"Why do I feel like he's extremely weak?"
Orochimaru stared at the place where Natsume disappeared, a question popping up in his mind.
These two Wood Release clones didn't make him feel any threat at all.
They were just like Genin.
But was it possible for someone with the strength of a Genin to know so many secrets?
Obviously not.
The only remaining explanation was that he was showing weakness to the enemy to make it hard for others to figure out his true strength.
"A troublesome guy."
Orochimaru's vigilance towards Natsume increased again.
This guy was very dangerous.
When dealing with him, one mustn't let their guard down.
Next up was Tanzo Shimura.
A dangerous glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.
He and Tanzo Shimura were collaborators.
They each held the other's secrets.
Once those secrets were exposed, even if they didn't get blown to bits, they'd still be in deep trouble.
So the two had reached a rare balance.
But now Orochimaru was extremely annoyed.
Due to Hashirama Senju, Wood Release has become the most powerful Kekkei Genkai, and it was also the Kekkei Genkai he wanted to obtain first.
Even the Sharingan had to take second place.
Tanzo Shimura's betrayal was something Orochimaru couldn't tolerate.
Just confronting him face - to - face probably wouldn't work.
Unless he captured Tanzo Shimura.
Orochimaru planned to sneak into Root himself to conduct an investigation.
With his strength, he wouldn't be discovered.
Not even in Root.
Actually, he could also send someone to inquire.
But he was worried about alerting the enemy.
It was safer for him to do it himself.
Without any hesitation, Orochimaru immediately headed to Root.
Under the cover of night, his stealth was almost perfect, and no one noticed him.
Root had many secret bases.
Orochimaru had had in - depth cooperation with Tanzo Shimura regarding Wood Release, so he was relatively familiar with them.
Moreover, Natsume had told the survivor's code name was Kinoto.
In other words, he was now a member of Root.
The scope was narrowed.
He just needed to check all of Root's training bases.
Orochimaru sent out his snake swarm.
It wasn't long before they had a target.
In the north of Konoha Village.
Orochimaru walked into a building.
This was one of Root's training bases.
As the most powerful organization in Konoha, Root's training was extremely brutal.
It was enough to turn any member into a powerful, emotionless tool.
It brought out the essence of a ninja to the fullest.
Naruto is a so - called shonen manga filled with passion.
But apart from Naruto Uzumaki, ninjas were cold - blooded killers.
For the sake of a mission and their village, they could kill anyone without principle, be it a woman, a child, or an old person.
If the ninja profession really existed in reality, you'd better run as far away as possible.
There were quite a few people in the building.
Orochimaru quickly locked onto a member.
Ten - year - old Yamato.
He was very patient and followed him until he used Wood Release Ninjutsu.
"Is it really true?"
Orochimaru was shocked.
The mysterious person hadn't lied.
And this was just a small secret.
Then what was the big secret?
Could there be something more valuable than Wood Release?
For a moment, Orochimaru was filled with intense curiosity.
As for Yamato, he quietly stole [the item, which is not clearly stated in the context] away.
The next day.
Natsume woke up when he felt the vibration of the [Tamaki of Destiny].
[Due to your actions, Yamato's destiny has changed. You have gained ninety points of destiny value.]
Ninety points indicated that Yamato's destiny had deviated significantly from the original plot.
It would be difficult for him to join the Anbu.
Natsume stroked his chin and thought of something.
Yamato would later become the instructor leading Naruto Uzumaki.
The reason was that [Wood Release] could suppress the Nine - Tailed Fox inside Naruto.
"Can I take this opportunity to get closer to Naruto Uzumaki?"
Natsume thought about it and realized it was quite possible.
By that time, Tsunade would be the Hokage.
She knew he had [Wood Release].
After getting the destiny value, the thing Natsume wanted to exchange for the most was the Sage Body.
The Sage Body and [Wood Release] were a perfect match.
But unfortunately, ninety points of destiny value were too few.
Natsume exchanged for the [Wood Release] talent due to the 10% newbie discount; its original price was nine hundred points of destiny value.
If he were to directly exchange for [Wood Release], it would require two thousand points of destiny value, almost twice the original price.
And the Sage Body was even more precious, costing three thousand nine hundred points of destiny value.
"Take it slow."
Natsume wasn't in a hurry. He was only seven years old and had plenty of time.
For now, he should enjoy Tsunade's love.
"Good morning, Natsume."
Tsunade was busy in the kitchen. When she saw Natsume, she stopped what she was doing, looked up, and showed a bright smile.
Natsume immediately felt in a good mood.
A beautiful day had begun!
To be honest, waking up to see a beautiful woman smiling at you, how could you not be happy?
"Natsume, it's time to take your medicine."
Shizune suddenly appeared.
Natsume's smile froze instantly.
What a bad sister!
He picked up the bowl and gulped down the medicine in a few mouthfuls, then ran up to Tsunade and opened his mouth, clearly indicating that he wanted a piece of candy.
"Natsume, get it yourself. I'm busy."
Tsunade was busy making rice balls and didn't have a free hand.
Natsume was slightly stunned.
At his current height, his eyes were level with Tsunade's waist.
But there were no pockets.
Where could the candy be?
Finally, his attention fell on the black belt around her waist.
There was no candy on the visible part of the belt, so it must be under the apron.
He reached out his hand and groped around. Sure enough, he found the candy.
Besides that, he also felt a warm touch.
It was the body heat transmitted through her clothes.
Tsunade glanced down subconsciously but didn't pay much attention.
She wasn't like an ordinary young girl. She wouldn't get shy because of a simple touch.
Moreover, Natsume wasn't an outsider.
After eating the candy, the bitter taste in his mouth disappeared.
Natsume ran to the hall and waited for the meal.
Shizune was reading a book beside him.
This had become her routine lately.
"I'll take you to school today," Tsunade said after the meal. "Shizune, you stay here and continue your studies."
Since she had promised Natsume, she wouldn't renege on her promise.
Moreover, after starting school, she'd have more time for gambling.
At night, she could teach him properly.
Natsume was quite looking forward to school.
He was hoping to meet plot characters to gain destiny value.
It was just that this time period wasn't ideal for him.
Naruto Uzumaki and the other twelve young Konoha ninjas wouldn't start school for another six years.
And Kakashi's generation had graduated four or five years ago.
Stuck in the middle, Natsume wouldn't encounter many plot characters.
Konoha Ninja Academy.
It hadn't been greatly affected by the Nine - Tails Incident. After half a month of repairs, it reopened today.
Natsume would be a transfer student in Class A, Grade One.
"Lady Tsunade,"
Yamanaka Naoto, the teacher of Class A, Grade One, said enthusiastically, "I've received the notice. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Natsume."
Tsunade nodded.
Natsume was nominally her apprentice.
Not many people would dare to bully him.
"Natsume, I'll come pick you up after school."
Tsunade patted his head and then turned to leave.
"Natsume, my name is Yamanaka Naoto. Just call me teacher from now on."
Yamanaka Naoto said with a smile, "Come on, let's go meet your classmates."
As a transfer student, Natsume was like a new student and couldn't escape the classic self - introduction.
"Hello everyone, my name is Natsume. I don't have any special hobbies. I just want to live a peaceful life."
This plain - vanilla sentence still caught a lot of people's eyes.
Because he was good - looking.
Many little girls stared at him directly.
"Natsume, you can sit in the last row by the window."
Yamanaka Naoto patted him on the shoulder and said, "Your deskmate is Itachi Uchiha. He's the top student in our grade. You can learn a lot from him."
This was obviously a special arrangement because of his status as Tsunade's apprentice.
But Natsume just stood there, stunned.