Naruto Bloodline Theory? Just Trash

"But does this have any meaning?"

Shennong shook his head.

Humiliating Konoha was still just humiliation.

"Of course it does."

Mingren suddenly stopped and walked over to a mother's corpse.

Her body had already dried out, yet she still clutched a dead infant in her arms.

Faced with this sight, Mingren remained silent for a long time.

When he finally stood, Dark Chakra seeped from his body like smoke.

Then it drew back in and was absorbed into his body.

His killing intent... has grown even heavier.

Seeing his disciple's reaction, Shennong thought to himself.

Dark Chakra was an acquired technique, as well as the crystallization of Empty Village's wisdom.

Power gained from nothing came with no side effects.

Its only prerequisite was that the user possessed darkness within their heart.

The blazing Black Will in his disciple's heart was a reflection of his true nature.

Mingren said, "Hanzo... and Amegakure are losing confidence."

Years of warfare had exhausted Hanzo in both body and mind.

The sudden rise of the Akatsuki Organization had made him even more worn down by age.

If this continued,

the Land of Rain would sooner or later become Konoha's ally.

That was not an outcome Mingren wished to see.

Become allies with invaders?

What kind of war joke was that?

Preventing an alliance between the Land of Rain and Konoha had become one of Mingren's foremost concerns.

"I understand. You want to use one incident after another to bring this into the public eye, letting everyone know that Konoha is not invincible."

Shennong smiled faintly. He understood.

Whether it was killing Konoha ninja

or humiliating them by various means,

those were merely methods.

The ultimate goal was to restore the confidence of the Land of Rain's people and ninja, reigniting their fighting spirit.

"But haven't you considered this? If Konoha and Amegakure truly become allies, Amegakure will face far less pressure from war... They might even enjoy a period of local peace..."

After thinking it over carefully, Shennong spoke.

Konoha's idea was not without merit.

Because a brief peace truly would arrive.

"Hmph..."

Mingren sneered coldly.

Peace in the Land of Rain?

You mean that, in the Original Work, Amegakure allied with Konoha this year—yes, this very year.

And more than twenty years later, Amegakure became nothing but ruins?

"A false alliance would work too..." Shennong added.

Bide their time.

Develop their economy and military.

Then find an opportunity to strike back.

Just like Sunagakure, which stabbed Konoha in the back during every Ninja World War.

After every war, Sunagakure became Konoha's ally, only to stab them in the back again before and during the next war.

They were simply cunning and shrewd to the extreme.

"That is why Sunagakure will always be Konoha's little brother, and can only ever be its little brother."

Contempt showed in Mingren's eyes.

That seemingly clever but actually petty way of thinking

ensured they would never achieve anything great.

Their filthy conduct was what led to so many tragedies, such as the betrayal of Hero of Sunagakure, Scorching Release: Kakura.

They harmed others and themselves.

That was Mingren's assessment of Sunagakure.

Mingren also knew clearly

that his current strength was still insufficient to change the Ninja World.

Bang!

He threw a punch.

A rock by the roadside shattered in response.

A massive boulder two meters in diameter was no different from an ordinary wooden board before Mingren.

Nine Strength Value...

Equivalent to Jiraiya's base Strength Value.

Still not enough.

I need to become even stronger.

"Konoha has a frontline base in the Land of Rain, and its commander is Shimura Danzō. Danzo will certainly send people to reclaim the corpses..."

Mingren was looking forward to it.

At the Corpse Auction of the Underground Exchange,

he would be able to slaughter again.

The day after Shennong released the news,

Danzo received the intelligence.

He had previously dispatched two capable men, Kaede Yamanaka and Shido Akimichi.

Now that he had heard this news,

Danzo immediately sensed that something had changed.

Why had Hanzo of the Salamander deliberately released this information?

Was he trying to refuse an alliance with Konoha?

After all, I only told him yesterday that he had three days to give his answer.

Was this his answer?

Did he not know that publicly auctioning off Hyuga Clan corpses was an insult to Konoha's honor?

After thinking for a moment,

Danzo waved over an ANBU agent and ordered him to go to Amegakure to ask Hanzo of the Salamander what was going on.

Then,

he summoned Minato Namikaze.

He intended to have Minato Namikaze make a trip to the Underground Exchange in the Land of Rain.

"Let's settle this in one move."

Danzo muttered as he watched his subordinate leave.

"In all of Amegakure, aside from the Demigod, no one can stop Minato Namikaze's Speed..."

He believed

that with Minato Namikaze's agility and mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, providing support would be exceptionally easy...

Online Support from the Demigod

Several hours later,

Mingren and Shennong arrived in an outlying area of the Land of Rain.

Amid the overgrown weeds, there was a narrow path worn down by footsteps.

"We're here."

Shennong glanced at the entrance leading underground.

"Here."

As if performing a magic trick, he pulled out two masks.

They looked just like the face coverings worn at masquerade balls.

"What are these?" Mingren took one and examined the white mask.

"Everyone attending the auction hides their identity. It's perfectly normal..."

Shennong smiled, the corner of his mouth lifting. For some reason, that smile seemed deeply meaningful.

They put on the masks.

They descended through the passageway, passed through a corridor lined with lamps, and continued until the space suddenly opened up.

"Welcome."

At that moment, a man dressed as an attendant approached them.

Standing at the entrance to the underground hall, Mingren surveyed the surroundings.

The passersby all looked different, but they had one thing in common: every one of them wore a mask.

The Underground Exchange was a world of its own, with a remarkably vast space hidden beneath the ground.

Shennong said, "The auction will begin shortly. Let's familiarize ourselves with the area first..."

Not long afterward,

Asuka, Ryu, and the others also arrived.

After observing the place for a while, they too headed deeper into the hall...

Outside, amid the drifting wind and rain,

a battle was underway.

As a flash of golden light swept past,

a Flying Thunder God Kunai silently pressed against his opponent's throat. "Don't move..."

Minato Namikaze looked at the other man expressionlessly.

From the man's ANBU uniform and style of dress, he recognized his identity.

Amegakure's... ANBU.