Temptation

Nawaki paused, glanced at Zhixin, who was secretly swallowing, then continued in an unhurried voice. "Cutting is a method of propagation that involves inserting a plant's branches, stems, or buds into the soil and waiting for them to take root and survive. Based on this principle, Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs inserts wood into the victim's body, using it as soil so the wood branches out like roots and slowly burrows into their nerves and organs! The twelve-level pain this technique causes lets the victim experience the most extreme agony in the world! I've also modified it with Medical Ninjutsu so that it can destroy the victim's body while making their cells regenerate at high speed. That means the victim won't be released by death until their cells have divided at high speed so many times that they've completely aged and lost the ability to divide! I estimate that with your physical strength, Mr. Zhixin—you're almost as tough as an elite jonin—you should be able to last a few hours...

"Being able to merge with plants, experience their growth firsthand through your own body, and then die alongside them—I think that would be a fitting end for a gardening enthusiast like you, Mr. Zhixin!

"Are you ready, Mr. Zhixin? I doubt you'll ever forget what comes next, no matter how many lives you live!" Nawaki crouched beside Zhixin and whispered into his ear, then raised an index finger and reached toward his forehead.

As Nawaki calmly and gently described the cruel torture in a voice like a demon's whisper, Zhixin's fear of the monster reached its peak. The finger drawing closer to his pineal gland made him feel a prickling pain, and at last his mental defenses crumbled. "Wait! I'll tell you anything you want to know! I don't care if you put a Cursed Seal on me! Please stop! You demon! Waaaaah..." Zhixin, a man in his thirties, was finally frightened into tears by Nawaki.

Seeing that Zhixin had completely surrendered, Nawaki finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, Zhixin! You've made the right choice again! Tell me everything you know, and don't lie! My Sensory Technique can easily detect lies. I'm sure you don't want to experience twelve-level pain, do you?"

Zhixin's submission didn't surprise Nawaki in the least. If someone could run away from death once, they could do so a second time. The fear of death would leave a huge gap in their mental defenses.

Zhixin quickly settled into the situation. Now that he had surrendered, there was no point in playing games. "The Consortium behind me is called the Buote Consortium. It has fifteen rogue ninja under its command, each responsible for a camp and its surrounding area. Aside from Baran and me, the other rogues are only Chunin. We're mainly spread across the central part of the northern Land of Fire, and we control the trade route leading to the Land of Fields. As for the armed forces of the other Consortiums, I only know that they're roughly divided into four factions, and that they're probably not as strong as us. The Buote Consortium is a local Consortium in the Land of Fire, while the others are foreign powers. They set up armed forces in the Land of Fire to control cross-border trade routes, but their headquarters are all abroad, so their forces are spread thin. Their strength in the Land of Fire is far inferior to the Buote Consortium's.

"I really don't know the specifics of their forces. The major Consortiums reached an understanding long ago and divided up the territory, each staying out of the others' way. That's all I know. I hope you'll keep your promise..."

Nawaki used his Sensory Technique to confirm that Zhixin wasn't lying, then nodded. "Looks like the Buote Consortium will be my top priority this time. What good luck! Buote... What a strange name. It reminds me of the three ridiculous leaders of a certain country..."

Zhixin was utterly confused. He didn't understand what the Buote Consortium had to do with the daimyos of various countries.

"By the way, what do you know about that jonin named Baran?" Nawaki ignored his confusion and continued questioning him.

"He's a rogue ninja from Kumogakure, around thirty years old. He has jonin-level strength, but I've never heard of him before. He only joined the Consortium recently." Zhixin was holding nothing back now, answering every question.

"He's so young and already has jonin-level strength, so he should be famous. And he only joined the Consortium recently? Looks like he must have gone into hiding before he defected from the village and kept his identity secret while he trained. He only dared to show his face once he'd become strong enough to be a jonin? So they really are remnants of that group!"

Nawaki's muttering made Zhixin realize what he meant. "Are you saying Baran is one of the rogue ninja who followed Kinkaku and Ginkaku in their coup more than ten years ago, and killed the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage?"

Nawaki nodded. "Zhixin, I'm growing more and more impressed by your talent. Don't worry. Once I put a Cursed Seal on you, I'll provide you with advanced ninjutsu, and you'll soon become a true jonin. If you devote yourself to working for me, it's not out of the question that I'll let you join the Senju Clan and become a Konoha ninja, too." Nawaki dangled a reward in front of Zhixin to win him over. The Cursed Seal could control him completely, but a jonin who worked willingly was far more useful than a puppet who did nothing but obey.

"What? You can get me into Konoha?" Zhixin asked in surprise, clearly tempted.

Nawaki nodded confidently. "That's right. You know I inherited Wood Release, and I'm the head of the Senju Clan. As one of Konoha's High Command, I have the authority to let you join Konoha as a jonin! Then you'll have everything a Konoha jonin enjoys: status, power, a wife and children, and, of course, a courtyard filled with flowers and plants. You won't be a rogue ninja forced to live in the shadows anymore. You'll be a jonin lord living in the sunlight! All you have to give me is your loyalty! In return, I'll grant you the Senju surname and bring you into the Senju Clan as a member of the branch family!

"With the power of the Wood Release bloodline, I'll become Hokage sooner or later, and make the name of my grandfather famous throughout the Shinobi World. By then, the Cursed Seal on you won't be a restraint anymore. It'll be proof of your loyalty, even a source of pride as a member of the Senju Clan's branch family!"

Nawaki's plan for expanding his clan was to use Cursed Seals to control talented people, make them members of the Senju Clan's branch family, and have them marry Senju women. If a talented child was born into the branch family, he could be promoted to the Main Family, strengthening the Senju Clan and increasing its numbers. It was a family expansion plan Nawaki had come up with by imitating the Hyuga Clan's rules. This would not only rapidly increase the clan's strength, but also continue expanding the Senju bloodline!

In this world, bloodline clans had a strong sense of family loyalty. There were very few ninja like Itachi who would destroy their own clan for the sake of their village! And if it hadn't been for Konoha, Itachi would never have betrayed his clan. That was why Nawaki hadn't used Cursed Seals on his ten jonin guards. There was simply no need, and it would only affect their state of mind. If word got out, it would also damage his reputation!

No one liked an extremely controlling tyrant. Acting that way would destroy the positive image he had carefully built. But if he used Cursed Seals on enemies like Zhixin, no one would think he'd done anything wrong. They'd praise him for his wisdom and mercy.