The towering waves stirred up by the assassination attempt eventually became an unspoken undercurrent among the higher-ups under the Hokage's forceful intervention, gradually subsiding. The prying gazes circling the Senju estate like vultures vanished without a trace overnight. The oppressive atmosphere dispersed, replaced by an almost refreshing tranquility.
For Senju Chen, this was precisely the golden window for growth he had dreamed of.
He no longer needed to constantly play the frightened child. At least in his own room, he could shed all his disguises.
The night was deep as water.
Moonlight filtered through the window lattice, spilling silver frost across Senju Chen's room.
On the bed, the small figure breathed steadily, seemingly long since asleep.
Yet in the darkness, a pair of eyes suddenly opened. They shone startlingly bright beneath the moonlight, without a trace of a child's bewilderment or drowsiness, only a profound calm and clarity utterly at odds with his age.
Senju Chen slowly sat up, glanced at the bandages wrapped around his arm, and curled his lips into a barely perceptible smile.
It worked.
Through a meticulously planned performance, he had deeply imprinted his image as a genius who was "fragile and sensitive, but capable of unleashing tremendous power in desperate circumstances" into the minds of all Konoha's higher-ups.
From now on, Tsunade's protection was impregnable.
Danzo's threat had been neutralized for the moment.
Those annoying flies had also disappeared without a trace.
He had finally secured what was most precious and most necessary to him-a safe, undisturbed environment in which to grow.
Then, next...
His consciousness sank into his mind, turning toward the system panel only he could see.
[Host: Senju Chen (Lin Chen)] [Stolen abilities:] [1. Hidden bloodline of the First Hokage's Wood Release (source: Tsunade)] [2. Advanced Chakra Refinement Technique (source: Jiraiya)] [3. Empty theft slot] [4. Empty theft slot]
Wood Release was divine power, but it was also a ravenous chakra-devouring beast. With his current chakra reserves, a single Cutting Sprigs nearly drained him dry, let alone world-destroying ninjutsu like Deep Forest Emergence or Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.
Jiraiya's Advanced Chakra Refinement Technique could help him increase and replenish his reserves quickly, but this was a long-term undertaking.
He remembered a notification from the system when he killed that Anbu ninja in the forest.
[Ding! Valid kill detected. A small amount of chakra and combat experience has been stolen.]
At the time, the system notification had flashed through his mind. Since he still had things to do, he had not checked it immediately.
Thinking back now, after killing that ninja, his mind had suddenly gained techniques and experience in ninja combat, assassination, and concealment that he had never learned.
His chakra, which had just been drained by Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs, had also recovered and increased to some extent.
Senju Chen sensed the additional combat experience in his mind and the chakra within his body. This system ability certainly ensured his staying power in future battles.
In other words, as long as he kept killing people, he could continuously replenish his chakra while rapidly accumulating combat experience, techniques, and chakra.
This system ability could save him a great deal of time spent learning and training, allowing him to rapidly advance toward higher ranks, or even become a Kage Level powerhouse, in a short time.
As for legitimate "killing," Senju Chen recalled the timing of the Third Shinobi World War. That war had earned Minato Namikaze the resounding name of "Yellow Flash."
I wonder whether I'll get some impressive title then. There should still be about five years until it happens.
He could already picture himself instantly killing swathes of ninja with a single Deep Forest Emergence. When others thought he was out of mana, he would wave his hand at the ninja charging toward him and unleash another vast Deep Forest Emergence. Battlefield forester-Chen. Hehehe!
For now, though, he still needed to improve quickly. Five years would pass in the blink of an eye. He could not go onto the battlefield only to die himself before wiping out the enemy. War showed no mercy to anyone. He had to get stronger quickly.
With that thought, Senju Chen looked at his two empty skill slots. He urgently needed a new skill to accelerate his growth.
Sharingan?
The thought flashed through his mind, only to be rejected immediately. The Sharingan was certainly powerful, but first, the Uchiha Clan kept too close a watch, and second, revealing the Sharingan too early would draw enemies a hundred times more troublesome than Danzo. Besides, the Sharingan was better suited to combat, not to his current needs.
Rinnegan?
He ruled it out. Nagato was in the Land of Rain, far too distant, and neither his sister nor Jiraiya could possibly take him that far right now.
The Third's "Enma"?
Now that's something I really want.
A summoned beast that could help you fight and grow or shrink in staff form-what man would not want that? Even taking him out to play with when there was nothing else to do would be nice.
Just thinking about it nearly made Senju Chen drool.
He quickly shook his head, driving the thought away.
At his current stage, as a four-year-old, he would not dare use that skill even if he had it. Besides, it would not help him much right now, though there could still be opportunities in the future.
He made up his mind that he would definitely get the Enma Clan's Summoning Scroll from the Third someday.
Suddenly, inspiration struck Senju Chen, and he thought of the most suitable candidate for his current needs.
His gaze pierced the darkness, as though he could see another part of the village.
There lived a woman with long red hair.
The Uzumaki Clan.
That legendary clan renowned throughout the world for its tremendous vitality and vast chakra reserves.
To bring Wood Release's power to its fullest, the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline is the ideal missing piece.
With the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline, he might be able to recreate the First Hokage's divine might, making the Nine-Tails cry with a single Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands. Wouldn't you all be scared?
Senju Chen's goal instantly became crystal clear.
He needed to steal the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline talent.
And in Konoha, the Uzumaki with the purest bloodline was undoubtedly the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto's future mother-Kushina Uzumaki.
But this will be much harder than stealing from Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Senju Chen's brows furrowed slightly.
Kushina received Konoha's highest level of protection, with Anbu guarding her at all times. As a four-year-old child, he had no legitimate reason to approach her.
Forcing contact would only expose him.
He had to wait for an opportunity.
An opportunity that would allow him to make "valid contact" with Kushina Uzumaki without anyone noticing.
The system had also said that if he altered the worldlines of other characters in the Naruto world, depending on how much he changed, the host could receive lottery draws, or even upgrade the system and gain more theft slots.
But he still had two empty skill slots, so there was no need to rush this. Still, based on his memories and what he knew of the story's current progress, there was someone he wanted to try approaching, to see whether he could change that person's ending. If he saved that person, they would be an enormous help to him in the future.
Senju Chen lay back down and closed his eyes again.
Beneath the moonlight, his delicately sculpted little face looked utterly peaceful and harmless.