In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat across from his beloved... no, his dear friend Shimura Danzō. A low table stood between them, topped with an elegant tea set.
"Did you call me here just to show off your tea-making skills?"
After a long silence, Shimura Danzō could not help asking, a trace of displeasure on his stern face.
He had been busy outside the village last night when he received Sarutobi Hiruzen's message and rushed back at once. He had thought it was an emergency, only to find that this bastard wanted to show him his tea-making skills.
If he had not retained a shred of calm, he would have flipped the table already.
Didn't he know that Shimura was a busy man?
Every minute was worth dozens of ryo!
"Danzō, you're still as impatient as ever!"
Shaking his head slightly, Sarutobi Hiruzen poured two cups of freshly brewed tea and pushed one toward Shimura Danzō.
"Little Kentei is quite impressive. At yesterday's graduation ceremony, he defeated one of my Anbu with a hand-seal-free Nintaijutsu similar to the Monster Strength Technique. It should be around D-Rank."
Seeing the impatience on Shimura Danzō's face deepen, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped beating around the bush and directly brought up yesterday's events.
A sharp glint flickered in Shimura Danzō's aged eyes. He roughly guessed what his old friend meant.
He picked up the teacup before him and pretended to savor it, then said calmly, "You haven't been the only one improving these years. I haven't been slow either!"
He naturally knew that his son had secretly been developing a Nintaijutsu similar to the Monster Strength Technique, called the Super Strength Technique. However, the last time he had heard from his daughter-in-law Keiko, the Super Strength Technique had only reached E-Rank. He had not expected it to have reached D-Rank already.
An E-Rank Super Strength Technique was dispensable, but a D-Rank one had considerable practical combat value. Anyone who learned it could become a Taijutsu-specialized Chunin.
From that perspective, his son was a rare genius. Unfortunately, because of what happened back then, he had been born prematurely before he was fully formed in his mother's womb. Some aspects of his body had not developed completely, and his meridians and acupoints had mutated, leaving him unable to form hand seals and use ninjutsu.
What a pity!
"Developing Nintaijutsu, especially internally explosive techniques like the Monster Strength Technique, is not without risk. It requires unimaginable sacrifice and effort. Don't let those old geezers get hold of something to use against you!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took another sip of tea and offered the reminder in goodwill.
The Sarutobi Family and the Shimura Family had maintained friendly relations since the Warring States Period, and they had even intermarried. The Sarutobi Family's secret Great Fireball Jutsu could unleash several times its power when combined with the Shimura Family's Wind Release.
He had also grown up with Shimura Danzō, attended school with him, and become his teammate. Even now, they remained allies—sharing prosperity and loss alike.
Naturally, he did not want Shimura Danzō to make a mistake and give those old geezers leverage against him.
If he lost Shimura Danzō's support, his own position would not be easy either.
He might be the Hokage now, but most of the village's upper echelon came from the Senju Clan. They were old seniors from the era of the First and Second Hokage, figures at the level of village elders.
Those old geezers were not easy to deal with, and they kept a close eye on people like him.
Over the years, he had been painstakingly conscientious, not daring to reveal the slightest flaw. Life had been thoroughly unpleasant.
"I understand that better than you!"
Shimura Danzō replied dismissively, not taking the matter to heart.
He had also kept a close eye on that son of his and knew the boy was a complete monster. He had barely relied on outside help, yet he had perfected the Super Strength Technique to D-Rank through his own efforts. He had not conducted any human experiments either, so there was naturally no leverage to be found.
Sometimes, he even wondered whether that boy was really his son. He was simply too outstanding, nothing like a son Shimura Danzō could have produced!
"How are the Four Great Shinobi Villages doing lately?"
Seeing that his old friend had things under control, Sarutobi Hiruzen ended the topic. His expression turned solemn as he asked about business.
The First Shinobi World War had ended far too long ago. That was more than enough time for the Four Great Shinobi Villages to prepare for another war.
"They've all been making plenty of small moves. Sunagakure seems to be showing signs of joining forces with Iwagakure. Kirigakure and Kumogakure are still unclear for now, but they must have made preparations as well. They're just waiting for an opportunity!"
Shimura Danzō's expression likewise turned grave as he reported the intelligence he had gathered.
During this period, Sarutobi Hiruzen handled internal affairs while he handled external matters, specifically gathering intelligence on the Four Great Shinobi Villages.
"What about that Demi-God of Amegakure?"
A sharp light flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's aged eyes as he mentioned Hanzo of the Salamander, the man known as the Demi-God.
He had fought Hanzo of the Salamander during the First Shinobi World War and knew something of him. He was not someone willing to remain obscure.
"I'm not sure. However, my men found some suspiciously secretive ninja in the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Grass, the Land of Iron, and the Land of Rice Fields. We still don't know which side they belong to."
With a cold smile on his lips, Shimura Danzō revealed this uncertain piece of intelligence. Though he could not yet confirm which faction those ninja belonged to, he already had a guess.
"It seems that Demi-God also intends to make an appearance in the Second Shinobi World War!"
Turning to the ninja world map hanging on the wall, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze swept across the Land of Rain, Land of Grass, Land of Waterfalls, Land of Iron, and Land of Rice Fields. He sneered as well, having basically guessed the Amegakure Demi-God's intentions.
To be honest, the Land of Rain was not a good place at all. It was a battlefield on all sides, surrounded by the three great nations of the Land of Fire, Land of Wind, and Land of Earth, with no room for development whatsoever. It had even nearly become the main battlefield between Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure during the First Shinobi World War.
That would have been one thing, but then Hanzo of the Salamander appeared, a man who called himself a Demi-God.
In the Land of Rain's environment, which was extremely favorable to Hanzo of the Salamander, even Sarutobi Hiruzen was not confident he could defeat him.
"If Amegakure wants to become the sixth great shinobi village, it must possess a tailed beast. Takigakure's Seven-Tails is his best choice. But his appetite is too great. He doesn't just want to become the sixth great shinobi village—he wants to become the sixth great nation!"
Shimura Danzō also turned his gaze toward the map on the wall. He gave a sinister chuckle, his contempt undisguised.
Hanzo of the Salamander's scheme was indeed quite good. If he truly took the Land of Grass, Land of Waterfalls, Land of Iron, and Land of Rice Fields, linking those five small nations together, he would indeed have the foundation to become the sixth great nation. Amegakure and the Land of Rain could then escape the awkward position of being trapped between the three great nations.
Unfortunately, the ninja world was too small. The Five Great Nations and Five Great Shinobi Villages would never allow someone else to rise up and claim a share of the cake.
Besides, Takigakure, Kusagakure, and the samurai of the Land of Iron were not easy opponents. Hanzo of the Salamander alone was not enough to swallow so many forces.
After all, he was merely a Demi-God, not a true god like the First Hokage, who had been capable of suppressing the entire ninja world!
"Have Kumogakure and Kirigakure discovered Mito's information?"
Pulling his gaze from the map, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked a question in an indifferent tone—a highly strange and taboo question.
"Unfortunately, Mito's identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has already been discovered by those two shinobi villages. Though they haven't uncovered the detailed intelligence, they must already know that the key to a Jinchuriki lies in the Uzumaki Clan's Fuinjutsu."
Shimura Danzō spoke with the same indifferent expression. He understood very well why his friend had asked.
This was an opportunity, a tremendous opportunity they had waited years for. If handled properly, it would be enough to let them truly take control of Konoha.
"Next, Kumogakure and Kirigakure will definitely send troops to attack the Land of Whirlpools and seize the Uzumaki Clan's Fuinjutsu inheritance. Keep a close eye on that place and be ready to provide support at any time.
Uzushio Village is Konoha's ally. We absolutely cannot stand by and watch it be destroyed by the enemy. No matter the cost, Uzushio Village must be preserved!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned solemn as he spoke with firm resolve.
"The pressure from two great shinobi villages won't be easy to withstand. If the battle goes badly, I won't defend the Land of Whirlpools to the death!"
Shimura Danzō's expression remained indifferent, but this time he was speaking sincerely. He could not stake everything on the Land of Whirlpools. If the battle turned unfavorable, he would definitely withdraw to the Land of Fire.
After all, they were only allies, not his father. They were not even allies of the Shimura Family, but allies of the Senju Clan.
"If the battle truly reaches that point, you may retreat. But you must leave behind a spark for the Uzumaki Clan. And Mito's physical condition isn't very good. She won't be able to hold on for more than a few years."
Sarutobi Hiruzen did not force the issue and instead stated his bottom line.
The Land of Whirlpools and Uzushio Village could perish, but the Uzumaki Clan had to survive. Otherwise, he would have no way to answer to Mito Uzumaki.
Moreover, Konoha needed the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline!
"Mm!"
Shimura Danzō nodded without another word, rose to his feet, and left the Hokage's office.
The Four Great Shinobi Villages had been making constant moves lately. He had to keep a close watch on them to prevent anything from going wrong.
Left alone in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned and gazed at the village through the window. He stared blankly for a long while, no one knowing what he was thinking.
Meanwhile, on the other side, once night fell, Shimura Kentei looked with satisfaction at the manuscript before him.
After more than ten hours of work, this particularly colorful copy of "Ninpō Sōkyū" was finally complete!
"Don't push yourself too hard. Staying up late is bad for your skin!"
Seeing Shimura Keiko still working late by lamplight with a focused expression, Shimura Kentei kindly advised her.
"I can't sleep!"
Shimura Keiko replied casually, still fully immersed in organizing and comprehending the Body Strengthening Technique in her hands.
This Body Strengthening Technique truly contained a great deal of material, over a million words in total. Yet precisely because it was so extensive, the contents were extremely straightforward. She could understand nearly everything at a glance without needing to think too hard.
Of course, understanding it was one thing. Successfully cultivating it would still require some effort.
Fortunately, she had that E-Rank Body Strengthening Technique as a foundation and could begin cultivating it directly, greatly reducing the difficulty.
She was excited at the moment, so naturally she had no intention of going to sleep.
"Then take your time. I'm going to bed!"
Shimura Kentei stood and stretched, gave her a brief instruction, quickly took a shower, then lay on the bed in nothing but boxer briefs and rapidly entered a state of deep sleep.
Quickly entering deep sleep and maintaining the best sleep quality to maximize recovery of mental and physical strength was an essential little skill for ninja. Though Shimura Kentei was not yet a ninja, he had long mastered it.
Put bluntly, it was merely a small self-hypnosis trick. There was nothing difficult about it.
"You little pervert, my tofu isn't so easy to eat!"
Seeing Shimura Kentei enter deep sleep, Shimura Keiko, who had been writing furiously, suddenly turned her head. A dangerous smile appeared on her fair, lovely face, while her beautiful eyes fixed on Shimura Kentei's boxer briefs.
She had to teach this brat a profound lesson!
Unaware that he had already been targeted by his fiancée, Shimura Kentei was fighting fiercely in the Black Cauldron Space. His opponent was still Keiko's replica, though it had been updated with her latest data.
"Hiss!"
Less than five seconds into the battle, Shimura Kentei sucked in a breath and dropped to his knees on the spot.
He really could not endure that spear technique that could wipe out an entire bird's nest in one go!
Only after quite a while did he recover. Depressed, he stared at his fiancée, who stood before him with spear in hand.
He knew that the years before twenty were a ninja's golden period of growth, but his fiancée's improvement was simply too great.
In barely a year, her strength had increased by at least threefold. Originally, he could barely play the role of a real man for three minutes, but now he had been demoted to a five-second man!
"This time, don't use spear techniques. Use ninjutsu to attack me!"
Understanding that the gap between himself and his fiancée at this stage was far too great, Shimura Kentei changed his fighting approach. He prepared to endure her ninjutsu attacks head-on as preparation for the upcoming Ninja Academy challenge.
Although the Ninja Academy only taught E-Rank ninjutsu such as the Transformation Jutsu, Clone Technique, and Substitution Technique, which lacked offensive power, with taijutsu and kunai and shuriken throwing being the only means of attack.
That applied to civilian ninja. Ninja born into ninja clans would definitely possess some D-Rank or even C-Rank offensive ninjutsu. He had to guard against that.
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