Vein?"

He sensed Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique, and not just one, but over a thousand.

Given the size of Loulan Town, the fact that the Flying Thunder God Technique has been set up everywhere indicates that they had already been to Loulan and made arrangements there.

"The power of the Dragon Vein is not something Konoha can control."

Black Zetsu didn't care. The power of the dragon vein was very strange, containing the power of time. If one was not careful, one would be drawn into the time turbulence and would most likely die.

There's no way Konoha can control the Dragon Vein. Even they only dared to come and plot against the Dragon Vein after they had stabilized and integrated the Origin Sphere.

According to his estimation, Konoha would at most keep an eye on this place and set up some defensive measures, but it would be impossible for them to take away the Dragon Vein.

(End of this chapter)