Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Kushina Uzumaki was quite a useful tool, as Minato Namikaze went on another mission that same day.

With Minato Namikaze no longer a thorn in Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio no longer needed to be so secretive and could act more freely.

Tamura Hao didn't pay much attention to these things, but a few days later, Fat Sheep Teacher found an excuse to beat him up... no, to have a sparring session with him.

"Steel Release?"

With his face bruised and swollen, he stared in utter bewilderment at Teacher Fei Yang's blackened hands.

This is definitely Steel Release, and it's not external chakra, but rather Fat Sheep Teacher's own bloodline limit.

Didn't I tell you to fuse with Wood Release before? Why did you switch to Steel Release?

"The feeling of beating people up with Steel Release is completely different."

Tsunade was very satisfied with the feeling of the blow; it was so satisfying that she wished she could come over and beat him up every day.

"Teacher, didn't you try fusing with Wood Release? That would have suited you better."

Tamura Hao couldn't understand why he would choose Steel Release instead, since Wood Release was clearly more promising.

"Do you think I don't want to? I've tried many times, and after fusing the water and earth attributes, I can only get the 'melt escape' effect, unless I transplant my grandfather's cells."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. Ever since she obtained that Wood Release chakra, she had been trying to fuse it into her own Wood Release, and even created a cursed seal to seal it on her body for further guidance.

The chakra that can be fused is only Lava Release, not Wood Release with life.

She guessed that she might be able to further fuse with Wood Release by transplanting her great-grandfather's cells, but that was not what she wanted.

That's why I became interested after seeing that Steel Release corpse, and then I fiddled with it and it turned out like this.

Although Steel Release can currently only cover the hands, as long as one continues to train, it will only be a matter of time before it covers the entire body, which can greatly enhance one's physical abilities, especially the burst of superhuman strength.

"Can't it be merged?"

Tamura Hao had some guesses: perhaps the root of the problem lay in Ashura's chakra, perhaps there was also a bloodline issue, or perhaps he hadn't had enough time to figure it out.

Regardless of the reason, Teacher Fei Yang has now switched to Steel Release.

"Take this Wood Release chakra and see if you can fuse it with my great-grandfather's Yang Release chakra to reassemble it into my great-grandfather's chakra. This will have a stronger suppressive effect on the power of the Tailed Beasts."

As Tsunade spoke, she tossed over a sealing scroll. Another reason she chose to give up Wood Release was that the traitor needed this Wood Release chakra more, since he had already gotten on the right track in training the power of the Tailed Beast.

Although it seems fine now, who knows what might happen in the future? It's always good to have an extra layer of insurance.

"Teacher, I want to learn Sage Mode, preferably the kind used by the First Hokage."

After receiving the sealed scroll, Tamura Hao began to talk about the magic.

"No, you need to upgrade and transform your chakra before you can start practicing Sage Mode. That's much more dangerous than the chakra you used to fight against my grandfather."

Tsunade refused without hesitation. Cultivating Sage Mode was even more dangerous, and she wouldn't dare to try it even now.

"It's not that I'm cultivating myself. My main goal is to further integrate those powers to enhance the power of the Tailed Beast Dharma Form. It's an integration outside the body and inside the seal, not within my body."

Tamura Hao quickly explained that he naturally knew how high the requirements were for Sage Mode training, mainly in terms of chakra. Even though his chakra was special, he didn't want to try it too early.

However, the Dharma form needs further integration; previously, it was just a matter of mixing and using several powers, rather than fusing them together.

If they can perfectly merge and undergo a transformation, they will never be so easily cut down by Teacher Fat Sheep in the next battle.

"I can give it to you, but you must promise me that you will never try to cultivate Immortal Mode yourself."

After hesitating for a while, Tsunade finally agreed, but she set conditions.

"I certainly won't do anything reckless; students value their lives."

Tamura Hiroshi patted his chest and guaranteed that he would never joke with his own life.

Come pick it up from my lab tomorrow.

After saying that, Tsunade hurriedly returned to the laboratory to prepare for further research on this Steel Release technique and to write down her insights on the fusion and transformation.

Not only is she suitable for Steel Release, but all three of her disciples are also very suitable for Steel Release bloodline, especially that lecherous brat.

She didn't want the incident with the rope tree and the broken tree to happen again, so she could only try to improve the strength of those three students.

Tamura Hao was unaware of Fat Sheep Teacher's thoughts. He returned to his dormitory with the sealing scroll, stared at it for a while, and finally sealed the Wood Release chakra within into the core of the Eight Trigrams Seal, allowing the Immortal Lotus Seed to absorb it.

Wood Release chakra was indeed very compatible with the lotus seed, which was a plant. After being absorbed, the sprout grew rapidly and then grew a thick stem, just like a tree. It was obviously a change brought about by Wood Release chakra.

After Senren stabilized the Wood Release chakra, Tamura Hao took out the First Hokage's Yang Release chakra that he had sealed away and Orochimaru's ten three-tomoe Sharingan eyes' power, and let Senren absorb and fuse them together.

He wanted the Immortal Lotus to become something like the Ten-Tailed Divine Tree, used to contain the chakra of the nine tailed beasts.

The best solution would be to absorb some of the components of the Gedo Mazo, but that's unrealistic, so we have to settle for second best.

The Wood Release chakra that Teacher Fei Yang used this time gave him an idea.

The Ten-Tails possesses the blood-red six-tomoe Rinnegan, which can be seen as the origin of the Sharingan. It also has Wood Release and can transform into the God Tree, which is the origin of Wood Release.

Perhaps we could fuse the power of the Sharingan with the power of Wood Release. Madara Uchiha used his own power to fuse with the power of Hashirama Senju to create the Rinnegan, and we should be able to do the same on our side.

I don't need to become the real Ten-Tails, I just need to be able to bear this little bit of the power of the nine tailed beasts.

Perhaps due to the purification effect of the cheat system, the Sharingan's eye power and the First Hokage's Yang Release chakra did not clash or conflict when they met, but they also did not merge.

However, after absorbing both, a small bud grew at the top of the Immortal Lotus. Tamura Hao could sense that the bud contained the power of Yang Release and Yin Release, making it even purer.

But that's all; neither of them shows any sign of further transformation, perhaps they're just missing some kind of catalyst.

In addition, the significant growth of the Immortal Lotus makes it more efficient at absorbing natural energy, and more natural energy flows over Tamura Hao, making his perception of natural energy increasingly clear.

Without stopping, after confirming that the Immortal Lotus had stabilized again, Tamura Hao guided a small amount of One-Tailed Beast's chakra through the transformation of the two layers of Bagua seals so that the Immortal Lotus could absorb it.

Perhaps because it had fused with the power of Wood Release, the Senren's absorption capacity was greatly enhanced, and it began to slowly absorb the One-Tailed Chakra after its second transformation.

Although the absorption was very slow, it was indeed absorbed, and it was not assimilated into the Wood Release power; it still exists inside the Immortal Lotus.

This discovery delighted Tamura Hiroshi. As long as it could be absorbed, that was good. His only concern was that it might not be absorbed or could not be sustained.

The next day, after tinkering like this, Tamura Hao went to the laboratory and obtained many scrolls for cultivating Sage Mode, which Tsunade had copied using shadow clones.

It contains not only the foundation of Sage Mode training in Shikkotsu Forest, but also many insights gained by the First Hokage from his Sage Mode training.

"Did it transform into Sage Mode through Wood Release?"

After reading through those scrolls, Tamura Hiroshi understood Hashirama Senju's extraordinary self-healing ability.

As reincarnations of Ashura's chakra, Hashirama Senju was clearly stronger than Naruto Uzumaki in terms of physique. Even with the difference in bloodline, the chakra of Ashura was enough to make up for it.

Not to mention that the Uzumaki clan also has a bloodline talent for recovery, such as Karin Uzumaki.

In addition, Naruto Uzumaki also obtained the chakra of the nine tailed beasts and the power of the Six Paths Yang, which was much better than what Hashirama Senju had. However, he was still not as good as Hashirama Senju in terms of physical recovery.

It now appears there are differences in Sage Mode training. Naruto Uzumaki trained in Sage Mode from Mount Myōboku, which emphasizes balanced development and provides significant boosts to his ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.

The Shikubin Forest Immortal Technique focuses more on amplifying the body's energy, especially its regenerative ability. Just like a slug, even if cut in half, it can perfectly split into two individuals, making it almost immune to physical attacks.

Hashirama Senju not only mastered the Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode, but also underwent a transformation by using his ultimate Yang Release power, resulting in enhanced self-healing abilities.

However, these are not the main points. The main point is the medium for integrating natural energy.

"As expected, immortal techniques are not so easy to cultivate."

He let out a long sigh; Tamura Hiroshi was slightly troubled by this.

Just like the Sage Arts training at Mount Myōboku, the Sage Arts training at Shikkotsu Forest also requires a medium, namely the acidic liquid of the Slug Sage.

One needs to enter the Slug Immortal's acid pool to cultivate, allowing the acid to penetrate the body. While resisting the corrosion of the acid, one can also absorb natural energy. Finally, the natural energy will guide the acid to integrate into the body, forming a medium.

In the future, he will only need to use the fused acid to absorb natural energy and fuse it into Sage Chakra, which is far different from the Sage Art that Tamura Hao envisioned.

The kind of immortal technique he wanted was the kind cultivated by the Sage of Six Paths, without any outward characteristics, not even the so-called immortal face. That was the purest immortal technique.

The immortal arts passed down from the three holy lands all require a medium; they cannot be achieved simply by guiding natural energy to fuse with physical and spiritual energy in a one-to-one ratio.

Without a medium to guide it, even if you achieve that ratio, it's impossible to fuse and transform into Sage Chakra.

It's essentially relying on the power of the three immortals to cultivate, so it's still considered external force.

Even in Boruto's era, when Naruto uses Sage Mode, his eyes turn into toad eyes, clearly indicating that he still needs the medium of Mount Myōboku.

"Let's figure it out slowly."

Raising his hand, he conjured the flames of the Two-Tails' Fire Release, burning the scrolls to ashes. Tamura Hao knew that the cultivation of Sage Mode still had a long way to go.

"Perhaps we can find a breakthrough in the Immortal Lotus."

His gaze shifted to his abdomen, and he felt that he could study the cultivation of immortal techniques on the immortal lotus.

In fact, plants that can absorb natural energy are not uncommon; there are many in the three sacred sites.

The natural energy in the three holy lands is much richer than that in the outside world. Not only can the spirit beasts absorb natural energy to cultivate, but the plants can also passively absorb natural energy. Perhaps some of them are no less than the immortal lotus of the Fire Temple.

But the current Immortal Lotus is different. It has been continuously nurtured by him with his life force and chakra, and yesterday it was infused with the power of Wood Release and Yin Release and Yang Release. It has undergone a transformation and has surpassed its original level.

If it absorbs the power of the tailed beasts, it will surely undergo further transformation.

Of course, the current Celestial Lotus is definitely not enough to bear the power of the nine tailed beasts. Absorbing the power of just the One-Tailed Beast is extremely slow, let alone absorbing the power of the other tailed beasts later.

"If you don't have enough foundation, you can only make up for it with skills."

Sensing the celestial lotus within the seal, Tamura Hao felt he could use sealing techniques to further guide it.

Moreover, the lotus flower involuntarily reminded him of the lotus flowers in the primordial world, especially the creation lotus that gave birth to the great god Pangu.

The Primordial Lotus evolved into many treasures, among which the five leaves evolved into the Five Banners, each possessing a power that subtly corresponds to the Five Elements.

Although it's just a fictional story, that kind of setting can be used as a reference to create a creation lotus.

The five elements in this world are slightly different, but not by much: wind, fire, thunder, water, and earth, which are the basic attributes of chakra.

"It can divert the chakra of the five attributes to the leaves, thus relieving the pressure of excessive chakra attributes inside the celestial lotus."

As for the tailed beast's chakra, it can be gathered onto lotus petals to create twelve petals, on which the Twelve Hours Sealing Technique can be inscribed, and then an Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique can be added...

Tamura Hao had a lot of creative ideas. In short, he wanted to sort out the power attributes on the Immortal Lotus, store each one in its own place to reduce collisions and friction, and then try to fuse them slowly.

Unfortunately, the cultivation system in the Naruto world is too crude, lacking a systematic approach and relying entirely on brute force through bloodlines.

Even someone like Orochimaru, who possesses core technologies, has to study the Otsutsuki bloodline in order to find a breakthrough opportunity, or even to transform into the Otsutsuki bloodline.

If one wants to cultivate and become stronger, reaching a level comparable to the Otsutsuki clan, one must create a complete cultivation system.

Fortunately, he's a man with a golden touch; given enough time, he'll definitely be able to figure it out.

Of course, it's not something done out of thin air, but rather based on the existing traditions of the ninja world, with sealing techniques being the key element.

Leaving aside Tamura Hao's brainstorming session, Minato Namikaze, despite being forced to flee, still dutifully used a toad to transmit information back to the village, delivering it to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.

"That fat guy, Tofu, is old in years but young at heart; he's even plotting for the Hokage position."

After reviewing the intelligence, Koharu Utatane scoffed.

"Achieving the position of the Fifth Hokage is still possible."

Mitokado Homura didn't think much of it. The Fourth Hokage had already been decided in advance for Namikaze Minato, who was only in his early twenties and could hold the position of Hokage for at least thirty or forty years.

Thirty or forty years later, they would have long since passed away, and it was impossible to predict what the situation in the village would be like then.

Besides, with such a long time span, that kid might have perished along the way. The ninja world is never short of geniuses.

"The Ino-Shika-Cho trio have become quite lax in recent years since the resignation of the Touko clan. It would be good for them to change their ways."

Hiruzen Sarutobi also thought it was nothing, as long as he wasn't competing with Minato for the Fourth Hokage position.

Moreover, that child is too young, only eleven years old this year, and not well-known in the village. He doesn't have the ability to compete and poses no threat.

Furthermore, with the combined strength of the Pig, Deer, and Butterfly races, things will be a bit easier for them.

"But they are plotting to seize the power of the Tailed Beasts, which is not a good thing."

Koharu Utatane remained vigilant, after all, that was the power of a tailed beast.

"As long as it's not a tailed beast, it's fine."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was equally unconcerned about this; what he feared were the tailed beasts themselves, especially the kind of tailed beast ball that could destroy the world.

It's just some tailed beast chakra, nothing special. At most, he can use a tailed beast cloak to enhance his taijutsu strength. He can suppress those kinds of creatures.

"Being a Jinchuriki of a Tailed Beast is not something anyone can do; none of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans are qualified for it."

That was probably a private operation by the younger generation. Capturing a Jinchuriki from another village would inevitably pique their curiosity.

Mitokado Homura was well aware of the power and danger of the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki; it wasn't something that could be accomplished with sealing techniques alone, but also depended on their physical constitution.

Most importantly, one must have a massive chakra reserve; otherwise, the sheer amount of energy required to maintain the tailed beast seal would be enough to kill a person.

Moreover, he didn't think this was the intention of Qufeng, because Qufeng himself was a steady person and would not make such a risky decision. It was most likely that it was the younger generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio who were behind it.

Only the younger generation would be so ignorant and dare to try anything.

"What about Kushina Uzumaki? Her body shouldn't be as damaged as the previous one."

Seeing that both of them said that, Koharu Utatane didn't want to talk about the Ino-Shika-Cho trio anymore, so she started talking about Kushina Uzumaki instead.

She also thought that the girl had died after being captured, and there had been no news of her for ten years. The Hidden Cloud Village had not sent anyone to exchange her.

Who would have thought that someone would suddenly appear out of nowhere, especially since Tsunade had entrusted the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to rescue them.

This made her think more deeply.

"It's reasonable for Tsunade to try to save the Uzumaki clan."

That's all Hiruzen Sarutobi can say for now. He can't really say anything about this matter. Should he condemn them for not rescuing the Uzumaki clan?

If I were to actually condemn her, I'd definitely get yelled at back by that girl.

"Are we just going to let it go like this?"

Koharu was very dissatisfied, in her opinion that Tsunade was pushing her luck.

First, he returned and joined forces with the three clans of Pig, Deer, and Butterfly to set up a casino called Thousand Hands Casino. Then he went to make movies and made a fortune, which made her envious.

In particular, the God of Gamblers chocolates sold by the Nara family were incredibly popular. A rough estimate suggests that the three clans of Ino-Shika-Cho earned at least 100 million yen just from those God of Gamblers chocolates, not to mention other merchandise related to the movie.

And this is ongoing; there will only be more in the future.

Then there's the Uzumaki clan member they rescued from Kusagakure, and now they've brought Kushina Uzumaki back with them.

Most importantly, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio actually obtained a significant portion of the Senju family's wealth from that spendthrift girl. This wealth represented thousands of years of accumulation by the Senju family, which the spendthrift girl then sold off.

If the first and second generation teachers knew this from beyond the grave, they would be so angry they'd come back to life.

"Qu Feng is currently fighting on the front lines, and he is even taking medication to overdraw his lifespan to recover his condition."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said helplessly that he also felt that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was making too many small moves, but the problem was that he couldn't say anything about it now.

Our old comrades are risking their lives on the front lines, and we're here to hold them accountable? That's not how you do things.

Moreover, he was quite at ease with Tsunade. Firstly, Tsunade had little interest in the Hokage position and even felt some aversion and disgust towards it. Secondly, she suffered from hemophobia, making it impossible for her to compete for the Fourth Hokage position.

Don't provoke that girl at this point, otherwise things will get really messy if you anger her.

"Perhaps Qu Feng sensed that his days were numbered and wanted to cultivate a new pillar as soon as possible."

Mitomon could understand this. They had bought several doses of that drug from Ino-Shika-Cho and conducted experiments. It could indeed consume lifespan to restore physical condition, but the probability was a bit low, or rather, the requirements for the user were very high; they had to be at the Kage level.

That means that old guy really doesn't have many years left to live.

(End of this chapter)