Chapter 120: The Taste of War

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle…"

Stacks of premium firewood were neatly piled under the bathtub, intertwined with the flames, making a crisp sizzling sound.

The medicinal liquid in the bathtub was boiling hot, bubbling merrily. Hanma hummed a tune, comfortably lying within, enjoying a rare moment of leisure after months of hard work.

Even though his body was enveloped in waves of comfort, Hanma's mind found it hard to relax, as he thought about the state of the ninja world and the lurking Uchiha Madara.

The current ninja world situation was like a powder keg about to explode, ready to ignite the next ninja war with just a spark. The scale of this conflict would likely surpass the previous three-nation war, potentially engulfing the entire ninja world.

The arms race in Iwagakure resulting in population pressure, Kumogakure's ambition to unify the ninja world, Sunagakure's financial struggles, and even a desolate Kirigakure needing to vent its internal conflicts through external wars to maintain its rule—all these factors contributed to tension.

Among the five major hidden villages, except for Hiruzen Sarutobi who might still be dreaming of peace, the other Kages were secretly preparing for war.

Hanma's eyes were deep and contemplative. With Konoha's current strength, while formidable, it would soon attract backlash.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo, the still-alive Sakumo Hatake, as well as Hanma and Orochimaru—Konoha possessed five open shadow-level experts.

Moreover, Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were training in the Sage Lands, were also prominent figures in the intelligence systems of other hidden villages, not considered ordinary Jonin.

The secretly growing Minato Namikaze was also about to bring a devastating experience to all traditional ninjas, shocking the entire ninja world.

With Konoha's current power, if a ninja war broke out, all the hidden villages would unanimously target Konoha first to prevent it from reaping the benefits and devouring the entire ninja realm.

In the original timeline's Third Ninja War, the other four great hidden villages only probed Konoha a bit before tearing into each other more fiercely than they did against Konoha.

This led to the most severe losses of Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure occurring in their mixed battles with other countries, not with Konoha.

If another war erupted, a key point would be the fall of Amegakure, removing Konoha's buffer zone and exposing it to direct invasion from the other hidden villages.

"I need the chakra of the tailed beasts from the other hidden villages. This is the top priority... Only by verifying the effects of the Bliss Gourmand can I find the next step to perfect myself..."

Hanma's heart equally yearned for war; this would give him a reason to attack the other hidden villages' tailed beasts and avoid drawing too much attention.

Hanma's body, after being transformed by the Bliss Gourmand, was like the Gedo Statue, needing to absorb the tailed beasts into his flesh to ascend.

But tailed beasts, as sensitive war resources, would not be easily taken by the enemy without a fight, so Hanma needed the cover of war to temporarily shield himself.

"The Third Hokage and Danzo, these two old rivals, have sickened Konoha long enough. If I can rope in two or three major ninja clans, I can purge them during the war..."

"Still, I didn't expect Danzo to be so keen on courting death... Sealing the Nine-Tails, which attracts Uchiha Madara's attention the most, into himself—this is truly asking for it..."

Hanma stroked his solid chest, where a scar, not yet fully healed, remained—a twisted piece of muscle tissue from close contact with the core of a Planetary Devastation.

The power of the Rinnegan was unforgettable, a force comparable to that of a "god."

"Currently, Uchiha Madara, after his plan to seize the Bliss Box was thwarted, is exhausted and unlikely to take action himself. However, he definitely won't abandon the Eye of the Moon Plan."

Closing his eyes in thought, Hanma put himself in Uchiha Madara's shoes.

"Controlling the Gedo Statue requires the power of both Senju and Uchiha... Nagato seems to have been taken by him, but if Madara wants to resurrect himself, he should have another backup plan."

"Though the Uchiha clan has closed itself off from the world, it's still possible he might forcibly take action."

After some thought, Hanma shook his head.

"Indeed, with a normal train of thought like mine, it's impossible to guess the mind of the biggest lunatic in the Uchiha clan."

"However, it's certain that the Nine-Tails, bearing Madara's summoning contract, is likely his first target for his successor..."

Thinking of Danzo's bitter face, Hanma couldn't help but smile.

Danzo's existence was like a scarecrow in Konoha, foolishly standing there, waiting for Uchiha Madara's next move.

"Whoosh—"

Hanma stood up from the bathtub, grabbing a towel to wipe off the water droplets on his body. He looked at the mirror, admiring his robust physique.

"Not bad, still quite handsome..."

Hanma's chest muscles were high, his abs sharply defined, back spread wide like a bat, arms bulging, thighs thick yet not bloated. His skin glowed with a mysterious sheen under the sun's reflection, making him look like a living statue of an ancient Greek god.

Compared to before, Hanma's normal height had reached two meters. Though his stature seemed slightly reduced, he exuded even more power.

After breaking through the framework of life's tiers, Hanma ascended to the category of "monsters," with an internal circulatory system different from ordinary people, reaching another level.

In terms of lifespan alone, Hanma could rival the tailed beasts, outliving all the ninjas in the ninja world...

Hanma sighed. Such moments of emerging from a bath usually invited the approach of a pair of jade rabbits. Now, in this empty room, a sense of loneliness lingered.

"Sage techniques, truly hard to master..."

Tsunade had been training in the Shikkotsu Forest for sage techniques for half a year now but had yet to return.

Even Jiraiya, who had been exposed to sage techniques since childhood, struggled to wield them on the Amegakure battlefield, and even in his middle years, he still needed the assistance of two Toad Sages.

Though Tsunade had exceptional chakra control suitable for sage training, the path seemed far from easily traversable...

Regardless, the ninja world's New Year was approaching, and Tsunade would surely return for a reunion with Hanma.

Then, Hanma could obtain firsthand sage technique information, guiding Tsunade while also attempting to harness natural energy himself.

Hanma sat on a nearby couch, breaking the seal on a secret letter from Orochimaru and carefully reading it.

After a long while, he revealed a satisfied smile.

"As expected of Orochimaru, being friends with such a person is truly comfortable..."

After Hanma provided Orochimaru with the remains of the Ten-Tails, Orochimaru successfully cultivated a batch of extremely aggressive parasitic insects, making the Aburame clan eager to contact him.

Orochimaru then teleported these parasitic insects back to Hanma's familiar laboratory and informed the Aburame clan leader that he wasn't responsible for such matters. If they wanted them, they had to show sincerity and negotiate with Hanma.

"What an excellent partner—not greedy for credit, productive, diligently engaged in research, and has administrative capabilities..."

Hanma marveled at Orochimaru's social intelligence and planned for him.

"If the chance arises, killing an Otsutsuki from the moon could be the best gift to give Orochimaru—the finest physical shell in the ninja world..."

Dressed in loose sportswear, Hanma slipped into slippers, carrying a bag of laundry detergent, heading towards the Guard Department.

Although he couldn't confirm the relationship between Danzo and Biryuu, it didn't stop him from getting some warm-up exercise.

Meanwhile, Danzo, in a fit of rage, was angrily berating the Root ninjas.

"You bunch of useless fools—if you can't even keep an eye on an ordinary Jonin, what good are you!"