Konoha: Naruto, trained by Aizen

This made his growth in strength extremely slow.

Jiraiya also left Konoha for a secret mission, seemingly to find the Fifth Hokage.

The Third Hokage lost an arm and retired to a less prominent position.

Kakashi has also been very busy lately, constantly on missions.

It is said that various countries have begun to covet Konoha, so the workload during this period has been enormous.

Of the twelve Konoha Genin of that generation, only Naruto and Rock Lee, who joined Root, were consistently on missions.

"I'm so envious. I also want to join Root. I'll ask Naruto if he knows how to join Root," Sasuke thought to himself.

He looked at Naruto and smiled, "It's been a long time, Naruto."

"Hey, is this Naruto the guy Big Brother considers a formidable rival? He looks so weak." Konohamaru scratched his head and asked curiously.

“Oh, Naruto looks so gentle,” Moegi replied.

"Whoosh." Naruto used Shunpo to appear in front of Sasuke, startling the Konohamaru trio into retreating.

"Wow, that's amazing!!" The Konohamaru trio turned around with their eyes sparkling.

"Naruto-nii is so fast!"

"You just finished a mission?" Sasuke looked Naruto up and down. His clothes were neat, and there wasn't a single scratch on his exposed skin.

"Ah."

How difficult is it?

"It's alright, quite easy."

"Hmph, it seems the Root missions aren't all that great. Only through trials of blood and death can one truly become stronger. Naruto, it seems you haven't experienced enough." Sasuke raised his proud head.

"Yeah, only two Jonin, and they easily killed the two Jonin protecting our team. That was definitely too easy," Naruto nodded, agreeing.

"Sigh, I think I need a Kage-level opponent to unleash my full potential." Naruto shrugged, a playful glint in his eyes.

The environment at Root was still extremely oppressive; in contrast, the days Sakura spent with Sasuke were unusually joyful.

Naruto suppressed his youthful innocence and naivety.

She only occasionally reveals this when facing Sasuke.

Upon hearing Naruto's words, Sasuke froze, and after a long while, he cried out in grief and indignation, "Damn it! I want to join Root too! Naruto, please help me get him to join!"

Anbu? Not even a dog would go there!

The roots are the eternal god!

But jokes aside, Naruto would never let Sasuke join Root.

It's simply because the environment around the roots is too rotten and foul-smelling.

Naruto doesn't want his work to be tainted by Root.

Although Sasuke's strength growth cannot match that of his predecessor, he can accumulate strength and unleash it gradually. With Kakashi and perhaps Jiraiya's guidance in the future, Sasuke's strength will increase by leaps and bounds once the Sharingan evolves again.

The most important thing is to step out of your own comfort zone.

Instead of blindly following behind others.

After comforting Sasuke, Naruto noticed that Sakura was nowhere to be seen, so he asked, "Where's Sakura?"

“He went with the perverted sage to find Tsunade; perhaps she can become Tsunade’s disciple,” Sasuke replied.

Upon hearing this, Naruto immediately looked puzzled.

If Sakura becomes Tsunade's apprentice, will she inherit her terrifying strength?

Everyone is growing.

I hope I won't let myself down.

Naruto chuckled and said goodbye to Sasuke: "I'll be going now. I haven't seen Danzo-sensei yet. See you next time."

"Um, Naruto... next time, let's have a match, a serious one." Sasuke called out to Naruto with a complicated expression, his lips moving as if he had a lot to say, but in the end, all his words turned into a challenge.

"Oh? I'm very strong now." Naruto paused, then said gently.

"Don't underestimate me, Naruto."

"Alright, then next time, let me see what you know about geniuses." Naruto nodded and vanished from Sasuke's sight with a Shunpo.

Sasuke sighed with a complicated expression.

He was a proud Uchiha, carrying the glory of the Uchiha clan, under immense pressure, but he would not back down.

At such a young age, he bears a family responsibility that even adults find difficult to uphold.

His world was originally gray and colorless.

But Naruto illuminated it.

I thought...

I will keep getting stronger and follow in Naruto's footsteps, aiming to become his role model.

Perhaps one day, I will possess power surpassing Naruto's.

At that time, I will stand in front of him with a smile and restore the glory of the Uchiha clan.

After Naruto left the team, he once again felt his own weakness.

If Naruto is in the first tier, then I can only be considered in the second tier.

This was intolerable to the proud Sasuke.

He trained diligently day and night, and also missed the days when he partnered with Naruto.

This time when we meet again, I also wanted to express my longing for my dearest friend.

However, that damned arrogance turned those words into a challenge.

Perhaps fighting is the only topic of conversation between him and Naruto.

I want to tell him that I have changed!

Now I understand the true meaning of protection.

"I won't lose the next battle! I will prove myself! Prove that I can become the future Hokage." Facing the rising sun, Sasuke revealed a warm smile that could melt even the hardest ice.

That smile captivated the Konohamaru trio.

"When Big Brother laughs..."

"Silly," Konohamaru muttered.

Sasuke's face immediately darkened.

"You, train!" Sasuke lifted Konohamaru up: "Now, tread water."

"Wow, Sasuke-nii, are you taking revenge for someone else?" Konohamaru exclaimed.

"Stop talking nonsense and start practicing!!!"

"You wouldn't want your grandfather to see you doing nothing all day, would you?"

.......

Naruto had just returned to Root when Danzo summoned him.

In the pitch-black room, Danzo's face was grim.

When Naruto entered, Danzo's expression softened somewhat, and he asked with concern:

"This mission took an unexpected turn. Thankfully, you're all alright. Are you injured?"

Naruto shook his head and said calmly, "It was just a bit too much, but I have something I want to say to you, sir."

Danzo understood that Naruto was about to say something he hadn't reported before, so he sat up straight and nodded.

"That Konoha rogue ninja I fought last seemed to have a strange power within him," Naruto said hesitantly, frowning.

"That's why I asked you to come here. That guy is dead," Danzo said solemnly.

"Dead?" Naruto looked on in astonishment.

"That's right, he's dead. His body is in Konoha, which means that what you saw might not be him, or it could be a spirit." Danzo took a deep breath, his face solemn.

Did you notice anything unusual during the battle?

Naruto nodded and answered without hesitation, "I believe he is a mutated soul."

Chapter 141 Can We Accept the Darkness of the Roots? The Snow Country's Request

“His power is very special, it’s not the power of a ninja at all.” Naruto explained, “Kitetsu can merge into shadows and launch attacks through shadows. This is a ninjutsu that has never been recorded before. Moreover, even if he is injured, he will not bleed. Instead, a white substance will flow from the wound.”

Naruto did not hide the information about the Grim Reaper, in his view.

Although the level of research on the roots is somewhat lacking, at least I can be considered a mediocre person.

By getting the Root organization to notice Hollows and Shinigami sooner, I can also obtain some information and resources that I want from them.

Moreover, Danzo has always cooperated with Orochimaru, and this incident will likely strengthen his resolve to obtain information from Orochimaru.

Given Orochimaru's personality, he'll definitely try to squeeze a hefty sum out of experimental subjects.

This can also be considered as securing some benefits for Orochimaru.

Upon hearing Naruto's answer, Danzo fell into deep thought.

He remembered the Hollows Orochimaru mentioned, which were also transformed from souls.

Unlike Kitetsu, who is a monster that has lost its mind, Kitetsu still retains his human form and memories from his previous life.

"It seems it's time to make contact with Orochimaru again," Danzo thought with a frown.

He had previously made a deal with Orochimaru, who agreed to send him a Hollow.

However, due to the extreme violence and difficulty in controlling it, it has not yet arrived in Konoha.

Thinking of this, Danzo looked at Naruto and asked, "Kitetsu is very likely a monster created through human experimentation. What is your opinion on human experimentation?"

Danzo naturally had his own considerations regarding this issue.