Starting from the roots of Konoha, they were the masterminds behind the scenes.

Chapter 29 Mysterious Operation! (Please read further, vote, and give monthly tickets)

At night, Xingxia Xiu stopped his training to rest, and his clones also exhausted their chakra and dissipated.

But he soon discovered...

He lost one of his clones.

"No way?"

Xingxia Xiu's eyes twitched wildly.

Could it be that the missing clone became mentally unstable and ran away without cultivating?

What will they do?

Is he planning to assassinate the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Or did he go directly to assassinate Danzo?

Suddenly, Xingxia Xiu broke out in a cold sweat.

He quickly formed hand seals to dispel the clone.

……

The bustling night market in Konoha is filled with people coming and going on the wide streets.

Xingxia Xiu's clone walked leisurely with his hands behind his head.

"Cultivation, cultivation, all you ever think about is cultivation... You finally get a second chance, can't you enjoy yourself a little?"

"Is this still a hot-blooded young man?"

"Has Danzo completely brainwashed them?"

While mentally complaining, the clone's gaze lingered on a pair of peaches.

This is life!

Reluctantly withdrawing his gaze, he stepped into a hot spring inn.

Half an hour later, the clone emerged from the hot spring house feeling refreshed, but also a little disappointed.

There's no mixed-gender bathing! Thumbs down!

With an air of indifference, his gaze swept across the shops on both sides of the street.

He planned to find an izakaya (Japanese pub) to have a few drinks, preferably with someone to accompany him.

He remembered that when Jiraiya went to Amegakure, there were people serving him drinks; he wondered if Konoha had any.

"what?"

Suddenly, the clone's eyes lit up.

He saw a big, fat sheep.

No, it's Tsunade.

Besides her, there are also Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Three people were drinking in a shop.

What a coincidence!

The clone smiled, thinking to himself, "Tsunade is the perfect springboard across darkness and light!"

"He'll be the man to become Hokage if he defeats Tsunade!"

Immediately, the clone stepped towards the izakaya.

As for whether it will expose their identity.

This is not within the scope of the clone's consideration.

Besides, Tsunade and the others didn't recognize the original Hoshino Shige.

Now that he is presenting himself as A, it is impossible for him to be exposed in a short period of time.

Upon entering the izakaya, the clone went straight to Tsunade's side and sat down, with Jiraiya and Orochimaru sitting opposite her.

Tsunade turned her head and frowned, Jiraiya looked puzzled, and Orochimaru's gaze sharpened.

The clone greeted everyone with a smile: "Everyone, it's been a long time."

Upon hearing the voice, Jiraiya immediately recognized it: "It's you!"

The clone nodded: "It's me, A!"

Tsunade sized up Hoshino Hide: "I didn't expect you to be so young. 'A' is just your code name."

"Since you're not using your Root organization identity, shouldn't you use your real name to be more polite?"

The clone met Tsunade's gaze and said very seriously, "The identity of a Root ninja will not change because of my disguise."

"Just like a Konoha ninja, just because you take off your ninja vest and headband doesn't mean you're no longer a Konoha ninja and no longer protect the village."

Hoshino's gaze was too intense, and Tsunade subconsciously looked away.

Jiraiya immediately retorted, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with using your real name when you're not on a mission, is there?"

The clone shook his head: "Ninjas who enter Root must forget their own names and become nameless protectors hidden in the darkness."

"Or rather, the code name is our new name."

Orochimaru laughed and said, "Indeed, a name is just a code, and a code can also be a name."

The clone chuckled, glanced at the wine glasses in front of the three people, and said, "Mind buying me a drink?"

Tsunade looked Hoshino up and down: "Are you sure you're old enough to drink?"

The clone took Tsunade's wine cup without a second thought and drank it all in one gulp: "I'm sixteen years old this year."

"Of course, most importantly, I'm just a clone."

Tsunade and Jiraiya were dumbfounded.

Tsunade was upset because Hoshino Shu took her wine glass without asking; that guy was way too familiar with her.

Jiraiya was also affected by Hoshino's actions, but why didn't Tsunade throw a punch at him?

Orochimaru looked at Hoshino Shige with even more interest.

The latest novel is first published here!

This guy from the roots is interesting.

Frowning at Hoshino Shuu who was pouring himself a drink, Tsunade beckoned to the waiter to bring a new glass and asked, "You're just a clone, what are you doing here?"

The clone chuckled, "Because the main body is cultivating very diligently, I'm taking his place to relax a bit."

Jiraiya looked somewhat bewildered.

Is this okay?

Isn't it usually the case that one person does things in two separate ways while the main body slacks off?

Moreover, the person in front of me seems to be quite different from the one I showed when I was wearing the mask.

Jiraiya glanced at Hoshino Shuu, then at Tsunade, and inexplicably felt something was amiss.

This guy seems to have come with some kind of purpose!

The clone poured everyone a full glass of wine and asked Tsunade, "Tsunade, you're a medical ninja, you must have a deep understanding of the human body, right?"

Tsunade said lazily, "So-so."

He said it was just so-so, but his tone inevitably carried a hint of pride.

The clone's gaze lingered on Tsunade's face before it continued, "Tsunade, have you heard of the Takigakure's secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear?"

"Earthly Grudge?"

Tsunade thought about it carefully, then frowned and shook her head: "I've never heard of it."

Jiraiya and Orochimaru were also drawn to the attention.

The clone then asked, "Have you heard of Kakuzu?"

"This guy once tried to assassinate the First Hokage."

Did he attempt to assassinate the First Hokage?

Tsunade and the other two were all taken aback.

Orochimaru thought for a moment and said, "I think I've seen this guy on the wanted list before; he's S-rank."

Jiraiya said, "Having assassinated the First Hokage, this guy's age... he should be retired by now, right?"

The clone said, "The person from that era was indeed very old, but after assassinating the First Hokage, he was betrayed by the village and thus seized the Earth Grudge Fear Secret Technique, a treasure hidden in Takigakure."

"This secret technique allows one to steal the hearts of others to prolong their own life and maintain peak condition at all times."

Tsunade's expression hardened: "This is truly an evil secret technique. It seems this is why he hasn't been captured yet."

Orochimaru looked at Hoshinobu and suddenly asked, "Kou, has Kakuzu already been dealt with by Root?"

The clone did not answer, but continued, "The secret technique of Earth Grudge Fear, which uses another person's heart to extend one's own lifespan, is only one aspect. It can also obtain the chakra nature transformations possessed by the person who received the heart."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed upon hearing this: "Five hearts, which means Kakuzu possesses five nature transformations."

The clone didn't say anything, and continued, "The five hearts correspond to five different natures."

"Besides the main body, the other four hearts can also leave the body to fight alone or in combination, and they are effective in all terrains."

Tsunade and Jiraiya both became serious upon hearing this.

Having mastered the five nature transformations, and being a ninja from the same era as the First Hokage, he must have possessed incredibly rich combat experience.

Such a person possesses formidable strength.

At that moment, they couldn't help but think of one person.

That was their teacher, the current Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

(End of this chapter)