"Kid, get ready—you're about to live a whole new life."
Izayoi stepped out of the Hokage Tower and nearly jumped at the sight waiting for him.
Outside, the place was absolutely packed with people.
The minute Izayoi and the other two emerged, the crowd broke into a clamor:
"Look, that handsome black-haired one—he's Izayoi!"
"Whoa, he's tall. I heard he was in the same grade as my son and was the Academy's top student."
"His hair color is the same as the First Hokage's. Guess it's true he's from the Senju."
"I watched him fight in the Chūnin Exams. Not only can he fly, but he's got this crazy-powerful jutsu!"
"This is awesome. With a Wood Release user again, nobody will ever mess with Konoha."
"The whole 'demon' thing won't happen again, either!"
"…"
Their excited chatter kept filtering in. Some villagers were so hyped they looked ready to rush over and surround Izayoi on the spot.
Not wanting that scene, Izayoi quickly grabbed Sasuke in one hand and Karin in the other, taking off from the center of town.
Seeing him literally fly away only amped up the cheers below.
Right then, Izayoi got a taste of what Naruto experienced in the original story when he became Konoha's hero—and he finally understood how big of a deal Wood Release was in the village.
Even though the Sharingan is also a legendary Kekkei Genkai, when you're "the last Uchiha," at best you draw enough attention that people pay to watch your fights, curious about the famous red eyes. But Wood Release? That made the entire village light up with excitement.
The clans and shinobi of Konoha now saw Izayoi as the village's future. Morale didn't just bounce back—it was higher than before the Konoha Crush. Meanwhile, the villagers felt safer than ever, no longer scared of a Nine-Tails rampage or some sudden enemy invasion.
The tale of the "God of Shinobi" was common knowledge, on par with the legend of the Sage of Six Paths. Even regular folks knew Wood Release had ended the Warring States Era, beaten the Tailed Beasts, and taken on whole nations single-handedly.
Anyone who went outside the city and looked at that newly-grown forest of towering trees instantly felt more secure and confident in Konoha. Wood Release was basically the village's main pillar.
Even the legendary "eyes of the Sage" wouldn't mean as much in Konoha's eyes, because no one's ever actually seen those in action—but Wood Release definitely exists.
"You'll never have a peaceful moment again," Sasuke muttered, tucked under Izayoi's arm. He was practically gloating. "Next time you try to date Hinata, everyone'll be gawking—aaah!"
Before he could finish, Sasuke let out a startled yelp. Izayoi had let him go, and he immediately dropped toward the ground.
The sight of the ground rushing up made Sasuke's face go pale. But right before he could smash into it, a woody tendril snagged his waist, leaving him hanging in midair.
He looked up to see Izayoi flying above, casually dangling him below like a yo-yo. Sasuke snapped, "You bastard! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Really don't get who's in charge here, do you?" Izayoi said. Then, with a small tug, Sasuke was suddenly spinning around—up, down, left, right, even clockwise and counterclockwise.
By the time Izayoi finally set him down, Sasuke was a sickly greenish-purple, too nauseous to do anything but lean against a wall and retch.
"I… I swear I'll kill you one day!" he rasped, still so weak it was almost comical as he tried to glare.
Izayoi shut him up with one line:
"Don't you still want your present?"
"…Yes."
Instantly, Sasuke went quiet and stood there sulking like a scolded child.
Karin stood off to the side, desperately trying not to laugh. Her shoulders kept shaking as she excused herself to start dinner.
Izayoi, meanwhile, stopped teasing Sasuke and pulled out a palm-sized red scroll. Sasuke watched intently, obviously intrigued.
Unsealing it with a quick motion, Izayoi took out a metal lockbox. After keying in a code, the box swung open to reveal two rows of test tubes with some green liquid inside.
"What are those?" Sasuke blurted, staring at the vials, which were clearly some kind of drug.
"Cells from Hashirama," Izayoi replied.
The color drained from Sasuke's face. "Wait—cells from the First Hokage?! How… how do you even have that?!"
"You're asking the wrong question. You should be asking why the village has it," Izayoi joked.
Sasuke's face darkened. He wasn't stupid. "So the village actually tried to recreate Wood Release?"
"Bingo." Izayoi nodded. "I discovered them while I was…ah, 'borrowing' some scrolls. I also learned a few interesting secrets about your Uchiha clan's Sharingan."
"What secrets? Wait…" Sasuke suddenly seemed to remember something. Eyes wide, he said, "This is that 'risky way to get stronger' you mentioned earlier?"
"You catch on quick," Izayoi said, pretending to be impressed. "So, aside from going from one-tomoe to three-tomoe, your clan's eyes can evolve even further—"
"The Mangekyō Sharingan!" Sasuke cut him off, eyes full of murderous intent. "That's Itachi's eye, beyond the three-tomoe stage."
"Would you let me finish?" Izayoi rolled his eyes. "Yes. The eye beyond three tomoe is called the Mangekyō Sharingan. It grants seriously strong personal eye techniques, but every time you use them, it burns some of your ocular power. Rely on them too much, and you'll go blind."
Sasuke's eyes lit up. "Blindness? Seriously?"
"That's what my intel says. But there are two solutions."
Izayoi held up two fingers, smirking. "Method one: transplant a Mangekyō from a close relative. That grants you eternal ocular power."
He barely got the words out before Sasuke's face went rigid. Then it went through a whole cycle of emotions—shock, confusion, anger, hatred, just twisting around. His Sharingan flared at three tomoe, spinning wildly. Negative energy was practically seeping out of him.
"Heh…" Sasuke let out a bitter laugh through clenched teeth. "So that's why he let me live. He said all that cryptic nonsense about getting eyes like his so I could come after him for revenge… He was just raising me as a backup plan for his own eyes!"
In that instant, any doubt Sasuke had vanished, replaced by a more focused, purer hatred toward Itachi.
Izayoi left the real truth out. He simply showed Sasuke one of the vials. "The second option is Hashirama's cells. That's what the village researchers concluded," he lied.
"They found that Hashirama's cells can balance out the Sharingan's power. If a non-Uchiha were to get a Sharingan, they'd just have to implant these cells to drastically reduce any side effects. And if it's a Mangekyō, then once you add Hashirama's cells, not only do you use less chakra, but any lost ocular power automatically regenerates."
Izayoi neglected to mention that if Sasuke got Hashirama's cells, his eye power would skyrocket. Those cells would draw out the Indra chakra in him, quickly boosting his "Sage Eyes (Red)."
"But, just like how Konoha never did manage to produce a second Wood Release user, if the transplant fails, the result is…death."
After stressing the last word, Izayoi gave Sasuke a playful look. "So, want to go through with it?"
"Yes," Sasuke answered without any hesitation.
"You're seriously not scared?" Izayoi cocked his head. "I mean, you could die."
"Not until I settle things with Itachi," Sasuke said coolly. "But I believe you won't let me die, anyway."
"I'll only help bury you," Izayoi joked, putting the test tube back and closing the case.
Sasuke frowned. "You're…not going to do the procedure for me?"
"I'm not a doctor or a scientist," Izayoi retorted, rolling his eyes and standing up. "Let's eat first. Tomorrow we'll clean up the Uchiha district and the area around the Naka River. In a couple days, I'll take you to someone who can give you that shot."
"Oh," Sasuke said, clearly curious but still nodding.
…
Like the Uchiha Clan Massacre or the Konoha Crush, it was impossible to keep news of a new Wood Release user under wraps. Word got out the very same day.
By the next morning, everyone in the Land of Fire had heard. Within two days, the entire shinobi world knew.
Before long, photos of Izayoi and intel on him were in front of the highest-level decision makers in every major village.
That speed of dissemination came partly because Konoha was pushing the story.
A genius who hasn't fully grown might need protecting—but a recent Academy grad who already had five nature transformations, had developed multiple seal-less ultimate jutsu, who could fly (a rare skill in the ninja world), and commanded Wood Release on a level that made him a top-tier combat asset? That's someone you flaunt, not hide.
Even without Wood Release, Izayoi was on par with Kage-level combatants. And with the ability to fly, the only person among the Five Kage who could truly challenge him mid-air was Ōnoki.
So yeah, putting him in the spotlight was Konoha's best play right now.
Konoha had just lost the Third Hokage and an Elder, plus the entire Root Division, which was almost as skilled as the Anbu. Even though Tsunade was taking over as Fifth Hokage, nobody could deny that the village was weaker than before.
A weaker Konoha meant fewer client contracts and more prowling by other villages or even smaller ones looking to rebel.
Wood Release became the perfect shot of adrenaline.
Hearing that a new Wood Release user had popped up in Konoha for the first time in decades would reassure wealthy patrons deciding where to take their missions. They'd be much more inclined to hire Konoha.
And in the big villages, any old grizzled veterans still around would be cautious. Nobody would rush to declare war on a village that had Wood Release. That's because Wood Release is a strategic deterrent that even Tailed Beasts can't match. After all, it was the First Hokage's Wood Release that captured all the Tailed Beasts and handed them out to the other Great Nations.
…
Land of Earth – Iwagakure
"Konoha…they just refuse to die, huh," muttered Ōnoki, staring at the photo of the young man. His gaze seemed distant, as though he was recalling a moment from long ago, when he held a photo of a certain blond youth.
Feeling a familiar pang of jealousy, he muttered, "Every time that village is on the brink, some dazzling prodigy shows up. Is it simply because the Land of Fire has the best resources?"
He then grew worried. "He's still young—maybe ten or twenty years away from matching Lord Hashirama at his prime. That means right now is the best chance to eliminate him."
"But…that's too big a gamble for me. And Iwa can't afford to risk it either."
While he brooded, a sudden glint of light flashed in his eyes. Maybe he wouldn't risk it…but others might.
Ōnoki floated over to a window and gazed toward the Land of Rain. "So an entire Anbu squad vanished into thin air. Could it be…the Sage of Six Paths legend might actually be real?"
"If those Sage Eyes truly exist, I wonder if they could stand up against Wood Release…"
…
Land of Lightning – Kumogakure
"Tch, what a bluff," the Fourth Raikage snarled, tossing aside the intel. "Yeah, Wood Release is legendary or whatever, but he's just a brat. How much firepower can he really bring?"
"Putting him in the spotlight like this just means Konoha has no one else worth flaunting."
"If not for what happened with Karai, making me owe Tsunade a favor, I'd have shown Konoha what the strongest hidden village really looks like."
…
Land of Wind – Sunagakure
"What a smart move…" Chiyo, acting as interim Kazekage, murmured, reading the intel in her hands. "Having the Senju drop their family name and integrate seamlessly into Konoha not only lessened conflicts between the clan and the villagers, it also left the Senju, and Konoha itself, with a secret escape route."
"First Hokage, Second Hokage… You must have seen this day coming."
She glanced at Gaara—ransomed back to the village last month, currently studying hard. His personality was shifting under the influence of family bonds; he wasn't as cold as before. Chiyo gently instructed him, "Gaara, when you become Kazekage, never make an enemy of Konoha. Make good use of that alliance we have…"
She kept the final thought to herself, not wanting to upset him.
Because Wood Release is the ultimate Tailed Beast counter.
Gaara paused, looking puzzled, but still nodded.
~~~
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