Power grows in silence—and secrets must never escape the dark.
Since awakening his past-life memories, this was the first time Hoshishita Shu had enjoyed such an extended stretch devoted entirely to training.
And with time on his side—
He finally began using the shadow clone training method.
Grinding experience through clones.
However, Shu did not know the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
More importantly, he no longer possessed the previous Immortality status.
He couldn't recklessly create dozens—or hundreds—of clones like Naruto.
For Shu, efficiency mattered more than numbers.
Three clones were enough.
So he created three Wood Clones.
Each one was assigned a different training path.
One clone focused on swordsmanship, trying to preserve as much of the power granted by the [Swordsmanship Expert] status as possible.
Another clone trained Wood Release.
After mastering Wood Release: Cutting Technique, Shu decided his next Wood Release jutsu would be:
Wood Release: Great Forest Technique.
This was Yamato's most commonly used technique.
Versatile.
Offense.
Defense.
Control.
The final clone continued developing the Rasengan.
He didn't rely on the technique often yet—
But its future potential was enormous.
After all…
What if one day he actually mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique?
Once the clones were dispatched to their training, Shu sat alone in the clearing.
He spread open the Wind Release scrolls.
His eyes swept across the jutsu recorded within.
Vacuum Sphere.
Great Vacuum Sphere.
Vacuum Wave.
Vacuum Serial Waves.
Gale Palm.
Konoha had accumulated an extensive collection of Wind Release techniques.
Support-type.
Single-target destructive techniques.
Wide-area attacks.
Close combat.
Mid-range.
Long-range.
The compilation was comprehensive—almost excessive.
Mastering them all would essentially turn someone into another Danzo.
With enough combat experience—
That alone could push someone into Kage-level territory.
"I do need a strong mid-to-long-range Wind Release attack…"
Shu muttered.
Up until now, his combat style leaned heavily toward close quarters.
His options had been… narrow.
Among these techniques—
Vacuum Sphere and Vacuum Wave were both excellent.
One specialized in single-target lethality.
The other excelled at wide-area pressure.
But after a moment of thought—
Another technique caught his attention.
Vacuum Blade.
This technique fused Wind Release with swordsmanship, allowing the user to swing compressed wind blades that left the sword itself.
For Shu—
It was perfect.
It could evolve naturally from his existing Vacuum Edge, extending his effective range from pure close combat into true mid- and long-range.
He even remembered that a Konoha jōnin was famous for mastering this technique.
"And more importantly…"
Shu's eyes narrowed.
"This has tremendous development potential."
Especially for someone with chakra reserves like his.
An idea surfaced instantly in his mind.
Blade Storm.
"Alright."
"This is the one."
Decision made.
First he would master Vacuum Blade, combine it with Vacuum Edge, and then push it beyond the original.
There was a saying Shu firmly believed in:
Those who imitate me survive.
Those who become me perish.
Danzo could serve as a reference—
But Shu had no intention of becoming another Danzo.
He intended to surpass him.
He wanted to become the next leader of Root.
But not the next Danzo.
After memorizing the core principles of Vacuum Blade, Shu rolled up the scroll.
He drew his sword.
Training began.
Because he had already mastered Vacuum Edge, progress came quickly.
Within just an hour—
He could already swing a wind blade off the sword.
But it wasn't stable.
The blade dispersed after traveling barely a foot, and its cutting power was still thin.
Time passed steadily.
Three days later—
Konoha Year 36, September 26.
Shu was mid-training when a Root ninja named Nakamura arrived with a summons.
When Shu returned to the Root base—
He immediately noticed something unusual.
Nearly every Root member had assembled.
Even Inuzuka Ryo and Aburame Hiiichi were present.
Meanwhile, Danzo and Shimura Daichi were busy drawing complex sealing arrays across the floor.
Seeing that—
Shu's heart skipped.
A name surfaced at once in his mind.
Root's Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Shu stepped forward, removed his shirt, and sat cross-legged.
Soon, Danzo began drawing seal patterns around him.
When the preparations were complete—
Everyone took position.
Danzo formed hand seals.
Then—
He slammed his palms together.
The sealing scripts on the ground suddenly came alive.
Like tiny wriggling tadpoles, they crawled across the floor toward Shu.
They climbed onto his body—
Then burrowed inward.
A cold numbness crept up, threading into his head—
Connecting directly to his tongue.
A moment later—
A curse-mark pattern surfaced on his tongue.
Danzo spoke coldly.
"This is the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."
"It serves one purpose."
"To prevent the disclosure of Root's secrets."
"If you attempt to speak, write, or otherwise reveal classified information—"
"The seal will activate."
"Your body will be paralyzed."
"And you will be incapable of exposing Root's secrets in any form."
Just as I thought.
Shu exhaled silently, relieved.
At least it wasn't a mind-control seal.
Nor a restriction that shackled his personal freedom.
Honestly—
For him, right now, it even had benefits.
After dismissal, Shu returned to his room.
Standing before the mirror, he stuck out his tongue.
"…Ugly."
Disgust flickered across his face.
Then he gathered chakra.
A massive surge erupted from his body, wrapping him in a blue aura.
BOOM.
A shockwave blasted outward.
He attempted to forcibly crush the tongue seal with sheer chakra output.
The mark twisted violently, deforming as if it might collapse.
Then—
Shu stopped.
The chakra subsided.
Everything returned to calm.
With enough strength—
It might be possible to break the seal through brute force.
But Shu was certain it required more than chakra reserves.
It demanded will—mental force—on the same level as Danzo's.
After all—
Chakra itself was formed by combining physical energy and spiritual energy.
And this seal was formed using Danzo's chakra.
Sealing techniques were among the most intricate of shinobi arts.
After confirming his limits, Shu left the Root base and returned to training.
Three days had passed.
He had already grasped the basics of Vacuum Blade.
Within three feet, he could accurately strike any target.
The wind blade was sharp enough to severely wound—
Or even kill—with a single hit.
Three feet still counted as close combat.
The next stage required higher chakra control.
More power.
More blades.
Control.
Quantity.
Shape transformation.
Nature transformation.
Shu already had a rough blueprint for how to evolve this A-rank technique.
Now it was simply a matter of experimentation.
If perfected—
Its difficulty would likely climb into S-rank territory.
And its power—
Would be terrifying.
After all…
A technique called Blade Storm could never be weak.
Maybe it could even rival Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Time flew.
Soon it was late night—September 27, Year 36 of Konoha.
Under the moonlight, Shu finished sword practice and sat cross-legged in the grass.
He waited silently.
For the status panel to refresh.
Once midnight arrived—
The [Swordsmanship Expert] status would disappear.
He wanted to see how much of its power he had managed to keep.
Seconds ticked by.
Finally—
Midnight.
The status refreshed.
Shu didn't check the panel immediately.
Instead, he focused inward, sensing changes in his body.
"…Huh?"
"…Nothing changed?"
Surprised, Shu opened the panel.
But before he could fully examine it—
He muttered quietly.
"…Looks like something interrupted the update."
"There'll be another chapter during the daytime."
Want More? Get up to +60 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ https://www.patreon.com/pikachu614
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
Thanks for the support!