"Finally… I succeeded!"
Shawn's face was filled with satisfaction.
An A-rank ninjutsu—and one that required no hand seals—had been mastered by him.
In terms of difficulty, A-rank techniques sat just below S-rank, far beyond the level of ordinary jōnin techniques.
Innate insight.
The massive chakra granted by Hashirama's cells.
The foundation of an elite chūnin.
And complete familiarity with the Rasengan's training process.
All of these combined allowed Shawn to master an A-rank technique in an astonishingly short time.
"Next comes refinement… and then adding nature transformation."
Packing up his things and returning to the inn, Shawn continued thinking about the Rasengan's future development.
The potential of this technique was enormous.
Not just the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, but also variants like Wind Rasengan, Flame Rasengan, Lightning Rasengan.
Even the Rasengan itself could scale in power simply by increasing chakra output—
Big Ball Rasengan.
Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan.
However, the real question was how to integrate it into his existing combat system.
Without Wood Release—
Mid- to long-range combat relied on Wind Release.
Close combat relied on swordsmanship.
That system was already mature.
So Rasengan required a new close-combat framework, especially for situations where he wasn't holding a blade.
Using Rasengan alone required speed—or shadow clones for setup.
Naruto's combat style could be copied almost wholesale.
"Rasengan works best with Flying Thunder God…"
That combination was undeniably perfect.
Especially if he ever developed even an incomplete Wind Rasenshuriken—Flying Thunder God would eliminate the self-damage issue entirely.
The speed was fast enough to escape before backlash occurred, leaving only the enemy to suffer.
Of course, if his Wood Release ever reached Hashirama Senju's level, none of this would matter.
One technique would be enough to suppress the entire shinobi world.
"…Flying Thunder God is not something I can confidently obtain."
Shawn scratched his head.
Not to mention, that technique demanded terrifying reaction speed.
One mistake—and it was instant death.
Which led him to an unpleasant conclusion.
"If I want to use Flying Thunder God properly… I'll need something else."
His thoughts landed on a single answer.
Sharingan.
And not just any—three tomoe.
"So to fully use Rasengan variants, I need Flying Thunder God."
"And to fully use Flying Thunder God…"
"…I need to steal eyeballs?"
Under the moonlight, Shawn sighed deeply.
If the status system were even slightly more reliable, would he really need to go this far?
The next refresh was only a few days away.
He genuinely hoped it wouldn't give him another bizarre debuff.
Returning to the inn, Shawn cleaned up and fell asleep quickly.
Return to Root
The next day, Shawn rose early and returned to Konoha, arriving at the Root base around 10 a.m. to report to Danzo Shimura.
After listening, Danzo didn't ask why Shawn had returned late.
Instead, he asked:
"If we are to deal with the Sky Ninja Village, what do you think is the best approach?"
Shawn answered without hesitation.
"The most direct and effective method is war."
"With Konoha's strength, we can wipe them out completely."
"That's something you've already considered, Danzo-sama. The problem is that the Third Hokage disagrees."
Danzo nodded.
"The current situation does not allow large-scale military action."
"However, Hiruzen has agreed to let Root handle the Sky Ninja Village."
"But with Root's current strength, total elimination is still impossible."
"The Sky Ninja Village has provoked Konoha repeatedly. If they aren't punished, other villages will look down on us—and even our allies will doubt our resolve."
Behind the mask, Shawn's killing intent surged.
"In that case," he said coldly,
"I suggest a large-scale assassination campaign."
"Intercept their mission teams. Eliminate their key personnel."
"Drown the Sky Ninja Village in fear."
"Cripple their ability to accept commissions, destroy their economy, and reduce their manpower."
"When the time is right, you can personally lead Root to annihilate them—sending a warning to the entire shinobi world."
A faint smile flickered in Danzo's eyes.
This was exactly the answer he wanted.
Hiruzen's approach was too soft.
Only blood and terror could make the Sky Ninja Village understand who ruled the Land of Fire.
Danzo gave a small nod.
Then he said:
"This afternoon, accompany me to the Ninja Academy."
Shawn paused for a moment—then immediately understood.
Hiruzen had tasted the benefits of Root's efficiency.
He'd finally agreed to let Danzo recruit directly from the Academy.
At this point in time, the rift between Danzo and Hiruzen was nowhere near as deep as it would be decades later.
Ninja Academy
At 2 p.m., as classes were in session, Danzo arrived at the Academy with Shawn and Shimura Danzō's aide, Shimura Daichi.
Inside an office, stacks of student records awaited them.
Of course—these were the leftovers.
Hiruzen had agreed to recruitment, but the truly outstanding students were excluded.
No jinchūriki candidates.
No heirs of major clans like Ino–Shika–Chō.
These were the students Hiruzen had filtered out.
Danzo didn't care.
Even among the leftovers, there were usable tools.
And what he needed weren't people—but weapons.
"Begin," Danzo ordered.
Daichi immediately began carefully evaluating each record.
Shawn, meanwhile, skimmed through them rapidly, building an overall picture.
Then—
"Hm?"
Shawn's hand stopped.
A familiar name stared back at him.
Yakushi Nono
Age: 10
Among all the files, this was the only name he recognized.
Without hesitation, Shawn pulled the file aside.
There wasn't even a moment's thought about not choosing her.
Root would be his in the future.
How could he possibly let such a talent slip away?
After all—
He wasn't choosing for Danzo.
He was choosing for himself.
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