Ever since his innate insight awakened, Shawn had never once enjoyed such an extended period devoted entirely to training.
Which meant one thing—
It was finally time to unleash the ultimate grind technique.
Shadow clone training.
Of course, Shawn hadn't mastered the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique yet.
And now that the Immortal Body status was gone, he didn't dare recklessly create dozens—let alone hundreds—of clones the way Naruto did.
Efficiency mattered more than numbers.
For Shawn, "enough" was better than "many."
So he created three Wood Release clones.
The first clone focused entirely on swordsmanship, striving to preserve as much of the Swordsmanship Expert state as possible.
The second clone trained Wood Release.
After mastering Impaling Wood Technique, Shawn chose his next jutsu carefully—
Great Forest Technique.
A versatile technique commonly used by Yamato, capable of offense, defense, and battlefield control.
The third clone continued developing the Rasengan.
It wasn't used often yet, but Shawn sensed enormous future potential.
After all—
What if he really did master Flying Thunder God someday?
While his three clones departed to train, Shawn spread out a Wind Release jutsu scroll before him, his eyes sweeping across the techniques listed within.
Vacuum Bullets.
Great Vacuum Bullets.
Vacuum Wave.
Continuous Vacuum Waves.
Gale Palm…
Konoha's collection of Wind Release techniques was impressively comprehensive.
Support-type.
Single-target offense.
Wide-area annihilation.
Close combat.
Mid-to-long range.
If mastered fully, this arsenal alone could turn someone into another Danzo.
With enough combat experience—
A solid Kage-level shinobi.
"I really do need a powerful mid-to-long-range Wind Release technique," Shawn mused.
Up to now, he'd leaned heavily toward close combat.
His methods were effective—but limited.
From a purely practical standpoint, Vacuum Bullet and Vacuum Wave were excellent options:
one focused on precision, the other on area control.
Yet after brief consideration—
Shawn's gaze stopped on a different technique.
Vacuum Blade.
A technique that fused Wind Release with swordsmanship, allowing the user to slash with detached, high-compression wind blades.
Perfect.
This technique fit him too well.
With Vacuum Edge as a foundation, transitioning into Vacuum Blade would seamlessly cover close, mid, and even long-range combat.
Shawn recalled that Konoha had once had a jonin famous precisely for this technique.
"And Vacuum Blade has tremendous room for development—especially with my chakra reserves."
Almost instantly, an idea formed in his mind.
Blade Storm.
"…This is the one."
Shawn made his decision.
He would prioritize Vacuum Blade, combine it with Vacuum Edge, and then push the technique far beyond its original limits.
After all—
Those who imitate me live.
Those who merely resemble me die.
Danzo might be the template—
But Shawn had no intention of becoming the next Danzo.
He intended to surpass him.
He would become the next head of Root—
But never another Danzo Shimura.
After memorizing the core principles of Vacuum Blade, Shawn rolled up the scroll and drew his sword.
Training began.
Thanks to his foundation in Vacuum Edge, progress was fast.
Within just one hour, Shawn successfully launched his first detached wind blade.
Still, it dissipated after less than a foot, lacked sufficient cohesion, and wasn't sharp enough yet.
Time passed.
Three days later—
Konoha Year 36, September 26.
While training alone, Shawn received a summons from Nakamura, ordering him back to Root headquarters.
Upon arrival, he discovered that nearly all Root members were present—including Inuzuka Ryo and Aburame Fui.
Danzo, accompanied by Shimura Daichi, was personally inscribing sealing formulae onto the bodies of each Root operative.
Shawn's heart skipped.
A name surfaced in his mind instantly.
The Tongue-Curse Eradication Seal.
He stepped forward, removed his shirt, and sat down cross-legged.
Soon, Danzo began drawing sealing symbols around him.
Once everyone was marked, Danzo formed a sequence of hand seals and brought his palms together.
The symbols on the floor suddenly came alive—like wriggling tadpoles—crawling onto Shawn's body, burrowing into his brain, linking directly to his tongue.
A curse mark formed visibly on the surface.
Danzo spoke coldly:
"This is the Tongue-Curse Eradication Seal.
It has only one purpose—to prevent the disclosure of Root's secrets."
"Any attempt to speak, write, or otherwise expose Root intelligence will trigger the seal, paralyzing the body and preventing disclosure by any means."
As he listened, Shawn silently exhaled.
As expected.
At least it wasn't mind control.
Nor did it restrict personal freedom.
In fact—
For his current self, this seal even had certain advantages.
After dismissal, Shawn returned to his quarters and stuck out his tongue at the mirror.
"…Ugly."
He clicked his tongue in mild disgust.
Then, suddenly—
Massive chakra surged from his body, blue energy enveloping him entirely.
Boom!
A violent shockwave erupted as Shawn used brute chakra force to assault the Tongue-Curse Seal.
The curse mark visibly twisted, destabilizing—
Just as it was about to collapse, Shawn stopped.
The chakra withdrew.
Everything returned to calm.
With sufficient strength, the seal could be forcibly broken.
Shawn concluded that doing so required not just chakra quantity, but spiritual will rivaling Danzo himself.
After all—
Chakra was formed from both physical and spiritual energy.
Seals and curse marks were among the most specialized and delicate forms of ninjutsu.
Satisfied with the test, Shawn left Root headquarters and resumed training.
After three days, he had preliminarily mastered Vacuum Blade.
Within a three-foot radius, his wind slashes struck with pinpoint accuracy, powerful enough to grievously injure—or outright kill—most shinobi.
But three feet was still close combat.
Next came the hard part.
Greater control.
Higher output.
Increased blade count.
Shape transformation.
Nature refinement.
In Shawn's mind, the future development path of Vacuum Blade was already taking shape.
Step by step.
Trial by trial.
If perfected—
The difficulty alone would reach S-rank.
And the power?
It would be nothing short of terrifying.
Blade Storm.
It would be no weaker than Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Time slipped by until late night, September 27, Konoha Year 36.
Under the moonlight, Shawn finished his sword training and sat quietly on the grass.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the status refresh.
The moment Swordsmanship Expert disappeared—
He would know exactly how much of that power he had truly made his own.
Seconds ticked by.
Finally—
Midnight arrived.
The status panel refreshed right on time.
Shawn didn't check it immediately.
Instead, he felt inwardly.
"…Huh?"
"…No noticeable change?"
Frowning, Shawn finally looked at the status panel—
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