Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Seeing that Madara Uchiha didn't believe him, Black Zetsu said respectfully.

"That's what I meant."

Madara Uchiha said coldly, then quietly mobilized his chakra to release some kind of communication ninjutsu.

A moment later, a White Zetsu emerged from the ground not far away, holding a branch with a piece of dung stuck in it. It was a special White Zetsu. A-Fei.

As soon as Afei came out, he grinned and said to Madara Uchiha, "Lord Madara, you called me again! I'm so happy! By the way, do you know what poop feels like? I've been researching this lately, but unfortunately I can't figure out what poop feels like. I really want to know! Can you tell me?"

Madara Uchiha had no interest in Tobi, this special White Zetsu individual whose brain was only filled with shit. Suddenly, a red light flashed in his eyes, and the three tomoe inside them spun rapidly.

The next moment, Abi, who had been rambling on about poop, suddenly fell silent. He then quickly went to Madara Uchiha's side, opened his body, and completely enveloped Madara Uchiha.

Next, under Madara Uchiha's genjutsu control, Tobi used the Mayfly Technique to move quickly underground, bringing Madara Uchiha to the depths of the Senju clan's cemetery.

Black Zetsu followed closely behind.

"A very good sealing technique. It actually sets the core of the array on that withered tree formed from fragments of the Divine Tree, and it seems to have made use of the rich natural energy here. Furthermore, there is a terrifying binding sealing technique hidden deep within this sealing technique. The two seals, one light and one dark, are integrated without conflict. It is a truly ingenious design. Who set up this sealing technique? Does Konoha still have ninjas with sealing techniques of this level?"

Madara Uchiha emerged from the edge of the underground lake and used his Sharingan to look at the island in the middle of the lake. With the power of the Sharingan, he immediately saw the sealing technique that had been secretly set up here and couldn't help but admire it.

He was a ninjutsu genius, and his sealing techniques were naturally quite good. Although he couldn't compare to Mito Uzumaki, he was only slightly inferior to her.

With his sealing skills, how could he not see how terrifying the sealing technique before him was?

To be honest, he himself wasn't confident in setting up a sealing technique of this level.

"Tohsaka Kirito, a disciple of Uzumaki Mito, is the only ninja in Konoha who could possibly set up a sealing technique of this level. Moreover, as you know, this is the core of the Senju clan, and outsiders cannot come here. Therefore, he is the only ninja in the Senju clan who meets the criteria."

Black Zetsu immediately replied.

Kirito Tohsaka is one of the ninjas that Black Zetsu is currently paying close attention to in Konoha.

However, it gathered very little information about Kirito Tohsaka; most of the information came from other people, thanks to White Zetsu.

Because Kirito Tohsaka possesses the Spirit Transformation Technique, he is highly likely to sense the presence of White Zetsu. Therefore, it had to order White Zetsu to stay away from Kirito Tohsaka in Konoha.

"Tohsaka Kirito, Mito Uzumaki's disciple? What's his background? Why didn't you tell me about him before?"

Upon hearing this, Madara Uchiha immediately questioned him.

"Because he is only 9 years old."

Black Zetsu said with a hint of helplessness.

It knew very well how arrogant Madara Uchiha was. If he knew that Kirito Tohsaka was only 9 years old, he probably wouldn't have taken him seriously at all, nor would he have been interested in a 9-year-old kid who wasn't from the Uchiha clan.

Furthermore, since it didn't have much information about Kirito Tohsaka to begin with, and the information it did collect was of little value, it simply stopped talking about it.

"..."

When Madara Uchiha heard Black Zetsu say that Kirito was only 9 years old, his eyes widened, and then he turned to look at the sealing technique on the island in the middle of the lake, remaining silent.

Suddenly, a strong sense of frustration welled up inside him.

Although he was quite strong at the age of 9, he didn't know this level of sealing technique; his skill at skipping stones, however, was quite good.

"Tell me about this brat. If he sets up the sealing spells here, he could very well become our greatest enemy in the future."

Madara Uchiha said somewhat awkwardly.

Honestly, Madara Uchiha is feeling quite distressed right now, having gone to such lengths to deal with a 9-year-old kid who isn't from the Uchiha clan.

However, reason told him that he had to take this brat named Kirito Tohsaka seriously.

There's no way around it, this kid's talent for sealing techniques is terrifying. He's only 9 years old and he can already set up sealing techniques of this level. What will he be like in the future?

He knew very well how troublesome sealing techniques were, and he didn't want Konoha to have another sealing technique ninja of Mito Uzumaki's caliber in the future.

"Kirito Tohsaka is the most outstanding genius in Konoha right now, surpassing his peers from the Senju and Uchiha clans. Because of his exceptional talent in sealing techniques, he was taken in as a disciple by Mito Uzumaki when he was 6 years old, and his sealing technique ability began to improve by leaps and bounds after that."

However, this kid's abilities are not limited to sealing techniques. He also has outstanding talent in the Five Elements Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Medical Ninjutsu. He has also developed a special Magnet Release Ninjutsu. According to information secretly revealed by Danzo, he also possesses the Spirit Transformation Technique.

Although he's only nine years old, he recently captured a Hyuga clan Jonin easily using Magnet Release ninjutsu and sealing techniques. Conservatively speaking, this kid is already at the level of an elite Jonin.

Black Zetsu quickly recited a prepared report about Kirito Tohsaka.

"Nine years old, a genius in sealing techniques, possessing the Spirit Transformation Technique, and the strength of an elite Jonin. He's not simple. I never expected Konoha to produce such an outstanding junior. If this kid can grow up, he will definitely become a major enemy of our Eye of the Moon Project."

Madara Uchiha sighed after learning about Kirito's situation from Black Zetsu.

Even a genius like him had to admit that this kid named Kirito Tohsaka was truly terrifyingly talented. At this rate of growth, breaking through to Kage level was only a matter of time, and he might even go further in the future, reaching the level of strength that he and Hashirama had at their peak.

Of course, even if Kirito grows to the same level of strength as he was in his prime, he won't be afraid.

"Lord Madara, you're absolutely right. We absolutely cannot let this brat grow stronger. However, this brat knows the Spirit Transformation Technique and has considerable sensory abilities. It's very likely that this brat was behind the exposure of the White Zetsu in Konoha. Moreover, he already possesses the strength of an elite Jonin. It won't be easy to kill him. What do you think we should do?"

Black Zetsu quickly asked.

It hates genius ninjas like Kirito Tohsaka who clearly has a strong will to fire, and it thinks about killing him at all times.

Therefore, he had been secretly putting the information he collected about Kirito Tohsaka into the underground information black market, so that people from other ninja villages could obtain information about Kirito Tohsaka.

Unfortunately, Kirito Tohsaka has never been on the battlefield and has been growing up in Konoha. Before anyone knew it, this kid had grown up to have the strength of an elite Jonin.

It saw it all and was very anxious.

"Hmph, what do you mean, what to do? Let the people from other ninja villages deal with him. By the way, you said this kid knows the Spirit Transformation Technique, so the thing that Danzo did to destroy the Senju clan's sealing barrier back then must have been this brat. Let Danzo deal with him."

This brat is a genius, but he hasn't fully matured yet. If that scoundrel Danzo works in tandem, there's a good chance he can be killed.

Madara Uchiha said dismissively.

He understood the meaning behind Black Zetsu's words, but how could Madara Uchiha possibly deal with a mere 9-year-old brat?

He would never do something so pointless.

"If this brat doesn't die, there might be one more person to dance with in the future. After Hashirama Senju died, there were no more ninjas in this world who could dance with him. This brat has that potential."

Madara Uchiha thought to himself, a strange sense of excitement rising within him.

He enjoys fighting powerful opponents because it makes him feel alive.

The exhilarating feeling of fighting against an evenly matched opponent is precisely the joy of his life.

Unfortunately, since Hashirama Senju died, no one has been able to give him that kind of pleasure anymore.

Now, he might be able to enjoy this pleasure again before he dies.

"Yes, sir."

Black Zetsu nodded, not surprised by Madara Uchiha's answer. He sighed inwardly, "If Madara Uchiha could let go of his arrogance, the Eye of the Moon Plan would definitely go much more smoothly. But it is precisely this arrogance that has given me confidence, which has allowed me to avoid arousing Madara Uchiha's suspicion."

Madara Uchiha disliked wasting time. Seeing that Hashirama Senju's body was well preserved, he felt relieved and immediately manipulated Tobi back to his original position, then fell into a deep sleep again, quietly waiting for Black Zetsu to awaken him next.

……

Time flies, and another month has passed.

In the Land of Hot Springs, on a stormy night filled with thunder and lightning, a burly young ninja with white hair and dark skin sat cross-legged on a large rock atop a high peak. Wearing a black mask, he watched the lightning streaking across the sky, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

This dark-skinned, white-haired youth was Kirito's Lightning Release clone, and he was currently planning to use the massive thunderstorm in front of him to comprehend Lightning Release.

As for how to comprehend it, that naturally requires drawing lightning into the human body.

The next moment, blue and white electricity suddenly lit up his body, quickly spreading across his front, and then a blue and white current shot straight into the sky.

At the same time, a curse mark on his chest lit up with a fiery red light, and a large number of fiery red runes covered his entire body, causing his chakra to surge dramatically, and his skin to turn deep red.

The towering mountain peaks are naturally targets of dense lightning strikes, but now Kirito is using the electric current formed by his Lightning Release chakra to act as a lightning rod.

Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the White Zetsu clone precisely.

Blue and white lightning pillars enveloped the lightning clone.

The power of thunder and lightning is undoubtedly terrifying. A single bolt of lightning can have a voltage of hundreds of millions or even up to a billion. If an ordinary person is struck by it, they will be instantly electrocuted into charcoal.

However, the lightning clone remained calmly seated on the large rock despite the lightning attack. There were no signs of being charred, only that its hair stood on end and there were a few minor scratches on its skin.

Soon, the lightning pillar formed by the natural lightning disappeared, and the lightning clone reopened its eyes, emitting a large amount of heat from its body.

"The Third Raikage's lightning release talent is truly amazing, and his physical strength is also incredibly impressive. He was not seriously injured even after being struck by natural lightning."

Kirito stretched his body slightly, then used his Yang-attribute chakra to heal his injuries with the Palm Healing Technique, and sighed.

The reason why the Lightning Release clone was able to survive natural lightning is partly due to his high resistance to electricity. The deeper his understanding of Lightning Release, the higher his resistance to electricity. On the other hand, his physical strength is very strong. Although it is far from the level of the Third Raikage, it is still about 20-30% as strong.

Furthermore, the activation of the Kirito-style cursed seal technique on his body further enhanced his physical strength.

Finally, Kirito transformed his Lightning Release clone into a lightning rod, diverting most of the current into the ground.

Using Lightning Release clones to improve Lightning Release level is the correct method. After he let his soul clone occupy the Lightning Release clone, his Lightning Release training speed, which had been stagnant for a while, immediately regained the smooth and fast feeling he had when he first started training Lightning Release.

Now, by using this method of drawing lightning into the human body to comprehend lightning escape, his speed of lightning escape cultivation can be described as leaping forward.

In addition, the Lightning Release clone inherited the powerful physical strength talent of the Yotsuki clan. After some taijutsu training and obtaining a large amount of resources for taijutsu training, its physical strength increased rapidly, as did its chakra reserves.

Because of their superior physical abilities, Lightning Release clones can activate their cursed seals for extended periods to enhance their strength.

In just four months, Kirito has successfully raised his Lightning Release level to level four using his Lightning Release clones, and is now working his way up to level five.

The reason he continued to use Lightning Release clones to comprehend Lightning Release was that even after both Water Release and Lightning Release had reached level four, he still couldn't find the opportunity to fuse these two chakras together to form Storm Release. He felt an invisible resistance preventing the two chakras from completely fusing together.

Although this invisible resistance has been weakening through continuous attempts, the integration process is still too slow.

Left with no other choice, he continued to use his White Zetsu clones and Lightning Release clones to comprehend and improve the levels of Water Release and Lightning Release, hoping to accelerate the fusion process.

Compared to the Water Release talent of the White Zetsu clones, the Lightning Release talent of the Lightning Release clones is slightly higher.

Kirito, with the intention of using Magnet Release as a regular attack method on the battlefield in the future, has been focusing on using Lightning Release clones to comprehend Lightning Release recently.

At the same time, he also took this opportunity to visit the border troops of Iwagakure to deepen his understanding of Lightning Release, and incidentally further exacerbate the conflict between Iwagakure and Kumogakure, so that the village would be temporarily unable to target Konoha.

The nighttime thunderstorm in the Land of Hot Water didn't last long; it ended after Kirito used his Lightning Release clones to withstand hundreds of natural lightning bolts.

At this moment, the lightning clone also suffered considerable injuries, as its body was somewhat numb due to being electrocuted by high voltage for a long time.

Just as Kirito was about to use his Lightning Release clone to leave, two masked Cloud Village Anbu ninjas suddenly appeared. The two drew a ninja sword wrapped with dense electricity and slashed at the Lightning Release clone's neck from the left and right.

The speed of that slash was as fast as lightning.

But then a thunderclap suddenly appeared, and the ninja swords in the hands of the two pierced through the necks of the lightning clones.

Upon seeing this, the two men's expressions changed drastically, but they both calmly and quickly formed a hand seal.

The next moment, a flash of light appeared.

The bodies of two Cloud Village Anbu ninjas were cut in half by a ninja sword covered in lightning chakra.