The Uchiha Clan's Blind Swordsman

Uchiha Shisui, meanwhile, was affiliated with the Anbu.

Only Danzo himself knew what kind of schemes were hidden behind that.

It was a pity, however.

Uchiha Chiba was a transmigrator; such petty tricks could never shake him.

Danzo took a step forward, arriving right in front of Chiba, and got straight to the point.

"Uchiha Chiba!"

"I won't waste words."

"I want you to join my Root. With your current strength, you won't learn anything at the Ninja Academy!"

"Only my Root can help you reach your full potential."

"My organization is still missing a genius like you—a true genius!"

Danzo's Root, much like Sarutobi Hiruzen's Anbu, absorbed and accommodated exceptional talent from various clans.

When it came to geniuses in the public eye, Root's competitiveness was far inferior to the Anbu.

Therefore, it was Danzo's habitual tactic to recruit the geniuses he valued into his own ranks before Sarutobi Hiruzen could discover them.

Clans possessing secret techniques, such as the Aburame Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, and the Nara Clan, all had members within the Root organization; Danzo had even secretly managed to get his hands on a genius from the Hyuga Clan.

And now, Danzo was reaching his hand toward the Uchiha Clan.

"Sorry, I'm not interested!"

Chiba didn't even need to think about it; he refused point-blank.

He knew exactly what kind of place Root was.

Danzo was not surprised by this answer; instead, he spoke with a smile.

"Don't be in such a hurry to refuse. Being a member of the Uchiha Clan but unable to see... that must be very painful, right?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I have a way to restore your sight."

Danzo was full of confidence.

In his view, this was a temptation Chiba absolutely could not refuse.

Would a blind man pass up a way to regain his sight?

"And it's not through some low-level method like transplanting someone else's eyes!"

"I can restore your own eyes!"

"If you're interested, come find me at Root. I welcome you to join at any time!"

After saying this, Danzo left, thinking he looked quite dashing.

Although he said that, in his heart, Danzo thought Chiba would likely be begging him to join Root!

As he left, he also took away the three Root ninjas Chiba had killed.

He did not intend to use forceful means against Chiba.

After all, the Hokage of Konoha was still Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Moreover, Danzo was confident in himself.

He was certain that Chiba would come looking for him.

What blind man wouldn't yearn for the light?

Unfortunately for him.

Chiba... did not yearn for it!

Danzo had always been cautious.

The scene of the battle between Chiba and his three subordinates was still vivid in his mind.

The power Chiba displayed was not the same as what Uchiha Shisui had reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

However, Danzo did not believe Uchiha Shisui was lying.

It could only mean that Shisui had not tested Chiba's true strength.

After all, sparring and actual combat were different.

A battle fought with the intent to kill was much better at revealing one's true capabilities.

As for the strength Chiba had displayed, it had simply shocked Danzo.

Uchiha Shisui's evaluation of Chiba had already been high enough.

Yet, after witnessing Chiba's combat, Danzo felt that he had completely underestimated Chiba's abilities.

The squad he had dispatched this time was a team modeled after the Ino-Shika-Cho formation.

This combination has been witnessed throughout history.

It has played a pivotal role in the Great Ninja War.

Facing such a combination, even a Jonin could hardly guarantee a safe retreat, yet Chiba, a blind man who cannot see, defeated them one by one.

The power-type ninja of the [Butterfly] was actually defeated head-on by Chiba.

Uchiha Shisui saying that strength is Chiba's weakness is simply laughable.

Clearly, Chiba possesses techniques unknown to Shisui that can compensate for the lack of strength inherent in his five-year-old body.

And perfectly dodging the Shadow Possession Jutsu is a testament to Chiba's powerful sensory abilities.

Danzo can understand this; after all, for someone who cannot see, sensory perception is equivalent to Chiba's eyes.

The only thing Danzo cannot fathom is this.

How exactly did that ninja from the Kato Clan die?

That was the secret technique of the Kato Clan, the Spirit Transformation Technique.

It involves releasing one's living soul to launch an attack.

It is somewhat similar to the Mind Transfer Jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan, but far more aggressive.

If the Kato Clan were a larger clan, in Danzo's view, they would be better suited for that [Pig]!

That is a soul attack.

Ordinary physical means cannot defend against it.

In Danzo's view, Chiba could only dodge.

And his subordinate, utilizing the death of the Nara Clan ninja to launch an attack, undoubtedly chose an opening Chiba could not evade.

In that instant, Danzo even thought Chiba would be hit.

No, in that situation, he should have been hit.

But the fact is.

All of his subordinates are dead.

While Danzo was deep in thought, a Root ninja suddenly appeared before him, knelt on one knee, and spoke calmly.

"Lord Danzo, the autopsy results are in."

"And?"

"That corpse is a bit strange..."

"Speak!"

"The muscles all over this Kato Clan ninja's body have suffered near-total spasms."

"This indicates he endured unimaginable agony before death."

"However, there is not a single wound on his entire body."

Seeing these results.

The elite medical ninjas in Root were dumbfounded.

They had never seen such a bizarre corpse.

They didn't even know how this Kato Clan ninja had died.

Upon hearing the report, Danzo's brows furrowed tightly.

"No wounds, yet he is dead!"

"He was using the Spirit Transformation Technique."

"In other words... what was killed was not his physical body, but—his soul?"

The soul has always been an ethereal and elusive thing.

Even though the Kato Clan of Konoha possesses specialized secret techniques.

Yet, even so, no one has been able to make any sense of it.

It is precisely because of its bizarre nature that it is nearly impossible to counter.

However—

Chiba hacked that Kato Clan ninja's soul to death.

"Is it... the problem with that blade?"

Danzo narrowed his eyes, revealing a fierce glint.

A blade capable of severing a soul.

"This is interesting."

He desperately wanted that blade.

However, Danzo was not flustered.

To obtain Uchiha Chiba was to obtain the blade.

He knew the importance of priorities.

Once Uchiha Chiba joined Root, all his secrets would be laid bare before him.

"I look forward to your joining, Uchiha Chiba—"

Danzo was brimming with confidence regarding Uchiha Chiba's recruitment.

Yet, his wishes were destined to fall through.

While waiting, a month slipped away quietly.

Danzo had waited so long he was practically covered in cobwebs.

As it turned out, there was still no movement from Uchiha Chiba's side.

"Has... Uchiha Chiba still not come today?"

He asked his subordinate.

Danzo was gradually losing his patience.

It was supposed to be a sure thing, so why did it go wrong?

The less one has of something, the more one craves it.

He might even resort to unscrupulous means to achieve it.