Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

"The Hokage has agreed to see me, Sister Xiangzi, thank you for your help."

After hearing the news, Kirito turned around and smiled at the receptionist, Sarutobi Kaori.

"Ah, okay. When you see the Third Generation Lord, remember to use honorifics."

Sarutobi Kaori said with some surprise upon hearing this.

Then, watching Kirito's departing figure, she murmured, "How come he was so efficient this time? Just who is this kid? Is he a descendant of some important person?"

Kirito is very famous among the high-ranking ninjas of Konoha, but not so much among the lower-ranking ones. In addition, he usually lives a secluded life, so only some ninjas who have been to the hospital and villagers have seen him. Most villagers may have heard his name, but have never seen him. This highlights that Konoha's methods of keeping important ninja information confidential are quite good.

Soon, Kirito arrived at the Hokage's office, then bowed respectfully to the Third Hokage and smiled, saying, "Third Hokage, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to see me."

"There's no need for such formalities between us. Kirito, you're an important sealing technique master in the village. You must have something important to discuss with me, so I had to come see you as soon as possible. Tell me, what's so important?"

The Third Hokage was very pleased with Kirito's respectful attitude and spoke to him with a gentle smile.

Unlike some others, Kirito, the young Konoha scion who inherited the Will of Fire, held his Hokage in high esteem.

"It's not really a big deal, but could I temporarily set up a shielding sealing barrier here?"

Kirito scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Since we have to break the sealing array to talk about it, it must be something very important."

Upon hearing this, the third generation felt a chill run down their spine, sensing something was amiss, and then nodded solemnly.

With the Third Hokage's permission, Kirito immediately clapped his hands, releasing a large number of sealing techniques that quickly filled the entire Hokage's office.

In less than ten seconds, a sealing barrier with powerful shielding capabilities appeared in the Third Hokage's eyes.

Upon seeing this, the third generation's mouth slightly opened, revealing a look of surprise.

To be honest, he had witnessed Kirito's sealing abilities during the Nine-Tails Inheritance incident, but seeing him again now, he found that Kirito's sealing abilities were even higher than he had imagined.

A shield-type sealing barrier that would normally require at least four skilled sealing ninjas to spend some time setting up was completed by Kirito in less than ten seconds by himself.

What does this mean? It clearly shows that many advanced sealing techniques have become routine skills in Kirito's hands, and he can use them casually.

He was fully aware of how powerful sealing techniques were; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to easily subdue Danzo, a Kage-level ninja.

For the first time, the Third Generation sensed danger from Kirito.

"If I underestimate him and become careless, I might be defeated by this kid's sealing technique."

The Third Hokage thought to himself, gradually becoming more vigilant and beginning to regard Kirito as a dangerous person who could threaten him.

Kirito noticed the Third Hokage's changing expression, but he didn't care. Given the speed at which his strength was improving, it was only a matter of time before the Third Hokage became wary of him.

However, it's not a big deal that he's being feared by the Third Hokage, because he doesn't yet have the ability to threaten the position under the Third Hokage, and the Third Hokage himself doesn't think he's capable of becoming Hokage right now.

Therefore, he will not be suppressed by the third generation for the time being; on the contrary, he will be valued by them even more.

In this way, the third generation will be more inclined to grant him the request he makes later.

The requests of the strong are always of great value, and the third generation certainly understands this principle.

"Third Hokage, the hand seals are complete. I won't take up any more of your time. I've come to request permission to join the war between Konoha and Sunagakure."

Kirito's smile vanished quickly, and he spoke with a serious expression.

When the Third Hokage heard Kirito's words, his eyes lit up. He had been thinking of what reason to use to persuade Kirito to go to the battlefield, but he didn't expect that Kirito would take the initiative to go to the battlefield this time.

He immediately smiled and praised Kirito, "As expected of Mito-sama's disciple, Konoha has not raised you in vain. It is very good that you have this intention. I agree to your request. Don't worry, I will arrange a task that is most suitable for you to demonstrate your abilities, so that you can contribute to your growth as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your high regard, Third Generation Lord, but I have not finished speaking. I will not go to the battlefield now, but after I turn ten."

Kirito smiled when he saw that the Third Hokage immediately agreed, and then continued to state his request.

He was determined to go to the battlefield after the age of ten; that was his bottom line. If Mito were still alive, he planned to wait until he was twelve.

The battlefield is no good place, why is he in such a hurry to go and die? It's best to avoid going if you can avoid it.

But there was no other way. With Mito gone, the person who could shelter him from the wind and rain was gone. And now he was a Konoha ninja, not a rogue ninja. In order to protect Konoha and the people here who were worth his attention, he had no choice but to step forward.

Now it's time for him to take over from his teacher and become a sheltering tree for others.

However, he needed some time to prepare before that. The cultivation of his lightning clone and the creation of the puppet both required time. It would take at least half a year to complete these tasks, which would coincide with his tenth birthday.

Finally, he also needed to buy Nawaki some more time to develop. After Mito's death, there was no one in the Senju clan who could control him. As for Momoka and Tsunade, he basically ignored them completely.

Recently, this stubborn guy has started urging him to go to the battlefield together and win glory for Konoha.

Nawaki is very competitive. When he learned that Minato was going to become Hokage and had recently shown outstanding performance on the battlefield, he felt a great sense of crisis.

It must be said that Minato is indeed a genius. With the guidance of Orochimaru, a genius, and the tempering of iron and blood on the battlefield, his strength has improved by leaps and bounds. Recently, I heard that he cooperated with Hana and Tou to kill a Jonin-level puppeteer. In terms of battlefield achievements, he can be said to be outstanding among his peers.

Because Minato is a commoner ninja, he is very famous among the lower classes of Konoha, not to mention at the Ninja Academy, where teachers praise him as someone else's perfect child to motivate students.

Kirito now acknowledges Nawaki's strength; as long as he doesn't lose his mind on the battlefield, his chances of survival are high.

Because Nawaki already possesses Jonin-level strength through taijutsu alone, if he were to combine Shadow Clone Technique with other ninjutsu, he might be able to temporarily contend with elite Jonin.

However, Nawaki has only opened the second gate of the Eight Gates Technique so far, and there is still a considerable gap in terms of explosive power.

If Nawaki could open the fourth gate of the Eight Gates Technique, he could escape safely even if he encountered an elite Jonin and couldn't defeat him.

Because of his special status, Nawaki would almost certainly receive special treatment from the enemy once he went to the battlefield, and there was a high chance that he would attract several elite Jonin. If Nawaki acted with him, even more people would come.

If Kirito were to be surrounded by seven or eight elite Jonin and hundreds of Chunin at the same time, he could protect himself, but he couldn't say for sure that he would be able to bring Nawaki back safely.

The people of Sunagakure are all very cunning. When they surround and attack, they will definitely use poison to kill the enemy. If a taijutsu-type ninja like Nawaki is accidentally injured by a poisoned weapon, the consequences will be huge.

Therefore, it is necessary for him and Rope Tree to further improve their strength. If they can't beat them, they should at least be able to outrun them.

Of course, the key point is that he can fly on the battlefield with the rope tree and survive any situation.

"After you turn ten? Is it not possible now? With your current strength, you're more than capable of going to the battlefield right now. What's the reason for needing to postpone it?"

When the Third Hokage heard Kirito's subsequent time requirement, he frowned slightly and asked.

"Yes, my Spirit Transformation Technique is currently at a critical stage. I estimate that I can complete the breakthrough in a little more time. At that time, my soul perception ability will be greatly improved, and the various abilities of the Spirit Transformation Technique will also be enhanced. This will allow me to play a greater role on the battlefield. In addition, the research and development of several drugs in the hospital is also in a critical stage. I am the main person in charge of the research and development, so I can't leave for the time being."

Kirito immediately gave the reasons he had prepared.

"Is it true that the art of spiritification is facing a breakthrough?"

When the Third Hokage learned Kirito's reason, a look of surprise appeared on his face once again.

It's worth mentioning that only a little over a year has passed since Kirito acquired the Spirit Transformation Technique and began practicing it. For him to make a new breakthrough in such a short time is truly astonishing.

To be honest, he was shocked for a while when he learned that Kirito had learned the Spirit Transformation Technique in a short time.

However, learning and breaking through are two different things, and the latter is much more difficult than the former.

Kato Dan has been practicing the art of spirit transformation for seven or eight years, but there has never been any sign of a breakthrough.

Therefore, even though he knew Kirito was very talented in cultivating the Spirit Transformation Technique, he still didn't quite believe it when he heard that Kirito was about to make a breakthrough in the Spirit Transformation Technique.

“That’s right. Recently, my soul power has started to undergo a strange change, and a new ability has been born, just like this.”

Kirito lied through his teeth.

As soon as he finished speaking, a blue light shone in his eyes, and he quietly released his soul power. The pen in front of the Third Generation, which was used to review documents, suddenly flew into the air.

Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. The Third Hokage was able to tell that Kirito was not releasing any ninjutsu at the moment because there was no fluctuation of chakra in Kirito's body as a result of mobilizing chakra.

Clearly, the pen flying into the air was an action Kirito accomplished using another kind of power.

This power must be the power of the soul.

He had never heard of Kato Dan being able to do such a thing. It seemed that Kirito, with his outstanding talent and the strong support of the Senju clan, had already surpassed Kato Dan in his cultivation of spirit transformation techniques.

The younger generation is truly formidable.

"If Kirito's Spirit Transformation Technique truly achieves a breakthrough, his survivability on the battlefield will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced. Although the delay may cause Konoha to lose a lot of manpower and resources, if Kirito can grow up smoothly as a result, then it will all be worth it."

The third generation watched the pen and other objects fly up in front of him, secretly calculating the gains and losses in his mind.

He quickly made a decision, nodded to Kirito and said, "I didn't expect that soul power could be used to do such a thing after it has been raised to a certain level. It seems that what you said is true. Okay, I agree to your request. I look forward to your performance. Be sure to seize the time to complete your breakthrough. The village is not in a good situation right now and it really needs you, the Magnet Release ninja, to step up."

"Please rest assured, Hokage, I will do my utmost to repel the invaders for Konoha."

Upon receiving the Third Hokage's affirmative reply, Kirito immediately used his soul power to restore the pen and other items to their original positions, and said solemnly.

……

Meanwhile, deep within Konoha Prison, in the office of the new Root leader.

Danzo's expression immediately turned serious upon learning from his subordinate Yamanaka Rai's telepathic communication technique that Kirito was meeting with the Third Hokage.

"What is that damned brat talking to Hiruzen about? He even needs to set up a shielding sealing barrier before he can start communicating. They must be talking about something important. Damn it, now I have no idea what they're saying."

Danzo cursed inwardly.

Ever since he deduced that the reason his attempt to secretly instruct the Root ninjas to destroy the Senju clan's barrier failed was because Kirito had mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, he had never stopped paying attention to Kirito, and was always thinking about killing this brat who ruined his plans and caused him to end up like this.

Now that Kirito and Hiruzen Sarutobi, his two enemies, are secretly plotting, it's definitely not going to be anything good; it might even be something aimed at him.

"Could it be that my sending people to the Senju clan's cemetery was discovered? That can't be right. Although my people entered the deepest part of the cemetery, they didn't trigger any of the sealing techniques there. It shouldn't have been discovered."

Danzo began to have wild thoughts when he thought about such a possibility.

He was very happy to learn of Mito's passing a few days ago.

Therefore, he even sent someone to the Senju clan cemetery to bring back Mito's remains.

The purpose was to try and use this to activate a forbidden technique to control that vile woman, Mito.

Reincarnation in the Pure Land.

This is a forbidden technique he has been researching recently. It is a powerful ninjutsu created by his teacher that allows him to fight using the dead.

The reason he set his sights on this ninjutsu was because of that damned cursed seal on his body.

He needed a skilled sealing ninja to break the curse mark on his body, and the most powerful sealing ninja in his memory was undoubtedly Mito.

Therefore, upon learning of Mito's death, he was overjoyed and wanted to use the forbidden technique of Impure World Reincarnation to control Mito, then remove the curse seal on her body, and incidentally, vent his anger.

Of course, after he began researching the Impure World Reincarnation technique, he also set his sights on the corpse of Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi. If he could summon this great man using the Impure World Reincarnation technique to help him, he would gain the powerful Wood Release technique and eliminate all those who stood in his way of becoming Hokage and all the enemies of Konoha.

Danzo felt incredibly excited and thrilled just thinking about it.

Unfortunately, although he knew the location of the Senju clan's cemetery, the people he sent ultimately found nothing.

The reason is that the deepest part of the tomb was sealed with a powerful sealing technique called the Inner Four Symbols Seal, which was also greatly improved. It incorporated many sealing techniques that were not present in the Inner Four Symbols Seal, greatly enhancing its power and making it more difficult to break.

The powerful inner four-symbol seal at the deepest part of the tomb is triggered by opening the stone coffin.