Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

After confirming that both sides would cease hostilities, Akimichi Torifu had someone compile the current intelligence on both sides and send it back to the village, so that the villagers could decide whether to fight or make peace.

"What's the point of 'collecting wind'? Do we even need to see this kind of intention?"

Upon seeing the delivered scroll, Koharu Tsurugi immediately slammed her fist on the table, clearly furious.

This includes a peace offer from Sunagakure, the key point of which is that they will no longer provide any employment opportunities to Konoha. This is completely different from the ceasefire agreement signed during the last Shinobi World War, showing a much greater greed.

You must know that Konoha won this battle!

"Rasa is not dead, he just had one leg cut off and will be able to join the battle soon. It won't have much of an impact on his Magnet Release bloodline."

The Sand Village has also appointed a new Kazekage, and they are almost united. They have somehow tamed the Seven-Tails, and now the Seven-Tails is parked near their camp, ready to launch a Tailed Beast Ball at us at any moment.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio's tactic can only be used once. The Sand Village will be prepared for it next time, making it unlikely to be effective again.

The most troublesome is the Seven-Tails, and the One-Tails, which was killed, could revive at any time. Taking this opportunity to negotiate peace is the best option for us.

Mitokado Homura calmly analyzed the situation. It was clearly stated in the intelligence report that war was possible, but the village had to provide support.

With the addition of a fully-formed tailed beast that can fly, the Sand Village army is a completely different force, greatly increasing its threat level and making it difficult to withstand them with their own strength.

Furthermore, Jiraiya cannot stay there for too long, otherwise if Iwagakure finds out, they will definitely launch an attack in the Land of Grass.

The Sand Village may have already sent information about Jiraiya's location at Kikyo Mountain Fortress to the Iwagakure Village, and the Tsuchikage may have already ordered an attack.

Therefore, if we are going to fight, we must provide reinforcements. We must either send at least three thousand reinforcements or send the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to fight against the Seven-Tails.

Reinforcements are impossible, since all the reinforcements the village can send have been dispatched to the other three fronts.

Comparatively speaking, the battlefront in the Land of Rivers is the least troublesome for them. Since the start of the war, they haven't needed a single reinforcement, and even some supplies, especially food, have been provided by the Ino-Shika-Cho tribal group.

It's reasonable to ask for reinforcements now, but if we send more reinforcements, it will only be the few clan ninjas who will be able to fight, and who knows how many will be sacrificed.

As for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, that's even more impossible.

"Nine-tailed foxes must not be disturbed."

Hiruzen Sarutobi set the tone: the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki absolutely could not be moved, especially not sent to Kikyoyama Castle.

Otherwise, given the relationship between Tsunade and Uzumaki Kyuujin, plus those two Uzumaki clan members, who knows if Uzumaki Kyuujin would be persuaded to stand on the other side after they go there.

Upon seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's stance, Koharu Utatane, who had been furious, fell silent.

If we can't mobilize the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, then we have to send reinforcements. Which one should we send?

"If we only negotiate peace with Sunagakure, then the ceasefire negotiations with the other three great ninja villages will inevitably be even more difficult."

After a moment of silence, Koharu Utatane was still unwilling. Losing their share of the mission in the ceasefire agreement would mean that Konoha would lose a lot of income, and the loss would be the greatest for their families.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, smoking and deep in thought.

After finishing his pipe, he said, "Peace talks. After the peace talks are completed, dispatch the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to the battlefield in the Land of Grass!"

The situation is not good, and his people have discovered that Orochimaru has been missing for several days and his whereabouts are unknown. He guesses that he has most likely gone to the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

After all, what that wicked son did had already caused resentment among the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, and even the Wind Clan would be dissatisfied. At this time, it would be easy for Orochimaru to win them over.

It will be troublesome if the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Torifu choose to support Orochimaru.

Although he had prepared a backup plan for that disciple, doing so would be tantamount to tearing off the mask of friendship, completely severing the bond between master and disciple, and cutting off his own arm.

He didn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, negotiating peace now is the best option, and then the Ino-Shika-Cho trio should be transferred away from Kikyoyama Castle to separate the civilian ninjas there.

He worried that the Ino-Shika-Cho triad would brainwash those civilian ninjas, which would make things even more troublesome.

"As for the battlefield in the Land of Grass, should we...?"

Koharu suddenly whispered that the battlefield in the Land of Grass was of great significance to them, as it was in the Land of Grass that the elite of the Senju clan were massacred.

The rapid development of the Ino-Shika-Cho clan over the past two years has deeply worried her; if things continue this way, they will inevitably surpass their own clan, the Utatane clan.

The village's pie is only so big, and she doesn't want to share her share, especially since she controls the medical system and is most likely to clash with the Nara family and Tsunade.

Of course, she admitted that she was somewhat envious of the Thousand Hands Foundation that the Pig, Deer, and Butterfly clans had acquired.

"Let's first see how the Ino-Shika-Cho trio performs on the battlefield in the Land of Grass."

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi tacitly agreed to Koharu Utatane's suggestion, but he needed to observe the performance of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio first; if they were equally assertive...

Koharu Utatane's face lit up with joy; as long as Hiruzen agreed, she could get started.

The three continued their discussion for a long time before finally concluding. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado left, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi sitting in his office, looking out the window at the myriad lights of the village.

"Don't blame me for taking the wind; it's all for the sake of the village's stability."

With a complex expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself. He had his own beliefs and principles. He had to ensure that the Hokage position was passed down in an orderly and stable manner. The Senju clan's fate must not be repeated, and it must not turn into the same situation as Kirigakure.

Therefore, Minato Namikaze is the only choice. The Fourth Hokage must be Minato Namikaze. No matter who stands in his way, he will eliminate them without mercy, even if they are his best friends.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had the same resolve as his first teacher, who killed his best friend for the safety of the village.

The village's order was quickly relayed to Kikyo Mountain Fortress. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after it was confirmed that peace talks would take place, and Jiraiya immediately returned to the battlefield in the Land of Grass.

Compared to him, Minato was too young, inexperienced, and lacked prestige, making him unsuitable to deal with the large-scale attack of the Iwagakure army.

Of course, Jiraiya did not leave alone; he also took one of his junior disciples with him.

"Having these flying ninja beasts is so convenient."

Standing atop the Ninja Hawk and looking down at the earth below, Jiraiya couldn't help but marvel at the advantages of these flying ninja beasts, especially this giant one.

No wonder they were able to force the One-Tailed Jinchuriki to commit suicide through a surprise attack, thus delaying the Sunagakure's all-out attack plan for a whole year.

"It's still far inferior to Jiraiya-sama's toad."

Nara Shikaku was modest, but the Ninja Hawk Kuro was indeed no match for the summoning beasts of the three holy lands, the reason being the difference in Sage Mode training and strength.

Although Xiao Hei's size is comparable to the summoning beasts of the Three Sannin, its combat power is far inferior, and its only advantage is its ability to fly.

"That's true."

Jiraiya laughed. The toads of Mount Myōboku are quite powerful, except they can't fly.

"Jiraiya-senpai, after we arrive at the front lines, I'd like to go to Takigakure Village to conduct some research."

Tamura Hao, who had been pondering, suddenly spoke up. The appearance of the Seven-Tails reminded him of a special feature of Takigakure: the sacred tree that could produce Hero's Water.

The holy water of Takigakure can overload the body's potential, thereby gaining dozens of times more chakra. The side effect is that the body is overdrawn and eventually dies suddenly, which is similar to the side effect of Mizuki using the tiger curse seal.

The holy water comes from the sacred tree that shelters the entire Takigakure village, and that sacred tree is no ordinary tree that can produce such holy water.

It is either a special plant that can absorb natural energy, like the Hijikata Senren and the Myoboku Senshū, or it is related to the ancient Ten-Tailed Divine Tree.

Tamura Hao guessed that the latter was more likely. If he were to devour it with the Immortal Lotus, his foundation would definitely be greatly enhanced, and his compatibility with the tailed beast's power would also be greatly improved.

"We definitely need to go there and investigate. We don't know if Sunagakure stole the Seven-Tails from Takigakure, or if the two have some kind of cooperation."

With a serious expression, Jiraiya also thought that he should send someone to investigate. If it was the former, that would be fine, but if it was the latter, it would be troublesome. In that case, in addition to fighting against Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, they would also have to guard against Takigakure.

Takigakure is quite powerful. I heard that they once sent ninjas to assassinate the First Hokage, and they escaped unscathed.

However, in recent years, Takigakure Village has become much more low-key, and due to the village's unique nature, outsiders are unaware of its rich history.

"This is also what we are worried about. If Takigakure also joins this Shinobi World War, it will add a lot of variables."

Nara Shikaku glanced at Tamura Hiroshi and said something in response.

Although I don't know why Xiao Hao suggested going to Takigakure Village, there's no harm in going to take a look.

Xiao Hei is very fast, especially with the help of Yamanaka Inoichi's Light and Heavy Rock Technique, which makes him even faster.

That's right, Yamanaka Inoichi has the Earth attribute, and all his attributes are Yin Earth and Water, which means he has one less Yang attribute than his future daughter, Yamanaka Ino.

Previously, he mainly cultivated Yin Release techniques. After obtaining the Earth Release ninjutsu from Huang Tu, especially the Light-Heavy Rock Technique, he began to train in Earth Release and is now able to use the Light-Heavy Rock Technique.

Once I break through to the Shadow level in the future, I can try to cultivate the Ultra Light Heavy Rock Technique and gain the ability to fly autonomously.

With the enhancement of the Light-Heavy Rock Technique, Xiao Hei's speed was greatly increased, and he arrived at the Konoha Ninja Army camp on the battlefield of the Land of Grass that very night.

Jiraiya jumped off the cliff, and Tamura and the other three continued north on Kuro, soon flying into the territory of the Land of Waterfall.

Instead of heading to Takigakure immediately, they first wandered around the Land of Waterfalls and soon found a small group of Takigakure ninjas, learning about the village's situation and its entrances and exits.

Following the information they had received, the four of them entered Takigakure Village via the waterway.

"They were slaughtered as expected!"

Climbing ashore, looking at the desolate village and the traces of battle, Tamura Hao sighed that it had indeed been slaughtered.

Although no body was seen, it is likely that it was buried by the returning Longyin ninja.

"There is someone whose chakra is very strong, no weaker than Jiraiya-sama."

Yamanaka Inoichi, who was sensing the spell, suddenly spoke, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

He sensed a powerful chakra, no weaker than Jiraiya's, and even less powerful than Tsunade without activating the Yin Seal.

"Chakra comparable to that of Jiraiya-senpai."

Tamura Hiroshi was surprised, and then thought of someone.

"Where?"

"There, no one has moved; there is only one person there."

Yamanaka Inoichi pointed to a direction, and the other party was there.

"Let's go take a look."

Tamura Hiroshi strode forward, and Nara Shikaku and the other two quickly followed.

Although their opponent is a strong individual, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio are not weak either. Xiao Hao can also unleash Kage-level power in a short period of time by using the power of the Tailed Beasts. Even if a battle breaks out, they are confident that they can defeat him.

Not to mention they also possess four Six Paths Ninja Tools.

Not long after, the four arrived at a cemetery, where tombstones stood one after another. Deep within the cemetery stood a tall figure dressed in a black robe.

The other person was standing in front of a tombstone, appearing very silent.

Upon approaching the other person from the side and seeing their appearance and condition, especially the fact that their face was covered, Tamura Hao became even more certain of their identity.

He gestured for Nara Shikaku and the other two to wait there, then walked over alone to the person's side and looked at the tombstone together.

The tombstone bears the name of a woman, and judging from the marks on the tombstone and the condition of the grave, it is clearly quite old.

Looking at Kakuzu's appearance again, Tamura Hao guessed that it might be a lover or wife. After all, Kakuzu slaughtered the entire high-ranking members of Takigakure, including all the Jonin. There must be a reason why he did such a ruthless thing.

"Senior Kakuzu, I am Tamura Hiro, Tsunade's disciple. I have been ordered to investigate the theft of the Seven-Tails and the massacre of Takigakure."

Tamura Hiroshi spoke, stating his identity and purpose.

"You know me?"

Kakuzu turned his head, his voice tinged with surprise.

He was from the same era as the First Hokage, and a remnant of the Warring States period. It was one thing for some older people to know him, but no one expected that a little guy would know his name.

"Tsunade-sensei told me about you, saying that you are the only strong person who escaped from the First Hokage. Even our First Hokage praised you highly. Tsunade-sensei even estimated that you are no weaker than the Second Hokage and that demigod of Amegakure."

I never imagined you were still alive; I thought you had passed away.

Tamura Hao showed a hint of surprise. This fat sheep teacher had never mentioned him, but he had seen a record of him in the Senju family's records, probably just a sentence or two.

However, the fact that it was recorded by the Senju family and included in the biography of the first generation is something to be proud of.

"It is my honor to be praised by the God of Ninjas."

Kakuzu seemed quite happy. Although he had lost that battle, it wasn't because he wasn't strong enough, but because the First Hokage was too strong, completely exceeding the definition of a ninja. Being defeated by his opponent and managing to escape with his life was the proudest achievement of his life.

"Have you heard of the God of Gamblers movies and the 'Thousand Hands Casino'?"

When Tamura Hao talked about Fat Sheep Teacher's business, after seeing this person, he thought about how to recruit him.

"Is that the Thousand Hands Casino that your Konoha built on the Thousand Hands territory? I heard it's quite profitable."

Everyone knew about the Thousand Hands Casino; he was very sensitive to anything related to money.

"Gambling skills are a technique passed down from our first generation, which was inherited by Tsunade. So she built that gambling city on the clan's land, which brings together all the gambling techniques and games from around the world."

In the future, we plan to develop it into a unique gambling city, attracting wealthy merchants and nobles from all over the world to gamble there.

It has already begun to develop, and it will definitely experience explosive growth after the war ends.

The current monthly profit alone is over 100 million taels, and it will definitely increase tenfold or a hundredfold in the future.

Especially since we are preparing for the World's Number One Gambler Tournament, which is similar to the Chunin Exams, the profits will definitely be even greater then.

We need some strong individuals to be stationed in Las Vegas at all times. Senior, you are a strong individual even praised by the First Boss, and you have ample experience; this job is a perfect fit for you.

Tamura extended an invitation, saying that we could join hands to make the Thousand Hands Casino bigger and stronger.

"It's a very tempting job, but I, an old man, refuse."

Hearing about the revenue figures in the hundreds of millions, Kakuzu was indeed tempted, but it wasn't enough for him to give up his freedom, let alone go to Konoha.

He himself was from Takigakure, and was a rogue ninja who had even attempted to assassinate the First Hokage.

"Don't be so quick to refuse. We're very sincere. There are ten cubic meters of gold inside, and we'll also give you five percent of the casino's profits. Please consider it."

Tamura Hao directly shoved a prepared scroll into Kakuzu's hand. He had a lot of gold dust, almost completely emptying Rasa-kun's coffers, amounting to over a hundred cubic meters.

"Gold? Ten cubic meters?"

Looking at the scroll in his hand, Kakuzu was a little confused.

When did gold start to be measured in cubic units?

They gave him ten cubic meters right away. Although he hadn't opened it to check yet, he figured it couldn't be fake, which made him have to think about it seriously.

I have worked hard for so many years and have accumulated a lot of wealth, but it is not worth ten cubic meters of gold.

Moreover, gold is much more stable and retains its value than the paper money he has been hoarding. In recent years, due to war, paper money has depreciated a lot, and even the paper money issued by some small countries has become invalid, which makes him feel heartbroken.

However, if you switch to gold, you won't have these concerns.

Not to mention that this is ten cubic meters of gold, so it seems that they are indeed very sincere.

"This job is very challenging for me, and I'm very interested in it."

Having confirmed the other party's sincerity, Kakuzu decisively tucked the scroll into his sleeve.

Once he gets his hands on a small amount of money, there's no chance it will leave him.

"Welcome to our Thousand Hands Casino, senior."

Tamura Hao smiled broadly, knowing that this guy definitely couldn't refuse a little money.

"Does Senior know the current situation of Takigakure?"

Getting down to business, he wanted to learn more about the village.

"I arrived two days ago. There aren't many people left in Takigakure Village. They all left after dividing up the holy water."

However, the holy water is produced by the sacred tree. That stuff can stimulate the human body's potential, unleashing ten or even dozens of times more chakra. But the more violently it erupts, the faster one dies; it's suitable for desperate acts.

As he spoke, Kakuzu pointed to the enormous sacred tree.

As a former strongman of Takigakure, he naturally knew a lot about the village's secrets.

"The sacred tree."

Tamura Hiroya looked at the sacred tree again, which was the main purpose of his visit.

Moreover, I had already sensed it before; that sacred tree itself did not have the ability to absorb natural energy, so it was clearly not that kind of elixir.

It is highly likely related to the Ten-Tailed Divine Tree from ancient times, possibly growing from the remnants left behind. Back then, the Sage of Six Paths only dealt with some large pieces of the residue.

"I'll go and see that sacred tree."

With that, Tamura Hao spread his butterfly wings and flew toward the sacred tree.

Nara Shikaku and the other two stepped forward to have a friendly exchange with Kakuzu. They had heard what the two had said earlier, and although they found it unbelievable, it seemed that he had indeed become one of their own.

This is a powerful figure who survived the assassination attempt on the First Hokage; they would naturally welcome such a powerful individual.

(End of this chapter)