Before the Assessment

Before the Assessment

Anko Mitarashi, disciple of Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Sannin, had once possessed a respectable status. But ever since Orochimaru had used villagers for forbidden jutsu experiments and become a rogue ninja, her position had grown awkward.

Anko and Shuji had both been born in Konoha's Year 40 and attended the Ninja Academy in the same cohort, though not the same class. The original owner of this body had only ever met her; they had not been close.

After being imprisoned by the Anbu for several months and cleared of suspicion, Anko regained her freedom—though it could only be said that this was likely just a formality. So far, Orochimaru's crimes had been murdering fellow villagers and using them for ninjutsu experiments, charges that even Hiruzen Sarutobi could not cover up.

The ninja clans had gathered together and formed a ninja village more than fifty years ago. The reason they had initially been able to unite was because the clans shared a basic bottom line of safety: they could not harm one another. That was the most fundamental condition for the ninja clans to gather and survive together.

Orochimaru's actions had utterly shattered that condition. He certainly could not remain in the village.

Yet Orochimaru's situation was also complicated. As one of the Sannin, he had rendered great service and had countless old subordinates in the village. As the Hokage's disciple, he and his teacher had shared decades of affection. Taken together, it meant that Orochimaru could be killed, or he could be spared, but he absolutely could not stay in the village. Hiruzen Sarutobi chose not to kill him. After giving him a beating, he deliberately let him escape, then tacitly allowed the village to follow the procedure of hunting down a rogue ninja, leaving Orochimaru to wander outside.

Since Orochimaru himself had been handled this way, his disciples and former subordinates were naturally dealt with leniently as well.

Otherwise, given Konoha's nature as what was essentially a military organization, it should have launched a thorough purge, rather than ending up with this all thunder and no rain situation.

As far as Shuji was concerned, his team's circumstances were now rather complicated.

Of his two teammates, one was too young, while the other had only just completed her investigation. Both also had complicated backgrounds.

At this point, there was no use dwelling on it.

The assessment arranged by the Third Hokage still required them to wait for notice. Apparently, the people in charge of it were still away on missions.

So Shuji devoted all his attention to training.

In the old forest behind the former Senju residence, Shuji sat cross-legged. After this period of meditation and experimentation, his perception of the ripples caused by Wood Release creations—the subtle spatial tremors produced when natural energy was unconsciously disturbed—had become increasingly clear.

They were no longer vague fluctuations, but a rhythm that his mental tendrils could grasp, bearing the distinct texture of primordial energy, like silent undercurrents surging through the deep sea.

Now, he could attempt training to absorb natural energy.

He had already crossed the threshold of perception. Next came the attempt to guide this omnipresent power.

But touching it directly with his body? That would be no different from playing with fire. Without another Sage Art practitioner watching over him, one small mistake would mean permanent petrification, leaving him as a silent statue in the forest.

In the original story, Naruto Uzumaki had used Shadow Clones to train, using them to absorb natural energy and sustain Sage Mode. That could serve as a reference. Compared with Naruto, Shuji possessed an even greater advantage: as a Wood Release user, he could use Wood Clones.

Compared to Shadow Clones, Wood Clones were not only harder to distinguish from the original body, but could also inherit the original's power in a flexible and controllable manner. Most importantly, a Wood Clone shared its senses with the original body. A Shadow Clone had to be dispelled before its memories could return to the original, but a Wood Clone required no such trouble.

That meant that while practicing Sage Art, he could use a Wood Clone to absorb natural energy. Even if it exceeded his control and became petrified, he would lose only a Wood Clone and would not harm himself.

His thoughts suddenly cleared, and a Wood Clone separated from Shuji's body.

Shuji's original body closed his eyes, his mind highly focused like a drawn bowstring. He transformed his perception into invisible neural synapses, tightly wrapping them around the Wood Clone and sharing every inch of its senses. His will conveyed a clear command: Attempt to sense, guide, and absorb the natural energy permeating the surrounding space!

The Wood Clone followed his command. At first, the forest remained quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the breeze. But soon, an indescribable sense of heaviness quietly spread around the Wood Clone. The air seemed to congeal, and even the patches of light filtering through the branches appeared to slow.

Through their shared senses, Shuji felt it clearly!

It was no longer a vague "ripple," but as though he stood within an invisible ocean of life, gentle yet containing boundless power.

Countless tiny energy particles carrying the breath of primordial life flowed slowly around the Wood Clone like transparent stardust. The Wood Clone carefully attempted to use its own chakra as a guide to "touch" and draw in one strand...

The instant that strand of natural energy entered the Wood Clone's body!

An indescribable torrent, brimming with vigorous vitality yet carrying fierce corrosive force, abruptly erupted within the Wood Clone!

It was as though scorching-hot liquid life had been poured into a cold container. The Wood Clone's entire body shuddered, and the chakra structure forming its body instantly fluctuated violently!

Even more astonishingly, distinct wood grain emerged visibly across the clone's skin, like ancient bark! Its body also began to twist and swell out of control. Its joints made faint cracking sounds like growing wood fibers, while its humanoid form rapidly transformed toward that of a tree!

"Ugh!" Shuji's original body knitted his brows and let out a muffled grunt, his face turning slightly pale. The impact brought by their shared senses was exceptionally real, as though his own limbs were being remolded and turned to wood by that violent force!

He endured the discomfort and focused entirely on "observing" the mutation.

Just as the Wood Clone was about to completely lose its human form and become a twisted, monstrous tree, an ashen petrified color spread rapidly from its wooden parts like a plague! Cold, dead stillness swiftly devoured its vigorous vitality. Just as that gray-white hue was about to cover the entire twisted tree body...

With a thought, Shuji gave a low shout:

"Release!"

Bang!

With a dull thud, that bizarre half-tree, half-stone creation turned into a charred piece of rotten wood and fell limply to the ground, before scattering into several wisps of dissipating energy and dust.

Shuji slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath, raising a hand to wipe the fine sweat from his brow.

He had failed, but the gains were immense.

After absorbing natural energy, the Wood Clone's inherent nature of "wood" had been rapidly strengthened and brought to the forefront, causing the clone's structure to instantly lose balance. It could no longer maintain a human shape, becoming woody and tree-like first before ultimately losing control, suffering a complete backlash from the natural energy, and petrifying.

This confirmed something crucial: natural energy did not strengthen indiscriminately. Rather, it amplified and guided according to the foundational characteristics of the practitioner or creation itself.

For the toads of Mount Myoboku and the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, natural energy strengthened the powers unique to their respective races.

As for his Wood Clone, its core came from the power of Wood Release, a power that itself vaguely bore certain traits of the God Tree.

Therefore, once natural energy poured in, it prioritized strengthening the essence of that "wood," making it grow and mutate explosively before finally collapsing because its vessel could not bear it.

Shuji stared at the charred wood remains on the ground, his eyes gleaming with thought.

Just as he was immersed in this realization, a black-feathered eagle glided down soundlessly like a silhouette cut from the night, landing steadily on a low branch before him. Its sharp eyes fixed on him, while a small rolled message tube hung from its beak.

The message tube was ordinary, made of common wood. It bore only a simple mark—the vermilion wax seal unique to the Hokage Office.

He unrolled the slip of paper inside. Written upon it was Hiruzen Sarutobi's familiar handwriting, slightly messy yet forceful:

"Shuji, the assessment examiner has returned. Three days from now, noon, Third Training Ground."

(End of Chapter)