Naruto: The Age of Ninja Swords Begins in Kumogakure

Chapter 166 A Talent of the Immortal Clan

"The Nine-Tails is the most powerful tailed beast. According to the two teachers, it is more than ten times stronger than other tailed beasts. Even though they only have a quarter of the Nine-Tails, it is still difficult to tame. Right now, they can only suppress it by sealing it."

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but show a worried expression when this was mentioned.

The Nine-Tails is indeed very powerful. Hashirama once said that if it weren't for the fact that Wood Release could restrain tailed beasts, he would have had to activate Sage Mode to defeat the Nine-Tails.

Back when Hashirama captured the other tailed beasts, he took them down with ease, demonstrating the difference in skill level.

The three discussed for a long time before Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu got up wearily to leave. However, before leaving the office, Utatane Koharu paused.

"Hiruzen, Minato Namikaze is the successor you have chosen. We will not reject your choice, but we cannot raise him to be too strong. If he becomes like Orochimaru, he will become a threat to the village."

After saying that, Xiaochun turned around and closed the office door.

What they need is a puppet with aligned interests, not a powerful Fourth Hokage.

The Senju faction and their struggles over the years are still fresh in our minds. If we were to engage in such open and covert battles with the future Hokage, it would be disastrous, and could even lead to the extermination of the clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked silently, but he naturally understood Koharu Utatane's thoughts, which were also what had been troubling him.

Minato Namikaze's personality was originally well-suited for being controlled, but that kid's meddling changed his nature, forcing him to openly train Minato Namikaze.

Now that Mito-sama has given him the Nine-Tails, Minato Namikaze can't say for sure what he'll become in the future.

"Minato, I hope you won't let me down."

He muttered to himself, "Now I can only pray that Minato Namikaze won't go down the wrong path in the future, otherwise I'll have to find a way to get rid of him."

We need to plan ahead and find someone who can restrain Minato Namikaze, otherwise we will be in a very passive position if a conflict really breaks out in the future.

The combination of a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki and the Flying Thunder God Technique is simply unbeatable.

"Lady Mito, you really know how to give us a tough challenge. Is this your way of maintaining balance?"

Rubbing his forehead, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't think of a way to counter Minato Namikaze for the time being.

The Senju clan has even made contact with Minato Namikaze and taught him Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Technique. Tsunade even came to ask for Tobirama's Thunder God Sword last time.

It's obvious they want to win over and cultivate Minato Namikaze.

However, this wasn't the only thing troubling him; there were many others, even threats.

"Uchiha Madara, you must be old by now."

Thinking of the many secrets and information that Tobirama-sensei had conveyed to him through illusion at the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt very worried and apprehensive.

There were too many secrets and information inside. What terrified him the most was that Madara Uchiha had not died back then. At least his body was gone, and his eyes were gone too.

The most troublesome thing is those eyes. Even if Madara Uchiha gets old, those eyes can be sealed away or even passed on to others.

Even if they couldn't unleash Madara Uchiha's peak power, they still wouldn't be able to contend with him.

In addition, Madara Uchiha also had a summoning contract with Kurama. The reason why Lady Mito used herself to continuously seal Kurama and become a Jinchūriki was to prevent Kurama from being summoned by Madara Uchiha.

Without Hashirama-sensei, no one can rival Madara Uchiha.

Where is Madara Uchiha now?

What conspiracy is being carried out in such secrecy?

"Skill!"

After pondering for a long time, he finally sighed, feeling a sense of resentment.

His strength had reached its limit; he had mastered the seven chakra nature transformations to the extreme. Even so, he still couldn't reach the level of Hashirama-sensei, and was even far inferior to Tobirama-sensei.

Previously, having the Ape Demon as an assistant was quite helpful, but now that the Ape Demon is gone, the Ape Demon's own strength has been greatly weakened, especially in melee combat.

It was precisely because he lost Enma that he was suppressed by the Third Raikage last time.

We must find a way to improve our strength.

"Tailed Beast, Sage Mode, Bloodline Fusion."

He muttered about three paths suitable for improving his own abilities, his brows furrowing deeply.

Tailed beasts are naturally the Jinchūriki of the Tailed Beasts, but the conditions for becoming a Jinchūriki of a Tailed Beast are extremely demanding.

He can handle sealing techniques, but his own chakra is no match for the chakra of the tailed beasts.

Furthermore, his own chakra is not enormous, far from being comparable to that of the Senju and Uzumaki ninjas, so the chances of suppressing the power of the tailed beasts are not high.

The consequences of being unable to suppress the power of the tailed beasts are obvious: one must refine chakra over a long period to make up for the difference in quality with quantity, which is not a long-term solution.

For example, Lady Mito died young because she had to refine chakra to suppress the Nine-Tails for a long time.

It's important to know that the Uzumaki ninja are known as a long-lived clan, with many living to be over a hundred years old, but Lady Mito passed away at less than seventy years old.

If it were me, I would be in an even worse situation; I might not even live past sixty.

This is only the power to resist the tailed beasts; it is even more difficult to use it.

"The success rate of the Tailed Beast path is too low, and Sage Mode is also difficult to plan. We can only wait for Orochimaru to achieve results."

His thoughts turned to Sage Mode, and Hiruzen Sarutobi realized that there was no chance against Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myōboku.

The contract scroll of Shikkotsu Forest was passed down by the Senju family, and given my current relationship with the Senju family, it's impossible for me to obtain it.

Because of the deaths of Gamabunta and the other two giant toads at Mount Myōboku, everyone there must be blaming themselves for the incident. Even Jiraiya hasn't summoned any more toads to assist in battle while he's on the front lines.

The only hope lies with Ryuchi Cave. However, the Sage Techniques passed down in Ryuchi Cave are difficult to obtain; we can only rely on Orochimaru's research on the Sage Technique seals.

Now, the only path I can strive for is bloodline fusion.

The bloodline limit of the escaping technique type is created by human fusion, but the fusion is extremely difficult. Even though there are not many types of escaping techniques and bloodline limits passed down in the ninja world, he did not have much confidence that he could fuse a bloodline limit.

However, there is now a shortcut: the bloodline transplantation surgery of that disciple Orochimaru.

Jiraiya had already explained to him the profound meaning behind Orochimaru's surgery, and that the same path was suitable for him as well.

"Molten Release, or better yet, Dust Release."

Having identified two bloodline limits, Hiruzen Sarutobi was well aware of his own situation and his strengths.

Although he possesses chakra of all attributes and has mastered the nature transformations of all seven attributes to the limit, his greatest strengths lie in fire and earth release.

In particular, his Fire Release technique inherited the family's Great Flame Secret Technique, making it much stronger than ordinary Fire Release techniques.

Therefore, Lava Release is the most suitable for him, but if possible, he would prefer to obtain the Earth Shadow's Dust Release.

That is the Bloodline Limit Elimination, which surpasses Bloodline Limits and is even more terrifying in power.

Furthermore, Dust Release can be learned; the Third Tsuchikage learned Dust Release from the Second Tsuchikage, rather than through bloodline inheritance.

If that little dwarf Onoki can do it, then I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, can definitely do it too.

"We still need to find Orochimaru."

Thinking of Dust Release, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

We certainly can't get the Dust Release fusion technique from Onoki. Now we can only hope that Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation can be used to summon the Second Tsuchikage. If we can do that, we can try to get the Dust Release fusion technique from him.

But this requires contact with that disciple, who has changed a lot since his contact with Danzo, and even seems to have become distant from him.

Getting them to cooperate will probably not be easy.

"Perhaps Orochimaru can keep Minato in check."

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him. Hiruzen Sarutobi realized that he could use Orochimaru to restrain Minato Namikaze and create a new balance in the future.

The Flying Thunder God Technique is virtually unsolvable, but the Impure World Reincarnation Technique is no less formidable; both are forbidden and unsolvable techniques.

Leaving aside Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts, Minato Namikaze was receiving instruction from Mito Uzumaki's chakra projection inside the sealed space.

It wasn't just about teaching the Uzumaki Sealing Technique; it also included analysis of the situation in Konoha and the ninja world.

Although she doesn't know much about this subject, she is quite knowledgeable.

"Grandma Mito, I want to know the truth about Uzushiogakure back then."

After finishing today's lessons, Minato Namikaze hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question.

The incident at Uzushiogakure was a huge scandal, spreading like wildfire throughout the ninja world and the village itself, so he had naturally heard about it.

However, I used to think it was just a deliberate smear campaign by the Hidden Cloud Village against the Hokage, but I gradually realized that something was not quite right.

Although this matter was not directly related to him, he needed to figure out the hidden secrets behind it in order to see the true nature of some things and some people.

"The truth is exactly as stated by the Hidden Cloud Village at the time."

With a sigh, Mito Uzumaki's chakra projection appeared quite melancholy.

She wasn't stupid. She understood as early as the day Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura arrived that the Nine-Tails' power gave her the ability to sense good and evil, and to distinguish who was good and who was bad.

Furthermore, she had spoken with Yu Ye and confirmed that what happened back then was indeed the little monkey and Danzo plotting against Uzushiogakure.

This simple answer left Minato Namikaze speechless, his mind in turmoil.

"If you can obtain the power of the Nine-Tails in the future, you will have the ability to sense the good and evil in others. Do not tell anyone about this ability."

After giving a reminder, Mito Uzumaki's chakra projection disappeared.

Minato Namikaze's consciousness returned to his body, and he looked at the night outside the window with a sense of confusion in his eyes.

He was certain that destroying allies was wrong, but the one who did it was the Hokage, whom he had always admired and strived to emulate. So, was the Hokage wrong?

Is this what the Hokage is supposed to do?

"No, that's wrong. It's the Third Hokage who have changed. Konoha shouldn't continue like this. It must make changes."

His eyes gradually cleared, and a newfound determination appeared.

Minato Namikaze was certain that the Hokage had gone down the wrong path and done the wrong things.

Whether the change is forced or driven by self-interest and power, it is wrong in the end.

If this continues, the entire Hidden Leaf Village will descend into endless infighting and eventually weaken.

This cannot continue; a change must be made.

"I need to become stronger, surpass the Third Generation and the Second Generation, and reach the level of the First Generation, so that I can use absolute power to integrate all the forces of the village."

As he gradually came to understand, Minato Namikaze knew very well that to change the village, he needed absolute power, like the invincible power of the First Hokage.

He already possesses this power, which is the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Nine-Tails that he is currently learning. Once he masters these two powers, he will become an almost invincible being.

In addition, the sealing techniques taught by Grandma Mito are enough to suppress any powerful opponent.

If one could learn the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku, one would definitely be able to rival the First Hokage.

According to Mito's grandmother, Konoha was only truly peaceful during the First Hokage's reign. This was because the First Hokage possessed invincible power and had extremely high personal charisma, which made even his enemies submit to him.

That kind of personal charisma is hard to come by, but invincible power can be acquired through effort.

Thinking of this, Minato Namikaze bit his finger and used a summoning technique.

"It's Minato, not a battle?"

A toad as tall as a person appeared, looked around the room, and realized it wasn't a place for a fight.

"I want to go to Mount Myōboku to try my hand at cultivating sage techniques."

Speaking of his own thoughts, Minato Namikaze had heard Jiraiya mention the existence of Sage Mode before, and that it was a power possessed by the First Hokage.

"You want to cultivate immortal arts?"

The toad was taken aback, then shook its head.

"No, your chakra is too little. You can't possibly master Sage Mode. You don't even meet the minimum requirements."

He knew a little about human cultivation techniques, but it was much more difficult than for toads. The most crucial element was the amount of chakra, which had to be at the level of a tailed beast.

"How much chakra is needed to train?"

Minato Namikaze did not give up. Moreover, he did not intend to master Sage Mode immediately. He only wanted to acquire the basic skills for Sage Mode cultivation, practice them first, and lay a solid foundation so that it would be much easier to cultivate Sage Mode when he reached the required standard in the future.

The toad thought for a moment and said, "The sage seems to have said that Jiraiya's chakra needs to be increased by at least five times in order to master perfect Sage Mode."

He didn't know much about this, so he could only use Jiraiya as a comparison.

"Jiraiya-sensei's chakra level is that much lower?"

Minato Namikaze was taken aback, knowing that Jiraiya's chakra was enormous, even more than that of Tsunade, a member of the Senju clan.

Even Jiraiya needed to increase his chakra five times to master perfect Sage Mode, that's just too exaggerated.

"This is the flaw of you ninjas. The Sage Techniques you cultivate are different from ours. They require a perfect balance between natural energy, spiritual energy, and physical energy. The larger the chakra, the easier it is to adjust, and the higher the margin for error."

Insufficient chakra can, at best, result in imperfect Sage Mode, and at worst, lead to complete erosion by natural energy, turning one into stone.

The toad briefly explained the mystery: the sage once said that if humans wanted to learn sage techniques, the more chakra the better.

"With such a huge chakra requirement, it's no wonder that only the First Hokage mastered the perfect Sage Mode back then."

Minato Namikaze suddenly realized that Sage Mode was indeed difficult to master; even among the Senju clan, only the First Hokage had succeeded in mastering it over the years.

If he wants to cultivate immortal techniques, he can only try to cultivate the Yin Seal or master the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"Besides the requirement for chakra levels, are there any other requirements for Sage Mode training? I want to start training now and prepare for the future."

The toad scratched its chin, pondering Jiraiya's training experience at Mount Myōboku, and soon recalled a fragment.

"It is a practice of calming the mind and body. Only when the body and mind are calm can one better feel and absorb the energy of nature."

I've seen the training method that the Sage arranged for me to undergo in the Stone Spear Forest..."

As he spoke, the toad used the tables and chairs in the room to help him imitate.

"Calm your mind! Calm your body!"

Minato Namikaze memorized it carefully. This training method wasn't risky, but mastering it was not easy and required a long period of practice.

"I've seen people from Kumogakure who possess a kind of Sage Art. Their entire bodies are covered in snake scales, and two strange snake bodies grow out of their backs. Jiraiya-sensei said that's also a kind of Sage Art."

After the giant toad finished speaking, Minato Namikaze began to talk about someone's Sage Mode form.

"That must be a magic technique from Ryuchi Cave. However, having your entire body covered in snake scales is a serious mutation. If you're not careful, you can be completely corrupted and turn into a snake, never to return to your original form."

The toad had a guess: in the entire world, only the three holy lands possessed the inheritance of immortal techniques, and the one with snake scales and a snake-like body must be Dragon Land Cave.

"Jiraiya-sensei also said that that kind of Sage Art is very imperfect and dangerous, but it seems to greatly improve physical fitness."

Minato Namikaze still vividly remembers that person's outburst back then; he was simply too strong.

"That's normal. Sage Mode can greatly enhance your ninjutsu, body, and illusion skills. The more perfectly the fusion is achieved, the greater the enhancement."

However, the mutation itself will significantly enhance physical abilities, but this enhancement is limited to physical attributes; it should not have a significant impact on ninjutsu and genjutsu.

The toad offered its own analysis, which was reflected in Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's Sage Mode training showed significant signs of frogification, making it unsuitable for amplifying ninjutsu and genjutsu, but it did enhance taijutsu, allowing him to lift those giant stone frogs.

"True cultivation of Sage Arts is very dangerous, Minato, you mustn't try it recklessly."

Finally, it reminded the toad that it had automatically deactivated its psychic state and returned.

"I will definitely surpass you."

Looking at the bright moon in the night sky, Minato Namikaze secretly vowed that the person he wanted to surpass was the first small goal he needed to achieve.

What Minato Namikaze didn't know was that Hiroshi Tamura was also training in Sage Mode at this time, or more accurately, creating a completely new Sage Mode.

In the room where a barrier had been set up, Tamura Hao sat cross-legged on the bed, his body radiating a faint golden light that formed a phantom image, a phantom image in the form of Guanyin.

That's right, he is cultivating the immortal talent of the monk lineage, and he plans to use this as a foundation to create his own immortal art system.

Although the immortal techniques of the three holy lands are powerful and have a complete system, they are, after all, unorthodox cultivation methods and are not suitable for humans.

Even cultivation requires the power of the three holy lands as a medium. Even if Naruto's eyes turn into frog-like shapes when he uses Sage Mode in the later stages of the game, it is clear that the Sage Mode medium from Mount Myōboku has been integrated into his body. In essence, he is still borrowing external power.

He wasn't optimistic about this approach, which is why he chose to cultivate and create immortal techniques based on the talents of the immortal race.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bed, Uchiha Hikari was also cultivating the Sage's Talent, but what she cultivated was not the form of the Thousand-Armed Kannon, but her own Susanoo, a miniature version of Susanoo.

She cultivated based on her own Susanoo, since the talents of the immortal race are to use spiritual power to fuse with natural energy and form immortal power outside the body.

Susanoo is a manifestation of Yin Release chakra, and it is inherently inclined towards spiritual power, making it a perfect match for the talents of the Sage race.

Moreover, the talents of the Immortal Clan only absorb and integrate natural energy outside the body, without it entering the body. The cultivation difficulty is much lower than that of Immortal Techniques, and at least the risk is not high.

Kushina Uzumaki and Vanilla Uzumaki were not idle either. Although they did not have Susanoo, they had Adamantine Sealing Barrier, which was also a manifestation of Yin Release power and could be used as a foundation for training.

This not only enhances the power of the Adamantine Sealing Barrier, but also allows the Rasengan to be injected to form the Sage Art Rasengan, making the attack even more powerful.

(End of this chapter)