Konoha Is Great, but It Isn't Ours

Orochimaru's research base.

A Monkey let out a squeak, and then its flesh and fur began to mutate and grow, transforming in an instant into a monster with characteristics of both animals and plants.

Orochimaru couldn't subdue him, so he grabbed him and threw him outside.

The next moment.

Another large tree has appeared in the jungle.

Orochimaru sighed softly.

It still doesn't work!

He frowned. "Where is the problem?"

"My lord, could it be that... well, the Monkey's Chakra can't keep up with ours, which is why it quickly went out of control? It might be different if it were a human."

Kazuma.

Orochimaru glanced at them coldly and said, "Use men? You go first?"

"Well..."

Kazuma was stunned for a moment, then immediately lowered his head, "It was my fault for speaking out of turn."

"If I could use humans, I would have done so long ago. However, the more stable it is on Monkey, the more stable it will be on humans, which is a good thing..."

Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then said, "Perhaps we need to change the type of flesh and blood."

Using Hashirama Cells as the core, further development still requires rather stringent usage conditions.

Sealing Technique, Curse Mark, and the suppression of flesh and Chakra are all necessary to utilize this power, and it is even Hashirama Cells that Kyohiko has weakened.

If it's the original version, it's unusable.

Kurokawa?

Orochimaru pondered the feasibility of using flesh and blood.

Sage Body.

This is how Kyohiko refers to him.

but.

Compared to a true Sage Body, Kurokawa's Sage Body exhibits uncontrollable and corrosive symptoms, presenting similar challenges and requiring further experimentation.

"It seems we don't have enough test subjects."

Orochimaru muttered to himself.

possible...

We need to develop more types of experimental subjects. With just these few, it might not be long before the monkey and ape groups kept in the forest will need to rest and recuperate.

Orochimaru was pondering this.

A surge of Chakra emanated from the air.

Another uninvited guest has arrived!

He sighed softly and said, "Let's take care of the Monkey first. The experiment is on hold until I've figured out the theory."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"

Kazuma bowed his head respectfully.

Initially, he was quite resistant to Orochimaru, but after working as his assistant for a while, he felt that following Orochimaru had given him a new sense of purpose.

To study the mysteries of Ninjutsu, develop various novel Ninjutsu, and learn all sorts of new knowledge.

certainly.

There's one thing that's not so good.

He had little freedom and was basically confined to this forest.

Orochimaru emerged from the Cave.

"What's up?"

"There are some things you may know about. Do you have a list of Danzo's former subordinates? The Danzo that's under the old man's control?"

Kyohiko asked.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment and said, "A part of it, you want to use against the Old Man?"

"Right."

Kyohiko nodded slightly.

Orochimaru was initially surprised, then pondered deeply, but still couldn't understand. He asked, "Why? He no longer has power. Normally, even if he possesses some ninjas, he can't influence your plans."

How many people are in the Root?

Even if Danzo some of them outside, the number was only a small portion, and without the financial support of Konoha and Kyoto, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group of ninjas were simply not worthy of being called "high-class".

He was very curious...

What angered Kyohiko, making him rekindle his desire to deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi?

"I suspect the old man has some ideas about the power of the Tailed Beast."

Kyohiko said frankly.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, then chuckled and said, "That's really his style, but now that Danzo is gone, who will do this for him?"

"It's partly my fault, really. If I hadn't brought back Yuzuki Uzumaki, he probably wouldn't have had that thought."

Kyohiko's tone was indifferent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is a cautious person; without Yuzuki Uzumaki, he would never have considered such a risky attempt. But once he had a solid backup plan...

That's hard to say.

"If that's the case, eliminating a portion of the ninjas will only have a deterrent effect, and it won't be very effective. We can't deal with the Old Man that way."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile. "You'll have to let Jiraiya handle this."

"Teacher?"

Kyohiko pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "That's true."

Minato Namikaze is not a suitable candidate for negotiation.

He has a mild temperament and rarely gets angry. Even when he is angry, it's usually just a momentary outburst before he calmly considers how to better resolve the problem.

This is not the solution.

Negotiating with Hiruzen Sarutobi is definitely not an option.

Jiraiya be more suitable.

The current Jiraiya is considered to have been taught much better, unlike before when he was so pedantic and naive.

What are your thoughts on the power of the Tailed Beast?

Orochimaru looked at Kyohiko, "The Kumogakure seems to have truly grasped the laws governing the power of the Tailed Beast. Killer B and Yugito Nii demonstrated the ability to Damage-free Tailed Beast Transformation."

Damage-free Tailed Beast Transformation.

This is certainly not the limit of the Tailed Beast's power, but currently, Kushina hasn't even been able to develop this much, or rather—

Previously, she had no awareness of its potential.

Currently, although Kushina is keen to enhance her use of the Tailed Beast's power, she has not made any progress due to Nine-Tails's own will.

"The Nine-Tails is powerful and will definitely be difficult to deal with, so there's no need to rush."

Kyohiko shook his head.

Orochimaru nodded, then recalled for a moment and recited the portion of the list he possessed.

Kyohiko quickly copied it down, and then disappeared with the Flying Thunder God technique.

He wouldn't go so far as to Root.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is different from Danzo. Although both have their own dark side, Hiruzen Sarutobi is more rational and knows what he can and cannot do.

He would never do anything that would be detrimental to Konoha.

but.

If something is only detrimental to an individual, then it's hard to say.

"Oh, right."

Orochimaru suddenly called out to Kyohiko, "Could you send me some of your Amber for research?"

"No problem."

Kyohiko Hand Seals and then placed his hands on a pine tree nearby.

Soon, the bark cracked open, and clumps of resin flowed out, quickly transforming into several large, well-formed beads, each as big as a human head.

"Thanks."

Orochimaru accepted it and explained his purpose.

This technique is very valuable.

Although not everyone can master Wood Release, it's possible that this could serve as a special sealing material for a weakened version of Hashirama Cells.

This is also a good direction.

[Under your leadership, Kumogakure paid a large sum in reparations, the Third Raikage wrote an apology letter, and personally went to Konoha to negotiate.]

[This is a small step for Konoha, but a giant leap for diplomacy with Kumogakure!]

[Reward: Hell Stab - Hell Stab (Mastery)]

Hell Stab.

Kyohiko glanced at it, but his heart remained unmoved.

This is the Hell Stab.

At the mastery level, with some time spent studying, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to replicate with his current Ninjutsu foundation; it would just be a waste of time and not very meaningful.

but.

It's better than nothing; it's still a means of attack, and it might even be quite useful in special circumstances.

Furthermore...

Kyohiko's mastery of Lightning Style is average.

This reward actually helped improve my Lightning Release Ninjutsu skills, so it wasn't a complete loss.

but.

What made him a little uneasy was the system's comments.

A small step for Konoha, a giant leap for diplomacy for Kumogakure...

In a sense, that's not wrong.

From the Second Hokage to the Third Hokage's second rise to power in the original timeline, Konoha never gained an advantage in their numerous negotiations with Kumogakure.

It was basically Konoha that was suffering losses.

These last few times have truly been a major step forward in diplomacy between Konoha and Kumogakure.

It was nearly noon, the sun was shining brightly, and the border area under Konoha's jurisdiction was under its control.

"Third Raikage, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Kyohiko, this isn't the first time we've met. Let's drop these useless formalities. Neither of us is that kind of person."

The Third Raikage said calmly.

Even without any deliberate targeting, his personality still made him appear exceptionally imposing when he spoke.

Beside the Third Raikage were several unfamiliar faces.

Kyohiko glanced over.

One of them was someone I didn't recognize; they probably died in battle long ago in the original timeline, or didn't live to see the future.

"That's true, Lord Raikage. This time, I'm the only one coming to provide backup. Why don't you consider giving it a try?"

"Oh."

The Third Raikage glanced at them coldly, chuckled, and didn't reply.

but.

He was speechless for a moment.

Little guy.

Young in age, but with a dark heart.

Just you?

Is the Flying Thunder God fake?

Besides, this is Konoha, surrounded by forests. With Kyohiko's Wood Release and Flying Thunder God, he could easily wipe out his subordinates.

As for himself...

In the short term, they certainly won't be afraid, but in the long run, facing the combined attack of the Flying Thunder God and the Konoha Ninja, they will basically lose.

not to mention.

The key point is--

Ai is still in the enemy's hands, what can they use to fight?

Win and the opponent runs away; lose and your son dies—only a fool would do something like that.

The Third Raikage walked forward, ignoring Kyohiko, his gaze focused on the front as he strode ahead.

A few minutes later.

"Konoha is just ahead."

"Konoha..."

The Third Raikage looked up.

The Konoha Gate of Konoha, along with the rows of rooms and buildings, came into view in an instant after turning the corner, and pedestrians could be faintly seen on the street.

What a bustling village!

"As expected of Konoha."

He sighed inwardly.

The Five Great Shinobi Villages are all different, but if we're talking about which one is the richest, it's definitely Konoha, and the Land of Fire is one of the richest and most economically successful countries.

In comparison.

The Kumogakure has continued to grow stronger, mainly due to the support and significant investment from the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.

after all--

The Land of Lightning is a place filled with thunder and disaster.

Aside from expanding outwards and seizing other people's economic resources, there's really not much room for development.

"That's great!"

The villagers from Kumogakure couldn't help but murmur their admiration.

The landscape of Konoha is the ideal state in the hearts of everyone in Kumogakure, but unfortunately, the reality is that Kumogakure simply doesn't have such a place.

They looked at the village with extreme envy.

Kyohiko glanced at them, chuckled inwardly, and then led them inside. They took a stroll around the village, and the group gradually fell silent after their initial amazement.

The Third Raikage sighed, "Let's go, Kyohiko. Take me to see the Fourth Hokage. Let's finish the negotiations as soon as possible; we need to return to Kumogakure."

The Konoha are very nice.

but...

It's not theirs.

The Third Raikage closed his eyes, turned around, opened them again, and strode towards the building with unwavering determination.

Kyohiko did not forcefully try to persuade him to stay.

I've given them a tour, that's enough. We'll discuss the rest later.

Inside the Hokage Office, Tsunade, the Third Raikage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and others were negotiating together.

Next door, Kyohiko summoned Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi.

Inoichi looked at Kyohiko with a hint of unease.

He had initially thought that Kyohiko might take action soon, but that was not the case. To this day, Kyohiko has remained silent and indifferent.

It seems the other party genuinely believes that Hiruzen Sarutobi was merely passing by at the time.

If Kyohiko were Minato Namikaze, Yamanaka Inoichi would believe that explanation, but since the other party is Kyohiko Yoshimine, he can only say—

Are you kidding me?

Yamanaka Inoichi knew that this thunderbolt would explode one day, but he didn't know when it would happen, and he couldn't be sure whether it would affect his Yamanaka Clan.

I hope not!

Yamanaka Inoichi prayed in his heart.

Shikaku looked at Kyohiko and coughed lightly. "Kyohiko, did you call us over because you have something to talk about?"

"Is that so? The Third Raikage is coming to Konoha, isn't he? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."

Kyohiko hadn't finished speaking.

Yamanaka Inoichi exclaimed in horror, "You want to kill him?"

???

Kyohiko and Shikaku turned their heads at the same time, staring at Yamanaka Inoichi with a look of bewilderment and shock in their eyes.

In the end, Kyohiko was somewhat helpless.

Why would you think that? Do I seem like such a crazy person?

"Ahem, I was daydreaming."

Yamanaka Inoichi blushed.

He had only been thinking about "lightning" until Kyohiko mentioned the Third Raikage, at which point he immediately started thinking about that.

Kyohiko said, "To put it simply, I'd like to do some business with Kumogakure. Both of your families are skilled in business, so I'd like to discuss this with you and ask for your opinions."

"Well, go ahead. In terms of business, we do have some connections with the Land of Lightning, and thanks to you, our interactions with the Land of Lightning have become more frequent recently."

Nara Shikaku makes no attempt to hide or avoid the topic.

Kyohiko asked, "How was your business trip to the Land of Lightning?"

"Feel?"

Shikaku paused slightly, then said, "It's not very good. Their transportation is very inconvenient. In many places, if it were possible to walk, it would actually save a lot of time, but there's no way around it. There's naturally occurring lightning everywhere, making it extremely dangerous even for ninjas."

Caravans were usually made by ordinary people, so it was even less likely that they would travel those roads.

"Taking a detour would double the cost."

Shikaku described the situation of their clan.

What about the Yamanaka Clan?

Kyohiko looked at Inoichi.

Yamanaka Inoichi nodded. "Pretty much. We also have to take a detour, so in recent years, our trade with the Land of Lightning has actually been declining, after all..."

He sighed softly.

"Taking the waterway is convenient and cheap, but there are no docks for landing, and the subsequent costs are very high, so you can't make much profit from flowers at all."

"If we help the Land of Lightning with its infrastructure development, can we make a fortune?"

Kyohiko offered his own ideas.

ah?

Inoichi looked bewildered.

Shikaku then fell into deep thought.

Infrastructure...

With so many Thunder-like players and a restricted area, how do you develop the infrastructure?

Besides, that's the Land of Lightning, our future enemy!