Chapter 136: Marriage
"I imagine the result will be quite astonishing."
Someone spoke up, speculating aloud, "Whether it is Hokage-sama or Princess Tsunade, their talent and Kekkei Genkai are truly extraordinary."
In terms of lineage, Tsunade belonged to the orthodox Senju Clan.
As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, the purity of her Senju bloodline went without saying.
As for Kei, he was no less remarkable.
Within the Uchiha Clan, he had always been a legendary figure.
He awakened the Sharingan at birth, the first such case in the history of the Uchiha Clan. In terms of bloodline purity, even Uchiha Madara from back then might not have been able to compare.
As for the rest, there was even less need to mention it.
The Wood Release he displayed during his battle against the Third Raikage was enough to leave countless people stunned.
Wood Release.
The significance of this ability was entirely different from ordinary Kekkei Genkai.
It was the signature power of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the strongest Kekkei Genkai in the entire Ninja World.
Even the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan could not truly compare to it.
After all, back then, Uchiha Madara had been defeated fair and square by Senju Hashirama.
Although they did not know how Kei had obtained Wood Release, that did not change the fact that Kei was powerful.
Possessing both the Sharingan and Wood Release, and now marrying Princess Tsunade, who carried the pure bloodline of the Senju Clan, just how powerful would their future descendants be?
Thinking of this, the people present could not help feeling stirred.
This was especially true for the Senju Clan Head, whose emotions were particularly intense at this moment.
As the head of the Senju Clan, he knew the source of Kei's Wood Release through Uzumaki Mito.
It had not been obtained through ordinary means, but by forcibly devouring the First Hokage's cells through the Chimera Technique.
At first, he had been extremely excited about it.
The power of Wood Release was beyond question, but after the death of the First Hokage, this Kekkei Genkai had been lost within the Senju Clan.
If possible, the Senju Clan Head naturally wanted to obtain Wood Release again, so the name of Senju would not be disgraced.
He had once observed Hiruko with great excitement, but in the end, he reached a disappointing conclusion.
Hiruko did possess Wood Release, but the Wood Release he possessed was not the same thing as the First Hokage's Wood Release at all.
It could only be considered a crude imitation.
Even if one obtained such a crude version of Wood Release, it held little significance. It would only tarnish the invincible reputation of the First Hokage.
But Kei's performance gave him hope once more.
This time, during Kei's battle against the Third Raikage, the Wood Release displayed on the battlefield, while still not equal to the First Hokage's, was not far behind.
He did not know that this was due to the added power of the Nine-Tails and only thought it was a matter of individual talent.
After all, in terms of talent, Kei, as the most outstanding genius of the Uchiha Clan, was naturally superior to Hiruko. This was not something that required much doubt.
However, even Kei was not a pure member of the Senju Clan.
On that basis, if Kei and Tsunade had a child in the future, would that child naturally awaken Wood Release?
Or, after obtaining the power of Wood Release, would that child become as powerful as Kei in the future?
This was a question worth studying carefully.
Unlike the Senju Clan Head's concerns, Orochimaru and Hiruko were currently sitting in a corner, drinking with Jiraiya, whom they had not seen for a long time.
To be precise, the two of them were being dragged into drinking by Jiraiya.
After all, neither of them liked alcohol.
Back then, after passing the Intermediate Ninja Academy's exam, Jiraiya became part of the first group of students promoted into the Intermediate Ninja Academy. His strength had improved greatly since then.
The curriculum within the Intermediate Ninja Academy was broad, and students could freely choose according to their own preferences.
Jiraiya had studied there, and his results were quite good.
In just over two years, his strength had already met the requirements for graduation. At the very least, he was now an Elite Chunin.
"The academy instructor appreciates me a lot and said he wants to take me in as one of his first batch of students."
Jiraiya spoke proudly to Orochimaru and Hiruko.
Students who graduated from the Intermediate Ninja Academy could directly obtain the status of Chunin, equivalent to a Ninja who had passed the Chunin Exams.
However, after graduating from the Intermediate Ninja Academy, students often had two choices.
They could either graduate directly as Ninja and start working for Konoha, or they could continue pursuing advanced studies.
If one was diligent enough, passed the exam, and was accepted by a certain instructor, they could directly become that instructor's student and receive private guidance from that mentor.
Through this method, as long as one graduated from the instructor's tutelage in the future, they could directly obtain the title of Jonin.
Jiraiya was currently at this stage.
With his strength, passing an instructor's recruitment assessment was not difficult. As long as an instructor was willing to take him in, his path from then on would be smooth.
Incidentally, among the instructors listed in the Advanced Academy, basically all of Konoha's highest-ranking figures were included.
Including Kei himself, whether it was Homura Mitokado, Uchiha Kagami, Utatane Koharu, or others, all of them held part-time positions as academy instructors.
Even Danzo Shimura and Uzumaki Mito were among them.
There was no other way. The people within Konoha who possessed top-tier combat power were basically these individuals.
If one wanted to teach students with Jonin level combat power, the instructor's own strength naturally had to be guaranteed.
Otherwise, expecting a Chunin to teach a Jonin was far too unrealistic.
After Hiruzen returned, if nothing unexpected happened, the Ninja Academy would gain one more instructor.
Kei's intended to have Hiruzen teach Jiraiya.
This was also in line with the arrangements of the original timeline.
Jiraiya had originally become talented under Hiruzen's guidance. Troubling Hiruzen once more now would not be a bad thing.
"After I graduate in the future, I'll be a Jonin."
Jiraiya grinned. "When that time comes, don't get left too far behind by me!"
Orochimaru and Hiruko looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing for the moment.
What Jiraiya did not know was that Orochimaru and Hiruko already possessed Elite Jonin level strength.
Although they were not old, under Kei's guidance, their foundations were extremely solid, and they had also mastered quite a few Forbidden Jutsu.
The most critical thing was their own application of Forbidden Jutsu.
Hiruko had already devoured the First Hokage's cells. After obtaining the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, his strength had increased greatly and was definitely not inferior to a so-called Elite Jonin.
As for Orochimaru, although he had not used the Chimera Technique, he was a genius in his own right.
With his talent, and under Kei's careful guidance, his strength was now faintly above Hiruko's.
The only reason they were still at this level was that they had placed more of their focus on scientific research.
Otherwise, if they had focused entirely on training, their strength would be even greater than it was now.
In this world, with Kei's existence, it would likely be quite difficult for Jiraiya to catch up to Orochimaru and Hiruko.
Of course, it was not entirely impossible.
Sage Mode could be considered his best opportunity to overtake them.
As long as Jiraiya could master Sage Mode as he did in the original trajectory, then no matter how the external environment changed, he would still become a top-tier powerhouse below the Six Paths level.
This would not change regardless of how the environment shifted.
Those matters were a little too distant.
At this moment, Kei had only one focus.
Tsunade stood quietly in front of him.
Her attire today was different from usual. She wore a unique set of wedding robes, making her appear dignified and beautiful, giving off an aura completely unlike her ordinary self.
Even Uzumaki Mito and the others, who had watched Tsunade grow up from childhood, felt a little unaccustomed as they looked at her.
When had that mischievous little girl from before grown up enough to get married?
After this thought appeared in their hearts, they could not help laughing, their faces filled with gratification.
No matter what, marriage was a matter worth celebrating.
It brought two young people closer, allowing them to form a lifelong bond.
On the high platform, Kei held Tsunade's hand.
"Are you nervous?"
He looked at Tsunade and asked in a low voice.
"I'm fine."
Tsunade smiled. "Just a little excited."
"It feels like a dream."
"We were both so small back then, but in the blink of an eye, we've already grown up."
"That means you spent these years happily. That is why you feel time passed so quickly."
"Yeah."
Tsunade nodded, looking at Kei before her, a faint blush appearing on her face. "Time spent with you always passes very quickly."
"Then I hope the future will remain the same."
Meeting Tsunade's gaze, Kei spoke softly, "Whether day or night."
The two people on the high platform seemed to be performing their own little act alone.
The people below reacted differently.
The Hyuga Clan Head looked at the guests seated around the hall and felt especially envious of the Senju Clan at this moment.
With Kei as their son-in-law, even if the Senju Clan had lost the election for Hokage, they could still secure a great deal of benefits.
And if Kei and Tsunade had a child in the future, then that child, as the crystallization of the Uchiha and Senju Clans, would have a very high chance of ascending to the position of Hokage.
After all, the Uchiha and Senju were the two great clans that founded Konoha.
As a child born from the direct lines of both clans, and with a father who was the Hokage, the probability of becoming Hokage in the future would be extremely high.
"When will the Hyuga Clan be able to produce a Hokage?"
He looked at the two people on the high platform, and this thought could not help flashing through his mind.
Not far away, Hiruzen sat alone, looking at the two people on the high platform, somewhat lost in thought.
Strictly speaking, there were many acquaintances of his present.
Whether it was old friends like Homura or relatives like the Sarutobi Clan Head, his relationship with them was good.
But he did not want to sit with those old friends and relatives at this moment, so he simply sat alone, watching Tsunade and Kei before him.
"Sensei, if you could see this scene, you would likely feel gratified."
Suddenly, such a thought flashed through his mind.
Everything he had experienced seemed to finally settle at this moment.
Since everything had reached a good outcome, what did those little twists and turns from the past count for?
It was better to forget them.
Figures moved everywhere throughout the banquet hall.
But what no one noticed was that in a corner of the hall, a black shadow stood quietly, its gaze fixed firmly on Kei.
This was Black Zetsu.
He had infiltrated Konoha, preparing to gather intelligence and information regarding Kei.
But not long after arriving in Konoha, he happened to encounter Kei's wedding, so he simply blended in and observed from the corner.
In front of the many powerhouses of Konoha, infiltrating the wedding venue of Konoha's Hokage was almost an impossible task for anyone in the Ninja World.
After all, the number of Kage level powerhouses present was not small.
Whether it was Danzo or Homura, their strength was quite formidable. There was even someone like Hiruzen, who could be called a Shinobi Hero.
There was also Uzumaki Mito, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who could sense people's hearts and possessed powerful perception.
With such a lineup, almost no one would dare to infiltrate this place.
But Black Zetsu dared to do so, and he even succeeded.
He attached himself to a guard and, with the help of his own camouflage ability, walked inside before hiding in the corner to observe.
"It is indeed Mother's power..."
He stared straight at Kei, his heart full of doubt. "Why does Konoha's Hokage have Mother's aura on him?"
During this time, he had also gathered quite a bit of intelligence.
Kei was not only the Hokage of Konoha, but also the new head of the Uchiha Clan.
In terms of status, it could be considered extremely noble, but no matter how Black Zetsu looked at it, Kei should not have any connection to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
After all, there was nothing about him that should connect him to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
The so-called Sharingan was only a degraded version of Indra's bloodline. It was already very far from the source, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. It should have been impossible for it to carry any direct connection.
So the question arose.
Where exactly did the Kaguya aura on him come from?
Black Zetsu could not understand it at all.
At this moment, in a corner, a small red fox suddenly raised its head.
It seemed to have sensed something, and its gaze turned toward the direction where Black Zetsu was hiding.
"Is this the Nine-Tails?"
Black Zetsu was startled by the Nine-Tails' gaze and hurriedly restrained himself, continuing to hide.
Only after the Nine-Tails shifted its gaze away again did he appear once more, his heart full of bewilderment.
"What is going on?"
"Isn't the Nine-Tails still inside Uzumaki Mito? What is this little Nine-Tails?"
The Eye of the Moon Plan required collecting the power of the nine great Tailed Beasts, so Black Zetsu was extremely concerned about information related to each of them.
If he remembered correctly, the Nine-Tails should still be inside Uzumaki Mito at this time.
From what he could sense in reality, that was indeed correct.
Uzumaki Mito was sitting there perfectly fine at this moment, looking as if nothing was wrong.
According to common sense, once a Jinchuriki had their Tailed Beast extracted, they would die immediately.
Uzumaki Mito was not dead at this moment. Clearly, her Tailed Beast had not been extracted.
Then where did this little Nine-Tails before him come from?
"There are more and more doubts."
This thought flashed through his mind. Then he silently retreated, ending this infiltration.
"Kei, someone was here just now."
Just as Black Zetsu left, the Nine-Tails relayed the news to Kei.
....
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