Inside the council chamber of Konoha, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe. Tobirama Senju sat high on his throne, his face terrifyingly gloomy, radiating a chilling aura.
" Senju Tenpuku!" Tobirama Senju's voice, cold as ice, echoed in the empty hall. "How dare you! You dared to conceal the deaths of Tsubasa and Raikage! Such a matter concerning the safety of the village and diplomacy, how dare you make decisions on your own!"
Senju Tenpuku knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the earth, his body trembling slightly. " Lord Tobirama, I... I concealed it for the time being to avoid causing unnecessary panic... I just wanted to find a suitable time to report to you..."
"The right time?" Tobirama Senju, scattering scrolls all over the floor. "What kind of time is this to be looking for the right time? Because of your concealment, we've missed so many opportunities to deal with this! And you even dared to Teuchi me!" Tobirama Senju's eyes widened in disbelief and rage.
Senju Tenpuku hurriedly raised his head, his face full of remorse and anxiety. " Lord Tobirama, I acted impulsively at the time, and I deserve to die! Please forgive me this time, I truly know I was wrong!"
"Forgive?" Tobirama Senju sneered. "Such a serious offense cannot be easily forgiven! Effective immediately, you are dismissed from your position as Hokage's Secret Guard! Not only that, you will also receive fifty lashes as a warning to others!"
Senju Tenpuku was struck dumb, his face drained of color. He kowtowed desperately, pleading, " Lord Tobirama! I've risked my life for Konoha for so many years, can't you give me another chance? I don't want to leave the Anbu, I want to continue serving the village!"
"No need for further words!" Tobirama Senju waved his hand dismissively, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "Execute!"
At Tobirama Senju's command, several guards stepped forward and pinned Senju Tenpuku to the ground, their whips raining down on him. Senju Tenpuku gritted his teeth, groaning incessantly, his clothes quickly soaked with blood. After fifty lashes, Senju Tenpuku was on the verge of death.
"You shall immediately go to serve under Vice Commander Kagura and reflect on your actions!" Tobirama Senju coldly uttered these words before turning and leaving.
Senju Tenpuku was dragged to Kagura's camp. He was covered in wounds and his consciousness was somewhat blurred. Kagura looked at the scarred young man in front of her and sighed softly. He was wearing an ancient wizard's robe, embroidered with mysterious runes, and his long silver hair was casually draped over his shoulders. His deep eyes seemed to contain endless wisdom.
Kagura slowly walked to Senju Tenpuku's side and suddenly began to dance a peculiar wizard's dance. His movements were light and eerie, his hands tracing complex arcs in the air as he chanted incantations. With the dance, a gentle and mysterious divine power emanated from him, enveloping Senju Tenpuku. Senju Tenpuku's previously excruciating wounds began to heal at a visible speed under the influence of this divine power.
Senju Tenpuku struggled to open his eyes, and seeing Kagura's actions, his eyes were filled with shock and gratitude. " Lord Kagura, you... you... thank you so much!"
Kagura stopped dancing, smiled slightly, and said gently, "No need to be so polite, young man. I can see your loyalty to Konoha, but you've been a bit reckless. I hope you'll remember this lesson."
Senju Tenpuku struggled to get up and bow, but Kagura held him down. "Don't move, rest well. I heard you had the Nine Revolutions Life-Saving Pill, but you gave it all to your comrades?"
Senju Tenpuku nodded somewhat embarrassedly. "They were more seriously injured than me, so I thought I'd save them first..."
Kagura nodded approvingly. "A doctor's heart is benevolent, selfless, truly rare. Rest assured and recover here. Once you're healed, I'll arrange a high-ranking position for you, hoping you can fully utilize your talents."
Senju Tenpuku was deeply moved, his eyes slightly reddening. " Lord Kagura, you value me so highly, I will certainly do my utmost to live up to your expectations! However, I have always been curious about the Wizard Clan. I have heard that you, along with the Fire Temple and Onmyoji, are known as the forces that protect the daimyo, and that the power you pass down is very mysterious. Could you tell me about it?"
A hint of reminiscence flashed in Kagura's eyes as she slowly said, "Our Wizard Clan descends from ancient times. We cultivate the Natural Energy, enabling us to communicate with heaven and earth and control celestial phenomena. Like the witchcraft I just used to heal you, it borrowed the power of nature to repair our wounds. The monks of the Fire Temple, on the other hand, practice Buddhism, using its power to purify evil. Their forbidden Buddhist techniques are incredibly powerful, capable of slaying demons and monsters. Onmyoji, skilled in the arts of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, can divine good and bad fortune, control shikigami, and set up powerful Yin-Yang formations."
"Wow, that sounds amazing!" Senju Tenpuku exclaimed. "But why do we ninjas rarely interact with ancient forces like yours?"
Kagura sighed, "Our ancient forces face difficulties in passing on their traditions. Take our Wizard Clan, for example; our numbers have never exceeded ten. Although we are powerful and live longer than ordinary ninjas, we are at a disadvantage when facing numerous and skilled ninja masters. Moreover, our training methods are completely different from those of ninjas, so we don't interact much. But our goal is the same: to protect the daimyo and safeguard the peace of this land."
Senju Tenpuku nodded earnestly. " Lord Kagura, I understand. From now on, I will work under you diligently, learn from you, and do my part to protect peace!"
Kagura smiled and patted Senju Tenpuku on the shoulder, "Good, it's good to have your thought. Get some rest, and I look forward to seeing you show your skills again after you recover!"
Senju Tenpuku lay there, feeling somewhat disappointed at leaving the Hokage's Secret Guard, but seeing how much Kagura valued him, he was filled with hope for the Mirai.
After Grandpa passed away, my mother seemed to have lost her soul. That day, with red eyes, she told me that she dreamed of my father covered in blood, which terrified her so much that she woke up in the middle of the night and insisted that I go to the Land of Lightning to keep an eye on him. I wanted to say that dreams shouldn't be taken seriously, but seeing her clutching the hem of her clothes and trembling, I didn't dare to say anything.
When I arrived in the Land of Lightning, I learned that my father had been beaten half to death by Tobirama and exiled to the Kagura military camp. I rushed to the Kagura military camp and finally saw my father. By then, his injuries had healed, and he insisted on taking me to pay my respects to Lord Kagura.
Upon entering Lord Kagura's command tent, the father and son bowed respectfully to Lord Kagura. Senju Tenpuku pushed Tsubasa forward, saying, "This is my son, Tsubasa. I was punished because I didn't report his visit to the Lord Tobirama last time."
Tsubasa saw the person on the seat look up and scrutinize him.
" Senju Clan kid, you can actually manipulate the Natural Energy?" Kagura asked, tapping her fingertips on the edge of the table with some surprise.
Tsubasa sensed the aura emanating from Lord Kagura and found it also contained powerful fluctuations of Natural Energy. Upon closer inspection, he determined it to be at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. Recalling that no Immortal Cultivation had ever appeared in the Hokage anime, he became curious about the identity of this Lord Kagura beside the daimyo. So, he spoke frankly, "I can sense the aura of Natural Energy emanating from you as well. I am able to cultivate Natural Energy because I possess the Perfect Sage Body, the Kekkei Genkai of the Senju Clan. May I ask how this applies to you?"
Kagura suddenly laughed, "You certainly have discerning eyes. Our Land of Fire has three ancient lineages since ancient times: the Fire Temple, the Onmyoji lineage, and our Wizard lineage. We protect the Daimyo of the Land of Fire." Kagura clearly had a good impression of Tsubasa, who also cultivated the Natural Energy. She then asked, "May I ask how you cultivated your Natural Energy?"
Tsubasa could sense Kagura's goodwill, so he introduced his own power to Kagura, saying that he was formed by combining the Chakra training method of the Senju Clan with the Natural Energy. He also said that he had been baptized by the Natural Energy since childhood, and therefore could sense the Natural Energy of water and soil.
Kagura looked puzzled. "That's unlikely. Without guidance, the Natural Energy can't enter the human body at all. It's like it exists in a different space-time from us; even if it passes through the body, it won't merge with us. Your case is truly special."
Tsubasa thought to himself: This person is indeed professional. Why didn't Grandpa ask Kagura to come and see me when I was sick? Little did he know that Kagura had been in seclusion for many years in order to break through his limits. This time, he only came out of seclusion to help the daimyo because of the world war.
Tsubasa asked curiously, " Lord Kagura, how did you embark on the path of Immortal Cultivation when you were young?"
Kagura smiled without any concealment, "From a young age, we let children sense and integrate with nature. A pure heart can sense nature; this is the first step. Next, we test their talent. We wizards have a spell that can detect whether children over 5 years old possess Wizard Root. Those who have Wizard Root and can sense the Natural Energy can cultivate Wizard Power."
Tsubasa wondered, could Wizard Root be the same as Spiritual Root? So he asked, "Why children over 5 years old? Can't children under 5 be tested?"
Kagura explained, "Children under five can also be tested, but it's easy to hurt them. In this age group, some children's skulls haven't fully developed, and their spiritual Wizard Root are still being baptized by the Natural Energy. Those with Spiritual Root will be imbued with the aura Natural Energy Natural Energy; Spiritual Root without will not be affected. Our magic is used to sense whether a child has been baptized by their Wizard Root. Generally speaking, perhaps only one in ten thousand children has Wizard Root, and among a hundred people with Wizard Root, perhaps only one can sense the Natural Energy. Therefore, people like us who cultivate the Natural Energy are becoming increasingly rare."
Tsubasa could sense that Kagura's aura was at the peak of the Qi Refining Stage, and asked curiously, " Lord Kagura, how are the realms of cultivating the Natural Energy divided?"
Kagura said earnestly, "The wizarding lineage is divided into three realms: Wizard Qi, Wizard Liquid, and Wizard Core. I have cultivated for 120 years and am currently at the peak of the Wizard Qi realm. I don't know if I will be able to break through to the Wizard Liquid realm in this lifetime. I heard that our lineage's founder reached the Wizard Core realm. In their era, demons and monsters roamed freely, and our founder vanquished countless demons and monsters. I truly wish I had been born in that era. Since the emergence of Chakra and ninjas a thousand years ago, the Natural Energy has become scarce, making cultivation increasingly difficult. Our lineage will inevitably be eliminated sooner or later. Young friend, what realm are you in? I couldn't sense it, I only know that you, like me, are someone who cultivates the Natural Energy."
Tsubasa admitted, "To be honest, Lord Kagura, I've only just entered the Spiritual Liquid Realm."
Kagura was shocked. "What? You've reached the Wizard Liquid Realm? How did you cultivate? Why so quickly? And how did you break through?"
Tsubasa also had a great liking for Kagura, so he explained, " Lord Kagura, this was originally my secret, but since you have been so sincere to me, I will tell you the truth. We, the Thousand Hands Clan, are unaware that we have a sacred spiritual ground contract— the Shikkotsu Forest. I wonder if Lord Kagura has heard of it? The Natural Energy there is dozens of times stronger than outside, and I cultivated there at an extremely fast pace. As for my breakthrough, it was because I ate a red, glowing bead, which caused my spiritual Spiritual Qi to condense into a liquid state."
Kagura exclaimed in surprise, "The three sacred spiritual sites are all forbidden areas for humans! Ryūchi Cave is occupied by snake demons, Mount Myōboku is occupied by Toad demons, and Shikkotsu Forest is a place where no one ever comes out after entering; no one who goes in has ever been seen to come out."
Tsubasa said, " Lord Hashirama went in before and even practiced Senjutsu. We have Perfect Sage Body and can withstand the pressure from the Katsuyu Sage."
Kagura exclaimed, "You guys are so lucky. The one you ate must have been Earth Vein Pearl. To encounter such a rare treasure like that, you're truly blessed."
Tsubasa asked in confusion, "What is Earth Vein Pearl? What's so special about it?"
Kagura explained, " Earth Vein Pearl are born from earth veins, and it generally takes a thousand years for one to be formed. Earth veins are unparalleled treasures for cultivation, where there are usually Chakra Metal mother minerals that can attract the Natural Energy and earth."
Tsubasa thought to himself: Kagura indeed very knowledgeable; she knows a little about everything.
Kagura asked longingly, "I wonder if there are any more Earth Vein Pearl there?"
Tsubasa said seriously, "I searched the whole place, but I didn't find anything else."
Kagura sighed, "What more could I ask for? Earth Vein Pearl only form once every thousand years; you're truly lucky, young friend. You must be the only Wizard Liquid Realm expert among humanity right now."
Tsubasa asked, " Lord Kagura, do you know the subsequent cultivation methods? To be honest, I'm just groping around blindly, and I have no idea what to do when I break through to the Golden Core Realm."
Kagura said helplessly, "I'm still in the Qi Cultivation stage myself, how would I know about these things? But my ancestors' records mention how our patriarch broke through. The records state that after our patriarch killed a great demon, he was in dire straits, so he ate the great demon, and then broke through to the Golden Core Realm."
Tsubasa pressed further, "Isn't there any other way?"
Kagura smiled wryly, "Our lineage has only produced one expert at the Wizard Core Realm. It's said he lived to be over 500 years old, and since then, no one at the Wizard Core Realm has emerged."
Tsubasa thanked Kagura for clearing up his doubts, Tsubasa the two chatted for a long time afterward. Kagura even told Tsubasa about the method of testing Spiritual Root, thus resolving Kagura's doubts and revealing the secrets of human Immortal Cultivation.