Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 216: Lord Daimy?, Let’s Join Forces for Greatness Once More!

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Lord Daimy?, Let’s Join Forces for Greatness Once More!

Fire Country Daimy?'s Residence – Experimental Base

Sh?ichi and Pakura stood side by side, facing Sarutobi Asuma. Sh?ichi asked gravely, "Asuma, are you sure you want to take the final step?"

"Although you've managed to endure the malice of the Tailed Beast Chakra, mastering it still poses immense danger."

"Kakashi succeeded, yes, but he also faced the risk of severe physical mutations back then."

Sarutobi Asuma nodded seriously. "I've thought this through carefully."

"Besides, this is a direct mission from the Daimy?."

With a faint smile, he added, "And with you here, Sh?ichi, I believe even if I fail, I should still have a good chance of staying alive."

Sh?ichi chuckled wryly. "I figured you wouldn't give up."

"Alright then, go in and prepare."

Asuma nodded and entered the stone chamber, while Sh?ichi turned to Pakura and said, "Bring over the prepared Shukaku sample."

Pakura nodded and left to retrieve it.

A moment later, she returned with a tray and entered the stone chamber alongside Sh?ichi.

"Asuma, eat this Shukaku flesh."

Sh?ichi handed the tray to Asuma, warning him, "Once you eat it, you'll not only have to withstand the malice of the Tailed Beast but also endure the corrosive effect of its flesh."

"This will be a battle—a war."

"You must overcome the malice of the Tailed Beast and the erosion of its flesh to truly gain the power of the Shukaku."

Asuma nodded and began eating the Shukaku's flesh without hesitation.

It felt grainy, an odd texture.

But soon, Asuma had no time to worry about the taste. A searing heat surged through his body, followed immediately by intense pain.

Gritting his teeth, he finished the flesh in one go, then closed his eyes as scarlet Tailed Beast Chakra quickly enveloped him.

Sh?ichi and Pakura silently watched as Asuma's body began to mutate, his hands transforming into claws resembling Shukaku's.

Kakashi had gone through this same process, so Sh?ichi refrained from intervening immediately.

Asuma and the power of Shukaku began an intense tug-of-war.

Time ticked by.

Suddenly, Sh?ichi frowned, and Pakura couldn't help but speak. "It seems he's unable to suppress the Tailed Beast's power any longer."

Asuma's physical mutations worsened, showing no signs of recovery. His body seemed on the verge of collapse.

Whoosh!

A fiery spectral chain shot out from Sh?ichi's body, coiling around Asuma and extracting the Tailed Beast Chakra from him. The chain continued siphoning until every trace of the Shukaku's power was drained from Asuma's body, after which it dissipated.

Huff! Huff!

Asuma gasped for air, feeling as though he had narrowly escaped death.

"Sorry... I failed..."

He gave a bitter smile, disappointment evident in his eyes.

Sh?ichi shook his head. "If it were that easy to succeed, there wouldn't be so few who can master Tailed Beast powers."

"Keep in mind, even Jinch?riki have the advantage of sealing techniques."

Asuma nodded but knew these were words of consolation.

After all, Jinch?riki face complete Tailed Beasts, whereas he was only dealing with fragments of Tailed Beast flesh.

Even so, Asuma wasn't the type to wallow in failure. He quickly regained his spirits and said, "I'll work even harder moving forward."

Sh?ichi encouraged him, "We have plenty of time. Keep it up."

"Take a break, and we'll head back to the Daimy?'s residence together. I have a meeting with the Daimy? anyway."

This time, Sh?ichi's main body had come personally due to the Daimy?'s summons.

...

Half an Hour Later

Sh?ichi met with the Daimy? of the Land of Fire, who now appeared quite aged.

After a few pleasantries, the Daimy? asked directly, "J?nin Sh?ichi, how did Asuma's experiment turn out?"

"It failed."

Sh?ichi explained, "Mastering the power of a Tailed Beast is incredibly difficult. All of Danzo's previous experiments ended in failure."

"To date, aside from me, only Kakashi has succeeded in Konoha."

The Daimy? frowned slightly. "Kakashi... I think I've heard that name before. Is he the son of the White Fang?"

Sh?ichi nodded. "Yes, and he's also my teacher—one of the Fourth Hokage's disciples."

The Daimy? nodded in understanding. "I see. It seems the Fourth Hokage has a keen eye for talent."

"Now then, J?nin Sh?ichi, about the promise you made to me back then—can you fulfill it now?"

"Not only are you a J?nin, but also the Fourth Hokage's disciple, head of Root, and responsible for training ANBU talent."

"Creating a personal ninja guard for me shouldn't be a problem, correct?"

So this is what it's about!

Sh?ichi had anticipated this.

After all, the Daimy? had been investing in him for nearly ten years, pouring billions into his efforts. It was only natural for him to seek returns now.

To have an investor who waited ten years before asking for results—where else could you find such a great backer?

Without hesitation, Sh?ichi confidently replied, "If the Daimy? wishes it, I can certainly deliver."

"But may I ask, does the Daimy? want me to train the ninja you've recruited, or should we start training from scratch, as Konoha does?"

The Daimy? frowned. "What's the difference between the two?"

Of course, he knew the difference.

Training existing recruits is faster.

Training from scratch takes years, and he might not live to see them mature.

But the Daimy? wanted to see how Sh?ichi would respond.

Sh?ichi replied earnestly, "The superficial difference is this:

"The first method is quick but has a lower ceiling, and the recruits may not be entirely loyal to you."

"The second method is slower—requiring at least six years—but has a higher ceiling and ensures absolute loyalty to the Daimy?-sama."

He then asked, "Surely the Daimy? knows the history of Konoha's founding?"

The Daimy? nodded. "Of course."

"Back then, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, united the Senju and Uchiha clans and collaborated with other ninja clans to establish the Hidden Leaf Village with my father's support."

"It was then that the chaotic Warring States era came to an end."

Sh?ichi smiled and continued, "After founding Konoha, the Second Hokage established the Konoha Ninja Academy."

The Daimy? seemed to be deep in thought.

Sh?ichi went on, "You can think of the ninja you recruit as being like the clans that supported Konoha's founding."

"And the ninjas trained from scratch as those who came from the Ninja Academy, part of the Second Hokage's vision to create a systematic training process."

"Of course," Sh?ichi added, "if I may be frank, the ninja you recruit won't compare to Konoha's shinobi."

"After all, they're merely hired hands and lack true loyalty."

"If the Daimy? truly wants to make a lasting impact, you must establish something akin to the Second Hokage's Ninja Academy—a place to train your own loyal forces."

The Daimy? furrowed his brow. "So, you're suggesting I choose the latter option."

Sh?ichi shook his head. "No, Daimy?-sama, you should choose both."

"Until the forces entirely under your control are fully trained, you'll need disposable assets to tide you over."

"Of course, to avoid interference from Konoha, you shouldn't openly establish a ninja academy."

"Instead, you should secretly build a ninja training base—something like..."

After a brief pause, Sh?ichi pretended to contemplate before saying, "Something like Danzo's Root during his era."

"While leading Root, Danzo ostensibly trained talent for the ANBU. But in reality, he was secretly gathering a significant number of forces for his own purposes."

The Daimy? smiled. "I see."

Then, shifting his tone, he said, "Sh?ichi, as the Fourth Hokage's disciple, and with your strength, I imagine you're in line to become the next Hokage."

Sh?ichi chuckled. "Without the Daimy?'s support, Konoha cannot sustain itself. It would crumble and revert to the Warring States era of clan wars."

"Is the Hokage the most important figure in the Land of Fire?"

"No, it's the Daimy?!"

This struck a chord with the Daimy?, leaving him pleased and significantly reducing his suspicions about Sh?ichi.

Sh?ichi observed the Daimy?'s expression, smiling inwardly before continuing, "If I were to simply become the Fifth Hokage, I'd be no different from the Hokage of the past. That wouldn't surpass the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, who ushered in a new era."

"Daimy?-sama, my ambition is far greater than just becoming the Fifth Hokage."

The Daimy?'s heart skipped a beat as he fixed his gaze on Sh?ichi. "Then what is your ambition?"

Instead of answering, Sh?ichi asked, "And what about your ambition, Daimy?-sama?"

"Is it merely to gain control over Konoha?"

"If that's all, then there's no need to create your own ninja forces. It would be meaningless."

The Daimy?'s voice turned solemn. "Then, Sh?ichi, what do you think would be meaningful?"

Sh?ichi's eyes gleamed with intensity. "It would be for Daimy?-sama to annex other nations—conquering the Five Great Nations and even the smaller ones—to become the supreme ruler of this world. At that point, you would no longer just be a Daimy? but the true master of this world. You should be called the Emperor!"

The Emperor?!

The Daimy? muttered the word to himself, his breathing quickening slightly.

As the ruler of a nation, who wouldn't harbor grander ambitions?

After all, the Land of Fire wasn't always this vast. Its territory expanded step by step during the Warring States period, until Senju Hashirama ended that chaotic era and the power of the Great Nations reached a balance.

After calming himself, the Daimy? regarded Sh?ichi with a serious expression. "Conquering other nations would be extremely difficult, wouldn't it?"

"Even if Senju Hashirama were resurrected, it might still be impossible."

Sh?ichi smiled confidently. "But I can surpass Senju Hashirama!"

The Daimy? hesitated upon hearing this.

Surpass Hashirama?

Is that even possible?

He's the God of Shinobi, recognized by the entire ninja world!

Sh?ichi chuckled. "Daimy?-sama, I'm currently 15 years old. A few years ago, I killed the Third Kazekage."

The Daimy? was shocked. "You killed the Third Kazekage?"

Sh?ichi nodded. "Indeed."

"I did it to avenge Konoha's White Fang. This was once a secret, but it no longer is. Even the Fourth Kazekage knows that I was the one who killed the Third Kazekage."

"At 15, I'm already far beyond what Senju Hashirama was at the same age."

"Daimy?-sama, if you fully support me, I will eliminate the other ninja villages for you."

"Then, annexing other nations would be unopposed."

"At that time, I will be the new God of Shinobi, and you will be the supreme Emperor!"

The Daimy?'s heart raced with excitement.

The vision Sh?ichi painted was grand and tantalizing. Anyone with even a shred of ambition couldn't help but be moved.

But then, the Daimy? recalled his age and calmed himself. "How long will it take for you to achieve this ambition?"

Sh?ichi understood the Daimy?'s concern and responded with unshakable confidence. "No more than twenty years!"

Twenty years!

The Daimy?'s heart reignited with fervor.

That was a timeframe he could wait for!

Still, the Daimy? tempered his excitement, his tone cool. "Sh?ichi, prove yourself then!"

"If you can demonstrate that you can surpass Senju Hashirama, I will support you with everything I have!"

Sh?ichi accepted with a smile. "Then, Daimy?-sama, how about defeating the Third Mizukage?"

The Daimy? nodded. "That will do!"

(End of Chapter)

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