Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

The Nine-Tails' rampage that broke out in Konoha quickly spread to various major powers through different channels, especially the four great ninja villages, which were all shocked.

The Tailed Beast uprisings have occurred in various places, but they have mostly taken place outside the village. This is the first time that one has broken out directly inside the village, and this time it has almost turned the entire Hidden Leaf Village into ruins.

However, to the regret of all the major ninja villages, the Nine-Tails was ultimately sealed by Konoha. It is just unknown whether it was sealed into the original Jinchuriki or a new one.

This incident stirred up the four great ninja villages, even those that had already signed a peace treaty with Konoha, such as Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure.

However, Konoha's response was also strong. Jiraiya went north to the Land of Hot Springs to take charge, and Shimura Danzo went to the eastern front.

Tsunade, who had been traveling, also appeared at Kikyo Mountain Fortress to oversee the situation and confront the people from Sunagakure.

Even Orochimaru, who had become a rogue ninja, appeared in the Land of Grass, forcing the four great ninja villages to be cautious.

In the Mizukage's office in Kirigakure, the already quite aged Third Mizukage frowned deeply as he looked at the latest intelligence he had received.

"Don't go to the Fire Country war zone, go to the Wind Country war zone instead."

After much deliberation, the Third Mizukage finally made a decision.

He originally intended to take this opportunity to send his disciple, Yagura Karatachi, to the Land of Fire to open up a war zone, but unexpectedly, it was Danzo Shimura who was in charge there.

"Teacher, is that Shimura Danzo even stronger than Jiraiya?"

Yagura was puzzled. As far as he knew, Shimura Danzo didn't seem to have much of a presence in Konoha, and he didn't have any impressive battle records.

"His strength is average, but he has a nickname: the Dark Ninja."

His fingers traced the intelligence report placed on the table. The Third Mizukage took that Shimura Danzo very seriously.

"The Darkness of Endurance?"

Yagura was taken aback; this was the first time he had heard of this name, mainly because he hadn't paid much attention to Shimura Danzo before.

"He is a man who will stop at nothing to get things done, and he can use any means necessary. In some ways, he is more dangerous than Jiraiya."

Moreover, he also has a relatively independent organization under his command, which is full of cold-blooded and ruthless tools who are equally unscrupulous in their actions.

Konoha has been pushed to the brink this time. We even killed the Third Hokage's eldest son, so they'll probably loosen all restrictions on that guy. Facing him head-on is too risky.

The Third Mizukage had some knowledge of Danzo Shimura, especially during the Second Shinobi World War. According to the intelligence they obtained, the successive destruction of Uzushiogakure and the Senju clan's elite forces seemed to be related to that person.

"This defeat on the battlefield in the Land of Fire has had a great impact on us, and it will also have a great impact on your succession to my position."

Although the ninja clans did not gain much in the Land of Lightning, they also did not suffer much loss.

You need to achieve a breakthrough victory on the battlefield of the Land of Winds; this battle is very important to you.

To become the fourth generation leader, you must produce a record that will earn the respect of the entire village.

With his gaze fixed on the disciple before him, the Third Mizukage spoke solemnly.

He was quite satisfied with this disciple; his temperament and abilities were both excellent. It was just a pity that he had some bad luck this time.

He had already made progress in the Land of Fire, but when he faced the Fourth Hokage, he suffered a crushing defeat and almost lost his life.

It's not that this disciple isn't strong enough, but that the Fourth Hokage is too strong, and that technique is too unsolvable.

"I understand, Master, and I will certainly not disappoint you!"

Yagura nodded solemnly, knowing this was his last chance.

"Teacher, I wish to send the Ringo clan with me to the battlefield in the Land of Wind."

After hesitating for a moment, Yagura Karatachi requested the transfer of ninjas from the Ringo clan.

The Ringo clan's ninjas performed brilliantly on the previous battlefields, and it can be said that those two great victories were inseparable from the Ringo ninjas.

First, they cooperated to intercept and kill the son of the Third Hokage, and then they killed Jiraiya's three powerful summoning beasts. If it weren't for the Ringo clan ninjas, I wouldn't have been able to achieve such a great victory over there.

Even in the first battle, Ringo ninjas were at the forefront, blocking the most powerful attacks from Konoha ninjas.

Furthermore, the armor worn by Ringo ninjas has strong defensive capabilities, making it ideal for spearheading attacks.

"Ringo Hyakka won't agree. He applied to go to the Land of Lightning battlefield to avoid being transferred to the Land of Wind battlefield now."

Although he applied to go to the north, he did not join the battlefield, nor did he contact the three families of Hozuki. He just drifted on the sea, hiding.

They probably won't come back until a new water shadow appears.

The Third Mizukage understood the Ringo family's actions; avoiding the conflict between the two factions and maintaining their neutrality was the best option.

"Permanent neutrality?"

Yagura suddenly realized, and then felt regret.

With the help of Ringo clan ninjas, I'm sure I can make a quick breakthrough in the Land of Wind.

Moreover, given Ringo Hyakka's physical condition, she couldn't possibly compete with me for the position of Mizukage, making her the most useful subordinate.

Unfortunately, the other party's attitude was clear: they did not intend to take sides. Although they said that once a new Mizukage appeared, they would most likely not give the Ringo family important positions, they would not suppress them either.

This is a relatively conservative way of passing on the family tradition, but he can understand it. After all, given the fatal flaws in the Ringo family's secret techniques, it's already good enough that the family tradition can be preserved.

Do you have more information about the Ringo family's armor?

The Third Mizukage was somewhat interested in the armor mentioned in the intelligence report; it offered good defense and could also aid in combat.

"It should be a variant application of puppetry. Previously, the Ringo family had deployed people in the Land of Wind. It is said that they unexpectedly encountered Sasori, the genius of Sunagakure, and almost killed him. It is possible that they obtained the core inheritance of puppetry that time, and then created that kind of puppet armor."

I also saw Ringo ninjas practicing the chakra thread techniques of puppeteers at the Fire Country camp.

Yagura Karatachi had previously been very interested in the puppet armor. Although he couldn't ask about it, he did have people observe it and gather some information.

It gave him the feeling that he was wearing a puppet on his body and using puppetry to control those limbs to assist in combat, which was essentially a combination of a puppeteer from Sunagakure and a normal ninja.

Even some members of Sunagakure hide their entire bodies inside large puppets to control and fight, using the puppets to protect themselves.

The Ringo family has simply shifted its focus on ninjas as the primary means of survival, with puppets playing a secondary role.

"A variant application of puppetry?"

The Third Mizukage seemed to be deep in thought. If that were the case, then the value would be greatly reduced. After all, the most formidable aspect of the Sunagakure puppeteers was the mechanisms and poisons they placed on their puppets. It seemed that such puppet armor could not accommodate those mechanisms and could only be used to assist in close combat.

Moreover, the cost of that thing seems to be quite high. The Ringo family even sold off their properties in the village some time ago, and even sold some scrolls containing ninjutsu, secret techniques, and sealing techniques to civilian ninjas at low prices in exchange for money. Obviously, they spent all of it on those puppet armors.

That investment is too large, and it's obviously not feasible to popularize it. Bringing it over wouldn't be very meaningful either.

Furthermore, the Ringo family is currently maintaining a neutral stance and it's not appropriate to take credit for others' achievements, otherwise it would be troublesome if they were angered and sided with the ninja faction.

Ringo Hyakka was unaware that he had been targeted; at that moment, he was sailing on the sea with his fleet.

Although it was called a fleet, it was actually just three ships, since their tribesmen who went into battle this time numbered only a little over a hundred.

A shadow-level person, Ringo has a hundred swords.

One elite Jonin, Ringo Mari.

The nine special Jonin were the nine who were the first to obtain the puppet armor.

The rest were all average-looking Chunin.

This is already considered a large clan in Kirigakure. Even the three major clans, Hozuki Kaguya and Minazuki, only have a maximum of twenty or thirty Jonin each, and three or four hundred Chunin.

With her fleet of over a hundred people, Ringo Hyakjin made several appearances near the coastline of the Land of Lightning, indicating her involvement in the war there. This was the only way to give the village an explanation; otherwise, her continued disappearance at sea would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Upon discovering the presence of Ringo clan ninjas, Kumogakure had no choice but to send ninjas to keep watch and prepare for their arrival.

Tamura Hao naturally ignored all of this, as he was staying in the cabin, focusing entirely on his cultivation and research.

Needless to say, his own cultivation was secondary; the main task was to consume the flesh and blood of those three giant toads. They needed to be eaten as soon as possible, as even sealing techniques and freezing wouldn't preserve them for long.

The research is a further upgrade to the Puppet Armor. The previous upgrade used titanium alloy to strengthen Kaguya's skeleton and further increased the differences from the original Kaguya skeleton.

The initial dyeing was to ensure that people wouldn't realize it used Kaguya's bones, and the subsequent fusion with titanium alloy was to ensure that people wouldn't associate it with bones.

Now it involves further wearing, carrying, and nourishing. Previously, it was maintained by soaking in nutrient solution, which was quite expensive and didn't last long.

This defect must be resolved, which is also what my father-in-law strongly demanded.

Finally, they trained in sensory ninjutsu, using the fleet's drift at sea to sense the Turtle Island, whose location was unknown.

He didn't know if the island turtle itself had chakra, but the Cloud Ninja on it definitely did, and they had even set up a sensory barrier.

The foundation of the perception barrier is chakra, which anyone with a keen sense of perception can detect, especially someone like Tamura Hao with his strong control.

After wandering around for half a year, Tamura Hiroshi finally reaped the rewards.

"Is there a chakra reaction in that direction?"

Having received the report from her son-in-law, Ringo Hyakurin looked in the direction he pointed.

"Three Jonin and nine Chunin, about twenty kilometers away, are moving northeast."

Tamura Hiroshi explained the number of people and the distance.

"You can now sense distances up to twenty kilometers?"

Ringo Mari was surprised; this little guy was making progress pretty fast.

"Slight progress!"

Tamura Hiroshi modestly replied.

Ringo Hyakka felt even more gratified, but then became puzzled.

"Anyone who would appear in this area is definitely a Cloud Ninja, but that direction isn't the Land of Earth. What are they doing there?"

Their current location is in the northeastern sea area of ​​the Land of Lightning; further northeast lies the Ice Sea.

It is extremely cold there, and icebergs often float there, making it almost a no-go zone for humans.

"Why don't we go and see for ourselves?"

Ringo Jasmine suggested going over to take a look. Anyway, they were just sitting around doing nothing, and everyone was getting familiar with using the puppet armor. It was time to go out and do some action.

"Send the order to turn and pursue. Xiao Hao, keep your senses alert and guide the direction."

Ringo Hyakka agreed without much thought, as she was indeed quite free right now and might as well go and take a look.

As the order was given, the sails were turned, and the course was changed accordingly.

In the current ninja world, the Land of Water has the most advanced ships. After all, it is an island nation that lives off the sea, and it would be difficult to survive if it didn't develop its economy.

So the fleet easily caught up and steadily held on at a distance of twenty kilometers.

After sailing for four days, they entered the icy sea and could see some floating ice on the surface. It is said that if they continued forward, they would encounter icebergs, which would be a nightmare for any ship.

"The fleet can't go any further."

Ringo Hyakka came to the deck, not intending to continue sailing, but the pursuit had to continue.

Fortunately, they still had a means of transportation, namely the ninja eagle. After being fed a large amount of toad meat, the ninja eagle had grown to a wingspan of thirty meters, greatly increasing its speed and load capacity.

After selecting thirty people, the group set off on their ninja hawks to continue the pursuit.

The ship full of Cloud Ninja had almost reached its limit of travel, stopping after advancing over a hundred kilometers. Tamura Hao, who was following far behind in the sky, immediately sensed it.

"A new source of chakra has appeared 20 kilometers ahead, with seven Jonin and more than a hundred Chunin."

"There was definitely a problem."

Upon hearing her son-in-law's latest discovery, Ringo Hyakuba revealed a sinister smile.

I noticed before that the dozen or so Cloud Ninja were heading in the wrong direction, and sure enough, there was something wrong with them. We should be able to gain quite a bit.

The ninja hawk continued flying, and soon an island came into view.

That island is quite large; everyone can see it.

"Something's not right. That island is moving. It's a floating... no, it's a sea turtle."

Tamura Hiroshi, who was observing with the latest version of the white-eye telescope, suddenly spoke, his face showing shock and disbelief.

This Byakugan telescope was made using the Byakugan that was sealed beneath the Senju wooden tower. It is housed in a chakra core made from the corpse of a Hyuga ninja and can be activated by connecting the optic nerve with chakra.

This technique originates from the Sand Manipulation Secret Technique of Sunagakure, specifically the Sand Eye. It involves creating an eye out of sand and then connecting it to the optic nerve using chakra, allowing one to observe.

Tamura Hao modified it so that it could be connected to the Byakugan with chakra, gaining the Byakugan's vision, which was much more realistic than what one could see through a telescope.

"A turtle? A turtle that big?"

Everyone was amazed and incredulous. Although they hadn't gone down yet, the turtle was truly enormous, practically an entire island.

"I was worried about finding a place to settle down, and here we are."

After the initial shock, Ringo Hyakka smiled.

I was worried about how to put the harvest away, and I couldn't think of a completely safe place. Who would have thought that I would find one so soon?

"Let's double-check if there are any experts stronger than Jonin, and then determine their specific distribution."

He looked at his son-in-law with a grim expression, signaling him to sense it again.

"No!"

Tamura Hao formed hand seals and used his senses again, finally confirming that there were no Kage-level powerhouses present. He then used his palm to represent the turtle island and pointed to the location of the chakra he sensed.

Most of the Cloud Ninja were gathered in one area, while the rest were scattered.

"Attack! Slay all the Cloud Ninja!"

Ringo Hyakka decisively gave the order and was the first to leap down.

The others followed suit and jumped down, and all sorts of puppet armor immediately covered the area.

Tamura Hiroya and Yuri followed suit and jumped down. Their eight spider legs quickly spread out in mid-air, and finally, using the elasticity of the spider legs to dissipate the force, they landed steadily on the spiky coral.

The group landed in the area where the Cloud Ninja were mainly concentrated, and the killing began immediately after they landed.

At the same time, alarms sounded in the Cloud Village, indicating that they had also discovered these intruders, since a sensory barrier had been set up here.

Although the Ringo ninjas are outnumbered, their close-combat skills, enhanced by their puppet armor, are comparable to those of Jonin.

If thirty people with combat power equivalent to Jonin stormed in, it would be like cutting melons and vegetables.

Not to mention, there are nine special Jonin among them, whose combat power is comparable to that of elite Jonin with the support of the puppet armor.

Elite Jonin like Ringo Mari can further enhance their strength with the help of their battle armor.

While he is not strong enough to fight against a Kage-level powerhouse, he is much stronger than an average elite Jonin.

The most terrifying thing is Ringo Hyakjin, who is a Kage-level powerhouse. Although the puppet armor does not greatly improve his strength, its blood-draining and stamina-boosting properties allow him to maintain his physical condition.

As long as there is no extreme burst of energy, the injury will not be triggered.

Furthermore, the surprise attack stunned the Cloud Ninja in a single encounter.

Tamura Hiroshi himself has transformed into a sword immortal, using the Third Kazekage's chakra core to control finger blades for ranged attacks. His current Magnet Release power can now extend to forty meters.

Within a 40-meter range, he can kill anyone who is not a Kage-level expert by using Magnet Release to control finger blades.

"Some even tried to escape; that's not like the Cloud Ninja's style."

Tamura Hiroshi, who had maintained his senses the whole time, smiled and used his spider legs to bounce away from Turtle Island.

I just sensed a Jonin's chakra leaving Turtle Island; they're clearly preparing to flee.

Once on the sea, I looked back and saw that little girl Yuri had caught up with me.

"Did anyone escape?"

Yu Yuri seemed very excited, guessing that someone must have run away for this pervert to chase after them.

"That's an elite Jonin who's no weaker than your aunt. Don't mess around."

After giving a reminder, Tamura Hiroshi retracted his spider legs and ran across the sea, his target a large iceberg not far away. The other party was hiding behind that iceberg and had obviously discovered their pursuit.

Yuri also retracted her spider legs and excitedly followed behind, full of fighting spirit.

The past six months at sea have been incredibly boring. There's no one to fight against, and sparring with my clansmen isn't very enjoyable. Fighting that freak just results in me getting bullied with his Magnet Release.

She had just killed three Chunin, and now she was going to face an elite Jonin. How could she not be excited?

She enjoys this kind of exciting thing.

At the same time, the Cloud Ninja, hidden behind the iceberg, stopped forming hand seals, their expressions cold and stern.

He is the sensory ninja of Turtle Island, and also the strongest among them.

Sensing that his companions were being slaughtered so quickly, and that there was a Kage-level expert among the opposing force, he knew he couldn't win and had to escape.

It wasn't just about escaping for their lives; they also needed to get the news back to the village.

However, they didn't expect to be discovered and chased after.

Without hesitation, he took out a scroll, bit his finger, quickly wrote down a few secret codes, and finally rolled it up and tossed it to a dolphin.

He's been targeted and there's a high chance he can't escape; this is the only way he can get the message back.

At least the village needs to know that it was the Hidden Mist ninja who attacked Turtle Island.

Before the dolphin could swim away, its body suddenly convulsed, and it stopped moving after a short while. (End of Chapter)