Starting with Kengan beating up the Pirate King

Chapter 271 Rebuilding the Glory of the Thousand Hands
"Cough cough... I'm fine, Kushina."

Pushing aside the branches covering him, the disheveled Minato stood up from the ground.

Watching Kushina hurriedly brush the dust off him and check him for injuries, and smelling the sweet fragrance of the girl's hair, Minato looked a little embarrassed. He became even more ashamed when he saw Guan Yi winking at him.

"Senior...you are indeed amazing."

He turned his gaze to the devastated surrounding terrain and the dozen or so uprooted trees, thinking to himself that under such absolute power, any skill was meaningless.

Minato had witnessed Guan Yi's monstrous strength before, but this was the first time he had seen Guan Yi exert his full strength. So, although he was a bit disheveled, he was happy.

Finally, I got my senior to take this seriously, which proves that I've made progress, right?
Wait a minute! The destructive power of that monstrous strength is actually this strong? It seems Kushina learned it too…

Beside him, Kushina, relieved to see that Minato had only suffered some scratches, looked at Kaneki and said, "Teacher, did Minato push you to this extent? What if Minato... well, even though you were careful and didn't hurt Minato, this forest should at least belong to the village, right? Is it really okay to destroy it like this?"

“It’s alright,” Guan Yi said. “This forest originally belonged to the Senju clan. In the early stages of the Second Shinobi World War, because the clan suffered heavy losses and was unable to manage these redundant assets, they mortgaged this forest to the Nara clan.”

"Then... isn't that still someone else's?" Kushina asked in astonishment. "Shouldn't you have to pay compensation?"

"It's alright. In the past few days, Senju has started negotiations with Nara to redeem this forest. Although they haven't reached an agreement on the price yet, it can be considered an asset of Senju."

"..."

Kushina sensed something was amiss, while the astute Minato looked around in surprise at the damage caused by Guan Yi's punch.

Is this a form of deterrence?
The Nara clan's ninjas are all very good; is it necessary to use this kind of intimidation tactic?

"The relationships between ninja clans are more complex than you imagine. When it comes to matters that involve personal interests, there is no distinction between good and bad."

Seemingly noticing Minato's confusion, Guan Yi walked towards them and said, "Look at this forest. After the Nara clan took over, they hardly cared about it and didn't rely on the timber business to support the family. But as long as they have the land deed for this forest, it is the foundation of the family."

In case the Nara family's deer farming and medicinal herb business goes out of business someday, this forest is a trump card for their family. Therefore, even if they don't need it for a very long time, they are reluctant to buy it back from the Senju clan.

Kushina understood: "So... teacher, your sparring with Minato was just a side effect, and your real purpose was to intimidate the Nara clan? To seize their forest land?!"

“Appropriately demonstrating strength and skill, making the other party feel that building a friendship with me is more meaningful than the woodland itself, is the only way to ensure the woodland buyout business can continue,” Guan Yi said.

"Calling it intimidation is too harsh a word."

"That's clearly intimidation!"

Guan Yi smiled and shook his head: "Let's go. You can't understand, but Minato should be able to understand some."

Kushina pouted, while Minato seemed thoughtful, hesitatingly saying, "I've done several missions with Shikaku, as for the Nara family..."

"They're all the same. Which ninja clan that has survived from the Warring States period to the present day is benevolent? When different positions clash, anyone can become an enemy or a friend."

Guan Yi said, "For example, you hate Danzo, right, Kushina?"

“…Hmm.” Kushina nodded: “Teacher, didn’t you say that the two ninjas who attacked me the second time were Danzo’s subordinates? He wanted to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so he was very unhappy with your interference.”

"Yes, we need to clarify the fundamental contradiction. Why did Danzo want to control the Nine-Tails? Because it is a powerful fighting force, and also a manifestation of status and position. In two words, it is power."

When the Senju clan wanted to redeem the forest land that had been pledged to the Nara clan, the two sides were at odds. Even though the Nara clan was kind-hearted, their only way of refusing was to offer a higher price and stall for time.

Danzo's methods were more drastic, such as sending ninjas in direct attacks, but essentially, there was no difference in their actions.

Guan Yi smiled and said, "We are all ninjas from Konoha Village. How to balance the relationship between us is a great skill. We need to treat different people in different ways. Even Danzo can become our friend if we cater to his preferences."

Kushina, imagine if I went to Danzo right now and told him, "The Third Hokage didn't do a very good job, and my Senju clan fully supports you to become the Fourth Hokage." He might just jump up and hug my leg.

“…Teacher, what you said is disgusting.” “…” Guan Yi was silent for two seconds, then tapped Kushina’s head with a thud, making the girl cry out in pain while clutching her head with tears in her eyes.

Minato, on the other hand, had some insights. He realized that what a ninja should learn is only ninjutsu and tactics, but if he wanted to become Hokage, he might also need to learn what Senju-senpai had said.

Not far away, behind a large tree, Jiraiya, wearing an oil-patterned headband, exclaimed in amazement, "Sakumo, even you can be wrong. Minato Namikaze is indeed an excellent ninja, but among the younger generation, there seems to be a monster."

……

Ten minutes later, in the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage looked at Jiraiya across the street and took a deep drag on his cigarette: "Did that kid really say that?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"No, then I'm not worried." The Third Hokage sighed. "It seems that the two shops that the Sarutobi clan was managing for the Senju clan will have to be returned."

Jiraiya: "..."

He slowly revealed a look of astonishment, then chuckled and said, "I thought I had hidden it well, but now it seems he might have already discovered it. Those words weren't just for Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, but he also wanted me to relay them to you? Old man, you actually did something like this?"

"What do you know?"

The Third Hokage shook his head. "From the fall of a whale, all things come to life. As the founders of the village, the Senju clan enjoys the most fertile and central land in the village."

When the First Hokage was still alive, he was willing to share with everyone and everything was negotiable. But when the Second Hokage took office, he focused more on finding a balance between the village and the clan, and even placed more importance on the clan.

However, other ninja clans also needed to expand and develop. When the Senju clan declined, they naturally took some of the assets that originally belonged to the Senju through normal sales methods. The Sarutobi clan was among them; at least they could offer a relatively fair price.

"I really don't understand. Senju Intent knows more about this than I do." Jiraiya laughed. "I just found the example he gave about Danzo very interesting, supporting Danzo becoming Hokage and such."

The Third Hokage glanced at him sideways.

The next day, the Nara clan restarted negotiations with the Senju clan regarding the redemption of the forest land, and the Sarutobi clan also sold back the two prime shops of the Senju clan at cost price.

This is just the beginning.

Given the advantages of his status, Guan Yi naturally had to do things that were in line with the Thousand Hands clan. Of course, besides that, there was an even more important reason.

When Guan Yi started the third phase of the first stage of the project, based on his experience during this period, the project had already arranged a suitable second stage for him!

[II. To restore the glory of the Senju clan is our inescapable duty. We will use our talents to give back to the Senju clan, achieving mutual strength for both the clan and ourselves. As the Senju clan regains its glory, the recipients will acquire the Senju clan's top-tier physique, increasing their total chakra and boosting the abilities of the buried Freeland Secret Realm magicians.]

The settlement is based on every 10% recovery of the Senju clan's prosperity. The first phase is free, but from the second phase onwards, it will consume a certain amount of wealth and kill points, with the consumption increasing each time. When the Senju clan's prosperity recovers to 80%, the third phase will begin.

[Current prosperity level of the Thousand Hands Clan is 22% away from its peak prosperity level]

[First Prosperity Level Settlement Completed]

[Remaining percentage pending settlement: 12%]

[Immortal Body Awakening Level: 10%]

[A second Prosperity Points settlement can be initiated by spending 1 gold coin and 10 kill points]

After 10% of the Sage Body awakened, Guan Yi, this pseudo-Senju clan member, had become a true Senju clan member, even more talented than most Senju ninjas today!

His chakra increased by 30%, and the intensity of his physical training also increased. Once his Sage Body awakens to 30% or 40%, he will be able to use Wood Release.

Isn't this better than transplanting interstitial cells?
(End of this chapter)