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

Chapter 188 The Secret of the First Round of Diffusion

Tsunade frowned and asked, "Then what about you and my grandfather? Did you two regress to your ancestral forms?"

Xia Zuo grinned and said, "I don't know about the First Hokage's situation, but I'm definitely not a genus-like being."

"I achieved my goal through research on chakra and ninjutsu, using the power of knowledge to trace back to the source of chakra, and through my own efforts, I upgraded my Wood Release Kekkei Genkai to Wood Release Kekkei Tota."

"In fact, the vast majority of bloodline limits in the ninja world are the result of the hard work of geniuses throughout the ages. It is only through gradual accumulation that these dozen or so bloodline limits have come to be."

Tsunade felt very comfortable at this moment, and her fatigue had been relieved. It was a moment of mental clarity, also known as the legendary sage's time.

Her mind became exceptionally sharp, and she sensed the unspoken meaning in Xia Zuo's words: "You mean 'most'—there are still bloodline limits that weren't researched by ninjas themselves?"

Xia Zuo glanced at Tsunade in surprise and praised, "That's right, there are three types of bloodline limits in the ninja world, which are essentially higher-level than bloodline elimination."

"It's not even an ability that can be obtained by chakra fusion."

Tsunade exclaimed in surprise, "Three kinds? Could it be—?"

Xia Zuo held up a finger: "Byakugan, Sharingan, Shikotsumyaku, and also the bloodline limit I want to obtain next."

.

Tsunade was even more surprised. She opened her mouth slightly and said, "How could it be these three? Why don't they have the Rinnegan?"

"I learned this from Jiraiya. Nagato, who was taught in the Land of Rain and is now the leader of Amegakure, possessed a pair of Rinnegan, and they perfectly match the description of what you call an even more advanced being."

Xia Zuo fell silent; he was considering and weighing his options.

Would telling Tsunade more secrets pose a danger to her, or harm to myself?

It has been over a year since Tsunade used medicine to subdue Natsume.

Despite Tsunade's arrogance at the time, claiming to take responsibility for Natsume, she acted like a wicked woman who forcibly took a man from the countryside.

But as time went on, her relationship with Xia Zuo returned to the normal dynamic of a stronger man and a weaker woman.

The blossoming of love, like a withered tree coming back to life, revived Tsunade's heart, and she unknowingly became entangled with the Fifth Hokage.

Tsunade's natural sensitivity as a woman, coupled with her rich experience at nearly fifty, allowed her to quickly deepen her understanding of Natsume, even surpassing that of his fiancée, Uchiha Izumi, in some aspects.

Therefore, Xia Zuo's sudden silence made Tsunade realize that she had inadvertently asked about a very important, very secretive, and possibly very dangerous secret.

Her heart raced slightly, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.

After a few anxious minutes of waiting, Tsunade finally heard Xia Zuo make his decision.

He said in a deep voice, "Tsunade (a respectful nickname), you must keep what I am about to say a secret as much as possible. Only when I am here, or when Orochimaru is here, must you never utter a word of it."

"Especially Jiraiya, he absolutely must not find out."

Tsunade nodded obediently: "Xia Zuo, don't worry, I know what's important."

Xia Zuo nodded, reached out and pulled the blonde beauty into his arms. After getting closer to her, he used his chakra to block out the sound around them before slowly speaking.

His first words made Tsunade's eyes widen in surprise.

"I don't consider the Rinnegan a bloodline limit because the final form of the Sharingan is the Rinnegan."

"The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, combined with the physique of the Senju clan, has the potential to give birth to the Rinnegan."

"The Byakugan can also be upgraded like the Sharingan, but it's an instant upgrade to one of the Jōgan, Tenseigan, or Rinnegan."

"The Corpse Bone Vein can also advance, evolving from simple bone strengthening, rapid bone growth, and body self-healing into a terrifying bone that kills upon contact."

Tsunade felt her head buzzing, and she couldn't even think straight. Like an adorable little hamster, she stared blankly at her lover.

Because it was so cute, Xia Zuo couldn't help but bite down, quickly dispelling Tsunade's "zombie" state and eliciting a series of coquettish cries.

Four hours later, Tsunade was taken back to her room and lay down on her bed.

Xia Zuo had cleaned her up and dressed her in new pajamas, and she finally regained some of her energy.

However, Tsunade's body has not yet returned to normal.

She had overeaten this time, and her waist, back, and legs all ached.

This is a problem caused by climbing to the summit too quickly and for too long, resulting in exhaustion.

For a master like Tsunade, recovery would only take an hour or two.

But at this moment, her mind was in turmoil. She was shocked to hear such a huge secret for the first time, felt wronged by Xia Zuo's "ambush" in the chaos, and felt the pleasure of reaching the peak. She didn't even have time to recover her body.

At this moment, Tsunade clearly understood just how terrifying the secret that Xia Zuo had mentioned was.

They revealed so much, including the final battle between his grandfather and Madara Uchiha, Madara's feigned death and escape, and the terrifying power and conspiracies of Nagato of Amegakure.

In the coming years, the entire ninja world will be swept up in the enormous waves involving this secret, and an unprecedented war may even break out.

Tsunade is a veteran Kage-level ninja, but she is also a woman and naturally has a strong aversion to war.

If she were left with no one to rely on, she would surely stand up, shoulder the responsibility of Konoha Village, bravely face the war, and fight to the very end with her own fists.

Fortunately, she now has someone to rely on.

He was a very young but ambitious man, a leader with sharp eyes who knew countless secrets, the strongest ninja in the ninja world, and the Fifth Hokage, Sasuke.

Thinking of her lover, Tsunade suddenly felt less panicked.

Then she began to feel unwell.

Tsunade used her medical ninjutsu to soothe her aches and pains, and feeling her exhaustion, she drifted into a sweet dream.

After settling Tsunade in, Xia Zuo went to see Orochimaru.

Orochimaru said immediately upon meeting him, "Fifth Hokage, I cannot complete your mission."

Xia Zuo asked curiously, "Why? What problem have you encountered?"

The reason he assigned this task to Orochimaru was because Orochimaru "had practical experience".

In the original history, it was Orochimaru who designed and launched the "Konoha Crush Plan," which allowed the Third Hokage to be buried as a hero, while simultaneously crippling the Sand Village.

Why can't we do it now?

Orochimaru explained helplessly, "Actually, I've devised several plans, but they're all stuck on a problem that's completely unsolvable."

"Fifth Hokage, your strength is too great, and your achievements are too dazzling."

"I simply cannot imagine how bad the Fourth Kazekage's brain must be to think that he can deal with you or withstand your retaliation afterward."

"As long as Rasa doesn't want to die, he will never consider any plan to attack Konoha Village."

Xia Zuo thought about it and realized that the problem was indeed very tricky, but he also noticed that Orochimaru's eyes did not show any frustration, but instead gleamed with a cunning light.

He smiled: "Orochimaru, I think you already have a plan that can be executed."

"Tell me, what do you want?"

Orochimaru first smiled insincerely and praised, "As expected of the Fifth Hokage, your eyesight is incredibly sharp; nothing can escape your notice."

Then his expression changed, and he said seriously, "I want to make contact with the Akatsuki organization, and then use Nagato's Rinnegan, or Madara Uchiha's name, to make the Fourth Kazekage think that there is hope of defeating you."

Xia Zuo agreed without hesitation: "No problem, this is a very good idea, I approve."

Orochimaru was not surprised at all, and then made his request with a drooling look: "I want the Fifth Hokage's 'Complete Guide to Cloning Technology', the whole set of technology."

Xia Zuo looked enlightened, but he still readily agreed: "Okay, the 'Copycat Technology Outline'..."

This is considered an additional task reward.

Orochimaru excitedly stuck out his tongue and praised, "As expected of the Fifth Hokage, I will do my best to complete the mission."

Since defeating Orochimaru and confining him to Konoha, Xia Zuo has been making preparations.

Orochimaru is a proud and arrogant scientist. He cannot be controlled by violence alone, as it would easily backfire.

To calm Orochimaru down, besides using violence as a prerequisite, the first step is to appeal to his emotions and rebuild his bond with the village.

Sasuke Uchiha's apprenticeship, Tsunade's all-out treatment of Kimimaro, and Kabuto Yakushi's job assignment were all actions taken by Sasuke and Tsunade to achieve this goal.

Secondly, they needed to offer something that could attract Orochimaru. Xia Zuo specifically shared biotechnology with Xia Zuo from the interstellar world.

On the battlefields of the interstellar world, high-energy radiation reaches extremely high levels, and mechanical soldiers with inadequate protection will be damaged in just a few seconds.

However, the price of those well-protected mechanical soldiers was beyond the production capacity of the Interstellar Confederation.

Therefore, clone soldiers, who can survive "healthily" for 48 hours in a radiation environment that can destroy any robot, have become very popular and have become the main cannon fodder of the army.

Human soldiers like Shazo, on the other hand, are equipped with heavily armored and expensive mechs, and command unarmed clone soldiers in battle on the front lines.

The enormous consumption spurred production and research, and the production of clone soldiers in the interstellar world reached a high level of maturity, achieving fully automated, factory-scale mass production.

The technology for creating clones was so sophisticated and widespread that Interstellar Xia Zuo easily acquired the complete set and passed it on to Naruto Xia Zuo through memory sharing.

Then she became the carrot that the Fifth Hokage used to seduce Orochimaru.

Next, Xia Zuo told Tsunade the secret, and also told Orochimaru, allowing the snake to rediscover the Akatsuki organization.

One reason is to prevent Orochimaru from making a misjudgment that could affect the progress of his plan.

On the other hand, Xia Zuo deliberately spread intelligence in preparation for future wars.

After successfully obtaining the Bloodline Elimination Ring, Xia Zuo's power increased beyond his expectations.

Under the influence of the twin rings, Xia Zuo's body underwent a fundamental change, and it even began to resonate with his life level during the Tribulation Transcending stage.

This means that his power is about to leap from the Kage level to the Six Paths level, making him qualified to participate in the final battle and confident enough to cover for Konoha Village.

Orochimaru looked at Xia Zuo with a complicated expression: "Fifth Hokage, the greatest fortune of Konoha is that you were chosen to be Hokage."

"Please rest assured, whether it's plotting against the Fourth Kazekage or fighting against Akatsuki in the war, I will do my utmost."

Xia Zuo nodded in satisfaction and personally saw Orochimaru off from the village.

A month passed quickly, and the genin from the four major ninja villages and 22 smaller ninja villages gathered in Konoha to prepare for the joint Chunin Exams.

The genin of the small ninja village are all very self-aware. Each ninja is very low-key, arriving quietly and settling in quietly. If you don't pay attention, you might not even notice their arrival.

The genin from the four great ninja villages are different; these prodigies always have their own pride and personality.

For example, Hozuki Suigetsu has been constantly complaining throughout his journey, saying that he doesn't like the long sword, Sewing Needle, that he was assigned to him at all, and wants to exchange it with the leader, the Upper Ninja Momochi Zabuza, for the Broken Sword, Executioner's Blade.

For this, he was knocked to the ground several times by Zabuza, but he did not show any restraint.

Unless Zabuza is so annoyed by the harassment that he orders Suigami to calm down, Zabuza will remain quiet for a while after turning into an ice sculpture.

Every time Zabuza freezes Suigetsu into an ice sculpture, he lectures Haku: "You're too gentle. You should be tougher on Suigetsu, hit him harder, and scare him into submission in one go."

Haku smiled gently and said, "Yes, I will, Lord Zabuza."

The transparent genin, Gray, silently carried the ice sculpture on his back and continued forward with the captain and the jonin leading the team.

Actually, this guy has a lot of inner monologues; he's always internally complaining:

[Zabuza-sama himself doesn't use his full strength, yet he lets the gentle Captain Haku do it, really.]

[Shuiyue is a madwoman. Relying on her water-transformation technique to become immune to damage, she doesn't even know what fear is.]

Captain Bai is so beautiful and gentle, and her voice is so lovely. She's truly a perfect person.

The Mist Village team arrived at the gate of Konoha Village. Because Suigetsu was in an ice sculpture state, they were able to complete the identity registration smoothly and enter the increasingly prosperous Konoha Village.

White, gray, and Shuiyue, whose head had thawed, looked around, attracted by the bustling crowds and dazzling array of goods. This was so different from the ghostly Kirigakure.

Hozuki Suigetsu clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "Konoha Village is truly prosperous. No wonder the Mizukage of each generation wanted to invade it. If we could plunder Konoha Village, how much money could we get?"

Shuiyue's unbridled words instantly drew hostile stares.

Kirigakure is the most staunch anti-Konoha vanguard, and successive generations of Kirigakure ninjas have harbored the ultimate dream of "counterattacking the Land of Fire and flattening Konoha."

Zabuza, Hozuki Suigetsu, and Hai didn't think there was anything wrong with Suigetsu's words. Instead of being glared at by the angry Konoha ninjas, they were quite pleased and not afraid of being surrounded and attacked.

Only Captain Bai bowed apologetically to those around him, using a gentle smile to defuse the increasingly sharp hostility.