Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 84 The People of Konoha, The Future of Konoha (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"..."

Shennong thought a lot in that instant, his mind a jumble of chaotic thoughts, and a bitter smile gradually appeared on his face: "It shouldn't be free, right?"

Just as he had thought, Yun Chuan shook his head and smiled, "In my life motto, fate and price are synonymous."

After saying this, he stretched out his left hand toward Shennong, and a small crack gradually appeared on his thumb.

Seeing a drop of blood seeping from the crack, Shennong instinctively widened his eyes and held his breath.

As if bewitched, he coveted that aura.

"Cough cough! Take this and I'll help you."

Shennong suddenly snapped back to reality when Yun Chuan coughed.

"What... what is this? How can human blood look like this?" His eyes trembled with barely concealed fear as he looked at Yun Chuan, his voice filled with terror: "You wouldn't really be a monster in human skin, would you?"

Shennong looked into those deep blue eyes and sensed a profound meaning hidden beneath their calm surface.

Like a monster that can see through human desires, its gaze peels away his flesh inch by inch, dissecting and bargaining over what is hidden within him, piece by piece, on the desk and chopping board.

"Perhaps you can see me as the devil?"

Yun Chuan shrugged indifferently, chuckled, and extended his hand to Shen Nong, saying, "I respect those who dare to pay the price to change their fate. They deserve the opportunity more than those who only beg for charity."

"And the most precious thing a person has is his own soul."

The runes on the wall glowed with a soft light, illuminating Yun Chuan's back as he sat on Zero Tail, casting his shadow onto Shennong at his feet.

"You, you..."

Shennong watched the palm gradually approaching him, and through the gaps between the fingers, he met those deep blue eyes. He felt a chill run down his spine and teeth.

The bone-chilling cold and shadows made one feel as if they were being dragged into hell by ghosts to suffer torment and misery.

He had said so many nice things, but now that the moment had come, he felt an instinctive fear.

Once I accept this drop of blood, I might gain some benefits, but I will also lose something forever.

"Sell your soul to me, and you'll get your one and only chance to control your own destiny." Yun Chuan's voice seemed to drift from a distant place.

Hearing the devil's seductive voice in his ear, Shennong's trembling body froze, and he watched helplessly as the palm pressed down and covered his cheek.

"ah!!"

The moment the "blood" merged into his body, Shennong let out a mournful wail.

The excruciating pain, as if his soul were being torn apart, caused his slightly bluish veins to bulge, and his entire body felt as if it were crawling with wriggling, slender worms. Countless bloody cracks gradually appeared on his exposed skin.

"Hehe!"

Shennong exhaled hysterically with every breath, the heat in his chest making his throat feel like it was smoking. The blood flowing in his veins was no longer blood, but molten iron, and it seemed as if magma was flowing deep in his throat as he roared.

That drop of "blood" gradually forged a shackle on the soul, and the end of this shackle was held in Yun Chuan's hand, his body torn apart and transformed into an even more bizarre form.

Watching Shennong transform into a "ghost," and sensing the seed of the Blood Curse, Yun Chuan took a step back with an indifferent expression, then looked down at Zero Tail at his feet.

"Eeya!"

Zero-tail, which had been sneaking around and peeking, let out a strange cry after meeting Yun Chuan's pupils, and casually retracted its tentacles.

"You're really dishonest."

Yun Chuan stood up with a smile on his face, looked down at the curled-up Zero Tail, and said in a low voice, "Indeed, compared to merging into the body of this worm, 'Zero Tail Demon Jinchuriki' seems to be better."

Yun Chuan plans to seal the "Zero-Tail" into Shennong's body, which has been transformed into a "Demon". In this way, he can obtain a subordinate as the "Zero-Tail Demon Jinchuriki" and have him replace the "Zero-Tail" as the energy source of the fortress and stay here obediently.

"I have no shortage of Uzumaki clan members who are skilled in sealing techniques. After this Konoha invasion is over, you and Shennong can stay here and work for me."

As he spoke, the blood mist around Yun Chuan was drawn together and condensed, eventually transforming into sharp spikes.

Zero-tail, pointed at by the spikes, shrank back and trembled restlessly in the giant cocoon.

"Be good, don't move. It's good for you. You need to eat more to grow up." Seeing its current resistance, Yun Chuan's tone softened, and he comforted it gently, "Don't waste my patience, you bastard."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp, piercing shriek escaped his lips, and a sharp tentacle shot out from behind him.

"Hiss!"

With a "plop," the tentacle pierced into the Zero-tail's body inside the cocoon, causing it to emit a piercing screech!

The blood mist contained an incomparably deep malice, which coiled around Zero's body like a snake, inch by inch, eroding and licking upwards.

Zero-tail's incomplete body began to grow stronger and longer at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The crimson color gradually spread across the dark purple body, outlining eerie blood patterns.

"It really works."

Seeing the changes in Zero-Tails, Yun Chuan narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, "With the Zero-Tails strengthened by me, and Shennong transformed into a demon, what level of success could they achieve in their invasion of Konoha?"

Just as Yun Chuan was pondering, his eyebrows suddenly twitched.

Sink your consciousness into your mind and look at the white template.

[Defeat the Void [Zero Tail] for a chance to trigger and obtain a new template]

Name: Jonathan Klein [The Scarecrow]

[World: DC]

[Quality: White]

[Advanced: Not available]

【Abilities: ① Fear Gas: It can cause the poisoned person to fall into the hallucination of their greatest fear, or it can lead the poisoned person to fear things they never feared before. Fear leads to violence, and violence in turn causes fear.

② Psychopharmacology: Proficient in the power and uses of psychology and pharmacology, able to influence a person's behavior through words, and to understand and exploit a person's psychological weaknesses.

③ Dance of Violence: A fighting style that combines Crane Style Kung Fu and Drunken Fist, making full use of the advantages of long arms and legs.

[Requirements for advancement: Cannot advance]

"...Fear of poison gas?"

Amidst Shennong's wailing and Zero-tail's hissing.

After a brief silence, a soft laugh suddenly broke the silence.

"Heh." Yun Chuan blinked and chuckled, "Looks like Konoha's luck isn't so good."

----------

Meanwhile, inside an old two-story house in Konoha.

Ring... Snap!

The alarm clock by the bedside rang precisely at six o'clock.

Before it could even jump around twice, it was slapped down by a hand.

"ha!"

A boy sat up with his eyes open, yawned, and stretched on the bed.

She quickly and skillfully dressed, folded the blankets, filled a cup with hot water in the living room, and, holding the slightly warm cup, went to the window and drew back the curtains.

Crash!

At six o'clock in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The few potted flowers by the window have all bloomed, their colors particularly vibrant in the sunlight; just looking at them can lift your spirits.

Warm bed sheets were drying outside, and the lush green leaves swayed in the breeze.

The sunlight shining on the boy's smooth, golden hair reminded one of precious golden silk.

"Good morning, Konoha."

The boy enjoyed the gentle breeze on his face, feeling a pleasant, tingling sensation all over his body, and his smile was as bright as the sunshine.

It's still early, and compared to the usual hustle and bustle, the streets downstairs are much quieter, giving a sense of peaceful tranquility.

The entire residential building was still quiet, with the faint sound of chatting coming from downstairs.

"Yo!"

Seemingly hearing the sound of the window opening upstairs, the two elderly women chatting downstairs looked up and greeted the boy with friendly smiles, "Good morning, Little Water Gate! Have you eaten yet? Would you like to come down and have something to eat with us?"

"Ahaha, good morning, Matsubara-baba, Nagase-baba."

Faced with the two grandmothers' enthusiasm, Shuimen scratched his head shyly and politely declined, saying, "Thank you, grandmothers, but I've already made breakfast."

"Wow, Minato is so mature and sensible, he seems like a little adult."

"Yes, yes, he's nine years old, just like my little rascal, but he's not nearly as naughty as him."

Having escaped the overly enthusiastic and kind two, Minato closed the window and breathed a sigh of relief.

I went to the living room, took out instant rice balls and miso soup from the refrigerator, ate my breakfast in a few bites, cleaned up the dishes, and made sure I hadn't forgotten anything before leaving the house.

Minato continued his routine of physical training at a leisurely pace, jogging slowly along the street in the light morning mist.

But when he reached an intersection, a man with long white hair walked towards him.

"Hiruko-senpai?" Minato greeted him instinctively, "Good morning!"

"..." The man called Hiruko stopped in his tracks, his red eyes glancing at Minato.

Then she simply nodded indifferently, tossed her white hair tied in a ponytail, and walked past him without looking back.

"It seems that Hiruko-senpai isn't in a good mood." Minato scratched his head, but didn't pay too much attention and continued running forward.

But soon, a strange green figure caught up with him from behind.

"Whew! Whew! Minato, getting up so early to go for a run, what an enviable youth!"

Minato clearly recognized the familiar voice. Although he had a bit of a headache, he still smiled and turned around, saying, "Good morning, Brother Dai. What's the plan for today?"

It was a man with his hair parted to the side.

Although Minato is called "Big Brother," he looks very mature, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a square face, and a big nose, making him look like an uncle.

Especially the way he was wearing a green bodysuit and "running" upside down with his hands looked rather comical and neurotic.

"Today's goal is to do twenty handstand laps around Konoha!"

Might Guy, standing upside down, flashed a bright smile, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, and shouted, "If you can't do that, then do three thousand frog jumps and pull-ups!"

His booming voice echoed around him, and shouts and curses came from the houses on both sides of the street, causing him to subconsciously shut his mouth.

It's clear that he's often disliked by others, and he's not completely indifferent to their opinions; his personality is somewhat humble.

"Although this isn't the first time I've heard about Brother Dai's goals, is this exaggerated training volume really okay?"

Minato didn't look at Might Dai with any strange gaze, but instead watched him with concern as the distance between them gradually increased, reminding him, "Brother Dai, please don't push yourself too hard!"

As far as Minato knew, Dai-nii was neither a ninja nor a genjutsu user; he was just a low-ranking ninja who couldn't be promoted for years and could only do D-rank missions like catching cats and dogs.

These kinds of tasks are everyday chores, usually issued by ordinary people or nobles, with rewards ranging from five hundred to ten thousand taels.

For someone like Matt Dai, a practitioner of physical combat, this amount of money wasn't even enough to cover his food expenses; he was so poor that he had to rely on the village's relief funds.

Even so, they could barely make ends meet, and there was nothing else they could do.

However, Minato could understand his actions, since all he had left was taijutsu.

Shuimen greatly admired Brother Dai's beliefs, but unfortunately Brother Dai never asked him for money, even if he offered to lend him money.

In Brother Dai's own words, that is...

"It's okay!"

Might Guy hopped and skipped on a handstand, turned to Minato, gave him a thumbs-up, and shouted in an enthusiastic tone, "This is the passion of youth! This is how we should be—working hard and sweating it out!"

Strange looks immediately fell upon him, causing Minato to gasp and his toes, hidden inside his shoes, curled up.

For someone who is still so young, such words are somewhat embarrassing.

Just then, Matt Day suddenly yelled "Ouch!" and while running upside down, he turned his head to look at the water gate, causing him to fall headfirst into the roadside bushes.

Its head was buried in the grass, with only its legs sticking out. It was twitching slightly, looking quite comical.

"Brother Dai!"

Minato snapped out of his daze and rushed over.

Before he could even lend a hand, Matt Day braced himself with his hands and then leaped off the ground.

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Minato, it's okay, it's okay, we just need to start counting the laps again..."

He spat out the leaves from his mouth, but before he could finish speaking, his stomach started growling.

"Brother Dai, what you've done..."

Shuimen, who had initially reached out to help him, paused, then reached into his pocket to take out his wallet, saying, "You need to eat first, you can pay me back later... Brother Dai?"

Minato's wrist was suddenly pressed down, and he looked up in surprise at Might Guy.

The man gently shook his head, then released his grip on the wallet, grinned, revealing gleaming teeth, and said, "You're still a child, but I'm an adult. How can an adult take a child's money?"

"It's already embarrassing enough for me to show this ugly side of myself in front of you. If I were to actually accept your money, my youth would truly be extinguished."

Although he was seen as an incompetent man by other ninjas and villagers, he wasn't so useless as to ask for the inheritance left to him by his heroic parents before their deaths.

"Brother Dai..."

Upon hearing this, Minato's pale blue pupils trembled, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.

After a brief silence, just as he was about to try to persuade Matt Day again, the figure in front of him had already run far away.

"Watergate! Go for it! Work hard! Study hard! Youth is about never giving up!"

Matt Dai's passionate shouts came from afar, looking just like a green frog croaking as it ran away.

"..."

Only after the green figure disappeared from sight did Minato turn his gaze back down to his wrist, a hint of color gradually appearing in his shimmering eyes.

Konoha is great, really great.

However, it's not good enough; it can be better.

"If I could become Hokage, I would never let someone like Daigo get away with this..." Minato couldn't help but think of the same thought that had crossed his mind many times before.

Standing there lost in thought for a while, Minato suddenly snapped out of it and exclaimed, "Oh no! I'm going to be late for school!" as a villager walked past him.

----------

Meanwhile, inside the Senju ancestral home, which boasts a long history but appears somewhat deserted.

The girl was wrapped in a white blanket and sleeping soundly on the tatami mat, snoring away.

A sliver of light filtered into the room from outside the window, revealing her restless sleeping position with her arms, calves, and half a shoulder exposed, and her red hair in a disheveled state.

Just then.

Ring ring! Ring ring!

The alarm clock, which had fallen to the ground at some unknown time, rang out with a deafening sound as if in retaliation.

"what!"

The girl gasped in fright, sat bolt upright, and stared blankly ahead.

After calming down, I picked up the bouncy alarm clock from the ground and slapped it angrily to turn it off.

But when she saw the time on the alarm clock, her dark green pupils widened instantly, and she stared blankly at the faint light coming through the window.

"Aaaaaah! Oh no, oh no!"

The girl jumped out of bed, hurriedly dressed, and rushed downstairs.

Inside the living room, a young woman with long red hair tied in two buns, a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, and wearing a white kimono sat at the dining table.

"Kushina, you're awake?"

Watching Kushina jump down from the building, the woman teased with a half-smile, "Not going to sleep a little longer?"

Before she could finish speaking, Kushina Uzumaki, without even stopping, snatched the steaming rice ball from the woman's hand and put it in her mouth.

"Mmm, mmm mmm mmm! (Thanks, Grandma Mito!)"

Kushina mumbled a reply, put on her shoes in the entryway, and ran off without looking back.

Watching the girl's figure disappear from sight, a somewhat incongruous, kind smile appeared on Mito Uzumaki's youthful face.

"That's great, it seems Kushina is doing quite well at school."

She sighed with relief, then lowered her head and muttered to herself, "In that case, I shouldn't have let Tetsuya down, right?"

As she spoke, she looked up in the direction of the Land of Whirlpools, but the smile on her face gradually faded.

I don't know why.

She always felt uneasy.

What made her even more uneasy was that her sixth sense had always been very accurate.

After a moment of silence, Mito sighed, looked down at her abdomen, and murmured, "I can hold on for a while longer. I just hope that day will come later."

If possible, she didn't want Kushina to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki too early, burdened with heavy responsibilities and missions, even if it meant sacrificing her last bit of happy childhood.

This chapter is 5,000 words long, and I'm still writing more, trying to get another 3,000 words out.

(End of this chapter)