Adopted by Tsunade [177-178] (Patreon)

Chapter 177: Are You Here to Beg for Alms?

Ruins of Roran, Land of Wind.

Shimura Danzō exhaled in relief—he finally finished the Dragon Vein sealing.

It had to be said: Namikaze Minato really was a genius.

In his hands, sealing arts were honed to perfection.

Of course, the reason Danzō spent so much time here was mainly because he didn't know the Flying Thunder God Technique.

But contrary to what Natsume imagined, he didn't plan to trigger a tidal surge of energy by unleashing the Dragon Vein; he wanted to use it like a power bank.

Because the Dragon Vein contained endless chakra.

In theory, it was no different from a tailed beast.

Danzō wanted to cut off a portion and implant it into himself, using it to fully awaken Wood Release—

To turn himself into Hashirama Senju.

In that case, defeating Natsume would be trivial.

He chose to set the alliance meeting near the Dragon Vein so he could conveniently replenish chakra.

Of course, that was a last resort.

The Dragon Vein had not only chakra, but natural energy as well.

For the Hashirama cells in Danzō's body, that was a terrifying tonic.

A single misstep could lead to loss of control.

So the Dragon Vein was the final insurance.

Before that, Natsume would have to pass three trials:

The Shimura clan, the Kazekage Rasa, and One-Tail's jinchūriki, Gaara.

Thinking of this, Danzō looked up. Not far away stood three teenagers:

One with a gourd, one with a fan, and one with a puppet.

Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō.

"Lord Danzō."

Rasa flashed into view before him. "I hear you've undone the Dragon Vein's seal?"

"I deliberately left a little intact."

Danzō didn't hide it. "If we unsealed it all, it would expose the Dragon Vein and draw other villages' attention."

"Very considerate of you."

Rasa smiled slightly, then asked, "About your earlier proposal for 'Dragon Vein shinobi'—are you confident?"

By "Dragon Vein shinobi," he meant mass-extracting Dragon Vein chakra and, via sealing techniques, turning ninjas into pseudo-jinchūriki.

This was why Rasa was willing to cooperate so deeply with Danzō.

It could massively boost Sunagakure's strength.

The only pity was he couldn't pry the training method for sealing arts from Danzō's mouth.

Danzō understood their value, so of course he wouldn't hand them over.

As long as Suna had no sealing experts, Rasa would have to rely on him.

"Naturally, no problem."

Danzō answered without hesitation.

"Good."

Rasa adjusted the Kazekage hat. "Natsume and his group should arrive in about an hour. That child you mentioned—the one called Uzumaki Naruto—won't be among them."

"No jinchūriki? Then today is the day they die."

Danzō snorted.

"Indeed."

Rasa smiled. "When the time comes, don't forget the terms you promised us."

Meaning that once Danzō became Hokage, he would aid Sunagakure.

Strength alone wasn't enough. They needed money.

"I always keep my word. But you—don't be stingy with your jinchūriki."

Danzō reminded him, "Don't underestimate Natsume just because he's young."

Rasa nodded, but didn't take it to heart.

He even looked down on Danzō a little.

So afraid of a teenager?

No wonder you got kicked out.

"Maki, go brief Gaara and the others. Use the smashed-cup signal."

Rasa ordered, "When I drop the cup, you move. Target the Hokage and wipe out the delegation if possible."

"Yes!"

Maki responded at once.

He quickly walked over to his three students.

Temari and Kankurō greeted him first.

Gaara didn't look up, remaining silent.

Although Danzō had helped reinforce his seal, Gaara's earlier experiences hadn't been prevented.

Now he was just like when he first appeared in the original story: a hotheaded teen defying heaven and earth.

"Sensei, is the Hokage coming?"

Kankurō was excited and eager.

Killing a Hokage would make you famous across the shinobi world.

"Mm. They'll be here soon."

Maki nodded, frowned slightly, and said, "You're not strong enough yet. Don't be reckless."

Kankurō was a rare Sunagakure prodigy, born for puppetry, and he had inherited puppets left by Sasori of the Red Sand.

But the Hokage's envoy was mostly jōnin. No need to explain the danger.

"It's fine. We've got Gaara."

Kankurō shot a fearful glance at Gaara.

He feared jinchūriki, but he knew their power.

In short, just follow behind and pick off stragglers.

"Caution first."

Maki paused, shifted his gaze to Gaara, and said, "Gaara, when the Kazekage drops his cup, you act."

Gaara didn't speak, but the killing intent rolling off him was palpable.

Kankurō and Temari paled and quickly backed away.

Maki already understood his answer:

The Hokage is his—no one else touch.

Very much in character for Gaara.

"Find a place to hide."

Maki waved them off and went forward to set up a temporary alliance platform.

Even if it was a desert, they couldn't have two parties just standing in the sand to negotiate, right?

That would make Sunagakure's insincerity and scheming obvious.

…

Time passed.

Soon, a group appeared in the distance.

Not many—around thirty—but the weakest were chūnin.

And they hailed from different clans.

"Something's off."

Hyūga Hizashi activated his Byakugan. "There's a barrier further out blocking my sight. That's rare."

The Byakugan, as the Hyūga clan's kekkei genkai, was a trump card.

A barrier that could obstruct it was on the level of a forbidden technique.

And forbidden techniques usually carried heavy costs.

Acting like this clearly meant Suna was hiding something from him.

"It's fine."

Natsume waved his hand. "We're here to negotiate."

He knew the barrier was to conceal the Dragon Vein.

He had to admit, Sunagakure and Danzō had put in real effort.

Even if they sensed something off, they were already here—if they turned back now, it would tarnish Konoha's reputation.

Hizashi understood and said no more, just raised his guard.

"Lord Hokage."

Rasa, in divine robes, looked at Natsume and couldn't help being surprised.

He knew the new Hokage was young, but not this young.

Combined with his overly handsome looks, he even seemed younger than Kankurō.

No wonder Danzō flew into a rage whenever he mentioned him.

Getting beaten by a junior forty or fifty years younger was mortifying.

"Lord Kazekage, a pleasure. I've heard much."

Natsume sized up Rasa and the Suna shinobi behind him.

He only recognized Maki—

White headscarf, left eye covered.

Very conspicuous.

As for Gaara, he hadn't seen him.

But he should be here.

Natsume couldn't openly use Sage Mode, so he couldn't detect him.

As for Rasa—

The original series' punching bag.

Kazekage tended to be unlucky; they often died horribly.

Speaking of which, Rasa owed him his life right now.

"Please, take your seat."

Rasa withdrew his gaze.

From Natsume, he sensed no threat.

Usually, unless you specialized in concealment, you'd show some trace of aura.

From that, you could roughly gauge strength.

But Natsume seemed like an ordinary person—no pressure at all.

Rasa, of course, didn't believe he was ordinary; the only explanation was a disguise.

He shook his head. What's the point of that? Think you're a jinchūriki?

Undoubtedly, it meant Natsume lacked confidence.

Too young.

On the makeshift platform, tables and chairs were set.

Natsume sat across from Rasa: the talks had officially begun.

Normally, an alliance of this magnitude wouldn't be concluded in a day or two.

But neither side actually wanted an alliance.

Bringing Natsume here had achieved Rasa's goal already.

The rest would be perfunctory pleasantries—then a fight.

Rasa brought Maki; Natsume brought Kurenai Yūhi.

Everyone else stood on either side of the platform.

The two sides traded glances; hostility seeped through the gaps.

Since Hashirama's death, the shinobi world hadn't lacked for war.

Even without full-scale shinobi wars, relations were unfriendly.

Clashes from spies and missions were routine.

"If the talks break down, are we fighting?"

Might Guy peered across, flashing a blinding row of teeth.

In a desert, those teeth stood out even more.

"Keep provoking them and it really will."

Hatake Kakashi's dead-fish eyes didn't change. He spoke flatly.

"Huh?"

Guy looked confused. "This is how I express my youth."

"…"

Kakashi fell silent.

Who could tolerate that?

"Something's off today."

Hizashi cut in. "I don't know where Suna got this courage, but in any case, you must protect the Hokage."

Konoha had brought many elite shinobi this time.

But in terms of strength, the three of them were the strongest:

A Sharingan, a Byakugan, and the Eight Gates.

Hizashi wasn't sure how much power Guy could unleash; he was really speaking to Kakashi.

On the platform—

After a cup of tea, Rasa produced a document and passed it over.

"These are Sunagakure's terms for an alliance. If Lord Hokage agrees, we can sign immediately."

"These are a bit too harsh."

Natsume read the first line and looked up. "Divert one-fifth of the Land of Fire's annual aid to Sunagakure? I'm curious—who proposed that?"

"I did."

Rasa ignored the sarcasm. "If this is an alliance, Konoha can show sincerity, can it not?"

"Second: assign one-fifth of Konoha's mission volume to Sunagakure."

Natsume couldn't help but laugh.

By mission volume, he meant total contracted missions.

Worth noting: Konoha didn't just do missions within the Land of Fire, but for other countries as well.

Even other great nations like the Land of Wind.

These two demands weren't just a lion's open mouth—they were pure fantasy.

"Is Sunagakure here to beg from Konoha?"

Natsume set the paper down and asked casually.

"What did you say?"

Rasa's face went cold. "Even you cannot insult Sunagakure!"

He sprang up, but didn't smash his cup—only radiated killing intent.

He was waiting on the Shimura clan to act.

If they could take Natsume with minimal cost, so much the better.

If not, then bring in the jinchūriki.

Chapter 178: Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees

"Lord Hokage, be careful!"

Four Shimura jōnin rushed to Natsume's side—

And, while no one noticed, took up positions at the four corners.

Rasa stepped back two paces with his teacup.

In the next instant, a crimson barrier rose on the spot.

"Bastards, what are you doing?"

Kurenai Yūhi found herself trapped inside as well. Sensing danger, she demanded, "Is the Shimura clan planning rebellion?"

"This is not rebellion."

The middle-aged leader said gravely, "Natsume is too young. Under him, Konoha has no future. We're merely putting Konoha back on track—to welcome a true Hokage."

"How amusing."

Rasa sipped his tea. "Lord Hokage, it seems you should settle your internal affairs first."

"But will Lord Kazekage intervene?"

Natsume glanced at Hizashi and the others being held back.

Given the stakes, they didn't act rashly.

"This is merely our response to Lord Hokage's insult to Sunagakure."

Rasa smiled carelessly. "When you say the wrong thing, you pay the price, no?"

"Where are the rest of the Shimura?"

Natsume asked idly. "With just the four of you, you won't accomplish anything."

Shimura Chūdō stepped out, pleased with himself; the situation was too advantageous to keep quiet.

Hizashi and the others couldn't support for the moment.

Natsume was trapped in a barrier.

Plus, Danzō hadn't moved yet.

By all accounts—

Victory was in the bag.

"At the meeting two days ago, did you imagine this ending today?"

Chūdō asked, elated.

"All the elites, huh."

Natsume ignored the question, swept his gaze over the shinobi behind him, and sighed.

Nine in total, all jōnin.

For a single clan, nine jōnin was very good.

The Shimura were clearly all-in—burning the boats.

"Uncle Hizashi."

Natsume suddenly called.

"Lord Hokage, your orders?"

Hizashi had activated his Byakugan and raised a Gentle Fist stance, facing off with Maki.

To his sides were Guy and Kakashi.

"The Shimura clan has attempted to assassinate the Hokage and plot rebellion. I order you to take them down."

Natsume's voice was calm.

"But…"

Hizashi hesitated. Shouldn't they break the barrier and escort him out first?

Suna's stance was clear—they stood with the Shimura.

Konoha's envoy, while strong, was too few to fight an entire village.

The sensible order would be retreat.

"Big words for someone who can't protect himself."

Chūdō sneered. "So young—so naive!"

Natsume raised his hand and punched.

The barrier cracked immediately and shattered into motes of light, scattering on the wind.

Chūdō's eyes went wide with disbelief.

What?

Did I fall into a genjutsu?

This was a barrier formed by four jōnin.

Even a Hokage shouldn't be able to break it so quickly.

Kurenai exhaled.

But she didn't flee.

She moved to Natsume's side and drew a kunai.

She knew what she had now—and from whom.

If the Shimura succeeded, she would lose the privileges of the Hokage's secretary.

Unacceptable.

Rasa frowned.

That's it?

Natsume's punch had looked so casual—

Rasa assumed the four Shimura jōnin were just weak.

He thought, I'll do it myself.

"Kurenai, go to Uncle Hizashi."

Natsume glanced at her, satisfied.

If she had turned and run, no amount of beauty would matter.

"Do as I say. Don't worry about me."

Seeing her hesitate, he added, "That's an order."

Kurenai wavered a few seconds, then leaped off the platform.

Now only Natsume, Rasa, and five Shimura shinobi led by Chūdō remained.

"Kill him!"

Chūdō glared at Natsume.

The other four began forming hand seals.

A moment later, all four were kicked flying—landing on Hizashi's side.

Chūdō's heart lurched.

He hadn't even seen Natsume move.

A surge of danger washed over him.

He leaped off the platform, leaving Natsume to Rasa—and wherever Danzō lurked.

Chūdō regrouped with the Shimura clan.

Battle erupted at once.

"OO-RAH! Leaf Whirlwind!"

Might Guy surged forward in a green gale.

Kakashi bared his Sharingan and formed hand seals.

Kunai Raikiri!

He compressed Raikiri into a kunai and, at extreme speed, shot past Guy, straight into a shinobi ahead.

Blood sprayed.

"Kakashi! Our youthful rivalry starts now!"

Guy didn't mind the stolen kill; he got even more fired up.

Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!

Chūdō countered at once.

He inhaled deeply and spat a cluster of wind bullets.

"Watch out!"

Kurenai warned.

Her hands flashed through signs—genjutsu.

The attacker's vision swam—and a huge tree wrapped him up.

Kurenai appeared above him and drove a kunai into his neck.

Her genjutsu was nothing to Uchiha Itachi, but among jōnin it was top-tier.

Most shinobi would fall for it.

Seeing the Shimura falter—

Maki narrowed his eyes and joined the fray without hesitation.

Wind Style: Blade of Wind!

Chakra sharpened at his fingertips, forming an ultra-thin circular blade about twenty centimeters across.

In the original, Gekkō was one-shotted by this jutsu.

Maki flicked it; the blade flew at a speed beyond the naked eye straight at Kakashi.

Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!

No way Kakashi would ignore Maki.

He reacted as his hands sealed.

Chakra surged into the ground—a dog-head-engraved earth wall rose.

The wind blade paused two seconds, then cut through.

Screeching birdsong rang out.

Raikiri!

Wind met lightning—shockwaves blasted outward.

"Konoha's number one technician lives up to the name."

Maki grew serious—

Then pressed a fierce assault on Kakashi.

The surrounding battles didn't spill onto the platform.

"Lord Hokage, you're young, but your composure is impressive—still sitting tight?"

Rasa was a little surprised.

"Likewise."

Natsume smiled. "Lord Kazekage, still not moving? What are you waiting for? Just call out your jinchūriki."

"You know?"

Rasa's eyes narrowed, a bad feeling rising.

If Natsume even guessed the jinchūriki's presence, he'd anticipated the trap.

Stepping into it anyway—

Either a fool, or confident.

Natsume was clearly not the former.

Uneasy, Rasa smashed the cup.

Sand Coffin!

Torrents of sand erupted from the ground, spiraling up to engulf the two of them.

Rasa frowned.

He knew it was Gaara's way—but the indiscriminate nature still irked him.

I'm your father, you know.

Rasa waved; a hole opened in the sand wall before him, and he stepped out—

Leaving Natsume submerged.

"Die!"

Gaara's face twisted with killing lust, staring in manic excitement.

Rasa blinked.

Was it really this easy?

The next moment, the sand burst apart.

Natsume stood unscathed.

Rasa wasn't shocked.

"That's it!"

Gaara raised his hand.

Sand Drizzle!

Sand coiled around Natsume's ankles.

As it held him in place, a yellow rain fell from above—

Like bullets, meant to riddle him.

But instead of blood, Natsume burst into a puddle.

A shadow clone.

"Gaara, nice to meet you."

Natsume smiled, appearing before him.

Gaara made a tiny beckoning motion.

Instantly, the sand on the ground surged into a giant hand and slapped down.

Natsume tightened his fist, punched through the giant hand, and slammed down.

"Argh!"

Gaara screamed.

His mother's Sand Shield provided automatic defense.

He'd never been hurt—never felt pain.

But Natsume broke it with ease.

Rasa's eyes bulged.

What the hell?

He now realized the earlier barrier hadn't failed because the four jōnin were weak—Natsume was outrageous.

Wracked with pain, Gaara's body swelled and sand billowed around him, forming a round shell.

Desert Layered Imperial Funeral!

An extremely strong defensive jutsu.

In the original, even Sasuke's Chidori only barely poked a hole in it.

Natsume clapped his hands and entered Sage Mode.

Sage Art: Monstrous Strength!

He punched again.

The shell exploded.

Gaara flew back, hit the ground, and coughed blood.

"Ahhh!"

His body rapidly inflated—into a massive yellow sand form.

"Hahaha! I'm finally out!"

Shukaku's excited roar thundered.

Its fat, towering body blotted out everyone's view.

Maki and Kakashi's fight halted.

Shukaku was too big; it disrupted everything.

And tailed beasts and jinchūriki had always inspired fear.

"We've got this!"

Maki smiled with confidence.

Beside him, Kankurō and Temari arrived.

They trembled, staring up at Shukaku.

A colossus like that—how do you even fight it?

"We're done!"

Across from them, Kurenai's face went pale.

Not just her—many Konoha shinobi felt despair.

In common understanding, only a tailed beast could fight a tailed beast.

And the Nine-Tails jinchūriki hadn't come.

"Looks like I'll need that move."

Guy's face hardened. "Kakashi, I was saving it for you, but I have to use it now."

"…"

Kakashi knew he meant the Eight Gates.

But saving it for me? Seriously?

"Brat!"

Shukaku bellowed.

It looked at Natsume and slapped its belly with two stubby hands.

Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet!

Of all the tailed beasts, it was the only one that learned to use ninjutsu.

Maybe because its chakra was low.

The others relied on raw power—just charge.

This led to a phenomenon: jinchūriki tended to outshine the beasts themselves.

For example, Naruto's various modes eclipsed Kurama's solo output.

The most direct example was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki:

Vastly stronger, but inexperienced—sealed by Naruto and Sasuke.

If it were Madara, he'd have killed them on the spot.

In fact, post-Shukaku Gaara performed better later on—

Because they'd never gotten along, weren't a perfect jinchūriki, and couldn't draw out full power.

A massive wind sphere formed in midair and crashed down at Natsume.

A bit wasteful, to Rasa.

Natsume calmly formed signs.

At the moment of impact, a towering wall of water rose to block it.

"That's Water Formation Wall?"

Rasa's pupils shrank in shock.

A normal Water Wall was two meters high.

This one was twenty.

Not a Water Wall—a Water Sky Wall.

By now, Rasa felt more and more uneasy.

Natsume's strength kept breaking his expectations.

He was glad he hadn't attacked personally.

Given a punch that broke Gaara's Sand Shield, his own scrawny body would not hold up.

Thankfully, Natsume was still human.

And his opponent was Shukaku.

"This lord hates water the most!"

Shukaku smacked its belly again.

Wind Style: Sand Shrapnel!

Basketball-sized sand bullets poured like rain.

"Holy—"

Guy was about to open the Seventh Gate when he froze.

In an instant, trees erupted everywhere around Natsume, growing at astonishing speed.

A desert that hadn't seen green in ages bloomed into a rare spectacle.

Forest replaced sand.

Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!

Natsume figured—if you're going for shock, go all the way.

Some might connect this to the mysterious Wood Release user from years ago—his old persona—but he was Hokage now; he didn't fear it.

Besides, his appearance and age were completely different from that persona.

He'd just graduated the academy back then.

Hard to believe they were the same.

More importantly, the Sarutobi clan had already exposed Wood Release before.

Most would assume Natsume's Wood Release came from that.

"Wood Release?!"

Hizashi and the others looked on in stunned awe.

With a casual wave, Natsume blocked all the sand bullets.

As effortless as sipping tea.

A hint of reverent admiration appeared on Kurenai's delicate face.

She'd met the Sarutobi Wood Release users.

But their Wood Release was only slightly stronger than ordinary elemental jutsu—

Nothing like the legendary God of Shinobi, Hashirama.

Yet Natsume's Wood Release could hold back Shukaku.

This was different.

"What is that?"

Kankurō trembled at the sudden forest.

"Fall back!"

Maki stared at the onrushing trees, face grave. He grabbed his two students and retreated.

The other Suna nin did the same.

Those who ran too slow screamed as they were swallowed by the sea of trees.