NARUTO: SECOND GOD OF SHINOBI

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Kumokami Tenzen, the Jonin—or rather, the clone of Hiruzen Sarutobi—was going through every memory of Tenzen, which he had absorbed and assimilated. Soon, he opened his eyes and spoke,

"The faction of civilians has a very small number of Jonin. Even if I take control of the civilian faction, they only have 25 Jonin.

Meanwhile, the Raikage faction has around 43 Jonin and two quasi-Kage level fighters wielding the Six Paths tools.

The opposing elders' faction, however, has 57 Jonin. Among all the Jonin, the majority of elite fighters are present in the opposing elders' faction, followed by the Raikage faction.

In the civilians' faction, we only have 5 elite Jonin—maybe 7 if we stretch it a little. The situation is tricky, but it can be handled.

The first step is taking control of the civilians' faction, then dealing with the opposing elders' faction.

After that, the Raikage faction will bow. Time is tight—it's already been a month, and due to internal conflicts, both Iwa and Kumo still haven't selected their Kage ninja."

Tenzen then created 50 clones and vanished along with them, heading to meet up with and consolidate his power among the Jonin and Special Jonin of his faction.

Soon, he arrived at a Jonin's house and knocked.

"Is Taiga-san inside?"

The Jonin, Taiga, soon arrived. He was like any other Kumo ninja—dark-skinned, muscular, tall, and with an average-looking face. He spoke,

"Oh, Tenzen! Fancy seeing you here. Come inside."

He invited Tenzen in, and after they settled, Tenzen spoke directly, his aura radiating power.

"Taiga-san, I won't beat around the bush. I intend to compete for the position of Raikage. I wonder how you see that."

Taiga, seeing the aura Tenzen emitted, was astonished. He had never imagined Tenzen to be a Kage-level ninja.

Raising his eyebrows, he spoke, already having expected that something like this might happen.

"Hmm... It seems you have hidden yourself well, Tenzen."

Tenzen chuckled. "Hehe... Taiga-san, you should know how we civilians are treated. Even claiming a ninjutsu requires us to die four times over just to accumulate the merit. I despise such things.

I have always believed that civilian ninja are not weaker than any clan ninja—it's just that we don't receive the same support that other factions get.

The Raikage's demise is an opportunity for the civilians' faction to acquire status in one fell swoop.

After that, we can strengthen our faction and help ourselves."

Taiga nodded, hearing Tenzen's reasoning.

"Your plan is good, Tenzen, and your strength is impressive. But... you do realize that the Raikage faction possesses two of the Six Paths tools?

That means they have almost Kage-level power in their hands."

Tenzen nodded.

"I understand your concern, Taiga-san. That's why I will personally deal with those two ninja.

As for everything else, you only need to be ready to take action when required. I have also begun making contact with the opposing elders' faction."

Taiga was surprised.

"Haha... It seems you've prepared well. Very well, then—I will support you. Even I was dissatisfied with the Raikage and his faction. All they do is play politics.

Some of our civilians are only Special Jonin despite having Jonin-level strength, and the Raikage's power and voting ability will diminish greatly soon."

"Don't worry about that, Taiga-san," Tenzen reassured. "I will change the civilians' status. Here, this is a small gift from my side for your support."

He handed Taiga a ninjutsu scroll containing C and B-rank lightning jutsus.

Soon, they laughed and continued talking for a while before Tenzen vanished. The same process was repeated all over the civilians' Jonin faction and Special Jonin.

Some happily agreed, while others were bribed with his vast collection of lightning ninjutsu scrolls.

In just one day, he had consolidated the power of the civilians' faction while maintaining absolute secrecy.

His genjutsu ability ensured loyalty, and those marked with a curse seal would be blown to gory pieces if they betrayed him.

Tenzen arrived at the house of the original owner.

"The civilians' faction is consolidated," he muttered. "I underestimated the civilians' prodigies.

Despite having only 25 Jonin, they have the highest number of Special Jonin among the three factions. It seems we are not as weak as I initially thought.

After distributing my jutsus, they will become even more formidable with lightning techniques."

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He then created another 100 clones and sent them to contact the opposing elders' faction. Meanwhile, he discreetly made his way to the elders' house.

Upon reaching its vicinity, he spotted Chunin-level ninja guarding the house. Two Chunin soon noticed his presence.

"Who's there?" one of them spoke.

Tenzen stepped forward and calmly stated his desire to meet the elder.

The Chunin did not attack, recognizing him as a well-known elite Jonin of Kumo.

Soon, one of them led him forward. "Tenzen-san, this way. The elders have summoned you to their residence. Please come inside."

Tenzen followed them inside the house and was led to a hall where four individuals were seated.

All of them were tanned, middle-aged, and radiating a formidable jōnin-level presence.

Tenzen arrived, nodded to them, and spoke, "Greetings, Elder Saru, Elder Tanka, Elder Seiryū, and Elder Misaki."

Elder Saru responded, "Oh, Tenzen, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

None of the elders showed any disgust or disdain toward Tenzen. As an elite jōnin of Kumo, no weakling could rise to his position.

In this village, only those with formidable strength earned respect.

Tenzen spoke, "I have come to ask the elders about the Raikage position. The civilians' faction has already declared its stance, and I would like to hear your thoughts."

The elders raised their eyebrows, and Elder Saru spoke, "The Raikage position has not yet been settled, Tenzen. It seems the civilians' faction is growing restless."

Tenzen nodded. "We are restless, as the village still lacks a leader. You are aware that Konoha poses a significant threat on our borders, and even the Frost Village has clashed with us a few times.

We do not have the luxury to waste time fighting a civil war over the Raikage position, or the hungry wolves outside will tear pieces from us. You should also know that Kiri is determined to attack.

"That is why I have decided to bear the burden and assume the position of Raikage. What do the elders think?"

As he spoke, his Kage-level chakra erupted, surging through the hall like a violent storm.

The oppressive pressure spread throughout the chamber, bearing down on everyone inside.

The guards stationed outside staggered, their faces pale as they struggled to endure the overwhelming force. Even the elders' expressions stiffened.

"This power…" one of the elders muttered, his voice tinged with surprise. "It seems you have been hiding your true strength, Tenzen. But do you think this alone can deter us?"

Tenzen chuckled, his imposing presence unfaltering. "I know what you're thinking, elders.

I also know that none of you want someone from the Raikage faction to assume power. And yet, I am not from the Raikage faction—I am a civilian.

"But more importantly, the village has no other Kage-level ninja. If the other villages find out that Kumo allowed a mere jōnin to take the Raikage position without the strength to support his title, we will become the laughingstock of the Five Great Nations.

Furthermore, you should also realize that the negotiations with Konoha had already failed, the blame will naturally fall on Kumo, as our ninja was the one who proposed the deal—even if Iwa and Kiri agreed to it initially.

"We cannot afford internal strife. Above all, Kumo follows the rule of strength.

If any of you can bring forth a ninja stronger than me—someone who can defeat me—then I will step back and wholeheartedly support them."

As he spoke, his chakra intensified, now laced with natural energy and a faint essence of Six Paths power.

The air grew heavy, suffocating. The chūnin and genin guards collapsed to their knees, unable to withstand the pressure, while the jōnin present struggled to breathe.

The elders exchanged glances, their smiles turning wry. They did not have anyone capable of opposing him.

Cracks formed along the hall's walls as Tenzen's chakra continued to surge. "So, what is your decision, elders?" His voice echoed like a thunderclap.

"I am not like the Raikage faction. We civilians have been ostracized for too long.

"That being said, if you support me, I will offer you benefits—access to certain forbidden village techniques, knowledge from the Scroll of Seals, and other concessions in your favor."

The elders fell into deep thought, weighing the benefits against the risks. Minutes passed, then hours. Finally, they came to a unanimous decision—to support Tenzen.

With that, Tenzen swiftly consolidated his power. By nightfall, he had successfully usurped control from the elder faction.

He also managed to poach 12 jōnin and 30 special jōnin from the civilians' descent into his faction, along with 45 jōnin from the elder faction who decided to support him.

Unbeknownst to his opponents, by this time, Tenzen's faction had 37 jōnin and 158 special jōnin, along with an additional 45 jōnin and 79 special jōnin from the elder faction.

Now, his next objective was clear—he would acquire the Six Paths Tools and completely suppress the Raikage faction once and for all.

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I am sorry everyone, i could write for almost one week time and made you wait.

Its just i was giving a country wide entrance exam for my post graduate (master's degree), for college admission for my master's, such that i couldn't write anything, i was preparing for it whole week and it just finished today so i wrote a chapter and published it write away.

Also i am planning to write another fanfic of black clover and am here to hear yours thoughts and views.

Thank you once again for your understanding!

Once again I am truly sorry without informing you, but rest assured the fan fic will not be dropped, even if this fan fic is just a test run to enhance my skill, and experiment with different scenes.