They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 114 The Key to Immortal Arts: The Wrath of Heaven Technique

As mercenaries who travel between various forces in the ninja world year-round, the Tsuchigumo clan has not only built a formidable reputation but also incurred the wrath of many other factions.

Despite being the signature technique of the Earth Spider clan, "Raging Heaven Technique" is indeed powerful, capable of destroying everything within a radius of several hundred kilometers around the caster.

However, things became very awkward when the enemy reached the Earth Spider clan's lair. After all, they couldn't very well wipe out their entire clan in the process of eliminating the enemy, could they?

Aside from forbidden techniques, the ninjutsu mastered by the Tsuchigumo clan can only be described as mediocre in power, and with this alone, they are not enough to contend with the enemies he has provoked.

So a few years ago, after much deliberation, Yi Zhixingzhe finally came up with a good idea: to join a powerful force, accept its protection, and fight exclusively for that force.

A few years ago, Konoha was undoubtedly the number one ninja in the world, so it was only natural that the Enno Gyōja (a type of ninja) would target Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As the restorer of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had strategic vision. Faced with the defection of the En no Gyoza, he immediately made a decision to agree to form an alliance with the Tsuchigumo clan.

In the first few years after the alliance was formed, the Tsuchigumo clan indeed enjoyed a period of comfort, as their enemies feared the reputation of Konoha.

But things soon changed, because Hozuki Shingetsu appeared, and the ninja world began to descend into chaos.

Under Hozuki Shingetsu's various plans, the emergence of the "Konoha Threat Theory" and the "Uchiha Human Rights Report" made Konoha the target of everyone's criticism. The En no Gyoza, who did not want to follow Konoha to destruction, immediately had the idea of ​​cutting ties with Konoha.

Meanwhile, Konoha also keenly noticed this, but being in a state of war, they couldn't spare the manpower to teach the Tsuchigumo clan a lesson for the time being, so they could only turn a blind eye.

However, life for the Tsuchigumo clan, after leaving Konoha, did not improve. Because of their past alliance with Konoha, the other ninja villages did not trust the Tsuchigumo clan, which led to their current awkward situation—pleasing neither side.

"This is what happens to those who are opportunistic!"

After figuring out the whole story, Hozuki Shingetsu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Of course, the En no Gyōja wouldn't admit to being a fence-sitter; all the information above was deduced by Hozuki Shingetsu himself based on intelligence. However, precisely because he discovered this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, as he was extremely experienced in dealing with fence-sitters.

"Has the Tsuchigumo clan considered settling down in Kirigakure?"

Having learned of the Tsuchigumo clan's current predicament, Hozuki Shingetsu felt relieved and began to get straight to the point.

"After all, the world knows that Kirigakure is eager to recruit talent. If the Tsuchigumo clan is willing to come to Kirigakure, then we will certainly not treat you unfairly."

"Settling down in Kirigakure?"

Upon hearing this, the traveler, recalling the various behaviors of Hozuki Shingetsu earlier, immediately understood that this was the reason they had come here, and his mind began to stir.

"Putting aside our wishes, the Tsuchigumo clan is still an ally of Konoha at this time. Isn't what you're doing showing a great disregard for Konoha?"

Upon hearing this, Hozuki Shingetsu knew that the old man was already tempted and was just using this as an excuse to assert his power, so he simply and decisively pushed out Uzumaki Sōjin.

"Allies? What a coincidence. Not to mention that Konoha is currently besieged by three countries and can't even take care of itself, we've done this kind of thing before the war even broke out."

Hozuki Shingetsu, taking advantage of Konoha's distant location, spoke with the air of a powerful figure.

"Besides, we in Kirigakure love to poach Konoha's members. We wouldn't even consider them if they weren't Konoha's allies!"

"The Uzumaki clan is here. Lord Enju, would you like to talk to him about the various treatments the Uzumaki clan receives in Kirigakure?"

Although he already knew that the Uzumaki clan had been incorporated into Uzushio Village, when he actually saw this traditional ally of Konoha appear next to Hozuki Shingetsu, a look of surprise appeared on En no Gyoza's face.

"I forgot to tell you, besides being the young head of the Hozuki clan, I'm also the son-in-law of the Uzumaki clan. So now you should believe in Kirigakure's thirst for talent from outside, right?"

Hozuki Shingetsu continues to push forward, revealing the marriage between Hozuki and Uzumaki, demonstrating through concrete actions his emphasis on attracting outside talent.

"So, according to Lord New Moon, if our Tsuchigumo clan is willing to join Kirigakure, Kirigakure will offer us the same treatment as the Uzumaki clan?"

The traveler's eyes lit up, and he tried to increase his stakes.

"To receive the same treatment as my Uzumaki clan?"

Before Hozuki Shingetsu could say anything, Uzumaki Muneto, who was standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer. While his Uzumaki clan had indeed declined compared to the past, they were definitely not someone a small clan like the Tsuchigumo could easily challenge.

He immediately stepped forward and sarcastically remarked, "Back then, the young Hozuki clan leader promised that all Jonin of my Uzumaki clan would have their respective seats reserved in the Kirigakure Jonin ranks. I wonder how many Jonin the Tsuchigumo clan has now, and they dare to seek the same treatment as my Uzumaki clan?"

Faced with such a question, the En no Kyouzō was naturally speechless, but his opportunistic instincts made him try to seize more benefits: "But our clan's 'Raging Heaven Technique' is also in a class of its own in the ninja world, so it's reasonable for it to have some privileges, isn't it?"

"...You just said that the 'Raging Heaven Technique' is in a class of its own in the ninja world?"

"I wonder if you, Lord En no Gyōja, have ever seen a Tailed Beast Ball?"

Having learned of the true nature of the Ensembler from the events just now, Shingetsu Hozuki lost his patience and immediately communicated with the Six-Tails in his mind, activating his Tailed Beast Transformation.

In an instant, a powerful aura of chakra suddenly rose from Hozuki Shingetsu's body. The curtains in the room moved without wind, and visible waves of dust spread outward from Hozuki Shingetsu. Six scarlet tails, imbued with an ominous meaning, appeared behind Hozuki Shingetsu and swayed casually.

"..."

Looking at Hozuki Shingetsu's tailed beast form, which was both demonic and holy, Enju Gyoza was also stunned and speechless.

After all, no matter how much he argues and twists his words, he can't possibly say that "Raging Heaven Technique" can be compared to the Tailed Beast Ball.

Putting everything else aside, the charging time alone is enough to completely overwhelm our own "Raging Heaven Technique".

Besides... you can talk about the matter at hand, but what's the point of calling out the Tailed Beast?

In this situation, facing a perfect Jinchūriki who is poised to unleash his power, does he dare to say no?

Seeing that En no Gyoza had finally calmed down, Hozuki Shingetsu nodded in satisfaction and, maintaining his tailed beast form, presented his conditions:

"It's definitely impossible for the Tsuchigumo clan to receive the same treatment as the Uzumaki clan. The Tsuchigumo clan will receive the same treatment as any other ninja clan we receive."

"However, while the nobleman's 'Raging Heaven Technique' is incredibly effective, it is also too indiscriminate in its use against friend and foe... Therefore, I allow the nobleman to select three A-rank ninjutsu from the village's collection as family heirloom ninjutsu after arriving in Kirigakure, in order to make up for the shortcomings of this forbidden technique."

Seeing that En no Gyoza seemed about to say something more, Hozuki Shingetsu, with a threatening glint in his eyes and a smile on his face, said, "Oh? It seems that Lord En no Gyoza has something else to say?"

Seeing the six tails behind Hozuki Shingetsu constantly swaying as if they were about to fall, the Traveler quickly stopped talking and nodded knowingly.

Just kidding. If they really angered Hozuki Shingetsu, and he unleashed a Tailed Beast Ball, how would the Tsuchigumo clan possibly resist?

Seeing that the En no Gyoza had finally nodded in agreement, Hozuki Shingetsu breathed a sigh of relief. With that, he had finally obtained the last piece of the puzzle for his cultivation of Sage Mode!

However, he really didn't expect that the process of subduing the Tsuchigumo clan would be so uneventful. It was just a simple matter of using tailed beast transformation to coerce and entice them, and the Tsuchigumo clan would submit.

Recalling the panic those two Tsuchigumo clan members had shown when they first learned of his identity, he couldn't help but wonder if his reputation in the ninja world was truly that outstanding.

In reality, Hozuki Shingetsu underestimated his reputation in the ninja world at that time. After all, in the more than ten years since the First Shinobi World War, the most important changes in the ninja world were the Uchiha uprising, the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, and the internal strife in Kirigakure.

Coincidentally, all three events are inextricably linked to Hozuki Shingetsu; he either orchestrated them or was involved in them.

Although the propaganda department of Kirigakure has been trying to beautify his image under his instructions, those things might fool ordinary people, but for various ninja forces, Hozuki Shingetsu has become another major focus of attention in the ninja world after Shimura Danzo.

Therefore, the voyages naturally became extremely wary of Hozuki Shingetsu and dared not easily disobey him.

Especially at this particular time, when the major powers of the ninja world are embroiled in a fierce battle and Kirigakure is relegated to a remote overseas location, Hozuki Shingetsu's decision to travel to such a small place as the Land of Tea to seek out the Tsuchigumo clan instead of focusing on development in Kirigakure only fueled his fantasies.

-

"Do you wish to learn the art of 'Angry Heaven'?"

The day after the Tsuchigumo clan was officially incorporated into Kirigakure, Hozuki Shingetsu bluntly approached En no Gyoza and expressed his desire to learn the Raging Heaven Technique.

Of course, these are just excuses on the surface.

After all, he is the actual controller of Kirigakure. He has come all the way here and even activated his Tailed Beast form to coerce and entice others. There must be a reason for this, right?

Faced with this excuse, Yi Zhi Xing Zhe clearly believed it, after all, he was quite proud of his family's "Wrath of Heaven Technique." He also understood the mentality of others who went through great lengths to learn it.

However, while I understand, in an era where even B-rank ninjutsu is considered a treasure for small ninja clans to rely on, it's definitely not feasible to expect others to reveal their secret training methods just by talking about it.

"The technique of 'Raging Heaven' has been cultivated by our clan for generations and has long been integrated into our bloodline. Without the bloodline of the Earth Spider clan, it is simply impossible to cultivate it."

The traveler said this.

In fact, this is also a typical practice of ninja clans in the ninja world. From the moment they obtain or create a ninjutsu, they will try to add a lot of "personal touches" to this training process to ensure that even if the ninjutsu is scattered outside, it will not be learned by others.

The most common manifestation of this "personal agenda" is that it is closely tied to one's bloodline.

This method undoubtedly greatly hindered the spread of ninjutsu, so after the ninja village era began, this practice was gradually abolished in the ninja villages.

A prime example is the series of ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, which directly eliminated the factor of bloodline and had no restrictions on training conditions.

Well, aside from the extreme increase in the difficulty of cultivation.

Hozuki Shingetsu was already aware of the Gensou no Gyoza's polite refusal, but he took the opportunity to pretend to be very unhappy and asked to see the Rage of Heaven Technique.

Faced with this reasonable request, the traveler naturally had no choice but to agree immediately.

Seeing that the En no Gyoza agreed so readily, Hozuki Shingetsu felt a sense of unreality—wasn't the activation of the Wrathful Heaven Technique supposed to cost the caster's life?

With the explanation from the Enjouji, Hozuki Shingetsu finally understood some details about the Wrathful Heaven Technique.

As a forbidden technique whose explosive power is directly proportional to the amount of natural energy absorbed, the longer the preparation time for the "Raging Heaven Technique" is, the more natural energy is stored in the body, and the greater its power will be.

For example, the Angry Heaven Technique, whose blast wave can reach hundreds of kilometers, has a gas storage time of up to half an hour.

As the amount of natural energy stored in the body gradually increases, the practitioner's control over this energy gradually declines, and when it gets out of control, they will naturally be affected as well.

This is why activating the "Wrath of Heaven" technique requires sacrificing one's life.

Therefore, as long as you can firmly grasp the natural energy in your body, you will naturally not need to worry about your life.

When Hozuki Shingetsu heard this, the image of the granddaughter of the Yoruichi in the original story flashed through his mind. She was forced to use the Rage of Heaven Technique, but ended up unharmed. This gave him a deeper understanding of this forbidden technique.

In his final battle, the Traveler even proudly stated that even with a gas storage time of up to ten minutes, he could now guarantee his own safety.

Hozuki Shingetsu was overjoyed upon hearing this, as it would give him even greater confidence in having the Envoy unleash the Wrath of Heaven technique multiple times.

Moreover, the way the Traveler stores energy is clearly an alternative way of using natural energy. If he can successfully learn it, it will greatly accelerate the time it takes for him to learn Sage Mode.

Unaware of Hozuki Shingetsu's many schemes, and wanting to avoid trouble, he immediately set up a place far from the Tsuchigumo clan's village to demonstrate his "Raging Heaven Technique" and satisfy Hozuki Shingetsu's curiosity.

(End of this chapter)