Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Then, upon receiving news that Shiki could cleave Uzumaki Village in two with a single sword strike, not only the ninja world but even Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned. Was Shiki really that strong? But it didn't seem like it. His ally, Sakumo, had been able to hold his own against him for so many years, and seemed to do it with ease. He was currently in his prime. From his perspective, Sakumo, being an assassin, was a natural counter to a great mage like him. So, although they hadn't fought, Sakumo was slightly stronger than him, but not by much. This Shiki, who could cleave Uzumaki Village in two with a single sword strike, possessed strength comparable to his first teacher and Madara!

Sakumo isn't that strong. If Shiki were really that powerful, who could stop him when the next war starts? The First Hokage and Madara were both people who suppressed an entire era, okay?

In the past two years, friction between the ANBU and other secret police on the borders of various countries has been quite intense. In addition, the major villages have long reached a saturation point after so many years of development. This is not only the case for other villages, but also for Konoha. After a generation grows up, everyone wants to stand out. In peacetime, it is easy for other villages to rise to power because there are not many people competing with them. However, in Konoha, it is extremely difficult to stand out in peacetime. Who can blame them when Konoha has so many talented people? Recently, the young people in the village have become restless. Even though he really doesn't want to see another war, he can foresee that the next major war will definitely come again within the next few years. This is something that no one can control. Once the war starts, the confrontation with the Golden Lion of Sunagakure will be of paramount importance.

If Sakumo can't handle it, then Tsunade will have to deal with him.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow twitched slightly. He hadn't realized Shiki was such a romantic; over two years had passed, Chiyo's son had a baby, and that guy was still waiting for Tsunade...

"...He is indeed very strong, but I can still restrain him."

Having worked with his boss for so many years, Hatake Sakumo could tell what his boss was worried about just by seeing his facial expressions change three times in a second. As the head of the Anbu for so many years, always fighting the enemy on the front lines, his premonitions were much stronger than his boss's. The total number of deaths in their Anbu in the past two years had reached the total number in the previous ten years, which showed how intense the friction was. The reason the war hadn't broken out yet was because the villages weren't ready and didn't want to break the ice. Once the villages were ready, he could imagine how brutal this war would be. It had been almost twenty years since the first war!

Twenty years have passed, and all losses have been recovered. Moreover, his strength has reached a new level. Just look at the intensity of the border skirmishes. The boss is really worried that once war breaks out, that guy is as strong as rumored, capable of splitting the Hidden Village of the Uzushiogakure with a single sword strike. No one in Konoha can match him. It's okay in other places, but on the battlefield of the Land of Wind, Konoha will suffer a great loss. The puppeteers of the Land of Wind are already troublesome, covered in poison and disgusting. Add to that the Golden Lion and Chiyo's genius puppeteer son and daughter-in-law. If no one can match the Golden Lion, they simply cannot withstand it.

So Sakumo Hatake quickly reassured his boss. That guy was indeed very strong, and his attacks were incredibly powerful, but if they faced each other head-on, he could still hold his own. With his skillful footwork, even the best swordsmanship was useless if he couldn't hit him.

"call....."

Hearing Touma's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief. Touma was straightforward and never boasted; if he said he could hold them off, then there was no problem. However, just to be on the safe side, he would still need to have Tsunade come along...

...

"boom!"

"You bastard, Rope Tree! I told you not to let me see anything related to that bastard in your room, or I'll really beat you up! (▼he▼メ)"

Within the Senju clan, a loud crash echoed from a house, followed by a small figure flying out with a large bump on their head. However, the Senju clan was used to this scene, acting as if nothing had happened. Logically, they should have intervened to break up the fight since the Crown Prince had been brutally beaten like this, but this had occurred seven or eight times a month for the past year, and they were used to it. Besides, the culprit was their eldest princess, so it was considered a family matter and they couldn't easily intervene. Moreover, the Crown Prince was incredibly resilient; no matter how much they beat him, he wouldn't be seriously injured—it was a piece of cake!

196. Rope Tree: My future brother-in-law is amazing!

"Sigh! I wonder if Nawaki will get brainwashed by Lady Tsunade like this. Beating him up like this every day is just a waste of time!"

The Thousand Hands Clan members in the distance sighed helplessly as they watched their prince being blown into a husky shape.

"Sigh! What can we do? We have so many strong people in Konoha, but he looks down on all of them and insists on worshipping that bastard Shiki. Isn't he just asking for a beating? Doesn't he know that our Senju clan forbids any talk about that bastard?"

The other members of the clan could only shrug helplessly.

"It's normal for teenagers to be curious. They'll understand how heinous that bastard Golden Lion really is when they grow up..."

The Senju clan woman next door, who looked like a mother of several children, remarked with great experience.

The reason why the Crown Prince is beaten by the eldest princess is always because of that taboo of the Senju clan. Ever since a few years ago, when Golden Lion confessed his love to their eldest princess after inquiring about the audience, it instantly caused a sensation throughout the ninja world. The topic remained hot for a year before it slowly subsided. However, the name Golden Lion has become a sensitive word within the Senju clan. Anyone who mentions these three words can hardly escape the eldest princess's iron fist.

However, this young master happened to be at the age where he was full of curiosity. Seeing this situation, he naturally became curious as well. Once a person's curiosity is aroused, it is almost impossible to suppress it. Even if the Senju clan does not know about Golden Lion, what about in the village?

Golden Lion Shiki wasn't just anyone. Ask any village elder and they could rattle off a few classic examples of his misdeeds in Konoha. This young master went directly to the cultured Orochimaru, whose stories were incredibly captivating. He spent a day in Orochimaru's lab learning about Golden Lion Shiki's achievements from his debut to the present. Good heavens, he practically made Golden Lion his life's goal! Right from his debut, he defeated four village kage, one of whom was his great-uncle. Then he single-handedly came to Konoha and killed the previous ANBU chief, released the Tailed Beast in Iwagakure, wreaking havoc on half of Iwagakure, saved Takigakure by taking the Seven-Tails, fought White Fang in his own village, splitting Sunagakure in half, and then confessed his love to their eldest princess in front of everyone in Konoha. They still remember those lines—they were so damn touching!

If anyone had accomplished just one of these feats, they would have reached the pinnacle of the ninja world. But all of these things were done by one person. Children are simple-minded and can't distinguish between good and evil; they only know how powerful someone is. It's no wonder that their young master idolizes the Golden Lion.

Moreover, the Golden Lion's reputation has grown even more during this Uzumaki clan incident. He cleaved Uzumaki Village in two with a single sword strike. What child doesn't admire the strong? Wasn't their first Hokage a national idol back when he was alive?

Hmm... Aside from that Golden Lion, it's said that his idol is that bastard Madara Uchiha!

.......

"You've already hit him... Sis, this future brother-in-law is amazing! He cleaved the village in two with a single sword strike!"

The crown prince of the Senju clan is not afraid of death. Perhaps he has developed antibodies from being beaten too many times. In addition, he has inherited the amazing vitality from Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki. He was lying on the ground with a pig's head for two minutes and immediately revived with full health. When he came to Tsunade's side and said that he was going to be her future brother-in-law, he had a little adoring expression on his face. He was completely unaware that Tsunade was accumulating killing intent.

In his mind, only a super-powerful man like Shiki could keep a woman as domineering as his older sister in check and be worthy of her. His sister's two friends, Orochimaru, were not bad, but they couldn't keep his domineering older sister in check. As for Jiraiya... he was just like him, destined to get beaten up, so let's not talk about him.

"You brat, if you keep calling him your future brother-in-law, I'll tear your mouth apart...(▼へ▼メ)"

Tsunade pinched her younger brother's tender face tightly, suppressing the murderous intent in her heart. If this brat wasn't her own brother, the sole heir of the Senju clan, the grass on his grave would already be two meters high. But even though he was her brother, she could hold back a little and give him a good beating, but she couldn't bear to really beat him senseless.

After that jerk confessed his feelings to her a few years ago, she initially thought that leaving someone in the village would be forgotten after a while. However, she never expected the gossip of those idle people to be so terrifying, spreading the story throughout the entire ninja world. Although she was secretly a little happy—"I finally have someone pursuing me!"—it was still incredibly embarrassing. Especially in recent years, every time she went out, she felt everyone was looking at her strangely, with a hint of fear in their eyes. She pointed to the lamplight and swore she had never attacked any of those people…

It's all that bastard's fault! (▼he▼メ)

"It's already hissing... Lai Lai! Help...! ╮(╯﹏╰）╭"

Rope Tree, his eyes brimming with tears from the pain, rushed to the next room to seek help. He was resilient, but that didn't mean he was immune to pain...!

"Hey...! You two, stop fooling around. You're disturbing Kushina's sealing technique practice. Also... Nawaki, don't mention that brat's name in the clan anymore. Kushina finally calmed down..."

Mito Uzumaki received her beloved grandson's distress signal. When she came out, she saw her granddaughter disciplining her grandson and said helplessly, "My beloved grandson's personality is quite similar to my husband's. He didn't inherit his son's dullness, but his mischievousness is second to none."

She had no objection to her beloved grandson making that brat Shiki his life goal. Having a goal is always a good thing. Although Shiki wasn't from Konoha, it couldn't be denied that the brat's talent was indeed second to none in the ninja world.

Miss Slug once secretly told her that the brat had mastered the Sage Art of Shikkotsu Forest, and to the same degree of perfection as her man. This shows how powerful his talent was. She and Hashirama's granddaughter sat in Shikkotsu Forest for a month and it was all for nothing. Yet an outsider learned the Sage Art and reached the same level as Hashirama.

That brat has mastered the Perfect Sage Mode, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the strongest ninja in the world now. There's nothing wrong with taking someone like that as a role model; that brat idolizes Uchiha Madara, doesn't he?

However... she got angry just thinking about that brat. "You bastard, you tried to flirt with my granddaughter and now you've brought people to attack my family's home. Whose side are you on anyway?" (▼へ▼メ)

If it weren't for the fact that she had to use all her remaining life force and chakra to suppress the tailed beasts, she really wanted to run to Sunagakure and unleash the Shinigami. Even though this kid didn't kill her older brother, it was this kid who shattered the most powerful barrier of their Uzumaki clan.

197. That bastard is a ruthless man who can wipe out an entire village with a single sword strike.

"Don't tell me you didn't bring back a single sealing spell this time, just this pile of sealing scrolls and those things from outside."

In Sunagakure, Ebizo forced down his rising blood pressure, gritted his teeth, and looked at the mountain of sealing scrolls made by the Uzumaki clan in front of him. He addressed the village's top courtesan, his voice sounding like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth. If he could cut it, he really wanted to pry open this bastard's head to see if it was filled with mush.

The family leaders and Sunagawa around them also looked furious, but they couldn't retaliate because they couldn't beat this bastard. This brain-dead bastard had cleaved Uzushiogakure, a village about the same size as their Sunagakure, in two with a single sword strike. Now it had become a stream, connected by a bridge built by the samurai of the Land of Iron.

Although they haven't seen it now, just imagining it makes their scalps tingle. That sword can split a great ninja village in two with a single strike. How powerful must that be?

Anyway, Hashirama Senju, who planted trees, and Madara Uchiha, who danced, could never do that.

The more powerful their village's top performer is, the happier they should be, since he can help the village take off!

But they just couldn't be happy about this bastard. This bastard must be out of his mind!

For example, this time, despite the Uzumaki clan having so many powerful sealing techniques, this guy managed to collect all the sealing scrolls without even trying.

It's not that these sealing scrolls are bad. The Uzumaki clan's sealing scrolls are high-end goods, only ever possessed by Konoha. These things are absolute luxury items and symbols of status for them. In terms of quality, capacity, and shelf life, they are far superior to the sealing scrolls produced by the Land of Craftsmen that they possess. If this guy brought back these sealing scrolls under normal circumstances, they would definitely praise him. But now, you're going to wipe out the Uzumaki clan! You don't want the Uzumaki clan's most powerful sealing techniques, and you bring back these things instead?

These are all external things; none of them are as practical as the awesome sealing technique!

Among the crowd, the elderly Mei Chuan Baidi was so angry that his nose was crooked. This bastard asked his family for more than a hundred people, but all he got were these pieces of junk. There aren't even enough family members to go around!

"Come on! Of all those random sealing techniques, probably only the one that summons a Shinigami can be used by outsiders, and even then, they'll be instantly killed. Your nephew has already confirmed that the other sealing techniques all require the Uzumaki clan's bloodline to learn and use. What do you guys need that stuff for? Onoki and those idiots, the Raikage and the others, almost got into a fight over a few sealing techniques they can't use. They're probably at home slapping their thighs right now!"

"Be practical! Instead of thinking about those unreliable things, you should practice your family's ninjutsu to improve your strength. Old man Meichuan, don't glare at me. Your family's bunch of crooks don't even have a single Scorch Release ninja, and they're always thinking about some nonsense sealing techniques. I can't even understand such profound things, do you think you can? And you guys, how many of you have actually mastered your family's secret techniques? Aren't you afraid of disgracing your ancestors for eighteen generations? Raise your hands and exchange a few blows with me. If you can block one of my swords, I'll immediately go and snatch a few sealing techniques for you! I led my team on expeditions, drank the northwest wind at sea for months, and fought White Fang until I was covered in sweat, and brought back some local specialties from the Land of Whirlpools for you, and you still give me attitude, huh? (▼へ▼メ)"

Seeing the looks he was getting, Masato's short temper flared up. He rolled up his sleeves, pointed at a group of people in charge, and launched into a tirade.

"......"

The group of leaders, who were being relentlessly attacked online, looked up at the sky, silently chanting, "I can't hear you, I can't hear you..."

They weren't all mediocre; a few had mastered their family's secret techniques and ninjutsu to the highest level. Unfortunately, their talent wasn't enough, so their power was limited. They could show off in front of kids, but could they even exchange a few blows with this bastard? And he even blocked one of his swords?

That bastard is a ruthless man who can wipe out an entire village with a single sword strike; their mortal bodies are no match for the formidable barrier of the Uzumaki clan...

That bastard's words do seem to make some sense. Trying to study someone else's sealing techniques before even fully understanding one's own family's secret arts is indeed a bit of a slap in the face to one's ancestors...

But it seems a bit inappropriate to bring up the Meichuan clan, right? The Meichuan clan's Scorching Release is a bloodline limit, and whether they can awaken it depends on whether the Heavenly Mountain grants them a chance. It has little to do with how hard they work, right?

Thinking of this, everyone looked at Elder Meichuan with sympathy. This bastard was clearly seizing the opportunity to launch his attack...

"You...you..."

Sure enough, the shrewd old man Mei Chuan Baidi could not possibly not know what he meant. He clutched his chest, looking like he was about to die, and pointed at Masato as if he was waiting for this bastard to die with him.

"Alright, alright, what Masato said is true. The conditions for the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques are very demanding. Not everyone can learn them, and even if they can, the price is very high. The sealing techniques that Masato brought back from Konoha were developed by Uzumaki Mito, which is why we were able to learn them. The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, which have been developed over thousands of years, are based on their own bloodline. Even if someone who is not a member of the Uzumaki clan wants to imitate them, it is very difficult. Compared to other villages, what Masato brought back is already quite good."

Just as Mei Chuan Baidi was hanging on by a thread, preparing to drag this bastard along to sign in with the old man Liu Dao, Chiyo walked in from outside and looked helplessly at her nephew, who was old but short-tempered, and explained to everyone.

Chiyo, who had studied sealing techniques for many years, was the most skilled expert in sealing techniques in Sunagakure. Originally, when she learned that her nephew and son were going to team up with Onoki to destroy the Land of Whirlpools, she, having studied Konoha's sealing techniques, didn't have high hopes for the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques. No way! That was the foundation of the Uzumaki clan; if just anyone could learn it, how could they have remained so outstanding for so many years? She didn't tell her nephew because her beloved son was also there. After so many years of her tutelage, her son had also gained some skill in sealing techniques. When her son discovered the characteristics of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, he would naturally tell her nephew. Her nephew was so clever; he couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

"Sigh! Now that Chiyo-sama has said that, we understand! Shinto-sama is truly brilliant. Onoki and the others are probably crying right now...!"

"Yes, yes, I knew someone as brilliant as Lord Shinto couldn't possibly be wrong..."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!..."

After Chiyo, the most authoritative expert on sealing techniques in Sunagakure, spoke up, everyone around her immediately echoed her words. Even the seemingly unyielding head of the Yusa clan, her in-laws, nodded, as if she had known this all along.

.....

198. That bastard swiped all the benefits again.

"What did you say? Our people can't learn the sealing techniques brought back from the Uzumaki clan?"

Meanwhile, in Sunagakure, Onoki stared wide-eyed at their sealing squad leader.

He went through so much trouble, enduring being verbally abused by that bastard Shiki without retaliating, all to destroy the Uzumaki clan. This would both sever Konoha's allies, weaken Konoha's strength, and allow him to obtain the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques. But now, his sealing technique, Madara, is telling him that the A-rank and above sealing techniques he brought back are ones that their people can't learn!

It was as if Onoki's brain suddenly exploded.

“It’s not that we can’t learn it, but apart from the Uzumaki clan, no one else can learn it. These sealing techniques were developed based on the bloodline power of the Uzumaki clan. In other words, this foundation no longer holds, so the sealing techniques developed based on it are meaningless. It’s like the relationship between a father and son. If the father is gone before the son, how can there be a son? Even if there is, he’s not his biological son.”

The leader of the sealing squad was one of the few intellectuals in Iwagakure. Regardless of whether Onoki could understand, he analyzed the problem clearly. He even gave a very simple and easy-to-understand example so that his illiterate boss wouldn't understand.

"Then this child is most likely someone's... ugh! What about that S-rank sealing technique?"

Onoki was instantly drawn into the story, still preoccupied with the question of who the biological father was. He had also been born last month, and for some reason, he was unusually sensitive to this kind of question. However, he quickly realized that now was not the time to worry about who his father was. It didn't matter that he couldn't learn the A-rank sealing technique; the S-rank sealing technique was the most important thing. He couldn't afford to fail to learn the B-rank partial sealing technique either, or all the grievances he suffered in the Land of Whirlpools would have been for nothing!

That's the trump card of the Whirlpool Clan, which has been passed down for thousands of years!

"The same goes for this S-rank ninjutsu. Moreover, I am rather ignorant. I have never seen any of the symbols on the S-rank sealing technique that you brought back, Tsuchikage-sama. They must be symbols from hundreds of years ago from the Uzumaki clan. I think only Mito Uzumaki of Konoha can understand them now. But even if we could understand them, it wouldn't be of any use. I guess it requires the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, just like these A-rank sealing techniques..."

The sealing team member said helplessly. He completely understood his boss's feelings. After all, although he didn't know what his boss had encountered in the Land of Whirlpools, he had come back and questioned all the relatives of the leaders who had led the team. Just uniting most of the ninja world had taken a lot of effort, and the spoils of war were even more useless. Just thinking about it made him feel bad. When he first obtained the sealing technique, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep. In the end, he stayed up for several nights and only managed to figure out something pointless under his wife's resentful gaze...

"Snapped!"

"Damn it! No wonder that bastard Golden Lion didn't want the sealing technique but wanted those sealing scrolls. That bastard must have already known! Damn bastard! (▼へ▼メ)"

After hearing his underling's explanation, Onoki slapped himself hard across the face, making his underling's eyelids twitch.

Onoki was furious! He'd been thoroughly humiliated by that bastard Shiki in the Land of Whirlpools, then ganged up on by the Raikage and his cronies. His subordinate, who had painstakingly acquired the sealing techniques, even told him they were exclusive to the Uzumaki clan and couldn't be learned by others. And then there was Shiki's unusual behavior during the loot distribution... He'd initially thought the bastard was too young to see through him, but now, thinking about it, Shiki's opportunistic nature meant he couldn't possibly be unaware of the importance of sealing techniques to Sunagakure. Yet, he hadn't taken a single one, instead demanding the sealing scrolls... This was completely out of character for him, something he'd maintained for so many years!

So this bastard knew about the drawbacks of the Uzumaki clan's sealing technique all along, which is why he did this. Thinking of this, Onoki wanted to slap himself again, but the burning shame told him that this slap would hurt a lot, so he slowly lowered his raised left hand.

Why the hell didn't I think of that back then! That bastard swiped all the benefits again! (▼へ▼メ)

"...Lord Tsuchikage, the supplies from Kumogakure have arrived..."

Mizuki, the leader of the group, twitched his lips and whispered something in Ono's ear.