Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

"Thanks. I'll pay you later."

Xia Mu couldn't just freeload off his friends. Flash Bombs were ninja supplies, so they probably weren't cheap.

The moment he returned to his seat, Shino couldn't help asking, "Xia Mu, did you come up with another new idea?"

Xia Mu smiled and nodded. "Yeah, and it suits you perfectly. Think about it—Earth Release has the Hardening Technique, right? It works by absorbing the properties of earth. The Iron Body I created absorbs the properties of iron. So what would happen if we absorbed the properties of the ingredients in a Flash Bomb, then activated them with Chakra?"

Shino's sunglasses immediately gleamed. "It would unleash a blinding flash!"

Xia Mu gave him a thumbs-up. "Bingo! This move will be called Solar Flare. Once I figure it out, I'll teach it to you. You wear sunglasses, so the bright light won't affect your vision, but it'll keep the enemy from opening their eyes. Wouldn't you be able to slaughter them with ease?"

"...Xia Mu, your ideas are truly extraordinary!"

Shino was already used to marveling at him, but anticipation showed beneath his sunglasses.

Xia Mu waved his hand. "Stop praising me. I get cocky easily. Come to my house on the second of next month. There'll definitely be results by then. Oh, and Tenten's request to investigate powerful ninja tools and powerful Summoning Beasts has produced some leads. We'll take a look together then and see if there are any Summoning Beasts you want."

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office.

Pot Kage Shimura Danzō pushed open the office door with his cane and saw that all his old friends were already seated, waiting for him.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw him enter, he slowly took out a deck of Ninja Kill cards. "Danzō, you're here. Have you played Ninja Kill before? Let's talk while we play."

As he spoke, he shuffled four identity cards and placed them on the table.

Leaning on his cane, Danzō stepped forward and drew one. His eyelid immediately twitched: Usurper!

Hiruzen Sarutobi drew one as well, then flipped it over: Kage!

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura each drew an identity card too, but neither spoke. They waited until Hiruzen Sarutobi had shuffled the character cards before drawing their own.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi shuffled, he kept talking. "This card game is truly interesting. It brings ninja battles onto the tabletop. There can be one-on-one battles, one-against-many, many-against-many, and even a Ninja Village Defense Battle mode. But I really am lucky—I'm the Hokage in the game too!"

Crack! It sounded as if the cane had been squeezed hard enough to crack.

Danzō drew a character card with obvious displeasure, only to find that it was an Uchiha character.

He tossed the character card onto the table and said coldly, "Hiruzen, the Uchiha were evil. We eliminated them for the sake of the village, and I deserve no small share of the credit. Are you going to discard me once I've served my purpose?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi drew a character card as well. It was actually the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju!

He smiled. "Heh heh, I specifically asked the inventor of these cards to make this character card. It's the only one in the entire Shinobi World. I mixed it into the deck earlier, and I never expected to draw it by luck. But Danzō, do you know why Teacher Tobirama chose me as Hokage back then?"

It had nothing to do with the question, but he was still warning Danzō.

How could Danzō fail to understand? He gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Why did that little brat Xia Mu have to invent some stupid card game? And why did he have to make a Second Hokage card specifically for Hiruzen?

That bastard Hiruzen had no shame. He called it luck, but he had obviously cheated to get that card, just like back then. All that happened was that Hiruzen raised his hand first and answered Teacher Tobirama's question, which was why he was chosen as Hokage. What was there to be proud of? If Shimura Danzō hadn't spent all these years diligently acting as the executioner in the shadows, would the Third Hokage have enjoyed such glory?

Was Hiruzen warning him now because the Uchiha were gone, the village no longer had any threats, and he was going to move against Root?

Of course. Hiruzen wasn't stupid. He must have realized that Root's expansion posed a threat to the position of Hokage!

In his dreams!

Danzō threw down two cards to activate the Sharingan, then used Body Flicker Technique: Kill on Hiruzen Sarutobi. His voice was cold. "Hiruzen, you cannot disband Root!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi neither dodged nor retreated, counterattacking with Water Release: Water Collision Wave. "Danzō, I am the Hokage!"

Chapter 42: Xia Mu's Ultimate Move

Crack! The cane suffered once again.

Danzō's face darkened as he continued his attack. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu! Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

However, Mitokado Homura threw out Earth Release: Mud Wall from the side, blocking the attack for Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Danzō, you should restrain yourself. The various clans have great grievances against Root."

Danzō nearly crushed his hand cards. "Homura, you're a Companion?"

Utatane Koharu then used Wind Release: Shuriken Technique on Danzō. "Danzō, I'm a Companion too. This round has only the Kage and Companions—there are no Rogue Ninjas, Enemy Ninjas, or Spies."

"Good! Very good!"

Danzō threw away his hand cards and flipped over his identity card. "So you've all decided that I'm a Usurper and joined forces against me? All these years, I've worked tirelessly in the shadows, doing all the dirty and exhausting jobs. Now that the Uchiha are gone, you're throwing me away after I've outlived my usefulness, is that it?"

The three of them remained silent.

Given what they knew about Danzō, calling him a Usurper was not an exaggeration.

This man had even attempted to assassinate the Hokage. His heart was consumed by the position of Hokage—if he wasn't a Usurper, what was he?

Hiruzen Sarutobi also set down his hand cards, took a deep drag from his pipe, and sighed. "Danzō, disband Root. The village is moving toward peace now. Root has already become an obstacle to that peace. You should understand."

Danzō was silent for a long while, but he had no room to refuse.

Yet deep in his eyes lay ruthlessness and unwillingness. "Fine. I'll hand over Root's roster, but I want to keep a few people to assist me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two breathed sighs of relief. "That would be for the best."

Danzō slammed the door behind him as he left, but there was not the slightest hint of surrender in his eyes.

So what if Root was disbanded?

Disband it, then. But with the control of the Tongue Curse Mark, the ninjas who came out of Root would still belong to him, Danzō! As long as he wasn't dead, victory and defeat had yet to be decided. He would definitely become the Fifth Hokage!

It was the night of the first day of the month again.

Xia Mu slipped into the Special Laboratory State, holding a Flash Bomb in his hand.

As he channeled chakra, the components of the Flash Bomb were absorbed into his body. He then copied Tien Shinhan's stance, planting his feet firmly and pointing his fingers at his temples.

"Solar Flare!"

Buzz! A burst of intense light erupted from his body, instantly flooding a vast area.

Even Xia Mu, the source of the light, had his vision blurred by the glare. If there had been enemies in front of him, they would have fared even worse.

Xia Mu was very satisfied. "I didn't expect it to succeed so easily. But I'd better carry more sunglasses in the future. Otherwise, after one Solar Flare, my teammates will suffer too, and no one will be able to coordinate a surprise attack."

The first project was complete. Next came the research into ultimate moves.

Xia Mu used his mind to conjure a vast mountain forest inside the laboratory. Then he formed a ball in his hand and pressed it directly against a large tree.

"Rasengan!"

"I fucking Rasengan!"

"Water Style: Boiling Torrent!"

Boom! Xia Mu hurled the scorching spiraling water ball into the distance. The Boiling Torrent erupted instantly, and the enormous vortex of water swallowed an entire mountain, grinding it into powder as terrifyingly hot steam swept outward in every direction.

However, he had thrown it far away this time, so Xia Mu was not caught in the blast.

Clearly, after his many modifications, the Boiling Torrent had become far more stable and could now be used as a long-range attack.

"Whew! I finally succeeded. All that time I spent researching wasn't wasted!"

Xia Mu revealed a delighted smile. At this point, he was certain that his combat strength was at least at the level of a jonin. All he lacked was actual combat experience, and he could build that up after graduation. It was no big deal.

Next, he tested other techniques.

He clapped his hands together, and a massive earth-style spinning top shot up from the ground. Spinning madly, it crashed down and instantly drilled a huge hole into the earth.

"Earth Release: Skyward Spin!"

Then came the next move. He raised one hand and held up a water disc as large as a millstone. The disc spun wildly, producing a chilling cutting sound, before he flung it out the next second.

"Water Release: Water Disc!"

Sizzle! The Water Disc directly beheaded a mountain, showing just how sharp it was.

Xia Mu stretched out both hands again. From the fingers of his left hand shot sharp Chakra Threads that sliced a thick tree into sections of firewood. Meanwhile, the fingers of his other hand released several sticky Chakra Threads that easily adhered to the trunks of several trees. With one pull, he uprooted them from the ground.

"Mm, these are basically all the techniques for now. They should be enough temporarily. As for later, I'll wait for the Eight Gates and Hatake Style Swordsmanship. Once Hiruzen Sarutobi dies and Tsunade succeeds him as the Fifth Hokage, I'll ask Tsunade for the Flying Thunder God Technique. With Konoha in a transitional period then, she probably won't be stingy. But that's all just speculation. Whether it can happen is hard to say.

And I can't waste these years before graduation either. So my main research from now on will be: Sage Mode!"

In fact, there had been quite a few examples throughout Shinobi World history of people absorbing natural energy. Even the library might have records of it, since Sage Mode was not unfamiliar to many ninja.

For example, Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and even Hashirama Senju all knew Sage Mode.

From Konoha's founding until now, quite a few ninja had seen Sage Mode. It was just that no one dared to attempt it, because casually absorbing natural energy would turn one into stone.

Only Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze had received guidance from the Great Toad Sage, which was why they succeeded in learning it.

As for Hashirama Senju, he was the God of Shinobi. It was perfectly normal for him to know Sage Mode.

Therefore, methods for absorbing natural energy would not be difficult to find. Even if the library did not have them, he could just spend money at the Bounty Exchange. He refused to believe he could not get his hands on one.

When the time came, Xia Mu would conduct experiments in the Special Laboratory State. In any case, he would not die.

Once he gradually adjusted the proportions of natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy, he would naturally succeed in learning Sage Mode.

At that point, his strength would soar. No matter what, he would have Shadow-level strength.

Everything had been planned out.

The next day, Shino came to Xia Mu's house.

At the time, Tenten was flipping through a pile of scrolls. Shino was not surprised by this, because Tenten had a key to Xia Mu's home and had long considered herself the mistress of the house.

"Shino, you're here. Come inside. Tenten, you too."

Xia Mu hurriedly ushered them both inside and prepared sunglasses for himself and Tenten as well. "The light from Solar Flare is very harsh, so you need to wear sunglasses. I'll start teaching you now."

After shutting all the doors and windows, Xia Mu carried a Flash Bomb on him, struck a pose, and activated Solar Flare.

A burst of brilliant light filled the room. Even with sunglasses on, all three of them found it uncomfortable for their eyes and could not see clearly. But precisely because of that, Solar Flare's effect was good.

Tenten praised, "This move is amazing! The enemy will all become blind in an instant. Won't they just be lambs waiting for the slaughter?"

Shino nodded in agreement. "Not bad! But we need to prepare sunglasses for our companions first and agree on a signal. Once the signal is given, everyone puts on their sunglasses. Otherwise, if our companions are blinded too, there's no point."

Xia Mu naturally agreed, then began to carefully explain how to train Solar Flare.

Actually, after Shino learned Iron Body, Solar Flare was not difficult for him to learn. But absorbing the properties of external objects into one's body was dangerous after all, so it was better to be cautious. When first training, it was best to use a Shadow Clone to test it first.

Also, training had to be done indoors with the doors and windows shut.

Now that Konoha no longer had the Uchiha Police Force, it was as full of holes as a sieve. There were an extraordinary number of spies, so they had to be careful not to expose this trump card.

Before long, Shino had memorized the training method.

As for Tenten, she spent almost every day with Xia Mu before graduation anyway, so Xia Mu would naturally teach her.

"By the way, some of the information my dad had secretly pulled strings to investigate has come back. Let's take a look together."

Tenten took out the scroll she had been reading earlier. "This pile is information about ninja tools, and this pile is about Summoning Beasts. Come help me weigh our options. Or if there's anything you like, make sure to say so—we'll find a way to get it."

Tenten was naturally enthusiastic about this.

After all, her path forward lay in ninja tool control and Summoning Jutsu.

As long as she acquired powerful ninja tools and contracted formidable Summoning Beasts, combined with the body Xia Mu had continually activated through electric shocks, her physical strength and Chakra reserves would steadily increase. Even if she did not reach Shadow-level in the future, she would at least possess the strength of an elite jonin.

Xia Mu opened a scroll and immediately froze. "Ninja tools from Takumi Village?"

The intelligence recorded in the scroll concerned Takumi Village's four-piece ninja tool set: Infinite Porous Armor, Dragon's Eye Retractable Sword, Peacock Swords, and Light Sword.

This seemed like something that only appeared in the anime-original storyline.

So this world actually included the original content too? Maybe even the movies?

Xia Mu was not sure, but he knew that this four-piece set was indeed impressive. Infinite Porous Armor could absorb Chakra; Dragon's Eye Retractable Sword could be lengthened or shortened at will by controlling the Chakra supplied to it, and could even transform into three dragon heads; Peacock Swords could alter the direction of the wind and unleash wind slashes; Light Sword could fire beams of light and flames.

It was worth mentioning that the four-piece set consumed very little Chakra.

Moreover, the four pieces could be combined, unleashing even greater power.

If Tenten, a Ninja Tool Master, could get her hands on this set, her strength would definitely surpass that of a chunin outright. She might even be able to hold off a jonin, and once she became proficient with them, she would absolutely possess jonin-level strength.

What were they waiting for, then?

Xia Mu handed the scroll to Tenten. "Tenten, look at this. It's definitely perfect for you!"

Tenten took it and her eyes immediately lit up. Naturally, she could see how greatly Takumi Village's four-piece set would improve her.

But she could not help complaining, "Xia Mu, we're not bandits. How can we rob other people of their things? What if it damages Konoha's reputation?"

"Tenten, could you finish reading the intelligence first?"