Beneath Konoha, Undercurrents Surge

System activated. Rescue Points: 3951.

Rewards: Five Finger Seal, Mind Silence Technique.

Five Finger Seal: Imprint a formula into the target's body, sealing their spirit beneath Five Finger Mountain while their physical body turns into a statue (4000 Rescue Points).

Mind Silence Technique: A spiritual secret technique that can directly read the target's memories and thoughts (4000 Rescue Points).

Su Zheng looked thoughtfully at the screen in his mind. System rewards only appeared after rescuing characters, which meant Sasori's parents had already "died."

Other than the points earned from characters, Rescue Points accumulated only gradually.

What did the system mean by giving him these two techniques? To give him more confidence when dealing with Black Zetsu?

That had to be it. The main reason he had not gone looking for Madara yet was that he could not handle Black Zetsu right now. Releasing him would only cause huge trouble!

These reward techniques were a timely gift, though unfortunately, he did not have enough points. Still, they would accumulate over time, and he was not in a hurry anyway.

Land of Fire border.

After killing Sasori's parents, the Sand Ninja retreated. Chiyo still did not know about it.

Hatake Sakumo heard that the Sand Ninja's other two armies had already reached Konoha, so he hurried back to reinforce it.

Konoha Hospital.

The normally quiet inpatient ward was packed to capacity. Most of the patients had been wounded by Kazekage Kōno's iron filings. Those who had survived long enough to receive treatment were here, while those who had not were already corpses!

"Lord Danzo, Lady Utatane Koharu, Lord Mitokado Homura, the Hokage's body has suffered severe damage, especially his internal organs. A large amount of poisonous iron filings has entered his organs and is gradually making its way into his blood vessels!"

A medical ninja was reporting Hiruzen Sarutobi's condition.

Utatane Koharu asked, "How do you intend to treat him?"

"We can only use Medical Ninjutsu to slowly and continuously flush them out, gradually expelling the iron filings."

Mitokado Homura snapped, "Then get to it! What are you standing around here for?"

The medical ninja said worriedly, "But our Medical Ninjutsu is not skilled enough. We cannot guarantee that we can remove all the iron filings."

Utatane Koharu asked, "Will his life be in danger?"

"Well..." The ninja looked awkward. He could hardly say that they had no confidence.

Seeing them all look at him, he could only force himself to say, "We cannot guarantee it completely. We only have a certain degree of confidence, but we may not be able to cure him fully."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura frowned deeply, while Danzo was secretly overjoyed. If Hiruzen doesn't make it, won't the position of Hokage fall to me?!

Utatane Koharu looked at him and asked, "Danzo, what do you think?"

What the hell are you looking at? Danzo cursed Koharu inwardly, but his face revealed nothing as he asked, "Is there no other way?"

"If Lady Tsunade were here, our chances would naturally be much greater. But she is currently in the Hidden Rain, and even if she returns, I fear it may already be too late."

Utatane Koharu shouted angrily, "Can't you prolong it for a few more days?"

"It is possible, but even if the Hokage is saved, he will likely no longer be able to serve as a ninja!"

Danzo said, "Then send word to Tsunade and the others. Have them return as quickly as possible. The village is at war with the Sand Ninja, and they are needed now."

"Start treatment first. Hiruzen's condition cannot be delayed. Also, during this period, I will take Hiruzen's place as Hokage."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance and both agreed.

The two rose to their feet and said, "We will prepare a ninja meeting and make this official."

Just as they stepped outside, a ninja came to report.

"Lord Danzo, the Sand Ninja's Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, has broken through Konoha's defenses and entered the village."

Danzo was furious. He had just driven back Kazekage Kōno, and now the Jinchuriki had come to stir up trouble. There was truly no time to catch his breath.

Looking at the stunned pair, Danzo said, "Quickly convey my orders to every clan. Intercept the Sand Ninja at the same time. I will find a way to deal with the Jinchuriki."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Within Konoha, a tanuki covered in Cursed Seal patterns was wreaking havoc. Since the civilians had been evacuated as soon as the Sand Ninja were discovered, there were not many casualties. The main damage was to the houses and the Konoha ninja trying to stop it.

Bunpuku was still young at this time, only twenty years old. Moreover, his seal was not the crude method used in Gaara's era. His seal had been created by the Second Kazekage, Shamon, and was far beyond anything from Gaara's time.

By this point, Bunpuku could already communicate with the Tailed Beast quite well. He could be considered a fairly perfect Jinchuriki.

Uchiha Clan grounds.

Danzo looked at the Uchiha clan head before him and said, "Clan Head Teruya, the Sand Ninja army is attacking now. This is the time when we need you. Only then will you live up to Konoha's title of the 'strongest clan'!"

Uchiha Teruya opened his eyes and said, "You are right. I wonder what the Uchiha can gain from this?"

Old fox! Danzo cursed inwardly before saying, "How about this? If the Uchiha can subdue the One-Tails Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, then the One-Tails will be under Uchiha control from then on."

"Furthermore, I will recommend your youngest son to become the Uchiha clan head. What do you think?"

Uchiha Teruya beamed with joy. Controlling a Tailed Beast was impossible, and he had never expected it. Helping his youngest son become clan head was what he truly wanted.

His eldest son had died on a mission years ago. The clan members had begun to grow restless, forcing him to agree to the system of an "Elders Council." These candidates for clan head were products of that era. Now that his youngest son, Uchiha Fugaku, possessed extraordinary talent, he naturally had to clear away all obstacles for him!

The plot in the Land of Rain to kill the other candidates for clan head had been the work of both him and Hanzo!

Teruya nodded. "Good. Since the village trusts us so much, we cannot evade our responsibility. We accept."

Once the negotiation was finished, Danzo left the Uchiha Clan grounds. For all his fine words, wasn't it merely to clear obstacles for his son? Uchiha Teruya, you were truly ruthless!

Danzo had also harbored other intentions in seeking out Uchiha Teruya. More than ten years ago, after the Uzumaki Clan was destroyed, the Senju Clan had declined as well. By now, it had disappeared completely, leaving only the Uchiha Clan to dominate alone!

How could that be allowed? Ever since Hiruzen took power, he had been constrained by the two great clans at every turn. Now that the Senju Clan had finally been eliminated, how could they allow the Uchiha Clan to stand beyond the Hokage's control?

All of this had been ordered by Hiruzen and carried out by Danzo. His Root organization was also steadily expanding, so naturally, the Uchiha's power had to be weakened.

Uchiha Teruya arrived at the assembly hall. Looking at the Uchiha clansmen below and the Elders Council on either side, he said, "The village has just been attacked. Naturally, we must act. Otherwise, how can we Uchiha be called the 'strongest clan'?"

"Moreover, the village has promised that if we can defeat the One-Tails Jinchuriki, the One-Tails will be under our control from then on. At that time, we will return to being the strongest Uchiha of the Warring States Era!"

"Good, good! Clan Head, let's move quickly and show the Sand Ninja how formidable the Uchiha are!"

"That's right! The village has been making quite a few disparaging remarks about us Uchiha lately. Let them learn what the 'strongest Uchiha' truly means!"

The crowd below was fired up, all shouting about defeating the Sand Ninja and restoring the Uchiha's glory.

The Elders Council members were tempted as well, though each harbored their own schemes. They all wanted to support their own sons for the position, yet they did not know that the candidates had already been nearly wiped out. Now, the Elders Council itself was about to be eliminated. One had to admit that Uchiha Teruya was truly insidious and cunning.

"Where are you, stinking fox? Your great lord is here, but you're hiding..." The One-Tails Shukaku smashed apart a row of houses as it grumbled toward the Hokage's office.

Suddenly, Shukaku stepped into a barrier, and a bright flash erupted.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Violent explosions rang out, and every building within a hundred meters of Shukaku collapsed. It turned out that Konoha's ninja had set up a Barrier Formation!

"Damn bastards, damn Konoha! Ahh~"

Shukaku howled. It did not cause much actual damage, but it hurt... and it was angry.

"Wind Style: Void Missile!"

Shukaku spat out an air cannon of extremely dense Chakra, aiming it straight ahead.

Boom~

Everything in its path turned to ruins, sweeping away all before it. A passage roughly one hundred meters long and twenty meters wide appeared out of nowhere. The destructive power of a Tailed Beast was terrifying beyond belief!

Shukaku began firing Void Missiles continuously. The surrounding houses were all reduced to flat ground, and the Konoha ninja behind them hurriedly retreated farther away.

"Captain, what do we do? With that kind of power, we can't get anywhere near it."

"And it was unharmed even after such powerful explosions. What can we possibly do?"

The team members complained pessimistically. The captain was at a loss as well; this was far beyond anything they could handle.

Boom! Shukaku opened its massive mouth, compressing Yin and Yang Tailed Beast Chakra in a two-to-eight ratio into an ultra-dense black sphere. The weight of that Chakra alone caused the ground beneath Shukaku's feet to sink!

A Tailed Beast Bomb. If it was fired, Konoha would suffer a devastating blow!

"Earth Style: Raised Mound!" Numerous voices rang out as Nara Kazuya led the reinforcements to the scene.

Rumble!

The ground beneath Shukaku rapidly rose, lifting it higher before it could fire the Tailed Beast Bomb.

Boom! The Tailed Beast Bomb fired!

Rumbleeeee! Amid an explosive blaze of light, a vast stretch of forest behind Konoha vanished...

Is this the power of a Jinchuriki?

Nara Kazuya, standing at the front, was secretly shaken. If that had hit them, they would all have been finished.

Nara Kazuya deployed everyone quickly. "Move according to the plan, now!"

A large number of ninja rushed toward the ruins in central Konoha.

Boom! Shukaku landed on the ground, kicking up enormous clouds of dust. "Well, there are quite a few capable people among you. Then I'll play with you!"

"Ninja Art: Shadow Imitation Technique!"

Members of the Nara Clan swiftly gathered their shadows, linking them with Shukaku's shadow!

Shukaku laughed loudly. "That little trick can't trap us!"

As Shukaku exerted its strength, the Nara Clan members' bodies began to tremble.

"Ninja Art: Mind Confusion Technique!"

"Hm?" Shukaku felt its connection with Bunpuku become disrupted in an instant.

"Now!"

"Lightning Style: Sixteen Pillar Binding!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Sixteen enormous stone pillars rose around Shukaku, unleashing powerful lightning!

"Earth Style: Clay Fall!"

Boom! A tear opened in midair, and a massive lump of clay fell down, covering Shukaku's body.

"Lightning Style: Sixty-Four Pillar Binding!"

Rumbleeeeeee! Sixty-four more pillars rose in the gaps between the sixteen, sealing off the entire area as thunder roared repeatedly!

"Fire Style: Firing Technique!"

Inside the enclosed prison, fierce flames began to burn!

Even Shukaku could not withstand such a powerful combination ninjutsu, and it screamed repeatedly.

"Shukaku, leave the rest to me!" Bunpuku shouted.

"Fine, but make sure you teach them a good lesson for me!"

Control of the body shifted, and Bunpuku took command!

"Kazuya, will it work?" a ninja asked.

Nara Kazuya did not know either. He only stared intently at the prison, hoping they could force the Jinchuriki out of its Tailed Beast state.

But the result disappointed them!

Boom! Bunpuku controlled the One-Tails' body and smashed apart the prison. Carrying unstoppable momentum, it swung a massive paw at the crowd.

It was already too late to scatter. In their widening eyes, they could only see the palm growing larger and larger!

"Barrier Ninjutsu: Uchiha Flame Formation!"

Hellfire burst from the earth, forming a crimson barrier that completely enveloped Konoha's ninja.

Boom! Shukaku's palm slammed into the barrier.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Shukaku's palm rapidly burned, turning into sand and falling away.

The Uchiha clansmen had arrived. Uchiha Teruya asked, "How was it? Did the attack work?"

Nara Kazuya said, "The previous attack was powerful, but I don't know why it had no effect. And I feel that this Shukaku is somewhat different from the one before!"

"Shukaku's form is condensed from sand. Previously, Shukaku should have been in control, but now the Jinchuriki is controlling it." Nara Kazuya analyzed.

Uchiha Teruya said, "Then we'll do this. First restrain its movements, then find a way to seal it!"

"Then we'll raise a barrier to prevent the other Sand Ninja from disrupting the operation."

"Good!" Uchiha Teruya gave Nara Kazuya a deep look. This young man truly could not be underestimated!

"Move!"

With the strategy decided, the ninja seemed to have found their backbone and no longer panicked.

Four ninja squads swiftly occupied four positions and erected a barrier.

"Barrier Ninjutsu: Four Violet Flames Formation!"

Boom!

Because the formation anchors were established by entire ninja squads, this was naturally stronger and broader in range than an ordinary barrier. It completely confined Shukaku within.

A gleam flashed in Shukaku's orange eyes as it said, "Then how do you intend to defeat me?"

It opened its mouth wide and began condensing Tailed Beast Chakra.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

Dozens of Uchiha jonin activated their Sharingan simultaneously. Three tomoe spun within their blood-red pupils.

Bzz!

In Bunpuku's spiritual world, Sharingan filled his entire vision.

"Stinking monk, pull yourself together! Don't let their genjutsu fool you!" Shukaku called to Bunpuku, generously channeling its own Chakra to him.

With Shukaku's Chakra aiding him, Bunpuku awoke from the Uchiha's genjutsu world.

"What terrifying eye techniques. So many Uchiha clansmen casting genjutsu together truly cannot be underestimated!" Bunpuku still felt lingering fear.

"Stinking monk, act quickly! They're going to control you!" Shukaku shouted.

The Uchiha did not care about any of that. While the Jinchuriki was immersed in genjutsu, they immediately made their move!

"Threaded Lamp Formation!"

A large number of sealing formulas appeared on the ground, binding Shukaku firmly in place!

The Threaded Lamp Formation was a group sealing technique. The more people casting it, the greater the scale of the seal and the stronger its power. Paired with the strength of the Uchiha Clan, using a barrier to restrain the One-Tails Jinchuriki was as easy as pie!

"Ah..." Shukaku began to grow frenzied. How could it be trapped here?! Yet no matter how it struggled, it could not loosen the seal in the slightest!

The surrounding Sand Ninja had initially watched the Jinchuriki devastate Konoha. Now that it had been restrained, they naturally moved to rescue it. But facing the erected formation, charging in would only mean certain death!

"Ahhh!" Several Sand Ninja were set ablaze by the barrier and could only wait in agony for death.

The remaining Sand Ninja could only fight Konoha's ninja, hoping that some new development would arise.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Nara Kazuya and three others took out the prepared scrolls, unfolded the formulas, and carefully controlled them as they spread toward Shukaku.

"Barrier: Four Directions Sealing Array!"

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle! The flickering formulas crawled continuously over Shukaku's entire body, already covering it from head to toe. All that remained was to seal it!

At this point, Shukaku had no way to turn the situation around. It could only await the fate of being sealed!

Crack, crack, crack!

"Magnet Release: Sand Iron World Law!"

Iron frameworks formed from sand iron kept spreading. The Konoha ninja fighting Sunagakure, along with the ninja maintaining the barrier, could only evade the ever-expanding sand iron. The sealing process could no longer continue.

Boom!

After the dust settled, Kazekage Kōno supported the nearly exhausted Bunpuku and asked, "Are you alright?"

Bunpuku looked somewhat embarrassed as he apologized, "Sorry, Lord Kazekage. We got a little carried away and still needed you to save me."

Kōno said sternly, "Be more careful next time. There won't always be someone there to save you!"

"Yes."

Kōno looked at the Konoha ninja before him and remarked, "The Uchiha Clan really is troublesome."

"We'll stop here for today. Starting tomorrow, we'll attack every day. You'd better think carefully about the price you'll have to pay if you lose!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Kazekage Kōno led Bunpuku, the Jinchuriki, and the Sunagakure army away safely!

PS: Let me explain why I wrote content that never appeared in the original work.

First of all, Naruto was not a complete story from the start. It was originally just a short series, and only became a long-running one after it grew popular. Many of its settings, background details, and characters were not thoroughly developed, leaving plenty of unreasonable parts. For example:

1. How did someone with Hanzo's strength dare provoke two great nations? Sunagakure had Chiyo, Ebizo, the strongest Kazekage, Third Kazekage Kōno, and the Jinchuriki Bunpuku...

2. Jiraiya had already learned sage techniques when he fought Hanzo. He had been summoned to Mount Myōboku in his teens and studied there for over ten years. How could he possibly have been unable to defeat Hanzo? All one could say was that later-added settings contradicted the earlier ones.

3. Ōnoki was older than Chiyo, yet there was a huge gap between their grandchildren's generations. Sasori was born nearly twenty years before Kurotsuchi. That meant Sasori had already been born when Chiyo was thirty-seven. That was far too exaggerated!

4. Around Konoha's thirtieth year, Mito Uzumaki sealed the Nine-Tails into Kushina. She was only fifty-eight at the time, so how could she possibly have been so old?

5. Bunpuku, the One-Tails Jinchuriki, originated during the era of the Second Kazekage—around Konoha's fifteenth year, when Shukaku was sealed into the young Bunpuku. By the time Gaara was born in Konoha's forty-eighth year, he would only have been in his thirties. How could he have died of old age? The timeline was completely chaotic!

6. During the Third Shinobi World War, Sasori killed the Third Kazekage, yet no one knew? Forget everyone else—wouldn't Chiyo have known? Wasn't that ridiculous? And they even made a huge show of searching for him, as if they were afraid no one would notice that Sunagakure's Kage was gone!

7. What did Madara Uchiha do after giving the Rinnegan to Nagato? Nothing. He just waited, and then an Uchiha clansman happened not to die and was saved by him, happening to be someone he could use. What a remarkable coincidence!

8. Kakashi graduated from the ninja academy at five, while Rin Nohara graduated at nine, and Obito also graduated at nine. How could they have been classmates and even been placed on the same team? Kakashi graduated four years early and could still end up on a team with younger students? Impressive. And when they carried out missions, Obito and Rin were chunin while Kakashi was a jonin. Judging by their strength, they were nowhere near the chunin of Naruto's era. They were only promoted so they could be sent to their deaths!

9. During the Third Shinobi World War, many of Konoha's powerful ninja never took part. Hiruzen Sarutobi's son, Asuma, was sent by his father to guard the Daimyo. What a great father! There was no one left, so several thirteen-year-old children were sent to the battlefield—Obito's team and Might Guy's team—ultimately leading to Might Duy's death in battle!

10. Who guided Nagato's descent into darkness? Danzo. What benefit did he gain from killing Yahiko? What benefit did he gain from setting Yakushi Nonō up to die and forcing Kabuto Yakushi into darkness? No one knew. Anyway, whenever something made no sense, just blame Danzo. There was absolutely no problem with that!

11. The Uchiha Clan was strange. Thirteen seemed to be some kind of dividing line. Obito was thirteen at Kannabi Bridge, yet less than a year later, during the Nine-Tails attack, he had grown taller—hell, he practically looked like an entirely different person—and become strong enough to fight Minato. Then there was Itachi Uchiha. At thirteen, he suddenly grew to the height of someone in his twenties. Shisui giving him his own eye was enough for him to slaughter the Uchiha Clan. Were the Uchiha all pigs? Nearly a thousand people were slaughtered like dogs, and they had no way to deal with a child who had possessed the Mangekyo for less than a year? The most absurd one was Shisui Uchiha. He was supposedly able to drive back Ao of Kirigakure during the Third Shinobi World War. What nonsense! When the war ended, he was only ten, yet he already looked like an adult and was that powerful. It was utterly bizarre!

12. As for Jinchuriki: Kirigakure had Utakata and Yagura by Konoha's fortieth year or so. Sunagakure had Bunpuku in Konoha's teens. Iwagakure also had Roshi and Han in Konoha's early years. Kumogakure had Blue B and Yugito Nii by Konoha's twenties. Why did Konoha treat its Jinchuriki this way? Had they never seen the power of Jinchuriki? During the Third Shinobi World War, Minato fought the two brothers, Killer B and the Eight-Tails, and after witnessing Iwagakure's Jinchuriki use a Tailed Beast Bomb, he developed the Rasengan. So why did they treat Naruto this way and give him such a miserable childhood?

I am not trying to disparage Naruto. I only mean that people should not take it too seriously, because much of its logic was forcibly pieced together.

We should also understand that a long-running story was bound to develop settings or plot points that contradicted themselves.

So do not take it too seriously. This book will change some things, so consider this a fair warning.

You could only view Naruto vaguely. After all, once you took it seriously, you lost!

Alright, that was my explanation. If all you handsome men and beautiful women are still dissatisfied, then vent it. Do not keep it bottled up inside.