Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 144 World Immortal Tree

Just as Tamura Hao and the others were gathered together discussing, an Iwa ninja leaped over and whispered something in Huang Tu's ear.

"That Konoha squad is dead."

Huang Tu's expression changed as he realized something was wrong.

"Let's go take a look."

Rasa also understood that there was a problem on Konoha's side.

Without hesitation, the group left Takigakure Village and headed to the scene of the incident.

They've already turned Takigakure Village upside down; there's not much of value left, so there's no point in staying any longer.

The group quickly arrived at the scene of the incident, a hundred miles away. It was a relatively secluded place, where the group seemed to be taking a short rest.

"There are no external wounds, so it must be poisoning. Rasa-kun, your Sunagakure is good at this."

After crouching down to examine a corpse, Tamura Hiroshi looked at Rasa and the others.

Luo Sha gestured to a puppeteer behind him, who stepped forward to dissect the corpse and quickly obtained the results.

"It's a gaseous toxin that is inhaled."

There were no traces of anyone else around.

Tongcao Yeren brought his men over. He had just searched the area but found nothing.

"One of them is missing."

After examining the corpse, Huang Tu revealed some information: he had arrived at Takigakure Village with this group and remembered their numbers and attire.

"They must have gained something in Takigakure. Did they betray us and seize it? Or did they force themselves to bring it back?"

Tamura Hiroshi's expression was solemn, but inwardly he was impressed by Black Zetsu's powerful work efficiency.

He could guess that the person who did the attack was definitely a spy planted by Lord Danzo, who committed the crime for the sake of intelligence.

"Konoha!"

Everyone's expressions were uncertain, with Konoha being the prime suspect.

Moreover, Konoha already has the strongest Nine-Tails. If they add a Seven-Tails with the ability to fly, they will truly be invincible.

"We must report this information to Lord Mizukage as soon as possible."

After saying a few words, Tongcao Yeren led his team away quickly.

No matter what Konoha discovers, they can't get their hands on it and can only return first.

Huang Tu and Luo Sha also led their teams back, while Tamura Hao led his team back to Takigakure Village, since their goal this time was the sacred tree.

Tamura Hiroshi's guess was correct; it was indeed Danzo's men who poisoned that Konoha squad and stole the information, which they then used a summoning jutsu to immediately relay to Shimura Danzo.

"The ultimate weapon from the time of the Sage of Six Paths, possessing the power to grant people's wishes."

After reading that intelligence report, Danzo Shimura was intrigued.

He's currently very interested in things and legends related to the Sage of Six Paths, so this information is worth exploring.

"But the Hidden Grass Village has already been destroyed, and even if it existed, it would probably have been secretly taken by the Hidden Cloud Village long ago."

Ding was quite worried because the information was very vague, and it seemed that even Takigakure itself didn't know about it, but had only obtained it by chance from Kusagakure.

The intelligence indicated that Kusagakure possessed an ultimate weapon from the time of the Sage of Six Paths. But if Kusagakure really had such an ultimate weapon, how could it be so weak, and even destroyed?

"The Hidden Grass Village was not completely destroyed; one branch still exists."

Danzo Shimura thought of a place that had some connection with Kusagakure.

"Yi, take some men and go to Hozuki Castle. If that thing really exists, bring it back and eliminate everyone in it."

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

After receiving the order, Yi quickly left and began to gather manpower to go to Ghost Lantern Castle.

This period is a truce, and since Sunagakure has stabilized the defenses of the Land of Rivers, they rarely launch attacks anymore, so they can spare a lot of manpower.

After issuing the orders, Danzo Shimura continued to handle the matters at hand.

The events of that night had a significant impact, putting Hiruzen and his group in a very difficult situation in the village. This made many people have ulterior motives, and Hiruzen himself was under considerable pressure. In addition, he was busy investigating the theft of the Seven-Tails.

That intelligence report was just a minor incident; it's good to have it, but it doesn't matter if we don't.

Leaving aside Danzo Shimura's arrangements, Tamura Hiroshi was inspecting the sacred tree and using the Ten-Tails' chakra to sense it, attempting to awaken the Wood Release power within, or rather, the power of the divine tree.

Stimulated by the chakra of the Ten-Tails, the Sacred Tree seemed to come alive, its branches and roots trembling continuously.

"It really works!"

Tamura Hiroshi smiled and then called out to the ANBU ninjas who were conducting a thorough search of the houses in Takigakure.

"Immediately notify Lord Raikage to bring the Jonin and Uzumaki ninjas that can come from the village. We are about to have a great treasure."

The ANBU ninja below was taken aback, then quickly took out a piece of paper, wrote something down, and finally used a summoning jutsu to send the information back.

They were all confidants of Lord Raikage and were well aware of Lord Hao's status and position. Their orders for this mission were to obey Lord Hao's commands in everything.

Tamura Hao continued to revitalize the Sacred Tree and transformed the chakra inherited from the remains of the Divine Tree within it into the Ten-Tails' clone, refining the Sacred Tree into a clone of the Ten-Tails.

Not long after, the Third Raikage led over a hundred people into Takigakure. Behind him, Fukai carried a red gourd, which served as the medium for teleporting people there.

"Is this big tree the 'treasure' you're talking about?"

Leaping onto the sacred tree, the Third Raikage was puzzled. He knew that this disciple wouldn't speak carelessly; the information he sent back must have come from a major discovery.

Tamura Hao patted the huge tree trunk and explained, "The necklace I obtained from the Rope Tree was a crystallization of the First Hokage's chakra. After Samehada absorbed it, it could simulate Wood Release chakra."

After I infused the sacred tree with Wood Release chakra, I discovered that it contained chakra similar to Wood Release chakra, or even at a higher level.

Moreover, this tree can absorb and even devour chakra like a wood-style release, and can even absorb natural energy to a certain extent.

In addition, the tree can produce a sap that Takigakure calls the "Hero's Water," which, when consumed, can unleash chakra ten times greater than one's own limits.

They are all excellent research materials, but my real idea about this big tree is to use it as a foundation to build a permanent defensive barrier for our village.

The chakra released by the village's ninjas during ninjutsu training can also be absorbed and utilized as an energy source.

It's difficult to create a limited illusionary world like Tsukuyomi for now, but we can first establish a defensive barrier for the village.

This idea and news made the Third Raikage even more energetic. He turned to look at the vortex jewel leaf that had been brought with him, saying that this matter still needed to be confirmed by professionals.

"If this large tree can absorb enough chakra, it can serve as a barrier carrier."

Uzumaki Yuye gave an affirmative answer, stating that the amount of chakra required to create a massive barrier that could cover the entire Hidden Cloud Village was extremely terrifying, even the tailed beasts could not supply it.

But if we could gather the chakra of all the ninjas in the entire village, there wouldn't be a problem.

"Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief."

Having received confirmation from Uzumaki Tamayo, the Third Raikage breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since that powerful Ōtsutsuki attacked, he has been on high alert and worried every day, fearing that more and stronger Ōtsutsuki would come to retaliate.

If there were a defensive barrier covering the entire ninja village, at least the battlefield could be kept outside the village, allowing for a more unrestrained fight.

"How are we going to get this huge thing back?"

Fokai, who had been observing the sacred tree, asked, "This tree is huge, and the extent of its roots is unimaginable."

"Sealing techniques can't seal something this big."

Whirlpool Jade Leaf rejected the application of sealing techniques in this regard, stating that the size was simply too large for them to create such a large sealing scroll.

Everyone was worried about this. The items were valuable, but they were not very meaningful if they couldn't be taken back.

They can't exactly move the entire village here.

"This tree is special. The chakra inside is even higher than the Wood Release chakra of the First Hokage. I need to infuse it with a large amount of chakra to activate it and form a contract with it. Finally, I will use the Summoning Jutsu to summon it to the village."

Tamura Hao explained his idea: he had previously considered sealing it and taking it away using sealing techniques, but after checking his senses, he found that its size was indeed very large, making that idea unrealistic.

Finally, I thought of the Gedo Statue, which can be summoned by spirits. The Sacred Tree and the Gedo Statue are of the same origin.

The Gedo Mazo can have a summoning contract with the Rinnegan, so this sacred tree should also be able to be summoned.

Furthermore, the application of summoning jutsu is very broad; weapons can be manipulated using summoning jutsu, let alone a tree that already possesses chakra.

If all else fails, there's always the Little Ten-Tails. Tamura Hao plans to transform this sacred tree into a split of the Little Ten-Tails.

Little Ten-Tails was preparing to evolve into the Moon Rabbit form as Black Zetsu had suggested, but the Divine Tree form also had its own advantages, so it was a good opportunity to evolve using this sacred tree.

"It must take a lot of chakra to summon such a big guy."

Everyone looked at the enormous sacred tree and were momentarily at a loss.

"My Samehada and Yachibukuro seals can temporarily gather your chakra, that should be enough."

Tamura Hiroshi had clearly planned this solution long ago.

"There's no time to lose, let's take action now!"

The Third Raikage was a decisive person, and immediately ordered the operation to begin.

Everyone arrived at the sacred tree as arranged, and extracted chakra on the spot and actively injected it into the sacred tree. Tamura Hao used the chakra of the Ten-Tails to guide the fusion.

As chakra was continuously injected, the Sacred Tree became increasingly activated. In particular, the chakra of the Uzumaki female ninjas had the highest compatibility with the Sacred Tree, constantly stimulating and awakening the power originating from the remains of the divine tree.

Then, under the control of Tamura Hao and the Ten-Tails, the roots that had penetrated deep into the earth were extracted one by one.

The roots of the sacred tree were enormous, and when they were pulled out, they almost filled the entire space where Takigakure Village was located.

"You stay here to protect the sacred tree. Uzumaki ninjas, come back to the village with me."

With the help of Uzumaki Yuya, Tamura Hao signed a summoning contract with the Sacred Tree using Wood Release chakra. The Third Raikage then ordered the other ninjas to stay behind and guard the Sacred Tree to prevent other forces from discovering their plans there and coming to sabotage them.

He then led the Uzumaki ninjas, who possessed immense chakra, back to the village to assist with summoning.

The group accepted the order, and Tamura Hao left with the Third Raikage and the others.

Meanwhile, a steel ship that was there to meet them also crossed the sea.

Since deciding to start the maritime industry, Kumogakure has invested a lot in this area, combining the train technology of the Land of Snow to develop a powerful engine that allows ships to sail at high speeds, many times faster than the sailboats of the past.

Although it is not yet possible to build giant ships, ships that can carry dozens or hundreds of people can already be mass-produced.

After a day's journey by ship, they arrived at a port in the Land of Lightning, and then took a train to Kumogakure that same day.

Not only did the steamship project proceed smoothly, but the railway project also went very well, with priority given to several major cities and ports in order to generate profits as quickly as possible.

After all, this is a very expensive business, and even with the wealth of Daming Prefecture and many powerful figures, it would be difficult to sustain for long. It is necessary to make it profitable as soon as possible in order to supply subsequent projects.

As the village of Kumogakure is second only to the capital, it is naturally a priority location for trains and railways.

Upon returning to Kumogakure, Tamura Hao immediately raised his hands and formed hand seals to perform a summoning technique, forcibly summoning the sacred tree.

On the way, Uzumaki Yuye and the others had been refining chakra to supply Tamura Hao's storage, so they had long had enough chakra.

Even without the chakra of Uzumaki Tamaki and others, Tamura Hao could summon it using the Ten-Tails' chakra.

However, one should not act too defiantly, especially since we are still in the early stages of development.

Connect the small Ten-Tails to the Sacred Tree, and manipulate the roots of the Sacred Tree to quickly take root in the selected location and spread throughout the entire Hidden Cloud Village.

The Third Raikage then ordered the village ninjas to pour chakra into the sacred tree to help its roots spread.

Tamura Hao secretly used the Ten-Tails to purify this chakra, and even left a mark on the Sacred Tree. In the future, the chakra absorbed would be transferred to the Ten-Tails first, and then returned to the Sacred Tree through the mark after the Ten-Tails purified it.

This way, once the Sacred Tree is full, the excess chakra can be transferred to the Ten-Tails, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

With the help of the entire Hidden Cloud Village, the roots of the Sacred Tree spread wildly, covering the entire village in just one month and taking root deep into the mountains.

The female ninjas of the Uzumaki clan all sprang into action, constructing a massive barrier based on the Sacred Tree's chakra.

This will be an unprecedented barrier, not only needing to have powerful defensive capabilities, but also other functions, such as sealing off natural energy.

"Slug! Konoha and Iwagakure have gone to war?"

Tamura Hao, who was busy adjusting the sage seals on the sacred tree, looked at the slug that Tsunade had brought with her. This must be Tsunade's summoning beast.

Although it's just a single piece, it's not so easy to get your hands on.

"Because of the incident involving Takigakure, Iwagakure became increasingly dissatisfied with Konoha. In addition, Konoha had slandered Iwagakure and destroyed Kusagakure, so they took the initiative to start a war."

The Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Mist Village also joined the battle. Tsunade was sent back to the battlefield in the Land of Grass, and our people sealed a slug along the way.

This is half of it; the other half is in the research department.

The earthen platform, holding a glass case, explained, but its eyes were fixed on the busy whirlpool jade leaf not far away.

"Can you look at me when you're talking? Don't keep looking away. It's disrespectful to me."

Noticing Tsuchida's gaze, Tamura Hiroshi gave him a disapproving reminder.

"What's so interesting about a guy like you?"

Tu Tai gave him a disdainful look. He had had enough of this brat, being tricked time and time again.

Recalling the 300 million taels bounty from the underground gold exchange, he wished he could beat that kid to death.

After saying that, he carried the glass box containing the slugs toward Whirlpool Jade Leaf, a smile that he thought was cool on his face.

"Tch, blinded by lust, forgetting all principles."

By raising two middle fingers to express his thoughts and feelings, Tamura Hiroshi could naturally see through Tsuchida's little scheme.

It's not surprising that she could be infatuated with Uzumaki Tamago. Uzumaki Tamago is a great beauty, possesses the Uzumaki bloodline and the Uzumaki sealing technique, and has also mastered the Yin sealing technique. In addition, her medical ninjutsu allows her to maintain her youth forever, with a very long shelf life.

She's a total rich and beautiful woman. Bringing such a stunning beauty home would definitely be a win-win situation, or even a huge profit.

Tamura Hao ignored this and continued adjusting the sage seals.

He needs to convert the Sacred Tree's chakra into Sage Chakra, which will enhance his ability to draw in natural energy, allowing him to gather a large amount of natural energy for Kumogakure and increase the speed and power of the Sacred Tree's chakra accumulation.

All they needed to do was apply a magical seal to the sacred tree. They planned to gather the unique magical powers of the three holy lands and then fuse them into one.

We already have the body parts of the Ten Thousand Snakes and the three giant toads, but we were still missing the ones from the Shikkotsu Forest. We had someone specifically tasked with finding them, and now we've finally got them.

Of course, the slug's consciousness had been erased by illusion magic, turning it into a plant slug. It would even need to be purified afterward before it could be used safely.

Over the past month, the framework of the Three Saints Immortal Arts Spell Seal combined with the sealing technique has been established. Now that the slug, the final medium, has been obtained, the Three Saints Immortal Arts Spell Seal will soon be completed.

It is unclear whether it was due to the power of the immortal techniques of the three holy lands or the influence of the power of the sacred tree originating from the remains of the divine tree, but the final form of the Three Sacred Seals consisted of three seals connected by a circle, resembling a Sharingan.

As the Three Saints Mantra Seal officially took shape, it began to frantically devour the surrounding natural energy, even causing the air to ripple with gentle breezes.

After being nourished by Sage Chakra, the Sacred Tree grew rapidly again, and by the time everything stabilized, its canopy had already surpassed the Raikage Building at the highest peak.

The tree roots also penetrated deeper and spread wider, and some of the natural energy gathered was left outside, sealed by the barrier, and spread throughout the entire Hidden Cloud Village, thereby nourishing the people and ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village.

At the same time, the sacred tree itself also evolved, just like ordinary Wood Release and Sage Art Wood Release. It was not only a matter of increasing its size, but more importantly, an improvement in its essence.

This is no longer the original sacred tree, but a celestial tree—the World Celestial Tree.

This World Tree is highly anticipated by Tamura Hiroshi, and is the foundation for the future evolution of the illusionary world.

He even had a name for the illusionary world: Emerald Dream.

If we could also bring over the Grell mine and the dragon vein, it would be even more perfect to create an Eternal Well.

Once you've collected the three Warcraft pieces, the Burning Crusade will begin.

"You have enough chakra, but the genjutsu world you envisioned is still very difficult. Relying solely on the mental techniques obtained from Konoha is far from sufficient. Ideally, you should obtain a Mangekyou Sharingan with the Tsukuyomi eye technique, and only by using it as a vessel can you possibly build it."

"Besides, I'm not particularly talented in illusion magic; you'll need to find someone more professional to do this."

Hikari Uchiha, who was also watching the World Tree grow, said that her talent was not in genjutsu, but in ninjutsu.

The Tsukuyomi eye technique used before was transplanted, and its genjutsu talent was much inferior to that of the Uchiha who could truly awaken the Tsukuyomi eye technique.

"I tried to guide Miss Mikoto afterward; she has a great talent for illusion magic."

Tamura Hao also knew that Hikaru's talent in genjutsu wasn't particularly high, let alone compared to the future Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui.

This definitely needs to be done by a more professional person, so that Ms. Mikoto can demonstrate her value.

I don't know if I can induce or stimulate Misaka Mikoto to awaken the Tsukuyomi eye technique. I'll have to try and explore that carefully.

(End of this chapter)