The Temptation of Bloodline Elimination! Thousand Gold House's "Secret"!

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, returned to the Konoha encampment with the ANBU, escorting the severely wounded Second Kazekage and Chiyo.

Because the Second Kazekage's injuries were too severe, Tobirama handed him over to the medical unit before Sunagakure's peace delegation arrived and gave them a strict order:

Even if you have to keep him alive with medicine, keep him alive. He absolutely cannot die in the Konoha camp!

After dealing with a series of tedious military affairs, Tobirama finally had the time to patrol the camp.

As he walked, he suddenly caught sight of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Lin Hai sneaking around with several large sacks on their backs before slipping into Lin Hai's tent.

Tobirama raised a brow and silently followed them.

The moment he reached the tent, he heard their conversation inside.

"Brother Monkey, is everything here? Why is one puppet missing?"

"Your memory's terrible, kid. Teacher Tobirama smashed one with a punch!"

"Oh, right! Brother Monkey, thanks this time! If you hadn't helped, that four-eyed chicken Homura definitely wouldn't have let me take these puppets out!"

Hiruzen frantically complained inwardly, Would I tell you I secretly swiped them? If Homura finds out, I'm absolutely screwed!

Yet on the surface, he acted utterly calm.

"Eh, it's nothing. Back then, I stole Teacher Hashirama's liquor and even deliberately made it look like Teacher Tobirama had taken it!"

"Oh? You could do that? Looks like you did plenty of thieving when you were young, Brother Monkey. Tell me about it!"

Hiruzen did not notice the change in the presence outside the tent at all and continued boasting smugly.

"Hehe, I even invented a ninjutsu!

As long as I use a crystal ball along with someone's chakra signature, I can spy on them from however far away... Ahem, observe people from a distance, without being discovered!

I use it all the time in the village. Want to learn it?"

The moment he finished speaking, Hiruzen noticed Lin Hai's face had gone pale as he stared frantically behind him.

Hiruzen waved dismissively. "Cut it out! Are you trying to trick me into thinking Teacher Tobirama is behind me? I'm not falling for that!"

Just then, a large hand landed heavily on Hiruzen's shoulder.

"Monkey, it seems you've done quite a few remarkable things behind my back. I always wondered why that shameless old man Hashirama came begging me for liquor every day. So the thief was in the house all along!" Tobirama's sinister voice sounded from behind him.

"Whoosh!"

Cold sweat instantly soaked Hiruzen's back.

"Run five thousand laps around the camp immediately! Get out!"

"Yes!" Hiruzen did not even dare argue. He scrambled out of the tent as if his life depended on it.

Tobirama entered the tent, looked at the scattered puppet parts on the ground, and frowned.

"The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets? How did you steal these things out? Didn't I tell Homura to guard them closely?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Lin Hai quickly bowed in apology.

"My lord, I was the one who asked Senior Hiruzen to bring them.

I think weapons of mass destruction like these should stay in Konoha!

Think about it. Chiyo alone managed to hold back so many of us with these puppets. Every one of them has the strength of a jonin. Leaving them in Sunagakure is too dangerous!"

Tobirama was so angry he laughed. He looked Lin Hai up and down. "You idiot can't even learn the most basic Five Elements Seal, yet you dream of controlling puppets? Is your brain full of water?"

Lin Hai scratched his head awkwardly. "I know I'm bad at sealing techniques, but I never said I wanted to use them myself! Konoha has so many sealing geniuses. Can't we just let them study them? Besides, my lord, don't keep bringing up the fact that I can't use sealing techniques. Nobody's perfect!"

Tobirama snorted disdainfully. "In the entire shinobi world, fewer than five people possess greater talent than you in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and fine chakra control. But your talent for Yin-Yang attributes and sealing techniques is simply despairing! You can't even draw the simplest summoning contract properly, yet you want to study the core of these top-tier puppets? Put away those crooked thoughts. This is not the same as when you seized Hero Water in the Land of Waterfalls!"

Lin Hai continued to argue stubbornly. "Why isn't it the same? Things that pose a threat should all be kept under Konoha's control!"

Tobirama laughed. "By that logic, my brother shouldn't have distributed the tailed beasts among the nations back then. He should have simply used the nine tailed beasts to crush the shinobi world and unify it!"

Lin Hai's eyes lit up. "Exactly! How great would it be if all those powerful weapons stayed in the Land of Fire!"

Tobirama's expression instantly turned serious.

"Foolish! If all the tailed beasts were concentrated in the Land of Fire, it would only plunge the shinobi world into endless panic and chaos.

By then, the other nations would not regard Konoha with awe, but with extreme fear.

Once fear reaches its breaking point, they will join forces at any cost to destroy Konoha! Konoha will become the enemy of the entire world!"

Tobirama pulled over a chair and sat down, speaking earnestly.

"My brother was revered as the 'God of Shinobi' largely not because he was unmatched in combat, but because he subdued the tailed beasts and divided them equally among the nations. By maintaining a balance of military strength between them, he lit the spark of peace."

"When the villages were first founded, there were quite a few powerful figures in the shinobi world capable of fighting my brother. He only made that compromise for lasting peace."

Lin Hai asked curiously, "My lord, are you referring to the First Kage of each nation?"

Tobirama nodded.

"That's right. Take the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, for example. His defense was considered the strongest in the shinobi world, like an insurmountable boulder. He forcibly held back Konoha's advance and forced us to split our forces and go around.

And his disciple, the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, was even more of a genius!

He was born with three chakra attributes and, through years of study, created Dust Release, which surpassed bloodline limits!"

"Three attributes?!" Lin Hai leaped up excitedly. "Then he was also born able to fuse three attributes? Doesn't that mean I can also—"

Tobirama mercilessly interrupted his fantasy.

"Stop dreaming!

Mu's Dust Release was a 'Bloodline Elimination' he spent nearly twenty years developing through countless failures.

How old are you?

You haven't even mastered Fire Release, and your Wind Release and Lightning Release are a complete mess, yet you dare dream of Bloodline Elimination?

How naive!"

Lin Hai retorted gloomily.

"Just because I can't do it now doesn't mean I won't be able to in the future!

I can't let my natural three attributes go to waste!

My lord, tell me what Bloodline Elimination is?"

Looking at the shamelessly persistent Lin Hai, Tobirama explained helplessly.

"Bloodline Elimination is a higher-level attribute fusion that surpasses bloodline limits.

The fusion of two attributes is a bloodline limit. The perfect fusion of three attributes is Bloodline Elimination.

So far, the only person in the entire shinobi world I have seen successfully use it is the Second Tsuchikage.

Konoha has no research materials on the subject, so I can't help you."

Tobirama's implication was clear: if Lin Hai wanted to learn it, he could either figure it out himself or seek out the Second Tsuchikage.

Lin Hai grew anxious.

This was the ultimate cheat that could bring about a qualitative leap in his strength!

The old man did not have three attributes himself, so naturally he was not in a hurry. He was definitely jealous!

Lin Hai's eyes shifted, and a mischievous smile curled across his lips as he leaned close to Tobirama. "Second Hokage, have you heard of 'Thousand Gold House'?"

"Clatter!"

Tobirama's hand trembled, and the teacup he had just picked up fell to the ground and shattered.

Expressionless, he brushed the water stains from his clothes.

"I am burdened with countless affairs every day. How would I have time to pay attention to some little gambling house in the streets? I still have military matters to attend to. Hurry up and return these puppets to Homura!"

With that, Tobirama rose, intending to slip away.

Lin Hai immediately blocked the entrance, his eyes filled with deep contempt.

"My lord, you've really never been there?

During this past year of special training, Tsunade took me there many times.

Want to know what happened?

I lost every single time I gambled!

The first time I went, I lost two million ryo! Even though I'm the young master of the Uchiha clan, that amount still put me under enormous pressure!"

Tobirama forced himself to remain calm, his eyes darting about. "Take it up with your master's wife! Tsunade isn't even my biological granddaughter. It's none of my business!"

Lin Hai narrowed his eyes, shot Tobirama a sidelong glance, and drawled, "Rea~lly~?"

"The dignified Second Hokage lost everything at Thousand Gold House, then actually put it on credit..." Lin Hai slowly dropped the bombshell.

"Enough!"

Tobirama's old face reddened, and he finally cracked.

"You win!

If the peace negotiations allow it, I will try to demand some basic theoretical materials on Bloodline Elimination from Sunagakure, or negotiate with Iwagakure for them!

But this is top-secret information, so don't get your hopes up!"

Having received a definite promise, Lin Hai immediately dropped his rascal act and gave a deep ninety-degree bow.

"Thank you, Second Hokage!"

Just then, an ANBU reported from outside the tent.

"Lord Hokage, Sunagakure's negotiating delegation has arrived."