The First's Legacy!

"First... Hokage? Th-this... could it be true?"

The other Anbu Ninja was completely dumbstruck when he heard this.

What a joke. Could it be that what Takizawa Dan had obtained really was the First's legacy?

If it was true, then perhaps the First was still alive! After all, he had possessed such godlike power that plenty of people would believe it if someone said he had become a god!

Could... could all of this really be true?

"Of course it's true... If it weren't, how else could Takizawa Dan have suddenly become so powerful?"

The ninja on the right was laughing and crying at the same time, at a loss for words.

He was filled with regret.

He had already jumped to the conclusion that Takizawa Dan was the chosen heir of the First, or perhaps even his reincarnation. This should have been a heaven-sent opportunity for Konoha!

Konoha was powerful now, and it had the largest number of shinobi among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, but that advantage wasn't absolute.

If one day the other four villages joined forces and, for some reason, launched an assault on Konoha...

Then even a powerful village like Konoha would face immense pressure! It might even be forced to sue for peace!

But if Senju Hashirama were still alive, everything would be completely different! Back then, he had pacified the entire Shinobi World by himself, using his strength to make his point and forcing the whole world to accept his vision of peace!

If the First were still alive, how could Konoha possibly fear those so-called rabble?

Of course, there was no point in talking about any of this now.

All they knew was that Takizawa Dan should have been Konoha's heaven-sent opportunity, yet that blind fool Danzo had ordered them to kill him!

Heavens, what a terrible sin they had committed!

Every one of Konoha's higher-ups, except Lady Tsunade, was completely blind.

"Hahahahaha! A village like this has no future at all! Even if the First himself showed up, they'd probably beat him to death with clubs!"

Amid the two Anbu Ninjas' wild laughter, they were swallowed up on the spot and vanished...

Takizawa Dan watched it all, his feelings growing a little complicated.

He could tell that deep down, these two Anbu Ninjas hadn't truly wanted to kill him.

They admired his talent too; they had only done it because Danzo had ordered them to.

That was what it meant to erase an individual for the sake of the so-called collective will!

But now, once they believed he was the First's personal disciple, their thinking twisted in a way it never had before, and the convictions they had clung to all this time were shaken!

They had attacked the First's personal disciple. That was an unforgivable crime!

He had to admit, even Takizawa Dan felt a trace of sympathy for them at that moment.

But sympathy was one thing. Even if he had to do it again, or a hundred times over, he would still kill them without hesitation.

Because understanding and mutual respect didn't mean their sides had changed. Just as with Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Itachi in the past, being sworn brothers and mortal enemies weren't mutually exclusive.

Drip—

A transparent, colorless skill dropped to the ground.

Takizawa Dan stepped forward and carefully picked it up.

Whoosh!

The fragment transformed into a streak of light and entered Takizawa Dan's mind!

[Congratulations, host, you have acquired an ability: Secret Technique: Barrier Jutsu!]

[Effect: Creates a blank zone around the host that blocks sound, sight, and all other information from reaching the outside. An excellent jutsu for hiding your presence or fighting!

Ps: The range and duration will gradually increase as the host grows stronger!]

[Duration: 30 minutes]

[Cooldown: 60 minutes]

[Host's current abilities: Basic Taijutsu, Basic Gentle Fist, Multi Shadow Clone Technique, Wind Style: Kamaitachi Jutsu, Wind Style: Floating Catkin Jutsu, Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique, Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, Secret Technique: Barrier Jutsu!]

"Good. I finally got this Barrier Jutsu. With it, I can fight without worrying from now on!"

Takizawa Dan clenched his fist, thoroughly pleased.

A man couldn't spend his whole life cowering and hiding himself. Sometimes, when it was time to act, he had to go all out and show his mettle!

But his current identity was that of a cripple with no chakra. Even though he had already displayed formidable fighting ability in Konoha, Tsunade had explained it away as superhuman strength gained from unlocking his Gene Lock!

For his own safety and to protect more of his secrets, Takizawa Dan had accepted Tsunade's explanation.

But if he used ninjutsu in a future battle, that so-called lie would no longer hold up!

Especially since Wood Release was his greatest secret. He absolutely couldn't let it be exposed.

Tsunade's heartbreak or the higher-ups' suspicion were secondary. The most important thing was that if people from other villages found out Konoha had a super-genius like him, they would do everything they could to kill him!

But with this jutsu, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone discovering his abilities in battle anymore. He just had to add one more layer of deception!

It was worth mentioning that Takizawa Dan had just killed two Special Jonin from the Anbu in a single strike, fully demonstrating how incredible the First's Wood Release was!

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence" in particular was a technique with absolutely no blind spots. In this forest, he was the undisputed master. No one could counter him!

Even Uchiha Madara, back then, hadn't been wronged when he lost to someone this overpowered...

The awkward part was that he was now unable to use the jutsu again for a month...

He could use his Multi Shadow Clone Technique to reduce the cooldown to 30 minutes, but that would definitely put the two Anbu Ninjas on guard. He might not be able to unleash "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence" so smoothly next time!

After all, Wood Release was just trees. Saying it turned chakra into the source of life sounded incredibly impressive, but in practice, wood was just wood.

It wasn't as hard as Earth Release, as flexible as Water Release, or as damaging as Fire Release...

Its only real advantage might be its ability to restrain opponents, and even that took time to activate. If he released it directly beneath the two ninjas, there was a good chance they would notice and dodge the technique in time!

Ninja had incredibly fast reflexes, especially battle-hardened Anbu Ninja who had endured countless brutal training sessions!

So Takizawa Dan had really had no choice but to take this approach.