Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 316 The True Intentions of Elites

Terumi Sora did not refuse her daughter's request. He also wanted to arrange for someone to go to Kumogakure to learn from their experience, and he naturally could not miss such an opportunity.

They even transferred two elite squads from the camp to assist them. After the two sides met up, they took the train together to Kumogakure.

"Wow, it's huge!"

Arriving at Kumogakure, Mei Terumi was deeply awestruck as she gazed up at the World Tree, which resembled a mountain.

Although I had heard that the tree in Hidden Cloud Village was very big before, the shock I felt after actually seeing it was indescribable.

It's truly incomprehensible that a tree could grow to such a size.

The six Kisame who followed were equally shocked; it was truly enormous.

"Is that the power of Wood Release?"

Kisame murmured to himself, explaining that before coming here, the Mizukage had specifically instructed him to review all the information about Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village), so he knew more about this tree.

"We call it the World Tree. Every Sunday, a tree-climbing competition is held there. Villagers can sign up to participate. Different weighted vests are provided based on the strength of the climbers, and there are rewards for reaching the top."

Tamura Hao said with a smile that the World Tree itself is not mysterious, and its roots have even spread throughout the entire village, so everyone can touch it.

"Today is Friday, is it the day after tomorrow?"

Mei Terumi was even happier after calculating the dates, and decided to participate in the tree climbing competition the day after tomorrow.

"Go to the World Immortal Tree the day after tomorrow. There will be a registration line there, and there are always many people participating."

Tamura Hao and the others chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the hotel they had booked.

"Wood Release can be used like this?"

Upon arriving at the so-called hotel, Mei Terumi and the others were once again surprised.

This is a tree root similar to an aerial root, extending down from a branch of the immortal tree of that world and touching the ground.

Similar trees are common in their water country. For example, the banyan tree is very large, and many aerial roots hang down from its branches.

However, the aerial roots of the immortal tree in this world are too large. The aerial root in front of us, which has been turned into a restaurant, has a diameter of 100 meters and a height of over 1,000 meters.

The main reason is that the World Immortal Tree is too big, it is really like a mountain, much taller than the mountains surrounding Cloud Hidden Village.

"This was created by the eldest grandson of the First Hokage using the World Tree as a foundation and employing Wood Release techniques. It is not only sturdy and durable, but it also exudes a life force that is beneficial to both body and mind..."

Tamura Hao explained to the group that the restaurants and houses built on the foundation of the immortal tree's aerial roots were all the work of his brother-in-law.

Of course, this comes with a fee. Regardless of the purpose of the house, as long as it is profitable, you will receive a 1% return.

Don't underestimate the small profit of one percent. These Qigen buildings are all very large and numerous, with over a hundred already. The combined profits are quite staggering.

"Brother-in-law!"

As the saying goes, "Speak of Lao Cao, and Lao Cao arrives." Just as they were talking about Sheng Shu, Sheng Shu arrived, accompanied by a blonde girl.

He had just sensed his brother-in-law's chakra nearby, so he came over to check.

"Brother-in-law!"

Samui also called him brother-in-law. Although he hadn't married Nawaki yet, their engagement was already set, and they were engaged.

"I'm shopping with my girlfriend."

Tamura Hao smiled and nodded, his gaze falling on Samui, who was standing next to his brother-in-law.

People from the Land of Lightning grow quickly. Although Samui is only eleven years old, he is already 1.6 meters tall and doesn't look out of place standing next to the 1.8-meter-tall Nawaki.

In particular, her physical development is so advanced that it doesn't seem like that of an eleven-year-old child; many adult women don't have such an exaggerated figure.

Even Mei Terumi and Miru Nemuri subconsciously looked at their chests, and suddenly felt a sense of inferiority.

"Are these guests from Kirigakure?"

Nawaki looked at Mei Terumi and the others, noticing the headbands from Kirigakure.

"They came here for an exchange and learning experience."

Tamura Hao nodded, then said to Samui, "Samui, could you please help them catch up on their academic subjects for the next few days? Just make sure they can pass the entrance exam for the Junior Ninja Academy. Don't let them transfer to the Elite Academy."

All of them were over twelve years old, and the oldest member of the Shuilian Ganryu squad was over eighteen, so they definitely couldn't attend ninja elementary school and could only start from the junior ninja academy.

Although the junior ninja academy offers compulsory education, it does have an entrance examination, which can be understood as the graduation exam for ninja elementary school.

Because I am an exchange student, I can prepare for a special assessment, but I have to pass it. The rules cannot be broken and no special treatment can be given.

In his previous life, some academies had become notorious for their unpopularity, and he didn't want to be criticized.

"I understand, I will help them catch up on their studies."

Samui agreed. It wasn't difficult for her; she had graduated from elementary school early and entered the junior ninja academy, where she consistently ranked at the top of her class.

"Is there an elite academy? Why didn't you mention it before? I want to go to that elite academy."

Mei Terumi was displeased. She hadn't mentioned an elite academy before. The name itself suggested it was the best academy. She had been so honest before, but it turned out she had been hiding something.

You big liar!

Kisame and his companions were also very interested in that elite academy, which must contain the best teaching secrets of Kumogakure.

They all came with a mission, and to learn the ropes, they naturally had to go to the best places.

Miru, who was an intelligence ninja, sensed something was off about what he was saying, but couldn't figure out what the problem was for a moment.

"Are you sure you want to go to the elite academy? The studies there are incredibly rigorous."

Tamura Hao raised an eyebrow. Is this girl really that brave?

"I want to go!"

Mei Terumi proudly raised her delicate chin. She was one of the village's top geniuses, having awakened two bloodline limits, and was already a Jonin.

Are you going too?

Tamura Hao looked at Kisame and the others, and Nawaki and Samui also looked over, their expressions somewhat strange.

"I want to see the cruelty of that elite academy."

Kisame grinned, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.

Although the village had long since stopped the Blood Mist policy, it still had a significant impact. He was engaged in brutal training and had seen all sorts of things.

"Our training in Kumogakure is not just cruel, it's brutal."

Zabuza smiled bloodthirstily. As a Hidden Mist ninja, he had his own pride, not to mention that he was one of the few geniuses in the village.

"Let's go too."

Yanliu and Shunna exchanged a glance and finally decided to go to that elite academy.

"I……"

Shui Lian, who was a teammate, wanted to accompany them, but was pulled back by Miru next to her.

"We'll just go to school as usual so we can get a more comprehensive understanding of your village's teaching methods."

Miru felt increasingly uneasy and decided against going to the elite academy. Besides, someone else needed to experience the authentic teaching methods of Kumogakure.

Water Lily didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement to accompany Miru.

"Since you're going to the Elite Academy, there's no need to stay in a hotel. It's a closed-campus school with dedicated dormitories."

I'll prepare two rooms for Shui Lian and Miru first.

Seeing that everyone was very serious about their commitment, Tamura Hao naturally did not refuse. He first led Shuilian and Miru into the hotel to check into two rooms, and then took the others to the academy area.

We first gave a brief introduction to the school districts, and then arrived at the elite academy.

"It smells bloody!"

Kisame, with its most sensitive sense of smell, twitched its nose, looked around, and noticed the presence of blood. Although it wasn't fresh, the concentration was quite high, proving that bleeding incidents frequently occurred here.

"Ms. Terumi Mei, please come with me. We will process your enrollment procedures and create your files first."

Nawaki, who had followed, waved to Mei Terumi and the others, then went over to talk to the gatekeeper. Finally, he went into the guard room and took out five blank files for them to write down the basic information in their files.

Their elite academy has no admission standards; anyone sent there will be admitted, and all that's needed is to create a file.

The group didn't take it seriously and cooperated by revealing their basic information.

Rope Tree was very fast; he created files for the five people in no time, and then led them into the academy with the files.

"Is Nawaki-kun a teacher at this academy?"

The observant Miru asked a question, having already gleaned some information from the words and expressions of Nawaki and the gatekeeper.

"Yes, I am a teacher here, and I also graduated from here."

Rope Tree nodded, glancing at his brother-in-law, who often acted inappropriately.

I offended this guy back then, and was sent here for education. I was tormented for a year before graduating with excellent grades.

In the end, he applied for a teaching position here, wanting to pass on the suffering he had endured here to more people, so that he could find some peace of mind.

"What is he doing?"

Water Lily suddenly noticed a strange boy. The boy was wearing only a pair of shorts and was sitting inside a barrier writing something. He looked very nervous, was sweating profusely, and had a thick chain wrapped around his waist, with the other end of the chain attached to the ground.

In the corner of the barrier, there was a strange hourglass, and underneath the hourglass was a box.

"He's answering questions."

Tamura Hao casually explained, and although the others found it strange, they didn't ask any further questions.

Before they could take more than a few steps, they heard a heart-wrenching scream. Startled, they turned to see that the box under the hourglass had been opened, and countless bees flew out to attack the boy, causing him to howl in pain.

"What did he do wrong?"

Mei Terumi swallowed hard, realizing something was wrong. Something seemed off about this elite academy.

"He didn't pay attention in class and failed his exams. This was a special training method for him."

Rope Tree glanced at his brother-in-law and explained, "This is a teaching philosophy of our elite academy. It uses external forces to stimulate students' potential. As long as the stimulation is sufficient, they can unleash unlimited power and do things that were previously impossible."

But don't worry, we have complete medical care measures here.

For example, although the pain from those hornets is ten times that of ordinary hornets, we have corresponding antivenom, so they won't kill you.

"hiss!"

The group couldn't help but gasp. Wasp stings are already painful enough, but this one was ten times more painful—it must be excruciating!

"What kind of psychopath came up with this method? What if someone dies?"

Mei Terumi was very dissatisfied; this practice was too cruel and simply inhumane.

"The teaching philosophy and methods here were proposed by the professors of the Tudai University. And you have to trust our medical skills. Even if someone suffers cardiac arrest, we can bring them back to life. Since the academy was founded, there has never been a single student who has died."

Tamura Hiroshi provided an answer and shifted the blame to Lord Tsuchida, which immediately earned him a disdainful look from his brother-in-law.

"Even if no one dies, doing this would still drive someone to a mental breakdown."

Mei Terumi still disagreed with this teaching method, which reminded her of the Blood Mist policy her village used to have, a policy she found inhumane.

"We've taken that into consideration. We have the best genjutsu ninjas and psychological counselors here, who can perfectly guide students' mental health."

Tamura had complete confidence in the elite academy he proposed to establish. He believed that the students here would only grow stronger with each challenge and become more courageous in the face of setbacks, and that those who graduated would be the elite of the elite.

But this confidence earned her a disdainful look from the girl, who pointed to the barrier from before.

"So that's the psychological counseling you were talking about?"

A beautiful girl appeared outside the barrier, energetically cheering on the boy inside who was being ravaged by wasps.

"Good luck, Ishida-kun! There's only one question left. Once you finish it, we'll go on a date."

"I've already bought the movie tickets."

"Didn't Ishida-kun say he was going to pursue me? How can you give up halfway? Keep going!"

……

The girl's encouragement was very effective. The boy inside the barrier was filled with enthusiasm and unleashed his primal power, enduring the pain to continue solving the problem.

"The effect wasn't very good, was it?"

Tamura Hao didn't think much of it, as long as it worked. He then looked at Shui Lian and Miru, whose pretty faces had turned pale.

"You can come to the Elite Academy in the future to assist with the teaching and stimulate Kisame and Ganryu's potential. The teaching effect will definitely be better."

These kinds of missions also earn you academic credits, which are very important in the academy and can even be used to exchange for desired ninjutsu techniques.

That beautiful girl was a real person, not a product of a transformation technique.

One of the teaching philosophies of the Elite Academy is to be down-to-earth. All promises and rewards are genuine and true, and only in this way can everyone's potential be maximized.

"Why only Kisame and Ganryu-senpai?"

Zabuza was dissatisfied, feeling discriminated against.

"This teaching method has prerequisites. On the way, I noticed that Miss Miru kept peeking at Kisame, while Ganryu kept peeking at Miss Shuilian, which proves that the two of them are secretly in love."

Only with this foundation can this educational approach be implemented.

Tamura patiently explained and led the group onward, first taking them to the dormitory to arrange their accommodation.

Both Ganryu and Miru blushed deeply after their feelings were exposed, and dared not look at the person they secretly loved.

This shyness didn't last long; soon, the sights along the way made her scalp tingle. She saw people whose legs were broken by the weight of large rocks.

Some people were chased and torn apart by a pack of vicious dogs, covered in blood; others were dragged away covered in blood; still others were burned to a crisp and carried away. The entire academy was filled with a strong stench of blood.

Looking at those teaching methods, even the ruthless Kisame and Zabuza fell silent. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that their Kirigakure's teaching methods used to be quite gentle.

"I think the junior ninja academy outside is pretty good; that's where I can transfer."

With her pretty face pale, Zhao Mei transferred schools. This elite academy was nothing like she had imagined. She would definitely go crazy if she stayed here for a year.

The other four also started to back out. This place was clearly not a place for normal people, and even they were not confident that they could last.

"I'm sorry, but our elite academy has never had a student drop out before. Only those who pass all the assessments can graduate and leave."

Tamura Hiroshi maintained his signature gentle smile, his gaze fixed on Terumi Mei.

He hadn't forgotten that the girl had just called him a pervert; he wouldn't forget that.

"I'm not staying in your Hidden Cloud Village anymore, I'm going back."

Mei Terumi got angry, said something, and then turned around and went back the way she came.

She felt she had been tricked and wasn't going to be stupid enough to stay here and suffer.

Tamura Hiroshi did not stop them, while Nawaki and Samui cast pitying glances at them.

Seeing Mei Terumi lead the way away, Kisame and the others, who had long wanted to leave, quickly followed.

In their view, they were not people of Kumogakure, and the rules of Kumogakure did not apply to them.

Miru, however, did not leave immediately, but instead respectfully asked.

"Lord Hao, you previously mentioned that the Elite Academy requires passing an assessment to graduate and leave. What happens if you fail?"

"If you don't pass, you stay here until you do. There are quite a few people like that."

How many of those elites are there now, Rope Tree?

Tamura Hao didn't pay much attention to the Elite Academy; he would just occasionally come up with some good ideas and have people set them up here.

"There are thirty-seven people. A few months ago, Guy and Kakashi voluntarily repeated a year. They just climbed over the wall a few days ago to have the Eighteen Bronze Men assist them in their training. They're still soaking in medicine barrels now."

Rope Tree replied that, as a teacher here, he was naturally aware of this.

"Gai and Kakashi are here too."

Tamura Hiroshi understood; Might Guy's personality was indeed well-suited for studying and cultivating here.

"Why would anyone choose to stay?"

Miru was puzzled. This place was practically hell; how could anyone voluntarily stay here?

"Because all the resources needed for cultivation at the Elite Academy are free, those who graduate from here are elites, and those who voluntarily stay here to study and cultivate are the elite of the elite."

Rope Tree began to explain, "This is also the original intention behind the establishment of the Elite Academy."

"Oh, I see!"

Miru suddenly understood, and her admiration grew even stronger.

It is admirable to be able to survive such hell, but it is even more admirable to choose to stay in such hell. Such a person is indeed the elite of the elite and will inevitably become a formidable powerhouse.

There are thirty-seven such individuals in this academy; no wonder the Hidden Cloud Village has improved so rapidly in recent years.

Keeping this in mind, Miru decided to write a letter back later, as this was very important information.

Miru humbly sought advice, wanting to learn more about this elite academy.

Leaving aside Miru who was being interviewed, Terumi Mei and her group arrived at the school gate and said they wanted to leave. The gatekeeper naturally disagreed, so the group jumped over the gate and left.

The security guard did not stop him, because it was not his job.

Mei Terumi and the others were still puzzled by this. They were prepared to deal with the security guard who might try to stop them, but to their surprise, the guard ignored them completely.

Before they could react, figures flashed before their eyes, and they were surrounded in the next moment.

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

The eighteen people struck various poses, some holding bloodstained weapons such as brick-moving folding stools.

(End of this chapter)