Uchiha again! Always the Uchiha!
'I've said it before: the Uchiha are the greatest source of instability in Konoha!'
Danzo's left eye narrowed into a thin slit, cold light shimmering within. "Tell me about this Jin Uchiha."
"Yes, sir." Torune Aburame had already gathered the intelligence. He began to recount every detail—Jin's date of birth, his performance at the Academy, his record on the battlefield, and today's school-blowing incident. He laid everything bare.
Danzo listened in silence. Once Torune finished his report and pushed the documents forward, Danzo spoke in a low voice. "Why did Hiruzen show up at the Academy today?"
It wasn't graduation season, and the Hokage didn't usually make early appearances at the school in his capacity as principal.
'Perhaps it was a whim?' Torune guessed privately. "Should I send a few people to keep an eye on him?"
Danzo remained silent. The Hokage was buried in daily administrative tasks; he wouldn't have the leisure to go to the Academy just to play around with a group of children who weren't even proper ninjas yet.
Danzo knew his childhood friend and 'best friend' all too well. Hiruzen never did anything without a purpose. Considering the Uchiha had just held a clan meeting yesterday, and today Hiruzen was showing such concern for Jin Uchiha that he personally visited the school...
Danzo pondered for a moment before coldly rejecting Torune's suggestion. He knew that a fortress was always best breached from within.
"Keep an eye on Jin Uchiha, and keep an eye on their clan meetings. Root... must ultimately have its own Uchiha!"
"The teacher's decision to grant them autonomy back then was the greatest mistake of all."
It wasn't just Danzo; Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and even Sarutobi Hiruzen had long been dissatisfied with this. A nation within a nation? What a joke!
The old man squinted his left eye at Torune. "Is the list of candidates I asked you to select ready?"
"There are currently three candidates under consideration." Torune took a file from his robe and placed it respectfully before Danzo. "From the younger generation, Tekka Uchiha... or perhaps Obito Uchiha could work."
The requirements were that the individual had to be close to the Uchiha's core decision-making circle, possess good talent, and be valued by the clan. Torune had searched through the ranks and found only these two.
However, one was a staunch supporter of Fugaku Uchiha, and the other was a student of Minato Namikaze, whom Hiruzen favored.
Danzo frowned, glaring at Torune with dissatisfaction. "Is there anyone else?"
"There is one more: Shisui Uchiha."
Danzo bypassed the files for Tekka and Obito, flipping straight to the third set of documents. His eyes fell upon a cheerful, smiling young boy. Torune continued, "He is very close to Jin Uchiha. His grandfather was Kagami Uchiha, who was once your classmate. However... he is still quite young."
'Kagami?' A face with clear, bright eyes immediately surfaced in Danzo's mind. Looking at the photo of Shisui with his wide smile and two little canine teeth, there was a thirty-percent resemblance. He recalled his teacher's evaluation of Kagami: 'He is one of the few Uchiha who truly practiced the Will of Fire.'
Kagami had been deeply loved by their teacher and the First Hokage.
Danzo gripped Shisui's file and narrowed his eyes. "Him."
Being young was never a problem. On the contrary, a child was easier to mold than someone older whose worldview was already fixed. And, of course... easier to brainwash.
"Begin contact now. In a while, I will find an excuse to slot him into the Anbu."
Once they passed Hiruzen's scrutiny and the Anbu absorbed him, bringing him into Root would be much easier.
"Yes, sir!"
With a wave of Danzo's hand, Torune took the cue and retreated.
The door creaked shut.
The chopsticks lay abandoned on the floor, and the meal on the desk had long since gone cold. Danzo had lost all appetite after the report. He rose, leaning on his cane, and walked toward a damp, dark underground laboratory.
Rows of jars lined the walls of the lab, containing various corpses preserved in fluid. Some had bulging, staring eyes; some were twisted in agony; others looked horrified, as if they had endured inhuman torture. Bizarrely, branches were sprouting from all of them, covered in green leaves, turning the corpses into half-human, half-tree monsters.
"You've come." A haunting, sibilant voice drifted through the air like a snake's hiss, sending a sudden chill down one's spine.
With his back to Danzo, a thin figure with purple eyeshadow extending to the bridge of his nose and magatama earrings stood by an experimental table. His skin was a sickly, pale white. Orochimaru was 'repairing' a man. Amidst the man's muffled, desperate cries—his limbs bound and mouth gagged—Orochimaru slowly and steadily injected a syringe of cells into his chest. He watched as the man 'activated' from a human into a half-tree being before his life force was drained by the vitality of the Hashirama cells, leaving him dead.
Orochimaru turned to look at Danzo, his golden, slitted pupils leaking a trace of hungry curiosity. "I need living subjects. Stronger and more numerous living subjects. Ideally... ninjas."
Danzo didn't answer immediately. He stared at Orochimaru for a moment before asking, "Is there hope?"
"Soon. I've already touched upon a lead. As long as there are enough experimental subjects," Orochimaru said, his lips curling into a confident smirk, "I will find the right person to recreate Wood Release!"
Wood Release was the Bloodline Limit held only by the First Hokage. It was the primary reason Senju Hashirama could suppress the Uchiha, subdue the Tailed Beasts, and forcibly bind the various clans together to become the 'God of Shinobi.'
With Wood Release, one would have the power to suppress the Tailed Beasts, placing a 'shackle' on those unstable nuclear weapons and allowing humans to control them at will.
"You had better be telling the truth."
Having received the answer he wanted, Danzo turned to leave, his cane clicking against the floor. Before exiting, he paused and warned coldly, "Orochimaru, you had better behave. Hiruzen asked you to study the First's cells, but he didn't authorize human experimentation. If this is exposed, the consequences... you know them well!"
The laboratory door slammed shut, sealing the darkness and dampness inside.
In the Southern Forest, at a training ground near the Uchiha compound.
One large and two small figures stood with legs spread, hands gripping swords. A basket of stones was tied to the tip of each blade. They were drenched in sweat, practicing their swings under the fading light of the setting sun.
From time to time, the eldest would stop his own practice to patiently correct the stances, breathing, and rhythm of the two younger ones. Just as Jin had once learned from Sakonji Urokodaki, he was now meticulously guiding Shisui and Itachi.
"The sword is an extension of your arm..."
"As they say, an extra inch in length is an extra inch of strength. Where your hands and feet cannot reach, the sword compensates."
"Your grip is wrong. Your back should be straight but leaning slightly forward. Your lower body must be stable. Your eyes should be level with the tip of the blade, forming a single line..."
"When you swing down, you must put your strength into the edge to maximize the force of the strike..."
"No, raise your hands higher. Where is your elbow going?"
"I told you to look forward, not to expose your chin for the enemy to stab."
"The downward strike must be straight. Straight! Like that, you'll easily snap the blade."
"One! Swing... use some strength!"
"Two! Again..."
"Three... four... If you don't finish ten thousand swings before the sun sets, no dinner!"
"Yes!"
Shisui swung his sword with great effort, and beside him, Itachi struggled as well.
Itachi was currently three, not yet four, making him two years younger than Shisui. The little child didn't make a sound, holding his breath as he silently competed with Shisui.
Jin sat behind them on a large, smooth blue stone. Snow Run was stabbed into the ground in front of him. He took out a carving knife and, following the memory of Sakonji Urokodaki, took a piece of wood and attempted to carve a short sword to act as a medium for [God Script].
According to the instructions in the "God Script Structure," the properties displayed by [God Script] depended on the Nen user's own understanding of that property.
For example, a [Enhancement] script required the user to have a deep understanding of the Enhancement type. A [Fire] script required a deep understanding of the property transformation of Nen into fire. A [Forbidden] script required an understanding of 'binding,' while an [Extension] script required an understanding of 'space' and 'elasticity.'
In short, [God Script] was not created out of thin air; it relied on what the Nen user was already skilled at.
Jin held the carving knife, shaving away wood and clearing away chips. While visualizing [Kamishini no Yari] in his mind, he tried to brand its concept onto the wood.
Aura shimmered with a hum. The wood gradually took the shape of a blade. But at one point, due to a deviation in Jin's focus, it exploded with a bang!
The boy frowned, took another piece of wood, and continued his practice. Finally, a panel notification appeared.
[Your follower, Shisui Uchiha, has successfully performed ten thousand sword swings. Swordsmanship +10...]
[Providing 1 point of Faith Power for you...]
Jin glanced sideways at Shisui, who had collapsed onto the blue stone, panting heavily. The boy grinned at him, showing his teeth. "Nii-san, I did it!"
Saying so, he proactively leaned in.
Jin sighed and stopped his work to rub the boy's head.
Shisui closed his eyes like a cat, silently enjoying the moment while waiting for Itachi. After a while, he opened his eyes, suddenly remembered something, and whispered into Jin's ear, "Nii-san, someone came looking for me today. He brought a lot of things to my house and said he wanted to be my friend. I didn't take any of it."
"Why not?"
[En] expanded, and as his heart-parasite wriggled, he silently entered Shisui's mind. Jin keenly captured an image, identifying the person and memorizing their appearance.
"I suspect he's a bad person!" Shisui scratched his hair, his eyes wide and innocent. "Didn't Nii-san always say that there's no such thing as a free lunch?"
'I don't even know him, so why would he bring me gifts?'
"Seven thousand seven hundred and eighty-one... seven thousand seven hundred and eighty-two... seven thousand seven hundred and eighty-three..." Itachi's strained, low murmurs drifted over.
Jin smiled and praised Shisui. "You're quite sharp."
"That person was likely trying to recruit you as a spy."
"Me?"
"Yes." Jin's eyes grew deep as he looked past the lush greenery toward the Hokage Rock standing in the distance. He said with a cold smile, "Where you sit determines what you think. As long as the Uchiha aren't destroyed, someone will be losing sleep every night."
It all started when Senju Tobirama killed Madara's brother, Izuna Uchiha!
"So that's how it is..." Shisui became upset. He recalled the secrets he had heard during the clan meeting, and his small head drooped like a wilted plant.
The village or the clan? It was like a curse that haunted every talented and capable Uchiha without a moment's rest. It was true for Shisui, and it was true for Itachi.
Jin looked out over the horizon and didn't offer any words to comfort Shisui. He simply waited until Itachi finished his first set of 'ten thousand swings' and collapsed on the ground like a dead dog.
The boy picked Itachi up and slung him onto his back, then reached out to take Shisui's hand. The three of them walked toward home under the lingering glow of the sunset.
The sound of footsteps echoed as they passed the Hokage Rock.
Shisui suddenly looked up, staring at the face of Senju Hashirama. "Nii-san, if I could be as strong as the First Lord, would I be able to solve this problem?"
Jin paused. He could hear the soft, steady breathing of the sleeping Itachi on his back. He remained silent, also looking up at the massive stone face of Senju Hashirama. He slowly shook his head. "I won't need you to."
With that, he resumed walking.
Shisui froze for a moment, nearly stumbling as Jin pulled his hand. He quickly sped up, his small hand held firmly in Jin's large palm. His dejected heart suddenly felt at peace.
'That's right... there's still Nii-san...'
'As long as Nii-san becomes the Hokage...'
'Then nothing will be a problem.'
That night, a gust of wind blew away the noise of the day.
After dropping Shisui home, Jin took Itachi back and had dinner. He spoke with his mother, Mikoto, learning that his father, Fugaku, had been summoned to the Hokage building and would be on duty all night. Jin returned to his room, closed his eyes, and threw himself onto his bedding.
The hard wooden floor covered by a tatami mat served as a bed. Though it wasn't as soft as his large bed back home, it was good for sleeping.
Soon, a wave of drowsiness arrived. As Jin relaxed his mind...
A familiar sensation of falling followed!
When he opened his eyes again, he had passed through the familiar dream tunnel, leaving the Naruto world behind and returning to the Hunter world.
Dong—
At five in the morning, the Big Ben in the center of the coastal city of Willbes chimed for dawn.
Jin sat up. Beside him, Xiao Jin was drooling with its head buried in the soft bedding, sleeping even deeper than he was. Hearing the noise, it gave him a bleary-eyed look. Jin immediately grabbed it and plopped it onto his head.
The boy stood up, performed a quick wash-up, and began his morning run as usual.
About half an hour later, when he returned to the room, Gotoh had already prepared breakfast and was waiting by the table.
The young butler was holding a phone, having just hung up a call. He spoke softly, "Master Jin, the Master is asking when you will be returning home."
"The young master is about to be born..."