"Phew~"
The White Snake Sage, having sent off Kei Yamanaka, transformed into the guise of an old woman and let out a slight sigh of relief.
Damn it, Orochimaru!
What in the world did he send this time?
This guy not only mastered Sage Mode in an instant...
But also grew so powerful that even she felt genuine danger!
Don't think she didn't sense the surging Sage Chakra. He actually wanted to fight her earlier!
Damn it!
Why are humans so blessed by fate? He's barely twenty!
How could he possess such power?!
"Granny, when is that guy going to die..."
Ichikishima no Hime lay beside the White Snake Sage, drool flowing nonstop from her mouth.
So fragrant...
So irresistibly fragrant...
"He hasn't accepted my power. No matter how delicious he smells, you can't eat him."
The White Snake Sage glanced at Ichikishima no Hime beside her, feeling slightly speechless.
Was this even about fragrance?
If it weren't for Ryuchi Cave imitating the rules set long ago by the Sage of Six Paths at Mount Myoboku,
And had followed those rules consistently for a thousand years,
That ominous brat might have done something reckless just now!
"Slurp~ White Snake Sage, there's truly no other option?"
Tama no Hime helplessly slurped up the saliva dripping uncontrollably from her mouth, with a pitifully innocent expression.
"Don't even think about it—Wait a second? Wait until Tatsumi no Hime returns; ask her yourselves."
The White Snake Sage was about to warn the two snake goddesses further
When, upon sensing what had occurred at Ryuchi Cave's boundary, she paused, then smirked slightly.
Ah, Tatsumi no Hime truly is clever!
——————
Riding on the back of a giant python summoned via Orochimaru's Summoning Jutsu, Kei Yamanaka returned to Experiment Site Seven.
Before anyone could get a proper look at him, he vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Damn it! That was a real snake kiss, seriously!"
Crouching by the Bone-Erosion Plain's waterfall,
Kei used the Hydrification Technique along with the clear waterfall water to wash away the saliva left on his neck.
All that talk about deep admiration... not seeking titles or recognition, just wanting to be close to me—
Do they think I'm an idiot?
It was obvious—they were after his body!
Within Ryuchi Cave's orthodox Sage Art Inheritance (Sage Art inheritance), there existed many methods to absorb and devour others' chakra to strengthen oneself.
Though not as extreme as the Otsutsuki,
Who could directly devour jutsu techniques themselves,
And if the target strongly resisted, absorption would become impossible,
Still, when a beautiful, alluring serpent goddess approached with a pitiful expression,
Snuggling close in obvious flirtation,
If he hadn't kept his willpower strong and reacted fast (too much drool—it was sticky and gross),
And quickly pushed Tatsumi no Hime away,
He might've been taken advantage of right there!
"What happened to her reserved act earlier?! Now she's acting like some kind of... some kind of..."
Kei Yamanaka washed his neck clean with a look of disbelief.
If the Naruto world didn't have forums,
He'd definitely post on one right now:
[Ask] A beautiful serpent goddess keeps seducing me, kissing, hugging, even untying my belt—what should I do?
After cleaning away all traces of the mess.
Kei Yamanaka decided that from now on, he'd be better off summoning Ichikishima no Hime and Tama no Hime.
Those two clearly didn't have minds of their own. They probably wouldn't run wild like Tatsumi no Hime.
Yeah…probably…
He cast a glance at the slowly setting sun on the horizon.
Rather than heading back to Experiment Site Seven, Kei made his way toward Konoha.
As he passed by the Summon Aviary for avian summons,
he deliberately stepped inside to check up on his laid-back eagle-falcon Bi Diao, along with his remaining nine Corpse Crows.
However, when he saw over thirty owner signature plates beside the perches for those crows, all marked with the name "Minato Namikaze," together with the young crows upon them,
Kei left the Summon Aviary with a deep frown forming on his face.
Shady!
Too shady!
People always say it's easier to fall into bad habits than to do good.
So Minato was raising all these crows behind his back—was he plotting to raid someone's hideout?
Looking at the size of those birds,
it seemed likely that not long after they sparred, Minato had immediately started raising them.
Within no more than half a month,
these crows should complete their basic summon training and possess flight speeds rivaling adult birds.
"Minato Namikaze, you're the Golden Flash, not a Golden Bandit!"
Covering his face with one hand, Kei sighed.
Even the golden boy was turning shady!
If Minato unleashed this Flying Thunder God – The Crow Style on the battlefield, would average ninja even stand a chance?
Unless an opponent of equal strength could keep him occupied,
wherever Minato went, enemy forces would be plunged into fear dominated by crows.
Buzz—
Just as Kei was grumbling about Minato Namikaze nonstop,
the memory from a dispelled shadow clone suddenly appeared in his mind.
An emergency high council meeting?
Cloud and Mist have completely escalated into large-scale war?
Hmm?
What did Sand mean by suddenly mobilizing massive reserve supplies, halting mission assignments, and ordering all ninja to remain within the village on standby?
Were they...preparing to join the fight against Mist?
Surely they couldn't possibly be plotting to sneak attack Konoha?
"Guess you guys aren't even waiting until New Year! How eager can you get?"
Kei mused inwardly.
As he passed through the festive decorations lining Konoha's streets, seeing villagers greet each other with cheerful smiles, completely unaware of the looming war,
he activated his jutsu, leapt onto a nearby rooftop,
and vanished in a blur, speeding toward the Hokage Tower.
A few minutes later,
Kei stopped before the Hokage Tower.
His Root disguise-clad shadow clone, along with Zetsu-disguised Danzo, arrived beside him.
Looking at Danzo—appearing cold and emotionless, indistinguishable both visually and in terms of presence—
with his hands casually in his pockets, Kei silently formed one-handed seals.
Using the Mind Body Transmission Technique to link with White Zetsu's consciousness, Kei silently ordered the disguised Danzo to step forward slightly.
Moments later, the arriving members of Konoha's leadership quickly entered the Hokage Tower's conference room.
Fugaku Uchiha, the clan head and commander-in-chief of Konoha's Military Police Force, glanced at Danzo walking ahead before leaning in close to whisper into Kei Yamanaka's ear.
"What about Elder Hino's proposal from last time?"
"Fugaku-kun, the situation in the ninja world is unstable right now. It might not be wise for the Anbu Training Department to bring in too many new recruits all at once."
Seeing Fugaku's demeanor, Kei immediately realized he was deliberately making this suggestion within Danzo's earshot.
He feigned a look of concern, deliberately drawing out the suspense.
"Tch… That's quite unfortunate…"
"Therefore, I've discussed with Danzo-sama that we could first assign a single Uchiha Jonin to familiarize themselves with the workings of the Anbu Training Department. Then we can gradually increase the number of personnel under their mentorship. What do you think, Fugaku-kun?"
"I'm deeply honored by the trust shown by both Danzo-sama and you, Kei-kun! As part of Konoha, the Uchiha Clan naturally wishes to contribute our strength to the village!"
A faint tremor coursed through Fugaku Uchiha's body.
Despite his usual composure, though disappointed earlier, he struggled to contain his surging joy at this unexpected turn of events.
This was the Uchiha's long-awaited breakthrough!
"Hmph!"
White Zetsu, still disguised as Danzo, gave a cold scoff.
Though Fugaku received this icy reception, rather than showing any displeasure, he felt even more excited inwardly.
No matter how bad Danzo's attitude was, as long as he didn't protest, the deal was set!
And judging from Danzo's behavior toward Kei Yamanaka, Root would likely end up under his control, just as Elder Hino had predicted!
Settled—completely settled! The early gamble had paid off in a huge way!
Shoo—
Just then, a sharp gust of wind followed by the whistling slice of a kunai shot toward Kei Yamanaka from behind.
Fugaku Uchiha's expression changed instantly.
Without even checking who had dared to attack Konoha's leadership in the midst of so many Jonins present, he instinctively drew the kunai at his waist, spun mid-air, and raised his arm to block the incoming attack.
What timing for an ambush!
Though unsure which hidden village the fool came from, someone actually dared to strike when so many Jonins were gathered together.
Still, this could be a chance for Kei to owe the Uchiha another favor… Huh…
Tsunade?!
Not possible!
Isn't she staying with you?!
What are you doing here?!
Sister-in-law and brother-in-law getting overly physical—
Are you messing around?!
The three-comma Sharingan within Fugaku Uchiha's eyes began spinning rapidly.
Upon recognizing the attacker, his heart dropped—he barely managed to lower his kunai in time to dodge Tsunade's punch.
Tsunade clearly hadn't expected anyone else to interfere either.
She barely managed to shift her punch into a palm strike that slammed into Fugaku's crossed arms.
But she couldn't stop the Disturbance Taijutsu already charged in her palm.
Paa—
"…"
Kei Yamanaka's face twitched slightly as he looked at Fugaku Uchiha,
whose nervous system had been completely disrupted by the impact.
The blow sent Fugaku sprawling into an involuntary split, painfully straining sensitive areas as he tried to push himself up.
His body uncontrollably slid forward slightly again, intensifying the injury further.
He had seen Tsunade's attack coming earlier but, relying on his sheer physical constitution and the Hydrification Technique, he hadn't even intended to dodge at all.
What if he actually got hit...
Come on, sis, was that really necessary?
"Don't move."
Tsunade, her expression dark with fury, tried using Medical Ninjutsu to dispel the Disturbance Taijutsu coursing through Fugaku Uchiha.
But after such a powerful strike, how could its effects fade so quickly?!
Damn it!
Letting that bastard walk away unharmed!
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