Flowing Sakura... Armament Haki

In the northwest corner of the Hidden Leaf Village lay the Uchiha Clan compound.

Inside a secluded room in the central pavilion, the atmosphere was exceptionally grave.

Uchiha Zhenghong personally summoned his bodyguard—Uchiha Shimizu.

"Shimizu!" Uchiha Zhenghong's voice was low and imposing.

"Clan Head..." Uchiha Shimizu knelt there, his heart tense.

Uchiha Zhenghong frowned and snapped, "Do you think you're all that?"

Uchiha Shimizu hurriedly shook his head. He felt somewhat frustrated, but he did not regret accepting Rogge's challenge.

No, I only wanted to defend the Uchiha Clan's honor. He silently thought that Rogge brat had openly provoked the Uchiha Clan. He was simply lawless. If Rogge was not taken down, the Uchiha Clan would become Konoha's laughingstock.

Uchiha Zhenghong said earnestly, "Rogge is just a pawn put forward by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura to suppress our Uchiha Clan. What do you know? Even if you kill Rogge a month from now, what benefit would our Uchiha Clan gain?"

Deep concern and contemplation showed in Uchiha Zhenghong's eyes.

After Rogge arrogantly challenged Uchiha Shimizu, Uchiha Zhenghong had initially been blinded by rage as well. But afterward, when he considered the bigger picture, he came to his senses and immediately realized something was wrong.

But now, the arrow was already on the string and had to be loosed.

Hearing the clan head's words, Uchiha Shimizu suddenly understood.

He began to realize that his impulsiveness could bring grave consequences to the Uchiha Clan.

"Even if you kill Rogge, the rest of Konoha will only say that our Uchiha Clan is cruel and secretly dissatisfied with the Third Hokage! Why? Because Rogge is only a seven-year-old child, and he is also the Third Hokage's adopted son. You, an Uchiha Clan jonin, agreed to a duel to the death with him. Win or lose, Hiruzen Sarutobi will have an excuse to suppress the Uchiha Clan. Do you understand?" Uchiha Zhenghong continued, his tone full of helplessness and warning.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shimizu understood at once.

Cold sweat broke out across his forehead, and his heart filled with lingering fear.

"Clan Head, what should I do? Please tell me plainly." Uchiha Shimizu's voice trembled slightly. He knew he had made a serious mistake, and only by following the clan head's orders could he salvage the situation.

Uchiha Zhenghong pondered for a moment, a calculating glint flashing through his eyes.

He ordered, "Attend the duel to the death as planned one month from now. We cannot let the rest of Konoha look down on the Uchiha Clan..."

His tone was firm and solemn, leaving no room for defiance.

"However... you may only defeat Rogge. You can cripple him or ruin him, but you absolutely cannot kill him. You must spare his life." A trace of coldness showed in Uchiha Zhenghong's eyes. He knew this was the best solution for now.

"As long as Rogge does not die, Hiruzen Sarutobi will have no reason to fly into a rage. The other Konoha ninja will also believe that Rogge was the one who rudely provoked us first, while our Uchiha Clan magnanimously spared his life during a duel to the death. This will not only preserve the Uchiha Clan's honor, but indirectly raise our prestige as well. Killing two birds with one stone!"

Uchiha Zhenghong's voice was full of confidence and calculation.

He believed that this plan would surely succeed. It would resolve the immediate crisis while bringing benefits to the Uchiha Clan.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shimizu was delighted and replied in a trembling voice, "I understand. Please rest assured, Clan Head!"

Determination gleamed in his eyes as he resolved to follow the clan head's instructions.

He knew this was his chance to make up for his mistake, as well as an opportunity to bring glory to the Uchiha Clan.

"Alright, you may leave. For the next month, do not take the initiative to provoke Rogge, lest people think our Uchiha Clan is secretly resorting to underhanded tactics." Uchiha Zhenghong waved his hand, signaling Uchiha Shimizu to leave.

"Yes!" Uchiha Shimizu's voice was icy. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan emerged in his eyes, and a cruel aura seeped from his entire body.

He silently swore that he would make Rogge understand the Uchiha Clan's might in their duel to the death one month later.

So what if that brat Rogge had taken first place in the clan ranking tournament?

He was an elite jonin, one of the Uchiha Clan's finest ninja, with vast combat experience. Years ago, he had successfully ambushed and killed three special jonin from the Hidden Stone Village!

Rogge wanted to defeat him with Lava Release Kekkei Genkai and taijutsu? He was dreaming in broad daylight!

Beneath the Hidden Leaf Village was the Root base.

A mysterious, sinister atmosphere permeated the place, enough to send chills down one's spine.

[Ding! Successfully checked in at the Root base in Leaf Village. Obtained Armament Haki—Flowing Sakura!]

Rogge, who had secretly infiltrated the place, lit up with delight, excitement and exhilaration welling up in his heart.

He impatiently opened the blue panel of the check-in system and carefully examined the information displayed on it.

Just as I thought, as long as I reach certain special locations, the check-in system can successfully check in!

Rogge silently marveled to himself.

From watching the anime One Piece in his previous life, Rogge knew that what he had just obtained was an advanced Armament Haki technique—Flowing Sakura!

Flowing Sakura Armament Haki could strike from a distance and cause internal destruction!

It was equivalent to giving Rogge's fists armor-piercing effects from now on!

With this skill, Rogge's taijutsu had become even stronger!

With one punch, an enemy's internal organs could be blasted into fragments!

This risky infiltration of Danzo Shimura's Root base had been more than worthwhile!

Just as Rogge was immersed in joy, he suddenly heard a loud shout. "Who goes there?"

A shuriken shot toward Rogge's head, accompanied by a sharp yell.

Rogge was startled and reacted instantly.

Damn it, I got carried away and was discovered. He used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the shuriken and leaped onto a rock.

A trace of tension and vigilance appeared in his eyes.

Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, frowning at the masked man standing on the rock.

That was right. Rogge had returned to his tall eighteen-year-old body, and he wore an ancient stone mask over his face.

He was wrapped up tightly from head to toe, exposing only a pair of pitch-black eyes.

To avoid exposing his identity, he could only escape quickly.

Rogge rapidly considered his options. He knew he could not let Orochimaru and Root tie him down, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Rogge formed hand seals with both hands, using his immense chakra to create over a thousand identical Shadow Clones!

Ever since he used the refreshed Mature-Mature Fruit ability to mature his body to eighteen years old, his chakra had become comparable to the Uzumaki Clan's "chakra-ton." Creating hundreds or even thousands of Shadow Clones was no challenge for him.

Rogge was filled with confidence. He believed his Shadow Clones could definitely buy him enough time to escape.

"Everyone, split up and run!" Rogge's true body blended into the mass of Shadow Clones and fled amid the chaos.

He moved with swift agility, like a nimble cheetah.

"Hehe, your chakra is truly remarkable..." Orochimaru unleashed "Wind Release—Wind Cutter Technique," instantly eliminating dozens of Rogge's Shadow Clones.

But it was merely a drop in the bucket.

A large number of Rogge's Shadow Clones still escaped through an opening in the Root base.

Surprise and confusion flashed through Orochimaru's eyes. He did not know who this mysterious intruder was, or why he possessed such vast chakra and the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

At the same time, the other ninja in the Root base had been alerted and rushed out to stop Rogge's Shadow Clones.

"Poof!" "Poof!" "Poof!" "Poof!"... Shadow Clones were continuously dispersed, each bursting into a cloud of white smoke.

Although Rogge's Shadow Clones were numerous, they gradually dwindled beneath the Root ninja's attacks.

Rogge secretly grew anxious. He knew he had to shake off these pursuers as soon as possible.

Danzo Shimura emerged from the shadows and gritted his teeth. "Damn it, who is this intruder? To think he managed to infiltrate the Root base in secret! The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was a ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. It should have been forbidden long ago!"

Anger and vigilance showed in Danzo Shimura's eyes. He knew this intruder was no ordinary person and might pose a tremendous threat to Root.

Orochimaru walked over and analyzed calmly, "The intruder possesses immense chakra and can use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. He had no intention of fighting me and immediately fled after being discovered. He was likely only sent here to gather intelligence."

Wisdom glimmered in Orochimaru's eyes as he calmly assessed the situation, attempting to uncover the intruder's identity and purpose.

Danzo Shimura's face darkened. "Then our Hashirama Cells research project... the recreation of Wood Release... it has not been exposed, has it?"

Danzo Shimura's heart was full of worry. He knew that if this project was exposed, it would bring enormous trouble to both Root and himself.

Orochimaru analyzed rationally, "The secret has already leaked. Put the human experimentation project on hold for now. After all, the rejection issue has always existed, and we cannot resolve it in a short time. Also, all the experimental subjects we captured last time have died. We need to replenish them with a new batch."

A trace of coldness and madness showed in Orochimaru's eyes. His obsession with Wood Release drove him to conduct human experiments despite the tremendous risks.

Elsewhere, Rogge finally relaxed after successfully escaping the underground Root base.

He had no desire to clash head-on with Danzo Shimura and Orochimaru. It was not time yet.

Although this risky infiltration of the Root base had earned him powerful Armament Haki, it had also drawn Root's attention.

He would have to be even more careful in the future and avoid letting Root discover his true identity.

However, what puzzled him was whether Orochimaru had already gotten involved with Danzo at this point. The timeline was wrong!

In the original manga, Orochimaru had been obsessed with the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's Wood Release. He secretly obtained genetic material from the First Hokage's corpse, mixed it into the cells of some children, and conducted human experiments in the hope of artificially creating the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

And Orochimaru's partner, as well as his investor, was none other than Danzo Shimura, the leader of Root!

Thus, Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura had a cooperative relationship.

But that was not right. Orochimaru's cooperation with Danzo began after the Second Shinobi World War ended!

The current Orochimaru had not yet turned dark, so why had he gotten involved with Danzo ahead of time?

Rogge was a little dumbfounded. He felt that the original storyline seemed to have undergone some troubling changes.

He frowned, his heart full of doubt and contemplation.

Forget it. There's no point dwelling on things I can't figure out. He comforted himself and decided not to think about it for now, focusing instead on improving his strength.

Rogge stealthily returned home. Along the way, he used Observation Haki to sense the cat-masked ANBU ninja who had been secretly watching over and protecting him.

However, he did not alert the other party.

He knew these ANBU ninja had been sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi to protect him. Though he did not need their protection, he also did not want to cause unnecessary trouble.

There was still a Shadow Clone at home disguised as seven-year-old Rogge.

After his true body returned, he dispelled the Shadow Clone that had been lying in bed, sleeping soundly.

Then Rogge formed hand seals and used the Transformation Technique, disguising his true body as a seven-year-old child again, though he was two centimeters taller.