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

"Why did it take you so long to get back? Hey, where's the stuff I asked you to buy?"

Seeing that Shimura Gengetsu had been wandering around for three hours before returning home, without taking anything with him, Yekura asked him curiously.

"I ran into a kid on the way, and then I ran into the third generation of Old Deng. He insisted on treating me to a meal, so I was delayed."

"Where's that thing?"

"Uh, I burned down the grocery store."

"Who has upset you this time?"

Kurenai brought two cartons of milk and handed one to Yokura and one to Gengetsu.

Shimura Gengetsu took it and took a sip. "That shopkeeper insisted that a little brat was a fox demon and refused to sell him anything. He even pushed him. He was more arrogant than me."

"A fox spirit..."

Both Uzuki Yugao and Yuhi Kurenai changed color at the same time, and even Yokura guessed what was going on.

Ordinary people would just call him Naruto Uzumaki or the Demon Fox, but ninjas who have participated in wars know what the real situation is.

"okay."

Gengetsu Shimura finished his milk in one gulp, yawned, and said, "I got up too early this morning. I'm going upstairs to catch up on some sleep."

Ye Cang nodded slightly, "Okay, I'll go to a department store further away to buy the things later."

"........"

Back in his room, Gengetsu Shimura began receiving the gifts that Naruto Uzumaki had given him as a greeting.

[The host establishes a friendship bond with Naruto Uzumaki, and is rewarded with the Uzumaki bloodline (Excellent)]

With the reward distributed and the warmth of his body's transformation helping him, Shimura Gengetsu quickly fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was already dark outside.

His chakra has increased significantly, approaching forty calories, and his cell activity has also been greatly enhanced. In the future, when he develops naturally, his chakra will increase even more terrifyingly.

In fact, Naruto's Uzumaki bloodline is not pure, so the fact that he received an excellent evaluation from the system already surprised Gengetsu Shimura.

After all, he hadn't awakened any of the unique abilities of the Uzumaki clan.

He doesn't know any of the signature skills of the Uzumaki family, such as Vajra Lockdown or Kagura Mind's Eye.

Even his hair was dyed yellow by Minato's powerful genes.

In terms of bloodline purity, it is definitely not as high as that of Xianglin.

Ok?

Gengetsu Shimura discovered a blind spot that he hadn't noticed before.

Yes, and there's also Karin.

Karin and Naruto were born in the same year, and they're still little kids now. They've probably already arrived in Kusagakure.

Why not bring the girl with glasses home and raise her from a young age?

The next day.

Xuan Yue originally planned to go to the root to check some information and chat with the old man.

Then a carefree woman suddenly appeared, disrupting his plans.

"Little guy, didn't we agree that you'd treat me to dumplings once you became a Chunin? I waited for you all day yesterday!"

Gengetsu Shimura ignored the female version of Naruto and instead looked at Kurenai Yuhi with a look of disdain on her face.

"Why did you bring her here?"

Hong also looked helpless. "Hongdou came over early this morning, clamoring for you to treat her to meatballs. I really can't do anything about it."

“Alright then.” Xuan Yue nodded. “I haven’t had breakfast either.”

The three arrived at the meatball shop, and Hongdou unceremoniously ordered eight skewers of meatballs for herself.

Hong only ordered two strings, while Xuan Yue ordered three.

These dumplings are mainly made of glutinous rice and have a lot of sugar added. They become sweet and cloying towards the end, and only Hongdou dares to eat so many at once.

Even though she only ate two skewers, Hong silently decided to go to practice physical fitness in the afternoon to maintain her figure.

In the middle, Xuan Yue asked casually, "You're a Chunin, you can't be so poor that you can't even afford dumplings, can you? You're asking for so many at once, aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache?"

Red Bean swallowed three meatballs in one gulp without a care for appearances, her cheeks puffing out like a little squirrel.

"What's wrong with that? I'm very lucky. I can eat free or discounted meatballs almost every day, and I've never had any stomach problems."

Hearing this, Shimura Gengetsu felt slightly relieved.

It seems there's nothing wrong with the root of the problem; the reason it hasn't gained weight is probably because the red bean hasn't reached that age yet. Just wait a little longer.

He just didn't see the smile that appeared in Hongdou's eyes as she tilted her head back to drink water.

You want to fatten me up?

Even if I exercise for three extra hours every day, I won't let you get away with it, you little brat.

After leaving the dumpling shop, Shimura Gengetsu parted ways with the two women and went to Root to find Danzo.

"Old man, that Naruto Uzumaki is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, right?"

“That’s right.” Danzo paused slightly in his teacup. “You saw him?”

"Did you spread the news that he is a fox demon?" Xuan Yue asked again.

Danzo nodded, then shook his head. "This is the collective will of the Konoha leadership. To control the power of the Tailed Beasts, one must have a strong mind, otherwise one will become a slave to the beasts."

"Therefore, the life of a Jinchūriki is destined to be filled with suffering."

Not just Konoha, but all villages treat Jinchūriki in basically the same way.

When not in use, it is avoided like the plague, and everyone dislikes it.

When war came, they wanted to use their strength as their last resort.

"Are you sympathizing with him?" Danzo saw through Gengetsu's thoughts.

"That's it."

The boy nodded slightly and slowly sipped his tea. "I feel sympathy, after all, he was just a child younger than me. But I despise you old folks for your shamelessness and those ignorant villagers."

Even after being called shameless by his own grandson, Danzo showed no shame or anger, remaining completely unperturbed.

"When you grow up in the future, you will become just like us."

“You can’t stop this. Even if you can stop the overt discrimination, it will only get worse in the shadows.”

"Just like Sakumo Hatake."

Danzo Shimura narrowed his one eye. "Those fools just stand in the sunlight and point fingers at those who are carrying heavy burdens in the darkness, but they never think about what those they criticize have sacrificed for this village."

It's unclear whether this statement was actually directed at Sakumo Hatake, or whether he was using it to compare himself to someone else.

In short, Danzo quickly restrained himself after realizing that he had revealed inappropriate emotions, and returned to being a calm and composed old man.

"Tell me about your future plans."

Setting down his teacup, Danzo slowly said, "Hiruzen used the Chunin Exams to pressure me, and together with two other old men, he took you away."

"However, I'm not worried that you'll be too influenced by him, but you must remember that what you see of Hiruzen Sarutobi is only the surface. If you feel any urge to do something because of his words, you must think twice before you act."

"That's what makes him so clever. Hiruzen Sarutobi always manages to get people to do things that can't be done in the light of day, and then take all the blame upon himself."

Chapter 71 The Slaughter of Kusagakure Village, Karin's Request

"Congratulations, Xuan Yue."

"From today onwards, you are a Chunin."

Hiruzen Sarutobi handed Shimura Gengetsu a green Chunin vest, a size he had specifically chosen to be small, representing his Chunin status.

[Congratulations, host, on your promotion and salary increase! Your bond with Konoha Village has deepened, and you've gained the special effect "Backed by a Great Tree"—an enhanced boost!]

[Backed by a Powerful Tree (Chunin): While within the Land of Fire, training speed increases by 40%, and chakra recovery speed increases by 40%. The effect increases with rank.]

Seeing Xuan Yue looking at the Chunin vest with disdain, Hiruzen Sarutobi kindly continued, "It's alright, it's just a symbol of status, but it doesn't mean everyone has to wear it. Just wear it according to your preference."

“Okay.” Gengetsu Shimura nodded slowly and took the vest in his hand.

"I'm going to show off to that brat Naruto Uzumaki in a bit. This outfit is something he can never have in his entire life."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile faltered, and he coughed awkwardly twice.

"You're already eight years old, don't argue with a three-year-old. Let's talk about your team's mission arrangements first."

Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the subject, and his expression became serious.

"I know that because of Danzo, you have been exposed to a lot of the darkness of Root and your personality has become too extreme, but the world is still a beautiful place, and not everything needs to be solved by killing."

"That's why I had a huge fight with Danzo to get you, just so you wouldn't get into more trouble."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a kind smile. "Actually, it's best for a child your age to stay at the Ninja Academy. The curriculum has been revised recently, and it's quite interesting."

Gengetsu Shimura's lips twitched slightly.