With newfound power in his veins, Hoshishita Shu begins pushing a dangerous idea—one that could shake Konoha's future.
"Nakamura," Hoshishita Shu said casually as he walked ahead, "I've inherited a portion of the First Hokage's power. From now on, I'm the person Lord Danzo values most—his most capable subordinate."
"So remember this. From today onward, my orders are the second-highest command in Root."
"Other than Lord Danzo himself, my word is the highest directive."
"And when Lord Danzo becomes the Fourth Hokage…"
"I'll be the new leader of Root."
…
Hoshishita Shu kept talking as he walked.
Behind him, Nakamura followed in silence, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
Arrogant.
Too arrogant!
And wasn't he supposed to be leading the way?
Why the hell was Shu walking in front while he trailed behind like a servant?
Suddenly, Hoshishita Shu stopped and turned around, staring at him coldly.
"What?"
"You're not answering. Do you think what I said just now was wrong?"
"Or perhaps…" Shu's voice lowered. "You don't want Lord Danzo to become the Fourth Hokage?"
Nakamura opened his mouth but couldn't respond.
How the hell was he supposed to answer that?
Shu raised an eyebrow.
"Nakamura… are you trying to die?"
Boom!
A powerful surge of chakra erupted from Hoshishita Shu's body, forming a faint cyan aura around him. A violent gust burst outward.
Nakamura staggered back a step.
"S–such powerful chakra!"
"So this is… the power of the First Hokage?"
"It's incredible!"
Faced with that overwhelming pressure, Nakamura finally lowered his head.
"Yes… I understand."
Shu withdrew his chakra and smiled in satisfaction.
"Good."
A moment later—
With Nakamura following behind, Hoshishita Shu arrived before Danzo.
Danzo was currently in the prime of his life—a handsome middle-aged man. Unfortunately, the heavy gloom surrounding him ruined the impression.
"Lord Danzo."
Hoshishita Shu bowed respectfully.
The arrogant man who had just been lecturing Nakamura seemed like a completely different person.
Danzo stared at him intently.
"That chakra earlier… was it yours?"
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Shu lowered his gaze obediently.
"I obtained a portion of the First Hokage's power. My chakra has increased dramatically."
"However, Wood Release has not awakened. Perhaps the amount of First Hokage cells I possess is still insufficient."
"Therefore…" Shu paused. "I request permission to undergo another transplant of the First Hokage's cells."
Danzo frowned slightly.
A trace of disappointment flickered through him—brief, quickly buried.
Still, that didn't necessarily mean Shu was a failure.
The intensity of that chakra earlier had even surprised him.
Another Hashirama cell transplant…
Danzo hesitated.
Hashirama's cells were too powerful.
He couldn't guarantee Shu would survive another procedure.
After all, Konoha's current research on Hashirama's cells was still extremely limited.
Seeing Danzo hesitate, Shu spoke quickly.
"Lord Danzo, please don't worry."
"My body already contains cells from the First Hokage. I should be able to endure another transplant."
"And even if Wood Release still fails to awaken, my chakra reserves and regenerative ability will certainly increase again."
"If that happens…"
"I will become the sharpest blade in your hand."
Danzo's brow gradually relaxed.
"In that case… we will proceed with another transplant."
"Also…"
"From this moment forward, your codename will be… 'A'."
…
Danzo left shortly afterward to retrieve the Hashirama cells.
Turning to the remaining Nakamura, Hoshishita Shu smiled.
"See that? The codename 'A' means I'll be the number one ninja in Root."
This time, Nakamura nodded seriously.
Possessing part of the First Hokage's power—and even capable of influencing Lord Danzo's decisions…
Hoshishita Shu was clearly different now.
Of course, Shu hadn't expected that the codename that would belong to Yamato in the future had now become his.
But that didn't stop him from using it.
In the shinobi world, seniority rarely mattered.
Strength was everything.
Strength…
Hoshishita Shu quietly evaluated his current abilities.
After obtaining Hashirama's cells, his chakra reserves and regenerative ability had improved tremendously.
But in terms of actual combat ability, the improvement wasn't that obvious.
After all, he still didn't possess Wood Release.
Before this, he had been an elite among chunin—skilled in Wind Release and swordsmanship.
Moreover, he had originally possessed only one chakra nature: Wind.
But now that might change.
After fusing with Hashirama's cells, even if Wood Release didn't manifest, he should still gain Earth Release, Water Release… and Yang Release.
"Wind Release…"
The first technique that surfaced in Shu's mind was an ultimate Wind Release variation—one that relied on extreme shape transformation, like a chakra blade or a compressed spiral weapon.
But before any of that…
He first needed a foundation: a stable chakra sphere.
A technique inspired by the Tailed Beast Ball—compressed, rotating chakra, pure destructive force.
A "Rasengan."
Thinking about it, Minato Namikaze should still be a little kid who hadn't even graduated yet.
Having only recently regained memories from his previous life, Shu's thoughts drifted.
Minato was still a child.
And the Legendary Sannin had not yet become famous.
Especially Tsunade—
She wasn't an old woman yet.
He wondered just how terrifying she was in her prime.
Danzo returned quickly.
Less than half an hour later, he came back with another Root ninja carrying a metal case.
Soon after—
Hoshishita Shu sat down as the extracted Hashirama cell solution was injected into his body.
Yes.
The technological methods of the shinobi world were this crude and direct.
And almost immediately—
Shu regretted it.
Because it hurt like hell.
He currently possessed an immortal body.
But that didn't mean he couldn't feel pain.
Veins bulged across his body.
His teeth ground together violently.
Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.
Yet Shu forced himself to endure it without making a sound.
Crack!
A tooth shattered under the pressure.
But the regenerative power of Hashirama's cells quickly replaced it with a brand-new one.
Just as Shu had predicted—
Although the process was agonizing, his immortal body had already adapted to Hashirama's cells.
The second transplant produced almost no rejection.
Watching everything closely, joy flickered in Danzo's eyes.
Root would gain an incredibly powerful trump card.
No.
His trump card.
His blade.
Becoming Hokage right now was impossible.
But from the shadows, he could still stand on equal footing with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As Konoha's political situation stabilized, Danzo's ambitions began to grow uncontrollably.
He was no longer satisfied with Root being merely a training branch of the ANBU.
Half an hour passed quickly.
The infusion ended.
The pain gradually faded.
In its place came a surge of far greater power.
Every cell in Hoshishita Shu's body pulsed with vitality.
With a single thought, he could draw enormous amounts of chakra.
"My body… is now nearly fifty percent composed of Hashirama cells."
Shu felt a thrill of excitement.
Of course, having more chakra didn't automatically mean greater strength.
But without vast chakra reserves, it was impossible to reach the level of Kage… beyond Kage… and even higher realms.
Unfortunately, he could also feel something else.
His body had reached its limit.
With such crude transplantation methods, any further infusion of Hashirama's cells would cause his body to collapse.
Pulling the needle free, Shu stood up.
"Lord Danzo."
He bowed respectfully.
"I request access to the First Hokage's Wood Release secret techniques so that I may train in Wood Release."
Danzo looked at him thoughtfully.
"So you didn't obtain Wood Release directly."
"The secret techniques are not a problem."
Shu lowered his head.
"I will not disappoint you, Lord Danzo."
"As long as I master the Wood Release techniques, I will become the sharpest blade in your hand."
"I will remove every obstacle standing in your way."
He raised his head.
His eyes burned with fanatic devotion.
"Lord Danzo…"
"You are the one most suited to become Hokage."
Both Nakamura and the other Root ninja stared at Shu in shock.
Assassinate the Third Hokage?
Stage a coup?
How could he dare say something like that?
Had he gone insane?
Behind his mask, cold sweat ran down Nakamura's back.
"This guy…"
"Did the experiment damage his brain or something?"
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