Konoha Hypocrite

by Little Merger

Crossing to the Naruto World, Uchiha Tonan obtained the ‘Legacy Inheritance System’. As long as the people who acknowledged him died, he could inherit all abilities of the deceased. Therefore… “Konoha’s higher-ups mistreated the Uchihas. So, I’ve decided to lead the clan to launch a coup d’état after three years.” “Ding! Gained Uchiha clan’s acknowledgment.” Two years later. “Tonan

6. 144

Konoha Hypocrite #Chapter 144: Peak Expansion, Myriad Heavenly Lightning Prison - Read Konoha Hypocrite Chapter 144: Peak Expansion, Myriad Heavenly Lightning Prison Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 144: Peak Expansion, Myriad Heavenly Lightning Prison

After being momentarily shocked, Terachi had the look of facing death with equanimity. He crouched and clapped his hands together. His emaciated body instantly filled up and his muscles bulged.

The loose monk robe ripped because of bulging muscles, flying all around. Terachi's eyes became round, and his eyeballs were protruding, filled with blood. Because of exerting himself excessively, his facial features became bright red and distorted like a boiled prawn.

He transformed completely from the emaciated old man just now. Not only did his body become stronger, but his height also increased by three feet, emitting great strength. He clasped his hands, forming a seal, and shouted, "Not only is your spirit darker than that of a tailed beast, but you have also learned to disguise yourself. I can't let you get out of here alive. True Several Thousand Hands – Peak Expansion!"

"Good lord, he truly doesn't fear for his life." Tonan had inherited Chigo's legacy, so he knew this move. However, it consumed too much senjutsu energy, and Chigo's energy was not sufficient. Unexpectedly, Terachi could use it.

The image of Buddha behind Terachi enlarged, and in a short moment, a small hill-sized motionless King Ming appeared behind him. Now, the image of Buddha was golden, and he sat half lying on a golden lotus throne. Moreover, he had three faces and several thousand hands.

The left face looked compassionate, the right face had anger and the front face showed enlightenment. The thickly dotted arms looked like a peacock fanning out its tail. It made people feel dizzy looking at it.

"Demon! Receive death!" Terachi shouted angrily, and the motionless King Ming's infinite arms made a fist and attacked Tonan from all directions.

Rumble~ The earth shook, boulders broke and flew everywhere. Just the wind generated by the movement of the fists was extremely fierce, causing dust, sand, and rocks to dance crazily in the mountain forest.

Countless trees were broken by the fierce wind, and the soil on the ground rose high into the air. The bombardment of countless fists produced thunderous sounds, which seemed to have the momentum of destroying heaven and earth. The clear sky turned dusky, grey, and chaotic. To completely kill Tonan, Terachi went all out and bombarded for no less than ten minutes.

When the smoke and dust that covered the sky and the sun dissipated, there was just a pool of blood in a huge crater.

Terachi sighed in relief. His hands were drooping, and his eyelids were also closing slightly. It was like he would collapse from exhaustion in the next second. He turned his head and looked at the two corpses protected by the palms of the image of Buddha. But just when he was thinking of removing the Buddha's image to go bury the two dead bodies, his eyes filled with horror, and he looked around.

"How is this possible! How can there be such an intense evil aura?"

Step, step, step… As footsteps became clearer, Tonan walked out from the collapsed forest in the distance and entered Terachi's vision. His entire body was covered with lightning that seemed to be able to assimilate people's souls.

He raised his hand, rubbed his temple a few times, and frowned. He moved his hands away. "Hiss~ is this what it feels like to die? Old man, you should experience it as well."

Tonan's voice was coming from all directions. "Barrier – Four Red Yang Formation."

Suddenly, a golden barrier rose isolating Terachi from the world. His forehead was covered in a cold sweat. He looked at Tonan and at the blood in the crater. Looking horrified, he asked, "Impossible… how can a clone have flesh and blood…"

Tonan didn't bother to continue explaining to a man who was about to die. At this moment, Terachi's mind was in chaos, but it was a good chance. Tonan opened his eyes, and three tomoe spun rapidly. "Genjutsu – Hell Viewing Technique."

However, Terachi was confused for just a moment, and his mind became clear again. He took a deep breath, put his palms together, and said with determination, "Demon, my belief is indestructible, you can't deceive me."

"That's good, old man, you truly opened my eyes."

In the next moment, a stone pillar rose from the ground below Tonan's feet, moving Tonan to a high place. He looked at Terachi below and activated the Lightning Style Secret Technique – Spirit of the Thunder God. He communicated with the natural lightning. The sky above the barrier became overcast and dark as if it was soaked with ink.

A great pressure covered the entire barrier as if doomsday was coming. The muffled thunders were like raging billows flying up to the sky, getting closer and stronger. A streak of blue lighting spread in all directions like the branches of a bizarre tree, splitting the entire sky into pieces.

Streaks of lightning flashed one after another as if they would strike Terachi in the next second. At this moment, Tonan's eyes were pure indifference bereft of any human emotions. He raised his right hand and a lightning ball condensed in it.

The lighting around his body surged, and his hair fluttered. His demonic might was outstanding. In the next moment, the lightning ball exploded with dazzling white light. And that beam of white light pierced the sky. Soon afterward, the dark clouds in the sky seemed enraged, and the entire sky lit up with dazzling blue radiance.

The fierce wind howled like a demon. Dark clouds were churning and rolling rapidly. They seemed to be piling up, getting denser and denser. And like thousands upon thousands of men and horses, they pressed towards the earth.

"Lightning Style Secret Technique – Myriad Heavenly Lightning Prison."

It could be said that Terachi was the strongest opponent Tonan had met so far. In the battle of life and death, he used his strongest firepower. Terachi looked at Tonan in the distance, forcibly raised his spirit, and controlled the motionless King Ming behind him to brandish the fists to attack Tonan.

However…

Rumble~ Thick lightning fell, accurately striking every fist. Tonan simply stood there, frantically releasing chakra. His Sharingan spun continuously, capturing the trajectory of King Ming's fists with its powerful dynamic vision.

While defending, he also controlled lightning to attack Terachi. At this moment, Terachi was trembling because of the huge chakra consumption. But his unparalleled willpower supported him. He controlled the motionless King Ming to smash the lightning falling from the sky.

The earth was shaking. Hills and trees within the barrier had been wiped away without leaving any traces. Suddenly, the old woman's corpse that was being protected by the motionless King Ming's palm twitched.

"Hu~ cough, cough, cough~" The old woman seemed to have something stuck in her throat and coughed suddenly. Tonan's eyes moved to her, and a strange devilish smile appeared on his face. "Oh, you are not dead."

Terachi saw his ruthless appearance and thought to himself, not good! The dark clouds in the sky surged, and a thunder dragon stuck its head out from them. The moment it appeared, it opened its mouth as if it was roaring, and a muffled thunderous sound filled the sky.

The huge dragon aimed at the old woman on the ground and dived down.

Despicable! Terachi didn't think too much in haste. He felt Tonan was forcing him to defend the life of an innocent person. He instantly rushed toward the old woman.

Bang!

Following an earth-shaking explosion, the entire world seemed to have lost sound and became quiet for a moment. The entire barrier was filled with dazzling white light. Everything within it seemed to have been annihilated.

Even the sturdy golden barrier began to flicker, seemingly, on the verge of being shattered in the next second.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 145: Digging Heart Out With Sneak Attack, Heavenly Snow

After a while, the white light dissipated, and Terachi was half-kneeling in front of the old woman. The Buddha image behind him had stretched out thousands of arms, protecting him, the old woman, and Naoko's corpse.

The motionless King Ming had become very illusory after suffering this bombardment. It looked like it would collapse and dissipate at any time.

Pop, pop, pop… The lightning around Tonan also dissipated, and his eyes recovered human characteristics.

"You are truly a kind eminent monk."

The voice had just fallen when….

Puchi~

Terachi felt a sharp pain in his chest. His eyes were wide open as he lowered his head in disbelief. He saw the old woman who had come back to life had transformed into Tonan. His hand had pierced his chest, grabbing his heart. Naoko's corpse also turned into a cloud of white smoke and disappeared.

Terachi muttered in disbelief, "Impossible, even if it's a… clone… I could have sensed the evil intention…"

Tonan didn't waste time explaining things to a dying man. He slowly dug out the heart as Terachi closed his eyes and fell to the ground. Without the support of the senjutsu energy, his body withered, and he looked like a thousand-year-old dried corpse lying in a coffin.

The four flicker clones that had activated the barrier dispersed, and the golden barrier also disappeared.

At this time, Tonan's real body walked over slowly from a distance and took the heart from the flicker clone's hand. He raised it in front of his eyes. Terachi's heart seemed to be still beating. A smile appeared on Tonan's face, which was pale because of the aftereffect of chakra depletion and the Spirit of the Thunder God.

Bang!

The heart was crushed ruthlessly. Then, he dispelled this flicker clone too. The dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, revealing a crack from where sunlight sprinkled, shining directly on Tonan.

Not even a blade of grass was left within the area covered by the earlier barrier, but outside its range, it was still overflowing with vigor.

Coo, coo~ Coo, coo~

Flocks of white pigeons flew over from all directions as if celebrating victory, as they pounced on the spoils of war. Without the barrier's obstruction, a cool autumn wind blew in, bringing along withered leaves.

Amid rustling autumn wind, leaves were swaying and fluttering aimlessly. After a long time, the black ferocious birds that had eaten their fill put on their pure white feather robes again and left chirping in satisfaction.

A dead leaf drifted along with the wind and floated down from above Tonan's head. He squinted his eyes and spread out his palm. But just when the leaf was about to touch it, he suddenly disappeared.

In fact, from the first day he came to the Fire Temple, Tonan was wary of Terachi. After all, the Fire Temple was a ninja temple, and every monk had extraordinary combat power. Tonan didn't believe such an old monk would be weak.

Besides, in the Buddhist tradition, the most powerful people were usually sweeper monks. Since Chigo had cultivated a mind eye, he wouldn't believe that this sweeper monk hadn't. Therefore, when Tonan walked out of the Fire Temple, he used Flicker Clone Technique, creating two clones.

Then, one flicker clone used Reconstruction Technique to transform into the old woman, and the other flicker clone transformed into Naoko. His main body cast hypnotic eye genjutsu on those two clones.

The hypnotic imprint was when one clone saw another clone, the spiritual fire would bloom in their hearts to disperse the darkness. After all, the minds of the clones with entities were not shared with the main body. They were similar to the independent living body to a certain degree.

The two clones kept their eyes wide open from start to finish and kept looking at each other at all times. The mind eye was a special perception technique that could perceive evil thoughts. But when there were no evil thoughts, nothing would be perceived.

In addition, Terachi had only focused on Tonan. He had no time to think much about others. The real Several Thousand Hands – Peak Expansion, its attack, and defense were terrifying. Tonan had to use White Fang's unique technique, and borrow the power of nature. Even with all this, he could only keep up with the opponent.

If it was truly a battle without tricks, then even if Tonan had won, it would be a tragic victory. His amount of chakra was large, and his spiritual energy was powerful, but the power of his ninjutsu was a bit stronger, and his battle endurance was also a bit greater.

More ninjutsu meant more means to face the enemy. At Tonan's level, to win against Terachi, he had to use unique skills and some tricks.

……

Half a month later, Konoha saw its first heavy snowfall of the year.

Ding, ding, ding…

The wind chime under the eaves swayed along with the cold wind. Snowflakes as light as a goose feather floated down from the sky, like silver flowers and white butterflies. The trees in the courtyard, stripped off their clothing by the cold winter, stood bare, enduring winter's harsh cold.

Tonan sat in front of a heating stove and picked up a nursing bottle. He pecked it lightly with his mouth to test the temperature. A bit higher than human body temperature. It's just right.

He looked at a baby in swaddling clothes in his arms and pressed the nursing bottle near its mouth. The baby instinctively opened his little mouth and sucked the milk greedily. After the baby was full, Tonan carefully placed him in the cradle. He then created a shadow clone to look after him.

Tonan himself walked out of the room and stood in the courtyard. He looked into the distance with his hands behind his back. Thousands of miles away in frozen wastes, even the setting sun seemed to have changed its color due to loneliness, turning a kind of hollow and desolate ash grey.

After Tonan took care of Terachi, he possessed senjutsu energy, and his strength increased greatly, so he rushed back to Konoha. However, on the day he returned, Sarutobi Hiruzen told him some news.

The good news was that the welfare institution was constructed. It was built in the most prosperous location in Konoha, and its area was about the same as the Ninja Academy.

But there were two pieces of bad news as well. One was from the information brought back by the ninjas who went to the Fire Capital. Naraku had established an adoption system, and he didn't agree to send back the orphans Tonan had adopted.

The second was the issue of Konoha Orphanage. Utatane Koharu had been in charge of the orphanage. Hiruzen wanted to disband it and entrust all orphans in it to Tonan. But Shimura Danzo opposed this, and at the same time, Koharu and Homura expressed their support for him.

Their reason was that these orphans were all descendants of heroes. They should be supervised and raised by the village to avoid any accidents. Hiruzen couldn't find faults with this reasoning, so he could only give up.

Now that it was peacetime, even the youngest wartime orphans were four or five years old. And children who had reached this age could enter the Ninja Academy if they were talented. If they were not, they could start to help various village departments working as assistants.

Especially, the various big clans of Konoha, regardless of orphans or old people, were firmly supported by the clan. Tonan had also recruited a dozen or so civilian elder people. He provided them with free food and drinks every day. He served them like they were his seniors.

As for orphans, it was just the one he had placed in the cradle. His father was a small clan's chunin who had died on a mission. His mother, a civilian, passed away during childbirth. Due to various reasons, the baby's clan refused to raise him, so he was handed over to Tonan.

Unexpectedly, because of his arrival, Hiruzen, the Hokage, was actually suppressed by Danzo. He truly didn't know what to say.

"It seems I need to find an opportunity to show the ability of an adopted son, and fight for father Hiruzen's influence. Otherwise, the welfare institution will just be in name only. Let alone becoming a helping hand, it will become a burden."

More importantly, just about a year is left before the start of the third world war. In the unlikely event that Hiruzen loses power completely, once he enters the battlefield, he might not have to face just the enemies, but also traitors. Although Hiruzen was hard-hearted when dealing with the ninjas in the village, Tonan wondered why was he so soft-hearted when dealing with Danzo and the two Hokage Advisors?

He sighed helplessly, deeply worried about Konoha's prosperity and stability.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 146: Hatake Kotoura, Keeping Father Son Safe

Knock, knock, knock… Uchiha Tonan was immersed deep in the worries about Konoha's future when his sighs were interrupted by a knock at the welfare institution's door. He walked over to open it and was greeted by a group of familiar faces. The people who had come were Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin.

The first to smile brightly and call out was Obito, "Tonan, we're here!"

Tonan smiled and replied, "It's cold outside. Everyone come in and warm yourself by the fire."

Wa, wa, wa~ Perhaps, because Obito was too loud, the baby in the room woke up.

Duang~ A furious Kushina punched Obito on his head and reprimanded, "Lower your voice!"

Obito sullenly covered the area throbbing with pain. He was angry but didn't dare voice it out. Rin, who was beside them, couldn't help covering her mouth to smile. She then quietly looked at Kakashi.

The group walked inside the room together and saw Tonan's shadow clone sitting on his knees beside the cradle, shaking a small bell to soothe the baby.

"So cute!" Both Kushina and Rin melted seeing the adorable infant immediately, but Kushina came back to her senses and asked, "Tonan, what's the baby's name?"

Tonan smiled gently, "His name is Kotoura."

Minato turned his head to look at Tonan and asked with a smile, "Did you name him after your father?"

Tonan adjusted his glasses. Staring at Kotoura in the cradle, he answered, "Yes, Little Kotoura will be by my side in the future. When I see him, I'll think of my father. I also hope he will dedicate his life protecting Konoha just like my father."

Minato nodded and asked again, "But what about his surname?"

Tonan rubbed his chin and lightly commented, "That's a problem… Kakashi, you're the Hatake clan patriarch. Could you let Kotoura have the Hatake surname?"

Kakashi casually spread his arms and said, "I don't care."

Kushina immediately hugged the baby and happily said, "Hatake Kotoura…"

Perhaps, because of fear, Little Kotoura's mouth shriveled, and his little feet also squeezed together, and soon after…

"He peed…" Kushina became anxious. Tonan's shadow clone stretched out his hands and took Little Kotoura back, "Let me take care of it." The shadow clone skillfully changed the diaper and gently put Kotoura back in the cradle. The infant squinted his eyes as if insecure, so he forcibly kept them open to stare at the strangers in front of him.

Rin sat beside the cradle and turned to look at Tonan, saying in a low voice, "He seems to be sleepy."

Tonan nodded and his shadow clone took a small bell and shook it lightly. Tonan's main body also came up to the cradle and sat down on his knees. He sang a lullaby with a gentle look, "The lake is like your eyes, dreaming of the starry sky, the mood's a legend, of the invariable waiting…"

Outside the house, snowflakes that looked as light as feather and as white as silver fluttered about, sprinkling down from the sky.

Inside the house, the heating stove's warmth made the entire room cozy. Everyone listened to Tonan's singing and watched Little Kotoura fall asleep quietly. No one wanted to make a sound to break this peaceful scene.

'Ding! Gained Nohara Rin's acknowledgment.'

Tonan's expression remained unchanged, ignoring the fiery gaze on him. At this moment, Rin was half-squatting, and with her palms supporting her face, her eyes drifting towards Tonan, who was still singing for Little Kotoura.

"Tonan-kun is so gentle… Kakashi is also not bad… I'm so distressed…"

When it was almost time, Tonan got up and made a 'shush' gesture, following which everyone quietly left the room. The white snowflakes were getting bigger and bigger, filling the sky like dandelions.

Minato looked sideways at Tonan, who looked calm, and teased, "Tonan, it seems you like children very much."

Tonan nodded lightly, looked at the snowflakes dancing in the sky, stretched out his hand, and said, "Children are the future and the hope of the village. They are as pure as snow. Perhaps, I like to get along with such kind of people the most."

A snowflake fell on his hand, instantly melting by his palm's temperature. At this moment, a figure ran over from the Sunset Building not far away.

He was the 'eternal genin', Maito Dai. "Tonan, today's mission is completed. Not only did I clean every room, but I also changed their sheets and bedding."

Tonan placed his hands on his knees and bowed to Dai, "Dai-senpai, I'm truly troubling you. I just can't get away from here."

Dai waved his hands, "You don't need to thank me. This is my mission. If there's nothing else, I'll leave now. I've to go back and see if that boy Gai has slacked in his training."

Tonan nodded with a smile, "Dai-senpai, you can bring Gai with you during the day as well. Cleaning up is also a form of training. Also, I'm going to issue a long-term mission. You two can live in the welfare institution and take charge of guarding the welfare institution's safety. I'm worried about the elderly here. In case of an emergency, with your good physical strength, you can take them to the hospital in time."

When Dai heard this, his eyes lip up. He showed his white teeth and gave a thumbs-up, "No problem, I'll bring Gai with me from tomorrow. Tonan, you're such a good person!"

Dai turned to leave the welfare institution. "Youth is to burn recklessly!"

Tonan looked at Dai's back, and a smile couldn't help appearing on his face. It seemed despite the setbacks, this welfare institution still had some use. He was able to trick Dai and Gai into becoming security guards. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds fondness.

Tonan didn't believe that by the end of the Third Ninja World War, Dai wouldn't acknowledge him. A forbidden art that can make a mortal body comparable to the gods! If he truly ran into an enemy that he was no match for, it will be useful.

Using Eight Gates Released Formation and activating the Izanagi… As for Gai, after he creates Night Guy, his fate will also be the same.

At this moment, Obito, with his hands on the back of his head, asked in surprise, "Isn't he Gai's father? He looks so weird. I heard he has always been a genin."

Minato rubbed Obito's hair and leisurely said, "The level of a ninja doesn't explain everything. Dai-senpai is just not good at ninjutsu and genjutsu, but his taijutsu is very strong."

Tonan nodded in agreement, "Although I've come into contact with Dai-senpai for just these past few days, I've seen many rare and commendable qualities in him. In particular, the spirit of never giving up is worth learning for all of us."

After speaking, he looked at the snowflakes that had already gotten somewhat sparse and softly said, "Alright, it's almost time, I'm going to cook food for the elderly. After dinner, let's chat with them to relieve their boredom."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 147.1: Investment, A Betraying Student

After dinner, together with Uchiha Tonan, everyone chatted with the elderly living in the Sunset Building to break their otherwise monotonous routines. For some time, the welfare institution looked lively.

As careful as he was, Tonan didn't let people come often to visit these elderly people. He would request Sarutobi Hiruzen to let the Ninja Academy students come over and do public benefit activities every now and then but everything was measured.

For Tonan, these ninjas and the academy students were just tools he used to try and please the old people. If they were allowed to appear often in front of the elderly, it might lower his chances of gaining acknowledgment. Even though these old people lacked both strength and skills, it didn't matter to Tonan. He firmly believed everyone had some value, no matter how old or young they were.

The old people were indeed just perfect. Tonan taught them things such as zither, the game of Go, calligraphy, painting, and so on when he had free time, keeping them occupied. In any case, they had nothing else to do, might as well let them play Go or something every day.

Although such skills wouldn't benefit him in any way, it was better than nothing. When it was almost time, the old people fell asleep one after another under the Tonan's concerned watch. Soon after, Namikaze Minato and the rest of the group too left the welfare institution.

Back in the room alone, Tonan walked to a table and made a pot of tea for himself. Looking at the shadow clone that was walking back and forth while holding the newly christened baby, Hatake Kotoura, Tonan rubbed his temples. He was slightly annoyed and his mind was playing out several scenarios.

"I guess I've to wait for the war to begin for this welfare institution to really come in handy. Before that, I need to help Father Hiruzen bring Konoha under his control. As long as he's in power, the Konoha Orphanage can be disbanded before the war starts.

"The other problem I have to tackle is the ninja clans. Now that it's peacetime, these clans have great careers, and they can easily raise a few orphans and old people. But judging from Konoha's current policies, the economy will collapse sooner or later, and as long as the war breaks out, the number of orphans and elderly will steadily increase.

"The ninja clans might not be able to support them when the time comes. I need to carefully plan this. The welfare institution has many benefits. And this sort of a good deed will be seen and publicized by everyone. Especially fostering children… if a few geniuses came out from my welfare institution…

"The ninja clans might still have misgivings though. After all, they are a clan, and they will not tolerate their bloodline wandering about destitute. It would work out best if my welfare institution poses to only be responsible for raising the children. And when they are of age, the clans can take them back.

"But if there's no cost, it'll make people suspicious. The clans' higher-ups are wise enough to know there are no free meals under the sky. Just asking them to pay up might not be enough…."

Suddenly, a phrase flashed through Tonan's mind — investment for the future. The welfare institution could make the outside world promise that after the children became ninjas, a certain percentage of their mission rewards would have to be given to the institution.

And after the amount reaches a certain number, the two parties will no longer be transactionally connected. Thinking of this, the corners of Tonan's mouth rose slightly. He picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The next day was destined to have a foggy beginning. There was snowfall in the middle of the previous night and the accumulated snow was more than half a foot thick in the morning.

After feeding Little Kotoura, Tonan created two shadow clones. One was responsible for taking care of Kotoura, and the other was taking care of the dozens or so old people in the welfare institution.

As for the main body, he put on a white windbreaker and left the room. The Maito father and son pair, Dai and Gai, had already moved into the room nearest to the courtyard's gate.

From early in the morning, the two had begun shoving away snow in the courtyard with their bare hands. "Gai! Burning youths don't fear the bitter cold!"

Tonan glanced at them from a distance and didn't disturb them. He left the welfare house quietly stepping on the snow.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building, the atmosphere of the meeting room was solemn. Shimura Danzo sat directly opposite Hiruzen and tapped his fingers on the table, "Hiruzen, this is the Daimyo's request. You can also see the Land of Fire's economy is growing rapidly under his regime. We must give due importance to the Five Great Countries Honorary Chunin Competition."

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and said with a frown, "Even so, we cannot let Tonan go. You are all already aware of what transpired in the past."

Danzo leaned forward slightly and aggressively said, "Hiruzen, you are the Hokage, you should consider the village first. The Daimyo has specifically asked for Tonan to participate. Whether it's his strength and status or his reputation in the Fire City, he's the best candidate."

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke again and looked straight at Danzo, his face flushing with some anger, "Anyone else is fine, but not Tonan…."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 147.2: Investment, A Betraying Student

Sarutobi Hiruzen was beginning to feel angry. In a meeting at the Hokage Office, he looked straight at Shimura Danzo and said, "Anyone else is fine, but not Tonan. Both Shinnosuke and Asuma are dead. Do you want me to send my disciple to risk his life as well?"

Seeing the atmosphere tense, Mitokado Homura said in a low voice, "Hiruzen, what happened with Shinnosuke is already in the past. We can only say that he participated in a vortex and fell victim to the political struggle. As for Asuma, the Daimyo has already made a statement that it had nothing to do with him. I guess it was enemy spies adding fuel to the fire. You cannot fall for such tricks."

Hiruzen glanced at Homura and then looked at Danzo. As if understanding what was going on, he angrily roared, "Don't force me, Danzo. I've been indulging you because I consider us companions. Do you think I don't know you've been secretly communicating with the Daimyo? Do you think I don't know that you have been regularly getting large funds from him?"

Danzo seemed wronged hearing Hiruzen's words, and asked with a look of disbelief, "Hiruzen, how can you slander me like this! Everything I do is for Konoha. Since you disagree, let's put the decision to vote."

Homura hesitated for a bit and lightly coughed, "Hiruzen, the Daimyo has already succeeded to the throne. From his attitude, he's not willing to go against Konoha. Even the financial support for Konoha has increased a lot during this time. He is already showing goodwill, and we should also move forward. We know you can't stop worrying about Tonan but think about it. The Daimyo has no reason to harm him."

Watching the one-sided play put on by Danzo and Homura, Hiruzen's face darkened and his tone was not good as he said, "You mean you support Danzo. Koharu, what about you?"

Utatane Koharu secretly glanced at the confident Danzo. She didn't dare to look at Hiruzen and said in a low voice, "I'll remain neutral."

When Hiruzen heard this, the hand holding the smoke pipe tightened.

At this time.

Knock, knock, knock.

Hiruzen coldly asked, "Who's it?"

An Anbu member's voice came through, "Hokage-sama, Orochimaru-sama is here."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and then thought of something, "Let him in."

Orochimaru, who was wearing a flak jacket, walked into the conference room with a faint smile on his face. He looked at the people in the meeting room and his gaze stopped at Hiruzen. He said with a smile, "Sensei, it seems I came at the wrong time."

Hiruzen said with a warm face, "No, you came at the right time."

Hiruzen then lightly commented to Danzo and the others, "I think Orochimaru is fully qualified to vote on this matter as well. After all, his achievements are nothing to scoff at. What do you all think?"

Even before Homura and Koharu could open their mouths, Danzo was the first to agree, "I have no opinion. In terms of qualifications and strength, I think Orochimaru is fully qualified to participate in high-level decision making."

Danzo's quick agreement made the originally confident Hiruzen feel a shadow of a doubt. He began to explain things to Orochimaru, "Orochimaru, this is what we are discussing. The Daimyo is going to hold the Five Great Countries Honorary Chunin Competition in the Fire Capital, in a display of power. He called Tonan to represent the Land of Fire in this competition but I think Tonan's current strength and experience are not enough, so he's not a suitable candidate. I wonder what is your opinion on this."

Orochimaru didn't look surprised at all upon hearing Hiruzen's words. He pondered for a moment and replied, "Tonan? As sensei's student, and the number one new genius of Konoha, I think no one is more suitable than him."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and continued to remind his student, "Orochimaru, you might not be familiar with Tonan. Although he's a genius, a genius also needs time to grow."

Who would have thought that Orochimaru completely ignored Hiruzen's signal and leisurely said, "Tonan is your disciple, I believe he's capable."

Hiruzen now completely understood the situation. Orochimaru was already on Danzo's side and he was not here to support him but to add weight to Danzo's position. This was blatant betrayal, and this betrayal was from the disciple he had always relied on.

At this moment, Danzo tapped a few times on the table with his finger, and said with a victorious smile, "Hiruzen, since Orochimaru also agrees, do you still want to stop this? We are all thinking from the village's perspective. Uchiha Tonan is indeed the best choice."

Hiruzen stared at Orochimaru for a while, and his face was gloomy as he lightly nodded, "Very good, Orochimaru, you've grown so much that even I can't understand you."

Orochimaru innocently replied, "Sensei, I don't understand what you are talking about. I just considered things from an objective viewpoint. You can ignore it if you think what I said was wrong."

Hiruzen retracted his gaze and stared at the table. He began to smoke again and stopped speaking. After a few breaths, HIruzen recovered his calm and said, "I think it's necessary to ask the concerned person's opinion on this as well."

It was Danzo's turn to fly off the handle. He slammed the table and shouted, "Hiruzen, you're being impulsive. Uchiha Tonan is a Leaf ninja first and then your student. This test is to represent the village and is also an assigned mission. Could it be that this matter is over just because he said he is unwilling to participate? Then, what's the use of us old men? Should we just stop managing the village and let them do whatever they please?"

Hiruzen took a deep breath and blew out smoke from his nostrils. He placed the smoke pipe on the table and slowly got up, looking straight at Danzo, saying word by word, "Shimura Danzo, is this your attitude towards the Hokage?"

The two people stared at each other for a few seconds before Danzo admitted defeat. He sat down on the chair and lowered his head, "The village needs a fair leader. If someone wants to use official authority for private interest, I'll be the first person to oppose him. The Will of Fire in my heart doesn't allow me to turn a blind eye to this."

His words were impeccable and filled with stern righteousness. Hiruzen knew that if he continued to argue, he would lose more than he would gain.

Would the past Danzo dare to speak to me like this? It's because ever since the new Daimyo assumed office, every time he gave funds to the village, he would also privately line Danzo's pockets heavily. The prices have been skyrocketing, and on many occasions, for the village's development, Hiruzen had to lower his head to Danzo for money.

At this moment, he felt like a mere figurehead. It seemed that most of the power he had in the past had slipped off at some point. Hiruzen sat down, leaned back on the chair, and sighed, "Alright, since you've all decided, then let Tonan participate. You can all leave now."

After hearing Hiruzen's words, Danzo smiled and took the lead to get up and leave. Orochimaru and Homura followed behind. Only then did Koharu stand up and said, "Hiruzen…"

However, before she could say anything more, Danzo turned his head and gave her a cold look. Koharu swallowed back her words and left with her head lowered.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 148: Unfaltering Loyalty, Shattering Hiruzen's Defense

Just after the four of them left the meeting room, they noticed a person standing by the window in the corridor. The person was wearing a white windbreaker, and his slender figure was thin but elegant.

He was looking at the scenery outside the window with his hands behind his back as if he was observing something. This was the very Uchiha Tonan who was the primary subject of the argument just now.

Shimura Danzo glanced at him and lightly said, "Little fellow, what a coincidence you are here." In his heart, however, he thought that Sarutobi Hiruzen had secretly summoned Tonan. Tonan seemed to have just noticed their presence. He turned around and adjusted his glasses, greeting with a smile, "Danzo-sama, Advisors-sama, Orochimaru-sama."

Tonan behaved very politely. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both nodded back, thinking this young boy was very well behaved. Although they were on Danzo's side at this time, most of their reasons were not about going against Hiruzen.

On one hand, Tonan was indeed the best candidate and they didn't want to go against the Daimyo. But on the other hand, Danzo had given them a promise that they couldn't refuse.

While walking past Tonan, Danzo patted his shoulder and said with a smile that did not reach his eyes, "Half a year later, we need you to win glory for Konoha. Make extra effort in this time to strengthen yourself."

Orochimaru's snake eyes also focused on Tonan, and a look of interest flashed through his narrowed slits. Tonan didn't respond. He just smiled and watched the four people leave. After they were gone, he walked into the meeting room.

He saw Hiruzen leaning on the chair to rest with his eyes closed. Tonan lightly walked behind him and stretched out his hands. He then rubbed Hiruzen's temple with his thumb and transmitted some chakra into it, making the massage even more relaxing. After a while, he asked in a quiet voice, "Sensei, what is bothering you?"

Hiruzen took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. Much had happened recently that was giving him a splitting headache. He enjoyed the head massage and the depressing feelings in his heart dissipated a bit. "Why did you come here?"

During this time, Hiruzen felt exhausted both mentally and physically. Since Shinnosuke and Asuma's death, it could be said that the people to whom Hiruzen attached the most importance were Tonan and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru had been with him for so many years. He had personally watched him grow from an ignorant boy to one of the sannin who shook the Ninja World. He had always been his pride. Unexpectedly though, the student he valued the most betrayed him at a critical moment.

In terms of teacher-disciple relationships, Tonan was Orochimaru's junior brother. However, he still pushed him into the fire pit of the Capital.

Tonan controlled the strength of his hands and softly said, "I thought of some regulations for the welfare institution. I wanted sensei to help publicize it."

Hiruzen sighed and took a sip of tea. He waved his hand, "Let's put the matter of the institution aside for now. The higher-ups just had a meeting. The Daimyo asked you to participate in the Honorary Chunin Competition that will be held in the Fire Capital in half a year. After a vote, this discussion is now finalized and you have to participate."

Tonan nodded lightly and said, "I don't have a problem with that. It's my honor to win glory for the village."

Hiruzen opened his eyes and held Tonan's hand. Patting the back of his student's hand, he earnestly said, "Tonan, you're still too innocent. Some things are not that simple. Perhaps, I'm truly old. I never expected them to stand together now." Hiruzen squinted his eyes as he said this.

Hearing his words, Tonan paused and asked, "Is it related to politics?"

A bitter smile appeared on Hiruzen's face, "What do you understand about these things?" Tonan smiled and replied, "I'm not stupid. I've actually seen many things but I'm not interested in paying attention to them. In my heart, as long as the village is fine, and sensei is healthy, I'm satisfied."

There were only the two of them in the office, and white smoke was still rising from the smoke pipe on the table. Hiruzen stared at Tonan and compared this junior disciple with Orochimaru. It was only at this moment that he realized the two were not comparable at all.

Although Orochimaru was also intelligent and perceptive, he attached too much importance to personal interests. His heart was uncertain, and he was not loyal enough. But this disciple in front of him was perfect in every aspect. Tonan shared his burdens, liked him, and also had a sense of justice.

Thinking this way, Hiruzen felt strangely relieved. He sighed, "The only thing I'm angry about is that my student, Orochimaru, actually helped Danzo."

After he spoke, the atmosphere became silent. The light snowflakes were dancing in the air outside the window as if millions of jade scales were falling from the sky. Hiruzen kept his head down with a bit of regret and heartache.

After a long time, Tonan suddenly said, "Sensei."

"Hmm?"

Tonan looked straight at Hiruzen's eyes and said with determination, "I'll always be on your side. If someone goes against you, I'll do everything in my power to get rid of him. Even if I've to use dirty tricks that I abhor, I'll do it for you."

Tonan's eyes glowed with ruthlessness as he resolutely looked at Hiruzen. The latter never thought that Tonan, who had always been courteous, had such a side to him. He asked with a stunned look, "Tonan… what do you mean?"

Tonan looked at Hiruzen with gleaming eyes and warmly said, "Sensei, you've dedicated so much to Konoha over the years. You swallowed an insult, considered the big picture, and didn't go against the Daimyo. Your thinking is so advanced. I've always believed you can lead Konoha to glory. Whoever goes against you is going against the village and going against my principles."

"As your student, if I don't help you then who will I help? In fact, I'm not so great. Everything I love has its origin in you. For you, even if I've to fall into darkness, I'll do anything. Even if the entire world betrays you, I'll always be your student."

Tonan's tone was powerful and impressive. The more he spoke, the more excited he became. His eyes flickered, and his gaze was filled with admiration when he looked at Hiruzen.

Hiruzen felt deeply disappointed after Orochimaru's betrayal today. Seeing Tonan's unfaltering loyalty, the defense he had erected around his heart for so many years was thoroughly shattered.

'Ding! Gained Sarutobi Hiruzen's acknowledgment.'

Hiruzen had tears in his eyes, and he said with a touched look, "Good child, just having you to have thought like this is enough. Things haven't reached that point yet. I'll take care of this."

Tonan shook his head and said, "Sensei, I'll participate in the competition, and win first place. I want everyone to know that I'm the student of the strongest Hokage. I want to be your pride. Please don't make it difficult for me. Have confidence in me sensei."

Hiruzen was shocked when he heard Tonan's words. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Alright, if you need any help, just tell me."

Tonan smiled and pulled his hand from Hiruzen's grip. He in turn held Hiruzen's hand, letting the older man feel the temperature of his palm, the warmth slowly entering his heart.

"Sensei, thank you for taking care of me in the past. Please don't treat me as a child in the future. Sooner or later, I'll grow into a tall tree that can shelter Konoha from the wind and rain for you."

After making this promise, Tonan got up and walked out of the meeting room. When he reached the door, he paused and turned back, "Sensei, give me some time. I'll definitely be able to help you."

Tonan strode away after saying that. Hiruzen looked at the door and rubbed his eyes lightly, mumbling, "This child…" He then took a deep breath and his eyes glimmered again. He narrowed his gaze and muttered to himself, "Old friend, I'm sorry. Konoha cannot be destroyed in your hands."

"Guards."

"Hokage-sama."

"Carry out my instruction – the first and second Anbu squads are to start investigating Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. Including the important people of their clans, everyone should be investigated. Anyone who has private dealings, in all cases, whether there is definite evidence or just conjecture, bring them all to me in three days."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Chapter 149: Gathering Clan Members, Showing Extraordinariness

It was still afternoon when Uchiha Tonan walked alone on the street after leaving the Hokage Office. Even though the snow was falling, the commercial streets were filled with people going about their daily activities. Tonan did not have the air of ninjas. He squatted on the roadside and skillfully bargained with the vendors.

After a series of back and forth, they finally reached an agreement. Then, after he happily paid the money, the vendor took the ingredients to the welfare institution. Not long after, at the corner of the street, some members of the Konoha Police Force appeared.

Tonan casually glanced at them and then turned around to sit down in a breakfast restaurant. A waitress came to him with a smile on her face. "Welcome, may I ask what you would like to order?"

Tonan smiled and replied, "One bowl of porridge, and two kinds of pickles, please."

"Please wait."

Tonan waited. Resting his elbows on the table, he placed his hands together, just happening to cover his lips. Behind his hands, his lips moved and he activated Wind Communication Technique.

On the street, the Konoha Police Force squad captain suddenly narrowed his eyes and glanced around casually. He then said to the squad members, "All of you continue to patrol. I need to go to find Captain Shinji for something."

"Alright."

……

Late at night, Tonan finally put Little Kotoura to sleep. Then, he created a shadow clone to take care of the baby, and the main body put on a black cloak, and quietly left the institution.

The winter moon was clear and cold, emitting ice-like white radiance, reflecting a pale hue on the entire Konoha. The cold wind danced in the air like sharp swords, and when it passed through the leaves, they let out shrill cries.

In the Uchiha clan district, several shadows were quietly leaving their houses one by one. They were heading towards the forest outside Konoha. Not long after, the dark shadows jumped down from trees and gathered under a cliff.

An Uchiha clan member asked the most experienced person among them, "Shinji, is it here?"

Uchiha Shinji looked around and nodded after confirming that the location was right. He said, "It should be around here. You all weren't followed on your way, were you?"

The group of Uchiha clan members shook their heads and one of them replied, "No, we all took detours to make sure that no one followed us."

Shinji nodded, "That's good. Everyone, rest for a bit and wait for Tonan."

Suddenly, an Uchiha clan member asked with a worried look, "Shinji, do you think Tonan has forgotten the clan because he followed the Hokage for too long?"

Shinji replied firmly, "Impossible, the Great Elder's judgment can't be wrong. Besides, Tonan has already done so much in the dark. He even took the risk of killing White Fang, removing the sharpest tool of the Konoha higher-ups. Great Elder told me earlier that Tonan is also secretly sowing discord between the Hokage and the other high-leveled executives. If he didn't have the clan in his heart, why would he bother to do these things? He could have just followed the Hokage."

Another slightly older clan member immediately chimed in, "Yes, no other Uchiha can do what Tonan did. In any case, even if I died, I can't swallow my pride to please those people."

When everyone heard this, they placed themselves in Tonan's shoes and felt that Tonan didn't have it easy. They nodded their heads in agreement.

Shinji raised his head and glanced at the white moon in the sky. He squinted his eyes, "It's almost time, why isn't Tonan here yet?"

Coo, coo~ Coo, coo~

At this moment, white pigeons' cooing came from all directions. Under the silver glow of the cold moon, a dense black shadow flit across, as if a large flock of crows was flying. The black shadow was getting closer and larger and stopped above the cliff.

Slowly, the shadow merged to form a human silhouette. Everyone looked at it with vigilance. That figure took a few steps forward and came to the cliff's edge, looking down at the crowd.

Behind the cliff, there was a cold crescent moon. And only the scarlet spinning Sharingan could make these people see that the person who had come was an Uchiha.

"Is everyone here?" At just about ten meters, the cliff was not very high. When everyone activated their Sharingan and looked closely, they could vaguely see Tonan's appearance. But as Uchiha clan members, being looked down on from a high place, made them feel uncomfortable.

"Was that just genjutsu…"

"Was he, in fact, already here, but we never noticed?"

"Did he deceive so many Uchiha clan members who have three tomoe Sharingan?"

"It seems Great Elder is right. Tonan is the most likely Uchiha to surpass Asura. Thinking of this, Shinji's frown relaxed a little, "Tonan, why did you call us all here?"

Tonan looked at everyone below with his scarlet Sharingan and coldly said, "The list of confidants that the Great Elder delivered to me before his death had thirty people. How come there are just sixteen here?"

Shinji frowned again hearing Tonan's words. He hesitated for a bit and replied, "There are just twenty as far as I know. But Jiro and Yoshisuke were killed recently and even their Sharingan was dug out. The other two are busy and can't come for the time being. As for the remaining ten, we don't know who they are, and the Great Elder didn't tell us."

When Tonan said thirty people, he was just bluffing. After all, he couldn't guarantee that everyone here who knew about him would agree with him. Sure enough, only twelve people acknowledged him, but twenty knew about his secret.

"Let's seize this chance to catch them all in one fell swoop. There are many ways to kill them, but let's use Orochimaru first. If a fish slips through the net, I can just fish in the troubled waters."

Tonan nodded indifferently and said, "This matter is of great importance. Great Elder didn't tell you all everything for the sake of the clan's great cause. I hope you can understand."

Shinji nodded, "We are not that petty. Great Elder naturally had his thoughts. Everything is for the clan."

Tonan placed his hands on his back and looked down, "I gathered you all here because I have a mission to give you."

Tonan's attitude made some of the Uchiha clan members unhappy. One of them took a few steps forward and revealed his three tomoe Sharingan, glaring at him, "Tonan, although the Great Elder favored you, we are all your seniors. Pay attention to your words."

"Words?" In the next moment, the three tomoe in his eyes instantly spun rapidly.

"Eh…" The three tomoe of that person instinctively moved a little, and it instantly deactivated on its own. That person closed his eyes and fell to the ground.

"Shinra!" Several people exclaimed and hurried over to support him.

"He's fine. He has merely passed out from spiritual exhaustion."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 150: Scheming Against A Big Snake, Killing People By Proxy

Only now, everyone began to understand the strength of the youth on the cliff from the bottom of their hearts. All of them couldn't help correcting their expressions, and their gazes looking at Tonan became more radiant.

In the Uchiha clan, other than the special status such as the Patriarch or the Great Elder, everyone subconsciously respected strength. They began to get curious about the true strength hidden by this youth. But they heard Tonan leisurely say, "Amid the revitalization of the clan's great cause, I'll not permit anyone to oppose me."

"Shinra is like this, please don't mind him." Shinji looked at Tonan, his eyes filled with a fanatical hue, and his words seemed to have some degree of respect.

"It's nothing, I just gave him a light warning." Tonan waved his hand casually as if subduing a clan member with three tomoe Sharingan was a trivial matter. Immediately afterward, he lowered his head and said with a serious face, "Let me tell you about Konoha's current situation. Since I've successfully gained Sarutobi Hiruzen's trust, his prejudice against the clan has been eliminated. Moreover, he has promised me privately that he'll push me to the Hokage position when I have the qualifications."

Tonan's tone was light as he said this as if this matter was just everyday things like eating and drinking tea. But after he spoke, the Uchiha clan members exclaimed in joy…

"Really?"

"Great… like this, the clan can regain the Warring States Period's glory."

"This is a great move. There's no need for infighting at all, and we can directly get the power."

……

"Silence."

Tonan's voice was not loud but it seemed to explode in their ears, making them focus on him. This move created some awe in their hearts. Everyone present became silent and heard Tonan indifferently say, "But now, the times have changed. Sarutobi Hiruzen alone doesn't have the final say. The force led by Shimura Danzo opposes him. Danzo has even got the support of two Hokage Advisors and Orochimaru. In some aspects, his right to speak even surpasses Sarutobi Hiruzen. And Danzo always had evil plans toward our clan. He's our biggest enemy now."

Having said this, Tonan squinted his eyes and looked at the people below. Everyone frowned when they heard this. Obviously, they had never been in contact with these internal matters of the higher-ups, and they naturally didn't know their complicated relationship.

They had always thought that Konoha's Hokage meant what it said. They had never thought that someone would dare to oppose his authority. Many people haven't even heard the name Shimura Danzo.

Only the older and more senior people had some impression of this name in the depths of their memories. Everyone became worried and began to put forward their suggestions…

"Is that what is happening?"

"Tonan, do you want to lead the Uchiha clan to support Hokage?"

"If that's the case, then I think you should talk directly to Patriarch Fugaku. He has always advocated getting closer to the higher-ups."

However, Tonan coldly replied, "No, as the number one clan in Konoha, the Uchihas cannot stand in line easily. Otherwise, if Sarutobi Hiruzen loses power and influence, we would also be done for. We cannot put all the chips in one basket. Therefore, I called you all here."

"According to the information I secretly got from the higher-ups, Orochimaru and Danzo seem to be conducting some kind of human experiment. And there are various indications that the clan members' deaths are connected to this."

Hearing this, the Uchihas below exploded. Everyone was shocked. No one had thought that such a crazy thing was done by the Konoha higher-ups.

"What!"

"Jiro and Yoshisuke were actually not killed by the enemy villages' spies but by the village people?"

"Let's go to kill Orochimaru and Danzo, and avenge our clan members' death."

Tonan frowned. The Uchiha clan members indeed couldn't resist their impulses. Each of them was temperamental and careless. Moreover, they also bluntly spoke the words they shouldn't, and at every turn, they shouted about killing. They weren't particular about tactics either.

No wonder, although the Uchiha clan was powerful, it was still toyed around by the Konoha higher-ups. Tonan shouted in a deep voice, "Reckless fools! I called you all here today to investigate the truth and uncover the person behind the scenes."

After he spoke, cooing sounds came from all around. A large number of pigeons circled in the sky above everyone.

"These are the ninja beasts I nurtured. From today onwards, all your moves will be under their observation. Once anyone encounters the enemy, they'll notify me. When I find the person behind the scenes, I'll release the signal flare. At that time, you all need to rush over quickly and prevent the enemy from running away."

Shinji frowned, but he thought of something and said with a worried look, "But, as you said just now, the person behind the scenes is very likely to be… Orochimaru…"

Tonan arrogantly replied, "You all don't need to worry about that. With my current strength, we don't need to be afraid of him. The only thing we need to worry about is his escape. But I'm a person who likes to do things absolutely and eradicates the roots. If the person behind the scenes is truly him, then I must kill him completely to avoid future troubles."

The atmosphere became dead silent. Everyone looked at each other and was a little speechless. In their opinion, Tonan was bragging a little too much. It was difficult for them to believe his words.

Who was Orochimaru? How powerful was he? No one in the entire Konoha didn't know about him. But here, Tonan was confidently saying he wanted to kill him. It was extremely absurd and everyone clicked their tongues in succession.

Yes, the Uchiha clan was born with the ability to act like pretentious pricks who were best at taunting. Most of the members even perfected their acts and turned them into muscle memory.

But when they heard Tonan's words, they didn't think it was just a pretentious prick act but blatant big talk. Generally speaking, when they encounter someone who talked big, they would not hesitate to ridicule and expose him.

But Tonan's b* was not impeccable. Instead, it was full of holes, which made them not know where to start even though they wanted to ridicule him.

So embarrassing~

Orochimaru, after all, was one of the three sannin of the Ninja World. He was an existence that survived under the hands of the so-called demi-god Hanzo of the Salamander. In the entire village, there might not even be a few people who could fight against him.

Perhaps, the former Hiruzen could, but the current Hiruzen was already over fifty years old. Orochimaru was the combat power ceiling of Konoha. Could the young and inexperienced Tonan fight against him?

Shinji coughed heavily, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere. "Tonan, I think we should discuss this more carefully."

Tonan's scarlet Sharingan looked at Shinji and said with arrogance, "I didn't come to discuss, I'm just informing you. You just have to wait for my signal. By the way, tell this to the other two who didn't come as well."

After speaking, he turned into a white pigeon and disappeared from everyone's view. After he left, the surrounding was quiet for a while. In the end, someone couldn't help breaking the silence and said to Shinji, "Shinji, this guy is too arrogant. Such an arrogant person, I truly can't imagine him enduring for so many years. Too… hard."

As an Uchiha clan member, he had rarely learned to speak tactfully. The people around also agreed with him. Shinji coughed lightly, "Everyone, be a little more tactful. Tonan, after all, is still young, and he has endured for so long. It's not easy to get a chance to vent, and it's normal for him to be unable to control himself for some time. Everyone, please understand."

……

Tonan knew well that when dealing with the Uchihas, he shouldn't give them an inch, otherwise, they would ride on his head and act like tyrants.

Besides, in his heart, these people were already labeled as dead people, so he didn't bother to play nice with them. As for the seemingly arrogant words, he was just telling the truth. Orochimaru was truly strong. He had a lot of strange ninjutsu, and his summoning beast was also powerful. But in a one-on-one fight, he believed that he could suppress this snake-like sannin.

It was just that he was unsure of whether he could kill him or not. After all, in terms of the ability to survive in the entire Ninja World, Orochimaru was definitely the number one. Even if he was killed on the spot, that guy might resurrect from some corner suddenly.

However, he was just limited to being difficult to deal with. His battle strength didn't pose much threat to the current Tonan. Also, he was not very good at schemes and intrigues. All he needed to do now was to wait and find Orochimaru's hidden experiment base.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 151: Being Cautious, Experiment Base

Two days later, late at night, silence reigned supreme. In a dark forest, dozens of miles away from Konoha, the night sky appeared especially boundless, and the bright moon hung high like a silver plate in the cloudless sky.

The stars twinkled quietly in the distance but cautiously faded farther deep into the space. The bone-chilling northern wind whistled through the forest, blowing the bare trees as they rattled, making eerie sounds.

Deep in the dark forest, a near boneless figure emerged from a hole in a big tree. The person was wearing a white kimono, and his face was not just pale but bloodless. His snake-like eyes emitted a dangerous radiance.

His pale hue was incompatible with the darkness but the night's gloominess fused with his aura. This was Orochimaru, one of the three Konoha sannin that were known not only to be the strongest ninjas but also Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples.

Orochimaru left the tree and leisurely walked into the quiet and dark forest. After about ten minutes, he returned with a test tube in his hand. Just now, he had gone to a certain place to get some fresh experimental materials.

In the test tube, there was a pair of eyes soaked in a special solution. There was still some bloodstain around the eyeballs that floated in the solution. The pupils were staring in one direction, giving the impression that the eyes could see through them.

Orochimaru looked at the eyeballs in the test tube while walking, and he couldn't help licking his lips with a satisfied smile on his face.

Coo, coo~ Suddenly, Orochimaru raised his head and vigilantly looked around. He didn't notice anything unusual. The cold wind was blowing, making the woods howl in pain, cutting a rather scary picture.

Under the desolate moonlight, the forest seemed to give birth to countless concealed shadows. From the distance, it looked like the netherworld's ghost flames were multiplying endlessly.

Orochimaru put the test tube into his ninja bag with a frown and whispered, "Am I too high-strung because the recent experiments are too intense?" Although he thought this, Orochimaru, who had a very cautious personality, stood in the same place for a long time.

He secretly used ninjutsu, mobilizing countless small snakes to find the enemies that might be hidden in the forest.

Rustle, rustle, rustle… Small snakes of various colors searched all over. Their eyes emitted green radiance, and from time to time, they would stick out their long tongues, searching for any life presence in the vicinity.

Under the whistling wind, the sounds of these snakes crawling could only be heard vaguely. Orochimaru was well aware that this experiment could not be exposed. Especially, since he had already offended Hiruzen.

Perhaps, an Anbu member sent by the Hokage was observing him secretly from somewhere.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths… Time passed bit by bit, and the snakes had already crawled everywhere they could. Now, there were different kinds of poisonous snakes all over the place.

Even the bare branches of the trees were covered with coiled shadows. In addition, birds' cries could be heard from time to time, which seemed to be the last struggle for life, and it also seemed to be a cry for help before succumbing.

There was a faint smell of blood in the air. Orochimaru had ordered the snakes to hunt down all animals around this place, just in case. This was to prevent anyone from using ninja beasts to secretly observe him.

After a while, Orochimaru was finally convinced there were no traces of other living creatures around. Only then, did he feel relieved enough to walk towards the experiment base's entrance.

Walking over to the tree hole he had come out from, Orochimaru extended his hand very cautiously. His arm wriggled, and a snake head came out of it, which probed inside the tree hole. After ensuring nothing was amiss, Orochimaru entered it.

The tree hole was no less than seven or eight meters deep. Orochimaru landed at the bottom. There was a hard cliff around, and only in the front, there was a dark passage. The sannin walked into it with ease and then headed down following stone steps.

After walking for dozens of meters, he arrived at a well-lit place. This was Orochimaru's number one laboratory that stored the remains of various animals, as well as several medicinal materials and reagents.

But that was just a cover. Orochimaru came to the corner of the room, placed his hand on a specific area of the cliff, and slightly pushed it. The area sunk in and next to him, a stone gate slowly opened.

Orochimaru walked through and pressed the switch beside the stone gate, closing it behind him. Immediately afterward, he impatiently took out the test tube from his bag.

Before walking to the experiment table, he carefully took out the eyeballs in the tube with tweezers and put them into a container. Suddenly, Orochimaru sensed something. He frowned and turned around abruptly, inspecting carefully.

This lab was much larger than the one outside. There were human bodies sealed in containers, ninjutsu scrolls he developed on the bookshelves, and also a dissected corpse lying on an operating table in the middle.

In a specific corner, cells and limbs of various people with different bloodline limits were stored in a special freezing solution. There was also a bed and a chair in the innermost part of the laboratory for his use when he wanted to rest.

From Orochimaru's position, the entire laboratory could be seen at a glance. There was no one else here but the warning signs in his heart were getting stronger by the second.

It originated from a snake's instinct as if he was being watched by a powerful hunter. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, but he didn't dare act rashly. He repeatedly observed everything in the laboratory. After all, there were several mysterious ninjutsu in the Ninja World. Perhaps, someone had certain hidden ninjutsu that could dodge perception and hide in unexpected places.

But if anyone had entered before him, then it was impossible for him to not move anything in the lab. Orochimaru carefully observed every inch of his laboratory and compared it with his memories before he left.

Time slowly passed.

"It's precisely the same. The entire laboratory has not changed from the time I left. Could it be my misconception? Or did I return too quickly and the intruder had no time to move things…. No, it must be my misconception. If someone was truly hiding here, I would've already found him."

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. With a strange smile on his face, he muttered, "Interesting…" He slowly stepped forward and came to a container where a human body was stored. A row of clear glass containers was neatly arranged.

Orochimaru slowly moved his head closer to the container and carefully observed the human specimen soaked in the special liquid. There was a man with his eyes closed in this container. It looked like he would open his eyes any second.

His skin was very pale because his blood was drained and a special fresh-keeping solvent was injected into his body. His hair was floating in the liquid, and his face looked awful. It was obvious he was not too happy to die.

"Well, this has no issue. There is no life activity, and there is also no trace of the Transformation Technique."

Orochimaru placed his hand on the container and stroked it as if he was caressing something he loved dearly. The expression on his face was very gentle but in this environment, there was no warm feeling. It just looked weird.

After confirming there was nothing wrong, he lowered his eyes and his expression returned to normal. He then walked to the next container to observe it.

No problem. This one is also fine…

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 152: Hunting Begins, Situation Reversal

After checking all the human containers, Orochimaru was a little less confident. The things in the laboratory were in plain sight. There were no hiding places. Was a special transformation technique used to turn the intruder into some kind of an item?

If it was an ordinary transformation technique, it would constantly emit unusual chakra fluctuation and would not escape him. Orochimaru walked away from the human container and looked around the laboratory with a solemn expression. He trusted his instincts more than his eyes and perception.

"Something is wrong here! And since the intruder is hiding, it means he's afraid of me." Thinking this, a small smile appeared on Orochimaru's face as he walked to the bookshelf.

He said in a hoarse voice while casually sorting out the books, "Rats like to hide in dark corners, hoping that the poisonous snake will leave quickly."

After speaking, he stuck out his snake tongue and took out a scroll from the bookshelf. While opening the scroll and looking through it, he smiled and kept using words to stimulate the hidden enemy.

At the same time, he secretly used Blade of Killing Intent. This was a special kind of genjutsu that could continuously accumulate killing intent by slaying people, thereby enhancing its effect. The intent couldn't be enhanced endlessly and was subject to one's spiritual energy limitation. Otherwise, it would backfire and the user could fall into a frenzy.

"I know you are hiding here. Wait for me. I'll find you soon."

"Did you see the corpses in the containers?"

"They were all those who had broken into this place before."

"Little rat, your heart sure is beating so fast~"

……

Time passed little by little. In the entire lab, other than Orochimaru talking to himself, there were no movements. Even after a long time, he didn't notice anything unusual.

"Did I truly make a mistake?" At this moment, Orochimaru was doubting his instincts and stopped talking. He closed the scroll and put it back on the bookshelf. Looking around, he stuck his tongue out and licked his lips.

He then reached for another scroll, ready to rest after reading it. Experimenting too required proper work and rest balance. However, when Orochimaru's hand held that scroll, his snake pupils shrank suddenly.

Something is wrong!

At that moment, an eerie voice came from behind him. "When a prey faces a powerful hunter, it usually keeps hissing. On one hand, it's to suppress its fear, and on the other hand, it's an attempt to scare off the hunter."

"Who's it?" Orochimaru shouted and turned around, following the direction of the voice. There was an operating table in the front along with rows of human containers.

Orochimaru's gaze frantically swept across the rows and then rested on the operating table. His expression then became playful, "It's a good disguise, why don't you show yourself now? Interesting little rat."

As his words fell, the dissected corpse on the table turned over its head stiffly like a zombie and showed a hideous smile. The internal organs of the opened-up chest cavity merged into meat pulp and slowly began to beat rhythmically like a heart.

In the next moment, it seemed to shed the skin, and a black-haired youth came out from it. The youth's hands were hanging down loosely, and his head was also lowered. The image made Orochimaru feel like he was seeing his reflection, and he couldn't help licking his lips.

Gradually, the black-haired youth raised his head, revealing a scarlet Sharingan. Orochimaru raised his eyebrows and said in surprise, "It's you, Tonan-kun. I wonder why you came here."

A strange smile appeared on Uchiha Tonan's face, and with his Sharingan looking straight at Orochimaru, he said in a hoarse voice, "Why do you think I came here? Of course, it's to take care of you."

Immediately after he spoke, Orochimaru's right hand wriggled quickly, turning into poisonous snakes, and swarmed towards Tonan.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

To his surprise, Tonan used the same technique, and countless poisonous snakes entangled and bit each other. Both sides had no advantage.

"Sharingan's copy ability? It can copy my secret technique," Orochimaru was surprised. He quietly ended the ninjutsu, and his right hand turn back to its original shape.

Similarly, Tonan ended the technique, and with an arrogant smile, he pointed at his Sharingan, "In front of these eyes, you've no chance. Orochimaru, you dared to betray Sarutobi-sensei. As his student, I'll clean up the blemishes in his faction."

When Orochimaru heard this, he laughed out loud as if he was hearing a very funny joke. Looking at Tonan, his snake eyes were filled with sarcasm. "Hahaha… It was about this. I thought it was something else, but you turned out to be a fool that was completely brainwashed by Sarutobi Hiruzen. It's a shame that I overestimated your calibre."

Tonan's face darkened instantly. Orochimaru slandered his 'beloved adopted father' Sarutobi. Tonan gradually emerged from the meat pulp, and coldly said, "One of the three legendary sannin. It now seems that it's just an undeserved reputation."

A hint of mischief flashed through Orochimaru's eyes, and he leisurely said, "Tonan-kun, do you truly think I can't see through this genjutsu?"

Orochimaru emitted powerful chakra fluctuations as he said this and the scene in the laboratory shattered. It returned to the original. At this moment, Orochimaru was still standing at the lab's door and it was open. And Tonan was sitting on the chair located in the innermost part of the laboratory.

It was just that Tonan's current state appeared truly pathetic. His body was slightly hunched, his hands were resting on the armrests, and his forehead was soaked with sweat. His eyes, which were glaring at Orochimaru, were also bleeding.

He said with a look of resentment, "How did this happen?"

Orochimaru leisurely took out a kunai from his ninja bag and spun it in his hand a few times, "Genjutsu backlash? You are truly miserable." Saying this, he quickly threw the kunai. Tonan forcibly raised his spirit and moved to one side, narrowly dodging the kunai.

Clang… The kunai deeply lodged into the stone wall behind Tonan. However, when he moved his gaze towards the door again, he was stunned. Orochimaru had disappeared from there at some point.

Suddenly, a big snake sprang out from below the chair and bound Tonan. Orochimaru too suddenly appeared behind the chair and stabbed his neck. "I admit you are talented, and perhaps, you might have surpassed me in the future. But now, you are just a pup, and you cannot escape the fate of being devoured."

Puchi… The kunai ruthlessly pierced through Tonan's neck.

But there was no sign of pain on his face. Instead, he ignored the fatal injury and turned his head 180 degrees to look at Orochimaru. There was a strange and sinister smile on his face.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 153: Fierce Battle, Turning Tables Again

Seeing this, Orochimaru frowned and felt his hair stand on end. At the same time, the ear-piercing crackling sound of electricity resounded in the room.

Crackle, crackle, crackle… "Lightning Style, Ray."

A straight lightning light shot out from the corner of the room. It instantly penetrated Uchiha Tonan and Orochimaru together. On the other end of the light, Tonan, who was wearing a black windbreaker, was hanging upside down from the laboratory's ceiling with an indifferent expression.

The Tonan, who was penetrated by the lightning, turned into white pigeons and flew in all directions. Orochimaru looked down at the lightning that penetrated his abdomen, and said in disbelief, "I didn't expect it… Your genjutsu talent is much higher than all the Uchihas I've ever seen. You cast dual illusions in such a short time. However, you're underestimating me a bit too much."

Orochimaru raised his head and opened his mouth. A python crawled out of it and then opened its big mouth. An unscathed Orochimaru spilled out from the python's mouth. The original body that was penetrated by the lightning collapsed on the ground like a lump.

Orochimaru stood on the ground, and looking at Tonan with a hint of ferociousness, he made hand seals with one hand. In the next moment, the python behind him disintegrated, turning into a dense snake tide, and rushed towards Tonan.

At this time, Tonan had already retracted the lightning light. He looked at the incoming snake tide and indifferently said, "Die, you traitor!" After speaking, he quickly made hand signs, opened his mouth, and spat out many fireballs.

Fire Style, Phoenix Sage Nail Crimson Technique.

The fireballs smashed into the incoming snake tide and there was a series of explosions as the fireballs made contact with the snakes. The sounds reverberated throughout the laboratory followed by a burnt smell.

In a short time, all the poisonous snakes were burnt to a crisp. A hint of pride flashed through Tonan's eyes as he grabbed the chakra tanto on his back and snorted, "Orochimaru, no matter how poisonous the snakes are, it's useless if they can't bite me."

Orochimaru's expression was ugly. His snake pupils stared at Tonan, who was still hanging upside down, and he stood in combat readiness. Tonan's three tomoe Sharingan spun wildly and his entire body burst out with violent lightning. He had activated Lightning Spirit Wind Flash. Following this, he instantly disappeared leaving a roar in his wake.

"Die!" Along with the lightning flicker, Tonan reappeared in front of Orochimaru. Raising the chakra tanto, he swung it down at Orochimaru.

Clang… As one of the three Konoha sannin, Orochimaru's taijutsu too was nothing to joke about. He raised a kunai, perfectly blocking Tonan's chakra tanto. The powerful chakra fluctuations created an air current, strong enough to blow both their hair.

Orochimaru's snake eyes shrunk a little. He was indeed a bit surprised to find that the strength emitting from the kunai was not weaker than his. In the next moment, the two disappeared. Only shadows could be seen flickering everywhere in the lab. The two were fighting at a high speed.

Clang, clang, clang, clang… The rapid and intense metal colliding sounds continuously echoed in the laboratory. Tonan was stronger in terms of speed and power. With the secret techniques of 'The Professor' Sarutobi Hiruzen, he could simultaneously use both lightning and earth-attributed chakra to enhance his speed and strength.

In addition, there was also Hatake Sakumo's Lightning Spirit Wind Flash, which could reduce the air resistance of his actions. Orochimaru was not in a disadvantageous position either. Not only was he an extraordinary ninja but he had also created the Soft-Bodied Fluid Technique. Regardless of which tricky angle Tonan used to attack, he could easily dodge or block it.

It was to the state that Tonan was being suppressed. In the fierce battle, he even had the time to continuously rattle Tonan. "Little brat, taijutsu is an indispensable part of a ninja's strength. You dared to come here alone to court death knowing just this measly ninjutsu. I don't whether to admire your guts or call your stupid brain."

Tonan's expression remained unchanged. After exchanging a few blows, he appeared behind Orochimaru, raised his chakra tanto, and swung it down. Orochimaru's arm turned 180 degrees and used the kunai to block the tanto.

However, at that very moment, a smile appeared on Tonan's face, as he fiercely said, "You fell into my trap. My sword technique is more than this." In the next instant, the dual attributed chakra of lightning and wind covered the tanto. This was the ultimate profound meaning of the Hatake Style Sword Technique. It made the chakra tanto possess the slicing property of wind-attributed chakra, and paralysis property and destructive power of the lightning-attributed chakra.

Crackle, crackle, crackle… Even before it could touch him, just seeing the chakra tanto covered in lightning and wind made Orochimaru realize its sharpness.

"Not good!" Orochimaru yelled in his heart.

Crack! The moment the kunai came into contact with the chakra tanto, the tanto cut it apart like tofu. The cut was smooth and there was no reduction in the tanto's momentum. It instantly split Orochimaru's body from top to bottom.

A triumphant smile emerged on Tonan's face. He slowly put the chakra tanto back into the sheath. Having faced a hard blow, Orochimaru lay on the ground paralyzed and stared at Tonan with wide eyes, murmuring in disbelief, "How… how… can this be…"

Orochimaru's body slowly rolled. His internal organs and blood filled the ground, and his eyes still had an unwilling look. Tonan looked at Orochimaru's corpse which was cut into two pieces with a proud face and snorted.

Puchi… Suddenly, Tonan's eyes were wide open. He slowly lowered his head and saw a kunai's tip coming out from his chest. His entire body trembled, and he gritted his teeth as if he was enduring great pain and said in disbelief, "Wh… when…"

At this time, Orochimaru appeared behind him, placing his head near his junior brother's ear. Then, with a sneer, he said, "The prey is always the prey. Even if you muster your courage and behave fiercely, you still can't escape the fangs of a poisonous snake."

It appeared that Orochimaru had come out from the scorched remains of the poisonous snakes on the ground. Tonan coughed violently and spat out a mouthful of blood, falling backward.

Orochimaru wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Tonan, who had died with his eyes open. Then, with a cruel smile, he said, "It seems I'm lucky today. The three tomoe Sharingan was delivered to my doorstep."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 154: Detonating Trap, Myriad Snake Net Formation

Suddenly, Orochimaru frowned. Looking at Uchiha Tonan, who had a look of reluctance, on the ground, he said in an amused tone, "Not dead yet?"

Tonan coughed a mouthful of blood and weakly replied, "Orochimaru-sama, it seems you like the Sharingan very much." His words made Orochimaru frown. Feeling uneasy, he asked, "What do you mean?"

Tonan, who was lying on the ground, raised his hand with difficulty. He pointed toward the deepest part of the laboratory. At the same time, a gentle and indifferent voice came from behind Orochimaru. "Orochimaru-sama, these ninjutsu you researched are very interesting. But they are a bit vicious."

Orochimaru was startled. He felt a chill down his spine. He turned his head and looked in the direction 'Tonan' was pointing and he saw the gentle boy in gold-rimmed glasses sitting on the chair, reading a ninjutsu scroll spread open on his lap. Meanwhile, the corpse that was on the ground turned into white pigeons and flew away.

Orochimaru solemnly stared at him and asked with an unsightly look, "Was that also genjutsu? It seems your ocular power is stronger than I thought."

Tonan ignored Orochimaru. He kept reading the scroll. The atmosphere became silent. The longer the silence, the more pressure in the air. Cold sweat appeared on Orochimaru's forehead as he used his hand to brush off the long hair sticking to his face. He said with a stiff smile, "Tonan-kun, if you like these scrolls, I can give them to you."

Hearing this, Tonan raised his head and adjusted his glasses. Shaking his head, he said, "I don't accept undeserved emolument. Besides, you developed these after painstaking research. You poured so much sweat into this. How can I accept it? However, to prevent them from spreading out and harming the world, I'll keep them for you temporarily, and hand them over to Sarutobi-sensei."

Tonan sealed all the ninjutsu scrolls into one storage scroll and put it into his ninja bag. At this moment, Orochimaru looked completely morose, and threatened, "If you do this, only one of us will live."

Tonan stood up leisurely and watched Orochimaru calmly, "I don't know if only one of us will live or not but I know for sure that I'll live. As for you, it's difficult to say."

Orochimaru was brimming with killing intent. His eyes emitted pallid radiance that could devour one's soul. "Relying on Sharingan and the threefold genjutsu?"

Tonan shook his head lightly and warmly said, "No, no, no… you are one of the sannin who has shaken the Ninja World. Such offensive genjutsu can't kill people. It can only destroy spirit and will. And as for the hypnotic genjutsu, you can easily detect it. Moreover, you are still in your prime. I never thought I'd be able to kill you."

Orochimaru frowned hearing this, "Then what are you relying on?" A gentle smile played on Tonan's lips as he said, "I rely on the same thing you do, my strength."

Orochimaru's eyes rose, looking furious, "You used a shadow clone to send a signal."

Tonan nodded earnestly, "Yes, Orochimaru-sama, you're done for. Unless you can get rid of me within twenty minutes, I'm going to Sarutobi-sensei to complain."

Without waiting, Tonan made hand seals and slammed his palm on the ground.

"Earth Style – Earth Splitting Technique."

Rumble… A crack appeared on the laboratory's ceiling and the rocks split apart, revealing the cold moonlight outside. The moment the crack had appeared, Tonan jumped up and ran towards the top.

"You want to run away?" Orochimaru roared, quickly making hang signs, and slammed his hand on the ground.

Secret Art – Evil Snake Slithering.

A thick snake burst out from the ground and flew towards Tonan, who was in midair. Seeing the incoming giant snake, Tonan made hand signs with his right hand. Lightning flickered and condensed into a ball in his palm.

Orochimaru didn't wait for Tonan to attack. He made more hand signs and launched ninjutsu, a step before him.

Secret Art – Evil Snake Explosion.

Boom! The giant snake exploded. The power of the flesh and blood was no less than dozens of explosive tags. The strong air current created by the explosion blew dust and smoke. It instantly became dark all around, and pieces of stones were hurled through the air.

The fierce winds also made the trees in the forest bend and emit cracking sounds. After the smoke and dust settled, Orochimaru appeared on a bare branch, and his snake eyes were focused on the center of the mayhem.

"Orochimaru-sama, are you looking for me?"

Orochimaru's eyes shrunk, and he turned his head. Tonan had appeared behind him at some point. And with lightning flickering all over his body, the junior was already attacking him. However, this level of attack posed no threat to Orochimaru.

Tonan's punch pierced through Orochimaru's body, and it instantly turned into a cloud of white smoke. Orochimaru had used Shadow Clone Technique at some point to confuse Tonan. As for the real him, he had appeared in the distance.

After such a long battle, Orochimaru had placed Tonan on the same level as himself. He no longer underestimated him. At this moment, he looked very grim, "Can he wield this level of genjutsu? How can Sharingan be so powerful? Is this truly just the three tomoe or is his genjutsu talent too high?"

Orochimaru raised his eyebrows, and his face became paler. "He used poison in front of me. But it's just an inferior poison, truly naïve…"

Bang!

A big smoke cloud mushroomed in the forest. Like fireworks blooming in the night sky, it enveloped the area within a radius of several meters. Blazing heat and strong winds spread in all directions from the epicenter. All plants and animals in that area were blasted into pieces, and the impact also uprooted the trees farther away.

Tonan had taken advantage of the time when Orochimaru had left the laboratory earlier to set up several hundred explosive tags in the ground. After about half a minute, the smoke and dust thinned, and things could be vaguely seen.

There was a big crater at the place where Orochimaru was standing just a moment ago. In the crater, there were many scorched giant snakes coiled up together.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 155: Senjutsu's Might, Battling Dragons Snakes

After a while, Orochimaru slowly crawled out from the giant snake's mouth. His entire body was emitting smoke, and his figure looked wretched. He gritted his teeth, "Little brat, you've pissed me off."

He made signs quickly and slammed his hands on the ground, "Summoning Technique – Myriad Snake Net Formation."

Instantly, rustling sounds could be heard everywhere in the forest. Orochimaru had summoned tens of thousands of poisonous snakes, big and small. The largest one was as big as the giant snakes he summoned earlier, and the smallest one was as small as the little finger. He seemed to have moved the entire Ryuchi Cave here.

Tonan raised his head, and the three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly as he looked around. With poisonous snakes wandering all over the place, he seemed to be in a sea of snakes. Immediately, he made the stance of one hand pointing to the sky, and the other pointing to the earth.

While the stance was correct, Tonan had already forgotten how the old monk had done it before. When the monk took the stance, it made people feel like he had entered the realm of only one in heaven and earth with no joy or sorrow.

Tonan had simply studied the finger technique of Buddha in his previous world. Even if he seemed to have entered the realm of all things in heaven and earth, he did not give off any feeling of peace. He did his best to put on a compassionate look, "It seems I've to break the prohibition against taking life today. It's truly a sin, a sin."

"Welcoming Approach – Thousand-Armed Murder!"

In an instant, a white image of the Thousand-Armed Kannon appeared behind Tonan. At this moment, the snake closest to him raised its head, spitting out its sharp blood-red tongue. With one taking the lead, the others followed. Soon, countless poisonous snakes swarmed toward him.

The moment these snakes attacked, the Thousand-Armed Kannon behind Tonan turned into a furious demonic-looking creature. Her countless fists flew towards the snakes.

Bang, bang, bang… No matter how many snakes rushed toward Tonan, before they could reach him, they were bombarded with the fist. A red mist filled the sky, and blood flowed all around.

Orochimaru looked at the fierce Tonan in disbelief. "His genjutsu is already genius level, his taijutsu is not inferior to mine, and even his ninjutsu is so strong. Does he have any flaws?"

"This is… the secret technique of the Fire Temple. Where did you learn it?"

With one hand pointing at the sky, and the other hand pointing at the ground, Tonan still had a sympathetic look as if he had attained tao. "I used to escort Master Chigo. Master said that my pure disposition has innate wisdom, and I'll definitely lead the world to peace in the future. So, he taught me this secret technique that requires flawless benevolence. Orochimaru, this move especially restrains evil spirits like you. Allow yourself to be seized without putting up a fight."

Orochimaru took a deep breath and nodded slowly, "No wonder only the Shodaime Hokage learned the secret art of the Fire Temple. It has such a requirement… what a pity…"

Orochimaru looked up at the sky. Ten minutes had already passed since the signal was released. And through the perception of snakes in the periphery region, he had noticed that more than a dozen people were running towards their location.

"Damn it… didn't he say twenty minutes? How come people are arriving in just ten minutes? I can't waste any more time. I've to quickly get rid of him."

Orochimaru bit his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground.

Summoning Technique – Manda.

A could of white smoke rose and a huge towering snake appeared below Orochimaru's feet. The moment Manda appeared, the poisonous snakes summoned earlier couldn't endure Manda's bloodline pressure and retreated into the distance.

Manda raised his head high and roared. After that, he solemnly said, "Orochimaru, among the sacrifices of last time, two were ill. This time, I want fresh and alive ones to eat."

Orochimaru stared at Tonan in the distance and said, "Help me kill this brat first." Manda slowly lowered his head. Tonan's thin figure reflected in his eyes, and he said with a tone filled with disdain, "Oh? An Uchiha brat. He's not enough to even fill my tooth gap."

Manda swung his huge tail towards Tonan as he spoke. The move brought about fierce wind and created whistling sounds. Tonan narrowed his eyes and deployed Lightning Spirit Wind Flash to dodge the fatal attack. While he was still in midair, he made hand signs. The moment he landed on the ground, he slammed his hands on the ground and shouted, "Senjutsu – Multi Overturning Dragon Technique."

This was Sarutobi Shinnosuke's signature ninjutsu. Tonan had made a special trip to learn this from Hiruzen. Now that Tonan had inherited Chigo's legacy, he had learned the Gift of the Hermit Group, which was a senjutsu exclusive to the human race.

With the senjutsu energy boost, this S-ranked earth-style ninjutsu displayed the greatest might, far exceeding Shinnosuke's.

Rumble… Within the radius of several miles, the earth trembled violently, and earth dragons, whose size was no inferior to Manda, rose from the ground. With their appearance, the entire land seemed to have sunk. Tonan had made more than ten earth dragons in one breath, and these huge creatures looked like the tails of a huger creature under the dim night light.

Orochimaru was shocked after seeing Tonan's moves. "Is this brat's chakra reserve so much? What bad luck!"

Under Tonan's control, the earth dragons slammed onto Manda in succession. Manda was unwilling to be outdone. He waved his snake tail, heavily smashing the earth dragon in the front.

Bang… Under the powerful force, the earth dragon was knocked down in one blow. It shattered into pieces, and huge rocks fell to the ground. But this left Manda's tail dripping with blood.

"So painful, Orochimaru. How did you provoke this fellow?"

Manda originally thought that these earth dragons were just like earth dragon bullets, but beyond his expectation, they were very hard. After smashing only one, he was significantly injured.

Orochimaru looked at the remaining nine earth dragons, and his complexion was unsightly. He made hand seals and roared, "Triple Rashomon."

Orochimaru summoned three Rashomon, blocking the only path of the earth dragons.

Rumble… The earth dragons slammed into Rashomon violently. First… Second… Third.

In the end, the Rashomon was able to stop the earth dragons. Among the three gates, two were destroyed, and the last one was also half destroyed. Seeing this, Orochimaru and Manda couldn't help taking a deep breath and sticking out their tongue. However, before they had time to relax, Tonan continued to inject senjutsu chakra into the ground.

Rumble… Huge earth dragons sprang out from the ground again and opened their big mouths, roaring at the sky.

"Orochimaru, I don't want the offerings for this time. I've something to do, so I'm leaving now."

When Manda saw this, he abandoned Orochimaru without a second thought and dispelled the Summoning Technique.

"Damn it, is this the genius?" At this moment, a hint of powerlessness emerged in Orochimaru's heart. Despite being one of the dignified Konoha sannin, he was forced into such a miserable plight by his junior.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 156: It'll Be Alright, Enduring Till All Fall

At this moment, Orochimaru noticed more than ten Uchihas in the surroundings. Many Uchiha clan people had arrived at the periphery of the battlefield. Seeing the devastating scene, as well as the tail-like earth dragons behind Uchiha Tonan, everyone's eyes were filled with horror, and some people even exclaimed subconsciously.

Uchiha Shinji asked, "Tonan, what's going on here?"

Tonan replied with a solemn face, "Shinra is dead, and his Sharingan was taken away by Orochimaru. There is one of his experimental bases, where he secretly conducts human experiments, including the Uchiha clan's Sharingan."

The information enraged the Uchihas and they glared at Orochimaru ferociously. The Sharingan was incomparably important to the clan. It was the Uchiha inheritance and now someone dared to covet the clan's power.

"What?"

"Abominable…"

"I never thought that the culprit who killed the clan members was a Konoha Sannin."

"I never thought Orochimaru was such a person!"

"Everyone, kill him, and avenge our clan."

The Uchiha clan members activated their Sharingan and used their strongest techniques against Orochimaru.

"Genjutsu – Hypnotic Eyes."

"Genjutsu – Hell Viewing Technique."

"Fire Style – Grand Fireball Technique."

"Fire Style – Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

"Lightning Style – Lightning Dragon Technique."

"Lightning Style – Thunderclap Technique."

……

Many ninjutsu and genjutsu were launched at Orochimaru at once. As the attacks bombarded him, they created a fierce explosion, giving rise to smoke and dust all around. Tonan took advantage of the lapse to look at the Uchiha clan members and secretly counted their numbers.

"Exactly seventeen. It seems all who know my secret are here."

At this moment, a huge cloud of smoke burst out. And in the next moment, accompanied by a fierce roar, a behemoth appeared under the cold moonlight. This was Orochimaru's final trump card – the Eight-Headed Serpent.

The white Eight-Headed Serpent swayed its heads and continuously flicked the tongue, creating slithering sounds. The huge body was wriggling as if it would attack in the next second and swallow everyone.

The Eight-Headed Serpent which was as big as a hill made everyone feel heavy pressure. The centermost snake head opened its big mouth, and Orochimaru's upper half emerged from it, and he said with a crazed look, "You all must die here."

The Uchiha clan members had never seen such a behemoth. Their faces were filled with fear, and they couldn't help taking a few steps back.

"Is this a summoning beast?"

"It's a monster. It's bigger than Orochimaru's summoning beast."

"The ninjutsu we used just now will not affect it."

"It seems to be the legendary Eight-Headed Serpent!"

Seeing the cowardly look of his clan members, Tonan shouted, "I'll restrain him. You all, go and kill his main body. Everything is for the Uchiha's glory!"

After shouting, Tonan made ten earth dragons charge into the Eight-Headed Serpent. The several earth dragons collapsed after colliding against the Eight-Headed Serpent. As for the remaining earth dragons, they tied its snakehead, body, and its tails.

Looking from the distance, the earth dragons were like a chain, and the Eight-Headed Serpent was firmly shackled on the ground.

Tonan felt the rapid consumption of senjutsu chakra within his body, and shouted while gritting his teeth, "Don't just stand there in a daze, hurry up! Ninjutsu is useless against him, use taijutsu to kill him."

Everyone saw that Tonan was able to restrain such a terrifying thing. The fear in their hearts reduced a little, and resentment reappeared on their faces. Thinking about how Orochimaru had killed their clan members and stolen their eyes, they became even angrier.

They rushed towards Orochimaru on a snakehead of the Eight-Headed Serpent. As for Orochimaru, while his Eight-Headed Serpent was restrained by the earth dragons, he spat out a sword glimmering with pallid light and held it in his hands.

This was the Kusanagi Sword! It was the legendary divine artifact that could cut anything. Seeing this, a pleasant surprise flashed through Tonan's eyes.

"Good heavens, I never thought I'd get an unexpected harvest this time."

In the original work, although Monkey King Enma possessed a diamond body, the Kusanagi was still able to easily break through his defense.

"Since I planned to seize Enma's body, I was worried about how to break through his defense after gaining his acknowledgment. But the opportunity has presented itself. I have to seize it. The divine artifacts have heart… this thing and I should have predetermined fate."

The Uchiha clan members jumped on the Eight-Headed Serpent's body and rushed towards Orochimaru from all directions. They then took out kunai and launched their attacks.

However, Orochimaru possessed a divine artifact. It was very easy for him to deal with them. The ignorant Uchihas in the front foolishly used their kunai to block the Kusanagi. As a result, they were cut into halves along with their kunai.

The Uchihas in the back became wiser, and no longer tried to block the attack but rather used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge. And thought about attacking from all directions.

With the restraint of the earth dragons, Orochimaru needed to divide his mind to control the Eight-Headed Serpent. As a result, his speed of killing people was slow.

Seeing this, Shinji said with an anxious look, "Tonan, this won't do, we are powerless against him."

Tonan shouted solemnly, "You all, hold him a bit longer. I'll use the ultimate forbidden technique that Hokage-sama taught me, which will kill him."

Tonan's voice seemed to be filled with conviction. And his firm eyes showed that he had a well-thought-out plan. This was enough to reaffirm the Uchiha's trust in him.

"Alright!" Shinji nodded. He commanded the others and rushed towards Orochimaru again. Soon, under Orochimaru's attacks, the Uchiha clan members died one after another, leaving behind just six people.

And these were also barely hanging. They were heavily bleeding, and there were deep sword wounds all over their bodies. It could be seen how dangerous the battle was. The six people were already terrified and looked at each other.

Their movement also paused, and they didn't dare to rush forward, fearing that they would also die like their companions. They just stood on the Eight-Headed Serpent's body and kept a distance from Orochimaru. They didn't dare to attack him but stared at him with alertness.

Tonan saw the situation. "What should I do now? If these people are set free, there will be many troubles in the future." Therefore, he secretly made two earth dragons disintegrate on their own. Immediately, two snakeheads of the Eight-Headed Serpent were freed from the restraint and bit two Uchihas.

"Tonan, what's going on?"

"Tonan, save me!"

In an instant, two people were swallowed by the snakeheads and blood dripped down from the corners.

Tonan shouted from the distance, "A bit longer, the preparation is almost complete."

After a few breaths, another Uchiha clan member was swallowed by the Eight-Headed Serpent.

"Ah!"

Seeing that not all of them were dead yet, Tonan continued to encourage them. "Stall a bit longer, the forbidden technique is almost ready."

"Endure a bit longer, just enduring a bit longer is fine."

Shinji dodged the snakehead and roared, "Only three of us are left now. How much longer do you need? Is it still not ready?"

Just after speaking, the moonlight above his head dimmed and Shinji subconsciously raised his head…

"Ah!" In the wilderness, two sets of chewing sounds could be heard. The Eight-Headed Serpent ate people by chewing. It sounded very crispy. The last Uchiha member's spirit collapsed seeing the other two teammates being eaten. He could no longer endure it.

He jumped down from the Eight-Headed Serpent and rushed towards Tonan. At this moment, Tonan's hands had already left the ground, and he had stopped the ninjutsu. Staring at the Eight-Headed Serpent in the distance, his scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan was spinning rapidly, making a black circle.

The Uchihas who had died right now had contributed a considerable amount of ocular power. Tonan even felt that the surging ocular power seemed to often touch a membrane layer. And it appeared that as long as he put in a bit more effort, he could easily break through it.

"Mangekyo, my Mangekyo, are you coming?"

Tonan was immersed in the rapid increment of the ocular power. He couldn't help but spread his arms wide as if to embrace heaven and earth.

This feeling was too wonderful.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 157.1: Evil Will Not Triumph, A Last-Minute Entry

"It seems to be lacking a little. Yes, there's still a person who hasn't died yet. The plan is about to succeed! I'm looking forward to the Eight-Headed Serpent, who is free from the earth dragons' restraints now, dealing with this last person."

Thinking of this, a strange smile appeared on Uchiha Tonan's face. However, Orochimaru had stopped the Eight-Headed Serpent and focused on Tonan. He had heard what Tonan said just now. Now that he stopped the Dragon Overturning Technique, he must be ready to use the forbidden technique.

Tonan's open arms and the victorious smile on his face especially made Orochimaru worry.

"Even an overbearing Dragon Overturning Technique is not his trump card, how terrifying is his forbidden technique? Could it be the Reaper Death Seal? What's the secret in his body? What's his ultimate goal?"

To be on the safe side, Orochimaru decided to take a look at the situation and make the final decision of whether to run away or not. For a while, he didn't dare act rashly and didn't command the Eight-Headed Serpent to hunt down the last remaining Uchiha.

As a result, the Uchiha clan member ran all the way and stopped in front of Tonan. He bent down and placed his palms on his knees, panting heavily. After a while, he raised his head and looked at Tonan with hopeful eyes, "Tonan, are you prepared?"

At this moment, the Uchiha clan member looked at Tonan with open hands, and the fear in his heart reduced a little. Standing here made him feel an unprecedented sense of security. In his heart, he had already begun to imagine that in the next moment, Tonan would use the forbidden technique to kill Orochimaru in one fell swoop to avenge the clan members.

Thinking of this, his face was filled with expectation. The smile on Tonan's face didn't diminish. He looked at his clan member with his scarlet Sharingan, and said in a gentle voice, "Thank you."

Soon after that, his gaze moved toward the Eight-Headed Serpent in the distance, "Orochimaru-sama, it seems you're not cruel enough. Don't you know you have to cut the weeds and dig up the roots?"

The Uchiha clan member frowned hearing Tonan's words, not understanding his intention. He asked with a puzzled expression, "Tonan, what are you talking about?"

He saw Tonan looking at him. Although the gentle smile on his face hadn't changed, it looked sinister, making him feel very uneasy.

The next second.

Crackle, crackle, crackle… Puchi…

Tonan's right hand flickered with lightning and pierced through his fellow clan member's chest. The heart was pierced, and blood flowed down the wound, dying his cloth red, dripping on the ground.

The clan member stared at Tonan, who was still smiling, in disbelief, and he opened his trembling lips, "Why… why…"

He believed in Tonan so much, and so many people died in the battle because of his words. But in the end, this was the result. In the next moment, the lightning-attributed chakra in Tonan's hand exploded.

Boom~

The Uchiha clan member was blasted into a cloud of blood mist. Not even a trace of bone was left. Orochimaru, who was looking from the distance, was stunned. He flicked his tongue out and asked in a hoarse voice, "Tonan-kun, what are you doing today? The more I look at you, the more I can't understand you."

"I thought he gathered his clan members to expose me, but he just wanted to borrow my hand to kill them. What's his objective?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, wanting to reexamine Tonan. Tonan dispersed the lightning and shook his hand with disgust, "These are the Uchiha clan's warmongers. They intended to rebel and seize Konoha. As Hokage-sama's student, and the inheritor of the Will of Fire, I have a duty to eliminate such unstable factors."

Orochimaru was stunned. He looked at the sky and laughed, "Hahahahahahaha… As it turned out, the old man Sarutobi got a good dog."

Even after hearing Orochimaru calling him a dog, there was no trace of anger in his heart. After all, being angry would only hurt him, which was too much of a loss. Besides, if words could kill people, what was the use of strength?

At this moment, Tonan felt a little pity in his heart. When the Uchiha clan member died just now, he didn't get the inheritance, which meant that that person hadn't acknowledged him.

However, judging from the feeling just now, the constant stacking of ocular power should be able to evolve the Sharingan. Now, his ocular power was so powerful that as long as his emotions fluctuate a little, he could activate the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Sometimes, having a rational mind didn't seem to be a good thing. He wanted to make himself angry. Tonan reached out his hand to adjust his glasses and said righteously, "Orochimaru, you have not only betrayed Sarutobi-sensei, but you are also doing inhumane human experiments. Evil people like you should be eradicated."

Orochimaru's face became gloomy, and he coldly said, "What do you understand? If the Ninja World wants to progress, people need to be sacrificed. You are just like that old man Hiruzen. You speak about one thing and do another. It's disgusting."

Orochimaru spoke as if he was incomparably repulsed. Tonan straightened his body and quickly made hand signs while saying, "You can slander me, but not Sarutobi-sensei. You will anger me if you say that."

Orochimaru felt that he could no longer drag on, and angrily shouted, "Get angry in hell." He made the Eight-Headed Serpent rush towards Tonan. The huge body wriggled on the ground, leaving behind a deep groove as its snake body rubbed against the ground. The bloodstains around proved that a fierce battle had occurred here.

At this moment, Tonan had enough chakra in his body because he had received gifts from his recently dead clan members. It was just that more than half of his senjutsu energy was consumed. But almost twenty minutes had passed since they had fought.

The battle between the two was so loud that the Leaf ninjas should be arriving soon. All Tonan needed to do now was to stall Orochimaru. When Konoha's people would arrive, the conclusion of the battle would be set.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 157.2: Evil Will Not Triumph, Last-Minute Entry

The battle between Uchiha Tonan and Orochimaru was so loud that the Leaf ninjas should arrive any time now. All Tonan needed to do now was to stall. When Konoha's people arrived, the conclusion of the battle would be set. Tonan slammed his hands on the ground.

Senjutsu – Multi Overturning Dragon Technique.

The previous scene reappeared. The moon was still hanging in the sky. It hadn't moved much but the scenario below had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Looking down from the sky, at this moment, the original forest had turned into barren scorched land. The white Eight-Headed Serpent shone under the silvery moonlight. And the earth dragons bound the Eight-Headed Serpent as if they had transformed into shackles.

This was because the body of the Eight-Headed Serpent was too doughty. It was much stronger than Manda's. If the earth dragons forcibly collided against it, they would shatter. In the mouth of the Eight-Headed Serpent, Orochimaru's body turned into a white snake, and he continuously moved around the Eight-Headed Serpent's body, smashing the earth dragons with the Kusanagi Sword.

But whenever an earth dragon was smashed, Tonan would immediately summon another one. This could only delay Orochimaru, not stop him. Orochimaru shouted wildly while smashing the earth dragons, "The Eight-Headed Serpent has already integrated with me. Let me see whether you have more chakra to stop me."

Tonan coldly replied, "I truly didn't think you were so powerful and had so many trump cards. Honestly speaking, the current me can do nothing about the Eight-Headed Serpent. I miscalculated."

Orochimaru's snake eyes stared at Tonan and asked, "Then, are you ready to surrender?"

Tonan shook his head lightly, "No, no, no, don't forget that I'm still the younger generation. It is only natural that I can't defeat you, who is one of the Konoha Sannin. Even if I lose, I can be proud. But you are different, as long as you don't kill me today, you can only be reduced to a lost dog from hereon."

Tonan's tone was relaxed as if he was telling a fact, but it stabbed Orochimaru's heart. He said with an ugly face, "Do you want to stall me until the old man Sarutobi came?"

Tonan generously admitted to it, "Yes, I don't think that you can fight against the entire Konoha. You still don't have that ability, Orochimaru-sama."

Hearing this, the Eight-Headed Serpent fought against the earth dragons as if it had gone crazy. The collapsing speed of earth dragons exceeded Tonan's replenishment speed.

Tonan raised his eyebrows slightly, "Are you so angry that you want to kill me?"

After speaking, he simply stopped using the Overturning Dragon Technique and quickly began to make another series of hand seals.

Senjutsu – Great Dragon Flame Technique.

Tonan spat out flames from his mouth. The flame transformed into a fire dragon that was much larger than any previous earth dragons in midair and flew towards the Eight-Headed Serpent.

Seeing this, ridicule flashed through Orochimaru's eyes, and he didn't put any defense against this fire-style ninjutsu. "Hahaha… I'm not afraid of the fire style."

The fire dragon slammed into the Eight-Headed Serpent and burned its entire body with raging flames. But this serpent was immune to ninjutsu. The flames only burned for a bit before dissipating.

Orochimaru's body also just emitted white smoke, and he looked a little disheveled. He frowned a little and said, "You amaze me more and more. Your fire style actually made me feel hot."

Tonan looked at the approaching Eight-Headed Serpent and raised his eyebrows slightly. It seemed that the proportion of senjutsu energy was a bit too little. The output was worse.

Orochimaru looked at Tonan, who seemed to have no means left, feeling a hint of joy. "Let me send you on your way. After I kill you, I will gouge out your eyes and get its every worth."

Suddenly, the shared vision with the white pigeons appeared in Tonan's mind, and he couldn't help smiling. Immediately afterward, he used Wind Communication Technique, and roared, "Orochimaru, you murdered the people in the same village. You use their corpses for human experiments. Your evil crimes fill the heaven. Even if I die here today, I'll execute you to get justice for the dead villagers. No matter how strong you are, I'm not afraid, because I firmly believe that evil will not triumph over virtue."

Orochimaru now knew he didn't have much time so he didn't bother to talk to Tonan. He directly controlled the Eight-Headed Serpent and attacked. The sturdy snake tail swung down at Tonan, trying to smack him to death. Tonan hunkered and activated the Lightning Spirit Wind Flash to dodge.

Boom… The ground that the tail hit was smashed, leaving a large crater. Tonan was sent flying back making a beautiful arc in the air. But when Orochimaru was about to attack again, an angry roar filled the sky.

"Enma! Transform into Adamantine Staff."

"Grow for me."

"Adamantine Prison Wall."

Instantly, dozens of staffs appeared in the sky which were slightly bigger than the Eight-Headed Serpent. The staffs were getting closer and bigger. Each was like a heaven-supporting pillar and they fell towards the place where the Eight-Headed Serpent was located.

Boom… When the smoke cleared, a cage that had trapped the Eight-Headed Serpent came into view. Just when Tonan was about to fall to the ground, a figure flashed over and gently caught him in his arms, "Tonan, are you alright?"

"Sensei… Orochimaru-sama… he… he killed a lot of people… he is doing human experiments…" Seeing Hiruzen, Tonan sighed in relief and weakly complained.

"Don't speak, I heard everything just now. You are not at fault, rest for a while. Leave this to me now." Hiruzen took a deep breath and handed Tonan to an Anbu member behind him. He jumped a few times and landed in front of the Adamantine Prison, then looked at the Eight-Headed Serpent that was continuously hitting the prison wall.

Soon, Anbu members arrived here one after another and surrounded the place from a distance.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 158: Reminiscing Old Affection, A Fugitive's Path

Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes as he looked at Orochimaru, who had transformed into the Eight-Headed Serpent, and quickly made hand signs, "Earth Style – Swamp Vortex Technique."

With his move, the Adamantine Prison Wall's soil turned into a mudflow vortex, spinning rapidly. Despite the Serpent's astonishing brute strength, at this moment, it seemed powerless and under the powerful suction, it gradually sunk.

In the end, its huge body was submerged in the mud. Only the eight heads were visible. Even after using such large-scale earth-style ninjutsu, Hiruzen showed no signs of fatigue. He stared at Orochimaru and sighed, "Orochimaru, is there something you want to say?"

Orochimaru gave up struggling and stared at Hiruzen with his snake eyes. His sensei's face was filled with wrinkles and his hair had turned grey, showing how far along in years he was. But as his disciple, no one knew better than him how powerful Hiruzen was.

The title of the strongest Hokage was not for show. It was something Hiruzen earned during the First Great Ninja War and the early stages of the Second Great War. The present situation was proof enough. Even though Orochimaru had used his trump card of the Eight-Headed Serpent, Hiruzen could restrain him.

The two looked at each other and time seemed to stand still. The atmosphere was silent for a while. Hiruzen understood this disciple well. Seeing his silence, he knew that Tonan's allegations were true. Orochimaru was conducting human experiments.

Hiruzen sighed, "Orochimaru, stop your ninjutsu and return to Konoha for trial."

Among the Konoha sannin, the most important one for Hiruzen was Orochimaru. In terms of strength alone, only a few people could defeat him. Even though Orochimaru had stood on Danzo's side recently, Hiruzen didn't resent him.

Orochimaru finally spoke, "Sensei, can I still live if I go back with you?" The question silenced Hiruzen for a while. After a long time, he weighed in, "You are, after all, my student. I'll try my best to plead for you. Moreover, I guess, with your relationship with Danzo, he won't just watch you die. This is a critical matter so the various clan patriarchs will participate in the trial. The worst outcome will be your execution."

A sneer appeared on Orochimaru's face, "What's the best outcome?" Hiruzen was silent again for a long time before sighing softly, "You'll be imprisoned in Konoha's prison for a lifetime."

Orochimaru took a deep look at Hiruzen and then glanced at the Anbu members surrounding him. He immediately nodded, "Alright."

After speaking, he retracted the Eight-Headed Serpent mode and Hiruzen dispelled the earth-style ninjutsu. The Adamantine Prison Wall that trapped Orochimaru wasn't removed, it just shrunk, and like a cage, imprisoned him. "Sensei, I've shown my sincerity. Why don't you put this thing away?"

Hiruzen shook his head, "To be on the safe side, let's wait until the ninjas of the Nara and Yamanaka clans arrive."

Orochimaru stared at Hiruzen and flicked his tongue out, "Sensei, you not only want to imprison me but also search my memories."

A hint of hesitation flashed through Hiruzen's face before he nodded, "You've committed a crime. I'm following the rules."

"Sensei, do you truly think that I don't know what you are thinking?" As he spoke, Orochimaru raised the Kusanagi Sword and swung it at the Adamantine Prison Wall.

Crack… Orochimaru cut open a big hole in the Adamantine Prison and immediately fled. The surrounding Anbu ninjas stepped forward to block him, but he dodged them easily.

The Adamantine Prison Wall turned back to its original appearance of monkey king Enma after Orochimaru escaped. Enma looked at his palm in disbelief. There was a deep wound on it. "It's the Kusanagi Sword, the sharpest divine artifact in legends. Hiruzen, why don't you chase after him?"

The Anbu members turned to Hiruzen as well. Without his command, they didn't know whether they should go after Orochimaru or not. Hiruzen just stood there calmly, and his eyes were deep. No one knew what he was thinking.

After about half a minute, he took a deep breath and ordered, "Chase."

Swish, swish, swish… The Anbu ninjas used the Body Flicker Technique, chasing in the direction Orochimaru had taken off in. For a powerhouse like him, half a minute was enough to run far away. Ordinary ninjas would never be able to catch up to him even if they wanted. Everyone realized in their hearts that Hiruzen considered his old relationship with Orochimaru and chose to let him escape.

At this moment, an Anbu member appeared behind Hiruzen and fell to one knee, "Hokage-sama, Uchiha Tonan is chasing after Orochimaru."

"What!" Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, and said to Enma, "Transform into Adamantine Staff, Enma." He picked up the Adamantine Staff and joined the chase. He had no intention to go after Orochimaru but he was worried about Tonan's safety. After all, Tonan's sense of justice was too strong. If he truly caught up with Orochimaru, he would try to stall him even if it meant his death. If by chance Orochimaru ruthlessly killed him, Hiruzen would regret it.

In the dense forest, the ancient trees were towering, covering the sky. In the dark corners of the night, it looked especially eerie and mysterious. The wind swayed the tree tops, making rustling sounds, disturbing the quiet. Orochimaru moved fast, no obstacles could hinder him. He had already shaken off the Anbu chasing after him.

Despite this, he didn't dare relax. He continued to run wildly, looking straight ahead. Once captured, the outcome was certain death if his memories would be checked. He and Danzo had done much in private that was not limited to just this.

If Hiruzen were to know about these things, his consideration for their old relationship or the desire to save him would vanish. He would be the first person who would want to kill him. Orochimaru was sure about this because he knew that people like Hiruzen were the most selfish.

Hiruzen often talked about the Will of Fire, the interest of the village, and the like. But the reality was that if anyone truly threatened Hiruzen's interest, he would not be merciful. Hiruzen said that he wanted to save him. That was because he thought he had just killed some civilians and ordinary ninjas in the village. Other people's lives were of no importance to Hiruzen.

Among Orochimaru's several crimes, only two were enough to make Hiruzen kill him. The first was that he had used Sarutobi clan members for experiments. Although the Sarutobis had no special bloodline limit, most of them could awaken various chakra attributes. The most extraordinary members were Sarutobi Hiruzen and his father Sarutobi Sasuke who possessed all chakra attributes.

As for the second thing, it was the source of his experiments' funding. Almost all of it came from the Land of Fire's Daimyo. The Daimyo had secretly sent several precious experimental materials to him as well and they had had too many dealings in private. Even Danzo was not aware of some of these.

Nearly everyone knew that the death of Hiruzen's sons was related to the Daimyo. If someone said that Hiruzen was not hostile to him, Orochimaru wouldn't believe it. Hiruzen hadn't made any big moves because he knew he was old, and his deterrent power was weaker than before.

If he took action against the Daimyo, there was a good chance he would lose the thing he most cared about: power. In other words, once these things were exposed, not only Hiruzen, even Danzo might no longer protect him.

It seemed he could no longer stay in the Land of Fire. A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Orochimaru had many secret bases in other countries. As the matter stood, he had no regrets in his heart. Even if he could restart, he would do it all over again.

With the Daimyo's funding, the progress of his experiments had advanced rapidly. He had already researched and developed many important things.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 159: Swimmers Drown, The Deciding Moment

On the horizon, a clump of dark clouds piled up, drifted, and spread across the sky covering up the bright moon. The huge shadows shrouded the forest below, adding a hazy filter to the picture. Perhaps, it was because of the approaching dawn, the forest was filled with faint mist, and water droplets hung on the grass blades.

Amid it, there were hints of fresh smells of grass and mud, which blew directly against the face. To others, it would be a very refreshing feeling but it made Orochimaru frown. He felt the weather was unusual. The mist was fine. Due to the high humidity in the forest, it was expected to get misty before dawn. But Orochimaru felt a strong wind blowing against his face.

How could there be mist when the wind was blowing? At this moment, the wind and mist coexisted. This unusual phenomenon was very disturbing.

Coo, coo, coo, coo…

Hiss, hiss…

Rumble…

Aoo…

The whistling sounds of the wind, the birds and insects' cries, the beasts' roars, and the muffled sound of thunder gave the impression of an orchestra in the forest. But Orochimaru found it chaotic and was irritated. At this moment, his eyes were slightly blurred, and he couldn't tell the atmosphere around him.

The strong wind mixed with the moisture of the mist blew against his body, and soon, his clothes were damp. Although he was fleeing for his life, he felt something was wrong. He had no time to delve deeper into it but he couldn't stop his intuitive alarms.

The whistling sound of the wind slowly became stronger, and it felt painful as it blew against his body. The towering trees in the forest were swaying violently under the wind. Some smaller trees were broken or uprooted. The wind blew through the forest, making harsh sounds like endless wailing, giving people a chill.

Orochimaru felt that the resistance he was facing while running was becoming stronger. The mist ahead was growing thicker, making it harder to see.

Suddenly, his snake eyes shrank. At this moment, he felt an instinctual warning that would only appear in a life-or-death moment. He immediately stopped, wanting to dodge.

However, he didn't know why his body seemed to have become sluggish. In an instant, three flashes lit up from different directions, and in the blink of an eye, everything seemed to have returned to its original state. The mist was still so thick that people couldn't see clearly.

Orochimaru didn't even see who was coming. It seemed that the scene just now was an illusion.

However…

Puff… Orochimaru was horrified to discover that his hand that was holding the Kusanagi Sword was cut off, and the severed hand fell into the mist along with the sword. Blood sprayed wildly, dyeing the mist around him bloody.

"Who is it!" Orochimaru paled in an instant. He shouted out but didn't dare to act rashly.

"Orochimaru-sama, your junior brother has come to send you on your way." In the dense mist where nothing could be seen, Tonan's voice came from all directions. It seemed to be far away, yet close at hand.

Orochimaru covered the wound on his right shoulder. His forehead was covered with sweat but he pretended to be calm, "It's you, Tonan-kun." In his heart, he didn't believe it would be so easy to get away from here. Suddenly, his eyes shrank, and exclaimed, "Impossible, how can I be poisoned… when was it?"

Tonan's voice resounded in the mist again. "Orochimaru-sama, you are a master of poison. I know that ordinary poison will be useless against you. But there are some, which I think even you won't be able to beat. Haven't you noticed anything after running in the mist for so long?"

Tonan's voice seemed ethereal, reverberating throughout the forest, making Orochimaru's mood chaotic. It also made him feel fear, a feeling he had lost for a long time. When he heard Tonan's words, he was stunned but he came to his senses.

"Orchids… but this isn't the season for them."

"Yes, I sprinkled orchid pollen here, and in the previous two areas, I sprinkled the Golden Snake Herb fine powder and the Drifting Oil Fruit. Consuming these three separately is not toxic but after inhaling them in a short time, they will mix and turn into a special neurotoxin that dulls the nerves."

Orochimaru reached into his ninja bag but his face became uglier. He had fled in a hurry and had no time to take antidotes. "There is such a poison."

Tonan's voice continued to come from all directions, "Orochimaru-sama, blind research is no good. You need to be down-to-earth and read more roadside books. This formula is in the Konoha Bookstore. You can buy a complete set for three hundred Ryo. The smell of these three things is too strong. Ninjas would subconsciously become vigilant after smelling them. But you must know these things, so you don't become vigilant against them. There is a saying, it is often a good swimmer who drowns."

Orochimaru secretly circulated his chakra. The severed arm was nothing to him. As long as Tonan made a move, he was ready to spit out his entire self from the mouth. Perhaps, it would have an unexpected result.

"It's a very good way of poisoning. The move you used just now to cut off my arm must be Kiri's Silent Killing Technique."

"Yes, I was planning to use this technique to send you on your way."

Orochimaru's snake eyes looked around, and he solemnly asked, "Do you think you can kill me?"

In the mist, Tonan's laughter sounded crisp. "Why don't you use your big moves? The bigger, the better. Then Sarutobi-sensei will rush over as quickly as possible. The mist is so thick, I'm afraid he will get lost."

Another white light flashed after he spoke. Orochimaru narrowly dodged it, but a few strands of his hair were cut off. This time, he finally saw Tonan.

Tonan was holding the Kusanagi Sword, and staring at him indifferently. The three-tomoe Sharingan was spinning rapidly in his scarlet eyes. Time stood still at this moment and intense ocular power invaded Orochimaru's mind.

This was the combined ocular power of over a dozen three-tomoe Sharingan. Even if Orochimaru's spirit wasn't injured, he wouldn't be able to endure it. But now, when he was not only seriously injured but also affected by the neurotoxin, his plight was not looking good.

Genjutsu was broadly divided into two types, offensive and supplementary. Generally speaking, offensive genjutsu would happen in an instant, destroying the opponent's spirit with various illusionary experiences. This genjutsu relied on the spiritual energy of the two fighting sides. Most of the results of this genjutsu were the collapse of the weak and the winner getting weaker.

The supplementary genjutsu was similar to the hypnotic eye, which could affect the judgment or control of the opponent. The disadvantage of this genjutsu was that it could only be used to abuse inexperienced people. If the opponent was an expert, he could instantly get out of it as soon as he realized he was trapped.

As for the advantage, the caster could attack the opponent before the opponent gets out of the illusion. At present, Tonan was using this genjutsu. In a battle between experts, an instant could decide the victor. As long as Orochimaru had no time to release the Eight-Headed Serpent, the struggle would be over.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 160: Ultimate Compound Attack, Ending The Battle

Outside the mist, Uchiha Tonan's three flicker clones had completed making hand signs.

Senjutsu – Spiraling Pressure.

Senjutsu – Great Dragon Flame Technique.

Senjutsu – Flooding Dust Technique.

In the distance, Sarutobi Hiruzen led a group of Anbu members, carefully searching for Orochimaru's traces. Hiruzen was a little absent-minded when he asked, "Have you found Tonan?"

"Hokage-sama, nothing on this side."

"There is no trace on this side as well."

Several Anbu members, who had returned from searching in the distance, came to Hiruzen and reported their findings. Suddenly, an Anbu member pointed into the distance and exclaimed, "Hokage-sama, look over there."

Prompted by him, everyone raised their heads and looked in the direction where he had pointed. There was a momentary surprise in Hiruzen's eyes. He immediately jumped to the top of a tree and looked into the distance. He saw a red light blooming in the distance.

A huge fire dragon had flown out from the forest below, and it circled in the sky, lighting up everything. Not far from the fire dragon, yellow sand covered the sky, and also enveloped the ground, starting to rotate rapidly around a certain area.

After a few seconds, a yellow tornado was formed that violently swept everything on the ground. The trees nearby were uprooted, and even the surface of the ground was scraped off. The fire light shone on the yellow tornado, making it look like a doomsday scene.

Hiruzen looked at this and Tonan's image flashed through his mind. He whispered, "This is… compound ninjutsu…"

In the next moment, the fire dragon seemed to raise its head and roar. Then, it dived into the yellow tornado. Instantly, the world brightened. The shockwave from the explosion spread in all directions, flattening the surrounding forest.

A few seconds later…

Boom!

An earth-shaking explosion was followed by the roar of a powerful gust of wind. It was so fierce that everyone had to bend down and grab hold of a tree trunk. Despite this, some people were still suspended in midair because of the strong wind and were unable to keep holding on to the tree trunks.

Crack…

Crack…

The wind wreaked havoc like a ferocious tiger. Trees couldn't withstand its impact being either uprooted or breaking off. It took a while for the explosion's aftermath to dissipate. Many towering trees had collapsed. Barring Hiruzen, everyone else was in dire straits.

Hiruzen squinted his eyes and rushed toward the battlefield. At the center, there was a big crater with a diameter of several miles.

Outside the crater, there were fallen, burning trees, and the fire continued to spread outward. The flying sparks and the thick smoke were drifting toward the sky.

When Hiruzen had just arrived at the periphery, he saw Tonan walking out of the sea of fire with the Kusanagi Sword in his hand. The burning flames became his backdrop, making his face glow red.

"Tonan, what about Orochimaru?"

Tonan adjusted his glasses and gently said, "Orochimaru-sama would rather die than come back with me. So, I used my strongest trump card. This is the compound ninjutsu you taught me, sensei. Judging by the power, Orochimaru-sama should be dead."

Hiruzen remained silent for a while. He then sighed, "Tonan, you've worked hard. Everything was Orochimaru's fault in this case. Even if he dies, no one can blame you. You were just avenging the dead villagers."

Hiruzen lowered his head. Orochimaru, after all, had been his student for many years, but now that his ending was like this, he felt a little uncomfortable. Suddenly, Hiruzen noticed the battle spot. From the beginning to the end that Tonan fought with Orochimaru, he appeared to have restrained him in the middle.

In other words, even if Hiruzen hadn't intervened, Orochimaru was very likely to die in Tonan's hands. Moreover, the might of the compound ninjutsu was greater than what even he could display.

"Has my little student grown to a level comparable to a sannin? Isn't this talent a bit too scary?" Hiruzen knew that Tonan's talent was very high but he had never imagined him to be so strong when going all out. This progress was unbelievable.

He stared at Tonan and asked, "Tonan, I didn't expect you'd be able to defeat Orochimaru alone. How did you do it?"

Tonan made a sad face, "It's all thanks to the desperate help of the Uchiha clan members. They all were not only jonin with three tomoe Sharingan, but they were also a few who accepted the will of fire. But the result… they were all killed by Orochimaru trying to avenge the villagers."

"If it weren't for them, I might not be able to hold on until you arrived, sensei. Right now, thanks to your deterrence, Orochimaru didn't notice I was lying in ambush. That gave me a chance to launch a surprise attack and cut off his hand. Moreover, he was focused on running away and didn't dare use large-scale ninjutsu like the Eight-Headed Serpent."

After listening to Tonan's explanation, Hiruzen nodded in understanding.

That… made sense.

Although Orochimaru is one of the sannin, he is not invincible. After fighting against more than a dozen Uchihas with three tomoe Sharingan, he must have exhausted his cards. After all, when Hiruzen arrived, Orochimaru had already been forced to use a forbidden technique like the Eight-Headed Serpent.

Moreover, when he was running away, he was a bit careless, and Tonan's surprise attack cut off his arm. Tonan would be able to kill him with his strength greatly reduced.

However, did Orochimaru truly die?

Hiruzen didn't dare assume. After all, this student of his had the most life-saving means among all his disciples. Even he knew just a part of it.

Hiruzen sighed and stared at the Kusanagi Sword in Tonan's hand, "What had to happen has happened, Tonan. Don't be sad. The people from your clan sacrificed their lives for the village. I'll give pensions to their families according to the rule."

"Many thanks, sensei."

Tonan had his head lowered from beginning to end. He looked lost and never met Hiruzen's gaze. Hiruzen wanted to ask him to hand over the Kusanagi Sword but he felt it was a bit inappropriate to ask for it at this time.

Thinking about it, Tonan was his student, and the Kusanagi Sword was Tonan's war spoils. If he asked for it, it would affect his image in Tonan's heart. In the end, he hesitated for a bit but still sighed, "Let's return to the village. Leave the Anbu to deal with the matter here

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 161: Soft Physique Molting, Cultivate Path Cursed Seal

What had happened was a very big matter for Konoha. Orochimaru was one of the sannin. Regardless of prestige or strength, he was second to none. Sarutobi Hiruzen had a pile of aftermath to deal with. Therefore, he hurried back to the Hokage Office to work overtime.

As for Uchiha Tonan, he returned to the Welfare Institution to look after the baby. In the warm room, little Kotoura had just finished drinking the milk and was sleeping soundly in the cradle. His face was chubby, and his mouth was pink and tender. He would suck his lips from time to time as if he was dreaming of something delicious.

He would also kick the soft blanket off his body ever so often. Seeing this, the shadow clone was not impatient. He gently pulled up the soft blanket to cover him up and rocked the cradle.

Tonan made a pot of tea for himself and sat cross-legged beside a tea table. On the table, there were ninjutsu scrolls he seized from Orochimaru's place. Among these, several were taken from the bookshelves in Orochimaru's laboratory, and several were taken from the innermost secret room.

With his Byakugan, Tonan could easily see through the mechanism inside. This was why he was able to enter Orochimaru's lab like returning to his own home. Orochimaru's secret arts were simply an eye-opener for him.

Secret Art – Soft Physique Modification. This ninjutsu would make the user's body go through a special transformation, greatly enhancing softness and flexibility. And the user would be able to freely stretch or twist his body to any angle.

Secret Art – Molting. This technique shed off the injured body and spit out a new intact body from the mouth, but the new body would be weaker for a short time. Generally speaking, ordinary ninjas could only use it at most once or twice in a battle. If used too much, the opponent wouldn't need to do anything and the user would fall to the ground.

One had to say that the value of this ninjutsu was simply beyond the forbidden techniques in some aspects but the prerequisite for it was that one must have learned the Soft Physique Modification first.

Tonan considered himself relatively open-minded. He didn't reject body modification. He had no objection to these things. He memorized the content of the two scrolls and then began to look at the others.

Many secret arts were related to summoning snakes. The value of these from the laboratory's bookshelves was not high. Tonan looked at them just to enrich his knowledge. There was no need to learn it. Soon, he had almost finished reading it all.

In the end, he opened a slightly old scroll. The handwriting on this scroll seemed illegible and was something like a draft. Suddenly, Tonan's eyes opened wide and he sat straight up. This scroll recorded a failed secret art that was not even named.

From the description, this secret art was a cursed seal researched and developed by Orochimaru. The principle of this seal was to cut off one's insignificant amount of life origin via chakra. Then, turn the life origin into a cursed seal and plant it in the recipient's body.

A part of this cursed seal's effect was similar to the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. It could control the life and death of the recipient. But this cursed seal had one more effect, which was it could subtly transform the physique of the recipient, making the recipient's physique draw closer to the user's physique.

At the end of this secret art, Orochimaru had written explanatory notes and improvement directions.

Sixteen pregnant women were observed and dissected. I finally found the key conjecture to reincarnate. But I must assimilate with the body first for this. This cursed seal's assimilation effect is inadequate, not to mention achieving perfect assimilation. The next optimization should be focused on reducing the control effect and strengthening the assimilation. If that doesn't work, perhaps, I can try adding some kind of special medium for the transition…

Tonan looked at the notes and fell into deep thoughts. After a long time, he closed his eyes and opened them abruptly. In his eyes, the three-tomoe was spinning rapidly. He moved the scroll close to his eyes and carefully looked at the handwriting to judge how old it was.

Gradually, his face became gloomy, "At least a year and a half… Orochimaru might not have met Jugo yet…"

After all, in the original works, Uchiha Sasuke once resurrected Orochimaru from Anko's Cursed Seal of Heaven. If Orochimaru truly developed the cursed seal, then he might be able to resurrect in any corner of the Ninja World.

Sasuke's help was needed in the original works because Orochimaru was sealed in the illusory world by Itachi's Totsuka Blade, and he couldn't remember his death.

"Forget it, even if he didn't die, his vitality is seriously damaged. When we meet next time, he won't be my opponent. Wait until I have a bit more means, I'll definitely be able to kill him." Thinking of this, Tonan shook his head slightly and deactivated his Sharingan. He began to memorize the content of this secret art.

This crude cursed seal was Orochimaru's failure. Although the assimilation effect was there, it was practically zero. Tonan knew that the medium in Orochimaru's conjecture was the senjutsu energy. And he just happened to have it.

If he could develop this seal, then it would be a great boost to his strength improvement. He could just give a chance to confused people to work hard. First, gain their acknowledgment, then regardless of their aptitude, as long as he planted a cursed seal, they would become genius sooner or later.

If this were to happen, wouldn't that be wonderful? Therefore, he named the cursed seal: Cultivate Path.

Meanwhile, there was an underground secret base somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields. Several ninjas came to the depths of the base with scrolls and put them into a secret room. The ninja who was in the lead counted the number of scrolls and nodded in satisfaction, "This batch of materials is almost ready. It can be delivered to Orochimaru-sama next month."

A ninja beside him said with a worried look, "What I'm worried about the most now is how to make up the offerings prepared for Orochimaru-sama."

The leader ninja frowned, and with a worried look, he asked, "How many are we short of?"

The ninja next to him calculated and worriedly replied, "We need thirty-five more. Several kids became ill some time ago and the medical equipment at the base was insufficient to cure them."

The leader ninja narrowed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath, "We'll set out together later, find a small village with a suitable number of people, and complete the mission in one fell swoop."

Just after he finished speaking, the leader ninja suddenly felt unbearable pain all over his body, and he fell to his knees.

"Huh…" The ninjas around were worried and asked with concern, "Sakata, what's wrong?"

The skin of the ninja named Sakata turned red and the cursed seal on his neck emitted radiance. He screamed in excruciating pain and collapsed to the ground. Then, there was no movement. A big snake came out from the cursed seal on Sakata's neck and opened its mouth. An extremely weak Orochimaru crawled out from it.

As if he was completely exhausted, Orochimaru fell to his knees and panted heavily.

"Orochimaru-sama!" Seeing him, everyone exclaimed in surprise and fell to their knees. Taking support from the ground, Orochimaru stood up with great difficulty and looked at them with a gloomy face, "All of you leave and take him with you."

Everyone got up to leave and carried Sakata, whose life or death was unknown. In the dark secret room, Orochimaru staggered and used his hands to take support from the wall. He then took a deep breath and coughed heavily. His snake eyes were emitting great hatred. He gritted his teeth, "Damn it… Uchiha Tonan…"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 162: Father Saru's Might, Danzo's Plotting

The next morning, the sky was blue and clear with just a few white clouds floating here and there. Floating in the empty sky, the clouds looked lonely but made people feel calm. Although the winter sun couldn't raise the temperature by much, it made people feel warm from the bottom of their hearts.

After a few days without snow, the Welfare Institution's open space had become lively.

"Youth!"

"Eat."

"This one doesn't count, I misread it!"

"You will regret it again."

"I didn't draw this stroke well. I will redraw it again."

Uchiha Tonan pushed open the door and glanced at Maito Dai and his son, who were training in the open space, and the elderly people, who were either playing chess or drawing or sitting around while gossiping.

Instead of trying to brush his presence, he turned around and walked out of the institution to buy ingredients for tomorrow. However, immediately after walking out of the gate, he saw a Leaf ninja leaning against the fence beside the institution, as if he was waiting for someone.

Seeing Tonan walk out, the Leaf ninja said with a warm look, "Tonan, Hokage-sama has asked you to go to the Hokage Building when you are free."

Although the news of Orochimaru's death had not spread yet, it was obvious from this Leaf ninja's attitude that he knew a part of it. Perhaps he heard that Tonan killed Orochimaru. While speaking, he showed admiration.

Hearing his words, Tonan placed his hands on his knees and bowed to the other party, "Got it, I honestly troubled you. If you have anything in the future, you can come in and find me. You don't have to wait outside."

Tonan showed a humble look. His etiquette was also in line with that of the younger generation. Tonan had always cherished his reputation. He was unwilling to be crowned with a hat of arrogance. The ninja seemed to be at a loss seeing Tonan bowing toward him. He repeatedly scratched his head, "Alright, I'll remember it next time."

He hadn't expected Tonan to speak so politely despite being so powerful. This simply turned his view of the Uchiha clan on its head. Tonan smiled and nodded, walking toward the Hokage Building.

Today, he could feel that the personnel in the Hokage Building were much more cordial to him. Not just that but they also looked at him with reverence. Before this incident, in the eyes of Konoha's citizens, he was a genius with no achievements under his belt.

In the past, even as Sarutobi Hiruzen's student, every time he came to the Hokage Residence, he had to explain the purpose of his visit. But today, just as he stepped into the building, the receptionist got up and welcomed him and led him to the Hokage Meeting Room. His attitude was beyond different.

When Tonan walked into the meeting room, he found the atmosphere a bit awkward. Hiruzen was sitting on the main seat. On the other hand, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu stood in front of their chairs like subordinates. There was also an empty seat in the room that belonged to Shimura Danzo.

Hiruzen blew a mouthful of smoke. When he saw Tonan walk in, he immediately showed a kind and amiable smile, "You're already here, Tonan? Didn't I ask Tobira to wait until you woke up to call you? You've slept only for a few hours, how is that enough?"

Tonan adjusted his glass and said lightly, "I'm used to rising early. I met Tobira-senpai when I walked out."

Hiruzen smiled and pointed at the vacant seat, "I've troubled you. Come Tonan, Danzo left at the perfect time, you can sit here."

Tonan glanced at the two standing Hokage Advisers and immediately shook his head, "Sensei, how can I sit when the two Hokage Advisers-sama are standing?"

Hiruzen looked at Homura and Koharu, and said in an indifferent tone, "Both of you sit down."

Homura and Koharu nodded and sat down. Their posture was stiff and they sat upright, looking uncomfortable. Hiruzen looked at Tonan again and showed a warm smile, "Tonan, I called you here to discuss something. Sit down so we can speak at leisure. You don't want us to keep our heads up to speak with you, right?"

Tonan pretended to be modest and thought for a while. He then nodded, "Alright." After he sat on Danzo's seat, Hiruzen blew out another mouthful of smoke, "We have decided to dissolve Konoha Orphanage and merge it into your welfare institution. From now on, Konoha will provide a certain portion of the funds needed. Koharu, you can hand it over to Tonan."

Hearing Hiruzen's instruction, Koharu forcibly suppressed the reluctance in her heart, and with a smile, handed a thick document to Tonan, "Tonan, this is the information of Konoha Orphanage. You should read it."

……

At this moment, at the Root Headquarters, Danzo threw the ornaments placed beside him to the ground. "Damn it! Orochimaru, that trash. He got killed by an Uchiha kid. And Homura and Koharu, those idiots didn't even know how to cover up their private dealings, and let Hiruzen seize evidence."

After venting out, Danzo sat on the seat with a look of resentment. Aburame Ryoma, who was kneeling below, bowed his head, "Danzo-sama, please calm your anger."

Danzo clenched his right fist and slammed on the armrest, "How can I calm my anger? The Root personnel is cut by half. I think Konoha will be destroyed in Hiruzen's hands, sooner or later. And that kid's wings are already grown enough. Although he got the help of other Uchihas, his strength has already reached the elite jonin level."

"It will not be long before he will become the sharpest sword in Hiruzen's hand, and become the next White Fang. I estimate it will be difficult to kill that kid even if he is surrounded. But he seems to be eager to get the villagers' acknowledgment. In addition, he has inherited the samurai spirit. Perhaps, he can be dealt with in the same way as White Fang."

"Ryoma."

"Yes, Danzo-sama," Ryoma replied with his head lowered.

"Send people to spread the news that Uchiha Tonan killed Orochimaru. What should be spread, I don't need to tell you, right?"

"I understand."

"Remember, don't let Hiruzen grasp your handle."

"Yes."

After Ryoma left, Danzo's gloomy voice sounded in the dim room. "Now even White Fang was able to endure the villagers' curses. I will see what this kid will do. Even if he doesn't commit suicide, he will collapse. If you do something wrong due to anger…."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 163: A Contract, Learning Summoning Technique

By noon, in the Hokage Meeting Room, the handover between Uchiha Tonan and Utatane Koharu had concluded. Tonan arranged the documents neatly and put them in his ninja bag. He then got up and bowed to Koharu, "Adviser-sama, I troubled you."

Koharu smiled stiffly. Konoha Orphanage was a lucrative post. Not to mention the yearly funds, the more important thing was the orphans' affection. Generally, they would enter various Konoha departments when they reached a certain age. If she needed anything done, the orphans would make things convenient for her. But now, Tonan has taken everything away. How could she be happy?

Hiruzen saw through Koharu's feelings. He casually waved his hand, "You two can go back. Orochimaru is already dead. Don't think about these things anymore."

Mitokado Homura and Koharu looked at each other quietly before getting up and leaving. Once they left, Hiruzen snorted. He then looked at Tonan with a kind and gentle smile, "Tonan, don't you have anything to ask?"

Tonan smiled, "Sensei, if you think you should tell me something, you'll do so without asking."

Hiruzen was extremely satisfied with Tonan's attitude. He said with a smile, "It's nothing important. Last night, we investigated Orochimaru's experimental base. And found that Orochimaru seemed to be researching a special secret art that allows people to reincarnate. Koharu and Homura sided with Danzo before because Orochimaru promised them he would reincarnate them once the secret art was successfully developed."

Hearing this, Tonan said lightly, "Something like this violates the law of nature. Even if it succeeds, a huge price would've to be paid."

Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and nodded, "Yes, we found many notes in the laboratory that recorded the possible flaws, which is that it damages the original soul. A person's soul is set from the beginning, and it will only decrease over time. Therefore, the danger of this secret art is immense…"

A light flashed through Tonan's mind, and he noticed the problem. His system seemed to inherit abilities only. It was useless against things like the soul. It seemed that the system converted special bloodline limit characteristics, knowledge, and cultivation into abilities. But things such as lifespan and soul couldn't be inherited. In the past, when Tonan had just gotten the system, he thought these things were considered abilities. After all, his talent had truly increased.

It was only later that he discovered that things such as innate comprehension were just a way of thinking about problems. Some people were accustomed to thinking about a problem in one way, while others were able to think about it from different angles. These were personal abilities.

"If that's the case, then can I keep getting stronger? Can I live forever? Even Sage of Six Path died of old age. If I want to live forever, I guess I'll have to inherit the bloodline limit of the Otsutsuki clan."

But Tonan didn't believe that the Otsutsuki were immortal. It should just be that their lifespan far exceeded that of humans. Tonan felt like he seemed to have missed a key point, but he couldn't think of it.

Suddenly, Hiruzen thought of something and asked, "By the way, when you fought against Orochimaru, did you feel you were inadequate in any aspect?"

Hiruzen's voice pulled Tonan out of his thoughts. Here came his chance.

Tonan frowned and pretended to think for a moment, "I think Orochimaru's summoning beast was very powerful. Facing such a behemoth, I could only feel insignificant."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, "Summoning beast…"

The atmosphere was silent for a while, and after a long time, Hiruzen stood up and waved at Tonan, "Tonan, come with me."

It's here. Tonan was delighted in his heart. He quietly followed Hiruzen and left the Hokage Meeting Room. After a while, Hiruzen led him to a deserted Konoha suburb. The trees were bare and shriveled vines were hanging down from them. Hiruzen made hang signs, and slammed his palm on the ground, summoning a huge scroll.

He spread it open and solemnly said, "Tonan, I'm going to teach you Summoning Technique. This is a space-time ninjutsu. We can make a contract with summoning beasts, then use the technique to summon them to help us in a fight. The reason why I didn't teach you this yet was that both Orochimaru and Jiraiya found their summoning beasts themselves."

"At first, I thought that one day you'll meet a summoning beast that suits you. But perhaps, people's fates are different. Maybe you were destined to inherit my legacy. My summoning beast is the monkey clan. If you think it's suitable, just sign your name on this scroll."

Tonan didn't hesitate. He bit his thumb and wrote his name on the summoning scroll. As he was writing it, he looked carefully and found that Hiruzen's summoning scroll just had Enma's name.

Seeing that Tonan had finished signing, Hiruzen continued to explain, "Before using the Summoning Technique, there are a few things I want to explain. The Ninja World is where humans live, but the other side of this planet is where summoning beasts live."

"Most of them don't help humans for free. For instance, the monkey clan. After signing a contract with them, I've to collect special herbs for them every once in a while. The value is not too high but most of them are only available in the Ninja World. Now that you've signed a contract, you've to fulfill the deal and they'll help you."

Tonan listened carefully and nodded, "I understand sensei." At this moment, a gust of wind blew and as the bare branches swayed a few times, two dried leaves fell. Hiruzen pointed at the seal on the back of the summoning scroll, "Memorize the hand signs and then try to see whether you can summon Enma."

Tonan sat cross-legged on the ground and studied carefully. He looked at the scroll as if he wanted to understand every word on it and carve it in his heart. After about ten minutes, he narrowed his eyes and made hand signs, slamming his hand on the ground.

Summoning Technique – Enma.

Along with a ball of white smoke, Enma appeared in front of them. He didn't seem surprised that Tonan had summoned him. He said to Hiruzen, "Hiruzen, it seems you two have already discussed it."

Hiruzen nodded, "Enma, I'm troubling you. Take Tonan to Mount Huaguo to find a partner."

Enma turned to Tonan, "Tonan, I'll return to Mount Huaguo and then use Reverse Summoning Technique. When you sense it, don't use chakra, otherwise, you might easily fall into unknown places."

Tonan nodded and said seriously, "Got it, Enma-sama."

Enma turned into a ball of smoke again, voluntarily dispelling the Summoning Technique. After half an hour, Tonan sensed a suction force coming from somewhere. He calmed his mind and soon disappeared in front of Hiruzen.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 164: Exploring Mount Huaguo, Waste Monkey

Mount Huaguo was lofty and towering like a pillar supporting heaven. Halfway up the mountain was surrounded by rosy clouds and multicolored sunlight. It looked like a dreamland.

There was also a huge waterfall pouring down the cliff on the top with great momentum, and it smashed into the deep pool at the mountain's foot. Along with the rumbling sound, the water splashed in all directions, and the grassland at the foot was shrouded in mist all year round.

Uchiha Tonan felt his vision blur for a moment, and then he appeared on the grassland. He couldn't help exclaiming, "Amazing!"

A proud look appeared on Enma's face, who was standing at one side with his hands folded in front of his chest, "The Reverse Summoning Technique is not so easy to use. I guess apart from Mount Huaguo, only the other three sacred places have arrays with this ability."

Tonan noticed the key point. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Array?"

Enma stomped on the ground, "Do you think Summoning Technique is as simple as space-time ninjutsu? A special space-time array is arranged at the bottom of Mount Huaguo, which can teleport living beings and things from Mount Huaguo to the contracted person's side. Reverse Summoning Technique, however, is more troublesome, but I can't tell you about it. Let's go, I'll take you to see our strongest young warriors and you can choose one. After all, I'm not young anymore, and I can't always fight together with you or adapt to your fighting style."

Tonan adjusted his glasses and bowed to Enma, "Thank you Enma-sama." After that, he followed him and activated the Sharingan to observe Mount Huaguo's beauty.

Since Tonan could absorb natural energy, he could feel that the natural energy was much denser here compared to the Ninja World. Enma didn't comment when Tonan activated his Sharingan. Everyone knew Sharingan enhanced dynamic vision. But this allowed Tonan to secretly use Byakugan's see-through ability to observe Mount Huaguo's reality, while continuously admiring, "So beautiful…"

Through observation, Tonan saw a huge and complicated array at the bottom of Mount Huaguo, which could make people feel dizzy. There was no trace of chakra in this array.

Tonan made a bold guess. The energy used for Summoning Technique's teleportation was natural energy and chakra was just equivalent to navigation. This array made Tonan think of Kumo's Heavenly Transfer Technique. Tonan was pretending to look at the scenery, so it was not wise to keep staring at the ground. Most of the time, he looked around.

As his field of vision kept getting closer, Tonan noticed a large group of monkeys sitting cross-legged on the summit. These monkeys weren't using chakra in their bodies but their bodies were slowly becoming harder. Tonan guessed that the monkey clan had a way to grasp senjutsu energy but they could use natural power to strengthen their bodies.

It seemed the Adamantine Body wasn't inborn but cultivated. If the natural energy was regarded as the cultivation world's spiritual qi, then the three sacred lands were equivalent to cultivating qi, and the monkey clan was equivalent to body refiner.

Looking at it this way, the cultivation method was a big deal. Enma led Tonan up the mountain while introducing him to the monkeys who were practicing ninjutsu or taijutsu along the way.

"This is Entsu… his body is the hardest among the monkey clan's younger generation."

"This is Enya… he has the greatest understanding of the special ninjutsu of the clan. After transforming into Adamantine Staff, he can split into sixty staffs at a time."

Tonan suddenly noticed a thin figure in the distance. It was a monkey that was a little shorter than him. The monkey was so skinny that the rough clothes made of animal fur could hardly hang on his body. His exposed arms seemed to be just skin and bones with barely any fur.

The monkey was continuously hitting a boulder with his body but without any result. It looked like hitting a rock with an egg. But the monkey didn't think about it. He continued to hit the boulder and used all his strength every time.

His entire body was bleeding but he didn't care about it. Judging from the sound of the impact, the monkey didn't seem to be strong. Tonan couldn't help but point at him, "Enma-sama, who is he?"

Enma, who was walking in the front, stopped his steps and looked in the direction where Tonan was pointing. He sighed, "His name is Enkuu. There was an accident when he was born. As a result, his physique is so poor he can't even beat younger monkeys now."

Enma's tone was full of helplessness. Tonan nodded thoughtfully, "Can I go talk to him?"

Enma seemed to have guessed what Tonan was thinking. He frowned, "Tonan, you have to remember we are choosing a partner for you. You need someone who can help you in a battle. Being sympathetic and kind now means being cruel to yourself in the battle. Moreover, regardless of who you take as a partner, the agreed number of herbs will not be reduced."

In Enma's view, Tonan should choose a more powerful partner instead of a weak one because of emotions. Tonan nodded, "I understand, but I want to have a few words with him."

Enma waved his hand, "Alright then, go by yourself. I'll go to the Waterfall Cave to teach the young monkeys. You can come to look for me after you choose your partner."

After speaking, Enma disappeared into the jungle after a few jumps. Tonan looked at Enkuu in the distance and narrowed his eyes. Since the Adamantine Body was just a special method to strengthen the body with natural energy, his target should be the monkey whose acknowledgment he could easily get.

After all, as the Monkey King, Enma was not so simple. It was difficult to fool him. And the powerful monkeys were mostly rebellious. Tonan had to maintain his character and needed to be gentle with others. He couldn't guarantee that those monkeys would take a yard after getting an inch, and finally, ride his head to make a fortune.

Persimmons needed to be picked softly. After thinking for a while, Tonan picked a banana from the roadside and walked over. When meeting someone for the first time, it was better to bring a symbolic gift than to go empty-handed.

Tonan arrived behind Enkuu and stood quietly, not disturbing him. He just watched the skinny monkey continuously ramming against the boulder. His tireless appearance would worry people. Soon, Enkuu stopped due to exhaustion and sat on the ground. He panted with his head lowered when suddenly, a banana appeared in front of him.

Enkuu was stunned for a moment and looked up. He saw a person standing in front of him with a smile.

"Human? He should be a human. It's similar to the description Enma-sama had given. As for the appearance… too ugly, there is too little fur."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 165: Three Steps To Brainwash, Tricking Enkuu

It was no surprise that Enkuu would think this way because, to him, all creatures of the other races looked the same except for his race. He asked in an uncertain tone, "Human?" Uchiha Tonan narrowed his eyes slightly and replied warmly, "I'm Uchiha Tonan, you can call me Tonan."

He shook the banana in his hand lightly and signaled Enkuu to take it with a gentle smile on his face. Enkuu hesitated for a moment but took the banana and peeled it off, eating it one bite at a time.

Tonan smiled and sat down beside him. Looking at the mist below Mount Huaguo, he lightly said, "I'm here to look for a partner."

Enkuu nodded, "I know that humans must sign a contract before being able to come here."

Tonan casually asked, "Are you interested in coming to the Ninja World?"

Enkuu was startled hearing the question. He was obviously tempted but his eyes became dull soon and he said while shaking his head, "I'm not talented and no matter how hard I train, my adamantine body is still just fur. Even the worst one of my peers has started learning ninjutsu. If I go to the Ninja World, even a genin can kill me. It'd be better for you to choose someone powerful, otherwise, it'll be a big loss for you."

Enkuu continued to eat the banana. Although he looked like he didn't care, his frustrated expression betrayed him. He was aware of his strength, or lack thereof, and didn't want to hold someone back or ruin their future.

Tonan was even more satisfied with his words. "I'm not afraid of you being a waste, I was afraid you had no desires and greed."

He said, "I watched you train for a while and I noticed you're doing it wrong."

"What am I doing wrong?" Enkuu looked at Tonan with a puzzled look. Tonan leaned back and placed his hands on the ground, speaking in a low voice, "Effort is useful but making effort in the wrong direction will keep you away from your goal. Have you ever heard of Konoha?"

Enkuu thought for a while and nodded, "I've heard about it from Enma-sama."

Tonan closed his eyes and took a long breath. He had to begin brainwashing now that consisted of three steps. The first was to trigger resonance.

It's simply saying things like I used to be just like you or even worse than you. Or, we are fellow sufferers, and so on.

With a look of reminiscence, he began, "I used to be the lowest-ranking student in the Konoha Ninja Academy. I had no friends, no one to care about me, and no one to comfort me. Every day, I had to suffer the cold eyes of my clan members. Facing their ridicule, I could only pretend to be happy and didn't dare show my efforts in front of others."

"I was afraid… afraid that even after trying my best, I might not achieve anything in the end. I was afraid that everyone would think I'm a piece of trash after they knew this. I could only act like I've abandoned myself, making other people think that I'm not useless but I just don't make any efforts. But at that time, I truly strived my hardest!"

"I was very serious in class and my written test scores were always the highest. I had even previewed the senior year courses. Every night, after my family fell asleep, I'd get up and run to the corner of the yard to quietly train by myself. I pretended to be strong and struggled under my parents' high expectations. Even so, there was no result. I couldn't even compare to others in throwing techniques."

"When the grades for my first school term came out, my parents found out that I ranked last. They, who had high expectations from me, became disgusted. They insulted and whipped me at every turn. At that time, I hated myself so much for being so useless. I couldn't even find the value or meaning of my existence in this world."

When Tonan said these things, he didn't forget to put on his saddest expression. At first glance, anyone would sympathize with how hard and unforgettable his experiences were. Enkuu was already fascinated. Wasn't this similar to his current situation? He had no strength, and he was not welcomed by anyone. Even his relatives didn't support him. He anxiously asked, "What about now?"

The second step of brainwashing was to show off the results. Simply tell him about how amazing he is and let him be envious.

Tonan sat up straight and with a sweet smile on his face, said in a slightly proud tone, "Now, I'm the last student of the Hokage-sama and the number one Konoha genius. I defeated an Anbu captain called Konoha White Fang. Yesterday, I killed Orochimaru, one of the Konoha sannin, who was secretly doing human experiments."

Tonan was observing Enkuu's expression. Seeing his blank look, he explained, "You might not have heard of them but have you heard of the Ryuchi Cave? Manda is that cave's strongest warrior. He is also Orochimaru's summoning beast."

Tonan stuck out his index finger and waved it lightly in front of Enkuu, "One move. I made it run back to Ryuchi Cave with one hit. If it hadn't dispelled the summoning technique, I'm confident that my second move would've killed him."

Listening to Tonan's words, Enkuu felt his emotions surge. He wanted to immediately run over to Manda and stomp it under his feet. But after a moment, his passion cooled down and he said with doubt, "You… bragging…"

Although what Tonan said was exciting, it also sounded unbelievable. Enkuu didn't know who Manda was but he had heard of the Ryuchi Cave, which was one of the three sacred lands. Could this seemingly young human youth truly beat Manda?

The corners of Tonan's mouth rose slightly. He pulled out a sword from his back and said, "This is a divine artifact called the Kusanagi Sword. It's the sharpest weapon under the heavens. This was my war trophy after I killed Orochimaru. This sword can easily break through Enma-sama's cover as well and defeat him."

Tonan held the Kusanagi and casually swung it at the huge rock in front of him.

Crack… The huge rock split into two halves. Enkuu had become a believer. He suddenly stood up. Staring at Tonan fanatically, he stammered, "Tonan… -sama… please guide me."

Tonan smiled a little and started the third step of brainwashing.

Want to be as strong as me? Want to become the second me? Then, just be obedient and learn from me. Do what I tell you to do.

"Don't call me -sama, just call me Tonan. In fact, from the first time I saw you, I felt we are the same kind. Ordinary training methods don't have much effect on special people like us. What we need is to find the right way. That choice is more useful than effort."

Tonan stood up and stretched out his hand towards Enkuu, "Are you willing to be my partner? I'll personally teach you and make you stronger quickly."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 166: Becoming Partners, Enkuu Enters The Village

Enkuu looked at the palm in front of him, and his mind was filled with the word 'strong'. He extended his trembling hand. But just before it could come in contact with Uchiha Tonan's hand, he retracted it and said with a gloomy expression, "But I… I'll hold you back."

He was aware of his strength and other monkeys also said he was useless. Although it sounded indignant, it was the truth. This little monkey was considerate of others. But the simpler he was, the easier he was to deceive.

Tonan looked directly into his eyes and said, "Even if living like ants, ambition should be lofty. Even if life is as thin as paper, the heart should be unyielding. The problem is with your training method, not you. As long as you accept my teaching, I believe you'll become strong. You have to have confidence in yourself. If you don't give it a shot, you won't know your potential. When I'm not afraid, why are you?"

This chicken soup for the soul never becomes outdated. Especially for losers who need to be supplemented with it the most. Sure enough, as soon as Tonan's thick chicken soup was poured, Enkuu cheered up as if injected with adrenaline. He placed his hand on Tonan's, "Thank you for your trust. I'll definitely live up to your expectations. I'll work hard to become strong."

Enkuu's eyes were burning and his heart was full of hope. He even fantasized about a stronger version of himself in the future. Looking at his appearance, Tonan smiled and nodded, "Excellent, this monkey is beyond saving now."

Tonan led Enkuu towards the Waterfall Cave. The closer they got, the more monkeys they encountered. On the cliffs on both sides of the stone steps, many monkeys sat on the branches scratching their ears. Seeing Tonan and Enkuu, they shouted with great interest, "Is that the new human that signed the contract?"

"I heard Enma-sama say that he is very strong. He might be even stronger than Sarutobi-sama in the future."

"Why is Enkuu following him?"

"I don't know… perhaps, he's pestering the human to take him to the Ninja World."

"I'm afraid he's dreaming."

"That's right, if he can go, I'll kiss your ass."

When Enkuu heard these taunts, he felt very uncomfortable. He clenched his fists tightly and lowered his head. Those words of doubt echoed in his heart, causing his newly rising hope to crash to the bottom. Tonan knew what his newest target was feeling without looking back.

He lightly commented, "When you don't have strength, try not to argue with others. Only the strong have the right to speak. When you are stronger, they'll care about your feelings on their own. Mount Huaguo is too small. When we see the wider world together, you'll find that the monkeys who are mocking you today were just ignorant."

Enkuu nodded but his mood didn't recover for a long time. Tonan was not impatient. People who had been ridiculed for a long time suffered from inferiority complexes. Their psyche couldn't be changed with just a few words. The most useful thing was strength.

After a while, the gentle boy and the skinny monkey walked into the Waterfall Cave. There was a huge hot spring with many herbs floating in the middle of the cave emanating a medicinal smell. Although it was strong, it was not unpleasant. Instead, the mellow smell was calming.

Enma sat on the stone chair, quietly observing little monkeys soaking in the hot spring. Seeing Tonan coming in with Enkuu, he raised his eyebrows, "Tonan, did you make your choice?"

Tonan bowed towards Enma, "Enma-sama, I want Enkuu to be my partner."

Enma didn't mock Enkuu like other monkeys. He just asked, "Are you sure?"

Tonan nodded firmly, "I believe Enkuu has immense potential, but it's just not developed yet. I believe he'll grow immeasurably strong in the future."

Hearing Tonan's praise in front of Enma, a warm current emerged in Enkuu's heart. Enma didn't say much about it, "Alright. Then, I'll add Enkuu's name to the contract. You'll have the priority to summon him. If you want to summon me, you just need to increase your chakra output. But I'm not your partner so every summon costs extra."

Tonan smiled, "No problem, Enma-sama." He then turned around and placed his hand on Enkuu's shoulder. He stared at him with a smile and said, "Enkuu, I'll return to the Ninja World and summon you."

Enkuu raised his head and seeing Tonan's trusting eyes, he couldn't help thinking, "Is this a partner…"

"Thank you… Tonan."

It was evening by the time Tonan led Enkuu down the Konoha streets. The afterglow of the setting sun added warm hues to their bodies. Enkuu tried his best to restrain his curiosity but his eyes couldn't help wandering around, looking at this novel place. He was like a country bumpkin in town.

Tonan wasn't impatient at all. He explained everything in Konoha to him. He pointed here and there, describing different things. The passers-by didn't seem to be surprised when they saw Enkuu. Summoning and ninja beasts were very common in Konoha. At most, some people would stop and take a second look.

Tonan led Enkuu to the Uchiha clan. He planned to purchase a batch of herbs. Because the quantity was relatively large, he chose to come to the herb store in the clan's district because it was much cheaper than outside.

Enkuu curiously asked, "Tonan, where are we going now?" Tonan replied, "We're going to the herb store to purchase herbs and give them to you to pay your clan. Then, we'll go to my house to train."

A hint of gratitude flashed through Enkuu's eyes, "I haven't helped you yet, so wouldn't it be a loss for you if you paid now?"

Tonan smiled, "It doesn't matter. In any case, I needed to purchase some herbs for myself."

"Are you sick?" Enkuu asked. Tonan shook his head, "No, it's just that I want to practice a secret art and I need to use these herbs."

Enkuu nodded, "You are so powerful. The secret art you value should also be very powerful."

Tonan smiled, "You'll know it when you practice it."

Enkuu was astonished and asked in disbelief, "You want to teach me a secret art? Can I practise a secret art of humans?"

They had already reached the herb store's door. "How will you know without trying? Good things must be shared with partners." Saying this, Tonan walked into the store.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 167: Enkuu's Acknowledgment, Learning A Secret Art

The herb store's owner was an old Uchiha with gray hair. The man recognized Uchiha Tonan. Considering that he could open an herb store in the Uchiha district, his strength and status weren't low.

He knew a thing or two about what happened last night. He greeted Tonan and said with a forced smile, "Welcome, what is the guest looking for?"

He was a member of the Uchiha clan. Even if he had opened a store to do business, it was difficult for him to show a flattering smile. Tonan handed over the list given to him by Enma and said, "This is a herb list. Give me ten times the amount written on it."

The store owner took the list and glanced at it. His eyes immediately lit up, and the smile on his face became genial. He hurried to the store's warehouse to get the herbs. About five minutes later, he came out with his face full of sweat and a storage scroll. He handed it over to Tonan and said, "Here are your herbs. Because the quantity is so large, this storage scroll is a gift. Rounding up, the total price is 6.5 million Ryo."

Tonan took the scroll, and without checking it, handed over another list to the store owner and said, "Double the amount written on this list. And pack each herb separately."

After taking the list and looking at it, the originally true smile of the store owner became one of flattery. No one could blame him for losing the great Uchiha pride because this business deal was too large.

The income of this deal alone was equivalent to his store's combined income of two years. The Uchiha clan had almost no secret art that required herbs. Therefore, the sales were not very good. After the store owner went to the warehouse, Tonan handed the scroll in his hand to Enkuu, "Enkuu, this is your reward for ten years."

Enkuu was stunned for a moment. He took the scroll and said emotionally, "Tonan, I haven't helped you yet… giving so much to me…"

Enkuu's hand holding the scroll was shaking. He was very excited. Although these things should be handed over to the clan, he could use them as he pleased when cultivating the Adamantine Body. Unlike before, he wouldn't need to wait in line for a long time.

Tonan smiled slightly, "You are more than worth this money. You are my partner. In my heart, you're priceless." Enkuu felt a warm current rise in his heart. He wanted to cry for no reason. He had never been treated so well by anyone before.

The second list given by Tonan contained the herbs needed to practice Soft Physique Modification. It didn't need too much so the price was not too expensive. However, Tonan had used a trick and added an extremely expensive herb to the list. Although it was useless to him, its circulation in the market was relatively good.

When he needed money, he could find an opportunity to sell it without losing much. As for why he did it… of course, it was to deceive the naïve Enkuu so that the monkey would understand how good and worthwhile Tonan was.

At that time, the store owner finished packing the herbs into separate packages and stored them in a scroll. Handing it over to Tonan, he said, "Please take this. The price for this is 13.6 million Ryo. Altogether, you've to pay 20 million Ryo."

Tonan put away the storage scroll and cheerfully paid the money. "See you again." Behind one human and one monkey, the store owner enthusiastically bade farewell.

Along the way, Enkuu, who was still immersed in emotion, asked, "Why did you purchase such expensive herbs? What's their use?"

Although Enkuu didn't know the prices of human society, he knew that the herbs needed by his clan were very expensive. But those herbs for ten years worth were not as expensive as the ones Tonan purchased. Tonan casually replied, "This is for us to practice the secret art."

"Us two? This…" Enkuu was dumbfounded. He knew that Tonan was good to him but he had never imagined he was this good to him. Not only was he going to teach him a precious secret art but was also willing to spend so much for him. For a moment, Enkuu forgot to walk and remained frozen in the same spot.

Tonan looked back at him and narrowed his eyes, "Why are you standing there in a daze? Let's go home and practice together."

Enkuu came back to his senses and his gaze toward Tonan changed completely. Then, he said with a big smile, "Alright!"

'Ding! Gained Enkuu's acknowledgment.'

Tonan also smiled hearing the system's prompt. "Stupid monkeys are so easy to deceive. I heard that a monkey's brain is very nourishing. Especially when a fresh monkey brain is fried in boiling oil, it tastes like tofu. I wonder if that's true…"

It took nearly ten minutes for them to reach Tonan's home in the Uchiha district. Immediately after entering, Tonan took out the Soft Physique Modification scroll and spread it open. He said to Enkuu, "You learn it first. After you've memorized the content, I'll practice it together with you."

Enkuu read the introduction of the secret art, "This secret art is truly strange. The monkey clan's secret arts make the body hard but this one makes it soft."

Enkuu scratched his head. He couldn't figure out the use of this art. Tonan said casually, "This is Orochimaru's strongest secret art. Never mention it to others… it's too precious and people will be jealous."

Enkuu nodded seriously and stared at the scroll with a fanatic look. "If what Tonan said was true, this scroll must have a special meaning. Orochimaru could make Manda his summoning beast. He must be very strong. His strongest secret art might not be inferior to the Adamantine Body. Tonan is so good to me…"

Enkuu's aptitude was a bit lacking. It took him two hours to memorize the content. After he finished reading it, Tonan took him straight to the bathroom. He then turned on the water and threw herbs needed for the Soft Physique Modification into the bathing pool. The water turned so green that it also dyed the tiles beside the pool.

"Take off your clothes and soak in." After instructing Enkuu, Tonan stripped his clothes and entered the pool. Enkuu was a monkey and a male monkey at that, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

Tonan sat cross-legged in the pool and slowly made hand signs. He controlled the chakra flow within his body according to the scroll's instructions. Enkuu also took off his fur clothing and entered the pool, beginning to practice.

Time flew and half an hour quickly passed. Tonan opened his eyes and felt that his current physique seemed to be different from before. He raised his hand in front of his eyes and bent his fingers in the opposite direction. His fingers stuck on the back of his hand.

"We just began but the effect is so strong. It seems in a month the transformation will be complete."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 168: Modification Failure, Planting Cursed Seal

There was a small smile on Uchiha Tonan's lips. He liked his progress in the Soft Physique Modification. The molting didn't require completion of the Soft Physique Modification, just one-third of it was enough.

The more completed the modification, the lesser aftereffect of molting and the more times it could be used in a short timespan. In the original works, Uchiha Sasuke didn't learn the Soft Physique Modification but under the subtle influence of the cursed seal, his physique had changed to some extent. Therefore, he was able to use the Molting Secret Art.

After the cursed seal disappeared, the incomplete Soft Physique Modification of his physique returned to its original state over the years.

Since today's modification process was completed, it was useless to continue to soak any longer. Tomorrow night, Tonan would use another batch of herbs to soak again. He got up from the pool naked and wrapped a white towel around his hip, as he quietly watched Enkuu.

Tonan taught this secret art to Enkuu on a whim. He wanted to try fusing Soft Physique Modification and the Adamantine Body, two polar opposite cultivation techniques, and see if there would be any interesting results.

He was testing this on the fact that the system's inheritance ability didn't seem to fuse and bring changes to the abilities already present but made them co-exist. For instance, Tonan had all chakra attributes, but these chakra attributes had no sign of merging into a bloodline limit of their own.

Tonan, who was deeply influenced by the culture of his previous life, had heard of combining hardness and softness. Therefore, he thought of using Enkuu as an experiment.

He wouldn't experiment himself without knowing the aftereffects, so he could only let Enkuu be the guinea pig. If Enkuu discovered he couldn't practice Adamantine Body while practicing Soft Physique Modification, Tonan would stop him from practicing it before he completely succeeded.

At that time, he would directly rely on the system to let these two abilities exist side by side. Even after about two hours, Tonan saw that Enkuu hadn't woken up. He frowned and asked, "Enkuu, did you fall asleep?"

Enkuu sat cross-legged in the pool and because of the greed liquid, his fur was dyed green, turning him into a green monkey. Hearing Tonan's voice, he opened his eyes in frustration. He lowered his head and looked at the green liquid, "Tonan, it seems I'm too stupid. You should change your partner."

Tonan narrowed his eyes slightly. Is it because there is a conflict between Soft Physique Modification and Adamantine Body or is this monkey's aptitude just too deficient? Even if it was, just how bad was it?

Suddenly, a light flashed in Tonan's mind, and with a gentle smile, he signaled Enkuu to come over, "Enkuu, come here."

Enkuu quietly nodded and crawled out of the pool. Perhaps, because Tonan was not a female monkey, he didn't even bother to put on clothes. Just like that, he sat beside the pool, depressed, holding his knees.

Tonan had spent a lot of money to purchase these herbs. And Tonan was generous enough to let him practice together. However, he was unable to live up to his expectations. There was no change at all. He was truly unworthy of Tonan's careful nurture.

Tonan looked down at Enkuu, and a strange smile flashed on his face. Immediately afterward, he squatted down in front of the green monkey and asked, "Enkuu, I'm going to help you but the process might be a little painful. Can you endure?"

Enkuu raised his head and stared at Tonan, "I'm not afraid of anything." Enkuu would do anything as long as he could get stronger. Tonan nodded and quickly made hand signs. A strange charka fluctuation appeared on his palm.

In the next moment, Tonan placed his palm on Enkuu's head.

Cursed Seal – Cultivation Path.

Enkuu felt as if a foreign object was forcibly injected into his head, and his eyes instantly opened wide in pain. He held his head and kept rolling and wailing by the pool. He felt as if a pair of hands were scratching his brain, causing him to feel a splitting headache. It even gave him the urge to bang his head on the floor but he knew he couldn't do that. The pain represented change. He must persevere.

Tonan didn't want to let the movement here disturb the surrounding Uchihas, so he pressed Enkuu's chakra point below his throat. After that, no matter how hard Enkuu tried, he couldn't make a sound. He just writhed in agony on the floor.

Gradually, his struggle became weaker and weaker. In the end, he just lay on the ground and twitched frequently. His eyes were lifeless. It seemed his strength had left his body, not even leaving enough for him to breathe.

Tonan merely watched the show from the beginning to the end. There were no emotional fluctuations as if he was looking at a corpse. This was the first time he was using the Cultivation Path Cursed Seal, so he didn't know whether it would kill someone or not.

The worst result now would be Enkuu's death. In that case, Tonan would receive his knowledge and will know how to cultivate the Adamantine Body. However, Tonan had seen a group of little monkeys soaking in the medicinal liquid in Waterfall Cave. Chances are that the Adamantine Body needed the medicinal liquid to practice but he didn't know the prescription.

The list given by Enma would definitely not contain all the necessary herbs. After all, the Adamantine Body was the monkey clan's foundation. It was most likely that only Enma, the king of the clan, knew the prescription.

The death of a useless monkey wouldn't cause any trouble for the current Tonan. He could just tell Enma that to make Enkuu strong, he taught him a precious secret art but it conflicted with his abilities and he died violently.

At that time, he would just need Hiruzen to plead for mercy on his behalf and pick another monkey as a partner. After a while, Enkuu finally couldn't endure the pain and passed out. Tonan squatted down and placed his hand below Enkuu's nose. He nodded in satisfaction.

"It's good that you didn't die. Now, I can see the effect of the senjutsu energy in the Cultivation Path Cursed Seal."

About an hour later, Enkuu woke up slowly. It was a dimly lit room and there seemed to be a faint fragrance in the air. He was lying on the floor covered with a blanket. Enkuu could feel the exhaustion in his body. He felt tired. He wanted to sit up but he had no strength.

"You're awake."

Enkuu turned his head and looked over. Tonan was sitting behind a tea table, drinking tea while reading a book. Since he had already gained Enkuu's acknowledgment, he just needed to sit back and wait for the harvest.

Enkuu was just a little monkey with no strength. Tonan didn't have to intentionally play nice anymore.

Enkuu took a deep breath and gritting his teeth, he sat up. He subconsciously felt his head but found nothing.

"Don't touch it, I opened your conception vein."

"Conception vein?" Enku had never heard of this and asked in confusion.

Tonan picked up a teacup and leisurely took a sip, "This is a special meridian. After it is opened, it will liberate one's potential to a certain extent. I've increased the number of herbs in the bathroom. Go and soak in now. If one hour won't do, then soak for two hours. Soak until your practice is successful."

Tonan didn't look up or at Enkuu. He just informed him like this. But Enkuu firmly replied, "I'll definitely succeed this time."

He got up with some difficulty and took a deep breath, walking to the bathroom step by step.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 169: Practicing Successfully, Rumors Spread

After reading the book, Uchiha Tonan laid down and rested for a while. Although the Konoha Orphanage was disbanded, the orphans in it were already helping various Konoha departments. They had steady pay and accommodation and Tonan didn't bother to ask them to come over.

Acknowledgment was not easy to obtain, especially from people who had their own agendas. If there were too many people, it would only waste his time. On the contrary, infants were the most suitable. As long as he used shadow clones to raise them, he would gain their acknowledgment naturally.

In any case, the Third Great Ninja War would break out in a year at most. At that time, there would be no shortage of orphans. He didn't need to be impatient.

"With my current strength, I'm capable of becoming the top fighting force in the Third Great Ninja War. But I don't have enough assurances. The war is not about fighting alone and the opponents have powerful ninjutsu as well. For instance, Onoki's Dust Style. As long as this technique hits me once, unless I activate the Izanagi, it's certain death."

"In addition, the Third Raikage is also not a vegetarian. Besides, the tailed beasts are also a problem. To be on the safe side, I should learn the Adamantine Body first and increase my defense. I should also awaken Mangekyo."

"My ocular power has already reached a terrifying level. If it was anyone else in my place, he might've already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan long ago. But my mentality is too stable. It's truly difficult to awaken it. I want to be angry…"

Tonan sighed and closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep.

The next day, a loud cheer could be heard from the bathroom. "Tonan, I succeeded!"

This was Enkuu. Tonan opened his eyes and got up, heading to the bathroom. Enkuu was sitting cross-legged on the pool's edge looking at his ten fingers. The fingers were like earthworms, twisting without disturbing each other. It seemed like the muscles, bones, and joints no longer existed.

"Very good," Tonan praised lightly.

Enkuu immediately stood up and bowed deeply towards Tonan with an excited face, "Thank you, Tonan." This success had rekindled his hope, and this hope was given by Tonan.

Tonan smiled a little and waved his hand, "Go back to Mount Huaguo. Hereafter, you'll train there during the day, and I'll summon you here at night to practice with me."

"Alright, I'll leave now." As soon as he spoke, Enkuu turned into a cloud of white smoke and disappeared.

Tonan bent over and picked up Enkuu's clothes, shaking his head. "This monkey is not too bright. Will eating such a brain with low IQ be truly nourishing?"

After a while, Tonan finished washing up and left his house to go to the welfare institution. Walking through the Uchiha district, he could sense that the clan member's attitude toward him seemed to have changed. In the past, most of them treated him coldly. Tonan was close to Sandaime, and his move to distance himself from the clan was simply regarded as treacherous. Regardless of who it was, on the surface or in secret, they hated Tonan.

But today, almost all the people lowered their heads and took a detour the moment they saw him. Noticing this, Tonan narrowed his eyes slightly.

"This situation… It seems like the clan knows that I killed Orochimaru. So, although they don't like me, because of the gap in our strength, they are avoiding me."

Tonan didn't care about it. In his eyes, the Uchihas were nothing but future rations. The reason why he hadn't made a move on the clan yet was that he was worried that the butterfly effect would be too great and would affect Uchiha Sasuke's birth.

There were only two people who possessed Indra's power in the Ninja World. One was Sasuke and the other was Uchiha Madara. It was hard to make a move on Madara whose heart and mouth were full of Senju Hashirama.

In contrast, Sasuke was easier. Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto were the essential factors to awaken the Rinnegan. He couldn't tolerate any mishap in their birth.

Tonan, who had just left the Uchiha district, stopped and heard passers-by whisper…

"Look, that's Uchiha Tonan. He and a bunch of Uchihas besieged and killed Orochimaru-sama."

"Why did they kill Orochimaru-sama?"

"The Uchiha clan is evil. I guess they just wanted to kill the strong people in the village so that they could do whatever they wanted."

"Indeed… regardless of Tsunade-sama or Jiraiya-sama, their departure after the last war has something to do with the Uchihas. Now, they've also killed Orochimaru-sama."

"I remember Uchiha Tonan had also killed White Fang-sama."

"This Uchiha Tonan is too evil. Now, there is no White Fang-sama or the sannin, what if a war starts? Who can reach the top? Can he reach the top?"

"No, I heard it's because Orochimaru-sama was conducting human experiments…"

"I know all that. I've heard the exact information. The materials for those experiments were either corpses or enemy spies. I think Orochimaru-sama did the right thing. He was researching ninjutsu to strengthen Konoha."

"Taking ten thousand steps back, even if Orochimaru-sama truly did experiments with villagers, it would be worthwhile. If necessary, I can stand up and choose to be a sacrifice. Do you all understand the Will of Fire? Sacrifice a few people to illuminate the entire village."

"Eh… I didn't expect you to understand the Will of Fire so deeply."

"Stop talking. That kid is coming."

That person quickly lowered his volume and glanced at Tonan secretly, while signaling his companion to shut up.

"When he comes over, I'll spit on him."

"Are you crazy? He even dared to kill Orochimaru-sama, killing a civilian like you is nothing."

He tugged his companion's clothing. Seeing Tonan approaching, he was dying to slap his companion to death. "He won't be able to run away if he kills me."

"He is Hokage-sama's student and an Uchiha clan member. His background is terrifying."

"Eh… I'm not afraid."

The man said he was not afraid but his voice was already inaudible and he didn't dare look at Tonan. At this moment, Tonan had already walked up to them and suddenly stopped in front of them. Several people were so frightened that they lost their minds and stuttered…

"Tonan… -sama…"

"We… we… didn't say anything…"

Tonan frowned as if he was thinking of something. After a few seconds, his eyebrows relaxed, and with a gentle smile on his face, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, good morning."

After greeting, Tonan changed his direction and walked towards the Hokage Building. The people couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief.

"He has left."

"He might not have heard us. We were speaking in a low voice."

"Damn…, I feel like he was intimidating us."

"Did he truly think that being powerful is amazing?"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 170: Brushing Sense Of Presence, Cursed Seal's Effect

At the Hokage Residence, Uchiha Tonan walked into the office and bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Sensei."

Hiruzen was frowning at this moment, "Tonan, I was about to send someone to call you. Someone told me about a rumor in the village today. Don't worry, they don't know the truth. I'm planning to send people to clarify it for you."

Hiruzen was afraid that Tonan would follow in White Fang's footsteps after hearing the rumors. White Fang's incident was the result of him making the village suffer a loss and someone needed to take responsibility.

In addition, since White Fang's strength and prestige were too high, Hiruzen wanted to take this chance to take him down a peg. But he had never thought that White Fang's heart was so fragile. However, Tonan was different. He was like a son to him. Hiruzen couldn't tolerate such rumors about Tonan.

Tonan, however, said with a calm expression, "Sensei, I came here to discuss this. I want you to ignore the rumors. Leave the clarification to me."

"Why?" Hiruzen was puzzled. He didn't understand how Tonan would handle this. Tonan said with a look of reminiscence, "Master Chigo once taught me a secret technique that can only be practiced with a flawless and kind heart. It's just that the practice of this technique is very different. You need to be able to open your heart to accept and enlighten others. This rumor is related to me, so I've to explain it to the villagers myself. I believe they will understand and agree with me."

Tonan's eyes glowed as if they were full of love and hope. Hiruzen looked at his innocent demeanor and blew out a mouthful of smoke, "I've also heard about the Fire Temple's secret technique. No wonder only the First Hokage could learn it for so many years. I was thinking they were keeping it a secret but it turned out there was such a restriction."

Tonan warmly smiled, "Sensei, do you want to learn it? I think an honest person like you is very suitable to learn this technique."

Hiruzen almost choked on the smoke. "I know what kind of a person I am. I'm still a bit far away from having a flawless and kind heart."

"Cough, cough… I, after all, am too old to learn. I'll leave this to you then. If you can't resolve it, come to me."

Tonan placed his hands on his knees and bowed to Hiruzen, "Thank you for letting me do this, sensei. I'll leave now."

……

After Tonan left the Hokage Residence, he went to the welfare institution. He dispelled the shadow clone that was taking care of little Kotoura and created another one.

Apart from looking after Kotoura, the shadow clone was also responsible for the welfare institution's meals. He had no time to rest. If he dispelled midway, Kotoura would be in danger. Before going out, Tonan also asked Maito Dai and his son to help purchase ingredients.

On Konoha streets, Tonan turned on the effect of Wind Communication to the maximum. He heard countless doubts, scorns, and insults.

"Very good, let the anger ferment… the fiercer the insults, the better. Make me angry. I wonder what'll be my Mangekyo's abilities. It seems its abilities are named after the deities of a certain island country's myths. However, there don't seem to be many gods in their myths, and there are only a few powerful deities."

"Amaterasu? Tsukuyomi? Kotoamatsukami? Or Kagutsuchi? It is said that Sharingan is the eye that portrays the soul, and most of the awakened abilities are related to it. If that's the case, I think no ability matches me. Could it be that it'll be the ability with the name of some minor deities? Or related to acknowledgment? Or killing people? I'm looking forward to it…"

Tonan wandered around the streets for a long time. However, the villagers' discussions seemed too low. He felt they were not going all out. Most of them were just doubts and dissatisfaction. There were just a few insults. The villagers' characters seemed to be a bit high. Tonan frowned slightly.

"This is no good. I don't feel anything at all. If things develop like this, one day everyone will forget about it and it will be replaced by new things. That's human nature."

After mulling over it some more, he thought the rumors had just begun and everyone's emotions were not heightened. "Let's wait for the rumors to ferment for a few more days. I just need to keep brushing my presence, so that they don't forget about me."

Making this decision, Tonan wandered through every street in Konoha. At noon, he took advantage of a small gap to eat something at a roadside stall and then continued to wander around with great cause. He didn't return home until after sunset.

Then, he summoned Enkuu to practice Soft Physique Modification. Once Enkuu appeared, Tonan could feel his changes. He immediately grabbed Enkuu's wrist and pulled him into the bathroom. "Let's go, and practice quickly."

While walking, Tonan lightly poked Enkuu's wrist. He could feel the skin dent a little but the more it dented, the stronger the resistance. It seemed the simultaneous practice of the Soft Physique Modification and the Adamantine Body affected both internal and external cultivation.

The Adamantine Body trained skin and bones but with the addition of the Soft Physique Modification, it had become an all-around enhancement. This was good news for Tonan. Tonan didn't know whether it was his misconception but he felt that Enkuu's fur seemed to have gotten brighter.

Because he didn't take care of it often, his fur was very messy and rough earlier. But now, it was soft and shiny making people feel comfortable seeing it.

"Enkuu, after a day of training, do you feel any discomfort in your body?"

Enkuu looked at Tonan with a moved expression and replied with a smile, "I feel better than ever. Today, my Adamantine Body crossed the threshold. Enma-sama said if I maintain this progress, after half a month, I'll be able to practice it without relying on external stimuli."

Enkuu was very excited. His strength finally took a step forward. Half a month… With a gratified smile on his face, Tonan rubbed Enkuu's head and gently said, "Pay close attention to this secret technique then and be sure not to ignore it. If Enma-sama asks why you are progressing so fast, just tell him I taught you a secret art but you mustn't tell the details. You're my partner so you can learn it, but others can't."

Enkuu nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, Tonan. This is your secret art, I won't teach it to others."

In Enkuu's heart, Tonan's favor was equivalent to giving him a second life. Tonan helped him improve, made him ignore what other people said, and was willing to spend money for him. Tonan was so good to him, Enkuu had already acknowledged him from the bottom of his heart. Regardless of the situation, he would never betray Tonan.

Tonan smiled and pointed at the pool, "Quickly get in and soak."

Perhaps, the effect of the cursed seal was too powerful. Enkuu looked more and more like a human. His body became straight, his legs became longer and his tail seemed to have shortened a little.

Another noticeable point was that his fur seemed to have gotten lighter than the original dark brown fur of the monkey clan. Tonan guessed this might be because he used the human race's senjutsu energy when he planted the Cultivation Path Cursed Seal. This was just like people who had the Cursed Seal of Heaven planted on them had abnormal characteristics when they used them.

Enkuu was a monkey, belonging to a primate animal, and was relatively close to humans. Therefore, the changes didn't seem too abnormal.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 171: Fanning Flames, Warning Clan To Withdraw

The morning sun's first rays spread through the sky, waking up the sleeping Konoha. There was remnant mist in the air that made the little bodies of the chirping birds, flying back and forth, a little wet. But it couldn't stop them from searching for food.

A new day had begun. Enkuu walked out of the green pool and used clean water to wash off the medicinal liquid dyeing his body. Sunlight shone in from the bathroom's window, making his fur glow with a faint golden light, looking very beautiful.

After his recent training, the monkey's frail body had become stronger. He put on the clothes that Uchiha Tonan had specially got for him and came to the study. Tonan was standing in front of the altar table, solemnly sticking three incense sticks in front of the rows of wooden carvings. His lips were moving as if in prayer.

Enkuu said, "Tonan, I'm leaving now." Tonan let out a soft hum and casually waved his hand in response. Dispelling the Summoning Technique, Enkuu returned to Mount Huaguo.

"Alas…" Tonan sighed deeply looking at the three rows of wooden carvings for a long time. During the past two days, he went out shopping at dawn but the villagers didn't dare be presumptuous in front of him. Even while discussing in hushed tones, they seemed constrained. They were all afraid of his strength. They feared if he heard their inappropriate words, they would end up being executed.

But it was exactly this constraint that annoyed Tonan. If the villagers didn't insult him hard enough, how could his mood fluctuate? He was almost touching that realm, just a step away.

Tonan was a little anxious, and he couldn't help murmuring, "These people… why don't they have the energy like they did when insulting White Fang?"

Tonan was puzzled. He had done nothing to frighten them so why were they so afraid?

"Could it be… because I'm an Uchiha…" Tonan frowned, thinking about how to break this deadlock. He knew who spread the rumors without thinking. But the crucial point was the person was a little too weak and his people-inciting ability was poor.

Honestly speaking, Tonan was disappointed in Shimura Danzo. To be fair though, it was not that Danzo didn't want to continue to increase his efforts. It was just that from the first day the rumor appeared, Hiruzen was firmly watching him, and he didn't dare make any move.

Tonan returned to the tea table and sat in front of it. He put his hand on his forehead and rubbed his temple lightly with his fingers.

"It seems I've to make the rumors and insults more violent myself. This is about human nature… Human nature…"

Tonan pondered for a long time, and suddenly a light flashed in his mind. The corners of his mouth rose… Half an hour later, he walked out of the Uchiha clan district with his head lowered, looking gloomy.

After leaving the district, he turned into an alley. Immediately afterward, he created several shadow clones and using the Transformation Technique, turned them into villagers.

Not long after, Tonan came to a busy commercial street. There were young and old people on the street. This was the most prosperous place in Konoha, and it was also the place with the largest flow of people.

"That fellow is here again."

"So, what if he comes, we can't do anything."

"That's right, forget it."

……

Tonan heard these conversations and thought to himself, "Forget it? How can you forget it! Hurry up, pull yourself together. You all need to come forward and speak up for Konoha's justice."

In the next instant, an egg flew out of nowhere and hit Tonan. It shattered on his head and fell to the ground, but the liquid inside stuck on his hair along with a few broken eggshells. It slowly flowed down his face, making him look awkward.

For a moment, the pedestrians on the street held their breaths, worried that the brave warrior who secretly threw the egg would be killed. However, Tonan didn't respond and continued to walk silently.

It was just that his head was lowered even more, and his expression looked even more downcast. He tightly clenched his fists but had no intention to fight back.

After a few moments, another egg was thrown. Sure enough, he was hit again. This time, it directly hit his face. Some sharp eggshells scratched his face and blood was oozing out.

"I'll beat you to death, you bastard."

"Besieging Orochimaru-sama? If you had the guts, you should have gone one-on-one."

"Not only did you murder Orochimaru-sama you also conspired to destroy his reputation."

……

With many villagers looking, someone took the lead. Seeing Tonan dared to be angry but didn't speak, they believed he was afraid of the mob power. Their morale was boosted. They grabbed things from the roadside vendors, aiming everything at him with all their might.

For a moment, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and stones flew indiscriminately. At the same time, curses rained from their mouths.

"Get out of Konoha."

"Damned Uchiha imp."

"Why don't you just die?"

"The Uchiha clan is full of bastards."

Once someone took the initiative, everyone began to curse.

"Who is cursing the Uchiha clan?" Suddenly, the surrounding became silent. A Konoha Police Force squad rushed into the crowd and subdued the villagers who insulted their clan.

The captain glanced coldly at the crowd, and the surrounding villagers lowered their heads in fear, hastily fleeing the scene. He snorted and walked over to Tonan, "Tonan, are you alright?"

Regardless of which side Tonan was on, he was always an Uchiha. Killing Orochimaru was a matter of prestige for the clan. How could they let villagers curse and insult him like this?

However, facing the concern of the guard captain, Tonan slowly raised his head. He looked at him and coldly said, "This is my business, I don't need the Uchiha clan's intervention. The villagers will understand me sooner or later."

Hearing this, the guard captain was first stunned and then burst into anger. What kind of person is this… These people are insulting you, but you are still defending them? So unreasonable!

The captain took a deep breath and snorted again. He turned around and said to his teammates, "Release the villagers. Ignore if you encounter something like this again in the future."

He then led the police force away.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 172: Cursing Innovatively, Pure Land In Chaos

The positive feelings the police force gathered toward Uchiha Tonan with great difficulty instantly dissipated. Helplessly, Tonan had to go towards another bustling commercial street. Meanwhile, the shadow clones that had transformed into villagers were prepared.

Just as he arrived at this commercial street, the same scene repeated itself but no one came to his rescue this time. Even when the police force squad saw him berated, they ignored it and took a detour.

To incite villagers more, Tonan's shadow clones used the swears from his previous world.

"Your father drinks a lot of alcohol… Your mother has three hands… Your elder sister is ugly… I hugged your younger sister… Your grandfather can't walk… Your grandmother loves to stay overnight… You'll be childless even when you are a fifty-year-old dog."

"Your words stink… You get angry without reason… Everything you do is unsatisfactory."

"You are mentally ill… Your wife is truly unrestrained… Your father can't move his pestle… Your mother can't climb the bed… Your big sister doesn't look like a human… Your younger sister is skinny enough to be a dog beating stick."

"*… *…"

"*…"

Tonan's shadow clones' sharp curses simply stunned the villagers. But seeing no response from him, their enthusiasm was triggered. They racked their brains, looking for the most vicious words to insult him. They wanted to vent all their anger.

Tonan had already reached the center of the square. The space was relatively open and enough to accommodate many to vent to their heart's content.

He stopped there, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. At the same time, he opened the door of his heart wide to feel the destructive power of words. With time, more and more villagers joined in. All kinds of miscellaneous items were about to bury Tonan.

The villagers had never cursed so vigorously in their entire lives. As if their cognition vein was opened, they became enlightened and many novel words came up. At this moment, Tonan had already let go of his thoughts, trying his best to not let his rationality suppress his already scanty amount of emotion.

"A little bit, just a little bit of anger can awaken my Mangekyo."

As countless curses entered his ears, Tonan's heartbeat sped up a bit. His fingers began to tremble instinctively… The three-tomoe had appeared in his eyes on its own. And without him supplying chakra, it began to spin slowly on its own.

"*… *… "

"*… *…"

……

By Now, Tonan already looked like a beggar. His tidy hair was glued together because of the eggs hurled at him. His current state appeared miserable. What's more, people felt throwing vegetables alone was not enough and threw their baskets at him as well.

Tonan only lowered his head even further, his face almost buried in his chest. But he remained silent. The curses got louder and louder. Before a person could finish, another would have already begun. It seemed they were taking this chance to vent the anger of their lives.

In Tonan's eyes, which were covered by his bangs, the three tomoe had already formed a circle. He felt a drop of anger dropping into the vast ocean-like ocular power. But it was like a waterdrop falling into boiling oil. The ocular power boiled over on its own, rushing towards a thin film of an unseen world.

Just a little bit, a bit more.

"Beat him to death!"

"Altogether, beat him to death."

……

Instigated by the shadow clones, a group of villagers rushed toward Tonan, then punched and kicked him. Tonan slowly knelt and put his hands on the ground, discarding his defense. He even suppressed his chakra's instinctive reaction.

His arms scraped on the uneven ground, leaving fresh wounds on his skin. More and more people rushed over, wanting to participate. They punched and kicked him, hitting his head, stomach, and legs.

Tonan curled up on the ground, blocking people's punches and kicks with his arms.

Bang, bang, bang…

"Captain, are we truly not going to help him?" At the end of the street, many Konoha Police Force members had gathered. Looking at Tonan's tragic situation, some members couldn't bear it. "If he wanted to resist, with his strength, would he be beaten like this? He's a fool, ignore him." Several captains rejected helping Tonan, then waved to their team members and went to patrol other places.

At the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen had sent people to pay attention to any news about Tonan. "What! The villagers have started to surround and beat Tonan?"

Hearing the latest report, Hiruzen stood up in a hurry and left the office using the Body Flicker Technique. Because he was afraid public opinion would hurt him, he repeatedly suppressed Danzo's actions and thought it would be fine after a while.

But beyond his expectations, things became worse. Tonan was getting beaten and cursed in the street.

On the square, the villagers were eager to vent their resentment against Tonan.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded on a sunny day as if something intolerable had been born. A deep sense of fear spread through every villager's heart. They involuntarily stopped their attacks and their bodies trembled instinctively. One could hear gulping sounds all around.

"You… why… aren't you… hitting…"

"I… I'm tired…"

"Ah…" Someone in the crowd screamed, and the crowd panicked. Everyone started to step back as if they were avoiding something terrifying.

"Why are you screaming?"

"I… I don't know."

……

At the same time, in the world of eternal peace on the other side, suddenly, the sky shook and blood-red lightning flashed everywhere as if the entire world was going to be torn apart.

Countless cracks appeared on the ground, mountains collapsed, and rivers changed their course. On top of the mountain at the center of this land, the Sage of Six Paths, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes. He quickly made hand seals and slammed his palm on the ground.

The entire world seemed to have calmed by a stabilizing force. It instantly recovered its former calmness, as if everything that had happened just now was an illusion.

A young man with Byakugan came behind Sage of Six Paths and solemnly said, "I sensed a kind of severing feeling. Did someone from the younger generation of the Ninja World grasp a new Pure Land?"

The Sage of Six Paths shook his head, "Impossible, Hagoromo, the Pure Land belongs to the mutation of heavenly control. It lies between virtual and real. Even if another Otsutsuki clan member eats the chakra fruit and gives birth to an offspring, it's difficult to possess this ability."

Otsutsuki Hagoromo frowned and pondered, "Since it can affect the Pure Land, if it's not because of the Ninja World, then it should be because of the nearby planet."

The Sage of Six Paths nodded, "We will know the situation in the Ninja World once new souls enter. When Indra's chakra returns, I plan to reincarnate him immediately. With their chakra reincarnating in the Ninja World, we can observe the Ninja World's situation at any time."

The Sage of Six Paths looked at the sky and sighed. He couldn't figure out what could have happened for this Pure Land, a space between virtual and real, to be disrupted. It was like being squeezed by the same things.

But this ocular power was unique according to the bloodline information.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 173: Absorbing Evil Thoughts, Another One Man Show

At the commercial street square in Konoha, at this moment Uchiha Tonan was kneeling with his head lowered. His body was full of scratches and a sticky egg liquid was dripping down his hair. But there was a smile, in fact, pure joy on his face.

Once the rationality he had suppressed was released, the insignificant trace of anger in his heart was extinguished. In his scarlet eyeballs, a small black tomoe spun, and then another appeared in a centrally symmetrical manner.

If the entire eyeball was regarded as a circle, then the Mangekyo's shape was like the yin and yang symbol. With it, some information about Mangekyo Sharingan's abilities started filling Tonan's head.

The moment he received it though, most of his joy faded and a strange look appeared. He tried to use this newly acquired ability. His right eye suddenly opened, and the pattern of his Mangekyo spun rapidly.

Wisps of invisible black qi flew out of the villagers' bodies and were absorbed by his right eye. As this happened, the fear in the villagers' hearts abruptly disappeared. There was not even a trace left, leaving behind only good and beautiful thoughts in their hearts…

One by one, everyone looked at Tonan's small trembling figure amid the mess and they couldn't bear to watch this sight.

"Tonan, we're here!" Right at this moment, several people jumped down from the roofs on both sides. These were Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, and the team of Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin.

Seeing his sorry state, Kushina immediately rushed to help him get up, "Tonan, are you alright?" Tonan stood up with a haggard look. He stared at Kushina, looking confused, "Kushina-senpai, did I do something wrong? Why is everyone blaming me?"

Tonan swayed slightly as if he was seriously injured both mentally and physically. When Kushina saw this, she felt heart-wrenching pain. She took him in her arms and patted his back, "You did nothing wrong. Someone must've secretly incited these people."

Seeing this desolate and helpless version of Tonan, who was otherwise radiating with optimism, Kakashi pulled out his White Fang and stood in front of him. He coldly stared at the villagers. It was as if he would kill anyone who dared to step forward without hesitation.

Even Obito, Minato, and Rin stood around Tonan with tacit understanding, and together with Kakashi, they protected him. Minato solemnly said, "Tonan, you've to pull yourself together."

Facing this protective formation, the villagers who had no resentment left in their hearts, simply looked at each other. They were at a loss for what to do next. Just walking away after all they had done so far did not seem right. And they did not have the energy or the will left to continue cursing either.

Having achieved his goal, Tonan too didn't want to take the initiative to be cursed any further. His priority now was to restore his image and see if he could use the villagers' guilt to gain some acknowledgment.

The approach was simple. Choose a topic, find the villagers' sore points and poke it a few times. They would sympathize with him if he would hurt them like this and would stand on his side.

Tonan broke free from Kushina's arms and staggered out of the protective circle. He walked up to the villagers and took a deep breath, placing his hands on his knees and bowing deeply. "Hello, uncles, aunts, and senpais. I want to know what I did wrong? Can someone explain it to me? If I'm at fault, I'm willing to accept any punishment."

Tonan bit his lip as if he was trying his best to endure the pain in his heart. Kushina looked at him and couldn't help taking a few steps forward, "Tonan…"

However, Minato grabbed her hand and softly said, "Let him handle it, let's not disturb. I believe he can do this."

Minato looked at Tonan as well. He recalled what Tonan had said when they met for the first time. He had said that his dream was to gain the entire village's acknowledgment.

"Tonan, you can do it," Minato cheered in his heart.

The villagers who had no grievances in their hearts remained silent for a long time. No one answered. But Tonan had to continue the charade. One of his shadow clones who had transformed into a villager stepped forward and pointed at him, "Why did you kill Orochimaru-sama?"

This shadow clone became the villagers' voice, and when played like this, the ending was already set. Tonan replied in a low voice, "Because Orochimaru-sama was secretly capturing villagers to make them live experiment subjects."

Tonan specifically changed the concept, from human experiments to live experiments. It could better reflect Orochimaru's cruelty and ruthlessness. The shadow clone snorted, "So what? Why did Orochimaru-sama conduct live experiments? To develop new ninjutsu that benefits Konoha. With new ninjutsu, fewer people will die in the next war. If he needed it, I'd be willing to be the first sacrifice. This is my Will of Fire… what do you all say?"

The shadow clone threw this troublesome topic at the villagers behind him. The crowd could sense something was not right. Live experiments must be a crime. But now, when the shadow clone was asking whether they would sacrifice themselves for the village or not, it was inappropriate to answer negatively.

One after another, they replied with awkward looks…

"Eh… yes…"

"We should…"

Tonan looked at everyone and nodded lightly, "Is that so? It seems my understanding of the Will of Fire is different from yours. The Will of Fire I adhere to is that everyone in Konoha regardless of ninjas and civilians is equal. There is no distinction in class. The old, the weak, the disabled, and the pregnant are the targets we need to protect. When I infiltrated his laboratory, I saw babies and pregnant women in the containers filled with green liquid."

"I wondered how sad were the families who lost their children and mothers-to-be. I lost my mind when I thought about them. I wanted to kill that demon in human disguise and seek justice for the babies who had not seen the prosperity of the world yet."

Tonan had two main thoughts behind his long-winded speech. One was to express how much he valued the villagers and the other was to reinforce Orochimaru's brutality. Sure enough, as soon as he said this, everyone frowned and remained silent.

However, just this much heat was not enough. The shadow clone aggressively continued, "Orochimaru-sama has made many contributions. Without him, more people would've died during the war. He saved so many people… what's the big deal about killing a few infants and pregnant women. People die every day in the Ninja World. A few dying now is better than a lot dying later."

Report chapter Comments

---

Konoha Hypocrite #Chapter 174: A Way To Retreat, Regretting - Read Konoha Hypocrite Chapter 174: A Way To Retreat, Regretting Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 174: A Way To Retreat, Regretting

"Bastard!" Uchiha Obito, behind Uchiha Tonan, couldn't help cursing when he heard the shadow clone's inhumane words. He raised his fists to rush forward and beat the cold-blooded villager. But Namikaze Minato grabbed his collar and stopped him.

The shadow clone narrowed his eyes and looked at Obito with disdain, "Little brat, I'm thinking rationally here. It's useless to be emotional. Your feelings represent only yourself. You can't represent everyone. We're all willing to forgive Orochimaru-sama and we're also willing to sacrifice ourselves."

After speaking, he selected a villager with a pregnant wife and said, "Brother, come here."

That villager pointed at his nose with a confused look and asked, "Me? Alright…" He whispered something to his wife beside him and walked over to the shadow clone. The shadow clone asked, "If the village is in danger, are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the village?"

The villager awkwardly scratched his head. In front of everyone, especially his wife, he must show off. If he said he was unwilling, everyone would stare daggers at him.

He replied in an inaudible voice, "I'm willing." Although his voice was soft, everyone heard it. The shadow clone glanced at Tonan, his face filled with arrogance. He continued to ask the villager, "In the same situation, sacrificing your wife and children is also not a problem, right?"

That villager was stunned for a moment but he shook his head this time, "No, I can be sacrificed but I'll protect my family with my life."

When the shadow clone heard this, he looked at the man with disgust, and snorted, "Stupid fellow, you have no consciousness. If it were me, I'd happily sacrifice my family for the entire village."

After speaking, he looked around and selected the next lucky person from the crowd. "Brother over there, you come here."

However, this person didn't move at all. He stood in his place and said, "I won't come. In any case, I don't want to die. Whoever is willing to sacrifice themselves can go. I'm my parents' only son. They will die with grief if I die."

This person's words resonated with the villagers, and everyone nodded in agreement. The shadow clone's face filled with resentment.

This was Tonan's acting. He was his opponent. There was no possibility of him losing. All explanations were false and the most important thing was that he was leading the masses' sentiments. Coupled with this roll-call approach, no one could escape.

Whoever dared to come out and say he was willing to sacrifice his family today would be despised by the villagers tomorrow. If a person was willing to abandon family, his scruples would be seen as questionable by all.

Now, this 'representative' opposing Tonan had lost the battle. Most of the villagers felt they were wrong. But since they wanted to save face, they didn't know what they should do.

All Tonan needed to do now was just give them a way to retreat. Most people have an innate self-protection mechanism. It was difficult for them to admit they had done something wrong. Because once they admit it, it would be followed by self-denial, which went against instinct.

Therefore, Tonan needed to let them know they were right but it was someone else who was wrong. Even if they were truly wrong, it was because of incomplete information and they were at best misguided.

The shadow clone pointed at the villagers as if disappointed with their irresolute behavior. "You all…"

Tonan immediately took a step forward, "Do you have any family? Will you let me meet them?"

The shadow clone became stubborn, "I'm an orphan, and I've not married. But when I do, I can sacrifice them."

When everyone heard this, a sudden realization dawned on them. This person was so extreme because he didn't know the importance of family. Someone like him, who had never felt a family's affection, could only make a clouded judgment.

"But I'm not like him."

The villagers distanced themselves from this man's camp. Tonan stared at the shadow clone, "It just so happens that the development process of medical ninjutsu in Konoha Hospital has stopped because they don't have test subjects. Since you're willing to sacrifice yourself for the village, you should go and register yourself as a test subject."

The shadow clone obstinately continued, "I can do it. As long as you admit you were wrong and give an explanation to everyone, I'll go to the hospital immediately."

Tonan narrowed his eyes and coldly said, "Alright, then let your real body come over. Also, your Transformation Technique is very poor."

Minato had also naturally noticed that the shadow clone was maintaining weak chakra fluctuations. He said, "Looks like you were secretly instigating the villagers and spreading rumors."

The shadow clone's complexion changed. He took a few steps back, "Damn it… disperse!"

Soon after, this shadow clone and many villagers in the crowd turned into a cloud of white smoke.

Bang, bang, bang… The villagers came back to their senses. Good Heavens, it turned out that someone was secretly scheming and confusing them.

Tonan sighed, "Everyone, I know you've been deceived. Many ninjas participated in human experiments secretly. It's just they were too secretive and it was never found out. I know there will be people who hold a grudge and want to get revenge on me. So, I wandered around the village these past few days, trying to find out about these people. But I never imagined that everyone was so angry with me."

Tonan placed his hands on his knees and bowed deeply to the villagers, "I apologize to everyone. Regarding Orochimaru-sama, I was too young and impulsive."

With this, guilt flooded the villagers' hearts…

"Tonan, don't say that. It was everyone being stupid. I didn't even notice I was being used."

"We should be apologizing to you. You were helping us, but we still blamed you."

"Yes, without you, our family members could be captured for human experiments at any time."

"You helped us get rid of the danger, and avenged innocent people who died miserably. We should thank you."

"I'm not human… My brother has been missing for two years. He must've been taken away by Orochimaru. But I never considered it before. I even threw eggs at you."

Suddenly, a kind-hearted villager in the crowd knelt and placed his head on the ground. "Please forgive us."

With one taking the lead, the herd mentality took effect.

"Please forgive us."

"Please forgive us."

The remorseful villagers knelt and sought Tonan's forgiveness. Seeing the people kneeling and admitting their mistakes, the villagers who felt this was just a trivial matter and didn't need to join in also admitted their mistakes.

After all, they had done everything together, so since other people were admitting mistakes, they would stick out like a sore thumb if they didn't. Soon, all the villagers knelt together.

Tonan was secretly delighted. "Excellent, it's time to harvest acknowledgments."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 175: Triple Happiness, Truth Mirroring Eyes

Uchiha Tonan put on a panic-stricken look. "Everyone, get up, please. Whatever the case may be, you are all my seniors and elders. How can this be alright?"

As he was speaking, he was also pulling up the villagers one by one beginning with the person nearest to him. He appeared flustered as if he would join them in kneeling in the next second.

Supporting the villagers' stand up, Tonan said in his sincere-most tone, "Protecting everyone in the village is my duty as a ninja. This is what I must do. You don't know ninjutsu and you were deceived by bad people. That's not on you. It can only be said that the immoral are too cunning."

"Auntie, you are pregnant. This cannot be good for the baby. Please don't kneel."

Seeing Tonan's generosity and compassion, everyone's heart was filled with a mix of guilt and gratitude. At this moment, all his past good deeds flashed in their minds. In the past, they had just heard the stories but now, they could see his excellent morals and noble character first-hand.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Gained Nagao Haruto's acknowledgment… Takada Yanso's acknowledgment… Hino Kaede's acknowledgment…

The continuous acknowledgment prompts were a sweet melody in Tonan's ears. This was the proverbial double happiness at his door. Not only did he awaken Mangekyo, but he was also poised to inherit quite a few legacies.

Even if the quality was not worth much, acknowledgments were never a waste. Also, even though these people were civilians, Konoha's villagers were different from others.

They had either started to refine chakra when they were young and knew basic ninjutsu such as the three techniques or had migrated after spending a lot of money. Just to be able to enter Konoha with money meant something.

"Everyone, please get up. I'm fine. You all just didn't know all the facts." Tonan suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and plastered a flattering look on his face. Under his repeated requests, the villagers stood up but their faces were filled with guilt.

Looking at Tonan, Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato had gentle smiles on their faces without even realizing it. Kushina looked at the awkward Tonan and felt that he was taller than anyone else at this moment.

His head had residual vegetable leaves and eggs that he didn't even have the time to shake off. His arms were covered with scars, and his body was blue and purple. All the villagers had punched and kicked him and the bruises were now showing up.

Even though Tonan must be suffering from bodily pain, he was forgiving and supported those who hurt him. No matter who it was, this would be enough to touch their emotional chords.

Thinking of this, Kushina said, "Tonan is amazing. It's difficult to imagine he had gone through so much but could still maintain the kindness in his heart."

A bright smile appeared on Minato's face, and he softly added, "I think Tonan is probably the son of the Prophecy that Jiraiya-sensei mentioned. He will bring peace to the Ninja World in the future."

Kushina mulled over his words for a bit and then firmly nodded, "He can definitely do it."

Ding! Gained Uzumaki Kushina's acknowledgment.

Ding! Gained Namikaze Minato's acknowledgment.

Tonan, who was helping the villagers get up, paused for a moment but didn't show any strange behavior.

"Excellent! Triple happiness! I never thought there would be such an unexpected harvest. Old Danzo is my lucky star. After Asura's reincarnation, Naruto is born, Flying Thunder God and the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques will be mine."

Right at this moment, Sarutobu Hiruzen arrived in the square with a group of Anbu. As soon as he appeared, he grabbed Tonan's hand and asked with a worried look, "Tonan, are you alright?"

From the moment he heard that Tonan was being cursed and beaten by the villagers, he was worried about his safety. He rushed over, fearing that something might happen. At some point, in Hiruzen's heart, Tonan's status was higher than anyone else's.

Seeing Hiruzen, Tonan smiled lightly, "Sensei, I'm fine but can you please make everyone get up?" Hiruzen looked around. Most of the villagers were still kneeling. At this moment, an Anbu member walked over and whispered something in Hiruzen's ear.

The Hokage's eyebrows rose and he glanced at Tonan with a look of relief. He then turned to the kneeling villagers, "Cough, cough… Everyone, get up now. It seems that the misunderstanding has been resolved. Don't take this to heart. Let me explain… This entire matter was only Orochimaru's fault. If Tonan hadn't killed him, I'd do it myself."

Since Hiruzen spoke up personally, the villagers obediently stood up and stared at Tonan apologetically. Hiruzen too looked at him and seeing his sorry state, thoughtfully said, "Tonan, go back and rest for now. I'll handle this."

Tonan nodded and waved his hand at Minato and the group, "Minato-sensei, Kushina-senpai, Kakashi, Obito, Rin, thank you. I'll leave now. See you again."

With that, he turned around and walked toward the welfare institution. The crowd stepped aside, making way for him. When Tonan passed by them, he gave them a kind smile.

Ding! Ding! Gained Goto Haruki's acknowledgment… Akiba Kunta's acknowledgment…

……

After returning to the welfare institution, Tonan first went for a bath. In the steamy bathroom, he leaned back against the poolside, lowered his head, and looked at the reflection of his Mangekyo Sharingan in the pool. "How can it be of this shape? Isn't it a bit out of place?"

The Mangekyo he recalled seeing was like a windmill when it spun but his Mangekyo was a black ball as soon as it spun.

"One thought good and evil. Good words, evildoing… kind deeds, evil heart… They are worthy of being the eyes that represent the soul. Not to mention they are fitting for the true situation."

Tonan looked at the reflection for a long time. He couldn't help chuckle and shook his head. People's Mangekyo Sharingan was named after deities but his was named after demons and monsters.

The left eye's ocular technique was called Shuten. According to the legend, Shuten-doji could command hundreds of demons and was the head of the Demon clan.

In his left eye, there was a world between real and virtual that could accommodate dead souls. The souls that existed in it would gradually emit the primordial soul for Tonan to absorb. Shuten Ocular Technique could absorb nearby souls and place them into the ocular technique space when it was active.

The right eye's technique was called Tamamo-no-Mae. According to legend, Tamamo-no-Mae was a golden-haired, white-faced nine-tailed fox that excelled at bewitching people and sucking their vitality.

After Tonan activated the right eye, it could absorb the negative emotions of nearby creatures. This trick was useless for others. It could just be used for psychotherapy for depressed people.

But for Tonan, who had grasped the cultivation method of the Sage clan, this was a very precious skill. With this technique, he could easily absorb significant emotional power and then use it to absorb the natural power in the world. Tonan would never lack Senjutsu energy like this.

As for the Susanoo that comes along with the Mangekyo Sharingan, it was also a bit different from others. Using both eyes, he could summon Gundam. But it was not Susanoo that was summoned, but the Great Tengu.

Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Madara's Susanoo evolved to the point where they were called Tengu. Sasuke's was a Raven Tengu and Madara's was a Kurama Tengu. Itachi's was a Crow Tengu and Kakashi's was Lightning Tengu…

The Tengu lay between a demon and a god, and most of them had the appearance of a samurai. But the Great Tengu was the real number one demon in the legend, known as the foremost evil spirit among eight million deities.

According to rumors, the Great Tengu was an existence an emperor had turned into. That emperor entered the temple to practice Taoism but after cultivation, he became a malevolent spirit. On his deathbed, he used his blood to write down scripture, following which, he turned into the Great Tengu.

Tonan's Great Tengu ocular technique had five forms — Skeleton Form (average in all aspects), Buddha Form (strengthen defense), Yaksha Form (strengthen attacks), Tengu Form (humanoid samurai, has a chance of awakening spiritual weapons), and Great Tengu Form (a pair of divine wings on the back, substantially strengthen all aspects.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 176: Hell Space, Cherishing The Moment

Uchiha Tonan closed his eyes and soaked his body in water which gently moved around his neck. The entire pool was scalding and was a little hazy, making it difficult to see anything.

Thinking about his Mangekyo, Tonan sighed. The Mangekyo's abilities were very good but the names were too demonic. It could be said that it was the eye of the demon.

"When others hear it, they'll know I'm not a good person. How can I let that be? I've to show the Mangekyo in front of people so I have to think of righteous-sounding names before that."

After thinking for a while, Tonan slowly opened his eyes and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. He had already thought of several good names.

Suddenly, he thought of the space between the real and the virtual worlds in his left eye. Immediately, the Mangekyo of the left eye spun rapidly turning into a black ball. And his spirit seemed to be drawn and entered into the dark space.

When he came back to his senses, he found himself overlooking the entire space from the perspective of the sky. At this moment, most of the things were dark-colored and blended, exuding a repressive and terrifying vibe.

The sky inside the space was blood-red and the ground was pitch-black. Now and then it burned with green-colored flames. There were also black mountain peaks but there was no sign of life on them. They were just steep and dangerous.

The red lava flowed down from the summits toward the center like a river gathering at one spot. The entire space was filled with uncertainty and despair.

After a while, Tonan withdrew from his left eye's space and deactivated his Mangekyo, touching his chin.

"I thought it'd be a space like the Pure Land that would take in the soul. But it looks like hell…" Tonan sighed deeply. Before awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, he was filled with expectations. But after that, he felt it was a shame. To be honest, it was boring.

"There was no great surprise, I feel just so-so. The left eye absorbs the soul and provides the primordial soul which is a good ability. As long as there's enough pure soul, I can live for a long time. But even if I didn't know how to increase the primordial soul for the time being, worst comes to worst, I could've researched Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation."

Tonan thought this was a good option as well. As long as he could live, it was more important than anything else. The right eye was also fine. It absorbed the power of negative emotions, allowing him to cultivate Senjutsu energy.

However, these two ocular techniques were useless in battle. While fighting, if he absorbed his opponents' negative emotions, it would just make them calmer and attack harder.

"If I wanted to fight with Mangekyo, only Great Tengu is useful. Looks like I've to rely on harvesting acknowledgments to strengthen myself. Speaking of that, I gained a lot today but these villagers' strength is mediocre."

The more he thought, the more Tonan frowned. Gradually, a thought flashed through his mind, and he mumbled, "Perhaps… I should change my way of thinking. Cherish the moment, and don't aim too high. Why don't I just help those who acknowledged me and let them fly higher and walk further."

Doing so would increase their strength and Tonan could also reap the benefits eventually. When the time comes, his strength would improve greatly. Tonan got up from the pool and put on his bathrobe. He walked to the window to look at the sky outside. "Let's wait till it gets dark. It's good to do things in the dark…"

In the evening, Tonan left the welfare institution and returned to his home in the Uchiha district. He summoned Enkuu as per his usual routine and continued to train Soft Physique Modification with him. After that, he dressed up and left the house. Soon, he turned into a dark figure and integrated into the night.

………

Late at night, the moon appeared and disappeared under the shadow of floating clouds. The desolate moonlight shrouded the entire Konoha with a misty layer. Konoha's winter was biting cold even when there was no snowfall.

Many insects and birds had returned to their nests. The entire village was quiet. Only the sounds of the cold winds and rustling leaves could be heard.

In a residential house, a sturdy man was sleeping soundly on his bed. His snores echoed throughout the bedroom. It was because of this very habit that his wife had long begun to sleep in a separate room.

The bedroom window was closed to prevent the winter chill from entering the warm room. The cold wind blew and the bare branches outside the window swayed non-stop, howling a terrifying tune.

In the warm bedroom, the sturdy man had already kicked away the quilt and was lying on his back. The round and plump belly moved up and down, along with his snores. He was deep asleep.

At this moment, a human-shaped figure gradually climbed up the window. The figure blocked the entire window, obstructing the moonlight from sprinkling in. It seemed that the bedroom was scoured by darkness.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~ The cold wind blew in and the sturdy man frowned in his sleep, instinctively curling into a ball. In the next moment though, the chill disappeared and the man's frown gradually eased.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. He saw that the sun was shining brightly outside the window and the dazzling light hit his eyes. He couldn't help but raise his hand to cover them. He got up and went to the window to push it open.

The damp and slightly warm wind blew against his face. In winter, it was a rare sight to see the sun. The sunlight shone through the clouds lighting up the ground.

The early morning fog had dissipated, leaving behind crystal-clear water droplets on the grasses, full of vigor. Although the winter sunlight was not too hot, it was warm.

The man couldn't help enjoying it. He squinted his eyes, "The weather is so nice today." Just at this moment, he noticed a cloud gradually floating down from the sky. He looked at it as it got closer and closer to him, and he was dumbfounded… "The cloud… is falling…"

In an instant, the cloud covered the entire house. It was like the sturdy man was in the midst of a thick fog. He closed the window and went to the next room to call his wife and watch this wonderful scene together.

However, the strange thing was, not to mention his wife, even the children in his house had disappeared. Just when he thought it was strange, the sounds of his wife and children's laughter came from the fog outside. He sighed in relief, and with a happy smile on his face, opened the door and walked into the thick fog without a second thought.

When he walked into it though, he was isolated from the world. All the sounds around him disappeared but it did not raise any bad premonitions in his heart.

After walking for a while, he noticed the place ahead becoming clearer. The dense fog seemed to be afraid of something and retreated to both sides. There was a grassland in front of him. An old man with white hair and a ruddy complexion was standing there with the support of a cane. And that old man was smiling at him.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 177: Nurturing Rations, A High-Leveled Spy

"You are…" The sturdy man eyed the man in front of him with vigilance. But the old man only smiled kindly and said with a look of admiration, "Young man, you have a kind heart. You are the right choice to be entrusted with the forbidden power. I'm leaving this place and I hope you can replace me to protect Konoha."

After throwing some mystifying words, the old man pointed at the sturdy man with his cane. A golden light shot out from it, hitting the man's chest. Feeling unbearable pain, the man immediately fell to the ground and rolled, wailing continuously.

"You are the chosen one. Just hold on a bit longer, I believe you'll succeed. Remember to not let others know you have the forbidden power, otherwise, their jealousy will be your death."

The sturdy man felt the entire world spinning in front of him, the severe pain making him want to bang his head to death.

Gradually, everything became dark and he felt weightless. The old man and the mist disappeared. It was as if he would reach hell in the next moment.

Bang… A heaven-shaking explosion happened in his mind and the man suddenly opened his eyes, jolting up on his bed in shock.

Taking a few heavy breaths, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He then looked sideways at the window and saw the clear and peaceful moonlight outside. A gentle wind blew in, making him feel cold all over his body.

The man sighed in relief and shook his head, "Was just a dream…"

Suddenly, he frowned and jumped off the bed, slowly walking to the window. The window was open. The man clearly remembered he had shut it before he went to sleep.

"Did I forget to close the window?" The man frowned as he looked at the moon in the sky and fell into deep thought.

Just then, he seemed to have thought of something. He pulled open his night suit's collar and looked at his chest. He saw a golden-red mark glittering on it, emitting a warm current that gradually spread throughout his body.

"It was not a dream…" The man stared at the mark in a daze. He made the hand signs of the Clone Technique he was not accustomed to.

Bang… With a ball of white smoke, an identical clone appeared. The man was first dumbfounded and then wild with joy. At this moment, there was only one sentence in his mind.

"I'm chosen by the world."

Not long after, in the Uchiha district, Uchiha Tonan returned home before dawn. After his aptitude had improved, Enkuu no longer needed to soak in for the entire night. Seeing that Tonan was not present after he completed his practice, he voluntarily dispelled the Summoning Technique and returned to Mount Huaguo.

Tonan seized this time to rest. He went to the bedroom and lay down. Tonight, he had planted a cursed seal on six people who had acknowledged him. With the seal, their physiques would gradually assimilate to Tonan's physique.

Although assimilation had its limit, it could also change their aptitudes and allow them to become ninjas. As there was a certain risk in receiving a cursed seal, Tonan must guard and help them endure before leaving.

If not, once the person died, the cursed mark was likely to be exposed. Tonan took the opportunity to carry out this task in the dream, making them think they had a fortuitous encounter.

People were selfish and they would subconsciously be secretive about such encounters. This cursed seal was not of heaven or earth. With time, it would be hidden and not appear unless Tonan stimulated it.

Most of the Cultivation Path Cursed Seal's abilities were about control. The principle was very similar to that of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. As long as Tonan wanted, he could kill these people at any time without anyone discovering anything.

If anyone dared to speak out about the seal, his brain would be destroyed instantly, showing an unclear cause of death. If something like this happened in Konoha, someone would automatically take the blame for him. This was the real ration that could be eaten any time.

Like planting crops, he was sowing seeds. When the season comes, he could harvest a lot of food.

Early the next morning, Tonan came to the welfare institution and released the shadow clone making another one to look after Kotoura.

The main body walked out of the room and looked at the Maito Dai and Maito Gui father and son duo who were training hard in the institution's open field. There were also old people gathered there in the distance.

With his new ration planting method, these elder people didn't have much value in Tonan's eyes anymore. Since they were already so old, they didn't have much time to train even if he planted a cursed seal on them.

Besides, with their physique, perhaps, they might not be able to survive the pain and die. But he still wanted to nurture them because he felt his current strength was not enough.

Although these rations were not palatable, he shouldn't waste them. When he had time, he decided to use a shadow clone to express sympathy to them and set up an elderly art troupe to develop some special skills.

Interrupting his thoughts, Tonan sensed chakra entering the welfare institution. Turning his head, he looked at the institution's gate and saw a yellow-haired woman with black-framed glasses smiling at him. She walked over leisurely toward him and Tonan narrowed his eyes.

He then adjusted his golden-rimmed glasses and gave a warm smile. The yellow-haired woman walked over and softly said, "Hello Tonan-kun, my name is Yakushi Nono. I was the Konoha Orphanage's director appointed by the higher-ups. Now that the orphanage is disbanded, they've instructed me to come work here as your assistant."

Tonan smiled warmly, "That's great. I'm not very good at looking after children and I'm always tied up. You must be very good at this, Yakushi-senpai. I've to learn from you."

Nono smiled softly, "Tonan-kun is being kind. You defeated Orochimaru-sama. Also, I'm not much older than you, you can call me by my name."

Tonan went over her high points while chatting. After realizing that she seemed to have no special bloodline limit or ninjutsu, he lost interest in talking with her. He opened the door, "Come in and take a look at Kotoura. Right now, he's the only child in the welfare institution."

Nono followed Tonan into the room and just happened to see Tonan's shadow clone focused on changing the baby's diaper. Seeing the shadow clone's skilled movements, she was inwardly surprised. "Tonan-kun, you seem to like children very much. You are much more careful than me. Speaking about it, using a shadow clone to take care of a child should be too tiring. The aftereffect of the clone is not small."

Tonan lightly shook his head, "It's not too bad. Most of the time, I need to practice, so I can only resort to this. It doesn't matter if I'm tired, as long as he can grow up healthy, that's enough for me."

Nono looked at Tonan as if she had seen a kindred spirit. "I heard what happened to you recently. Everyone has a very high opinion of you."

Tonan simply said, "It's an undeserved reputation. Since you've come, I'll leave Kotoura to you and also let him get familiar with you. Now that I've some time, I'll take care of the elders."

Nono earnestly replied, "I'll do my best to take good care of him."

"I trust you." Tonan nodded and dispelling the shadow clone, he left the room.

After walking out, his eyes instantly turned cold. Yakushi Nono, the Root spy, had arrived.

"I guess she came to the welfare institution with a mission to monitor me. Of course, this must be a long-term mission. Reporting back my everyday actions to Danzo. How about I… work out a plan to kill her? When Father Saru asks, I can slander her as a spy from the enemy village."

"And if someone dares to speak for the dead, I can just ask the Yamanaka clan to search her memories in front of everyone. In any case, she must have a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, so nothing would be found. And if nothing could be found, it would be the most favorable evidence."

Thinking of this, Tonan rubbed his chin. Soon after though, he gave up the plan. There was an issue with it. Now that he was already a ceiling-leveled combat power of Konoha, his ways of thinking should change as well. There was no need to bother to frame and kill a mere ninja.

In any case, she would never find things he didn't want. Since she was Danzo's informer, why not let Danzo know things he wanted to through her?

That was the best plan…

"It seems I've stayed up late a lot lately. My mind has become dull," Tonan chuckled and shook his head, walking towards the open field of the welfare institution. He was preparing to get close to the Maito father and son and the old people.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 178.1: Connecting The Dots, Sarutobi's Fury

For several days after the incident, Uchiha Tonan spent his days in the welfare institution getting along with Maito Dai and Gui, as well as the elderly people. Faced with his careful pamper, the 'empty nesters' laid down their arms and surrendered in just a day.

The simple-minded Maito father and son were unable to escape as well. Tonan didn't use any grand gestures. He only helped them financially. He also trained in taijutsu together with them and easily gained their acknowledgment.

It couldn't be helped. Tonan's soaring reputation in Konoha had already got half the work done. Whoever heard of his deeds would give a thumbs-up and speak highly of him.

The disparity of position and strength, coupled with an excellent reputation, made it easier to gain acknowledgment of the simple people. The Maito father and son pair could even be described as obtuse, making Tonan's task even easier.

Every night, after he completed practicing Soft Physique Modification with Enkuu, he would go plant the seeds of hope in these rations.

In the past few days, ninja books in the Konoha Bookstore were almost sold out every day. Tonan's new rations were buying these books for home studying. Much like him, when he had just acquired the system, they were yearning for power.

On this day, in the Hokage Meeting Room, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in the main chair smoking. He tapped his finger on the table, "Danzo, why don't you try explaining the situation to the Daimyo? I believe he'll understand and agree."

Ads by Pubfuture

Shimura Danzo sat expressionlessly across Hiruzen and glanced at Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu who were sitting quietly on the left and right sides of the Hokage.

"I got it. Tonan's strength is indeed not suitable to participate in the Honorary Chunin Contest. I'll send someone to inform the Daimyo. So, who'll participate in his place?"

Hiruzen smiled subtly and blew out a mouthful of smoke, "What about Kakashi? His strength is not bad. Although he is young, the younger the age, the more we can demonstrate our Konoha's strength."

Danzo thought for a while and then shook his head, "Kakashi is also not suitable."

Hearing Danzo disagreeing with him, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and coldly asked, "What do you mean?". The atmosphere in the meeting room stiffened a little.

Danzo lowered his eyes and indifferently replied, "Don't misunderstand, I don't mean to argue with you about candidates. It's just that Kakashi is White Fang's only son. And according to the investigation, the lightning-style ninjutsu used by Abe Seimei is very similar to White Fang's secret technique. I'm just worried that the Fire Capital may misunderstand the situation."

Hiruzen frowned, "Is that so? How come I didn't know about this? Have you been keeping things from me?"

"There was no need to tell you about it. After all, you seemed to have finally forgotten about what happened and I didn't want to bring it up and trigger your grief again."

Ads by Pubfuture

In front of Hiruzen, who was currently gaining momentum, Danzo could only avoid the sharp edge and solemnly continued to explain, "In the past, the Daimyo Residence suspected that White Fang was Abe Seimei. They reasoned that White Fang probably had a grudge against Konoha. So, disguised as Seimei, he incited Shinnosuke to kill the Daimyo, provoking the relationship between the Daimyo Residence and Konoha."

"Ryoma too had told me that he had seen White Fang use similar lightning-style ninjutsu during the Land of Rivers' mission. At that time, I thought it was possible. But after I did some private investigation, I ruled out that possibility."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and his expression changed a little, "Did you dig up White Fang's grave?"

Danzo folded his arms and replied with an innocent look on his face, "I just sought evidence. I collected some corpse samples to confirm that White Fang is truly dead. You can rest assured I won't disrespect his grave by digging it up. After all, he was Konoha's hero."

Hiruzen looked at Danzo. Finally, he chose to keep the peace. He blew out a mouthful of smoke and asked, "Since it's not White Fang, what's the problem with letting Kakashi participate?"

Danzo smiled coldly and sinisterly said, "Kakashi is a good kid. I don't want him to be the target of the Daimyo Residence's anger. The Daimyo doesn't look like the kind of person who cares about evidence. Hiruzen, when did you become so naïve? If you want to take this opportunity to get rid of Kakashi, I've no problem but make it clear."

Hiruzen felt that despite the insinuation, Danzo's argument was valid. He agreed, "Alright, I'll select a member of the Sarutobi clan, and then you can report the candidate's name."

Once the discussion was completed, Danzo didn't bother to continue looking at Hiruzen's face. He immediately got up and left. Hiruzen too returned to his office after a while.

He leaned back on his chair, thinking about the information Danzo shared. "Where did White Fang obtain that lighting style secret technique? It must've been on the battlefield. No, he must've gone deep behind enemy lines to carry out a mission. Only like that, he would've obtained such a powerful secret technique. Where did he go in the second great ninja world war…"

Hiruzen pondered for a while and realized that White Fang had been to almost every hidden village during the war. This was not surprising because he was good at gathering intelligence and in assassination missions. Therefore, the missions he carried out were all behind enemy lines.

And the so-called lightning-style secret technique might have been a war spoil that White Fang snatched during his mission. Usually, all the village heads turned a blind eye toward such things and didn't care about them.

"It must've been Kumo…"

Ads by Pubfuture

Chapter 178.2: Connecting The Dots, Sarutobi's Fury

After mulling over it from different aspects, Sarutobi Hiruzen suspected that Abe Seimei might be the head of Kumo. After all, it could be estimated that only Kumo had such a powerful lightning-style secret technique. "It'll be a bit troublesome. I reckon ordinary diplomacy is of no use toward those reckless idiots. Unless the war is waged…"

"Shinnosuke, Asuma… If the next war starts, I'll avenge you two."

A hint of guilt flashed through Hiruzen's eyes. Both his sons died not long ago but he had almost forgotten about them. He opened his drawer ready to take a look at their photos and cherish them once more. But as soon as he did that, he found a photo lying in the middle. It was Uchiha Tonan's graduation photo. On that day, he had become a genin.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and picked up the photo. He looked at it for a while. In the photo, Tonan had his usual calm smile. Hiruzen couldn't help smiling looking at it, recalling the discussion he had with Tonan about the village.

"This child… He's truly reassuring."

Hiruzen placed the photo on the desk and continued to rummage through the drawer to find Shinnosuke and Asuma's photos. But he couldn't find them even after nearly turning his drawer upside down. It was only then that he recalled he was afraid the photos would remind him of his dead sons back then, so he took them back to his home.

He couldn't help the guilt filling up his heart and also felt sorry for his sons. Since he couldn't see them, he decided to focus on the enemy. Hiruzen took out Seimei's information. Two photos came into his view. One was black and white and the other was color. The two people looked the same but Hiruzen recalled what Tonan had said earlier. So, he focused on their eyes.

Sure enough, Hiruzen felt he noticed something, and his eyes gradually narrowed. The eyes were indeed different. On careful observation, he discovered that the proportion of the pupils and the white of the eyes in the two photos were different.

"This is very strange. He's indeed a spy in disguise." Hiruzen took a deep breath, but the more he looked at it, the angrier he became. He threw the photos back into the drawer and shut it. He then picked up Tonan's photo and looked at it to soothe his mood.

Ads by Pubfuture

After looking for a while, Hiruzen was about to put Tonan's photo away. But he stopped when his right hand was just about to completely close the drawer. Since the drawer was not closed tightly, it left a gap, through which only the eyes of Seimei's color photo could be seen. Bereft of the other facial details, Hiruzen suddenly felt that the eyes were familiar.

The Hokage Office seemed to have fallen into a dead silence. Even a dropping pin could be heard. Hiruzen stared at the photo's eyes. After a long time, he picked up the photo on the desk with his trembling hand and put it in the front for comparison.

Hiruzen was drenched with cold sweat, and he subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He found it difficult to breathe. In the next moment, he suddenly pulled open the drawer and took out the color photo. He then held Tonan's graduation photo in one hand and Seimei's color photo in the other and walked to the window.

Facing the dazzling sunlight, he held the two photos high and slowly overlapped them. Like this, the two seemingly unrelated people overlapped each other. Tonan had a gentle smile in the photo and Seimei, on the other hand, had a strangely fierce expression. But their eyes aligned perfectly.

At this moment, Tonan and Danzo's words appeared in his mind one after the other.

"Eyes are the windows to people's souls. Different people have different eyes."

"According to the investigation, the lightning style ninjutsu used by Abe Seimei is very similar to White Fang's secret technique."

White Fang died in Tonan's hands. Allegedly, he taught Tonan swordsmanship while he was alive. Perhaps, he also taught him the lightning-style secret technique. A thought appeared in Hiruzen's mind but he immediately shook his head, trying to get the ridiculous doubt out of his mind.

"No… Tonan is not such a person… He has no reason to kill Shinnosuke and Asuma. Not only did he have no reason, but he also had no strength to do that."

Suddenly, Hiruzen recalled the report he heard on the day Orochimaru died. On that day, Tonan had been fighting Orochimaru for a long time. And later, he used super compound ninjutsu to burn Orochimaru to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

Ads by Pubfuture

Could it be that he had been hiding his strength? But how can one explain the Transformation Technique? Ordinary Transformation Techniques are easy to see through.

At this moment, Hiruzen's entire body was soaked in sweat, and his legs were trembling. He turned around and placed his hands on the desk to support himself. He then recalled Tonan's growth trajectory.

Suddenly, he raised his head and shouted, "Guards!"

An Anbu member opened the door and knelt on one knee, "Hokage-sama."

He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Go and bring me all the information on Sanbo Motoyoshi. No! I'll check it myself."

After speaking, Hiruzen straightened up. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he went straight to the intelligence room. After searching for a long time there, he finally retrieved Motoyoshi's information.

There was much recorded on the deceased man and Hiruzen read all of it meticulously, afraid that he might miss something. Finally, he stared at a record of intelligence, and muttered while trembling, "Re… construction Technique…"

Pop… The intelligence document fell to the ground. And Hiruzen staggered back two steps. In his mind, he recalled the time when Abe Seimei appeared and disappeared, and compared it to Tonan's time in Fire Capital.

Some things seemed unrelated, but when you find a connection line, you would find too many coincidences which couldn't stand critical examination on their own. Hiruzen's legs lost power. He fell to the ground and placed his hands on the ground to support himself.

"Ah!" He roared like an old lion. His voice was hoarse and filled with grief. In addition, his face was filled with madness.

"Hokage-sama!" An Anbu member, who was guarding the intelligence room, pushed open the door and entered. Hiruzen with a red face and bloodshot eyes yelled fiercely, "Get out! Leave me alone and go away!"

The Anbu member was so frightened that he quickly left the intelligence room and closed the door. But he could still hear the sounds of pounding and Hiruzen's intermittent growls from inside the intelligence room.

"Why is it you… why is it you!"

Ads by Pubfuture

Report chapter Comments