Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Chizuru also had a slight smile on her face. She had long been aware of Kirito's choice, which was why she suddenly spoke up to support Takeshi Shiranui and the others, so that the balance within the small group could continue to be maintained.

"Kirito-sama, things might not go well with Sunagakure. They won't cooperate with us easily, and there are also considerable obstacles at home."

Suzaku Nara took a deep breath and reminded him.

Kirito's plan is excellent; having Sunagakure sabotage the peace talks is indeed a good idea. However, it will be quite difficult to implement. Putting aside whether Sunagakure will cooperate willingly, there will definitely be people within Konoha who will try to sabotage it. If any part of the plan goes wrong, the whole thing will be lost.

If the plan fails and is exposed, Kirito could be accused of disrupting peace, which is a serious crime.

"Don't worry, it's not just us who don't want peace talks. We clearly saw the hope of victory, but we couldn't continue fighting. That feeling of frustration is definitely not unique to us. Those seniors are even more frustrated than us, after all, their hatred for Sunagakure is much deeper than ours."

"If our Hokage were to bring about another peace without reparations, I think these senior figures would go crazy."

Kirito said quietly, a meaningful expression gradually appearing on his face.

Upon hearing this, the quick-witted Suzaku Nara immediately understood Kirito's meaning, and felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Kirito with a sense of unease.

He always thought Kirito was very brave, but he never imagined he would be this brave.

What's even more frightening is that he's only 11 years old, yet he's so shrewd and adept at manipulating people's hearts.

"This is not an easy person to please, old man."

Nara Suzaku muttered to himself.

Diversifying investments is a measure currently being implemented by the Nara clan in response to a potential major reshuffling of power in Konoha.

As a ninja clan with generally high intelligence among its members, the Nara clan had long ago discovered that the Senju clan, which had been declining, had the potential to rise again. This potential began when Mito Uzumaki took Kirito Tohsaka as her apprentice.

They just didn't expect that this possibility would become a reality so quickly.

The Nara clan naturally understood the significance of an 11-year-old powerful Kage-level fighter, especially considering that this Kage-level fighter was not only strong but also straightforward and unconventional.

The rise of the Senju clan is unstoppable.

This was the judgment made within the Nara clan.

Therefore, they are very eager to reconnect with the Senju clan.

Unfortunately, the Nara clan had long been bound to the Sarutobi clan, and it wouldn't be easy for them to break away from them. In short, it was impossible for the direct line of the Nara clan to disembark from the Sarutobi clan's ship.

Therefore, in order to ensure that the Nara clan would not be completely wiped out after losing the battle, they had no choice but to send some of their less important members to assist Kirito.

Suzaku Nara knew that the reason he was chosen by his family to be sent to Kirito's side was entirely due to the influence of his father, Sukuno Nara, who had helped Kirito during his student days.

Of course, Suzaku Nara was also very outstanding. At the age of 14, he had already reached the level of an elite Chunin, and he was considered outstanding among his peers in the clan.

Now, he has obtained the Enhancement Seal from Kirito, which many ninjas in the army dream of. After activating the seal, he will definitely have the combat power of a Jonin.

"This is the general trend. It's impossible to stop him from moving forward. We can only speed up our pace and keep up with him."

Suzaku Nara glanced furtively at the curse mark on the back of his left hand, then looked at the excited expressions on the faces of his two companions, and sighed inwardly.

Not only him, but also Akimichi Tsutomu and Yamanaka Santen, who came with him to join Kirito, successfully reached Jonin combat power after obtaining the enhanced curse seal.

Because of this, he clearly noticed that his two friends began to admire Kirito, who was three years younger than them, and were attracted by his will to refuse to compromise with the enemy.

He possesses the ability to empower others, is tough on the outside, and is a powerful figure who makes his enemies tremble.

Suzaku Nara knew that when these conditions were combined, even though Kirito was young, he could still quickly gain the support of many martial arts experts in the army.

This can be seen from the fact that many martial arts ninjas privately contacted him, Kirito's strategist.

Many people in the military have not yet publicly stood up to support Kirito because they are embarrassed and worried about retaliation from the Sarutobi clan. However, if the Third Hokage once again negotiates with Sunagakure without paying compensation, the number of people supporting Kirito will definitely increase dramatically.

The hidden dangers stemming from the Third Hokage's promise to Amegakure not to pay reparations during their surrender are now brewing.

"No, if I were Kirito, I would definitely spread rumors in the military that the Third Hokage is once again preparing to seek peace without paying reparations."

Suzaku Nara recalled the recent rumors circulating in the village about Kirito and maliciously speculated about them. He then looked at Kirito, only to find the other man smiling at him. Suzaku's heart tightened, his scalp tingled, and he sensed something was wrong.

"Take a look at this list. The people on it are all very combative martial arts ninjas from Sunagakure. They are also very dissatisfied with the peace talks between Sunagakure and Konoha."

Kirito looked at Suzaku Nara with a smile, then took out a list from his person and explained.

After saying that, he handed the list to Suzaku Nara, whose face was now showing a distressed expression.

He thought highly of Nara Shikaku's cousin. Besides being quite capable, he was also very intelligent and could help him handle many daily affairs. Most importantly, this person was very pragmatic and knew very well what was permissible and what was not.

For example, now that this young and promising member of the Nara clan has received the list from him, he knows what he should do next.

"Lord Kirito, it won't be easy for us to find and contact these people in a short time. Do you have any brilliant ideas?"

Nara Suzaku looked at the list of names and their information, and said to Kirito with a bitter expression.

He understood, of course, that Kirito meant by handing him the list; he wanted him to target the people on the list and make them pawns in this plan.

But this was the first time he had ever done something like this—turning people to their side—and he had no experience with it.

"Don't ask me. I've already given you the information. How you do it is up to you. I don't have that much time to do these things. If you rely on me for everything, I'll be exhausted. And how will you be able to stand on your own in the future? Just go ahead and do it boldly. You can use all the resources I have at my disposal. Think it through and write a detailed report for me."

When Kirito heard Suzaku Nara say that, he simply chose to quit, making Suzaku Nara's expression even more miserable.

He felt no psychological pressure whatsoever about it.

Now that he's a leader, he should do what a leader is supposed to do. He only needs to talk, and in critical moments, he should withstand the pressure and clean up the mess for his subordinates.

He has no intention of following the example of the third generation, doing everything personally and personally. If he did that, he would eventually become another third generation.

When Suzaku Nara saw that Kirito was really going to give up, he subconsciously looked at the others, only to find that they had all moved far away from him, clearly not intending to take on the difficult task that Kirito had given him.

"Nara family, I know you're smart. This plan is all up to you. Don't worry, if you need my help, I'll definitely do my best."

Uchiha Fu then joked.

"That's right, that's right. I, Shiranui Takeru, may not have any other skills, but I am good at fighting and enduring. If you need me, I will do my best."

Shiranui Takeshi patted his chest and said.

"Haha, Nara clan, I have high hopes for you. If you need anything, just let me know. Kuro and I will be staying at the military camp recently, ready to serve you at any time. Kirito-sama, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

Inuzuka Tsuru laughed loudly, then quickly left with his ninja dog, Kuromaru.

Shiranui Takeshi, Uchiha Fu, and Unno Daio also resigned from their posts to Kirito.

Soon, only Kirito, Chizuru, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio remained in the room.

"Kirito-sama, is it really okay? Including this?"

Seeing this, Suzaku Nara had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept the difficult task given to him by Kirito. He then raised the back of his left hand, revealing the curse mark on it, and tentatively asked.

"Of course, you can keep this. Everything on it is something I can grant. Whether you can get it or not depends on your abilities."

Kirito looked at the curse mark on the back of Nara Suzaku's left hand, nodded, and then handed a scroll to Nara Suzaku.

Strengthening the curse seal was originally an important means for him to develop his own power in the army.

One of the reasons he established the arena was to make the ninjas in the army fully understand the power of the enhanced cursed seal, and Shiranui Takeru, Unno Daio, and Uchiha Fu did a very good job in promoting the enhanced cursed seal.

The three recently used this to defeat many of their seniors who looked down on them, allowing many veterans in the army to deeply appreciate the power of the enhanced seal and to develop a desire for it.

If someone can help him carry out his plan, giving these people a strengthening seal will not be a problem.

Of course, the enhanced curse seals he provides now are all low-end versions, and the increase in strength is not significant. At most, they can temporarily elevate a Chunin to a Jonin, and they do not have the ability of the high-end versions to allow ninjas to absorb natural energy and create Sage Chakra.

Even so, the low-end version of the enhanced cursed seal is considered a treasure by many ninjas, worth risking their lives to obtain.

After all, in the ninja world, Jonin are among the elite ninjas, second only to Kage-level powerhouses. Their numbers are limited in each ninja village. Therefore, once a ninja becomes a Jonin, they not only have a promising future but also a lucrative career.

When Suzaku Nara heard that Kirito was willing to offer the enhanced seal as a reward, he was immediately reassured. He then took the scroll Kirito gave him, opened it, and was immediately taken aback.

Because anything recorded on the scroll would cause countless ninjas to fight over it if it were left out in the open.

This includes advanced puppets, weapons made of chakra metal, various improved ninjutsu and secret techniques, body modification and enhancement surgeries, and limb resuscitation surgeries, among others.

"He was actually willing to give up such a powerful puppet as a reward, along with some improved secret techniques and ninjutsu. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really couldn't imagine that this was the wealth that an 11-year-old ninja possessed."

As Suzaku Nara looked at the contents of the scroll, his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Putting aside others, he himself was also deeply moved after seeing it.

When Kirito fought Ebizo, he, as a decent grunt on the battlefield, also noticed it and naturally knew how powerful the puppets Kirito used were. If he could get one, he might as well become a puppeteer full-time.

He tried learning puppetry and found that this ninjutsu, which involves controlling puppets in battle, suited him quite well. If combined with Nara's secret techniques, he could create many different tactics on his own and unleash powerful combat capabilities in battle.

"Do a good job. If you succeed, I'll consider it a great achievement for you, and I'll upgrade your curse seal."

Suddenly, Kirito's words popped into Nara Suzaku's mind, which made his heart tremble again and his enthusiasm soared even higher.

"Kirito-sama, I will do my best to get things done."

Suzaku Nara took a deep breath and made up his mind to work with Kirito from now on.

"Very good, go ahead and do it with confidence. I'll take responsibility for anything that happens."

Kirito nodded in satisfaction.

Afterwards, Kirito spoke a few more words with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio before letting them go about their business.

"Are you really going to entrust this matter to them so easily? If they mess it up, that old man will have an excuse to make trouble for you."

After the three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio left, Chizuru frowned slightly and said...

She didn't trust Suzaku Nara. Even though Kirito had placed a curse mark on him, making it almost impossible for him to leak any information about Kirito, she still didn't trust these guys who had joined the crew midway because they saw the potential for profit.

"So what if it's messed up? Didn't you just say that in this world, the weak must obey the strong? I just need to keep getting stronger so I can ignore the rules set up by the weak. I don't really like conspiracies and tricks. Let others do those things for me. I'll just submit a draft plan."

Kirito, upon hearing this, replied nonchalantly.

The struggle for power and profit is not what he cares about most; what he cares about is becoming stronger.

Any power struggles he engages in within Konoha will ultimately only serve to help him become stronger.

Chapter 215: Orochimaru's Pride

Not long after Suzaku Nara left the room, his previously energetic expression instantly collapsed, and he began to sigh.

"Suzaku, don't look so sad. This task assigned by Kirito-sama is a good test for us. If we mess it up, we'll be in big trouble and will definitely be ostracized from the core."

Upon seeing this, Akimichi Tsutomu offered some words of advice.

After saying that, he took out a bag of limited-edition wasabi-flavored potato chips that he hadn't been able to bear eating for the past few days from his pocket and handed it to Nara Suzaku.

He's not good with words and not very bright, so this is the only way he can cheer on his friend.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio is a unified entity. Kirito only assigns the task to Suzaku Nara on the surface, but in reality, he wants all three of them to work together to accomplish this task.