Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

Northeast of the Land of Fire, in the open sea, lies a narrow, elongated island nation. Viewed from above, its shape closely resembles a ladle, earning it the name "Hot Spring Country."

The Hot Spring Country is a land of breathtaking natural beauty and abundant resources. Along its coastal docks, many tourist cruise ships and merchant vessels are anchored.

One spring morning, the sky was a clear blue, and a gentle sea breeze blew.

The endless ocean lay calm and peaceful. A flock of seagulls circled above the harbor waters, crying out intermittently. Occasionally, dolphins leaped from the waves, sending sparkling sprays into the air like scattered diamonds.

At first glance, everything seemed tranquil and idyllic.

However, for merchant convoys and tourist cruises that regularly sail these waters, recent days had grown increasingly unstable.

Because there were far too many pirates.

Over the past decade, the world of shinobi had experienced long-lasting peace. Without wars for years, ninja numbers in the Five Great Nations exploded, making competition fierce. In such circumstances, some unemployed ninjas who couldn't even earn enough to eat ended up deserting their villages and becoming bandits.

Across the vast oceans, these ex-ninja pirates roamed wildly between island nations. They looted merchant ships, attacked passengers, blew up bridges, and sabotaged dams. They even raided villages directly, slaughtering civilians indiscriminately—they truly committed every atrocity imaginable.

Widespread anxiety spread among the people.

As everyone knows, only ninjas can effectively counter other ninjas.

Therefore, recently, any ship departing from the harbors would hire ninja escorts to protect both lives and cargo.

The *White Cloud*, a fully loaded merchant vessel preparing to sail to the Land of Lightning, was currently hiring bodyguards.

At the recruitment booth, an interview was being conducted by a girl named Mio. She was the daughter of the White Cloud's captain—healthy, with a sun-kissed complexion, and youthful in appearance.

"You... you're here applying as a bodyguard too?"

Mio lifted her head, staring at the unfamiliar young man before her. He stood tall and handsome, with long black hair cascading down his back, radiating a charmingly transcendent aura.

"That's right."

The youth nodded. He pulled out a forehead protector and handed it to Mio as he introduced himself, "My name is Heiyan. I'm a Chunin from the Leaf Village. Please take care of me."

This young man claiming to be Heiyan was naturally none other than Heiyan himself.

After leaving Shikkotsu Forest, he crossed the sea heading north and finally arrived at this port in Uzu Country. Although he came here to apply for this job, it wasn't for money or rewards—he simply wanted a free ride to the Land of Lightning.

"You're actually from the Leaf? And a Chunin too?"

Mio widened her eyes, looking extremely doubtful as she stared at Heiyan, almost as if she had written "I don't believe you" across her face.

Upon hearing her words, Heiyan didn't waste time talking. Instead, he immediately formed hand seals and performed a technique.

[Water Release: Wild Water Wave!]

He spat out the water, which turned into a powerful wave, instantly creating a small pond where he stood.

"Woah… incredible…"

Seeing this, Mio opened her mouth wide, stunned speechless on the spot.

After a while, she finally regained her senses, realizing how inappropriate her reaction must have appeared.

To hide her embarrassment, Mio quickly raised her hand to cover her face, let out a couple of coughs, cleared her throat, and then spoke to Heiyan.

"Hmm… from the way you look, you don't seem like a bad guy. I'm officially hiring you now. Get on board."

"It's my honor."

Heiyan gladly replied.

Half an hour later, the White Cloud set sail, speeding toward the Land of Lightning.

Undeniably, this bodyguard job turned out much easier than Heiyan had imagined.

Once underway, the White Cloud took a relatively safe route. No pirate attacks, no rough seas—everything was going great.

Soon, three days passed.

On the ship's bow deck, Heiyan faced the sea, gazing far into the distance.

Gradually, at the horizon's end, a vast continent appeared, where countless towering mountain peaks pierced the skies. Flashes of lightning occasionally flickered through the clouds, while distant thunder rumbled across the ocean surface.

They were finally approaching the Land of Lightning.

However, just at that moment, Heiyan suddenly heard a loud clamor filled with shouts of battle.

He turned toward the commotion and spotted a massive pirate ship bearing down from ahead of the White Cloud. There were numerous figures on board—at least several hundred pirates by rough estimate.

"Pirates incoming! There's a ton of them!"

A crew member of the White Cloud shouted in panic, spreading fear throughout the ship. Chaos erupted among the crew members. Even the few ninja bodyguards onboard looked grim and showed no will to fight.

Facing the fierce pirates who vastly outnumbered them, the captain could only curse his bad luck. Clenching his teeth, he ordered everyone:

"Abandon the ship and retreat!"

Immediately, the crew started lowering lifeboats in preparation for escape.

At this moment, everyone silently hoped the pirates would be satisfied after seizing the White Cloud and its cargo, without slaughtering them all.

As Mio retreated under the protection of her guards, she suddenly noticed Heiyan still standing motionless at the bow.

She urgently shouted at him: "Heiyan, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and run!"

Hardly had she finished speaking when—

Whoosh!

Right before Mio's astonished eyes, Heiyan leapt off the deck of the White Cloud and landed on the water surface.

Then he moved like lightning, dashing across the waves straight toward the pirate ship.

"Has he gone crazy?"

Many people aboard the White Cloud couldn't help thinking the same thing when they saw this scene. To them, it was undoubtedly a suicidal act for an ordinary ninja to charge headfirst against hundreds of pirates.

But Heiyan was no ordinary ninja—he was a Sage.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Countless arrows, Kunai knives, and Explosive Tags shot from the pirate ship toward Heiyan, but he easily dodged them all. During this time, he quickly closed the distance with the enemy vessel while accumulating massive amounts of natural energy into his right arm, forming Sage Chakra.

Within just a few seconds, he had entered [Half-Sage mode].

Finally—

Boom!

Leaping high from the sea surface, Heiyan soared into the air. In front of hundreds of terrified pirates, he threw a punch straight at the hull of the ship.

The powerful wind generated by his fist resembled a real gale, sweeping across the deck and blowing numerous pirates off balance.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, the sturdy hull fractured under Heiyan's punch, forming a crack.

"That was close."

As many pirates witnessed this scene, they were just beginning to feel relieved—

Crack! Crack!

Countless cracks radiated outward from Heiyan's fist like a messy spider web, instantly spreading in all directions and covering the entire ship.

Boom!

Amidst terrified screams from hundreds of pirates, the pirate ship exploded into pieces, turning into countless wooden fragments that fell into the sea.

Those pirates who survived by sheer luck had already been scared out of their wits. Swimming frantically with arms and legs, they fled headlong into the open sea without daring to look back.

One punch shattered an entire vessel into oblivion.

No one would believe such power existed in this world unless they saw it with their own eyes.

As graceful as a swallow in flight, Heiyan gently touched down upon the ocean's surface.

For him, this punch was nothing more than a brief test of strength after mastering Sage Art—a simple warm-up exercise to stretch his muscles and bones.

He turned and saw the crew of the White Cloud staring at him in utter disbelief, their mouths agape. With a brief wave, he drifted away like a whisper on the wind.

On the deck, watching Heiyan's receding back finally vanish from sight atop the ocean waves, Mio suddenly realized—perhaps she'd never see him again.

A deep sense of emptiness settled in the girl's chest...

The Land of Lightning was known for its warrior culture — a place where towering figures with bronze skin and bulging muscles roamed every street, presenting a stark contrast to Konoha's more modest customs.

After arriving at this coastal town, Heiyan wandered around briefly, purchasing many daily necessities to prepare for another period of seclusion and training.

Without hesitation, he plunged deep into the mountains.

One day later.

Far removed from worldly noise, Heiyan found himself a secluded spot rarely visited by others.

At the shore stood cliffs dozens of meters high; rolling waves continuously crashed against the rocks while humid sea winds brought heavy moisture. Beyond the coastline stretched endless ranges of mountains shrouded perpetually in mist and echoing with distant thunder.

To Heiyan, this place was practically an ideal cultivation location where he could calm his mind, connect with nature, and cultivate both Lightning Release and Water Release techniques simultaneously.

His seclusion plan consisted of two stages.

The first step was fully perfecting his Storm Release techniques, developing more new moves and unleashing greater power.

The second step involved integrating Yang Release chakra into Storm Release to invent a completely new Kekkei Tota.

Heiyan had noticed something fascinating for quite some time now:

The same Kekkei Genkai could look totally different when used by different people—sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker, always unique.

Take Lava Release, for instance. The Four-Tails Jinchuriki Roshi expressed it as molten lava, while "Leg Shadow" Kurotsuchi shaped hers into cement-like form.

Magnet Release was another case in point. Under the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Kazekages, it took the forms of Iron Sand Body, Gold Dust, and finally, plain sand.

Heiyan believed that during the cultivation of a Kekkei Genkai, both the practitioner's own cells and the environment in which they trained would influence the final power of the Kekkei Genkai.

This was precisely why he traveled across mountains and rivers to train in the Land of Lightning.

Heiyan intended to refine the purest form of Storm Release right here. Then, building upon this ultimate Storm Release, he would develop an even more refined Kekkei Tota.

Halfway up the mountain, Heiyan discovered some buildings. Approaching closely, he realized it was an abandoned shrine.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Following a moss-covered approach path, Heiyan reached the entrance of the shrine.

There stood a stone tablet with four clearly visible characters inscribed upon it: "Kasuga Shrine."

Then, passing through the torii gate covered with green vines, he reached the main hall of the shrine. Thick ropes dangled at the entrance, bearing rusted wind chimes. He casually gave them a couple of shakes—

Ding ling ling!

The chimes emitted a somewhat discordant sound, carrying far into the distance and echoing throughout the mountains.

Finally, Heiyan stepped inside the inner sanctum of the shrine. In its center stood a blue-skinned deity with sharp fangs and horns atop its head. The figure wore armor styled after the Warring States period, wielding a weapon shaped like lightning in its hands, its eyes wide open and expression awe-inspiring.

It was evident this place had once been a shrine dedicated to the Thunder God.

But from now on, it would serve as Heiyan's temporary dwelling—resting here, avoiding the rain, sleeping peacefully; undoubtedly a fine arrangement.

After cleaning the shrine and making it his temporary home,

Heiyan arrived at an empty lot halfway down the mountain slope. Without hesitation, he formed hand seals and created twenty Shadow Clones.

Twenty times the efficiency—time to begin training!

...

Time slipped away, unseen by sun or moon.

One day, two days, three days—time flew swiftly by.

One month, two months, three months—the seasons drifted by like mist.

Time flew like a fleeting white steed—soon enough, it was autumn in Konoha Year 31.

During these past six months, the biggest change in the world of shinobi was the growing unrest, with increasing conflicts between major ninja villages. Especially for Konoha, it was nearly simultaneously locked in tensions with four great ninja villages—Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Cloud, and Mist.

After all, since the era of Hashirama Senju, Konoha had always occupied the best territory in all the ninja world, blessed with vast forests and a pleasant climate, unlike other countries where only deserts, mountains, swamps, or seas existed.

Under such circumstances, it was no wonder Konoha became the object of envy.

Currently, high-ranking elders across all ninja villages understood well—if war broke out in one place, it would trigger a chain reaction, leading inevitably to the outbreak of the Second Great Ninja World War.

The question now was—who would strike first? And where?

Nobody knew.

A bleak autumn wind turned countless trees yellow across hills and fields. Towering waves crashed relentlessly against the cliffs lining the shore.

Half a year had already passed since Heiyan entered the mountains of the Land of Lightning.

For six full months, he had lived in complete isolation from the outside world. Fully immersed in his training, he remained unaware of the events unfolding beyond the mountain peaks.

With the powerful physical constitution of Sage Transformation, he could endlessly train with the Multi-Shadow Clone technique. This unique method of cultivation granted him exceptional efficiency and allowed him to accumulate vast experience.

Although only half a year had passed, in reality, Heiyan had already cultivated as if for ten years.

Ten years.

Had Heiyan developed his Kekkei Tota?

Among the mountains, along a narrow mountain path,

A plump middle-aged man, drenched in blood, was fleeing in terror.

This man was named Yamato, head of a merchant caravan within the Land of Lightning. Half an hour ago, when his group passed through this area, they were unfortunately ambushed by bandits repeatedly.

Unfortunately encountered bandits lying in ambush unfortunate encounter with thieves lying in ambush unfortunate encounter with bandits lying in ambush unfortunately encountered bandits lying in ambush unfortunately encountered bandits lying in ambush unfortunate encounter with thieves lying in ambush unfortunately encountered bandits lying in ambush Unfortunately encountered thieves lying in ambush

Yamato had nowhere left to run.

Suddenly, he spotted something ahead on the hillside—a cluster of buildings peeking from among the trees.

Salvation!

Overjoyed, Yamato rushed forward desperately, hoping someone might rescue him, only to find it was an abandoned shrine, clearly deserted for many years.

What… was that?!

Yamato suddenly raised his head, eyes widening in horror at the sky. Above—

Floating above the shrine in midair hovered a crimson thundercloud, about ten meters wide. Inside the crimson cloud, arcs of lightning danced constantly, emitting waves of terrifying pressure that set hearts trembling.

Unbelievably strange and eerie.

Yamato had never seen such peculiar red clouds before. Normally, he would have avoided this place entirely, but now cornered with no escape,

Better gamble on the gods than die by bandit blades.

Thinking so, Yamato gritted his teeth, darted through the torii gate, rolling and crawling all the way into the shrine's inner sanctum.

"Thunder God, save me!"

When he saw the Thunder God statue deep within the shrine's inner sanctum, Yamato dropped to his knees with a thud, begging frantically while recounting all his tragic experiences, praying for divine intervention to spare his life.

At that moment.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several tall, burly bandits came rushing from outside the shrine, bursting through the torii gate. Seeing Yamato kneeling on the ground worshiping, they erupted into mocking laughter:

"Dying and still praying to gods—how utterly ridiculous."

Yet before their words fully faded—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

From the red cloud hovering above the shrine came rolling echoes of thunder, like a warning growl: loud voices were forbidden in the realm of gods.

Even less so an act of murder.

The bandits exchanged uneasy glances, but eventually forced themselves to ignore the warning, stepping inside to seize their target.

Next second.

Flash!

A streak of crimson lightning descended from the thundercloud, bathing the shrine courtyard in a blinding blood-red glow, turning everything invisible.

After a long moment,

Cowering inside the shrine's inner sanctum, Yamato finally regained his vision. Trembling, he cautiously stepped out and glanced at the courtyard—those several bandits had been reduced to piles of ashes by the lightning strike…

"Blessed Thunder Deity, you truly reign above all!"

Seeing this scene, Yamato's legs gave way and he dropped to his knees again, kowtowing repeatedly toward the crimson thunderclouds in the sky.

He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination.

Faintly, Yamato saw within the thunderclouds a demon god with an azure face and protruding fangs, staring down at him indifferently with eyes like bronze bells.

"Ahh!"

Letting out a scream, Yamato fled from the shrine without daring to look back. He didn't stop running until reaching the foot of the mountain, where he finally turned around. The thunderclouds lingered above the shrine briefly before eventually vanishing into thin air.

"The Thunder God has appeared…"

Yamato mumbled repeatedly under his breath, astonished. The merchant who had narrowly escaped death quickly made a decision—

He must repay the favor!

Thus, three days later, leading a large team of construction workers, Yamato returned to the site once again.

"Remember, do not disturb the divine spirits!"

Full of excitement, Yamato recounted his miraculous encounter with the benevolent deity and continually reminded his crew to stay as quiet as possible and maintain complete reverence for the gods.

A week later, the Kasuga Shrine had been fully renovated—inside and out. It wasn't just clean and orderly anymore—it was majestic, even sacred.

After completing everything, the devout Yamato knelt and kowtowed respectfully toward the shrine's sky one last time before heading back with the construction team.

But this was far from over—it was just getting started.

Because soon, Yamato's story spread through nearby towns. At first, many people were skeptical, but before long, increasing numbers of people witnessed the red thundercloud hovering near the Kasuga Shrine.

Furthermore, shortly afterward, several similar incidents occurred within a dozen kilometers of the shrine—bandits or wild beasts attacking people, only to be struck dead instantly by the crimson lightning from the cloud.

By then, the people finally believed—the Kasuga Shrine housed a thunder-wielding deity!

According to local legends in the Land of Lightning, this divine being was respectfully referred to as Lord Takemikazuchi.

Since then, due to fear of divine punishment, bandits across the hundred-ri radius gradually disappeared. Under the protection of Lord Takemikazuchi, residents of nearby towns began living peaceful and prosperous lives.

Yet, no one could have imagined—

This legendary Lord Takemikazuchi wasn't a god, but a human.

Moreover, this so-called god was merely fifteen years old.

That so-called deity was none other than Heiyan—the one who mastered the Kekkei Tota.

To Heiyan, saving Yamato had been nothing more than an act on a whim. He didn't expect that such a random act would gain him worshippers—or that he'd end up becoming a god by accident.

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