Naruto entry

Page 497

What should a ninja truly pursue?

eternal life?

Things that go against the natural cycle will not end well.

Everything has a price; nothing is possible without a price.

The desolation of immortality is enough to drive one mad.

"It seems that Kiyoshi has a similar idea."

Tsunade recalled the time when she and Jiraiya went to find Sakumo Hatake. Kiyoshi was also there then, and they even discussed this topic with Orochimaru.

She also told Kiyoshi that it's normal to die when it's time to die.

"eternal life?"

As expected, this topic attracted the attention of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

The daimyo of the Land of Demons, who had come to observe the ceremony, also cast his gaze in that direction.

"Orochimaru, how can you achieve the immortality you speak of?"

The daimyo of the Land of Fire.

He wasn't a ninja, so he didn't develop the same open-minded attitude of living in the present moment as a ninja.

Ninjas live a precarious existence; no one knows whether they will survive the next mission.

The only guarantee for ninjas is a pension, which allows them to leave a last bit of warmth for their loved ones after they die.

This resulted in ninjas having moral ethics that were actually different from those of ordinary people.

They are more open-minded than the average person, yet also very conservative.

"Change the body."

Orochimaru explained some of the principles behind "Reanimation Jutsu".

As long as the soul does not decay or perish, the physical body is merely a vessel.

If a ninety-year-old ninja were to replace the body of an eighteen-year-old ninja, he would become his eighteen-year-old self.

The drawback is that the body belongs to someone else and may not have the same habits as one's own former physical body.

"what!"

"Doesn't this mean someone has to be sacrificed?"

"This method is too evil and should be classified as a top-level forbidden technique, prohibited from being used by anyone."

The ninjas in the room began to whisper among themselves.

Immortality, they can treat it as a pipe dream.

However, "reincarnation" involves replacing one's body with another person's, which is destined to be stained with blood.

In theory, the amount of physical sacrifices needed to sustain a person's immortality is also... infinite.

"Enough, Orochimaru."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and was the first to interrupt Orochimaru to continue.

“Sarutobi-sensei, I’m doing this for Konoha’s sake. As long as one can live forever, even a genin, after hundreds of years of accumulation, will only become stronger than a jonin.”

Orochimaru frowned.

Being one step ahead is genius; being three steps ahead is madness.

These people... have such a narrow perspective that they simply cannot comprehend his advanced thinking.

"The next Minato Namikaze."

Mitokado Yan called out Namikaze Minato's name.

In his view, Orochimaru had essentially given up his qualifications.

Discussing forbidden techniques in public?

Or immortality?

To put it bluntly, isn't it just fear of death?

Ninjas are tools, and the most important thing is to be fearless of death. If everyone wants to live longer, then over time, they will fear death and dare not carry out high-risk missions.

Such an action is tantamount to undermining the very foundation of Konoha.

Danzo Shimura looked at Orochimaru with a mixture of disappointment and frustration, remaining silent for a long time.

"Alas, this method is indeed inappropriate."

The Fire Nation Daimyo shook his head.

If he were to achieve immortality through such a method, posterity would likely label him a tyrant.

And if you change bodies, who knows if that person will still be yourself?

The risk is just too great.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire preferred Kiyoshi's proposal.

Chapter 345 Kiyoshi Becomes the 35th Hokage

"A bunch of mediocre people."

Orochimaru didn't say anything more and came down from up there.

Geniuses are always arrogant, and even he was prone to developing arrogant habits.

It's easy to project your own ideas onto others, assuming that others can think of the same things.

As it turns out, forward-thinking ideas are often seen as heretical.

Orochimaru came down from the front.

Minato Namikaze scratched his head and stepped forward, walking onto the stage.

Minato Namikaze was also surprised by Orochimaru's actions.

He also belongs to the type of person who takes life and death lightly and follows the normal cycle of birth and aging.

Minato Namikaze had no desire for immortality.

He wanted to live a peaceful and uneventful life with Kushina.

"Kushina... This is the closest I've ever come to my dream."

Minato Namikaze suppressed his excitement and glanced at Kushina.

Kushina was also present at this Jonin meeting. Long ago, when Kushina was still allowed to leave the village, she carried out many missions and was promoted to Jonin ahead of schedule.

He then recounted his experiences along the way, his insights into war, and his views on ninjas.

The people in the audience listened attentively.

Orochimaru is finished. After hearing his shocking theories, some of his former ninja supporters have begun to focus their attention on the remaining Minato Namikaze and Kiyoshi.

To be honest, Kiyoshi and Minato Namikaze are really similar.

Both are gentle geniuses who possess the "Flying Thunder God Technique," allowing them to come and go as they please.

They all made outstanding contributions during the war.

Furthermore, Kiyoshi is more versatile than Minato Namikaze.

He is proficient in all five elements of escape techniques, and the power he uses is considerable.

He is also a top-tier ninja in the medical field and possesses numerous bloodline limits.

Even geniuses pale in comparison to Kiyoshi.

Kiyoshi's only flaw is that he's not exactly... politically correct.

His birth was complicated; he was an orphan brought back from the Land of Lightning and also had the surname Uchiha.

In Konoha, you can have any surname, but it's best not to have the surname Uchiha.

This is a problem left over from history.

The Uchiha clan is an elder clan, but its former clan leader, Madara, repeatedly attacked Konoha.

During the Second Hokage's era, extremists like Uchiha Setsuna emerged, attempting to rebel.

That's all I wanted to say.

Minato Namikaze scratched his head.

He wasn't very good at politics, and his speeches were rather conventional.

clap clap.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience, deafeningly loud.

After Minato Namikaze went down, it was Kiyoshi's turn.

"I'm glad that I, an Uchiha, can stand here."

Kiyoshi stepped onto the stage and looked calmly at the ninjas below.

If he had remained a native of Kumogakure, using the Yoruzuki surname, his chances of becoming Hokage would have been higher than if he had become Hokage in Konoha using the Uchiha clan.

Ultimately, the Konoha leadership discriminates against the Uchiha clan.

The same applies to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Despite the constant attention Kiyoshi receives, he has not been targeted.

One important factor here is that Kiyoshi's personality and behavior are very similar to Uchiha Kagami.

That is, Uchiha who do not possess Uchiha characteristics.

If it were a genuine Uchiha, Kiyoshi estimated he wouldn't even make it to the candidate list.

In "Itachi's True Story", the Uchiha clan was extremely dissatisfied that Fugaku was not nominated as a Hokage candidate.

On the night of their annihilation, they endured their fear and resentment, wanting to protect their village, but were told not to approach.

What is this behavior?

With a formidable enemy at hand, the Nine-Tailed Fox has been manipulated into causing chaos by a mysterious figure, and the village urgently needs combat power to resolve this calamity.

The Konoha leadership, however, kept the Uchiha clan, with its elite forces, away from the area and forbade them from approaching.

The reason is simple: they don't trust the Uchiha.

Even at such a critical juncture, this remains true.

The final result, naturally, was that Konoha paid a heavy price.

Many ninjas died, the village was destroyed, and Minato Namikaze, who had just taken over, died young at the hands of the Nine-Tails.

"I don't want to say more. The Kage of a village, if not the strongest, must have top-tier strength. Only in this way can he protect the village and his comrades. Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die."

Qing Si spoke calmly.

He didn't go on at length to explain what he would do or how he would do it.

Minato Namikaze has already said those things, so there's no need for him to repeat them.

The ninjas, who had just experienced the Third Shinobi World War, knew one thing best.

The weak will be bullied!

Sometimes, even if you do nothing, war will break out.

Therefore, developing the village and expanding the ninja's power is of paramount importance.

"Kiyoshi, we know you are strong, but Orochimaru and Minato are equally top-tier."

Nara Shikaku pondered for a moment before speaking.

None of these three Hokage candidates are weaklings.

"The technique you used is 'Susanoo,' isn't it? As far as I know, each use will cause one to lose a portion of their sight."

Danzo Shimura snorted.