Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 146 Bearing a Heavy Burden, a Child Becomes a Hero (Updated 2/3)

The restoration of order in Daimyofu began after the establishment of Konoha Village, which is less than 55 years ago.

However, the comfortable inheritance of two generations still allowed the nobles to develop an astonishing variety of etiquette, making astonishing rules about posture, clothing, and syllables.

Perhaps it would be alright in a certain atmosphere, but in this simple courtyard, it seems particularly ridiculous.

Xia Zuo was amused.

He laughed heartily, flicked his fingers to activate Magnet Release, and pulled Sarutobi Asuma up from the ground.

"Sarutobi Asuma, Chunin. I am the Hokage of Konoha. I am only responsible for the entire Konoha village, not for the future of the Sarutobi clan."

"On the contrary, I will dismantle the Sarutobi clan."

"For Konoha Village, the Sarutobi clan, which has expanded to have 3500 Konoha ninja, has become the biggest cancer."

Sarutobi Asuma was dumbfounded. He knew that the Sarutobi clan had expanded greatly, but he never imagined that there would be 3500 ninjas.

He stared at Xia Zuo in disbelief, seemingly trying to confirm the accuracy of the number.

Xia Zuo chuckled: "There are 3500 ninjas with the surname Sarutobi, and there are at least more."

"However, the ninjas who investigated also discovered something interesting: none of the leaders of the Sarutobi clan, including you, knew that their clan had become so arrogant."

Sarutobi Asuma, trembling with fear, changed from kneeling on one knee to a full-on dogeza, explaining with barely concealed panic, "Fifth Hokage-sama, I... I really don't know."

Xia Zuo's voice turned cold: "Sarutobi Asuma, I know this isn't your fault, otherwise I wouldn't have met with you before the operation."

"The root of the problem lies with the Third Hokage, and the leaders of the Sarutobi clan also bear responsibility. Therefore, the Sarutobi clan must be broken up without any room for negotiation."

"If you can cooperate willingly, there might be no bloodshed, which would be the best outcome for you and for the Sarutobi clan."

Sarutobi Asuma gritted his teeth and asked, "Fifth Hokage, if I'm in charge of dismantling the Sarutobi clan, could you perhaps show leniency towards Konohamaru?"

Xia Zuo laughed: "Make an exception for me?"

"Sarutobi Konohamaru is the grandson of the Third Hokage. I will not treat him differently because of the Third Hokage's mistakes."

"I only treat him differently because he might be used by forces opposed to the Hokage."

"Do you understand now?"

Sarutobi Asuma replied with a firm look in his eyes, "I understand, Fifth Hokage. I will take charge of dismantling the Sarutobi clan. I guarantee that the Sarutobi clan will no longer pose a threat to Konoha."

Xia Zuo nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the ninja who had appeared in the courtyard at some point and ordered, "Zhiwei, I think Sarutobi Asuma has the strength of a Jonin and should be given a ninja rank commensurate with him."

.

Sarutobi Asuma was completely bewildered; he hadn't even noticed Aburame Shimi's appearance.

The thought that his posture, such as kneeling in a dogeza pose, might be seen by others made Asuma's face darken, but he dared not say anything.

The head of the Ninja Management Department, Shizuka Aburame, looked at Natsuki with surprise and delight: "Fifth Hokage, you... you can see me?"

Xia Zuo secretly wiped away a bead of sweat. If it weren't for his senses detecting the parasitic insects, he really wouldn't have noticed Aburame Shimi's presence.

This guy and his son Shino Aburame are the ninjas in the ninja world who best embody the spirit of a ninja. Their presence is so low that they might kill someone without the victim noticing.

This talent is completely illogical, almost conceptual.

But Xia Zuo wasn't foolish enough to blurt it out directly. He smiled and replied, "Zhiwei, you're an elite Jonin of Konoha, one of the 15 club leaders. How could I possibly overlook you?"

"Process Sarutobi Asuma's promotion paperwork as soon as possible so that he can carry out the resettlement task for the Sarutobi clan as quickly as possible."

Aburame Shiki was so happy that tears and snot streamed down her face. Upon hearing Xia Zuo's order, she wiped the smudges off her face and said loudly, "Please rest assured, Fifth Hokage, I will personally process the promotion procedures for Sarutobi Asuma to Jonin."

Xia Zuo then said to Asuma, "Don't worry about Konohamaru's safety. Naruto, Izumi, and Aunt Miko will take good care of him. You can focus on your work."

"Only after settling the entire Sarutobi clan can you guarantee Sarutobi Konohamaru's safety."

"Is that right?"

Sarutobi Asuma dared not object and bowed deeply once more, saying, "I entrust everything to the Hokage-sama."

At this moment, Aburame Shiki was so shocked that she could not be shocked at all.

Although Shiki Aburame arrived relatively early and had witnessed the previous conversation between the two, he couldn't understand why Sarutobi Asuma was so respectful to the Fifth Hokage.

This is really incredible.

Zhiwei thought that after Sarutobi Asuma returned, he would lead the Sarutobi clan to cause a huge disturbance, turning Konoha into a chaotic mess.

But it must be said, it's really great that Asuma was able to change his stance like this.

Aburame Shiki's attitude towards Asuma changed instantly. She smiled and left the Xia Zuo family with him, taking him to complete the promotion procedures.

Aburame Shiki and Xia Zuo weren't particularly close, so he was too embarrassed to ask Asuma about the reason for his change. But Uchiha Izumi had no such reservations and asked directly, "Brother, I've always heard that Asuma is incredibly arrogant, and even the Third Hokage couldn't control him. Why does he seem so easy to talk to today?"

Xia Zuo smiled slightly: "Because he's grown up."

Uchiha Izumi: "Huh?"

Xia Zuo explained, "Don't let his age fool you; he's 29 years old, a full twelve years older than me."

"But when the Third Hokage was alive, he was a big brat who, relying on his father's doting love, did not have to bear any responsibility and could live as he pleased."

"Now that the Third Hokage is gone, his brother and sister-in-law are gone too, he himself has become the pillar of the Sarutobi clan and the guardian of Sarutobi Konohamaru."

"

"Bearing a heavy burden, a child becomes a hero."

"Sarutobi Asuma, who was meek and obedient in front of me, is a hero. He did not shirk his responsibilities and transformed from a willful boy into a man in just one day."

Xia Zuo smiled slightly and said, "That's great. Asuma's maturity has given me a lot of leeway, and many plans can be arranged in advance."

He suddenly exclaimed, "Since becoming Hokage, I've found that my luck has been getting better and better, and things in Konoha Village have been going unexpectedly smoothly."

"It seems that Konoha Village was previously suppressed too much by the Third Hokage, which has now generated a huge backlash from the people, and the will of the people has changed the fate of the village."

Uchiha Izumi said with a smile, "I've had a similar feeling over the past ten days or so. I really hope this momentum can continue."

Xia Zuo laughed and said, "There's an old saying: When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless."

"I like good luck, but I won't rely on luck; I only believe in myself."

Uchiha Izumi's eyes lit up, overflowing with admiration and love.

She quickly lowered her eyes, feigning impatience, and said, "The noise in the room suddenly stopped. It seems Naruto and Konohamaru are up to something big again. I'll go check it out!"

After saying that, the girl ran into the house with white smoke rising from her head.

Xia Zuo almost burst out laughing.

He then calmed himself down and refocused his attention on the research of Steel Release Kekkei Tota.

The next day, Xia Zuo changed his training location to the Hokage's office.

The Hokage's desk was covered with a full set of weapons and equipment, while three special Jonin and Chunin—Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi, and Iwashi Tatomi—sat on the sofa.

They are also known as the Flying Thunder God Genma Squad, and they once served as the Shadow Guard of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

In fact, their strength was not enough to protect the Fourth Hokage. It was because the three of them possessed spatial talents and learned the Flying Lightning Formation technique developed by the Fourth Raikage.

Xia Zuo doesn't have time to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique yet, so he can only rely on the Flying Thunder God Genma Squad for rapid mobility.

At this moment, the Flying Thunder God Mark of the Flying Thunder God Team is in Kakashi Hatake's hands, ready to summon the Fifth Hokage at any time depending on the situation.

Xia Zuo, who was well aware of Nagato's strength, did not believe that the combination of Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui could help Jiraiya escape.

If we really encounter danger, it will still be up to Grandpa Xia Zuo to take action.

Nagato is indeed very strong, but is Xia Zuo weak?

In previous battles against the First and Second Hokage, only the Second Hokage used a portion of his true power when he lost his mind.

Neither the First Hokage nor Xia Zuo were actually fighting seriously, even though the First Hokage was not unconscious.

The two unleashed their strongest ninjutsu and secret techniques, testing each other's attack and defense capabilities like a turn-based game.

It can only be considered a test at best.

However, this game-like battle still played a significant role, serving at least three purposes.

First, he made all the Konoha ninja present admire the Fifth Hokage immensely, including Orochimaru and his children.

Secondly, it allowed Xia Zuo to directly experience the advanced Wood Release techniques, greatly reducing the difficulty of his subsequent learning.

Third, let Xia Zuo determine his own strength level in the ninja world.

Therefore, Xia Zuo is not afraid of Nagato at all. Even if Nagato uses the Gedo Mazo, he can hold out until Nagato is worn down.

In particular, when Xia Zuo fought against the First Hokage's Wood Release, he finally mastered the suppression and absorption of chakra, making the Wood Release Kekkei Tota the most suitable power for fighting against overwhelming odds.

The more enemies there are, the easier it is for him to absorb chakra and inflict greater damage on them.

Because he had a strong sense of confidence, Xia Zuo was able to devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.

He constantly tried to make a second qualitative change to the Steel Release Kekkei Tota, adding highly elastic properties to the indestructible pure hardness.

In this way, he can not only apply the strengthening effects of Steel Release to his bones and skin, but also extend them to his muscles, fascia, and even internal organs.

The combination of inner toughness and outer strength is the pinnacle of defensive power.

Xia Zuo persevered without ever slacking off.

It can be said that Xia Zuo can now roam freely in the ninja world, but his vision extends far beyond the present ninja world.

He believed his enemies were Obito Uchiha five years in the future, Madara Uchiha who had been resurrected from death, and even Kaguya Otsutsuki who had broken free from her seal.

And then there's Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, who might have schemed against everyone and provided crucial cheat codes at the critical moment.

Compared to these powerful enemies who transcend the realm of ninjas and whose minimum strength is Six Paths, Xia Zuo's current Kekkei Tota seems inadequate.

He, the Hokage Xia Zuo, is the backbone of all Xia Zuos; he can't even rely on himself.

Therefore, he can only rely on hard work.

In the afternoon, Xia Zuo raised his right hand and pointed his index finger.

The finger was stretched straight, then slowly bent, and then slowly straightened again. This single movement made Xia Zuo's nose sweat, as if he were holding up a weight of hundreds of kilograms.

After repeating this several times, the steel-style chakra within his body continuously adjusted and underwent qualitative changes, and the speed at which his fingers flexed and extended began to increase, gradually reaching the speed of an ordinary person's hand movements.

Xia Zuo was not satisfied. He continued to adjust the nature of his chakra and train his finger strength, constantly increasing the speed of his finger flexion and extension.

Gradually, his speed reached 5 times per second, and then he could no longer increase it.

Xia Zuo frowned and stopped. After thinking for a while, he activated the Swift Release bloodline limit, but unexpectedly, Swift Release was relatively weak compared to Steel Release, and the speed of improvement was quite limited.

Even with the Left and Right Emperor Engine activated, Xia Zuo's right index finger could only flex and extend 7 times per second.

It's incomparable to the speed of 2 to 30 times per second when you simply activate Swift Escape.

Xia Zuo tried several more times and finally made some progress.

He smiled and comforted himself, saying, "Fortunately, this limit is caused by the small horse Swift Escape pulling the big cart Steel Escape."

"As long as I can continue to get stronger, one day the little horse will become a big horse, and its speed will return to its ideal super speed state."

Xia Zuo then shut down Swift Release and continued to hone his right index finger, expanding the full application of Steel Release to his middle finger, thumb, ring finger, little finger, and the entire palm.

He planned to first complete a steel hand, then expand it to his entire body, and finally solidify the steel form into his body, making it a permanent state.

Just then, Genma Shiranui raised his head: "Fifth Hokage, I sensed that the Flying Thunder God coordinates have been activated. It's the one that Kakashi Hatake had."

Xia Zuo suddenly stood up, reached for the equipment on the desk, put on the Hokage hat, and said, "Take me there."

"Yes, Fifth Hokage."

Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi, and Iwashi Tadashi stood up from the sofa, formed a triangle in the center of the office, and began to perform hand seals in unison.

More than 30 seconds passed before Genma Shiranui finally managed to speak: "Hokage-sama, hurry! The distance is too far. We only have one chance to try."

Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Zuo stepped into the center of the Genma Squad.

Genma Shiranui gave a low shout: "Flying Thunder Formation Technique, begin!"

He stretched out his arms and joined hands with Raido and Iwashi, their chakra intertwining as they activated the forbidden Konoha technique, Flying Thunder God Technique.

The next moment, the four people disappeared from the Hokage's office.

>