Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Upon receiving the news, the Third Raikage and other high-ranking members of Kumogakure were filled with doubt and shock, and then they all became vigilant.

For safety reasons, Ailu, the Raikage's secretary, opposed the Third Raikage's trip. Unfortunately, her objections were ineffective, and the Third Raikage eventually overruled everyone's objections and went to investigate. However, when he arrived with a group of elite Jonin, he happened to encounter Madara Uchiha using Wood Release: Flower Tree World Descent.

And so, their group met with tragedy, as they were paralyzed and collapsed after accidentally inhaling pollen blown by the wind.

Not long after they took the medicine and were no longer paralyzed, they saw a fire tornado appear.

The Third and Fourth Raikage, having activated their Lightning Release Chakra Mode, were incredibly fast. They covered the seven or eight kilometers in just a few breaths. However, despite their immense physical strength and the lightning armor protecting them, they ultimately had to stop before the wall of intense heat in front of them.

The temperature ahead was extremely high, at least several thousand degrees Celsius. Due to such high temperatures, the rain clouds above the area were evaporated. Even someone as powerful as the Third Raikage would probably be reduced to ashes in no time if he tried to force his way in.

"Who exactly unleashed such a powerful ninjutsu? What are they trying to hide?"

The Third Raikage stared at the sea of ​​fire before him, his face extremely grim.

With this fire, it's estimated that no trace of the battle will be left; everything will be burned to the ground.

"Dad, there's a very peculiar chakra fluctuation lingering here. Can you sense it?"

The Fourth Raikage asked, frowning.

Upon hearing this, the Third Raikage nodded and said, "Of course, I guess that special chakra fluctuation should be Sage Chakra."

"Sage Techniques! You mean there are ninjas here who have mastered Sage Techniques fighting?"

The Fourth Raikage was taken aback when he heard his father's words.

He had already become a Kage-level ninja, so naturally he wanted to go further. However, for every ninja who had reached the Kage level, it was extremely difficult to continue to improve their strength. Every step forward required a lot of time, and they might even find that there was no way forward.

At this point, almost every Kage-level powerhouse would turn their attention to Sage Techniques.

With his current abilities, he can already vaguely sense the existence of natural energy. It was because of this that he was able to detect something amiss in the chakra remaining here, but he never expected it to be Sage Chakra.

As far as he knew, the only known human sage in the ninja world was that mysterious Kage-level powerhouse who had appeared once in Konoha.

"Dad, could it have been done by someone from Konoha?"

The Fourth Raikage immediately remembered this person and asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but one thing is certain: there is another ninja here who can rival a sage. This ninja world is truly full of hidden talents."

The Third Raikage shook his head, a deep solemnity on his face.

Since he mastered his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and trained his physical abilities to an inhuman level, he believed that there was no one in the ninja world he could not defeat. However, judging from the sea of ​​fire before him, he was really looking down on things.

If he were to be hit by this ninjutsu, given his abilities, he would undoubtedly die.

"Why are these two fighting here? Dad, I'm starting to think there's something fishy going on in Amegakure."

The Fourth Raikage spoke with an uncertain expression, a sense of awe rising in his heart.

He was also shocked by the sea of ​​fire before him, and when he learned that the sea of ​​fire was created by a sage ninja using sage techniques, he felt both longing and awe for sage techniques.

Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving.

You can only know how powerful something is by seeing it with your own eyes.

He used to think that by continuing to delve deeper into the Lightning Release Chakra Mode ninjutsu, his own strength could continue to improve rapidly, but now he has an urgent desire to explore the gates of Sage Mode.

Knowing son Moruo father.

The Third Raikage could tell what his son was thinking at a glance. He patted his shoulder with his large hand and said earnestly, "Sage Techniques are not easy to obtain. There are very few ninjas in this world who have successfully mastered Sage Techniques, and even then, they may not have the opportunity to come into contact with them."

Once upon a time, when he was young, he also had the idea of ​​seeking immortal techniques. So he went to look through a lot of secret files in the village, hoping to find clues about immortal techniques. All the clues pointed to the sacred land of the third generation of spirit beasts.

There is no sacred ground in the ninja world specifically for humans to cultivate immortal techniques.

He felt helpless about this and could only accept the fact.

To be honest, he personally resisted accepting immortal techniques taught by other beings, because the difference between humans and toads, snakes and slugs is too great. They are not even the same kind of creatures. If humans practice immortal techniques taught by other beings, not to mention the success rate, there will definitely be many hidden dangers.

Therefore, when he discovered that immortal arts could only be cultivated through the three holy lands, and that the success rate was extremely low, he gave up his desire to learn immortal arts.

He is the pillar of Yunyin, and there are many things he cannot do as he pleases. If he were to die while forcibly cultivating immortal arts, Yunyin would definitely be greatly affected.

He had considered attacking the three holy lands to obtain the methods of cultivating immortal techniques from the aliens, and then improve upon them. However, each of the three holy lands was not easy to deal with. Perhaps Yunyin could eliminate one of them by exerting all its strength, but it would definitely be a lose-lose situation.

At that time, other ninja villages will surely take advantage of the situation, and as a result, not only will Kumogakure be destroyed, but the fruits of victory will also be stolen by others.

Unless two major ninja villages join forces to attack one of the holy sites.

Unfortunately, the Hidden Cloud Village has many conflicts with other major ninja villages, making it difficult to bring this together. The most troublesome thing is that the three great holy lands have connections with many forces in the ninja world, and their relationship with the Hidden Leaf Village is particularly close.

According to current intelligence, the three legendary ninja of Konoha are the contractors of Shikkotsu Forest, Ryuchi Cave, and Mount Myōboku, respectively. If Kumogakure and other ninja villages launch an attack on the three sacred sites, they may immediately engage in battle with Konoha.

With Konoha's support, the outcome of the battle is hard to predict.

"I understand."

The young Fourth Raikage gave a perfunctory reply when he heard his father say that.

Having already witnessed the power of immortal arts, he naturally couldn't give up easily. Giving up easily wasn't in his nature. Regardless of success or failure, he had to explore the realm of immortal arts.

The Third Raikage didn't take his son's advice to heart, nor did he care much. Young people should have the vigor of youth. He hoped that his son and his successors could do what he couldn't.

If someone were to successfully bring the legacy of Sage Techniques back to Kumogakure, that would be the best outcome.

Then, his expression turned serious, and he adopted the demeanor of the Raikage, ordering his son, "Alright, stop thinking nonsense. Go back and call some people over, and then completely block all news from here. The fewer people who know about the mysterious Kage-level powerhouse who knows Sage Mode and the mysterious ninja who can rival him, the better."

"Yes."

The Fourth Raikage understood his father's meaning and immediately obeyed.

But before leaving, he tentatively asked, "Should we continue fighting Amegakure?"

Before coming here, he was a staunch advocate of war regarding the issue of Amegakure. However, now that he has discovered that Amegakure may be being targeted by two powerful and mysterious figures, his resolve has inevitably wavered.

He, being young, understood the principle of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

He didn't want Yunyin to work for others for nothing, to be used as a pawn. The thought of that possibility made him very uncomfortable.

"Hmph, it's already a decision, how can it be treated lightly? This is none of your business, just do as I say."

The Third Raikage smacked his son on the head with a punch and scolded him.

The Fourth Raikage could only curse and curse as he activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode and left.

"Fool, once the arrow is drawn, there's no turning back. Even if you and I wanted to stop, how could those people below possibly be willing to stop? Besides, Rain Village is already on the verge of collapse, and victory is just around the corner."

The Third Raikage looked in the direction his son had left and sighed.

He discovered that there might be two other powerful figures behind this battle, and he was also uneasy and unhappy. However, having already benefited from Amegakure, Kumogakure was now unstoppable.

……

Meanwhile, in Konoha, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, with dark circles under his eyes, was looking at an encrypted letter that had just been delivered from the front lines with a distressed expression.

He stared at the letter in his hand for a long time, then sighed, "Tsunade, what are you thinking? What did Hattori Masanari say to you that made you go to such lengths to help Amegakure?"

Chapter 234: Uchiha Homura's Mangekyou Sharingan

The Third Hokage is currently very troubled and conflicted. He thought he had arranged the most important things tonight and could finally get a good night's sleep, but just as he was putting down the troubles caused by Kirito, Tsunade has brought him new troubles.

The Third Hokage's first impression of Tsunade's disciple was one of relief. He was a good child, without much ambition or interest in power, which was good because it wouldn't conflict with his interests. Moreover, he was very filial, and even if there were minor disagreements, he would always side with him.

Such a sweet and considerate daughter is so rare among his close friends and family, he can't help but spoil her.

However, he recently discovered that Tsunade was becoming increasingly disobedient, and he had no complaints about it; on the contrary, he felt somewhat ashamed.

Because all of this is related to him, and he was in the wrong first.

Therefore, even though Tsunade's attitude towards him is getting worse and worse, he silently endures it and tries his best to meet her demands, hoping that the master-disciple relationship between him and Tsunade will not break down.

However, Tsunade's behavior tonight was somewhat unusual.

She would persuade him to send troops to aid Amegakure, and if he refused, she would volunteer to participate in the war between Amegakure and Kumogakure.

Tsunade's request in the letter seemed very tactful and did not contain any coercive intent. However, given Tsunade's status, even if she publicly announced that she was intervening in the war between Amegakure and Kumogakure on her own voluntary basis, it was actually no different from Konoha intervening in the war between Amegakure and Kumogakure.

If that time comes and a large number of Konoha ninja choose to follow Tsunade to support Amegakure, where will he, as Hokage, put his face?

This is very likely to happen.

Because she is Tsunade.

"Are you really planning to become Hokage by doing this, Tsunade?"

The three generations sighed.

In his view, Tsunade's intervention in the conflict between Amegakure and Kumogakure, with the Konoha ninjas who had voluntarily followed her, was definitely a signal that the battle for the Hokage position had begun. If Tsunade could successfully lead her followers to assist Amegakure in defeating Kumogakure, she would gain immense prestige.

Her leadership skills will be recognized by her followers and other observers, at which point the battle for the Hokage position can be considered over.

Can Tsunade lead Konoha to defeat Kumogakure?

The Third Hokage already knew the answer to this question: Tsunade would definitely lead Konoha to victory because she now had a reliable younger brother who could back her up. If she was pushed to the limit, simply releasing Kirito would already be half the battle won.

After much deliberation, the Third Hokage decided that it was better to agree to Tsunade's request. It was better to allow Konoha to intervene in the war between Amegakure and Kumogakure in his name than to force Tsunade to lead a large amount of resources to follow her in the war on her own voluntary basis.

This was a battle that was almost certainly going to be won, and it would be better for him to claim the spoils of victory.

It's too early for the battle for the Hokage position to begin now.

However, if he agrees to Tsunade's request, the villagers, whose hopes for peace have been shattered, will definitely harbor resentment towards him.

The lesser of two evils.

For the sake of long-term interests, he had no other choice but to make this decision.

As for the chakra metal that Tsunade mentioned in her mind and the future alliance between Amegakure and Konoha, he didn't take it too seriously.

Now that the chakra metal is in Tsunade's hands, it's practically in the hands of the Senju clan. Can he still ask Tsunade for it back? Tsunade might be willing, but that old woman Momoka certainly wouldn't.

In his view, there are benefits to Amegakure's alliance with Konoha, but it is inevitable that they might inadvertently raise a tiger that will turn out to be a threat.

Outsiders are ultimately untrustworthy, and so-called alliances are just a piece of waste paper that can be torn up at any time.

His apprentice was ultimately too young and too soft-hearted, and was taken advantage of.

"Sakumo, are you there?"

The third generation tapped the table with his fingers and spoke.

The next moment, Sakumo Hatake, wearing a dog mask, appeared in front of the Third Hokage and respectfully said, "Please give your orders, Third Hokage."

"Give this letter to Elder Taohua."