Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Tsunade looked at the clear wine in her glass and murmured to herself.

The next moment, a voice suddenly appeared in her mind: "If you really are the Hokage, that would be great."

Chapter 227: The Future of Konoha

Upon hearing this voice, Tsunade's expression instantly changed, and she abruptly stood up, dropping her wine cup and spilling wine all over the floor.

She looked around and strained her senses, but still found nothing.

She was absolutely certain that she hadn't misheard that voice; it was the voice of Hattori Masanari, who had just left. That bastard was still persistent and had come back again, this time in an even more secretive way.

"Stop looking. I'm talking to your brain. You can think of it as using a ninjutsu similar to the mind-to-body transmission technique of your mountain clan to talk to you. However, to do this, a few extra conditions are required, but the range of sound transmission is much better."

A moment later, Kirito's voice appeared in Tsunade's mind once again.

"Stop your ninjutsu immediately, or I will consider this a provocation from Amegakure against Konoha. You should know my influence in Konoha. Offending me is more serious than offending Kumogakure."

Tsunade replied with an icy expression, her voice revealing a deep killing intent.

As a top-tier medical ninja, her understanding and control of chakra surpasses that of most Kage-level ninjas. She had just thoroughly examined her body and found absolutely no trace of foreign chakra.

She was certainly familiar with the secret techniques of the mountain clan, and had even studied them.

This ninjutsu essentially requires the injection of Yin Release chakra into another person's body to be successfully activated, but she didn't have a single trace of foreign chakra in her body.

Therefore, she knew that what the other party had just said was complete nonsense, and that the other party's methods were more sophisticated and bizarre than she had imagined.

She didn't want anything left on her body by the other person.

Moreover, judging from what the other party just said, even if that damned Rain Ninja wasn't here, he could still eavesdrop on her conversation.

This is terrifying. If the other party's ninjutsu can secretly listen to her at all times, wouldn't she be able to take away many secrets without her even knowing?

"Sigh~, I really didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to have a good talk with you."

The next moment, Kirito's voice appeared in Tsunade's mind once again.

Then, to Tsunade's astonishment, Hattori Masanari emerged from the bottle of sake she had placed on the table. However, this Hattori Masanari was clearly some kind of special clone, as his skin was much paler than the original.

Spore division.

This is a special clone technique developed by Kirito by combining the Spore Technique and the Clone Technique of White Zetsu clones. This clone technique completely sacrifices the combat power of the clones, putting all attribute points into stealth.

"This is my sincerity, Princess of Konoha. May I speak with you?"

Kirito said with a smile.

But as soon as he finished speaking, a fist came flying at him, instantly killing the spore clone, whose combat power was only at the level of an ordinary person, and it quickly withered into a pile of ashes.

"What kind of clone technique is this? Hattori Masanari can actually create such a stealthy clone. I wonder if this kind of clone technique can be learned. If the learning conditions are not high, then the spy power of Amegakure is too terrifying."

After Tsunade killed Kirito's spore clone with one punch, she looked at the wine bottle on the table and said with a grim expression.

She had actually examined the bottle carefully after getting her hands on it, but she hadn't noticed anything unusual at the time. This shows that Hattori Masanari's clone technique is extremely stealthy and truly impossible to guard against.

"Sigh~, Princess of Konoha, don't get so angry. It wasn't easy for me to create these clones. Please don't kill them. I really have no ill intentions. On the contrary, I'm here with the utmost sincerity to talk to you and Konoha behind you."

Soon, Kirito's voice appeared in Tsunade's mind once again.

"He also has a clone here with me!"

Upon hearing this voice, Tsunade's expression grew even more unpleasant. She decisively downed the entire bottle of wine in one gulp, then forcefully threw the wine glass and its contents outside.

However, Kirito's voice did not stop: "My ninjutsu is not so easy to break, Princess of Konoha. Your sensory abilities are too low. It is impossible for you to see through my ninjutsu. Not to mention you, not a single Konoha ninja in this military camp can detect my clone."

This statement certainly contains an element of boasting.

The reason why the spore clones have such a strong ability to hide is because they possess a trace of the power of the Divine Tree that the White Zetsu clones also possess, allowing them to use natural energy for disguise.

A ninja's sensory abilities are generally activated by chakra, but chakra and natural energy are two completely different types of energy. It would be strange if a sensory ninjutsu activated by chakra could detect natural energy. A ninja can only detect spore clones by relying on sensory abilities formed by natural energy.

Therefore, there was still someone in this military camp who could spot his White Zetsu clone, namely Jiraiya.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya's skills were not proficient. His mastery of natural energy cultivation was only barely at the beginner level. He could sense natural energy, but his application of it was very poor. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to activate the Two Lives Technique to gather natural energy for him when entering Sage Mode.

With Kirito's current Sage Mode abilities, his understanding of natural energy is far superior to Jiraiya's. Unless Jiraiya enters Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku and greatly enhances his perception, it would be impossible for him to detect Kirito's spore clones using only his half-baked natural energy perception in his normal state.

"Konoha cannot support Amegakure. That's the only answer I can give you. Now, immediately, withdraw all your clones that you left here, or you'll regret it later."

Seeing that Kirito wouldn't stop, Tsunade became furious and decisively gave him an ultimatum.

She personally dislikes this forced communication style, even though she knows the other party is forced to resort to this tactic.

"My sister is still the same as always, she likes to be straightforward. It's a pity that with my current identity, this is the only way I can communicate with you. After all, if I communicate with you in a normal way, a lot of people will pay attention to me, and it will be difficult to avoid leaks."

Kirito noticed Tsunade's anger and sighed inwardly.

Having no other choice, he had to offer some concrete evidence to defuse Tsunade's hostility: "The Root organization left behind by Danzo after his death is in cahoots with the new Root organization of your Konoha."

Upon hearing this news, Tsunade's anger was instantly extinguished, and a chill ran through her, making her feel cold.

She did not ignore the old Root organization that Danzo left behind after his death. On the contrary, she had been secretly mobilizing the Senju clan's resources to investigate the old Root organization.

Unfortunately, the Senju clan's power was already severely weakened. They were still relatively well-connected in Konoha and even the Land of Fire, where they had many spies. However, outside the Land of Fire, the Senju clan's influence was greatly reduced, making it difficult to track down the Root.

The only thing known is that this old Root did not fall apart after Danzo's death, but instead broke away from Konoha's control and went into hiding in the darkness.

She had always felt uneasy about this.

She knew very well why Danzo died; he was killed by the Senju clan in conjunction with a mysterious Kage-level powerhouse.

The Old Roots was an organization founded by Danzo, and its members were filled with people who worshipped him and were brainwashed by him.

As expected, this dark organization, born from the darkness of Konoha, will surely seek revenge in the future, and their target will naturally be the Senju clan. In that case, Nawaki and Kirito will also be their targets.

She trusts Kirito more now, but she doesn't trust Nawaki at all.

If the old roots were to specifically target Rope Tree, given Rope Tree's current strength, it would likely face certain death.

Now that she has learned from Hattori Masanari that the old Roots and the newly established Roots in Konoha are colluding, she can't help but worry. If this news is true, then even if Nawaki stays in Konoha, she is not 100% safe.

Furthermore, the new Root was established by the Third Hokage through two advisors, so in essence, the Third Hokage still had the final say in the new Root.

If the old roots and the new roots are truly colluding, wouldn't that mean her beloved teacher is still in contact with the old roots?

For a moment, Tsunade was in a state of turmoil, a deep unease enveloping her heart.

She believed Hattori Masanari was telling the truth because the special clone technique he had just displayed demonstrated strong espionage capabilities, and he was clearly being pressured into revealing such important information to attract her attention.

"What else do you know?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, remained silent for a moment, and tried her best to calm herself down before asking.

"That's all I can say about the Wood Release plan for now. Let's talk about Amegakure and Konoha first."

Seeing that Tsunade was finally no longer resistant to communicating with him in this way, Kirito threw out a little bait and began to negotiate with her.

Because both the main body and his clones had been quite busy for a while, he didn't pay much attention to the dark organization left behind by Danzo after his death.

After all, Danzo is dead, and this dark organization, having lost its leader, is basically no longer a threat.

In the original storyline, after Danzo's death, Root immediately fell apart. A large number of ninjas controlled by Danzo with the Tongue Disaster Seal defected and were subjected to fierce suppression by Konoha, quickly becoming a taboo part of Konoha's history.

However, perhaps because Danzo, who accidentally stumbled into the ninja world, flapped his wings a little too forcefully, he was more cunning than in the original story. He seemed to have foreseen his death and left a contingency plan in Root beforehand, so that even after his death, Root could still function normally and react quickly.

The core members quickly withdrew from Konoha and dispersed to various parts of the ninja world to lie in wait.

Furthermore, Danzo clearly studied the Spirit Transformation Technique he had mastered and developed corresponding ninjutsu that could shield the perception of souls, preventing him from using the Spirit Transformation Technique's special perception of souls to find the core members of Root and their headquarters.

It wasn't until recently, when the organization began to operate in Konoha again, that he had another opportunity to monitor them and uncover many secrets.

For example, the Wood Release and Sharingan plans.

For example, the third-generation son of Sarutobi Takashi colluded with the old Root members to cause trouble, and it was all aimed at him.

For example, a Konoha rogue ninja named Hiruko has become the current leader of the Old Root.

When Tsunade heard Kirito reveal the Wood Release plan, she was shocked once again.

She had heard of the Wood Release plan. Since her grandfather passed away, the Wood Release technique had been lost. However, Wood Release was the powerful bloodline limit that her grandfather possessed when he ruled the ninja world. In order to allow Konoha to regain the power of Wood Release, Konoha had secretly launched a Wood Release plan.

The Senju clan was a key participant in this plan, and many clan members and Konoha ninja sacrificed their lives for it, but it ultimately failed.

Now that this plan has been restarted, it will inevitably be accompanied by horrific human experiments, and it is unknown how many people will die this time.

But what worries her more is that the people at the root might make a move against Rope Tree.

Because he and Nawaki are the ones who truly inherited their grandfather's Wood Release bloodline limit. If we're talking about who in Konoha is most likely to awaken the Wood Release bloodline limit, it's definitely the two siblings.

Tsunade then found another reason why the old Roots would attack Nawaki.

She was eager to get more information about Root from Hattori Masanari, but she didn't lose her composure in her haste and make any rash promises. She replied seriously, "I'm not the Hokage. If you want to talk about Amegakure and Konoha, I suggest you go to my teacher, the Third Hokage. With your current abilities, you shouldn't have to worry about not being able to leave Konoha unscathed."

"But you are Kirito Tohsaka's older sister."

Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Kirito immediately spoke up.

"This has nothing to do with Kirito. Don't even think about messing with my brother."

Tsunade said coldly when she heard Hattori Masanari's plan to drag Kirito into this.

She only forced herself to talk to Hattori Masanari for the sake of her younger brother, Nawaki, but she would never betray her other brother for that reason.

"Don't worry, I have no ill intentions towards your brother, nor would I dare to have the slightest ill intentions towards this powerful figure who killed the Third Kazekage tonight. On the contrary, I am full of goodwill towards him."

Kirito said sincerely.

Tsunade didn't believe Kirito's lies about Hattori Masanari being disguised as a White Zetsu clone. She chuckled coldly, then quickly made up her mind and dismissed him again: "If you intend to drag Kirito into your war between Amegakure and Kumogakure, then our conversation ends here."

"My sister really cares about me."

Kirito felt a warmth in his heart when he saw Tsunade protecting him like this.

Then, he said with feigned helplessness, "Princess of Konoha, don't keep thinking about the downsides of Konoha's involvement in the war between Amegakure and Kumogakure. Let me tell you about the good side. I guarantee that this will benefit your Konoha and your two younger brothers."

Tsunade originally didn't intend to listen, because she was afraid that she would be swayed by what the other person said. However, when she heard the other person mention her two younger brothers, she couldn't help but want to hear how the other person would try to justify themselves.

"Kirito Tohsaka's big move tonight will definitely have a significant impact on the current situation in the ninja world. If nothing unexpected happens, Sunagakure will definitely be unable to fight Konoha anymore, and surrender is inevitable. In fact, their only Kage-level shinobi is still in Konoha. Who knows, in a few days, this Kage-level shinobi may also follow the Third Kazekage to his death."

By then, the decline of Sunagakure is inevitable, while your Konoha will defeat Sunagakure and win the war, and you will definitely gain a lot of benefits from Sunagakure. Moreover, you have Kirito Tohsaka, a genius ninja with unparalleled talent, so your future rise is almost a certainty.

However, I believe that the other major ninja villages in the ninja world will absolutely not give Konoha time to develop peacefully. They do not want Konoha to dominate the ninja world again. The reason they have not yet united to deal with Konoha is simply because there is still distrust between them and the time is not yet ripe.

Once they realize they can't stop Konoha's resurgence on their own, it's only a matter of time before they unite to deal with Konoha. Do you think Konoha, with its current strength, can simultaneously deal with Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure?

I'm certain that this alliance of three ninja villages against Konoha is just the beginning. There are many other ninja villages and nations in the ninja world that don't want Konoha and the Land of Fire to rise again.