At dawn, Fugaku returned home, his face weary. He stood outside the room...
Inside, there wasn't a single light. Taking a deep breath, he slowly slid open the door.
"Father..."
Through the faint moonlight filtering in from the window, he could see Itachi kneeling formally in the center of the room, still clad in his mission attire, faint traces of blood on his body.
Fugaku strode inside and knelt before him.
"You're not hurt, are you, Itachi?"
Just as always, he asked after his son's well-being upon returning from a mission beyond the village.
"I'm fine. Sorry for troubling you, Father."
"Hmm. You've always had a strong will. You are the son I trust the most..." Though his words were praise, his expression remained unreadable.
After speaking, the two fell into silence once more, enveloped by darkness.
"Stay here. I will take care of everything."
Another stretch of silence followed.
"You've grown up. Don't let your mother worry. Go rest."
"Yes, Father."
...
The next morning, unrest gripped both the Uchiha clan and the entire village of Konoha.
Two Uchiha Elders—both possessing elite jonin-level strength—had been slain.
And the culprit was none other than the son of the Uchiha Clan Head... Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi himself had vanished without a trace, as if he had disappeared from existence.
Uchiha clansmen gathered in front of the clan head's residence, demanding answers. The situation escalated until Shisui activated his Susanoo before the crowd, finally bringing the chaos to an end.
The village soon declared Uchiha Itachi an S-rank rogue ninja, forming an Anbu pursuit squad to hunt him down.
At the same time, Uchiha Fugaku announced his decision to step down as clan head.
...
In a dimly lit stone chamber…
"No matter what path you choose, you will always be a member of Root. And I... I will always be your support."
"Yes, Lord Danzo. I will always remain a member of Root."
"Go. Say your farewells to Shisui, then head to the laboratory. I have a gift waiting for you there."
Watching Itachi's silhouette disappear into the shadows, Danzo smirked.
His suspicions had been correct.
[ Ding! You have gained the recognition of a major storyline character: Uchiha Itachi. ]
[ System Reward: Pure Yin-Attribute Chakra (With me, you will either embrace boundless love... or descend into madness.) ]
A sudden clarity washed over his mind. His visual prowess and soul power surged rapidly.
It took a long while before the growth finally settled.
His ocular power had likely already surpassed an ordinary Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
If he were to be pushed to the brink of death... would he awaken the Rinnegan?
Before long, the commotion surrounding Itachi died down.
Shisui was appointed as the new clan head of the Uchiha.
Originally, Konoha's higher-ups had planned to use this opportunity to suppress the Uchiha further, proposing that they vacate the land granted to them by the Fourth Hokage.
However, the proposal was met with strong opposition from the Hyūga, Aburame clans, among many others.
As a result, the matter was dropped.
Yet, behind the scenes, the true puppet master continued to manipulate Konoha from the shadows.
Compared to what the Third Hokage could offer, the elites of Konoha still favored Danzo.
After all, the monthly dividends they received from Root's various enterprises were simply too lucrative to pass up...
...
Meanwhile, after Itachi's departure from Konoha, Danzo had finally finished assimilating the senjutsu materials he had spent the past two months collecting.
It was time.
Activating a pre-prepared Reverse Summoning Seal, he vanished.
"So this is the Shikkotsu Forest? It's even more humid than I imagined..."
All around him were decayed trees and a heavy, damp atmosphere.
Mushrooms sprouted everywhere, and kelp-like strands of algae draped over rotting trunks.
The entire area pulsed with dense natural energy. An ordinary person wouldn't last long here—before they knew it, they'd be transformed into a monster, or perhaps a tree or a stone.
The dampness clung to everything, making Danzo exceedingly uncomfortable.
"So, you are the one Tsunade called her summoner? I expected you to summon me, not come here in person..."
A voice resonated in his mind.
"Slug Sage?"
Danzo's figure flickered as he moved swiftly toward the source of the voice.
Reaching the destination, he scanned his surroundings. It was the same as before—nothing but a decayed, swamp-like environment.
Yet, he sensed something.
"This should be the place..."
"What an immense presence. Even Hashirama may not have measured up to this..."
A gentle feminine voice echoed as the ground trembled. Danzo quickly leapt back.
A small mountain began to rise, long tendrils emerging from its mass—revealing an enormous slug.
"Greetings, Slug Sage. I am Danzo. I have come to learn senjutsu."
Only now did Danzo understand why he had failed to sense the Slug Sage before.
Because she was beneath him the entire time.
From the moment he entered the Shikkotsu Forest until now, he had unknowingly been standing atop her body...
The seemingly decayed forest was, in truth, growing from her flesh.
And the small mountain before him?
It was merely a portion of her body, revealed in response to his arrival.
Clearly, the Slug Sage had a rather gentle temperament.
At the same time, Danzo considered a crucial detail—
If she were an enemy, he would have to lure her out of the Shikkotsu Forest's domain.
Otherwise, defeating her would be impossible.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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