If Mizuki Ryosuke wanted to undergo a qualitative leap in power, there was only one viable path leftSenjutsu!
Learning Senjutsu might seem simple in theory, but in reality, the difficulty was staggering. Even though Mizuki Ryosuke was confident in his talent, the prerequisites for mastering Senjutsu were vastly different from those required for regular ninjutsu.
If he were to categorize himself, he would likely be considered a shinobi who excelled in the development of ninjutsu, much like Senju Tobirama. However, even a genius of Tobirama's caliber had failed to master Senjutsu, highlighting how selective and demanding the art truly was.
Moreover, possessing the necessary Senjutsu aptitude was only the first hurdle. The second, and arguably most critical, was access to resources.
It was akin to what people often described as needing a "guide through the gate." The three known locations that taught Senjutsu Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest were all intrinsically tied to Konohagakure.
Finding their locations wouldn't be too difficult. No matter how secretive these places were, they still existed within the shinobi world. If Ryosuke dedicated enough time and effort to searching, he would eventually locate them.
However, finding them was only half the battle. Why would they teach him Senjutsu?
He wasn't their kin, nor was he their descendant. Why would these sacred lands willingly pass down their techniques to an outsider? The shinobi world wasn't a charity. There was no reason for them to simply hand over their greatest secret.
This led Ryosuke to an interesting thought regarding the original series.
Despite the vastness of the shinobi world, which housed hundreds of thousands of ninja, why were Hiruzen Sarutobi's three students Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru the ones who inherited the contracts of the three great summoning realms?
Tsunade's case was logical since she was of Senju descent. It was plausible that the Shikkotsu Forest's Slug Sage contract had been passed down through her clan. But what about Jiraiya and Orochimaru? Neither of them belonged to a prestigious bloodline. Why did these two, who were allegedly from civilian backgrounds, end up as the chosen inheritors of Senjutsu?
The answer was not coincidental. It was calculated.
Returning to the topic at hand, if Mizuki Ryosuke wanted to learn Senjutsu, he needed to use Konohagakure as his connection.
That left him with only two options.
1. Leverage the Hokage to gain access.
2. Establish ties with an existing summoning contract successor.
The first option meant dealing with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
And what kind of person was Hiruzen Sarutobi?
At a glance, he appeared to be a kind and wise old man, but anyone who truly understood him knew how insidious he could be. If one analyzed the events of Naruto closely, it became evident that Hiruzen's methods were as manipulative as those of his teacher, Senju Tobirama. It wasn't an exaggeration to call him the most politically cunning figure in Naruto.
Tobirama had left behind a legacy of strategic governance and thousands of Forbidden Techniques, ensuring the strength of the Senju name. His power had been enough to keep the Uchiha in check.
What about Hiruzen?
His power wasn't in jutsu it was in manipulation and control.
Many people blamed Shimura Danzō for Konoha's darkest tragedies. However, they often ignored the true mastermind behind it all Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After all, who gave Danzō permission to form Root? Who allowed the Uchiha to be pushed into isolation? Who sent Uchiha Itachi to slaughter his own clan? Who tolerated Danzō's continued existence despite countless betrayals?
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Danzō may have carried out the darkness, but Hiruzen was the one who reaped the benefits.
And that was precisely why Danzō would never be chosen as Hokage.
Hiruzen understood one thing perfectly Hokage was a symbol. The title represented Konoha's ideals, its face, and its righteousness. A leader stained by darkness could never hold such a position.
That was why, even when Hiruzen died, the Konoha elders never considered Danzō as his successor.
This was Hiruzen's ultimate masterstroke.
Even when Danzō reached a breaking point going so far as to attempt assassinating Hiruzen the Third Hokage did nothing.
Some naïve people believed Hiruzen tolerated Danzō out of brotherhood, since they had both trained under Tobirama Senju.
That idea was laughable.
If anything, Hiruzen was as cold-blooded as Danzō perhaps even more so.
The proof was Hatake Sakumo, the legendary White Fang of Konoha.
Sakumo had been a war hero of the Second Shinobi World War, a Kage-level shinobi feared across the battlefield. And yet, when Sakumo abandoned a mission to save his comrades, he was vilified by the village.
As Konoha's Hokage, Hiruzen did nothing to stop it.
The result?
Sakumo took his own life.
And after that tragedy, what did Hiruzen do for his son, Kakashi?
Nothing.
Instead, he allowed Kakashi to be recruited into Root, where he suffered under Danzō's brutal training. Hiruzen only intervened after Kakashi was ordered to assassinate him.
And then there was Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had sacrificed himself to protect Konoha, even going so far as to seal the Nine-Tails into his own son for the village's sake.
Yet, after Minato's death, Hiruzen allowed Naruto to grow up as an orphan, subjected to constant hatred and discrimination.
If Hiruzen had any true compassion, Naruto would have been raised with respect as the son of a Hokage. Instead, he was ostracized and lived a miserable childhood.
Why?
Because, to Hiruzen, Naruto had no further value.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't simply a bystander to Konoha's darkness he was its true architect.
Even though he personally committed no heinous acts, his inaction was just as damning as Danzō's cruelty.
If Mizuki Ryosuke wanted to use Hiruzen to access Senjutsu, he would have to navigate through the mind of a man who had outmaneuvered countless shinobi over decades.
That left the second option: contacting a current summoning contract successor.
At this point in the timeline, there were only three possible candidates.
The three students of Hiruzen Sarutobi Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
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