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The aftermath of the Chunin Exams was still unfolding, and the reappearance of the Flying Thunder God technique was bound to attract attention and excitement.
However, this had little to do with Shuuzawa. After all, he had left the orphanage to Root and was now lying low in the Anbu.
Even the ninja of Konoha found it difficult to learn about him, and he certainly wasn't someone like Kakashi.
"With such a recognizable look, why did you even join Anbu?" The design of Konoha's Anbu masks was truly baffling.
If everyone had short hair and similar hair colours, it would make sense that the masks kept identities hidden. But the hair colours in this world were truly something else.
Take Kakashi's stark white hair, for example, or Yuugao's distinctly purplish hue—both made them instantly recognizable!
"No wonder Kakashi always gets recognized wherever he goes." Shuuzawa didn't have that problem, at least for now.
Lately, most of his missions had been within the village, and when he had free time, he liked to sneak near crowds and listen to people talk about him.
But right now, he had a headache—and that headache was Naruto.
"Alright, you're full now. Why aren't you heading home?" Sitting inside Ichiraku Ramen, Shuuzawa called out to Naruto, sitting beside him.
"Just a minute, just a minute," Naruto mumbled through a mouthful of noodles.
He then gulped down the remaining broth in his bowl and patted his stomach with satisfaction.
"Finally full! Now then—" The young Naruto jumped off his stool, clenched his right fist, and said excitedly, "Big bro, let's go train!"
"You're insane." Shuuzawa rolled his eyes. After settling the bill with the ever-smiling, squint-eyed shop owner, he returned to Naruto.
"Don't you have school tomorrow? Get home already!"
"Oh…" Naruto's excitement faded as he slumped slightly.
He had wanted to train more so he could show off at school. But he didn't dare argue with Shuuzawa—he was one of the few people who didn't despise him and even treated him well.
"Also, stop going to the mountains alone to pick mushrooms. And if you do pick some to eat, don't drag me into it—better yet, find the Hokage."
Shuuzawa stroked his chin, then suddenly grinned. "I think the Hokage would be more than happy to share a meal with you!"
Nobody seemed to care that Shuuzawa interacted with Naruto anymore, aside from the fact that he had to file reports explaining certain matters.
Otherwise, things were fine, and Shuuzawa didn't mind writing reports—those were mission-related! But today had been a bit unusual.
His squad had a patrol assignment, and Shisui didn't seem to treat Shuuzawa differently after the Chunin Exams.
Either he was pretending, or Uchiha Itachi truly hadn't said anything.
After completing the mission, Shuuzawa planned to walk Yuugao home, but she intended to continue her medical training at the hospital, so he was left alone.
To his surprise, he ran into Naruto, who had just returned from the back mountains of Konoha with a basket full of mushrooms.
Watching Naruto's eager face as he invited him to share a mushroom soup, Shuuzawa glanced at the basket filled with vibrant red and multicoloured mushrooms.
For a moment, he wondered if Naruto was trying to assassinate him. Then, he thought, given how resilient Naruto was, it was no surprise he hadn't died yet.
"Huh? Big bro, you don't like mushrooms?" Naruto blinked, looking slightly disappointed. Shuuzawa chuckled and shook his head.
"No, kid. You need to learn about respecting the elderly and caring for the young. Good things like these should be given to the elders first. Isn't the Hokage the person you should respect the most?"
Naruto pondered for a moment before nodding seriously. "Got it! Next time, I'll bring them to Grandpa Hokage!" "Alright, now go home." Shuuzawa nodded in satisfaction and pushed Naruto to send him on his way. "Make more friends at school. Kids won't have as much malice toward you. If possible, make some rich friends—you owe me quite a few bowls of ramen."
Naruto stumbled forward—probably because Shuuzawa had pushed too hard. But Shuuzawa didn't care and simply continued walking home.
As he walked, he couldn't help but think about Naruto. "That kid's performance in school is really concerning."
Naruto wasn't particularly mischievous yet—that was because he wasn't familiar with everyone.
Years of being subjected to violence and cold treatment had made him somewhat reserved.
But once he realized that pranks could get him attention, this kid would go so far as to paint the Hokage Rock with graffiti!
"The more he craves recognition, the more he seeks attention. The more he seeks attention, the more he annoys people, creating a vicious cycle."
Shuuzawa shook his head. In truth, he found it a bit regretful. After all, there was no Hokage Rock statue of Danzo. But then again, there probably never would be.
[Shigenari Shuuzawa]
[Overall Physical Ability: LV7]
[Chakra: LV7]
[Abilities: Flying Thunder God LV6, Wind Release LV6, Earth Release LV6, Water Release LV5, Curse Mark LV4, Yin Release LV3, Yang Release LV2]
[Available Skill Points: 3]
As he walked, Shuuzawa opened his status panel. Although he had stayed in the village recently, he had not improved himself.
The only pity was the lack of large-scale missions. With Konoha at peace, there weren't many tasks to complete, so his accumulated skill points were limited.
At least he had managed to raise his Curse Mark skill to LV4!
"Too bad. It takes LV5 to reach Jonin level. Looks like I haven't been grinding enough." Shuuzawa sighed to himself. Still, this upgrade had been beneficial.
The Curse Mark strengthened him overall, and although LV3 and LV4 fell into the same category, he had improved in power and stamina.
Especially stamina—this was what he valued most!
"Alright, I'll allocate my points to Yang Release this time." Shuuzawa upgraded his Yang Release to LV3 as he decided, reducing his available skill points to one.
Immediately, he felt a change in his body.
The energy hidden within Yang Release began to surge, and he could tell that if he activated it, his physical strength would increase significantly, enhancing his combat abilities.
"I still don't have enough points. I wanted to become a Hashirama, but I ended up as a Tobirama instead."
Feeling his enhanced abilities, Shuuzawa couldn't help but joke to himself.
Flying Thunder God, Water Release, excellent physical fitness, and reaction speed—wasn't this just a textbook version of Tobirama?
The only thing he lacked was an arsenal of secret techniques.
He wasn't at the level where every move was either Water Release or a forbidden jutsu, but even a "budget version" wasn't too bad.
"Still, I need to keep pushing forward. I'm far from done."
Shuuzawa's goal was clear—to outright replace Naruto as the next Asura!
Even if he was just a knockoff if his strength reached a certain level, who could say that the knockoff wouldn't surpass the original?
However, if a Uchiha wanted to replace Sasuke as Indra, that would be a much easier task in comparison.
Shigenari Shuuzawa had to admit that Uchiha Madara had clearly laid out the path to power.
As long as one had a brother and was fortunate enough to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, following in his footsteps wasn't impossible.
Even if one couldn't reach that level, they would still become a formidable force at a certain point.
Even without a brother, simply awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan would at least allow one to reach Obito's level.
However, Asura's path was much more uncertain and filled with ambiguity. "Senju Hashirama's Wood Release and Naruto's Tailed Beast Chakra Mode…"
The Tailed Beasts' power was something Shuuzawa didn't even dare to consider for now.
That left him with only one option—Wood Release. "As expected, Indra just has to focus on upgrading the Sharingan, but Asura has so much more to consider."
This was especially true for an ordinary person without a special bloodline like himself. He had to think through every step carefully.
Fortunately, he had a cheat-like advantage! "Yang Release, Water Release, and Earth Release all need to reach the same level before fusion becomes possible."
The more proficient he became in a single chakra nature, the deeper his understanding grew. That, in turn, allowed him to identify points where different chakra natures could merge.
However, these fusion points were incredibly difficult to find. Most shinobi would never even get close to them in their lifetime. Otherwise, why were Kekkei Genkai bloodlines so rare despite the vast number of shinobi in the world?
But for Shuuzawa, this wasn't a problem. As long as he had enough free points, everything could be solved.
"Besides chakra natures, I must keep up with my physical strength and chakra reserves."
Chakra was the foundation of everything, and a strong body was necessary to handle larger chakra reserves.
Especially now that he had studied the [Scorch Release Experience Notes] he obtained from Pakura, he realized how absurd the chakra requirements for fusing Kekkei Genkai were.
Given his current physical strength, his chakra growth wouldn't be too slow, even if he trained manually.
But why go through all that trouble when he could just allocate points?
His allocated chakra, combined with his physical conditioning, had an insane recovery rate. "Come to think of it, should I try fusing Scorch Release first?"
As he walked, Shuuzawa contemplated. The experience notes gave him a clear idea of integrating Scorch Release.
He could essentially "copy the answers" and replicate the process. However, there was a problem.
Following the traditional Konoha spirit, the Fire Country's shinobi weren't best at Fire Release. His Fire Release proficiency was still only at level 2.
"Forget it, I'll take things one step at a time. The most important thing right now is figuring out how to develop Wood Release."
He shook his head. Wood Release was crucial, and he fully intended to use it.
If he wanted to uncover whether a certain Uchiha was buried underground—possibly dig them up—he needed to figure out quite a few things.
The Uchiha clan wouldn't be of any help. Most didn't even know where their "ultimate weapon" had fallen.
Otherwise, they would have retrieved it long ago. After all, it was a Mangekyō Sharingan!
"If I have to look elsewhere, then the Uzumaki, Sarutobi, or Senju clans are my best bets."
Unfortunately, the Uzumaki clan had been wiped out, and most of their records were stored in Konoha. He didn't have the guts to steal from there.
The Sarutobi clan? Instead, he might as well break into Konoha's secret archives to steal Uzumaki documents.
Looking at his options, only the Senju clan seemed practical. Even though they were supposedly gone, Tsunade still held significant influence.
Especially since his focus was now on Wood Release, the Senju were the best target. As he continued walking, Shuuzawa suddenly furrowed his brows.
Not far ahead, he spotted a shadow flickering through the trees.
At the same time, he sensed the distinct presence of a Flying Thunder God seal appearing out of nowhere.
...
"Obito, that kid is on the move." Obito stood at the highest peak overlooking Konoha, gazing down at the village.
Just then, a plant-like creature emerged from the ground. Its voice was low as it spoke. "I believe now would be a great opportunity."
For days, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu had been keeping an eye on Uchiha Itachi.
Obito's plan, phrased politely, was "less than perfect." But perfection wasn't always necessary.
Planting doubt in someone's mind was the most dangerous weapon. Once doubt took root, cracks would inevitably form and spread.
Eventually, without answers, everything would collapse.
Obito wasn't worried about whether his plan would create suspicion—his research had already confirmed that Shuuzawa was affiliated with Root.
"Interesting. That brat is still out on a mission this late? He's practically handing us an opportunity." Obito chuckled.
Black Zetsu nodded in agreement. "He just became a Chunin, so he's eager to prove himself. Patrolling at night reduces his chances of being noticed. It's a cautious yet reasonable move."
"And what about Shigenari Shuuzawa? What's his current status?" Obito nodded. He, too, had once been enthusiastic about his missions.
Back then, his motivation had been to stay by someone's side. But that person was gone now.
"Shigenari Shuuzawa has had contact with the new Nine-Tails Jinchūriki." White Zetsu spoke up. "Honestly, that guy is unbelievably rough. The Jinchūriki even offered him food, and he nearly beat the kid up for it."
"Food?" Obito was momentarily baffled, though he was now used to White Zetsu's random comments.
"Yeah, food," White Zetsu confirmed with a regretful expression.
"The kid went all the way to the forest, spent half the day gathering mushrooms, and that's how he got treated?"
"Obito, I fully support your plan now." What kind of nonsense was this? Obito felt a headache coming on.
Thankfully, Black Zetsu understood what was truly important. "Shigenari Shuuzawa has already parted ways with the Jinchūriki. We can take this opportunity to draw his attention."
"Good." Obito exhaled. At least someone here was reliable.
"Then let's move out. Tonight, we'll give him a big surprise!"
"No problem." Black Zetsu nodded.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu shook his head in disappointment. "Such a waste… that basket of mushrooms looked delicious."
Hearing that, Obito nearly stumbled. Even he knew that those mushrooms were not meant for eating.
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