Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

What's most infuriating is that this is a blatant conspiracy, making it difficult to find an effective solution.

Although Momoka knew that Kirito was intelligent enough to understand what was going on and probably wouldn't care about these things, she cared about them very much.

Kirito is Mito-sama's personal disciple and the current face of the Senju clan.

She couldn't bear to see Kirito's reputation tarnished by such despicable means, and she especially didn't want anyone in Konoha to treat a hero who had risked his life for Konoha in this way.

If such a thing were to happen, it might not chill Kirito's heart, but it would certainly chill the hearts of those warriors who were also risking their lives for Konoha on the front lines.

Kirito is now a role model for countless frontline soldiers, and an idol for those passionate young ninjas who still cherish justice and ideals. If he is treated in such a dishonorable and unfair way, what will the other Konoha ninjas who idolize Kirito think?

Will they still be passionate about protecting Konoha?

Will we continue to believe in the Will of Fire left behind by the First Lord?

"The Will of Fire must not be tainted in the slightest. Anyone who dares to do such a shameful thing behind the scenes must die."

Tao Hua pondered for a moment with a solemn expression, then said through gritted teeth.

The Will of Fire is the most precious thing that Hashirama left to Konoha. It is because of its existence that the major ninja clans regard Konoha as their home.

If the Will of Fire is tainted, Konoha will exist in name only.

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Tao Hua immediately stood up, quickly went into her study, wrote more than twenty letters, handed them to her subordinates, and instructed them to personally deliver the letters to the recipients.

"I hope these people will make the right choice. This is a matter of principle. Anyone who is unwilling to abide by it has no reason to continue living in Konoha. Lord Hashirama, Konoha has indeed been growing, but in the process, many rotten roots have also grown. These rotten roots must be removed."

After sending the letter, Tao Hua quietly made up her mind.

……

In the Uchiha clan's territory, at Chizuru's home.

Uchiha Homura was talking to a blue cat that stood upright like a human in her room, and their conversation was nearing its end.

Blue Cat is actually Kirito's summoning beast, Tom.

"Tom, I've noted down your master's request. Go back and tell him what he wants, and I'll get it for him as soon as possible."

Uchiha Homura said to Tom with a smile.

After saying that, he took out a can of cat food from a well-known brand from the drawer and handed it to the blue cat in front of him.

Tom's eyes lit up when he saw the cat food. He immediately reached out and took the cat food, saying with great joy, "Okay, I'll put in a good word for you with the boss."

"Tom, have you grown a lot recently? You seem to have gotten quite a bit bigger."

Just as Tom was about to leave, Uchiha Homura suddenly asked.

The last time he saw Tom, Tom only came up to his knees; now he's up to his chest.

Because Uchiha Homura gave him cat food, Tom satisfied her curiosity and proudly said, "Your observation skills are quite good. As expected of the head of the Uchiha clan, I am indeed growing recently. Hehe, just you wait and see. In a while, I will definitely become the fifth king of ninja cats."

"I see. Then I wish you success soon."

Uchiha Homura said thoughtfully.

The Ninja Cat Clan has four powerful members, all of whom are large summoning beasts, comparable in size to tailed beasts, and possess formidable combat power.

Tom is still far from being a large summoning beast, but Uchiha Homura did not doubt Tom's words because he discovered a very special energy in Tom.

This energy is natural energy.

As one of the best among the Kage-level powerhouses, he naturally discovered the existence of natural energy a long time ago, and there are also many records about natural energy in his family.

Unfortunately, the Uchiha clan seems to have mediocre talent in cultivating natural energy. Even though a Kage-level powerhouse is born in each generation, none of them have successfully cultivated natural energy and ultimately become a Sage.

Even so, the Uchiha clan has done some research on natural energy. Their biggest discovery is that natural energy has the effect of making living things gigantic, a phenomenon that generally only applies to summoned beasts.

In the ninja world, every large summoning beast cultivates natural energy to some extent.

It is precisely because of their long-term cultivation of natural energy that these summoned beasts possess such astonishing physical qualities. Some of the best among them have even successfully fused their chakra with natural energy into Sage Chakra, becoming immortals with long lifespans.

Tom has now successfully cultivated natural energy, and his future achievements are immeasurable. He may very well become the fifth Heavenly King of the Ninja Cat Clan.

However, he was puzzled because, according to what he had learned from the other ninja cats, Kirito's summoning beast Tom was actually just an ordinary ninja cat. Although its strength was quite good, comparable to an elite Chunin, it had never shown any talent for cultivating natural energy within the clan.

For ninja beasts to cultivate natural energy, they also need talent. If they are not ninja beasts from the three sacred lands, and do not have an excellent cultivation environment and a systematic and effective cultivation method, they will die if their talent is not high enough.

Although the Ninja Cat Clan has large Ninja Cats, they do not have a systematic and effective training method, nor do they have the superior natural energy training environment of the Three Sacred Lands.

The Four Heavenly Kings of the Ninja Cats were able to grow into large summoning beasts not only because they had good natural energy cultivation talent, but also because of some fortuitous encounters. Each of their growth paths is unique and cannot be replicated.

Otherwise, with the ninja cat clan numbering in the tens of thousands and the foundation accumulated over thousands of years, there would definitely be more than just four large ninja cats.

In the ninja world, only the Ninja Toad Clan of Mount Myōboku and the Ninja Snake Clan of Ryūchi Cave are capable of consistently raising large summoning beasts. Other ninja beast clans generally have to rely on luck.

Tom had no interest in continuing his casual conversation with Uchiha Homura; he still had other tasks assigned to him by the new boss, Kirito, to complete.

He decisively extended a cat paw, elegantly opened the can of cat food, tossed the treat inside into his mouth and ate it, then jumped out the window and quickly disappeared into the night.

"Old friend, what do you think?"

After Tom left, Uchiha Homura suddenly spoke up.

The next moment, an orange cat holding a pipe silently emerged from the shadows. If Kirito were here, he would definitely recognize it at a glance as the ninja cat leader, Orange Fire, which he had summoned earlier using the Summoning Jutsu.

At this time, Juhu was the size of a normal adult cat and looked like just an orange cat with a somewhat peculiar appearance, posing no threat. However, Uchiha Homura remained on high alert.

He was well aware of Tachibana's strength; if she were to cause trouble on Uchiha territory, it would be no joke.

In fact, he hadn't seen the leader of the ninja cats for a long time. The last time they met was decades ago. But today, he made an unprecedented request to ask other ninja cats to summon him to Konoha. His only purpose was to see Tom, the ninja cat who had become Kirito's exclusive summoning beast.

"This brat who hasn't been home for almost a year has indeed mastered the training method for natural energy. It seems that the kid named Kirito not only mastered Sage Chakra, but also has mastered a systematic method for cultivating natural energy."

Orange Flame stared intently in the direction Tom had gone.

Tom, a ninja cat with mediocre talent for cultivating natural energy, learned to cultivate natural energy so quickly after following Kirito. This means that Kirito has the ability to teach other ninja cats to cultivate natural energy, which is a huge deal for the ninja cat clan.

If the Ninja Cat Clan can obtain the method of cultivating natural energy from Kirito, then the Ninja Cat Clan might be able to establish the fourth Summoning Beast Holy Land in the Ninja World.

"This method is probably not that simple, and the price you would have to pay to get Kirito to teach your ninja cat clan how to cultivate natural energy would certainly be enormous."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Homura poured cold water on the water.

Regarding Kirito's mastery of Sage Chakra, he had actually noticed it from the time Kirito brought back the unconscious Chizuru. At that time, he keenly discovered traces of Sage Chakra on Chizuru's body.

This Sage Chakra clearly doesn't belong to Chizuru, so it's obvious to whom it belongs.

Later, he discovered that the cursed seal on Chizuru's body also showed fluctuations of Sage Chakra. Although the Sage Chakra born from the cursed seal gave him a very poor and weak feeling, it was indeed Sage Chakra formed by the combination of chakra and natural energy.

In this way, he understood the effect of the cursed seal that Kirito had placed on Chizuru.

Unsurprisingly, Tom's ability to cultivate natural energy is likely due to a similar curse mark placed on him by Kirito.

Therefore, if the Ninja Cat Clan wants to obtain a method to cultivate natural energy, they must have a cursed seal placed on them by Kirito.

"As long as the Ninja Cat Clan can obtain the method to cultivate natural energy, any price is worth paying."

Upon hearing what Uchiha Homura said, Tachibana Fire responded without hesitation.

Nonsense. How could it be possible to make the methods of systematically cultivating natural energy incredibly precious for people with little talent for cultivating natural energy, and for spiritualists, without paying a huge price?

What he was most worried about was not paying a huge price, but being rejected by Kirito and having no way to seek help.

Furthermore, he was extremely greedy and wanted to obtain the method of cultivating Sage Chakra from Kirito. If Kirito was willing to teach him the method of cultivating Sage Chakra, he would be willing to pay any price, as long as it didn't mean he would die.

"You have good taste, not bad."

Seeing that Tachibana was so willing to invest so much, Uchiha Homura looked at him with admiration and praised him.

As expected of the ninja beast clan that the Uchiha clan has taken a liking to, their desire for power is second to none.

"If only that kid were willing to teach the Uchiha clan how to cultivate natural energy, but that's probably impossible. At least I don't foresee that possibility while I'm alive. That kid will definitely only teach this method to his true kin. Besides, it's taboo for him to let others learn how to cultivate natural energy. Those proud guys in the clan would never accept a cursed seal that could bind them for life."

Homura Uchiha sighed as he recalled how Kirito had taught others how to cultivate natural energy.

"Yan, you're on good terms with that kid, remember to put in a good word for me later. I have guests, so I'll be going now."

Upon hearing Uchiha Homura's praise, Tachibana smiled slightly.

After saying that, he turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared from the spot.

As soon as Tachibana left, Uchiha Kari immediately appeared in front of Uchiha Homura and said respectfully, "Lord Homura, the Senju clan requests an audience."

"What is that old woman up to so late at night? Bring your men over."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Homura's expression turned slightly serious, and he spoke.

Uchiha Kari agreed and went to do it.

Soon, a Senju clan ninja came to Uchiha Homura and handed her the letter written by Momoka with both hands, saying, "Clan Chief Homura, this is a letter that my clan chief ordered me to give to you."

Uchiha Homura took the letter and opened it on the spot.

The letter contained information about the protest letters the Third Hokage received from other major ninja villages that day, as well as some unpleasant things that Momoka believed might happen next. In the letter, Momoka explicitly requested that the Uchiha clan maintain a fair attitude in the face of these potential troubles.

A few seconds later, his expression turned extremely serious. He thought in surprise, "As expected, a storm is brewing. It seems that this kid has already instilled fear in the other ninja villages, to the point that he has become shameless."

"Please go back and tell your clan head that the Uchiha clan will definitely maintain a fair attitude."

Without hesitation, Uchiha Homura expressed his stance to the Senju clan ninja in front of him regarding Momoka's request.

Because of Chizuru, the Uchiha clan is now essentially on the same side as Kirito, and with Kirito displaying astonishing strength, there's no reason for the Uchiha clan not to follow suit.

As for Konoha, it might be because Kirito is simultaneously attacked by other ninja villages?

That's nothing.

The Uchiha clan has never been afraid of challenges.

"If that happens, then the shackles that Konoha has placed on the Uchiha clan will have to be removed. This crisis is both a challenge and an opportunity for the Uchiha clan. If they win the gamble, the Uchiha clan will surely be reborn in Konoha."

As Uchiha Homura watched the departing figures of the Senju clan ninja, a hint of anticipation appeared on her face.

The Uchiha clan is not afraid of fighting now; what they fear is not having the opportunity to fight.

He now has a premonition that the time is not far off when the Uchiha clan will break free from their shackles.

As the most powerful ninja clan in Konoha, the Uchiha clan would naturally step forward when Konoha faced a life-or-death crisis. In this way, the Uchiha clan could wash away the sins committed against Konoha by the enemy with their own blood.

After the Senju clan ninjas left, Uchiha Homura summoned one of his subordinates and said, "Have Uchiha Haku, Uchiha Dairen, and Uchiha Rei come over."

Uchiha Haku, Uchiha Otome, and Uchiha Rei were the three vice-captains of the Uchiha Police Force, clearly the leaders of the militant, moderate, and neutral factions within the Uchiha clan.

In order to cooperate with and support Momoka's request, he decided to make good use of the Uchiha Guard's strength in Konoha.

Meanwhile, in the Hyuga clan's territory, Hyuga Kazuma also received a handwritten letter from Momoka from a Senju clan ninja.