Now that his true identity had been completely revealed, there was no telling what desperate actions Uchiha Obito might take next.
But it didn't particularly matter. Currently, the only people who knew his real identity were Shihouin Naraku, Hatake Kakashi, and Tsunade, while everyone else in the shinobi world remained completely unaware.
Therefore, for the time being, this revelation wouldn't affect Obito's ability to continue his manipulations and deceptions.
As Kakashi went off to investigate the Nine-Tails Rebellion and the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, Naraku found himself with some unexpected free time.
It was probably because Tsunade had witnessed firsthand how much trouble he could cause when sent out on missions, so she didn't dare allow him to leave the village. Besides, ordinary missions didn't require top-tier combat power like Naraku's overwhelming abilities.
But before Naraku could rest and relax for more than a few days, Kirigakure's formal diplomatic protest arrived.
Hokage Tower.
"Ha, that's genuinely interesting."
Shihouin Naraku looked at the letter of protest in his hands and burst out laughing.
The entire document discussed at length how he had killed Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage Yagura, but it never once mentioned that Yagura had been controlled by powerful genjutsu for years.
The letter placed all the responsibility and blame squarely on Naraku's shoulders.
It was essentially all bark and no bite.
Not only did they refrain from demanding that Konoha hand over Naraku for punishment, they also made no request for Naraku to issue any kind of formal apology.
Originally, all the major nations in the shinobi world had expected to see Kirigakure protesting strongly against Konoha, especially since it was a major incident concerning the current number one shinobi in the world.
After learning the actual contents of the letter of protest, everyone was left completely speechless.
Shihouin Naraku had killed the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, and this was their response?
Even if they were afraid of his overwhelming strength, they could have at least cursed at him a few times or made stronger demands, but this weak protest was the result?
Throughout the entire shinobi world, except for Konoha who issued some incomprehensible diplomatic nonsense and put the matter behind them, Sunagakure pretended not to see anything at all. Only Iwagakure and Kumogakure continued to openly ridicule and mock Kirigakure.
Originally, after Yagura Karatachi's death, Kirigakure had been prepared to relax their previous strict isolationist policies and actively integrate into the broader shinobi world. At the very least, they wanted to ensure that Kirigakure wouldn't be left behind or excluded from any important events.
As a result, they found themselves being ridiculed by other major villages immediately after sending their protest letter to Konoha.
How could this be tolerated?
This was absolutely intolerable!
So Kirigakure also began to harshly criticize both Kumogakure and Iwagakure in return, and all three villages started mocking each other while constantly exposing embarrassing incidents from each other's past.
From the perspective of the shinobi in Kirigakure, everyone had been humiliated by Shihouin Naraku at some point, and Kumogakure had even lost their Raikage permanently.
So why were they acting so superior and confident?
The Flaming Mountain was still burning as a testament to their defeat.
Where did they get the audacity to look down on Kirigakure!
This was really going too far!
This war of words and diplomatic insults shocked the entire shinobi world!
The ironic thing was that Shihouin Naraku, the person at the center of all this controversy, had been completely forgotten at some point, as if all these international incidents had nothing to do with him whatsoever.
The entire population of Konohagakure became enthusiastic spectators of this diplomatic drama.
Everyone enjoyed watching the entertainment, and after this incident, everyone gained a crystal-clear understanding of Shihouin Naraku's current reputation and overwhelming strength.
As a military commander, he had led his forces to victory in war and killed two Kage in succession, even adding a new famous landmark to the shinobi world.
Now Shihouin Naraku had become incredibly famous throughout the entire shinobi world.
Whenever he walked down the street, people would stare at him with intense, burning gazes. In the past, people would come forward to say hello, ask how he was doing, and engage in friendly conversation, but now, nobody dared to approach him directly. They simply stared at him from a respectful distance.
It was no exaggeration to say that Naraku's fame and recognition in Konoha far exceeded that of the Hokage herself.
If Tsunade hadn't been the one in office, and if someone else had been serving as Hokage, Naraku would have been politically suppressed long ago. Of course, whether they could have actually succeeded in suppressing him was an entirely different matter.
Naraku himself felt genuinely troubled by this situation. He felt like he was being treated like a zoo animal wherever he went, and it was beginning to seriously affect his normal daily life.
What made him most speechless was that the members of the Shihouin clan had now completely deified him and would absolutely not tolerate anyone saying anything even slightly negative about Naraku.
This situation couldn't continue indefinitely.
Naraku took the opportunity to resign from all his official positions except for that of senior advisor, and announced that he planned to maintain a low profile for a while to complete some personal plans.
Tsunade proved very understanding of his situation, so she quickly agreed to his request.
"Alright, now you should be able to relax a little bit."
Tsunade looked at Naraku with an amused smile and said, "You've caused me so much diplomatic trouble, and now you're suffering the consequences."
"Anyway, what are your plans for the immediate future? You're not just going to stay at home indefinitely, are you?"
Naraku shook his head and first asked about the progress of Kakashi's investigation.
"Nothing significant was discovered. Although there was a considerable amount of information and intelligence to review, Kakashi looked through all of it and didn't find any concrete evidence. At most, there were only some vaguely suspicious clues."
"Of course it's not going to be that easy, otherwise someone would have discovered the truth long ago."
Naraku hadn't expected that Kakashi would be able to produce results so quickly, so he felt no disappointment.
Besides, the complete story was already in his mind, but Naraku simply didn't want to reveal everything directly.
Naraku straightened his expression and looked at Tsunade with complete seriousness.
Tsunade felt confused by his sudden change in demeanor. "What's with that expression on your face?"
Naraku didn't want to delay or beat around the bush, so he spoke directly.
"Sensei, I'm going to Shikkotsu Forest to learn Sage Arts!"
"Learn Sage Arts?!"
Tsunade showed a genuinely surprised expression on her face. She hadn't anticipated this at all. "It's no problem to learn Sage Arts. You've already signed the Summoning Contract with the Great Slug Sage. You can go to Shikkotsu Forest whenever you want."
"What I mean is, what should I pay attention to when I go to Shikkotsu Forest to learn Sage Arts? After all, the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave have appeared publicly in the world, but the Sage Arts of Shikkotsu Forest have never been demonstrated. Is there some hidden reason for this?"
Hidden truth?
What kind of hidden secret could there possibly be?
Tsunade replied simply, "There's no hidden secret at all. The Great Slug Sage welcomes any shinobi who comes to learn Sage Arts."
"No matter which country they're from or which shinobi village they represent, all shinobi are welcome to learn the Sage Arts of Shikkotsu Forest."
"It's just that no one has ever succeeded so far!"
Naraku asked with genuine surprise, "Not even a single person?"
"That's absolutely correct!"
Tsunade pointed to the diamond-shaped mark on her smooth forehead and explained, "This is actually the sign of failure in practicing Shikkotsu Forest Sage Arts!"
"What?!"
Wasn't this supposed to be the symbol of the Strength of a Hundred Seal?
How was it related to the Sage Arts inheritance of Shikkotsu Forest?
Seeing Naraku's puzzled and confused expression, Tsunade continued her explanation. "Back in the past, the Uzumaki family was the first shinobi clan in the ninja world to step into Shikkotsu Forest and make contact with the Great Slug Sage."
"But their original plan was to somehow seal the Great Slug Sage and make it a fighting tool for the Uzumaki Clan's exclusive use."
"Of course, that plan failed completely!"
"Although they had been rudely offended, you know the gentle character of the Great Slug Sage. It didn't blame the Uzumaki family shinobi for their disrespectful attempt. Instead, it was willing to teach them Sage Arts."
"But obviously, that also failed again!"
"My grandmother was the only one who managed to take the first step toward learning Sage Arts, but she also ultimately failed. However, she was able to use this experience to develop the original form of the Strength of a Hundred Seal, which was later fully perfected by me."
Tsunade-sensei's grandmother...
That would be Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the First Hokage Senju Hashirama and the first Nine-Tails jinchuuriki!
Yes, it seemed that Uzumaki Mito had also possessed a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
This information indirectly supported what Tsunade was saying.
Naraku thought about it carefully, then asked with curiosity: "Where did the First Hokage learn his Sage Mode?"
Don't tell me he couldn't use it, because I've seen him clap his hands and instantly activate Sage Mode!
Then he proceeded to slap around both Uchiha Madara and the Nine-Tails so hard that they couldn't fight back.
"Grandfather—"
Tsunade seemed to have thought of something amusing, and a beautiful smile suddenly appeared on her face.
"Grandfather learned the way to Shikkotsu Forest from Grandmother, and he did indeed visit Shikkotsu Forest, but I can tell you with absolute certainty—"
"Grandfather failed!"
"He never learned Sage Mode!!!"
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion