Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Seeing that Hyuga Iwa had woken up, Kirito turned his attention back to the previous question and answered it.

The process of Hyuga Iwa being tortured by the caged bird was indeed extremely agonizing. He also felt somewhat sorry for Karen, a young girl, who was suffering such torment. In order to prevent Karen from suffering such torment, he thought it wouldn't hurt to listen to Hyuga Iwa's words.

In fact, he usually didn't have the time to spend much time with Hua Lian.

Hua Lian is a very strong-willed and independent person, so even if she encounters difficulties, she might not take the initiative to come to him.

"Really? You're not lying to me."

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Iwa was overjoyed, but then looked at Kirito with a suspicious expression and asked doubtfully.

"I don't have time to lie to you, but believe it or not is up to you. Also, you'd better keep your mouth shut about what I told you today and don't say anything out of turn, otherwise my promise just now may not be valid."

Kirito said coldly.

Then, with a casual wave of his hand, he released the restraints on Hyuga Iwa's body.

After being severely reprimanded by Kirito, Hyuga Iwa no longer dared to make too many demands on Kirito. Hearing Kirito say this, he said seriously, "For Hana-ren's sake, I will keep my mouth shut."

"I hope you can really keep your word."

Kirito gave Hyuga Iwa a deep look, spoke softly, and then gave Hyuga Iwa a meaningful look.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Hyuga Iwa, but Hyuga Iwa had already bowed his head before the Caged Bird Seal once. If the main family members used the Caged Bird Seal on him again, they might reveal the conversation between him and Hyuga Iwa.

Kirito wasn't worried about this. His conversation with Hyuga Iwa was actually nothing serious, and strictly speaking, it was even beneficial to the Hyuga clan.

Since Hyuga Iwa has no memory of him performing a soul search, as long as there is no pretext or evidence, the Hyuga clan cannot do anything to him.

The next second, he clapped his hands together, quickly breaking the surrounding sealing barrier, and then manipulated the iron sand beneath him to carry Hyuga Iwa back to the ground.

By this time, quite a few people had already gathered here.

Among them was his dear older sister, Tsunade. When she saw Kirito release the sealing barrier and descend from the sky, she immediately rushed forward and asked him with concern, "Kirito, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Tell your sister, and I'll treat you right away."

"I'm fine, sister. Even though I'm small, it's still hard for others to bully me."

Kirito said to Tsunade with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's worried expression lessened considerably, but she still touched Kirito's body with her chakra-covered hand to confirm that he was indeed unharmed before she felt relieved.

Then, she turned her head and looked at Hyuga Iwa, whose face looked very unpleasant, with a cold gaze.

She had already learned the reason for the matter from some members of the secret service.

The responsibility for this lies entirely with Hyuga Iwa. He provoked Kirito and even attacked him, only to be taught a lesson by Kirito in the end.

"Lady Tsunade."

When Hyuga Iwa saw Tsunade's cold gaze, he trembled. He immediately bowed respectfully to Tsunade, keeping his head down and speaking humbly, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

On the battlefield of the Land of Rain, the most dazzling Konoha ninjas were undoubtedly the Legendary Sannin, and the most dazzling of the Legendary Sannin was undoubtedly Tsunade. She was powerful and beautiful, and also an excellent medical ninja. If it weren't for her, the Konoha ninjas would have suffered heavy losses in the Land of Rain.

Because Hanzo's poison gas was so terrifying, it was only thanks to the antidote prepared by Tsunade that they were able to ignore Hanzo's poison gas and fight against the Rain Ninja later on.

Hyuga Iwa was also treated by Tsunade. If he hadn't received timely treatment from Tsunade, he might be disabled now.

Therefore, Hyuga Iwa only had respect for Tsunade.

"Yan, you've really grown some guts. You think you're something special just because you came back from the battlefield, and that you can bully the weak? I'll give you a chance. How about we have a match? I promise I'll fight you with my bare hands."

Tsunade wasn't going to give Hyuga Iwa any face now, the one who bullied her brother, and said coldly.

Hyuga Iwato had no idea about the relationship between Kirito and Tsunade. If he had known that Tsunade would recognize Kirito as her sworn brother, he would have spoken to Kirito in a much more polite and respectful manner, and he wouldn't have dared to entertain the slightest thought of using force to subdue Kirito.

But it was too late to say anything now. He didn't dare to argue with Tsunade, so he kept his head down in silence, accepting Tsunade's anger with a do-nothing attitude.

"Lady Tsunade, Iwa was in the wrong, but please forgive me for my contributions on the battlefield in the Land of Rain. Our Hyuga clan will definitely apologize to Kirito afterwards."

At this moment, Hyuga Kazuma arrived with two elders and spoke very politely to Tsunade.

"Hmph, what's the use of saying all this now? If Kirito really gets into trouble, can your Hyuga clan afford to compensate him? The Senju clan won't let this matter go so easily. You Hyuga clan better watch yourselves. Don't think that the Senju clan is wiped out after my grandmother passed away."

Tsunade didn't give Hyuga Kazuma, the head of the Hyuga clan, any face, and directly said something with a disdainful expression.

When the two elders of the Hyuga clan, Kazuma and Hyuga, heard Tsunade speak so rudely, they were immediately struck by a headache. They didn't care much about Tsunade's attitude, because many years ago Tsunade was a notorious female bully in Konoha, and her personality was many times worse and more domineering than it is now.

However, although Tsunade was a bully in the past, she didn't have much influence and posed no threat to the Hyuga clan.

But things are different now. Tsunade is not only strong and of noble status, but also has a huge influence among the Konoha ninja community. So much so that if she wants to become Hokage, she will definitely be the next Hokage without any suspense.

Now, Tsunade is clearly blaming the Hyuga clan for letting Hyuga Iwa cause trouble for Kirito, and her attitude is very tough, which has made them lose their original intention of reasoning with Hana and Rei using the cursed seal on their bodies.

With Tsunade protecting Kirito so fiercely, if they dare to use the cursed seal against Kirito again, they will definitely offend Tsunade to the death.

Like Hyuga Iwa, they never expected that Tsunade would recognize Kirito, an outsider, as her younger brother, and would protect him so much that she would even use the Senju clan to suppress the Hyuga clan.

Kirito's status within the Senju clan is surprisingly high.

They failed to obtain such crucial intelligence.

That was a huge miscalculation.

"Lady Tsunade, please calm down. This matter was wrong of our Hyuga clan. As the head of the Hyuga clan, I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation. Please believe me and believe that the Hyuga clan has absolutely no intention of offending the Senju clan."

As the head of his clan, Hyuga Kazuma once again stepped forward at a crucial moment, decisively lowering his stance and taking the initiative to yield to Tsunade.

Chapter 140: Three Generations and Roots

With Hyuga Kazuma adopting such a humble posture, Tsunade felt embarrassed to continue her attack. She had originally planned to wait until Hyuga Kazuma and the others argued back before launching another attack, using the Hyuga clan as a warning to others and let the people of Konoha know Kirito's status within the Senju clan.

Unexpectedly, Hinata Kazuma was so patient.

"Kirito, what do you think?"

Tsunade was still somewhat annoyed, but she resolutely continued to stand up for Kirito and handed the decision-making power over to him.

Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Hyuga Kazuma immediately turned his gaze to Kirito, a hint of tension appearing on his face.

He no longer dared to treat Kirito as an ordinary kid. Although the other was young, his influence had become quite significant without him even realizing it.

Moreover, he seems to harbor some hostility towards the Hyuga clan.

"Sister, let's leave it at that. I wasn't injured, and Chief Ma promised to give me a satisfactory explanation. I believe him."

Kirito had no intention of making a big fuss. Seeing that Tsunade had used her strong attitude to subdue the Hyuga clan, he decisively chose to settle things peacefully and appear more magnanimous.

The Senju clan is currently outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and it is really not advisable for them to become enemies with a powerful clan like the Hyuga clan, as this would be detrimental to Tsunade or Nawaki becoming Hokage in the future.

"Alright, then we'll do it your way. If you encounter something like this again, don't try to handle it yourself. Your older sister is very strong, and the Senju clan is also your support. Remember that."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade was very satisfied with Kirito's choice, and smiled happily as she spoke.

"Yes, sister."

Kirito answered obediently.

Upon seeing this, Hyuga and the other members of the Hyuga clan breathed a sigh of relief.

They had long been accustomed to keeping a low profile, and even though the Senju clan had clearly declined, they still did not want to make enemies with the Senju clan.

There was no other way; Tsunade was still a member of the Senju clan.

This powerful Konoha princess not only taught the Hyuga clan a lesson today, but also taught other ninja clans that were secretly watching the area a lesson: the Senju clan still has the confidence to protect its own people.

"Kirito, don't worry, the Hyuga clan will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation, and the Hyuga clan will always welcome you to visit."

Hinata Kazuma spoke to Kirito with a friendly expression.

After he finished speaking, he gestured with his eyes to the branch elders beside him to do their work.

Without a word, the branch family elder unleashed a powerful palm strike at Hyuga Iwa from a distance, instantly unleashing a surge of high-density chakra that transformed into a powerful chakra shockwave.

Bagua - Empty Palm!

In an instant, Hyuga Iwa was sent flying, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and then lay on the ground like a dead dog.

Then, two Hyuga ninjas from the branch family immediately appeared beside Hyuga Iwa and quickly took him away.

Tsunade coldly watched the Hyuga clan put on a show, remaining silent and simply observing their performance.

"Please excuse my poor appearance, I'll take my leave now."

Hyuga Kazuma smiled at the two men, then decisively resigned and quickly left with the rest of the Hyuga clan.

"Let's go back too, Kirito. Don't wander off tonight."

Seeing that the matter was resolved, Tsunade immediately spoke.

"Yes, sister."

Kirito answered honestly, then grabbed Tsunade's outstretched hand and returned to the Senju clan's territory with her.

Upon seeing this, the onlookers dispersed.

"I didn't expect Tsunade to value Kirito so much. It seems that it will be very difficult to recruit Kirito into my team. What a pity. If Kirito were in my team, even carrying out extremely dangerous sabotage missions behind enemy lines would be a piece of cake."

Orochimaru emerged from behind a large tree at the scene. He looked at Kirito and Tsunade's departing figures and said with a regretful expression.

Then, his gaze turned towards the direction of the Hyuga clan, revealing an interested look.

Then, a small white snake slithered out of his sleeve, fell to the ground, and quickly disappeared from the spot.

He had a feeling that the reason behind Hyuga Iwa's provocation of Kirito was not so simple.

"Hua Lian, I didn't expect that this branch family child with little future would be valued so much by Kirito. It seems that we need to cultivate him properly in the future, and there may be unexpected gains."

Orochimaru pondered this thoughtfully.

The main reason he valued Hua Lian was that Hua Lian possessed the Byakugan and had already awakened it early on, showing considerable potential in his bloodline limit. Additionally, Hua Lian had good grades in theory classes, and with a little guidance, he could provide him with valuable assistance in missions.

In Orochimaru's team, he actually only had eyes for Minato, because only Minato successfully broke the sealing technique he had set up on the test paper, which was far more difficult than a genin's level. In addition, Minato was a commoner ninja, which made him feel like he was seeing a fellow ninja.

Compared to Hinata Karen and Akimichi Tou, Minato is undoubtedly the most suitable person to inherit his mantle.

However, the disciple he most wanted to acquire was Kirito.

"Natural energy, how exactly does it do that?"

Orochimaru thought of Kirito and his improved sealing technique, Adamantine Sealing Technique, and his heart was filled with curiosity.

He has been studying natural energy for quite some time, but unfortunately, he has not made any progress.

His physique seemed unsuitable for cultivating this kind of energy. Although he had found a way to draw it out of nature, he couldn't even sense it, let alone use it freely.

On the contrary, that big idiot Jiraiya has already managed to sense natural energy and has even begun to practice Sage Mode, which has greatly frustrated Jiraiya.