After devouring Hiruzen Sarutobi's soul, Zi Xu felt that even his own whole demeanor had turned somewhat sinister. But that wasn't important. What mattered was that Hiruzen's soul had revealed a trove of secrets and ninjutsu, which was a huge help to him.
For a long time, Zi Xu hadn't had a clear picture of the situation in the ninja world or of his own strength. Now that he had these memories, he no longer had to worry. Rumors and hearsay couldn't be trusted; only by living here could he understand how things really worked.
"Itachi Uchiha... now there's a ruthless one..." Zi Xu had learned about Hiruzen's pact with Itachi, as well as his conversations with Danzo. He knew it all.
"He said he'd wipe out his entire clan, and then he actually did it. Afterward, he stayed so loyal to Konoha, even infiltrating another organization as a spy. Damn..." Zi Xu couldn't understand. Had Itachi gone too far? Was there really no better solution?
"It's already happened. That's just how things are. He wiped out his clan when he was barely a teenager..." After a moment of reflection, Zi Xu turned his attention elsewhere.
"But that Nohara kid joined the Root Organization? That's interesting. It's one of the easiest ways for a civilian-born ninja to get access to advanced ninjutsu." Zi Xu thought of Nohara, who had bullied Hatsumi when she was little. Now, Hatsumi was probably more than he could handle.
From Hiruzen's memories, Zi Xu had learned how important ninjutsu was. Even at the Konoha Academy, he'd only mastered a handful of techniques, and they hadn't taught him a single particularly powerful one.
Shadow Clone, which he had previously learned from Chino, was common in Konoha. But its advanced version, the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, was