Seven days was far too short—
every second had to be wrung dry.
After swallowing a soldier pill, Shawn began carefully planning how to make the most of this unique seven-day state.
"First, there's no need for my main body to grind nonstop day and night.
My main body needs proper recovery, so I can continuously create clones for training."
"Clones can carry the same status effects, and the training I'm doing next is exactly the kind that can stack experience through repetition."
Shawn quickly grasped the core advantage:
"The most important part is the dual soul-consciousness.
One soul can be dedicated to receiving feedback from the clones—this dramatically reduces the mental strain on my main body."
At that thought, he paused.
"…If that's the case, then maybe this status isn't completely out of reach."
Shadow clones train.
The main body goes out into the world.
Even if it fails, it won't be a waste of time.
Of course, the odds were still slim—but at least there was hope.
While recovering his stamina, Shawn re-evaluated the feasibility of the plan in detail.
After a long while, when his strength had mostly returned, he made his decision.
Try it.
He created six Wood Release clones and sent them off to continue training, while his main body constructed a small wooden cabin nearby and rested.
With dual soul-consciousness, even if the clones exhausted their chakra and dispersed, it wouldn't interfere with his rest.
The night passed in a blur.
At six in the morning, Shawn woke up, created another six clones for training, and spent an hour on physical conditioning before returning to the Root base to eat his fill.
Once satisfied, he went to see Danzo and made his request.
"…Kakuzu?"
Danzo frowned slightly.
Of course he knew that name.
A former elite shinobi of Takigakure, now an infamous bounty ninja.
More importantly—this man had once assassinated the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
To this day, Kakuzu was still listed on Konoha's bingo book.
Back then, Hashirama himself hadn't taken Kakuzu seriously.
It was Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, who had insisted on placing him on the wanted list.
But the fact remained—
anyone who could survive an assassination attempt on Hashirama and escape was no ordinary shinobi.
In Konoha's early attempts to hunt him down, several ninja had been lost. Eventually, the pursuit was quietly abandoned.
After all, they couldn't very well send the Hokage personally.
And after Hashirama's death, Konoha had been plagued by constant upheavals.
"You're confident you can handle him?" Danzo asked.
Kakuzu was an S-rank criminal.
According to intelligence reports, his strength far exceeded that of ordinary jōnin.
Facing Danzo's gaze, Shawn replied calmly:
"Kakuzu escaped from the First Hokage—his strength is undeniable. I don't currently have the confidence to defeat him."
"But I need an opponent to temper my Wood Release."
"To become Root's sharpest blade and cut down enemies hidden in the dark, that blade must be honed in blood."
Danzo nodded.
What he admired most about Shawn—aside from Wood Release—was precisely this resolve.
Still, even sharpening a blade had its limits.
Throwing it directly against someone like Kakuzu risked snapping it in half.
At that moment, Shawn continued:
"I won't act recklessly. I'll start by selecting suitable enemies to hone myself."
"For example—Sky Ninja."
"Or other targets."
"I'll act as a bounty hunter for the time being."
Danzo fell silent in thought.
One reason he had given Shawn extended time off was to let him further master Wood Release.
Another was that Root was rapidly expanding, and much of its manpower was tied up training new recruits. There simply weren't enough hands to spare for missions.
Shawn, however, was a special case.
Letting him operate independently… wasn't a bad idea.
Blood-forged blades suited Danzo's tastes perfectly.
One move, three benefits.
After only a brief pause, Danzo made his decision.
"Very well."
"I'll have Ten prepare a list of targets, along with Kakuzu's latest intelligence. However—"
Danzo fixed Shawn with a cold stare.
"Remember this: you are a critical asset of Root. Don't throw your life away over someone like Kakuzu."
Shawn raised his head, meeting Danzo's eyes with burning sincerity.
"Rest assured, Lord Danzo. Before you become Hokage, I will never fall."
"Seeing you ascend to Hokage—that is my lifelong goal."
Danzo felt a surge of satisfaction.
Indeed—this was a shinobi he had cultivated himself.
For a fleeting moment, Danzo felt something stir.
Affection? No.
Emotion? No.
Appreciation of talent.
But he forced his heart cold once more.
Tools were tools.
Even those who possessed Wood Release were still tools—meant to be used, even sacrificed.
With that thought, Danzo nodded impassively.
"Go. I will wait for the day you fully mature."
Shawn nodded—and vanished from the room.
Back in his quarters, Shawn removed his mask and let out a long breath.
After spouting that much nauseating loyalty, he half-felt like he had bad breath.
But really—
Danzo truly was heartless.
That old man had already stepped firmly onto the path of courting death.
Heh… heh… heh.
A cold smile crept across Shawn's face. He put his mask back on and returned to training.
At noon, Code Name: Ten—Danzo's right-hand man, Shimura Daichi—delivered a thin dossier.
Inside was a list of numerous targets, along with detailed intelligence.
There was also information on Kakuzu.
Shawn skimmed it once—and frowned.
The latest intel on Kakuzu was already a month old, placing him near a money exchange in the Land of Rivers.
Shawn shook his head slightly.
Searching like this?
Seven days wouldn't even come close to being enough.
"…Looks like Takigakure is my only option."
Shawn made his decision.
He had no real confidence in defeating Kakuzu anyway.
Compared to him, Takigakure might actually be the softer target.
At two in the afternoon, Shawn left six clones in Konoha to continue training, while his main body departed the village, heading north toward Takigakure.
Coincidentally, Danzo's list included a suitable target.
A Takigakure noble minister.
A month earlier, this man had publicly suggested that the Land of Waterfall should allocate more missions to Takigakure, rather than outsourcing them.
Which meant fewer missions for Konoha.
Danzo had therefore marked him for elimination.
Frankly—
From Konoha's standpoint, from Danzo's standpoint, Shawn felt the man truly deserved to die.
That said, the proposal itself wouldn't have changed much.
Konoha was strong.
Takigakure was not.
Even if Takigakure wanted more missions, they simply lacked the capacity to handle them.
However, Danzo's justification was simple:
This minister was suspected of colluding with Iwagakure.
In other words, reducing Konoha's workload to funnel missions toward the Hidden Stone.
Whether that connection was real or not—
Didn't matter.
What mattered was that he had said those words.
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