Konoha: You're letting me build up my bonds, but you're offending the entire ninja world.

"Uchiha Itachi...is he really that ruthless?"

A white Zetsu on Obito's body also popped up, "Madara, is Itachi lying to you? He's actually going to harm his own parents?"

Even the foolish White Zetsu understood what parents represented, yet Itachi Uchiha was determined to kill them.

This has completely stumped them.

"It's not impossible..."

Obito Uchiha said in a deep voice, the more he thought about it, the more bizarre and frightening it became.

Putting yourself in his shoes, it's like asking him to kill the grandmother who raised him, or asking that good-for-nothing Kakashi to kill Sakumo Hatake.

Even if he turned to the dark side now, he wouldn't do something like this.

Even when he stirred up the Nine-Tails' chaos back then, he had his own purpose—to retaliate against Minato Namikaze for always being a step too late, and to weaken Konoha's power, paving the way for seizing the Nine-Tails in the future.

But what is Itachi after?

Even if it's for the sake of the village... it doesn't have to go to this extent, does it?

Obito Uchiha forced himself to calm down.

"By nightfall, everything will become clear, and even traps will not be able to stop me."

ANBU.

Inside the training ground of the Third Battalion, Gengetsu Shimura was training Yamato.

The once-flat training ground was now a mess, covered with trees. Yamato was struggling to use his Wood Release technique to fend off Shimura Gengetsu's relentless attacks.

It was just an ordinary C-rank ninjutsu, the Great Fireball Technique, but when it came out of Shimura Gengetsu's mouth, Yamato felt like a sun was crashing down on him.

No, it's countless suns!

His Wood Release technique was like firewood, offering no resistance whatsoever.

Before long, the trees on the ground were burned to ashes.

Why hasn't it been revealed yet?

It's been almost a year, and he still hasn't gotten a third-stage reward. Shimura Gengetsu's patience has reached its limit, so he rushed up and engaged Yamato in a physical combat exchange.

He was knocked to the ground with just a few punches.

Just when Yamato thought the day was finally over, he discovered that Shimura Gengetsu showed no signs of stopping and clenched his fist into a claw, reaching for his head.

murderous look!

Yamato's pupils dilated suddenly, and his hair stood on end!

In the past, no matter how much Shimura Gengetsu beat him up, he never showed any murderous intent. But this time was different. If he grabbed him, he would really die!

Just as Yamato's mind went blank, the system's notification finally sounded.

[The host's desperate bond with A has reached the third stage, rewarding the special talent Wood Release.]

boom!

The downward movement of the palm came to an abrupt halt, and the ground sank several centimeters due to the force of the punch.

Finally, finally I got it!

The Japanese man was stunned, staring at the hand that was less than a centimeter away from his eyes, and dared not speak for a long time.

It wasn't until Shimura Gengetsu withdrew his hand that Yamato suddenly realized that his clothes were soaked with sweat, and the ground was also wet.

"You really disappoint me, A."

Gengetsu Shimura glanced at him. "I was only willing to train you because of your Wood Release, so that you could contribute more to the village. But now it seems that you are ultimately hopeless. Forget it, you don't need to come anymore."

Unfazed by the harsh criticism, Yamato excitedly asked, "Really? Captain?"

Genjutsu Shimura waved his hand impatiently, "Get lost, or I'll beat you up again."

Whoosh!

Yamato immediately displayed his top-level Body Flicker Technique, appearing at the stadium entrance in a flash. He ran out without looking back, and even after running a long distance, his joyful, tearful laughter could still be faintly heard.

Back in his office, Gengetsu Shimura couldn't wait to experience the changes happening within his body.

Having incorporated Wood Release, he felt as if his entire being had transformed into a tree.

To be precise, it turned into a seed, which took root, sprouted, and grew strong under the nourishment of a tremendous life force.

So what if it's a damaged Wood Release technique? All it needs is a catalyst, the nourishment of life force, and it will soon become a complete Wood Release technique.

Gengetsu Shimura clasped his hands together and whispered:

"Wood Release: Bonsai Technique".

A crack appeared in the windowsill, and a tiny sapling sprouted from the soil.

Although it is small, you can tell at a glance that it is different from Yamato's Wood Release.

One is pure wood.

One is a tree with vitality.

This is the true Wood Release.

Just as Shimura Gengetsu was about to infuse more life force to see where his current limit was, a Root ninja suddenly arrived.

"Lord Xuan Yue, Lord Danzo requests your presence."

Gengetsu Shimura frowned slightly, but still said, "I understand, you can go now."

"Yes."

After the Root ninjas left, Shimura Gengetsu uprooted the sapling, activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, and instantly arrived at the Root base. After walking a few steps, he reached Danzo's office.

"Old man, who are you sending people to the Dark Guard to have me kill?"

Over the years, Shimura Gengetsu has held several positions. The tasks of the Third Battalion of the Anbu are relatively easy, so he occasionally helps Danzo with some tricky tasks.

"This time it's not just one person, but... the entire Uchiha clan." Danzo's tone was calm, but that calmness represented the lives of hundreds of people.

Gengetsu Shimura paused, realizing he hadn't been paying attention to village affairs lately, as the Wood Release alone was giving him a headache.

Now, thinking back, I suddenly realize that a year has passed since Shisui's death.

It's time for this filial son to show his true filial piety.

"Is the village finally going to take action against the Uchiha clan?"

"It wasn't the village, it was Itachi Uchiha," Danzo corrected. "He realized the sins of this clan's bloodline, so he decided to sacrifice his own kin to preserve the Uchiha's reputation and minimize the village's losses."

Gengetsu Shimura smiled. "Now I finally think that the Third Hokage's Will of Fire technique is somewhat useful. But since he's going to do it himself, what's the point of having me do it?"

"You're in charge of keeping an eye on him, and while you're at it... bring back a batch of Sharingan for me, I have a very important use for them."

Danzo felt a surge of anger when he thought of his greedy partner, but he couldn't do anything about it. After all, the research talents under his command were no match for his partner.

After a moment's hesitation, Shimura Gengetsu nodded in agreement.

"I understand. When do we make our move?"

"At 8 PM tonight, the department will prepare a stage for Uchiha Itachi."

Gengetsu Shimura left the Root base and went directly to Izumi's house.

Uchiha Izumi was chatting with her mother and was still confused when she saw Gengetsu suddenly come over.

"Don't ask any questions yet, I'll take you somewhere."

Shimura Gengetsu created two shadow clones, surrounding the two of them, and then activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

In an instant, the three appeared at a secret base hundreds of kilometers away from Konoha.

This is the abandoned base of the Root. The construction contractor cut corners and the houses he built did not meet Danzo's requirements at all. Later, Shimura Gengetsu came to clean it up. It was a case of making money but not having any to spend.

Afterwards, Shimura Gengetsu took over the base. After renovations, a large number of traps and barriers were set up outside, along with the ability to isolate perception, making it a solid safe house.

"Xuan Yue, what happened?"

Uchiha Izumi had never seen Gengetsu look so serious before, and she even took them to a safe house.

Gengetsu Shimura also kept it brief, "The Uchiha clan is preparing to launch a rebellion. Itachi Uchiha... well, he has the Will of Fire, so he's prepared to stop this rebellion, even at the cost of his own family."

“I’m not worried about him, but he has an accomplice who claims to be Uchiha Madara and has rather strange abilities. I’m afraid he might make a move against you.”

Uchiha Izumi and her mother, Uchiha Shizuka, stared wide-eyed, hardly believing their ears.

The Uchiha rebellion, Itachi Uchiha's act of sacrificing his own family for the greater good... and the legendary Madara Uchiha?

Why is this so messy?

However, time was of the essence, and Shimura Gengetsu had other things to do, so he only briefly explained the situation, instructed the two not to open the door and go out, and then left the safe house for another secret base.

He formed hand seals to open the gate and walked into the long, dark passage. After walking for a while, the space suddenly opened up.

The spacious cave was illuminated by a faint green light. At the very center of the cave stood a huge jar with many rubber tubes attached to it.

There was another person inside the jar, none other than Uchiha Shisui, whom everyone thought was dead.

At this moment, Uchiha Shisui's body was covered with dense sealing arrays, and he was unconscious while soaking in nutrient solution.

Shimura Gengetsu released him and deactivated part of the magic array. Before long, Uchiha Shisui slowly woke up.