Somewhere in a dark underground space.
Danzo, his face bitter and wrapped in many bandages, held a ball of black substance in his hand while listening to the report from an ANBU kneeling before him.
"...This is the power that freshman Itsuki suddenly awakened. When he went berserk, he easily subdued senior ninja Endo Daisho. It has a strong chakra absorption ability. Once entangled, the chakra will be continuously lost."
"...The Third Hokage quickly issued a gag order and cleaned up all traces of the scene. He intended to hide Itsuki's ability. I also hid a small piece away from everyone's sight."
"...Later, the Third Hokage called 'Tenzo' to his office and handed Itsuki over to 'Tenzo' for instruction."
Danzo played with the black substance in his hand, his expression shifting from surprise, to thought, and finally to disdain.
"Wood Release?" Danzo muttered to himself. "To this day, I never thought someone could awaken Wood Release on their own. Itsuki's background is not simple!"
"Go check and find out Itsuki's blood relatives within five generations. There's no way he's a child of commoner origin."
The last sentence was directed at the ANBU.
"Yes!" The ANBU immediately responded and left.
He was a thorn planted by Danzo within the ANBU directly under the Hokage. Publicly, he was an ANBU serving the Hokage, but in truth, he was a member of Root.
Ever since Danzo acted on his own and orchestrated the Uchiha's demise, the Third Hokage dismissed him from his post, disbanded Root, and ordered him to reflect at home.
Over the years, Danzo kept a low profile. He no longer interfered in government affairs and had few subordinates to use.
But he was a dormant poisonous snake. Given a chance, he could kill his target with one blow.
Of course, now was not the time for him to surface.
Yet, he couldn't ignore that someone suspected of being the true owner of the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai had appeared in the village.
First, find the details, and if possible, recruit him.
If that fails, wait until he gains power and then force your way in!
Wood Release is a power that must be mastered personally. Everything for Konoha!
…
At the same time, in the Hokage's office, after the Third Hokage made a big promise and asked Itsuki to leave with Tenzo, he also made the same decision as Danzo: find out Itsuki's background.
Wood Release would never be possible for a commoner to possess.
Either it is related to the Wood Release experiments from long ago, or it is directly tied to the Senju bloodline.
No matter which, the village must firmly grasp this bloodline.
However, the Third Hokage was not in a hurry. Itsuki was just a child, and he, as the Third Hokage, was loved by everyone in the village.
Through their brief interaction, the Third Hokage was confident he could easily guide Itsuki to his ideals. Investigating his background was just an extra layer of insurance.
…
[System Chat]
[Yamanaka Ino: Phew, it's finally over. Our leader, Jonin Asuma-sensei, may look unkempt, but he's incredibly powerful!]
[Tenten: Asuma Sarutobi? I've heard a little about him. He's the Third Hokage's son.]
[Tenten: I heard he was rebellious in his youth, disagreed with the Third Hokage's ideals, left the village to pursue his own path, and only returned in recent years as one of the few elite Jonin.]
[Hinata Hyuga: That's impressive, but my team leader, Jonin Kurenai, is also very capable and kind.]
[Tenten: Seems Yuhi Kurenai just became a Jonin this year. I don't know much, but I know she comes from a family of illusionists and is currently the village's strongest illusionist.]
[Hinata Hyuga: Tenten-senpai, you know so much.]
[Tenten: Hehe, not really. I've only been a ninja for a year. The most important thing is intelligence.]
[Yamanaka Ino: @Haruno Sakura, why aren't you saying anything? Is your leader a sultry pervert?]
[Haruno Sakura: ...]
[Yamanaka Ino: Haha, I knew it! This reaction proves I'm right.]
[Haruno Sakura: Get lost! We haven't even met the leader yet. I only know one thing: he's definitely unreliable!]
[Hinata Hyuga: Huh? You're still in the classroom? Are you in some kind of trouble?]
[Haruno Sakura: Please, he's a Jonin in the village. How could he be in trouble? Still, I can't help but doubt his strength. I'm really worried about his future as a ninja!]
[Tenten: In that case, I might know who Sakura's leader is.]
[Haruno Sakura: Huh? Explain!]
[Tenten: Hatake Kakashi, elite Jonin from Konoha. A genius since youth: graduated Ninja Academy at five, Chunin at six, Jonin at twelve. Developed A-rank ninjutsu independently…]
[Hinata Hyuga: Wow! That's amazing!]
[Yamanaka Ino: Really?]
[Haruno Sakura: Are you kidding?!]
[Tenten: He's our teacher's rival, so I always watch him. Something happened during the Ninja World War, and now he's a bit of a downer. Known as the king of lateness in the village.]
[Haruno Sakura: Dejected…late…your Majesty?!]]
[Yamanaka Ino: So, he wasn't in trouble, just late on purpose! @Haruno Sakura, there's still time. I sympathize with you!]
[Haruno Sakura: ...]
…
Ino rejected her teacher's dinner proposal for new members and, after chatting in the system group for a few minutes, turned her attention back to reality.
In front of her was a huge building: Konoha Hospital.
Ino walked to the front desk with two bouquets of flowers, asked a few questions, and soon headed to the inpatient area.
After she disappeared from the front desk, two more people appeared, suspiciously following her.
One had pineapple-colored hair and a lazy expression; the other was a heavyset man-eating potato chip.
It was her teammates from Team 10: Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji.
Shikamaru pulled Choji to the front desk. "Where did that girl go just now?"
The nurse quickly directed them to Area B of the Inpatient Department.
"Strange. Why is Ino at the hospital? Is someone hospitalized?" Choji asked.
"You forgot about Chie Mai and Ryota…" Shikamaru said thoughtfully.
"Those two!" Choji curled his lips. "Is Ino here to cause trouble?"
"Maybe!" Shikamaru shrugged and quietly pulled Choji to follow her.
Although the three were classmates and their families were old friends, Shikamaru was inseparable from Choji.
Ino used to never play with girls. Now, after noticing her unusual behavior, Shikamaru wanted to investigate—and brought Choji along.