First Evolution: Poison Vine Sprout

"What is... this?"

The two remaining Root ninja were shaken to the core as they stared at the increasingly brilliant golden-green glow.

They could feel the child's presence within the light rapidly surging!

As the glow faded, Chiba straightened up.

The wounds on his body had vanished, and even his bloodstained clothes looked as though they had been washed clean.

His height had not changed, but his entire aura was completely different, carrying a chilling menace.

In his mind, the system panel appeared with crystal clarity.

[Evolution complete! Please select your Wood Release evolution path!]

[Option One: Wood Release: Hardening. Wood Release creations will gain hardness far surpassing steel, greatly increasing defensive capabilities.]

[Option Two: Wood Release: Poison Vine Sprout. Wood Release creations will carry a neuroparalytic toxin, causing brief paralysis upon striking a target.]

[Option Three: Wood Release: Accelerated Growth. Wood Release growth speed increases by 300%, but chakra consumption will be greatly intensified.]

Chiba's gaze locked directly onto the second option.

"I choose Poison Vine Sprout!"

No matter how hard his defenses were, they meant nothing if he could not hit anyone.

No matter how quickly they grew, without killing power, they were just living targets.

Only poison was the best means for the weak to defeat the strong!

[Selection confirmed. Wood Release has evolved into Lv. 1: Poison Vine Sprout form.]

"Go! Kill him!"

Having received the order, one of the Root ninja shouted and attacked again alongside his companion.

They could not wait any longer. This strange transformation in the Senju orphan had already surpassed their control!

Chiba watched the charging pair coldly, a cruel smile curling across his lips.

"Now it's my turn."

He pressed one hand against the ground, chakra surging from within him.

"Wood Release!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two vines burst from the earth, no longer the crooked little saplings from before.

They were dark brown from end to end, covered in purple patterns, like two venomous snakes poised to strike!

One of the Root ninja swung his kunai, trying to sever the vines.

However, the vines reacted far faster than he had imagined, coiling around his arm like snakes.

"What?"

Startled, he was just about to break free when a numb sensation spread from his arm through his entire body.

"Urgh, my body..."

His movements froze, and he collapsed to the ground.

Three seconds of paralysis!

In a fight to the death, that was an eternity!

Seeing this, the other Root ninja was terrified out of his wits.

He watched his companion get taken down in a single move as the purple vines turned and lashed toward him.

"Monster!"

With a low roar, he turned without hesitation and vanished into the night after several swift leaps.

He had to report back immediately. This remnant of the Senju clan was nowhere near as simple as the files claimed!

Chiba did not pursue him.

He looked at the two unconscious Root ninja on the ground, then toward the direction where the fleeing ninja had disappeared, and withdrew the vines.

"One survivor, one corpse, and one who escaped to deliver the news..." he muttered, his eyes gleaming with a depth unfitting for his age. "Danzo, Third Hokage... this game has only just begun."

After tonight, Konoha's upper ranks would completely reassess him.

The next day, Hiruzen Sarutobi personally arrived at the Senju Clan Grounds.

"Chiba, are you all right?"

The Third Hokage "concernedly" examined him, but his gaze discreetly swept over the traces of battle in the courtyard.

"Grandpa Hokage, I was so scared." Chiba immediately became a child frightened out of his wits. He clung to the Third Hokage's leg, his body trembling slightly. "Bad people came to take me away last night. They were so scary..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered. He patted Chiba's back and spoke gently.

"Don't be afraid. It's all right now. Starting today, I'll send the best Anbu to protect you."

Chiba sneered inwardly.

Protection? They were merely moving the surveillance from the shadows into the open, while using him as a "piece" to keep Danzo in check.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

Ninja Academy, Class E classroom.

When Iruka led Chiba into the classroom, the entire class fell silent for a moment.

"Let me introduce a new classmate, Senju Chiba." Iruka's voice was gentle. "He is a clansman of the legendary First Hokage, Lord Hashirama Senju."

"Whoa—"

The class instantly erupted.

"Senju? The Senju clan that founded Konoha?"

"No way! Weren't they wiped out ages ago?"

"Is he really the First Hokage's descendant? He looks so ordinary..."

At the back of the classroom, Naruto Uzumaki, with his blond hair, was sleeping soundly, drool pooling across his desk.

In the corner, Sasuke Uchiha's dark eyes coldly swept over Chiba.

Meanwhile, Hinata Hyuga, seated in the front row, shyly lowered her head and poked her fingers together.

Chiba turned a deaf ear to their chatter. He walked straight to the last row, took the empty seat beside Sasuke, then closed his eyes as though everything around him had nothing to do with him.

He had long grown used to the feeling of being isolated and scrutinized.

During the break, an arrogant voice shattered the quiet in the corner.

"Hey, you Senju!" Inuzuka Kiba strode over with his ninja hound, Akamaru, his head held high. "I heard you're the only one left in your clan. What have you got to be so smug about? You show up with that sour face right away."

Akamaru barked in agreement.

Chiba did not even raise an eyelid.

"One is enough," he said blandly. "If you don't believe me, try it."

"You bastard!" Inuzuka Kiba was thoroughly enraged by his casual tone. "Fine! Just wait until taijutsu class this afternoon!"

That afternoon, at the taijutsu sparring grounds.

Inuzuka Kiba impatiently stepped forward and pointed at Chiba.

"Teacher, I want to spar with him!"

Iruka hesitated, but eventually nodded.

"Kiba, Akamaru!"

With a loud shout, Inuzuka Kiba merged with Akamaru, transforming into a white whirlwind that tore through the air as it charged straight at Chiba!

"Gatsuga!"

The entire class cried out in alarm. Among students like them, the power of this technique was absolutely top-tier!

Facing that savage strike, Chiba merely raised his right arm calmly and clenched his fist.

He did not use Wood Release. It was a trump card he deliberately intended to conceal.

He wanted to see just how strong his evolved Sage Body was!

"Boom!"

His fist collided head-on with the spinning beast fangs!

The thunderous impact made everyone's eardrums throb.

The scene of Chiba being sent flying did not happen.

That white whirlwind was forcibly stopped by a single small fist!

The next second, a tremendous force erupted from his knuckles!

"Agh!"

Inuzuka Kiba cried out in pain and flew backward. He rolled across the ground several times before stopping, then lay there dizzy and disoriented, unable to get back up for a long while.

The entire field fell deathly silent.

Everyone stared at the scene in utter disbelief.

Iruka's mouth hung open, his face full of disbelief.

This child's taijutsu, strength, and reaction speed were simply not at a student's level!

In the corner, Sasuke Uchiha, who had remained indifferent until now, finally showed genuine scrutiny in his eyes.

It was the look one gave an equal—or even an opponent.

Chiba shook his slightly numb fist. The extraordinary recovery granted by his Sage Body was rapidly healing the bruised bones.

His heart remained perfectly calm.

The Sage Body's basic attributes truly were monstrous, but this was still far from enough.

To fight the monsters of the future, he had to become faster and stronger!

After school, Chiba did not go home. Instead, he headed alone toward the Forest of Death outside the village.

[New evolution conditions have refreshed: Defeat a target at chunin level, or extract a cell sample containing a special Kekkei Genkai.]

Chiba raised his head and looked toward the prosperous lights of Konoha in the distance. Yet his gaze passed beyond the village, toward somewhere deeper and darker.

The corner of his lips lifted.

"A chunin-level opponent... looks like I'll have to find one myself."