"Do you have any information?"
Sandaime looked at the Root ninja in front of him and said coldly.
Since he had successfully controlled Danzo with the curse mark, the amount of information sent from the Root had gradually increased.
Although most of it was worthless information about the Uchiha clan, there was also some information that could be used on the battlefield between Konoha and Sunagakure.
Because of this, the war between Konoha and Sunagakure had gradually regained a bit of an advantage.
This was all thanks to the brilliant leadership of the Hokage.
It had been an incredibly correct choice to use the curse mark to control Danzo.
"Ha, Hokage-sama, this was sent by Danzo. Please take a look,"
said the Root ninja, kneeling on one knee, bowing his head, and offering a scroll with both hands in an emotionless voice.
Sandaime saw this and extended a finger, manipulating a chakra line to quickly get the scroll into his hands. He then opened it and quickly skimmed through it, a heavy expression gradually appearing on his face.
"I have received the information. Go back and tell Danzo to continue investigating and find the source as soon as possible. That's all. Now go."
Sandaime answered after closing the scroll and a moment of silence.
"Ha"
the Root ninja immediately replied, then used the technique of instant teleportation to disappear from Sandaime's sight.
"Alas, I did not expect that the Land of Wind's financial support for Sunagakure to be so great. It seems that the Land of Wind's invasion of the Land of Fire has been planned for a long time."
Sandaime let out a long sigh when the Root ninja had left.
The information that Danzo had just given him was that Sunagakure had suddenly received a large sum of money recently, which had saved Sunagakure's finances, which had been on the verge of collapse, and allowed it to continue to purchase strategic materials from other countries in large quantities and continue to maintain the war.
The biggest thing the Sandaime had learned about the enemy, Sunagakure, was that they were poor.
This was an enemy that was afraid of poverty, and as a result, they were extremely resilient. The ninja born from this enemy generally had strong individual combat capabilities, and the Konoha ninja not only could not take advantage of this, but would instead suffer greatly.
Although this situation generally only exists among shinobis and chūnin, after reaching jōnin, Konoha shinobi are generally stronger than those of the Sunagakure, but on the battlefield, the advantage of the Sunagakure's shinobi's individual combat capabilities over Konoha's will be greatly increased.
The only thing that can constrain the military strength of the Sunagakure is their poor internal finances.
Because of insufficient resources, it is impossible for the Sunagakure to rapidly build up their military. If they forcibly do so, they will only collapse financially and eventually perish.
Now that the Sunagakure has received a large sum of money, it can purchase a large amount of supplies from abroad, and it is bound to be able to quickly train a large number of shinobi and chunin again.
"Something doesn't feel right. The Land of Wind's support for the Sunagakure is good, but the Land of Wind itself is also very poor. It should be difficult for the Land of Wind to give the Sunagakure a large sum of money again in a short period of time. Where did the Sunagakure get so much money? This matter must be investigated."
Sandaime took out a pipe and took a drag, his face full of worry.
Sunagakure has a large sum of money, while Konoha is in the midst of a financial crisis.
It seems that this war will not end anytime soon.
On the other side, deep within the prison of Konoha, in the new office of the Root leader.
Danzo had just received instructions from Sandaime from the returning Root ninja. A hint of displeasure appeared on his somewhat aged face, but he didn't say anything and directly told the Root ninja in front of him to leave.
"Hmph, let me trace the source of the funds, okay, but it may take a little longer. Hiruzen, this war is not going to end so easily."
Danzo sneered in his heart.
After Sandaime forcibly placed a curse mark on him, he no longer had any illusions about Sandaime.
In his eyes, Sandaime was also his enemy as well as Konoha's.
Naturally, he would not let his enemy have their way.
In fact, he had long since discovered the source of this resource for the Sunagakure, but he didn't want Sandaime to know, so he simply deleted the most important part of the intelligence.
"But now, at this time, the Sunagakure Village has actually given birth to another Magnet Release ninja, and he is also a special Magnet Release ninja who can manipulate sand gold. How despicable, could it be that the heavens favor the Sunagakure?"
Danzo recalled the entirety of the intelligence, and a deep murderous intent quietly arose in his heart.
Danzo didn't know much about this special Magnet Release ninja either. Sunagakure did a good job of keeping this Magnet Release ninja's information a secret, and he only learned a little bit about the specifics through the spy who had infiltrated the upper echelons.
But there was no doubt that this special Magnet Release ninja was a very big threat to Konoha. If he were allowed to continue panning for gold in the desert on his own, he would continue to bring Sunagakure a steady stream of funds, and Konoha would have to pay an even greater price if it wanted to defeat Sunagakure.
Naturally, this enemy, Danzo, who is so dangerous to Konoha, cannot be allowed to continue living, and he must be eradicated as soon as possible.
But soon, the murderous intent in Danzo's heart was suppressed. This enemy of the Sunagakure was abominable, but in Konoha, there were even more abominable enemies.
For example, the Uchiha clan, and for example, the damned Sarutobi Hiruzen.
For the time being, he still needed this war to weaken the power of the Uchiha clan and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And the Root under his control also needs this period of time to recuperate. As long as the Root can continue to contribute sufficient strength to Konoha, then the Root can continue to use the strength of Konoha to grow and develop.
He has already seen through Sarutobi Hiruzen from the outcome of the war between Konoha and Amegakure. This is a weak fool. As long as he continues to maintain that weak attitude towards the outside world, then the Root will have to continue to grow and develop.
The hawk ninja of Konoha do not need a Hokage who is weak towards the outside world.
"The war between Konoha and Sunagakure, I'll just fan the flames and reap the benefits. Compared to these overt enemies, those who harbour malicious intent against the Root are more noteworthy. There's the Night Organisation, and now there's a mysterious warrior with Kage-class strength. The waters of the ninja world are as deep as ever."
Danzo quickly put aside the matter of Sunagakure and Sandaime, and pondered over something more pressing.
He already knew the news about the complete annihilation of the Skull Squad. Before dying, Kyōfu had used his summoning beast to send back crucial information.
"A mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse? Who on earth could it be? Why specifically target someone from the Root?"
Danzo's heart bled at the thought of the complete annihilation of the Skull Squad, the powerful guardian force by his side. He couldn't wait to find the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse and torture and kill it.
Unfortunately, for the time being, he could only think about it. With the power that he and the Root currently had at their disposal, it was almost impossible to deal with a Kage-Level powerhouse that could easily wipe out the Skull Squad.
Moreover, he didn't even know who the enemy was, so there was nowhere to take his revenge.
For the time being, he could only endure this grudge.
Fortunately, from the current situation, the situation in the Root is improving. The Root, which had gotten a little out of control, is now back under his control. Although the Root's intelligence network outside has suffered heavy losses, the foundation is still there. As long as the funding is made up for, it will soon be able to recover quickly.
He believes that as long as he is given two or three years, it will not be a problem at all to restore the Root to its full strength of the past.
Because he has broken free from this hated prison. Although only the shadow clone can get out, that is enough.
"Hiruzen, you will surely regret giving me the opportunity to escape from here."
Danzo ran his hand over the place where his heart should be, and a deep hatred flashed in his eyes.
From now on, he and the Root would temporarily lie low, hide in the darkest depths, keep a low profile as much as possible, avoid the sight of others, and then continue to accumulate strength, waiting until the right moment to deal a heavy blow to their enemies.
The next moment, a dark shadow surged up from behind him, quickly expanding, and eventually enveloping everything in the room in darkness.
Time continued to pass slowly. The world of the ninja was still in turmoil, but the biggest conflict was still the war between Konoha and Sunagakure.
The two titans of the ninja world were like two giants, constantly engaging in hand-to-hand combat, fighting to the death, each gaining the upper hand at different times.
However, in the process, Konoha, relying on important intelligence obtained from an unknown source, destroyed multiple hidden warehouses in Sunagakure that were concealing a large amount of important materials in one fell swoop, dealing a heavy blow to Sunagakure's offensive for a time. Sunagakure was forced to give up a large amount of rich land it had obtained and retreat the front line.
Konoha took the opportunity to pursue, but in the process, Sunagakure demonstrated extremely strong resilience and fighting spirit. Konoha suffered huge casualties before forcing Sunagakure to retreat to near the border.
However, the good times did not last long. Konoha only managed to push Sunagakure back to the border for a little over three months before Sunagakure suddenly secretly organized a major counterattack to retake the land they had previously been forced to abandon, and even captured more land.
If it weren't for Sunagakure's concern that the frontline was stretching too far and the supply lines could not keep up, they might have been able to seize even more rich land and resources from the Land of Fire and expand their gains.
The war between the two major ninja forces therefore continued, with no end in sight.
Three months passed, and time finally entered the 33rd year of Konoha, and Kirito was nine years old.
In front of the hospital, Kirito, who had just finished work, looked up at the snow falling from the sky. After waiting for a while, he noticed that Tsunade had not yet come out, so he returned to the Senju Clan territory alone.
During this time, he had basically been immersed in his studies. He had learned a great deal of medical knowledge from Tsunade, and his medical skills had improved significantly, not only in terms of medical ninjutsu, but also pharmacology and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Recently, he and Tsunade have developed a new type of anesthetic together. This anesthetic is easy to produce, can be mass-produced, and can effectively reduce the pain of patients during surgery. It also has a certain therapeutic effect and speeds up the patient's recovery.
It is said that after Konoha obtained this new anesthetic, the casualties of soldiers on the battlefield have been greatly reduced.
When Kirito heard this news, he suddenly felt that his study of medicine had great value.
Of course, during this period of time, the things he developed were not just new anesthetics, but also various cheap and easy-to-use common medicines, such as cold medicine, rheumatism medicine, stomach medicine, and other medicines that the general public needs.
He put these invented medicines as new products in the Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company run by Gato, making the business of Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company even more popular, and the scope of its business has also become larger and larger as a result. There is currently a Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company medicine specialty store on the commercial street of Konoha, which is being renovated and will soon be officially open for business.
With the help of the disguise Hattori Masanari, the Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company successfully established a branch factory in the Land of Rain, and became very popular with the people of the Land of Rain thanks to the various cheap medicines it sold, with the rheumatism medicine selling the best.
The Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company's business is getting bigger and bigger, and its behind-the-scenes owner is naturally making a fortune and gaining a lot of capital.
He spends 30% of this capital on the operation of the Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company, but 60% on the development of the Night Organization.
Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company and the Night Organization are now two sides of the same coin. Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company has opened a branch in the Land of Rain, and naturally the Night Organization has also taken root there.
Since the Land of Rain has just experienced war, there are a large number of homeless war orphans. The Night Organization easily absorbed these orphans and then cultivated them according to the specialties they showed during their studies, so that they could become ninjas or other professionals and serve the Night Organization.
Of course, ideological education is the top priority, and ideological education classes are conducted every day to enhance their loyalty to the Night Organization.
These orphans will be the backbone of the Night Organization's future development and growth, and the best among them will be absorbed into the core members of the Night Organization.
The last 10% of the funds were used on himself. After his medical level improved, he also began to focus on developing drugs that could enhance his strength, such as drugs that assist his training.
After much research by him and the medical staff within Higanbana Pharmaceutical Company, he finally found a plant that could stimulate soul growth. It was a special plant that grew only in the Land of Demons, which was sealed off from the monsters and spirits. The locals called it the Dead Soul Flower, and it was rumoured that any creature that ate it would become a walking corpse.
This special plant contained an unknown deadly toxin, but strangely, the toxin would only take effect if the whole flower was eaten.
At first, no one understood why the toxin would act in this way. Later, Kirito discovered through the visions of the Spirit Transformation Technique that the poison of the Dead Soul Flower is a poison of the soul. After a creature eats it, its soul immediately collapses, while its body remains completely fine.
The poison in the Dead Soul Flower is very fragile. If it is not collected using special means, it will immediately evaporate and disappear once the Dead Soul Flower is damaged.
Therefore, in general, in order for the soul toxin in the Dead Soul Flower to take effect, the creature must eat the entire flower.
The soul toxin in the Dead Soul Flower is so terrifying, but it is a good medicine for Kirito to practice the Spirit Transformation Technique.
The soul toxin in the Dead Soul Flower is relative. It can poison the soul of an ordinary person, but it can also stimulate the growth of the soul of an ordinary person. However, this kind of promotion is passive. Once the soul is not strong enough, the soul itself will collapse.
Kirito's soul is strong enough that the soul poison of a Dead Soul Flower cannot kill him, at most it can severely damage his soul. But as long as he can successfully endure the soul poison's torment, he will find that his soul has become purer and stronger.
With this astonishing discovery, Kirito embarked on a painful yet happy journey of cultivation, using the soul poison of the Dead Soul Flower to once again accelerate his training in the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Since the Spirit Transformation Technique was upgraded through the Enhancement Point, the rate of progress with the Soul Incense has been like a snail's pace. If it continues at this rate, it might take a dozen years of training before the Spirit Transformation Technique can be upgraded again.
But now that he has the Pill of Soul Poison, which is made from the Soul Poison extracted from the Dead Soul Flower using difficult techniques, he is confident that the process can be shortened many times over.
Perhaps if he could find other substances that could stimulate the growth of souls, he could even speed up the upgrade of his Spirit Transformation Technique.
...
Stepping on the snow, Kirito returned to Nawaki's house without any problems.
At this time, Nawaki was practicing in the courtyard, naked in the middle of winter, carrying a huge barbell.
A large amount of hot sweat fell from his body and landed on the ground, which had become soggy from the melted snow due to the heat exuding from his body.
"You're really working hard,"
Kirito commented, watching Nawaki work out with his face red and his teeth clenched.
Nawaki had officially begun training in the Eight Gates, and this forbidden physical technique was a form of self-inflicted injury that required constant physical and mental training.
If an individual does not have a bit of talent, they may collapse during the training process because their body cannot withstand the damage caused by the training, and they will become disabled.
Nawaki has the bloodline of the Senju clan and the Uzumaki clan, so his talent for training the Eight Gates is naturally top-notch. The damage to his body caused by high-intensity physical exercise is nothing for him. He can really just eat a good meal and get some sleep and everything will be fine.
Therefore, in just three months, Nawaki successfully opened the Eight Gates to the second gate, and according to him, the third gate is not far away.
"Kirito, you're back. Do you want to have a contest between men?"
Nawaki noticed that Kirito had returned, so he immediately put down the heavy barbell in his hands, pointed his thumb at Kirito, and then showed Kirito a row of shiny, reflective teeth and smiled.
Kirito looked at Nawaki's shiny teeth and gestures, and gradually became speechless.
In Kirito's opinion, there was nothing wrong with Nawaki training the Eight Gates Technique, but it seemed to have turned his brain into muscle, making him even more straightforward than before.
In his opinion, Nawaki was trending towards kai.
This might have something to do with his recent acquaintance with a lower-level ninja named Might Duy, who was also keen on training his physical skills.
"No, I just worked a full day and I'm exhausted,"
Kirito decisively found a plausible excuse to get away with it, as he still had to visit the teacher later.
"Liar, don't make excuses, watch me, Konoha Whirlwind."
Although Nawaki was straightforward, he knew Kirito pretty well and instantly saw through Kirito's excuse, he shouted.
As he spoke, he quickly kicked Kirito.
The speed of the instant explosion of pure physical strength had already reached the level of a jōnin.
The advantage of the Eight Gate of Dujia technique is that it not only allows you to instantly obtain power beyond your own by opening doors, but it can also effectively enhance your physical strength.
Of course, this increase in physical strength depends on the person. An ordinary person may increase by 1, but Nawaki, who has excellent alien bloodlines, may increase by 2 or even higher.
In terms of physical strength alone, Kirito, who has the Sage Chakra to continuously strengthen his body, is now afraid to say that he is stronger than Nawaki.
"Then I'll play with you,"
Kirito watched Nawaki's kicking leg and smiled slightly.
The next moment, a red thread shot out of his pocket and quickly formed a rhombus-shaped blood-colored shield in front of him.
"Clang!"
Nawaki heavily kicked the blood-colored shield with his steel clogs, and a sound of metal collision appeared.
What followed was also a terrifying burst of energy that spread in all directions.
However, the crimson shield withstood such a powerful and heavy kick without showing a trace, demonstrating its superb defensive power.
"Hmph, today I will see you break this move, Konoha Great Whirlwind,"
Nawaki retreated a distance with the help of the reaction force, then looked at the blood shield formed from Kirito's blood in front of him and shouted with a grave face.
The next moment, a layer of green light instantly lit up his body, and a powerful wave of chakra exploded from his body, before he used a kick with even faster speed and power than before.
"Dong!"
A dull sound appeared.
The diamond-shaped blood-colored shield in front of Kirito, formed by him using Ketsuryūgan to manipulate blood, was suddenly kicked, causing it to crackle and fall apart, before some bloody fragments fell to the ground and it turned back into ordinary blood.
"Not bad, the power of that kick was comparable to a Rasengan attack. Did you just unlock the second gate?"
Kirito said in surprise as he watched the crimson shield being almost completely shattered by Nawaki's kick.
"Hehe, that's right. Just wait until I unlock the third gate, then you'll see."
Nawaki nodded, beaming with self-satisfaction.
Since practicing the Eight Gates of Death, he finally saw hope in defeating Kirito. He felt that this forbidden body technique was really suitable, simple yet powerful. Although the training process was somewhat painful, the feeling of being able to actually feel progress as long as you work hard fascinated him.
Muscle is power!
He had already decided that he should embark on the path of specializing in body techniques. Relying on this forbidden body technique, he was convinced that he could definitely become a Kage-Level powerhouse, and even reach a height comparable to his grandfather.
"Really? Interesting, I look forward to it."
Kirito said with a smile as he heard Nawaki's words, a hint of blood shining in his eyes.
The next moment, he burst out with a speed that was not inferior to Nawaki's just now and charged towards him.
"Hahaha, good."
Nawaki used one hand to block Kirito's kick, retreated a few meters, and laughed excitedly.
Saying that, he once again burst out with even faster speed to attack.
Kirito naturally obliged, combining natural energy to enhance his speed and strength to counter Nawaki, who had opened the second gate.
"Boom boom boom~"
For a time, the two engaged in a physical battle of punches in the wide courtyard full of snow.
However, the two grew faster and faster, and it was difficult for normal people, genins, or even chūnins to keep up with their speed with their eyes. Only jōnin were able to clearly see the two moving so quickly.
This is already a stable jōnin-level physical competition, and it is also a very high level one, because not only are the two incredibly fast, but they are also surprisingly strong.
Every collision erupts with a powerful blast of air and an ear-piercing sonic boom that can be heard and felt.
"Shut up, if you continue making noise, you won't get any dinner tonight."
Just as the two became more and more excited, a majestic voice suddenly appeared.
Kirito and Nawaki heard the voice and froze in their tracks, then accidentally bumped into each other and almost kissed.
"Sorry, I was wrong."
Then, the two hurriedly got up from the ground and bowed apologetically in the same direction.
"Hmph."
After the two men had honestly apologized, a huff followed.
Kirito and Nawaki heard the huff and both let out a huge sigh of relief, knowing that the crisis was over.
"It's all your fault, you got me in trouble with the teacher,"
Kirito said, straightening up.
"How was I supposed to know that my grandmother didn't activate the sealing barrier to attend class with Kushina today? If I'd known, I wouldn't have fought with you here,"
Nawaki said, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, that's enough for now. Let's go soak in the hot springs together and wait for dinner,"
After being scolded by Mito, Kirito lost his interest in fighting and decisively slipped away.
"You go ahead, I still have 3,000 daily weightlifting reps to finish,"
Nawaki sighed, then gritted his teeth and once again lifted the huge barbell on the ground to continue his workout.
Ten thousand weightlifting reps a day, that was the rule he had set for himself.
On the other side, in Nawaki's study, Mito, with silver hair, smiled and said, "Those two silly boys, why are they so obedient? It's just one less meal."
Kushina, who was racking her brains to solve a seal technique problem, overheard this and secretly glanced at Mito, smiling to herself and thinking, "Lord Mito is in a good mood today."
"Don't get distracted, and you're not allowed to eat until you solve it,"
Mito said with a stern face the next moment.
Kushina quickly continued to solve the problem seriously, while inwardly she groaned, "This problem is so difficult, Kirito, why haven't you come yet?"
Mito saw Kushina continue to work hard on the problem, and nodded with satisfaction. Then she turned her head and looked at the tree that she and Hashirama had planted together, looking at the bare branches. Memories flashed through her eyes, and she sighed, "Another year has passed, hasn't time passed quickly..."
Kirito was already soaking in Nawaki's personal open-air hot spring, with a towel on his head.
He looked at the snowflakes falling above him, then turned his head to look at Mito's location and quietly opened his spiritual vision to look at the soul fire within Mito's body. He discovered that it was a little weaker than yesterday, and a trace of sadness could not be helped from appearing on his face.
Then, he closed his eyes and immersed his entire body in the spring water, sighing, "Let's cherish the good times while we can, for they won't last forever."
After a while, he finished bathing, then changed into a dry set of clothes, put on a smile, and slowly walked towards the study where Mito was located, carrying with him a few prepared questions on sealing techniques.
The gears of time continued to turn.
Winter turned to spring. After enduring a harsh winter, the tree planted by Uzumaki Mito and Senju Hashirama in the Nawaki household finally sprouted new buds.
On this day, Uzumaki Mito saw the new buds in the treetops on a peaceful and serene morning, and a broad smile appeared on her face. She then returned to her room, carefully dressed herself up, lay down on the bed, closed her eyes peacefully, and never opened them again.
On the way to the hospital, Kirito suddenly burst into tears.