A big question mark appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, accompanied by a look of disbelief.
Had something gone wrong with his ears, or did Shinomiya Uzumaki accidentally let something slip?
Wood Style? In Konoha, how could anyone besides Yamato master this secret technique?
His face, marked by the passage of time, furrowed slightly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe before speaking slowly, "Uzumaki, are you sure it's Wood Style?"
"How about seeing is believing?"
It was useless to keep talking. It was better to demonstrate directly.
Shinomiya Uzumaki clasped his hands together and softly muttered, "Wood Style: Tree Binding Technique."
Almost immediately, the Hokage Building trembled slightly.
In the blink of an eye, a large number of trees erupted from the floor, winding and twisting around Shimura Danzo, restraining him completely in a matter of seconds!
"This…!" Shimura Danzo exclaimed in shock.
"There was no suitable candidate here, so I had to ask Mr. Bandage to be a model," Shinomiya Uzumaki teased, casting a playful look at Danzo. "Mr. Bandage won't mind, right?"
"You…!" Shimura Danzo gritted his teeth in fury.
"Put me down now!" he demanded.
However, Shinomiya Uzumaki pretended not to hear him and turned toward Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama, you saw it. This is Wood Style."
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen was completely stunned.
It was real… Wood Style!
After a moment, he regained his composure, his eyes filled with awe. "I believe the blood of the Senju clan must have flowed through your family at some point. It has likely awakened in this generation."
Shinomiya Uzumaki's parents were not part of the Senju clan, of that Sarutobi Hiruzen was certain. But looking back through the generations, things were murky. The ninja world during the Warring States Period had been chaotic; it was possible that Uzumaki was a descendant of the Senju clan.
After all, in the previous experiments to implant Hashirama's cells, Uzumaki's name hadn't been listed, suggesting that his Wood Style ability had awakened naturally.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took another drag from his pipe, his excitement becoming apparent. "This is remarkable. Wood Style has reappeared in Konoha. This is truly great news for us."
"With young people like you here, I can rest easy about Konoha's future. I can finally start relieving myself of some of the burden."
The First Hokage had relied on Wood Style to conquer the ninja world and established Konoha as a solid foundation. Now that Wood Style had reappeared, it symbolized that Konoha was about to enter a new era of glory.
"Uzumaki, besides us, does anyone else know about your Wood Style ability?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
"No, just the three of us," Uzumaki replied.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, contemplating for a moment before suggesting, "Uzumaki, it's best to keep this matter a secret for now."
"When your strength has matured and your wings have fully spread..."
He paused, then made a firm decision, "By that time, you'll become Konoha's Fifth Hokage!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen realized his decision might have been a bit abrupt, but this was the naturally awakened Wood Style.
Unlike Yamato, who had been implanted with a flawed version of Hashirama's cells, Uzumaki's potential was limitless.
To keep such talent from slipping away, he needed to offer a proper incentive, what was commonly referred to as "painting the future."
He wanted to firmly tie Uzumaki's fate to Konoha.
"What?!" Shimura Danzo's eyes widened in shock.
The position of Fifth Hokage had already been decided?
And since Uzumaki wielded Wood Style, Danzo realized his own chances were now completely hopeless.
"Hiruzen, this is too much…" Danzo reluctantly tried to sway Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted him sharply, "Shut up!"
"It's already decided."
Then, his tone softened, and he smiled kindly at Uzumaki. "You said you wanted to cook? Then I won't keep you any longer. Just remember today's conversation."
Shinomiya Uzumaki forced a smile. "Then, I'll take my leave now."
With that, Uzumaki turned and left.
Once Uzumaki was gone, Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile slowly faded.
Turning to Danzo, he asked, "Did you already know about this?"
"Know what?" Danzo feigned ignorance.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo's act of pretending to be puzzled and shook his head, letting out a sigh. He took another puff from his pipe. "Forget it."
With that, he shook his head again and left the Hokage office.
Now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi's departure, Danzo Shimura was left alone in the office, still held fast by the Wood Style, unable to move.
"Wait! Hiruzen, call that boy back and undo this technique!" Danzo shouted, frustrated.
On the other side, Shinomiya Uzumaki was rushing home, bags of groceries in hand, when he suddenly felt as though he had forgotten something.
"I can't remember… oh well, it's probably nothing important."
——————
Back at home, Shinomiya Uzumaki entered, carrying two large bags of ingredients, planning to prepare a hearty dinner.
However, as he opened the door, he immediately noticed that Naruto wasn't there.
"Huh? Didn't he say he'd come over for dinner? Did he leave early?"
After placing the groceries in the refrigerator, Uzumaki walked into the living room. On the table, he found a note from Naruto.
It was a simple message, saying that Sasuke had come to see him for something.
"Sasuke looking for Naruto? Huh, that's a bit unusual."
A small smile curled at the corner of Uzumaki's mouth as he thought to himself.
Had Sasuke, the man of action, already started stirring things up for the future?
I wonder what kind of trouble he's trying to get Naruto into? Is he revealing a secret too early, or is he preparing to act as a mentor?
Uzumaki didn't want to dwell on it too much. Whatever Sasuke did was bound to be for the best. After all, if things went wrong, the blame would likely fall on him.
When the time came, no matter what Sasuke did, the path to profit would always lead back to Uzumaki.
"Wood Style: Clone Technique."
As he muttered the words, two Wood Clones appeared and began preparing dinner while Uzumaki took the opportunity to relax and enjoy a long bath.
Time passed, and the night grew darker.
"I'm here to see you off, little Naruto."
Looking up at the full moon, Uzumaki leaped gracefully into the night, vanishing into the shadows.
——————
Meanwhile, at Naruto's hideout.
"Ouch, my butt…"
Naruto had just changed into his pajamas and lay down but accidentally brushed against the bruises left by the intense training.
Those marks were the result of the special training he'd undergone at Sasuke's house.
"Sasuke, that guy's like a completely different person…"
After school, Sasuke had taken Naruto to a secret training camp without saying much.
For Konoha's sake—and for his own future—Sasuke told him he could no longer afford to remain stagnant. He needed to change.
Sasuke had spoken in vague terms, but it resulted in Naruto and Sakura enduring hours of intense practice with him.
From basic physical techniques to advanced Ninjutsu and Chakra control, it was a rigorous session.
When Sakura learned she would train with Sasuke, she had been so excited that she nearly passed out from exhaustion.
"Speaking of which, Sasuke knows so much. I wonder if he can match up to Uzumaki."
Naruto stretched and threw a few punches, feeling a slight improvement in his strength.
But the exhaustion quickly hit him. Yawning widely, he turned off the light and drifted to sleep.
Shinomiya Uzumaki, on the other hand, sat silently atop the roof, waiting patiently for Naruto to fall asleep.
Once he was sure Naruto was deep in slumber, Uzumaki silently sneaked into the house.
––-------------------------------
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