Ninja Ice House

How Koyo became the wife of Kou Sugi is unknown, and Karin's birth is also a mystery.

After spending many years at the Konoha Ninja Academy without becoming a ninja, he finally gave up. Then, a daughter appeared and entered the Ninja Academy, taking over his path of "studying".

Such private matters are kept secret by the Kosugi family. Kosugi Bokusui himself, Momiji, and Karin don't say anything, so it's practically impossible for outsiders to know.

Suddenly, a daughter with the Uzumaki bloodline appeared, and her talent was astonishing. She outshone even the once-in-a-century Uchiha genius orphan, and the other ninja clan members and commoner geniuses couldn't even be seen.

Physical Healing and Kagura's Mind's Eye, these two bloodline secret techniques, were already extremely rare innate secret techniques of the Uzumaki clan when the Land of Whirlpools still existed.

In comparison, while the Vajra Sealing Technique also requires bloodline talent, it is not as demanding as physical healing or Kagura's Mind's Eye. It has a greater chance of being learned later in life. However, it does require a high level of chakra control, intelligence, and sealing technique talent. Someone like Naruto Uzumaki would basically never be able to learn it.

What are the requirements for a human-powered container?

He has excellent physical fitness, strong vitality, a large amount of chakra, stable mind, outstanding ability to withstand pressure, and absolute loyalty to the village.

The first two Nine-Tails Jinchuriki were the wives of the Hokage. In Naruto's generation, it was even more impressive; the Jinchuriki wanted to become the Hokage.

Among the five great ninja villages, three Jinchuriki have become "Kage": Naruto Uzumaki, Yagura Karatachi, and Gaara. Coincidentally, the time when these three were in power coincided with the period when their respective ninja villages were at their most stable, developed the fastest, and were basically at their strongest.

Ninja villages that possess Tailed Beasts or Jinchuriki generally have to spend a lot of energy maintaining and caring for the Tailed Beasts. Once a Jinchuriki becomes a Kage or village chief, it basically means that he has become a perfect Jinchuriki, reconciled with the Tailed Beast within him, and can combine the power of both to achieve an effect far greater than the sum of its parts.

“Naruto, the Nine-Tails… being a Jinchūriki is your greatest challenge and tribulation, but also your innate destiny and wealth. If used well, it can become a stepping stone for you to reach the peak; if used poorly, it will be a disaster for you and your closest friends and family.”

"I understand! Then... Sage Mode, and Sage Cultivation?"

After going around in circles, we've come back to this matter. Jiraiya couldn't help but slap his forehead in frustration; it seems there's no escaping it after all.

Since we can't run away, it's better to get things done as soon as possible.

After observing secretly for the past few days, Jiraiya was quite certain that the Kosugi family had made a very big move in Konoha.

Much of the land, public facilities, and commercial real estate in the village belong to the Gusugi family. These properties are scattered throughout Konoha Village, seemingly without any particular pattern, and are laid out entirely according to commercial principles.

However, after experiencing the baptism of the "Great Dream Realm," Jiraiya felt more and more that this "forbidden technique" should not be so easily performed, and there must be some other reason.

Since there were doubts, he decided to investigate. Jiraiya seemed to be spending the last few days in various women's bathhouses, bars, clubs, and on the streets with beautiful women, but in reality, he was carefully observing the characteristics of the Furusugi family's business layout.

Although the situation is not fully understood, some clues have been discovered.

The area centered around the former Uchiha clan's territory is where the Kosugi family's businesses are most numerous.

Ten years ago, that place might have been on the edge of Konoha Village; five years ago, it was a relatively remote location; now, as the village has grown larger, it has effectively become the geographical center of the entire village (a large town).

By marking the land and buildings of the Gusugi family around this area on the map, a complex and seemingly ambiguous array pattern appears.

Although Jiraiya didn't know what this thing was used for, it was definitely not just a simple auxiliary force for the "Great Dream Realm".

Should we confront Young Master Gushan, demand an explanation, and remove these energy nodes that could be sealing or barrier techniques?

Don't be silly!

Some things can be resolved quietly and calmly in private before they are brought to the forefront. But once things fall apart, things become unpredictable.

Jiraiya had no idea how to persuade Tsunade to take more initiative in the village's future planning and layout, or even increase investment in sealing and barrier techniques, without angering her.

"This is difficult!"

Naruto Uzumaki is easier to deal with. Due to the "external impact," the concentration and ratio of natural energy on Mount Myōboku have changed significantly. Even seasoned "Sages" need time to adapt, so it's normal for a newcomer like Naruto Uzumaki to be unable to control it freely.

Even Jiraiya practiced in private for a while before he gradually adjusted.

-----------------

There is a poem that is very well written:

You stand on the bridge admiring the scenery, while someone in a building admires you. The bright moon adorns your window, and you adorn someone else's dream.

While Jiraiya was observing the layout of the entire Hidden Leaf Village, someone was watching him.

In the Konoha Hospital ward, Karin watched the two figures disappear into the distance before turning her gaze away.

With Kagura's Mind's Eye perception, she doesn't even need to see them in person to know where Jiraiya and Naruto are.

By analyzing their action plan, one can basically understand what the other party is doing.

Beside the hospital bed, Usami peeled an apple with a knife and handed it to Kurama Yakumo, who was leaning against the bed. Yakumo took it and took a big bite.

Seeing that Kurama Yakumo showed no signs of weakness, Usami asked somewhat mischievously:

"You're not faking illness, are you? There's nothing wrong with your body. You don't need to spend time lying in the hospital just because you're depleted in stamina and chakra. Go home, eat something good, get plenty of rest, and do some light exercise."

"My body is naturally weak, so it's good for me to lie down more often, since it's reimbursed anyway."

“Even if you’re weak, you wouldn’t be this weak, Karin, don’t you agree…”

As she spoke, Usami turned around and saw that Karin, who still seemed a little absent-minded, didn't appear to have heard her, so she raised her voice and said...

"You said it yourself, these things are unspoken, so it doesn't matter if the other party sees them."

"Yes! Back then, the Gusugi family didn't openly take advantage of the situation. Konoha suffered huge damage two or three times, and my father covered for them. Now, more than a third of the families in the village are still paying off their mortgages with my family's bank, and the interest rate is very reasonable."

When the two parties in a transaction are not equal, fairness and justice should not exist. The weaker party has to pay a higher price, which is similar to the unequal treaties of the past.

Do you think it's just a matter of borrowing money, building a road, and having the right to pass, explore for minerals, and develop the land, and then it's all about equal access?

When Konoha was in trouble, Kosugi Bokusui brought a large amount of aid to the village without making any excessive demands. However, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to buy a little more "unrestricted" wasteland and build some things himself.

When they took the money from the Gushan family, they should have foreseen this potential risk.

Moreover, large-scale explosive traps have been planted in many buildings within Konoha Village by outsiders before, and not just once. It's impossible that they were completely unaware of such things.

Moreover, the Kosugi family is not an outsider; the two sides have been close allies for decades, competing in different ecological niches. For the Kosugi family, slightly strengthening their control over Konoha Village is not a big deal.

In name, all the villagers of Konoha, including the ninjas, are subjects of the Land of Fire and must acknowledge the Daimyo of the Land of Fire as their sovereign. However, Kosugi Shōdō, as the representative of "legitimate righteousness," can actually exercise the authority of the Daimyo, and it is not a problem for him to act first and report later.

On purchased private land, what is built and how it is disposed of are matters for outsiders to decide.

If you were really worried, you shouldn't have sold it in the first place. You coveted the support from the Gushan family and tried to play dumb, hoping to settle accounts later. But sorry, it's too late now.

If you're so capable, why don't you Konoha ninjas expand further, relocate the headquarters of your core buildings and key functional departments, or research barrier techniques and sealing techniques to counter them? Nobody's stopping you.

As for the fact that all the good locations you mentioned are already taken, then I'm sorry, but in commercial transactions, it's cash on delivery, and once the transaction is settled, there are no refunds.

Kurama Yakumo smiled and echoed:

"When I learned that there were so many secrets in the village, I was so shocked that my jaw almost dropped. How many years has this been a plan? More than ten years, almost twenty years, right? Could it be that the young commander decided to pull off a big operation for the village a long time ago because the village refused to give him a ninja headband and ninja number?"

"I don't know. I wasn't born yet at that time... I had never been to Konoha Village, and I hadn't even seen my father much."

It was only after entering the Ninja Academy that Karin and Furusugi met more often, became familiar with each other, and grew much closer. Before, her so-called father was a distant figure in her imagination.

The three girls were clearly not interested in these things.

"but……"

Karin said with a hint of amusement,

"It's only now that people in the village have realized these problems exist; it's simply... ridiculously slow to react."

The so-called strongest ninja village in the ninja world is actually just a group of "martial arts practitioners" with relatively strong combat power. Because the selection mechanism mainly relies on whether they can fight or how good they are at "group fighting", most of those who rise to the top are the same kind of people, whose "hands-on" ability is far stronger than their "brain-using" ability.

Even though Konoha Village has significantly increased its efforts in training "tech ninjas," many fundamental aspects remain difficult to change.

Actually, the ninjas of Konoha are already considered to be doing well; the problems of other ninja villages are becoming increasingly serious.

The number of intelligent ninjas is far from enough.

Even if there are one or two clever people, it's difficult to change the overall situation.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, Yakumo. When do you plan to be discharged from the hospital?"

"Anyway, I have nothing to do and I'm not planning on doing any missions, so lying down somewhere shouldn't be a problem, right? Could it be that Teacher Hong is urging me again?"

"No, I was actually worried about you, Yakumo..."

As she spoke, Karin glanced at Usami, who smiled faintly, her expression unchanged, seemingly oblivious to everything and not interrupting. So Karin continued to ask...

"Could it be that a mental state caused a problem with body control?"

"You... are still as perceptive as ever. You seem calm and collected, but you've actually observed everything."

"You haven't been to the toilet for so many days. It's true that it's hard to be discovered if you secretly use the power of your bloodline limit to get rid of your poop and pee. But... do you know that in health monitoring, there is a test called excrement examination? It's not just about taking samples for testing, but also about the number of times you go to the toilet."

"Okay, it was my oversight."

With the development of technology, the hospital in Konoha Village has also used some electronic monitoring equipment to some extent. Although the degree of automation is not high, it can still be considered progress.

Although Yakumo Kurama was able to remove some impurities using his bloodline genjutsu, thus fooling the doctor and the monitoring ninja, he couldn't alter all the records on the equipment. He would be discovered with just a little attention.

If Karin hadn't intentionally helped cover it up, Yakumo Kurama's little trick would have been exposed long ago.

The young female ninja was still somewhat unfamiliar with the most cutting-edge high-tech technologies.

In the past, many advanced medical treatments could only be achieved through extraordinary ninjutsu. However, with the rapid advancements in electronic and biotechnology, many fields have long surpassed the common sense previously possessed by the ninja community.

For example, molecular-level pathological research and drug experiments rely entirely on irrational trial and error. At most, we can use ninjutsu to intervene and accelerate the process, but the actual cost is far too high.

Now, with top-notch medical equipment, most surgeries that previously required Tsunade's intervention can now be performed by ordinary medical ninjas.

With the development of the times and the progress of technology, it is beginning to show a different kind of power. The ninja world is no longer a world where ninjutsu is the only dominant force. At least on a secular level, the influence of technology is catching up and even surpassing the value of ninjutsu.

Unknown ninjas may have lower commission rates, but they are not trustworthy; ninjas from the five great ninja villages are highly regarded, but they are too expensive for the average person.

"Tell me, Yakumo, why are you lying in bed? I don't remember you being such a lazy person. What reason do you have that you'd rather lie to us than let us know?"

"Well..."

As he spoke, Kurama Yakumo shook his head sheepishly, then relaxed his body. Immediately afterward, a gentle light emanated from beneath him, lifting him into the air.

Then, to Karin and Usami's astonishment, radiance gathered on her back, forming golden, flame-like wings that fluttered gently, without wind or waves, yet giving off a warm, comforting energy.

"what is this?"

After watching for a while, Karin came to her senses and couldn't help but ask,

"Where did it come from?"

"I don't know. There's always been a voice deep within my blood telling me something, but... I can't understand it."