Malphegor
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IUTT: Ch. 101
🕑 Added 2025-05-27 17:58:14 +0000 UTC"Very significant! Senjutsu chakra can amplify the power of any ninjutsu you currently possess by several times, possibly even dozens of times. It also grants you incredibly powerful sensory abilities. Your sensory talent is already exceptional. Once you master Sage Mode, stealth techniques will become completely useless in front of you. It will also greatly help you in understanding space and mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique. Moreover, senjutsu chakra significantly enhances the body's ability to heal and recover. So you better start praying now! If you're not suited to train in the Sage Mode of the Shikkotsu Forest, I'll have no choice but to send you to Mount Myōboku. With your talent, one of the Sage Modes will definitely work for you."
"But that perverted voyeur is disgusting!" Minato said in disgust.
"You don't need to take him as your master. Just learn Sage Mode under his guidance. With his personality, he's unlikely to refuse."
"Alright then."
After spending nearly an hour touring the underground research facility with Shin, Minato's entire worldview was turned upside down. He had thought forbidden jutsu research was already shocking enough. But to his surprise, among all the various ongoing projects Shin was conducting, forbidden jutsu research was actually the least remarkable.
The most astonishing was the genetic research, especially the part dealing with immortality.
Orochimaru was soaking in the Immortality Research Lab, completely ignoring the two of them when they arrived, utterly immersed in his work.
After Shin returned from the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools, he had brought back a large number of corpses, and even live ninjas, as research material, which had made Orochimaru ecstatic.
Because of Tsunade, Shin had always imposed strict limitations on human experimentation. But live enemies were a different matter entirely.
Orochimaru even looked forward to the next war, when he could get a steady, endless supply of "materials."
That evening, Shin brought Minato to the Shikkotsu Forest. Tsunade came along as well.
Surprisingly, but also unsurprisingly, Minato turned out to be gifted enough to learn the Sage Mode of the Shikkotsu Forest.
In Shin's opinion, there might not be as few ninjas with Sage Mode potential in the shinobi world as people believed.
It was just that most never had a chance to access the three great sage regions: Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myōboku, and Ryūchi Cave.
In reality, those who do gain access and train in Sage Mode usually have a high chance of mastering it.
Even someone like Kabuto managed to master the Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave.
If Orochimaru hadn't been obsessed with immortality and unwilling to gamble his life, he too would likely have been able to master Sage Mode, given his talent.
The truly difficult Sage Mode to master was Shikkotsu Forest's.
That was because it depended entirely on innate talent, it couldn't be learned gradually through practice. Either you could do it, or you couldn't. There was no room for negotiation.
Seeing that Minato was actually able to train in the Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode deeply shook Tsunade.
It was said that Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode was the hardest to learn, and that only Hashirama had ever succeeded.
But now, first Shin had learned it, and then Minato as well, it was starting to feel like Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode wasn't so rare anymore.
And yet Tsunade herself still couldn't learn it.
Don't get angry, don't get angry. Can't compare with freaks.
Tsunade kept trying to convince herself and mentally added Minato to the list of "freaks." From then on, Minato naturally began training in Sage Mode at Shikkotsu Forest every night.
Once he mastered it, and if he also learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, even at just eight years old, his strength would be at Kage-level.
And that still wouldn't be his limit.
Originally, he was supposed to come into contact with the Flying Thunder God Technique many years later.
But now?
Shin had long since broken down and thoroughly explained the entire principle of the technique to Minato.
Over the past year, he had also been training Minato in spatial awareness and reaction speed.
Minato was already exceptionally gifted. With Shin's complete dedication and the most scientific training methods, it was very likely that the young boy would be able to master the Flying Thunder God Technique by the time he was just over ten years old. And as long as he continued training according to Shin's plan, he would eventually reach a peak where he possessed:
The physical strength and durability of the Third Raikage.
The complete ninjutsu mastery of the Third Hokage.
The speed of the Second Hokage.
The destructive power of the Third Tsuchikage's Dust Release.
The Sage Mode of the First Hokage.
Sensory abilities on par with Shin himself.
When that day came, Shin could focus entirely on his research and simply have Minato handle any issues that arose.
Thus, the position of the next Hokage had already been unofficially decided.
Shin knew full well that Tsunade had no interest in becoming Hokage. The only reason she was acting so engaged now was because of him. So he had no intention of letting her shoulder the burden for long.
Once Minato was old enough and had earned enough merit and reputation, Shin would directly support him in taking the role.
---
Life gradually returned to its proper rhythm.
During the day, Minato continued with his classes and intense training. At night, he traveled to the Shikkotsu Forest to train in Sage Mode.
Tsunade returned to work at the hospital, and also took over many responsibilities in the Pharmaceuticals Department, which nearly caused another falling-out with Koharu.
But with her current state of weakened influence, all she could do was fume in powerless frustration. After all, Tsunade had already handled some of the department's work in the past, and now she had returned in triumph. With all of Koharu's allies mysteriously having disappeared, she couldn't stop Tsunade even if she wanted to.
The thought of all this made Koharu feel like she was going mad. Just a year ago, when Tsunade first entered the Pharmaceuticals Department, she had been completely sidelined by Koharu.
And now?
It was Koharu's turn to be sidelined. This left her feeling tortured all the time, yet she had no options. Even Hiruzen would have to think twice before trying to oppose the current Tsunade. What could someone like Koharu even do?
It was said that the old hospital director cried again upon seeing Tsunade return. The last time he cried was when Shin resigned. But this time it was tears of joy, he had genuinely feared that Tsunade would never return.
If that had been the case, what would the Konoha Hospital have done without its golden nameplate? Only the Sage of Six Paths knew how he had managed to endure during the time when both Shin and Tsunade were absent.
Meanwhile, Shin returned to the research facility and resumed his various studies with Orochimaru.
---
In the Raikage's office, A's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Did I hear you correctly? You want me to go to Konoha and propose marriage to Tsunade?"
Did I hear that right? What the hell?
"What else would you do?" The Third Raikage sighed. "Ever since you were captured, your mental state has been increasingly unstable and your temper worse. Maybe this is the only way to return you to normal."
His words left A speechless.
Lately, he had indeed been emotionally unbalanced. It would've been better to die on the battlefield! But unfortunately, Tsunade hadn't even given him the chance to die in battle.
Although he had felt somewhat better upon hearing that leaders from other villages had also been captured by Tsunade, and the Third Raikage hadn't blamed him, being taken prisoner still remained an unforgettable experience.
If he could marry her, not only would he be able to wash away that feeling, it would even turn into an eternal honor.
The problem was… rumors said Tsunade was already engaged.
And even if she weren't, a woman of her status could never marry outside her village. What was the Raikage really thinking? Could he have some deeper plan?
Regardless, he couldn't disobey the Raikage's orders.
After making some preparations, A set out for Konoha with his guards. Officially, the trip was a marriage proposal, so they had to maintain the appropriate formalities.
That was why, as soon as they left the village, a specially trained thunder hawk carrying the Third Raikage's handwritten diplomatic request flew ahead toward Konoha.
