The streets of Konoha near noon were lively as ever, bathed in warm sunlight with a steady stream of pedestrians coming and going.
Yamanaka Shinno strolled along, nibbling on a red bean chestnut yokan he had bought, making his way toward the Jonin standby station. His gaze occasionally swept over the merchants, civilians, and shinobi passing by.
Ordinary villagers rarely had any traits above their heads. Even when they did, they were mostly white or green, nothing particularly useful. In contrast, shinobi had a much higher chance of possessing traits, but even then, not all of them did. The majority were just blank.
"No matter the world, the number of ordinary people always outweighs the extraordinary," Shinno mused, tossing the yokan wrapper into a trash bin just as he reached the entrance of the Jonin standby station.
Then, out of nowhere, a three-seater wooden couch shot out of the station's front door with a deafening whoosh.
Before he could even process what was happening, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from within the building.
Boom!
The explosion shattered every window in the station, sending glass flying. A massive crack, over three meters deep, split the ground from the doorway, and even the walls showed signs of collapse. In the blink of an eye, the entire Jonin standby station had turned into a condemned ruin.
A moment later, a basic Wind Release technique swept through, quickly dispersing the dust and revealing the two figures still standing inside, locked in a fierce standoff.
Uzumaki Kushina and Shimura Danzo.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
A series of sharp slicing sounds filled the air as three masked Root shinobi appeared behind Danzo in an instant, clad in standard ANBU attire. They took a combat stance, ready to strike at Kushina.
Shinno narrowed his eyes and moved without hesitation, appearing at Kushina's back in a flash. He wasn't alone—joining him were Akimichi Chōza and Akimichi Dōtō from the Akimichi clan, Nara Suzaku from the Nara clan, Inuzuka, and Kurama Sōun from the Kurama clan.
As for the other Jonin who had been in the standby station just moments ago?
Whether out of fear of Danzo's authority as the Hokage's advisor or simply not wanting to get caught in high-level political strife, they had all disappeared without a trace.
"Shimura Danzo! I've already made myself clear—I will never hand over the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques to you!"
With allies at her back, Kushina's already fiery aura burned even hotter.
Hearing this, Shinno immediately understood the situation. No wonder the Ino-Shika-Chō clans had gathered behind her. Even the head of the Kurama clan was standing on her side.
Danzo had touched a nerve—he had crossed the line of what the shinobi clans could tolerate.
"An unstable Jinchūriki who can't control her emotions is nothing but a disaster waiting to happen. I will petition Hiruzen to have you undergo training under Root."
Danzo's icy gaze was devoid of any emotion. He didn't spare Shinno, Chōza, Sōun, or the others a single glance. Having delivered his ultimatum, he turned and started walking away.
Kushina looked momentarily stunned. Even Chōza and the others seemed taken aback by how easily he was leaving.
Shinno hadn't witnessed the entire conflict, so he couldn't determine Danzo's true objective. But given how quickly the old schemer was backing off, there was no way this was simply about obtaining the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.
It wasn't even about bringing Kushina under Root's control.
After all, even if Hiruzen had lost his mind, there was no way he'd let Danzo get his hands on the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
Shinno didn't know exactly what Danzo was plotting, but one thing was certain—whatever it was, it wasn't anything good.
Not before, and definitely not now…
"System, gift the Open-Minded trait to Shimura Danzo."
A dark, shadowy glow, visible only to Shinno, shot forward and sank into Danzo's body in an instant.
Danzo, mid-stride, suddenly felt a chill run down the back of his head.
He chalked it up to the intense hostility emanating from Kushina and the others, completely oblivious to the real source of the creeping sensation.
Crack!
A wooden support beam from the standby station's roof suddenly gave way with a sharp snap, sending debris crashing down.
In that split second, Shinno and the others instinctively used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.
The three Root operatives following Danzo reacted quickly as well, leaping away before the dust settled.
But when the smoke cleared, they exchanged glances, only to realize—
Danzo was gone.
Panic surged through them as they immediately began digging through the debris.
"Holy crap—this thing is that powerful?!"
Shinno's heart pounded in excitement and shock. The effects of the black trait were insane! He had just applied Open-Minded to Danzo, and the man was already buried alive!
"Hahahaha! Serves him right! People who do nothing but evil never meet good ends!"
Kushina laughed loudly, hands on her hips, thoroughly enjoying the sight of Danzo's subordinates struggling to unearth their battered leader.
By the time they finally dragged him out, his robes were in tatters, his head was bleeding, and he looked absolutely miserable.
Dazed and dizzy, Danzo instinctively circulated his chakra to check for injuries. Just as he had activated the Body Flicker Technique earlier, his leg had inexplicably cramped, causing the collapsing beam to smash straight into his head.
If not for the chakra he had managed to channel in time to protect himself, he might not have survived.
"Was it a side effect of the Sharingan transplant? A chakra deficiency causing muscle misfires?"
Sensing no real anomalies in his body, he could only attribute the mishap to his transplanted Sharingan.
Ignoring Kushina's gleeful taunts, Danzo signaled to his subordinates. After a quick patch-up, they hoisted him onto their backs and swiftly retreated to the Root base.
Shinno watched them leave, deep in thought.
...
Name: Shimura Danzo
Occupation: Konoha Shinobi
Traits: Three-Tomoe Sharingan (Blue), Wind Release Mastery (Blue), Mind Manipulation Specialist (Blue), Sealing Expertise (Green), Ruthless Schemer (White), Heartless (White), Open-Minded (Black)
...
In terms of sheer number of traits, Danzo had the most Shinno had ever seen.
Especially those unrelated to combat—Mind Manipulation Specialist controlled thoughts, Sealing Expertise controlled actions, Ruthless Schemer sacrificed social bonds for higher success rates, and Heartless lowered his moral baseline while increasing intimidation.
With all these effects stacked together, no wonder Root had managed to run rampant in Konoha for decades without being toppled.
"What a beautiful day! Ahhh, thanks for the backup, everyone!"
Kushina stretched, flashing a bright, playful smile—completely different from the furious Red-Hot Habanero from moments ago.
"No need for formalities."
Kurama Sōun gave a respectful nod before turning to leave with practiced grace, maintaining the dignity of a clan leader. He had only backed Kushina because Danzo had threatened the authority of shinobi clans. If Danzo had chosen another angle of attack, Sōun would have left long ago.
Kushina didn't seem to mind his distant attitude. She turned to exchange a few words with Chōza and the others before suddenly slapping Shinno on the shoulder with a wide grin.
"Piggy, long time no see!"