Traveling through three generations: Making Konoha great again!

Chapter 153 The Hokage's Talk-no-Jutsu Target Today is the Nine-Tails; A New Direction for Body Tempering with Sealing Techniques (1-Word Chapter!)

The ancestral home of the Thousand Hands family.

Mito Uzumaki sipped her tea, her tone nonchalant: "Which other Uchiha Izuna? Naturally, the one who's sworn enemies with Tobirama—"

"You heard Tobirama talk about him when you were a child, right?"

'

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded numbly.

How could I not have heard of it?

A quick glance back at my memories brings to mind Tobirama's awkward assessment of Izuna—

They clearly wanted to boast about their victory, but always ended up mentioning the opponent's strength at the end.

"I've heard of it. I remember Danzo made some sharp comments about Izuna when he was a child, which got him scolded by Tobirama-sensei—" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, shaking his head.

"That was a good scolding—"

Mito nodded: "That's a matter from the previous generation. You are the younger generation and shouldn't make rash comments—"

"However, you are different now, Hiruzen. You have inherited Hashirama's will. As long as the reputation and resources of your predecessors are beneficial to the village, you can promote them according to your own wishes—"

Mito smiled slightly: "The fireside talk you had in the village the other day," Yamato and I listened to it from beginning to end, and Yamato kept saying, "The First Lord was really amazing, so strong and wise—"

When Hiruzen Sarutobi said that Hashirama saw the inadequacy of the Will of Fire, and saw through fifty years in a single glance—

Not only Tobirama couldn't hold back anymore, but Mito also burst out laughing.

How come she didn't know her husband was so smart?

If he truly possessed Hiruzen's intelligence, he wouldn't have had such an unpleasant falling out with Madara Uchiha back then.

At least they won't end up fighting each other.

"Hey! To be honest, I truly believe that Lord Hashirama possesses great wisdom—" Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly picked up the teapot and steadily poured tea for Mito.

With the old lady's words, he can now tell more Hashirama stories—

It's officially authorized!

"However, the bloodshed of the Warring States period meant that Lord Hashirama grew up amidst war from a young age, which prevented him from systematically explaining the Will of Fire—"

"All I did was fill in some flesh and blood on the skeleton that Lord Hashirama had built."

"The one-country-one-village system changed the established pattern of the ninja world for hundreds of years. The Will of Fire laid the foundation for Konoha to be different from other hidden villages."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said earnestly.

He really thought so—

In the mad world of the ninja realm.

Having the will of fire and the idea of ​​ending the chaos is already quite impressive.

While Hashirama's Will of Fire may not be perfect, we can't expect the pioneers to be flawless, can we?

They all have the limitations of their time.

Mito Uzumaki paused, slowly took a sip of tea, and sighed softly.

"Once, Madara Uchiha told me that I didn't understand Hashirama at all—"

"I didn't think much of it at the time, but now it seems there might be some truth to it—"

"Men understand men better, whether as rivals or allies. In the fierce clashes of ideologies, the bonds and obsessions, you are truly on the same wavelength—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi blinked; he didn't know how to respond to that.

It sounds kind of weird—

I understand Hashirama better than Mito? That would truly mean I've completely figured him out—

"Hey, Mito, is Hashirama Senju really that intelligent?" Inside Mito's body, Kurama's ears twitched as he asked incredulously, "He's an ridiculously strong ninja, that's true, but he's obviously not very smart—"

Mito and Yamato weren't the only ones listening to the fireside conversation at the Senju ancestral home; a fox was also there.

As Kurama listened to Hiruzen Sarutobi's understanding of the Will of Fire, and recalled the pure kindness and compassion it felt when honoring the Root members, a sense of familiarity arose within it—

Does he look a bit like an old man?

It's also somewhat like Asura—

However, Kurama only thought about it for a moment before putting the idea out of her mind.

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi is the son of Sasuke Sarutobi, and has no relation to the Senju or Uzumaki clans.

Even Kurama (the Nine-Tails) had heard of Sarutobi Sasuke's name.

But because of this, Kurama paid even more attention to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and unknowingly developed a strange fondness for him.

This Hokage might be different from other humans!

"I don't know. Hashirama is my lover, but I might not really understand him—" Mito's tone unusually carried a hint of sourness: "Madara and Hiruzen seem to understand him better than I do—"

"Once we reach the Pure Land, if I have the chance, I'll ask him properly if he's been pretending to be stupid and playing games with me all these years!"

The nine-tailed fox, its face anthropomorphized with a mischievous grin, said, "Then remember to be strict and avenge me!"

Its relationship with Mito, while far from being a reconciliation, is at least a relatively pleasant one.

Kurama releases a portion of its chakra and the authority to sense malice.

In exchange, Mito Uzumaki no longer has to shut down her five senses, can share her vision most of the time, and has a relatively comfortable mental space.

Kurama was surprised to discover that it could actually live quite comfortably inside a Jinchuriki's body.

"Mito, tell me the story of Hiruzen Sarutobi later."

Nine-Tailed Fox coughed lightly and said casually, "Anyway, I'm just killing time. I'm so bored all day!"

Mito gave an "oh," glanced at Kurama's expression, and chuckled.

This reaction was all too familiar to Mito—

"Does the bond between men also apply to foxes? The Nine-Tails is indeed male—" Mito was at a loss as to what to do about the great bond between ninjas.

This fox is doomed at this sight!

Perhaps later, after becoming captivated by Hiruzen's story, he might even reach a higher level of mastery as a Jinchūriki.

"Mito, what's with that expression?!" Kurama roared angrily.

But Mito had already vanished from the spiritual realm, leaving only Kurama (the Nine-Tails) in its powerless rage—

"Lord Mito, what's going on?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked curiously.

He saw Mito suddenly enter a state of blank stare—

"The Nine-Tails says it's interested in you and wants me to tell it more about your story," Mito said with a smile.

Nine-Tails felt itself turning slightly red—

Is that what it means?

"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback. So tailed beasts can be interested in humans?

"Nine-Tails, thank you for your interest in me—I would like to take this opportunity, as Hokage, to sincerely thank you for your contributions to Konoha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smoothly entered the zone: "You and Lady Mito have done a great job investigating malice for Konoha—"

"These words may sound like deception to you, but I firmly believe that one day, Konoha will be able to coexist peacefully with you, possessing the confidence and strength to no longer need to seal you away!"

Nine-Tails was taken aback. What was this guy talking about?

This is truly seizing the opportunity; is this the time to have a dialogue with oneself?

"Mito, I want to talk to Hiruzen Sarutobi! Do you really think you're so eloquent?" Kurama shouted.

Mito smiled slightly: "Alright then, I hope you can refute Hiruzen—"

In Mito's view, this is Kurama accelerating its self-conquest process—

"Hiruzen Sarutobi! Don't bother with your fake niceties! You ninjas, even the Konoha ninjas, only use tailed beasts as weapons; there's no way you'd ever reconcile with us!"

A fluffy fox head emerged from Mito's shoulder and said sternly, "You only covet the power of the tailed beasts!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.

"Nine-Tails, I know you've been sealed away and lost your freedom, and you're filled with resentment—"

"But could you please allow me to explain my thoughts first, and point out any problems I may have?"

Nine-Tailed Fox scoffed: "Heh, go ahead and say it!"

"According to the records in the ancient texts, you were created between heaven and earth a thousand years ago, and you were born with great power and the characteristic of immortality—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly said, "In ancient times, people feared you and called you a calamity. Of course, there were also ambitious people who coveted you—and you took the lives of many people in countless conflicts—"

"It is impossible to determine who started this conflict."

"But I think that in that era, which was almost like the law of the jungle, you wouldn't care about right or wrong, after all, the prevailing principle back then was 'winner takes all, loser loses everything'."

Do you accept what I'm saying?

'

Kurama narrowed its eyes, seriously considering Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

He nodded slowly.

In its early years, it did have many conflicts with humans.

Sometimes it is humans who want to capture it, but sometimes it is the other way around that it cannot control its own power.

Or rather, its power was too great; even when it occasionally wanted to unleash a few small Tailed Beast Balls out of boredom, they could still kill weak humans.

After several rounds of entanglement, neither side could distinguish right from wrong.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi said, although both tailed beasts and humans possessed intelligence at that time, who would care about the life or death of the weak?

Just like a lion hunting a hare, it's only natural that the strong possess everything.

"If that's the case, then you shouldn't be complaining."

"Because Lord Hashirama is stronger than you, he defeated you, and as the loser, you should pay the price—" Hiruzen Sarutobi said softly.

Kurama glared angrily at Hiruzen Sarutobi, opening and closing its mouth repeatedly before finally managing to utter, "How can that be the same?! Didn't you talk about the Will of Fire? Is the Will of Fire just about who has the bigger fist?"

Mito stroked the fox's head affectionately: "Oh dear, it's because you've lived so long that you can see everything—Nine-Tails, you can even talk about the Will of Fire?"

Nine-Tails shook its head impatiently, trying to shake off Mito's hand.

But since he couldn't shake it off, he had no choice but to give up and let Mito rub it while staring intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Let's not argue with women for now.

The key is the conversation between men!

"Yes, it's definitely wrong to communicate with you using the law of the jungle—"

"Because you have intelligence, wisdom, and the ability to communicate, apart from your different appearance, I treat you as a human being"—" Hiruzen Sarutobi stared directly at Kurama.

Nine-Tails was taken aback. "Do you think it's a person?"

I know you're unhappy—

"Your attack on Konoha was also controlled by Madara Uchiha. Your battle with Lord Hashirama was not your intention. You believe that it is wrong for the village to imprison you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly.

Nine-Tails' eyes lit up; it hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to speak up for it!

"That's right, Hashirama Senju is too much! He's so powerful that even—"

Nine-Tails paused, then said with a vengeance, "They actually said my power was too terrifying, and they had to seal me away!"

The Nine-Tails wanted to say that even if the nine of them combined to form the Ten-Tails, they would still be no match for Hashirama Senju at his peak.

However, the Sage of Six Paths had repeatedly told them that they must never mention the Ten-Tails.

"There's no need to belittle yourself. The fact that Madara Uchiha was able to bring you to the battlefield against Lord Hashirama proves that your power is sufficient to influence this battle between the pinnacle of the ninja world—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and said, "Would Madara allow a useless person to appear in the duel against Lord Hashirama? Absolutely not—"

"You are very strong, there is no doubt about that."

The Nine-Tailed Fox unconsciously perked up its ears, feeling extremely satisfied.

They have good taste—

"But you're not strong enough either—" Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the subject: "Even if you were forcibly controlled by Madara Uchiha, your attack on the First Hokage is a fact, and taking coercive measures against you is only right—"

"You might say you can guarantee you won't attack Konoha again, but please forgive my bluntness, there are many hidden villages in the ninja world that could capture you now—"

"The Tsuchikage who possesses the Dust Release technique, which can dissolve everything, and the Iwagakure with its multi-person military formation techniques—"

"The Hidden Cloud Village possesses the Six Paths Noble Phantasms, and the Raikage's physical body can withstand a Tailed Beast Ball—"

"Even if it's Sunagakure or Kirigakure, if you're ambushed in their familiar ocean or desert territory, you might not necessarily be able to defeat them."

"A well-organized elite ninja unit. To unconditionally crush them as an individual, you'd have to be either the First Hokage or Madara Uchiha—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly.

Nine-Tails initially wanted to retort in a fit of rage, but ultimately remained silent.

It knows that too.

In recent decades, ninjutsu has emerged in an explosive manner, and powerful ninjas have appeared like stars in the sky.

In the past, it only paid attention to the old man's descendants at most.

But we can't do that now—

"In other words, even if you didn't intentionally attack Konoha, if we release you, you will become a weapon for other hidden villages to attack Konoha—"

"Please forgive my bluntness, but you are like a large, unstable bomb right now. Imagine if such a bomb had appeared in your territory in ancient times—"

"Will you seal it away, or throw it out and wait for an enemy who might attack you to pick it up?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly.

Nine-Tails pondered the scene and fell silent.

It's not stupid; why would it let the enemy get the weapon to attack it?

I will definitely take it for myself; if I can't control it, I'll seal it away.

This seems to be an unsolvable dead end.

"So this is the only fate I can have?"

The nine-tailed fox chuckled, "How infuriating!"

"That's not the case—"

"I was just using a bomb as a metaphor for you. You're not an object or a beast; you're a special person."

"Being human means having the ability to learn and change oneself."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared directly at Kurama: "I hope that you can find a way to avoid being controlled by the Sharingan or other ninjutsu in Konoha and through your interactions with Lord Mito, continuously improve yourself, and achieve a state where you are not harmed in the ninja world as soon as possible."

"Therefore, I also ask that you provide your strength to Konoha for the purpose of protection."

"I think this is a fair contract."

Nine-Tails blinked its eyes forcefully.

The way Hiruzen Sarutobi earnestly urged it to study reminded it of the Sage of Six Paths!

"The way the old man used to teach us ninjutsu is so similar to this mortal—"

Thinking about this, Kurama regretted his actions!

Why did I sleep with my tail curled up at that time?

Even the stinky raccoon has become a top student! The octopus even knows a little bit of sealing magic—

According to Hiruzen Sarutobi, there are reasons why tailed beasts find it difficult to learn ninjutsu.

The tailed beast's chakra is volatile and chaotic, much like when it activates its Lightning Release chakra mode; releasing ninjutsu requires extremely precise chakra control.

Unless you put in a lot of effort to master it, it's better to rely on your physical strength and talent to fight.

"Hmph—that sounds nice!"

"Mito and Konoha, will teach me ninjutsu? Don't be ridiculous!" Kurama turned its head away, but its heart was filled with a long-lost itch.

"Why not? If you want to learn, I'll teach you—" Mito said, following up on Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

"real?"

Kurama abruptly turned its head, its fox-like eyes fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Aren't you afraid I'll become extremely strong? Learn your ninjutsu, pretend to cooperate with you, and then kill you all?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kurama (the Nine-Tails) with a puzzled expression.

This fox has such a strange temperament!

A little arrogant—

If Kurama hadn't said that, Hiruzen Sarutobi would indeed have had to consider this issue.

But saying it out loud gives people the feeling that they need to be coaxed.

"Alright, stop with the high-sounding talk. I don't sense any malice from you right now—" Mito patted the fox's head and said with a chuckle, "Why are you acting all innocent? I really don't know who taught you that—"

"Are you so sure of your senses? Let me tell you, I've been able to fool you for a long time!" Nine-Tails tried to save face, but inwardly he was groaning.

Why is someone using malicious perception during negotiations?

That's unfair! That's unfair!

"First of all, I trust Lady Mito's judgment."

"Even if you managed to deceive Lady Mito and did exactly as you said—"

"I will stop you too."

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed: "Nine-Tails, I know your power is incredibly strong, so I'm very confident—if you don't agree with the Will of Fire, I do have another way to make a deal with you."

Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes: "You tell me!"

"I will have Lady Mito slightly loosen the seal, allowing your true form to emerge—"

"Let's find a place for a one-on-one duel. If I lose, then after Lord Mito passes away, I will not look for a Jinchuriki for you, but will let you return to the ninja world."

"Regarding this promise, I swear on the title of Lord Hashirama's successor."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile, "But if you lose, then you must unconditionally obey all orders from Konoha—I won't ask you to swear an oath, but if you don't, I won't treat you as a human being anymore."

"Since there's no clear winner, let's maintain the status quo."

"How about it, want to give it a try?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi has been itching to fight lately!

How can one improve without fighting?

However, Tsunade and Orochimaru were both engaged in scientific research, Jiraiya was studying Sage Mode, and Minato was reflecting after losing to Tobirama.

Hiruko, Hizashi, Danzo, and others couldn't put much pressure on him in one-on-one situations.

However, summoning all the Konoha committee members to train with him at once would disrupt the village's order too much.

Not worth the candle.

In Hiruzen Sarutobi's opinion, he dared not say that he could absolutely defeat the Nine-Tails—

However, given the limited attack methods of the Tailed Beasts, he definitely won't lose; at the very least, it will be a draw.

Nine-Tailed Fox snorted coldly, how dare a mortal underestimate it!

He initially intended to stubbornly agree, but then he took a second thought, carefully activating his beast-like senses to scrutinize Hiruzen Sarutobi—

Hiruzen Sarutobi's smiling face made Kurama (the Nine-Tails) feel very uneasy!

Why does this person look so eager to try?

No, I am the Nine-Tails, a calamity of nature!

"While this level of chakra isn't as much as mine, it's still quite substantial—"

"He should know some ninjutsu, right? After all, he's the Hokage—"

Kurama pondered, silently asking Mito in his mind, "Let's make a deal! You tell me how many ninjutsu he knows, and I'll give you more chakra in the future!"

Nine-Tails isn't afraid of Mito lying, after all, it's the source of the ability to sense malice.

Mito said casually, "I don't know either, but Hiruzen previously synthesized two bloodline limits: Ice Release and Boil Release—"

"He's been researching sealing techniques lately, and we should have talked about that after our casual chat—"

"But you suddenly appeared and interrupted—"

Upon hearing the words "synthetic bloodline limit" and "sealing technique," Kurama's heart sank.

It's not that it understands nothing—

If you can synthesize a bloodline limit, you should be proficient in regular escaping techniques, right?

Aside from absolute powerhouses like Hashirama and Madara who can overcome all techniques with sheer force, this kind of ninja is the most difficult to deal with!

There are also sealing techniques—

It can be called the nemesis of tailed beasts!

Moreover, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation—

How could someone recognized as the successor to Hashirama be a weakling?

This isn't because it chickened out—it simply chose to be cautious!

"No fighting! What's the point of fighting? We're talking about reason and the Will of Fire as human beings!"

The nine-tailed fox waved its claws repeatedly: "Hmph, I'll trust you for a while! But I'm reserving the opportunity for a one-on-one duel with you!"

"Mito, take this chakra! I've also unleashed my malice perception ability—"

"Teach me ninjutsu tomorrow and the day after!"

Mito nodded with a smile: "Okay, I understand—"

In Mito's view, as long as Kurama gives her chakra, and it's the kind that's actively filtered—

She can at least stay in power until Yamato gets married and has children! And that's the most conservative estimate—

As for what happens after she dies—

Mito wasn't worried at all, because she had understood this ever since Kurama (the Nine-Tails) became interested in Hiruzen Sarutobi.

A strange bond began to form—

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked regretful. Why did he run away?

What a great practice subject!

The kind that's extremely rare!

"I have this feeling he really wants to fight. Are all the Hokage of Konoha like this?"

Nine-Tails returned to the water corpse, muttering incessantly, "This isn't good, this isn't good!"

Mito gave a noncommittal smile.

What a cowardly fox!

"Lord Mito, I have two ideas regarding sealing techniques. Could you please give me your advice?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi handed him a scroll.

Mito nodded, opened the package, and examined it closely. After a moment, she looked up in surprise.

One is the configuration of the space sealing technique.

This is a semi-finished product, formed by Hiruzen Sarutobi's hard work and sweat, plus a little help from the "Konoha Performance" moment.

The framework is already in place; it just needs to be perfected.

The general effect is to create a sealed area, making the space it covers stable.

The second is that it gives Mito a very strong sense of déjà vu!

It is very similar to a forbidden technique that she developed by her father, Ashina Uzumaki, but which failed.

Its name is "Wanfeng Nati Seal"!

"Hiruzen, I will help you refine your first spatial sealing technique concept—"

Mito said, somewhat puzzled, "But currently, the only well-known space-time ninjutsu in the ninja world is the Flying Thunder God Technique. Do you really need to worry about that?"

I have a feeling this was designed to counter the Flying Thunder God technique.

But the Hokage didn't need to do that!

"Lord Mito, space-time ninjutsu is too overpowered, and there are countless geniuses in the ninja world."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said seriously, "If other hidden villages develop space-time ninjutsu, we must also have a way to counter it. We can't just hope that others can't develop it—"

Mito blinked.

She now understood where the ninja academy kids' fear of insufficient firepower came from—

The bond was forged from the very beginning with Hiruzen!

"My father had considered your second idea, but it was a dead end," Mito said with a sigh. "He called it the 'Ten Thousand Seals Body Seal,' and he once hoped to use this technique to make the Uzumaki clan stand out from all other ninja clans, but in the end, he failed—"

After studying the sealing technique, Hiruzen Sarutobi valued this branch of ninjutsu highly.

The domineering nature of sealing techniques lies in their priority.

Unless the difference in chakra levels is too great, sealing techniques have an incredibly strong ability to counter the corresponding ninjutsu.

For example, the "Fire Sealing Seal" technique, activated with one unit of chakra, can seal at least five units of Fire Release chakra.

However, sealing techniques also have drawbacks.

The structure is too sophisticated to be used in actual combat at the same level.

It also requires specially made reels and other carriers, which must be prepared in advance, and has many drawbacks.

This was also the inspiration Hiruzen Sarutobi drew from Danzo's inscription of the "Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique" on his body—

Sealing techniques can remain permanently in the body.

So, if, like the Yin Seal, the sealing technique is kept in a state of preparation within the body, ready to be unleashed, and can be quickly and seamlessly released in actual combat, then most of the drawbacks can be eliminated—

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was only trying it out; his understanding of sealing techniques was more of a general grasp.

To create a sealing technique, one needs a long period of dedication, coupled with a stroke of inspiration, to have any possibility of obtaining a feasible concept.

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to ask Mito Uzumaki.

But what he didn't expect was that Ashina Uzumaki had once had a similar idea and even determined that this path was a dead end—

"Lady Mito, could you explain this technique to me?"

"Regarding the 'Ten Thousand Seals Body Seal'—" Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice.

Mito nodded and slowly began to speak.

"Father also realized the drawbacks of sealing techniques requiring a vessel and being difficult to unleash in battles of equal strength, so he boldly wanted to combine the seal and the physical body into one—"

"The so-called 'Ten Thousand Seals Body Seal' is to use the human body as an array, allowing the body to acquire the characteristics of sealing techniques through long-term adaptation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lit up: "Isn't this great?"

This is even more powerful than he had envisioned!

"But it's a dead end—"

"Father has figured out this technique, but ultimately, techniques are meant to be used by people—"

"If the threshold is too high and no one can use it, even the best ideas are meaningless if they cannot be implemented."

Mito said softly, "After the 'Ten Thousand Seals Body Seal' is constructed within the body, the resulting array core is like a new organ, but also as fragile as the internal organs of a newborn."

"Only during the stage of rapid cell division and meridian growth can the array core grow with the body, deeply integrate into the human body, and complete the transformation of the physique by means of the sealing technique it carries."

"But that's the problem."

"To meet these conditions, the ninja training must be in their adolescence, and the array core must continuously and stably supply chakra actively in order to maintain it—"

"Even the geniuses of the Uzumaki clan cannot withstand this kind of long-term consumption. In order to supply energy, they will delay their cultivation and development, and eventually become useless."

"Once a ninja reaches adulthood and has sufficient chakra, their body has already fully matured—no matter how much energy is supplied to the sealing technique, the body cannot be fused with the sealing technique; it's just a waste of chakra."

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood—

The forbidden technique, Uzumaki Ashina, is extremely ingenious in its design, but it is almost impossible to implement.

The age at which you can train effectively doesn't have enough chakra to sustain you, and the age at which you can sustain it doesn't have enough chakra to train effectively!

After all, ninjas don't have a second growth spurt; true reverse aging doesn't exist.

But he is an exception!

"My father dedicated himself to researching this technique, striving to make the Uzumaki clan the strongest in the ninja world, working tirelessly day and night—"

"This might also be one of the reasons why he refused to let the Uzumaki clan be incorporated into Konoha, but instead kept them independent of the Land of Whirlpools—if this technique could be improved, the Uzumaki clan would become exceptionally powerful—"

"Hashirama strongly disliked this technique, believing it was harming the children's future—"

"But this is ultimately my father's fantasy. I have verified it repeatedly over the years, and this technique cannot be improved."

Mito Uzumaki let out a long sigh.

Ninjas are obsessive.

When powerful ninjas become obsessed, they are even more stubborn and difficult to persuade.

"Theoretically speaking, only Hashirama could master this technique—"

"From the time I knew him until middle age, Hashirama was constantly getting stronger, as if there were no bottlenecks, but Hashirama had no need to learn this technique—"

Mito shook his head: "He has the ability to heal without seals, why would he need to use this technique to temper his body? Even his internal organs can grow rapidly, I can't understand why his vitality is so strong—"

Even after so many years, Mito couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions when she thought about Hashirama's abilities.

That's incredibly powerful!

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath.

Hashirama doesn't train because his healing abilities are maxed out; there's no need to divert his energy to that.

But he needs to practice!

As the inheritor of Hashirama's will, how can I not try to emulate the First Hokage?

His healing ability is naturally inferior to Hashirama's; without that talent, he could never catch up to him in this lifetime.

But you can stack up your physical strength!

Rounding down, this can be seen as a way of paying homage to Hashirama Senju in another form.

The mysterious figure who attacked Yashiro put considerable pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The ninja world is truly a place where hidden talents abound!

Who knows how many more mentally unstable individuals like this are still lurking in this land?

What if there are still many?

It's always good to be fully prepared, otherwise, if a few suddenly appear all at once, it could be troublesome.

"Lady Mito, do you know this technique?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with utmost seriousness.

"Of course, this technique was developed jointly by my father and me. Over the years, I've been trying to help him improve it, but—"

Mito suddenly paused, startled: "Hiruzen, you don't actually want to give it a try, do you?"

Mito believed that she had explained things very clearly.

This is a technique that blocks both ends!

"Lord Mito, I am aware of my physical condition—"

"Please trust me, I will not rashly attempt ninjutsu that I cannot master!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi earnestly stated, "As Hokage, I must become strong enough. While Lord Hashirama is undoubtedly an unattainable peak, as his successor, I should strive to climb it!"

"If I can't master it, I'll abandon it immediately and won't waste too much time on it—"

Mito remained silent for a while before nodding.

Powerful ninjas are often stubborn and obsessive, and it seems even Hiruzen was no exception.

Advice is useless.

As an elder, all I can do is try my best to create the best possible "Ten Thousand Seals Body Seal" for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As for whether it will be a complete failure, or whether there's a one in ten thousand chance of success—

Then it's up to fate.

A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his shirt, turned his back to Mito Uzumaki, and clasped his hands together.

Mito's expression was solemn.

"Nine-Tails, I need you to lend me some more chakra—"

Mito said softly, "I want Hiruzen to get the best array core, even if it doesn't make much sense."

"Hmph—take it! I understand the principles behind this technique; there's no way he can master it. Looks like he's an idiot!"

Nine-Tails said in a strange tone, which sounded like she was disappointed in him, "Let him waste time! I'm making real progress, that's how we widen the gap!"

The pure Nine-Tails chakra surged into Mito's body.

Several Vajra seals rose from her back, their sharp tips as thin as needles, and pierced steadily into the center of Hiruzen Sarutobi's spine.

But to Mito's surprise, the Kongo Lock did not break into her flesh as easily as she had expected.

"Hiruzen's physical strength is extraordinary—"

Mito concentrated intently and increased the amount of chakra she possessed.

Like tattooing, the needles pierced through the flesh, meticulously embedding the sealing formation deep into Hiruzen Sarutobi's skin, stroke by stroke and stitch by stitch.

The top anchor point is at the C7 vertebra, the middle section runs down the spine, and the bottom end ends at the lumbar vertebrae.

By combining the chakra of Kurama and Mito with Ashina Uzumaki's insane ideas, a new direction was opened up for Hiruzen Sarutobi's path to body tempering.

Much later.

With the final array link completed.

The golden light surged inward, and the entire sealing formation sank into the bones and meridians along the muscle fibers.

The skin instantly returned to normal, without leaving any trace.

Beneath Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart, a pale golden core quietly emerged, becoming one of his new "organs"—

Mito wiped his sweat: "Alright, Hiruzen!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi put on his shirt, stood up, and bowed deeply to Mito: "Thank you for your hard work!"

We arrived at the Thousand Hands Ancestral Home ahead of schedule today.

It was Mito Uzumaki who asked him to come and study Izuna's chakra within Aomizu's body—

Hiruzen Sarutobi had arrived long ago, intending to chat with Mito and strengthen their bond, but he never expected to obtain such a forbidden technique by a twist of fate!

"Hiruzen, you can take this—"

Mito handed him an old-fashioned booklet: "This contains a detailed explanation of how to incorporate sealing techniques into the array core, but you must remember—"

"This technique won't work. I understand you want to try, but don't waste too much time—"

"In Father's vision, even if the children in their growth period have a sufficient supply of chakra, it will still take at least ten years for them to undergo a qualitative change!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, indicating that he understood.

He didn't seem to care much about the ten-year timeframe.

Because compared to ordinary teenagers, his physical aging rate is much faster—

Much faster.

After returning, he planned to first install the "Fire Sealing Seal" in the core of the array, a sealing technique he was familiar with.

Try increasing fire resistance —

A ninjutsu expert needs more than just mastery of the five elemental ninjutsu; ideally, one should be immune to all five!

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mito sat down and continued chatting about the big and small things happening in the village.

Nine-Tailed Fox listened intently, its ears perked up.

Until evening.

At the appointed time, Isshin brought Tobirama to the Uzumaki family home.

But Kurama saw Tobirama for a fleeting moment.

A fox head popped out from Mito's shoulder: "Mito, I've maxed out my Malice Sense! You can use any of my chakra you want today!"

"I absolutely must see what's going on with Madara Uchiha's brother!"

"I believe he harbors malicious intentions towards Konoha. He must be completely eradicated, his soul scattered! This is also part of the Will of Fire, right, Hokage!"

I didn't listen to the Nine-Tails' idle chatter for nothing—

It heard perfectly clearly that Izuna was Madara's younger brother and that he was inside Aoshui's body.

If you can't beat Madara, then you can at least beat Madara's brother?

Its nine tails are here today to lend a hand and avenge the grudge from years ago!

A big question mark appeared above Tobirama's head.

What did he hear?

Not only did Isshin discuss the Will of Fire with Fugaku—

Even the Nine-Tails is here, huh!

"Is it an illusion?" Tobirama murmured to himself.

P.S.: Here comes a long chapter of 10,000 words!

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