A dark underground space.
Danzo, his face wrapped in bandages and wearing a perpetually sour expression, held a clump of black matter as he listened to the report from the Anbu kneeling before him.
"...This is the power that Mo Chen, a newly graduated student, suddenly awakened. When it ran wild, he easily subdued Endo Hiroshi, a Jonin. It has a powerful ability to absorb Chakra. Once it wraps around someone, their Chakra keeps draining away."
"...The Third Lord quickly issued an order to keep it quiet and had all traces of the incident cleaned up. He intends to conceal Mo Chen's ability. I avoided everyone's eyes and secretly kept a small piece."
"...Afterward, the Third Lord summoned 'Tenzo' to the Hokage's Office and entrusted Mo Chen to him for training."
Danzo toyed with the black matter in his hand. His expression shifted from surprise to contemplation, then finally to disdain.
"Wood Release?" Danzo murmured to himself. "I never thought anyone would awaken Wood Release on their own, even now. Mo Chen must have an unusual background!"
"Look into it. Find out who Mo Chen's blood relatives were within the past five generations. There's no way he was born to a civilian family."
He directed his final words at the Anbu before him.
"Yes!" The Anbu answered at once and left.
He was a mole Danzo had planted in the Hokage's Anbu. In public, he served the Hokage; in truth, he was a Root member.
Ever since Danzo had acted "without authorization" and "orchestrated" the Uchiha Massacre, the Third Hokage had stripped him of his position, disbanded Root, and ordered him to remain at home and reflect on his actions.
Over the years, Danzo had indeed kept a much lower profile.
He had largely stopped interfering in political affairs, and he barely had any usable subordinates left in public.
But he was a venomous snake lying in wait. Given the chance, he would strike his target with lethal force.
Of course, the time for him to emerge from the shadows had not yet come.
But he couldn't ignore the appearance of someone in the village who seemed to possess a Wood Release kekkei genkai.
First, he would investigate Mo Chen's background. If possible, he would bring him under his command.
If that didn't work, then once he came to power, he would simply take him by force!
The Wood Release kekkei genkai was a power that absolutely had to be under his control.
Everything for Konoha!!
At the same time, in the Hokage's Office, after the Third Hokage had painted Mo Chen a rosy picture and sent him away with Tenzo, he made the same decision as Danzo.
Investigate Mo Chen's background!
Wood Release couldn't possibly appear in someone from a civilian family.
Either it was related to the Wood Release experiments from back then, or Mo Chen was a direct descendant of the Senju Clan!
Either way, they had to find out the truth, then secure control of this kekkei genkai.
The Third Hokage, however, wasn't in much of a hurry. Mo Chen was only a child, while he was the beloved Third Hokage of the village.
Based on their brief interaction just now, the Third Hokage was quite confident he could easily mold Mo Chen into whatever he wanted.
Investigating Mo Chen's background was simply an extra safeguard.
[Ino Yamanaka: Phew, it's finally over. Our team's Jonin, Teacher Asuma, may look a little scruffy, but he's really strong!]
[Tenten: Asuma Sarutobi? I've heard a little about him too. He's the Third Hokage's son.]
[Tenten: I heard he was rebellious when he was young and disagreed with the Third Hokage's ideals, so he left the village on his own to seek his fortune. He only came back in recent years. He's one of the village's few elite Jonin.]
[Hinata Hyuga: He sounds amazing, but our Jonin, Teacher Kurenai, is impressive too. She's very gentle with us.]
[Tenten: I think Kurenai Yuhi only became a Jonin this year, so I don't know much about her. I only know she comes from a genjutsu clan and is the strongest genjutsu master in the village right now.]
[Hinata Hyuga: You know so much, Tenten-senpai.]
[Tenten: Hehe, not really. I've been a ninja for a year now, after all. The most important thing for a ninja is information.]
[Ino Yamanaka: @Sakura Haruno, why aren't you saying anything? Don't tell me your Jonin really is a sleazy pervert?]
[Sakura Haruno: ...]
[Ino Yamanaka: That reaction—did I guess right? Hahaha, I'm dying!]
[Sakura Haruno: Shut up! We haven't even seen our Jonin yet. Who knows what he's like? I only know one thing for sure: he's completely unreliable! I'm already worried about my future as a ninja!]
[Hinata Hyuga: Huh? You're still waiting in the classroom? Do you think something happened to him and he can't get away?]
[Sakura Haruno: Come on, he's a Jonin, and he's in the village. What kind of serious trouble could he be in? If that really is the case, then I'll have to question his strength too! I'm really worried about my future as a ninja!]
[Tenten: In that case, I might know who Sakura's Jonin is.]
[Sakura Haruno: Huh? Tell me!]
[Tenten: Kakashi Hatake, another elite Jonin of Konoha. He was called a genius ninja from a young age. He graduated from the Ninja Academy at five, became a Chunin at six, and a Jonin at twelve. He even developed an A-rank ninjutsu on his own...]
[Hinata Hyuga: Wow! That's amazing!!]
[Ino Yamanaka: Seriously?]
[Sakura Haruno: You've got to be kidding me, right?!]
[Tenten: He's our teacher's rival, so his name comes up all the time. I've heard a lot about him. Apparently, something happened during the Ninja World War, and he's become pretty listless since then. He's also famous in the village for always being late.]
[Sakura Haruno: Listless... always late... famous?!]
[Ino Yamanaka: So he's not in trouble. He's late on purpose! @Sakura Haruno, you've got a long road ahead of you. You have my sympathy!]
[Sakura Haruno: ...]
After turning down their teacher's invitation to a welcome dinner, Ino chatted in the group for a bit, then turned her attention back to the real world.
A huge building stood before her, with several large characters on it—Konoha Hospital!
Ino held two bouquets of flowers. After asking the receptionist a few questions, she headed straight for the inpatient ward.
Once she disappeared from the reception area, two people appeared, sneaking around as if they were following her.
One had a lazy expression and pineapple-shaped hair; the other was a chubby boy who kept stuffing his face with chips.
They were none other than the other two members of Team 10, newly formed with Ino: Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi!
Shikamaru pulled Choji over to the reception desk and asked, "Which way did that girl go?"
The receptionist didn't think much of it and quickly pointed them in the right direction—the B Ward of the inpatient department!
"Why did Ino come to the hospital? Is someone admitted here?" Choji asked, puzzled.
Shikamaru said thoughtfully, "You forgot? Chie Mai and Ryota..."
"Oh, those two!" Choji curled his lip. "Did Ino come to pick a fight?"
"Maybe," Shikamaru replied. He didn't dwell on it, immediately pulling Choji along to follow her quietly.
Although the three of them were classmates and their families had been close for generations, Shikamaru only spent all his time with Choji.
He and Ino, who usually hung out with girls, had never really gotten along.
Remembering what Asuma had said—that the three of them were the best partners for one another—Shikamaru decided to investigate when he noticed Ino acting strangely. He wanted to learn more, so he brought Choji along and followed her...
Before you continue