Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Moreover... the Uchiha generation isn't just about Shisui; Fugaku's eldest son is also incredibly powerful, with a foundation even stronger than Kakashi's when he was a child.

It's basically hopeless for Nawaki to surpass this generation of Uchiha... He's already this old; if he was going to awaken Wood Release, he would have done so long ago...

However, he didn't try to persuade him any further. Although he really wanted Nawaki and Tsunade to stay, Tsunade was right about one thing: although Nawaki couldn't catch up with the current generation of Uchiha, it would be good for him to gain more experience in the ninja world. When he returned to become Hokage, it would be more legitimate. It wouldn't be said that he got the position because of his two grandfathers. He had witnessed the power of such rumors before.

Moreover, although the village's forces are much weaker now, he and Sakumo can still hold on. He is not so old that he can't fight anymore. Wasn't Kurama driven out of the village by him with a single blow?

...

"Lord Danzo, Lady Tsunade has returned to the village with Nawaki."

Inside the Root headquarters of Konoha, Danzo, one of Konoha's half-skys, sat on the expensively crafted "dragon throne," pondering how to test whether Uchiha Shisui had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. At that moment, his subordinate appeared beside him and whispered a report.

"...Ignore them."

Danzo rubbed his chest, which still ached slightly from the blow Tsunade had delivered years ago, and said softly.

Nawaki returned to retrieve the Thunder God Sword, a fact he already knew. His primary concern now was how to probe whether Uchiha Shisui had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. Since Shisui joined his Root organization, his close friend had been paying close attention to him, preventing him from properly testing Shisui. Compared to Nawaki, a potential threat to his rise to Hokage, probing the Mangekyou Sharingan was paramount.

The village is currently weak, with only two Red Sticks left. This is the best opportunity for him to take over. As long as he has enough strength and the popularity he has maintained in the village for so many years, and he is confident enough to bring down his good buddy and take the position himself.

So the only thing stopping him now is strength!

He didn't know if it was because he hadn't transplanted enough First Hokage cells, but after sacrificing his sexual happiness for the rest of his life to transplant First Hokage cells, so many years had passed, and apart from having stronger vitality and slower aging, it hadn't had any effect whatsoever. Meanwhile, the kid who survived from Orochimaru's lab had the incredible luck to awaken Wood Release. Although that Wood Release was a bit weak, and he even suspected that Orochimaru had started out selling pirated copies, it was still Wood Release after all. And according to the data left by Orochimaru, this kid had transplanted more First Hokage cells than he had, and since he hadn't transplanted Sharingan to balance the power of the First Hokage cells, he had awakened Wood Release.

Danzo came to the conclusion that he had transplanted too few of the First Hokage's cells into his body.

To awaken Wood Release, a sufficient number of cells need to be transplanted. Because he has the Sharingan and Kagami Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan, the amount he needs is probably much more than that kid's.

866. Danzo relied solely on his abilities throughout his life, never on luck.

Of course, if he removed his Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan, the cells he transplanted would be enough, but he didn't dare to gamble!

He had personally witnessed the process of those test subjects turning into saplings. To be honest, he had been in the ninja world for decades and had seen all sorts of storms, but now, just thinking about how living people slowly turned into rotten wood made his scalp tingle. That kid was lucky to survive, so his awakening was entirely due to good luck. Danzo had always relied on his true abilities in his life and never gambled on such illusory things as luck.

The First Hokage cells in his body have now reached the limit of the Sharingan's balance. To transplant more First Hokage cells, he would need more Sharingan. However, he has already transplanted a large number of three-tomoe Sharingan into his right hand. Orochimaru's research is correct. The three-tomoe Sharingan is negligible in suppressing the power of the First Hokage cells. He was able to transplant so many First Hokage cells entirely because of Kagami Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan.

Therefore, he no longer values ​​the ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan; only the Mangekyou Sharingan can enter his field of vision. However, apart from that wild Uchiha who hid in the Land of Water, no one in the Uchiha clan has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan to this day.

Danzo felt a wave of helplessness when he thought of that masked Uchiha clan member. Back then, when that wild Uchiha came to him seeking cooperation and wanting to get the date and address of Kushina Uzumaki's birth from him, he had planned to keep this pretentious guy who was impersonating Madara. Unfortunately, that guy's abilities were too strange. His amazing space-time abilities rendered his plans useless. Moreover, this guy could actually control the Nine-Tails. No wonder he was able to escape from Shiki back then.

That kind of magical space-time ninjutsu is even more troublesome than Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique; it's impossible to catch. So now, the only hope is this Uchiha Shisui. Uchiha Shisui's talent, as he has shown so far, is even more explosive than his grandfather Uchiha Kagami's. Awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan is inevitable; the only question is when, or if he has awakened it yet. Since that kid joined Root, he hasn't been able to test him because of Hiruzen Sarutobi, which is causing him a lot of distress. If that kid awakens the Mangekyou Sharingan, and he gets his hands on it to transplant into his body, along with transplanting more of the First Hokage's cells, even if he doesn't awaken Wood Release, having a complete pair of Mangekyou Sharingan would be enough. He believes that with his talent, which is no weaker than Hiruzen Sarutobi's, he will definitely have a double Mangekyou Sharingan, like White Fang or Golden Lion Shiki. At that time, wouldn't the Hokage position be a piece of cake?

So right now, his most important thing is to know if Uchiha Shisui has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. The Nawaki and the Thunder God Sword are not on his radar. The Thunder God Sword is powerful, but even powerful, it's still just a sword. With Nawaki's talent, even obtaining the Six Paths Tools would be useless, let alone the Thunder God Sword. Back then, the Second Hokage, wielding the Thunder God Sword, was still mowed down by Kinkaku and Ginkaku wielding the Six Paths Tools. When he saw Madara, didn't he summon his older brother and run away?

Uchiha Shisui was far too mature and composed. Since joining Root, he had acted too ordinary, so ordinary that he didn't seem like the grandson of Uchiha Kagami. This made it difficult for him to determine whether the kid had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. The tasks given to him were extremely difficult for his Root underlings, requiring at least ten or more deaths to complete, yet the kid completed them with ease. He barely used his Sharingan, often using a genjutsu combined with a modified Body Flicker Technique that he had adapted to blend with the genjutsu. It was impossible to discern the kid's true level. After all, for a ten-year-old kid to say he had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan... honestly, even he himself didn't believe it. It was too unbelievable. This made him wonder if the kid's incredible comeback against Sunagakure was merely a fluke.

Such accidental outbursts are not uncommon in a ninja's career. My friend Mitokado Homura, despite his weak strength, once single-handedly killed several Chunin who were ganging up on him during the Cloud Village coup. This was one of Mitokado Homura's few shining moments, and even today, when he's drunk, he still brags about it all the time.

Now that Tsunade has returned with Nawaki, her best friend's attention isn't entirely on Nawaki anymore. This presents an opportunity to test Uchiha Shisui. However, he hasn't yet figured out exactly how to test Danzo. Although he's confident in his acting skills—even a genius is still just a young upstart—he's still too inexperienced. Fooling the kid would be easy, but marking his tongue to make him one of their own and extracting his true strength is a different story. He doesn't want his best friend to discover this and cause unnecessary trouble. Right now, he's in the stage of preparing to become Hokage...

"Lord Danzo, perhaps we could send Uchiha Shisui to the Land of Rain..."

Having followed Danzo for so many years, Aburame Torune knew everything Danzo had done. Seeing that his boss had been frowning lately, he naturally knew what was bothering him.

It was just a test of Uchiha Shisui, which he thought was too simple. Not many people knew about the events in the Land of Rain, but he was one of them. Ryuma, the brother who had brought him into the world, was instantly killed in the Land of Rain. The current leader of the Land of Rain was so powerful. As long as Uchiha Shisui went to the Land of Rain and met that leader, wouldn't they know the depth of Uchiha Shisui's abilities?

"Hmph... You're thinking too simply. If Uchiha Shisui dies in the Land of Rain, won't I end up with nothing?"

Danzo gave Aburame Torune a haughty sidelong glance, as if to say, "That's why I can be the big brother and you can only be the little brother."

That's incredibly naive!

Jiraiya had personally witnessed how powerful his disciple was. Even Hanzo of the Salamander, whose face was covered in shoe prints, was instantly killed, demonstrating the formidable strength of those round eyes. Although Hanzo of the Salamander was not as strong as White Fang or Golden Lion, he was still a top-tier figure in the ninja world. His poison jutsu was so potent that even the Third Raikage found it difficult to handle, yet he was instantly killed.

He estimated that even if Uchiha Shisui really awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, he was still young and hadn't reached Madara's level of prowess. He definitely couldn't defeat Jiraiya, that disciple with the circle eye. If Uchiha Shisui really awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and died at that circle eye's hands, wouldn't he end up with nothing?

Keeping Uchiha Shisui by your side requires more effort. Even though Uchiha Shisui hasn't awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan yet, given his talent, it's only a matter of time before he does. As long as he's in your hands, he's still yours. But if you send him to the Land of Rain and he never comes back, even if Uchiha Shisui awakens the Mangekyou Sharingan, you won't get him. What good will that do?

Danzo glanced at his subordinate beside him. He was loyal enough, and his fighting skills were decent, but he was still a little lacking compared to Ryuma back in the day...

867. The side effects of the Uchiha's drug use have arrived.

However, Danzo felt he couldn't blame his underling. After all, one's perspective is determined by one's position, and a subordinate's considerations are naturally less than those of a leader. Besides... don't leaders always like underlings who don't think much of things?

He simply missed Ryoma, who had been with him for decades and never abandoned him. Unfortunately, he was unlucky and was killed in an instant by Jiraiya's circle-eyed disciple before he could achieve fame and fortune and enjoy wealth with him.

Danzo's life was destined to be one of countless sacrifices for his success.

"So, Lord Danzo means..."

Aburame Torune had no idea about the many thoughts running through his boss's mind. He had been following his boss since he was three years old, and after his tongue was cursed, he had always tried to be like his boss Ryoma, acting as a person without emotions. Before, when his boss was thinking, he had only involuntarily chimed in. Now, he wasn't surprised that his boss disagreed with his methods. After all, using one's brain was always Danzo's forte, and judging from Danzo's preparing expression, he knew exactly what to do next.

He's the straight man!

So, with a fawning smile and a look of intense curiosity, he looked at the boss and asked.

"Hmm... Before, because Hiruzen Sarutobi was keeping an eye on this brat, it wasn't convenient for me to take action. Now that Tsunade has returned with Nawaki, regardless of whether they leave again, at least for the time being, Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention will be on Nawaki. This is a good opportunity to test this brat's relationship with the Uchiha..."

"Tonight you're coming with me to the Uchiha clan to meet those old guys..."

Danzo gave his underling an approving look, then stroked his chin and began to ponder.

Nobody's a fool. The current situation of the Uchiha clan can be kept secret from others, but not from him who keeps a close eye on the Uchiha clan. Recently, the Uchiha clan seems to have returned to their usual arrogance, but in reality, they are preparing to cause trouble.

Recently, the Uchiha elites have been gradually returning. The Uchiha clansmen who usually roam outside are mostly ordinary members; not a single true elite has been seen. Although the Uchiha lost many people in the last great battle against the Kaguya clan, they are not this weak. At least there are still quite a few Uchiha with three tomoe. However, the Uchiha clansmen who have been roaming outside recently are almost all with one or two tomoe, and there is not a single elite with three tomoe. Based on his understanding of the Uchiha, such an abnormal situation means that the Uchiha are definitely up to something.

He had previously made a deal with that wild Uchiha who was swindling people under the guise of Madara. They would cooperate: the wild Uchiha would help him kill Minato Namikaze, and he would help the wild Uchiha exterminate the Uchiha clan. Now that the wild Uchiha had done it, Danzo was quite satisfied with the extermination of the Uchiha clan. Although he didn't know what deep-seated hatred this wild Uchiha had for the Uchiha clan that made him want to destroy his family, it was still what Danzo wanted, a win-win situation.

He had been keeping an eye on the Uchiha clan all along, so he was naturally aware of their recent moves.

However, he had no evidence to convince his best friend that the Uchiha were up to something. Moreover, Fugaku's eldest son was right under his best friend's nose. Even if he told his best friend his suspicions, his best friend probably wouldn't believe him. After all, his best friend had inherited the First Hokage's ideas about the Uchiha. So, he had to hold on until Tsunade and Nawaki returned. He had to find a way to test Shisui Uchiha and see what the Uchiha were up to.

As for the Uchiha clan plotting some kind of coup... to be honest, even the two clerical staff members, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, probably wouldn't believe it. Although the Uchiha are the core of Konoha's fighting force, and although Konoha's current lineup is weak, with the two Red Guards either gone or dead, the Uchiha clan is no longer the same Uchiha that could take on an entire village. Even with the emergence of two super geniuses, the Uchiha don't have the strength to cause trouble until they've fully matured.

So Danzo thought it over and over and realized that if he wanted to deal with the Uchiha, he had to give them a chance. Taking advantage of the fact that his good buddy's attention was not on this, he planned to make a trip to the Uchiha clan tonight. Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha clan, was quite shrewd, but there were still a few old guys under him. Those old guys had been living a life of luxury for so many years and were all fat and bloated. They were much easier to deal with than Uchiha Fugaku!

After finalizing his plan, and with Tsunade and Nawaki still on the move, Danzo, accompanied by his leader Toriyama, secretly went to the Uchiha clan after dinner that evening, while Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't looking. He then stayed in a small, closed-door house with several old Uchiha members. It's unclear what they discussed, but when Danzo left the Uchiha, he had a face covered in blooming chrysanthemums. The villagers passing by were nearly scared to death, thinking Konoha was haunted.

The next day, a dozen or so Uchiha clan members suddenly appeared in Danzo's Root. When Hiruzen Sarutobi received the news from Kakashi, the son of the leader of the Uchiha clan, after sending Tsunade and Nawaki out of the village, he ate several pounds. The side effects of the Uchiha's drug use had appeared.

Don't they know that Danzo has disliked them for so many years? And now he's actually aiding the enemy?

Although he didn't agree with his best friend's methods, he had to admit how ruthless they were. Once someone entered Root, they would truly become his people, regardless of whether they were Uchiha who could take on five opponents or Aburame, a socialite. This was also why he kept an eye on Danzo after Kagami's grandson entered Root, because he didn't want Kagami's grandson to be cursed by Danzo. However, for now, his best friend was still a loyal friend and hadn't cursed his friend's grandson.

But... what exactly is the Uchiha clan up to?

Having just seen Tsunade and Nawaki off, Hiruzen Sarutobi's slight pleasure at Tsunade not rejecting Nawaki's ascension to the position of Fifth Hokage vanished instantly. After waving Kakashi away, he pulled out his long pipe and stood by the window, smoking incessantly while gazing at the scenery outside.

As for his best friend, it's certain that he loves the village, and it's almost common knowledge that he wants to become Hokage. If possible, for the sake of the village's harmony, he really doesn't recommend letting his best friend be Hokage for a couple of years to have some fun. After all, being Hokage is not a job for humans. He has been Hokage for decades, and to be honest, thinking back on those decades of the same routine makes him want to vomit.

But it really won't work!

The village was entrusted to him by the Second Hokage before his death, and his best friend's ambition was too great. Even after all these years, he was still young at heart and always wanted to lead Konoha to the moon. The village had already suffered enough casualties in the three major wars over the decades. He couldn't let his best friend drag the village into the war, otherwise he would have no face to face the First and Second Hokage in the afterlife.

868. The ancestral graves of the Onoki family finally caught fire.

Konoha 56th year, Sunagakure 55th year.

"puff!"

"Onoki is going to hold a joint Chunin Exams? Has he lost his mind? (⊙_⊙)?"

Inside the Kazekage Tower in Sunagakure, Shinto sprayed "Conan's dad" in the face next door and looked at Rasa in surprise.

The Joint Chunin Exams, as the name suggests, is a Chunin Exam that invites genin from all the ninja villages in the ninja world to participate. This is similar to the Joint Chunin Exams held by Konoha at the beginning of the future storyline. However, although it is nominally an invitation to genin from all the ninja villages in the ninja world, it is actually only a few ninja villages in the center of the map. The ninja villages on the edge of the map, far from the center of the war, will basically ignore this kind of event.

Villages like the Merchant Village and the Snow Village are incredibly far away. It would take them a year and a half to travel there and back. Would they have time to come and see you flex your muscles? Besides, by the time the message reaches their village, the Chunin Exams will have already finished!

However, such a joint Chunin Exam has never happened in the decades since the ninja villages were established. After all, there were too many conflicts between the villages in those years. No one would trust their village's future to take the exam in another village! Moreover, the promotion of a genin to chunin is really not a big deal. Although they are all the future of the village, unless they are super geniuses, they may become cannon fodder even if a jonin war breaks out.

How many Jonin died on the battlefield over the years?

Therefore, there has never been a joint Chunin Exam in the ninja world for decades.

He originally thought that the story started a few years later because it was necessary for the plot and Hiruzen Sarutobi was hiding in Konoha all day, so it wouldn't be easy to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi in a reasonable way. Therefore, Kishimoto arranged this plot so that Orochimaru would come back to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi and inspire the savior's ambition. He didn't expect that the first time would not be Hiruzen Sarutobi but Onoki.

But isn't Onoki just bored out of his mind?

Why the hell did you have to organize the Joint Chunin Exams? You don't even have a beloved disciple like Orochimaru. That old guy looks like he doesn't have many years left. Who the hell would want to mess with you?

"...It's said that a few years ago, a genius from Iwagakure was taken in as a disciple by Onoki. Could this be related to that?"

The increasingly mature "Conan's dad," who had grown a small mustache, said while wiping his face.

A few years ago, not long after Uchiha Shisui earned the title "Shisui of the Body Flicker," news spread in Iwagakure that a super genius had appeared and had been taken in as a disciple by Onoki. Moreover, rumors circulated that, according to Onoki himself, this disciple was no less capable than Uchiha Shisui. This certainly made headlines for a while at the time. After all, Onoki, as the leader of one of the five great ninja villages, had been in the ninja world for many years and had a keen eye for talent, especially with his sharp and insightful pronouncements. So, when he said such things, the impact was quite significant.

However, when Shinto heard about it, he just pursed his lips in disdain. While Deidara was indeed not bad, after all, he was able to learn the forbidden techniques of Iwagakure, to say that he was no worse than Uchiha Shisui was a bit of an exaggeration. In Shinto's opinion, Onoki was just a damn proud man who was determined not to be outdone by Konoha and the Uchiha clan.

He knew exactly what kind of person Sasori, Patrick's teammate, was. Just like Hidan, who could never die, Sasori successfully lowered the level of Little Team Ten. He was someone who clearly possessed the strongest bug in the ninja world, but could only use it to ambush people. He had no other skills and could only use the same three tricks over and over again.

Patrick Star is only good at riding a giant bird and throwing bombs. Apart from that, his taijutsu and ninjutsu are terrible. The key is that he's brain-dead. He actually got tricked into self-destructing by the second male lead's show-off. Masato suspects that these two kids were able to join the Akatsuki because of their looks. After all, apart from Kakuzu and that shark-faced guy, the other members of the Akatsuki are all quite good-looking. Kakuzu and that shark-faced guy lowered the Akatsuki's overall appearance, so the rice-carrying foreman brought these two in to raise the bar.

These two kids are actually quite good-looking...

This kind of trash is no worse than Uchiha Shisui?

If it weren't for the needs of the plot, Uchiha Shisui would be the protagonist, right? He has all the templates of a protagonist: both his parents, he's an outcast in his clan, and he unlocked the clan's cheat codes at a young age. Such a talent is just like Namikaze Minato. If it weren't for this, the plot wouldn't be able to continue!

That guy who was instantly killed by Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu? Shisui Uchiha's genjutsu talent was even more formidable than Itachi's!

"Sog! In that case, it should be. After all, which village hasn't produced one or two geniuses? It's just that Onoki's ancestral graves weren't buried well, so Iwagakure hasn't really produced any geniuses in recent years. He's been occupying the position for so many years. Now that one has finally appeared, it's only right to bring him out for a spin."

Conan's father's words reminded Shinto that Onoki was probably just showing off. Although this kind of nouveau riche mentality is easy to be despised, Shinto understood. Looking back over the decades from the ninja village era to now, apart from Konoha, which is known as the cradle of geniuses, whether it's Kumogakure, Sunagakure, or even Kirigakure, each village has produced one or two geniuses who can stand on their own. Kumogakure has the current Fourth Raikage, Kirigakure has the current Mizukage with two bloodline limits, and Sunagakure has the handsome Sasori. But since Onoki's generation, Iwagakure has honestly not had any geniuses worth watching. The Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki don't count, since their power comes from the tailed beasts, and their own strength is actually quite weak.

It can be said that Onoki spent decades working until his hair turned white before his ancestral grave caught fire and a great genius emerged. It's perfectly reasonable for him to show off a bit, and he himself can completely understand it.

However, when he thought about Patrick Star, who had set Ohnoki's ancestral grave on fire, becoming a terrorist, and about Ohnoki's nose that had awakened Armament Haki, Masato didn't know how to describe his joyful feelings.

This is absolutely not gloating...

"Lord Kazekage, should we send someone over? But Gaara and the others are still too young..."

Maki, who had moved from the guard captain to Rasa's left and right, asked Rasa, "My teacher's words weren't pleasant, but they were probably about right. Onoki was clearly using his disciple to flex his muscles."

The ninja world has been relatively peaceful these past few years, so sending junior members to participate in the Chunin Exams isn't a problem. However, the issue is that their village doesn't really have any young geniuses at this stage. The truly deserving geniuses, like Karin and Gaara, are too young to go. But if they don't go, the village will lack talent in this generation. Sending them would just mean they'd be playing a supporting role to Onoki, a disciple of Onoki, which they naturally don't want. But not going seems like an option; if they don't go, wouldn't that be admitting their village has no talent?

869. Conan's father's son isn't named Conan.

"He'll definitely go. It's not certain yet, but given Hiruzen Sarutobi's nature, even though he and Onoki don't get along, if Onoki openly invites him, he'll probably give him face and send someone. He might even send one of his village's geniuses to humiliate Onoki... As for Kumogakure, although I haven't heard of any outstanding talents in recent years, their fighting strength at the chunin and genin levels is undeniably stronger. Their physical talent is undeniable. And the Fourth Raiin has a deep grudge against Onoki. Whether he goes himself is unknown, but he'll definitely send someone from his village to fight Onoki." "Don't forget, even the Cloud Village needs a master of Storm Release to transplant their skills. They might not be famous, but their combat power is formidable. That so-called genius disciple of Onoki might not be able to defeat them. As for Kirigakure... it's hard to say. That recently appointed Mizukage is quite capable, but Kirigakure has just undergone a major upheaval, and their strength is definitely at its weakest in decades. Besides, everyone knows the relationship between Kirigakure and Iwagakure; we don't even know if Kirigakure still has any talent left. However, aside from us and the uncertain Kirigakure, I bet the other two of the Five Great Shinobi Villages will definitely go. Wouldn't it be a loss of face if we didn't go?"