"Phew~"
After sending off Yamanaka Shinno, the White Snake Sage, now in the form of an elderly woman, let out a small sigh of relief.
Damn that Orochimaru!
What kind of monster did he just bring here? Not only did he master Sage Mode in an instant, but he was so powerful that even she felt a strong sense of danger.
It wasn't just her imagination—she could feel that surging Sage Chakra. That guy had genuinely considered fighting her just now!
Bastard!
Why are humans so favored by the heavens? He's barely twenty years old and already possesses such terrifying power!
"Granny, when is that guy going to die...?"
Ichikishimahime lay at the White Snake Sage's feet, drooling uncontrollably.
He smells so delicious~
Truly irresistible~
"...He didn't accept my power. No matter how delicious he smells, you can't eat him."
The White Snake Sage looked at Ichikishimahime with exasperation.
Is this really about how good he smells?
If not for the rules Ryūchi Cave established in imitation of the Great Toad Sage's teachings—and the fact that those rules had been upheld for a thousand years—who knew what that calamity of a human might have done!
"Slurp~ White Snake Sage, is there really no other way?"
Tagitsuhime wiped the excessive drool from her mouth, looking pitiful and desperate.
"Don't even think—hmm? Wait until Tagitsuhime returns, then ask her yourselves."
The White Snake Sage was about to warn the two snake princesses again but paused as she sensed something at the edge of Ryūchi Cave.
Then, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Tagitsuhime was indeed the smartest of the three.
...
After returning to Laboratory No. 7 with the help of Orochimaru's summoning technique, Shinno didn't even stop to greet anyone before vanishing in a flash, using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Damn it! That was a legit snake kiss! A real snake!"
Crouching by the waterfall in the Bone-Eroded Wastes, Shinno used his Water Transformation technique and the clear water beneath the falls to wash away the saliva on his neck.
Admiration, uncontrollable emotions, not seeking status—only wanting to be with him?
Did they think he was stupid?
They were clearly just craving his body!
The orthodox Sage techniques of Ryūchi Cave included many ways to absorb and devour other people's chakra to strengthen oneself.
Though they weren't as extreme as the Ōtsutsuki, unable to absorb ninjutsu directly, strong resistance from the absorbed individual could hinder the process.
But a seductive snake princess, looking up at him with those pitiful eyes and throwing herself into his arms...
If he hadn't reacted quickly—if he weren't so strong-willed (or if the saliva hadn't been so sticky and disgusting)—
He would've been done for on the spot!
"Where was all that restraint earlier?! Now she's acting like... like some kind of..."
Shinno shook his head in exasperation and scrubbed his neck clean.
If Konoha had an internet forum, he would've posted immediately:
"Help! A beautiful snake princess is lusting after me, kissing and hugging me, and even trying to take off my belt! What do I do?!"
After cleaning up all the lingering traces, Shinno decided that if he ever had to summon a Ryūchi Cave snake again, he'd go with Ichikishimahime or Tagorihime.
Those two seemed to lack strong opinions and were unlikely to be as wild as Tagitsuhime.
...Probably.
As the sun began to set, Shinno chose not to return to Laboratory No. 7. Instead, he turned toward Konoha.
...
On his way through Konoha, he stopped by the village's bird summon shelter to check on the hawks, falcons, and his remaining nine crows.
But when he saw the sign beside the crow roost, his face darkened.
Thirty crows—all marked as belonging to Namikaze Minato.
And they were still juveniles.
Shinno left the shelter with a twitching eye.
Too sneaky!
Absolutely devious!
They say it's hard to learn good habits but easy to pick up bad ones.
Minato, that bastard, had secretly been raising an entire murder of crows behind his back. Who was he planning to raid?!
Judging by the crows' growth, Minato must have started raising them shortly after their last sparring session.
In just half a month, these crows would complete their initial training and be capable of flying at speeds comparable to fully grown birds.
"Namikaze Minato, you're the Yellow Flash, not the Yellow Bandit!"
Shinno covered his face with a hand.
The ever-radiant sunshine of Konoha had gone dark!
If Minato used a Flying Thunder God crow strategy on the battlefield, would normal ninjas even stand a chance?
Unless someone of equal power could hold him down, wherever he went, his enemies would be forced to live in fear of crows.
...
As Shinno was silently roasting Minato in his mind, memories from his dispelled shadow clone flooded into him.
An emergency high-level meeting?
Kumogakure and Kirigakure had gone into full-scale war?
Huh?
And Sunagakure—what was that about? Suddenly stockpiling resources, halting missions, and keeping all their ninjas stationed in the village?
Were they planning to join the fight against Kirigakure?
They wouldn't seriously try to raid Konoha, would they?
"Man, you guys really can't wait, huh? Not even giving it until after the New Year?"
Shinno sighed.
Glancing at the lantern-lit streets of Konoha, where villagers smiled and greeted each other, blissfully unaware of the coming war, he leaped onto a rooftop and vanished in a flash, heading for the Hokage's office.
...
Minutes later, Shinno arrived in front of the Hokage's office.
His shadow clone, disguised as a Root bodyguard, arrived at the same time with White Zetsu posing as Danzo.
Shinno glanced at "Danzo," whose disguise was flawless in both appearance and chakra signature.
Casually slipping a hand into his pocket, Shinno made a one-handed sign and connected his mind to White Zetsu's, subtly guiding him to step half a pace ahead.
As the Konoha higher-ups arrived one by one, they all made their way to the meeting room.
Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan and captain of the Konoha Police Force, walked up beside Shinno and whispered.
"Shinno-kun, about Elder Hoshima's proposal...?"
"Fugaku-kun, the current situation in the ninja world is unstable. The ANBU Training Division isn't in a position to take in too many recruits at once."
Shinno could tell Fugaku was deliberately speaking in a way that Danzo would hear, so he feigned hesitation to string him along.
"That's... quite unfortunate..."
"However, after discussing with Danzo-sama, we agreed to assign one Uchiha Jōnin to the division first. Once they've adjusted, we'll gradually bring in more under a mentor-apprentice system. What do you think?"
"Thank you, Danzo-sama and Shinno-kun! The Uchiha are part of Konoha and will gladly contribute to the village!"
Fugaku's body tensed for a moment.
Even with his composure, he struggled to contain his excitement.
The Uchiha's chance for reintegration had arrived!
"Hmph."
White Zetsu, disguised as Danzo, let out a cold snort.
Fugaku, far from being offended, grew even more thrilled.
It didn't matter how Danzo acted—as long as he didn't reject the proposal, the deal was sealed!
And judging by Danzo's deference to Shinno, Hoshima's prediction might be correct—Shinno could be the future leader of Root!
Their bet had paid off!
...
Just then, a sharp gust of wind roared from behind.
Fugaku's face changed as he instinctively pulled out a kunai and spun around to block the attack.
This ambush was perfect!
He didn't know which foolish enemy ninja had chosen such a crowded moment to strike Konoha's high command, but this was a golden opportunity to make Shinno owe the Uchiha a favor—
Wait.
Tsunade?!
No way!
A sister-in-law and brother-in-law shouldn't be fighting like this!
As Fugaku's Sharingan spun rapidly, he barely managed to divert his kunai downward, avoiding Tsunade's fist.
But her "Technique" was already in motion.
Smack!
"..."
Shinno watched in stunned silence as Fugaku, his nervous system completely scrambled, collapsed into a painful split, clutching his lower body in agony.
The poor guy tried to get up, only to involuntarily squirm forward, worsening his own injury.
Shinno's face twitched.
He had been prepared to take the hit himself, relying on his body's resilience and Water Transformation technique to endure.
If that punch had landed on him...
Was that really necessary?!
"Don't move."
Tsunade's face darkened as she prepared to use medical ninjutsu to speed up Fugaku's recovery.
But with the force she had just used, it wouldn't wear off anytime soon.
Damn it!
That bastard dodged at the last second!
"Fugaku, my brother... I owe you one!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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