"Kid, get ready to embrace a different life."
When Izayoi stepped out of the Hokage building, he was immediately shocked by the scene before him.
Outside the Hokage building, a massive crowd had gathered.
As soon as Izayoi and the others appeared, the crowd stirred.
"Look, that handsome black-haired boy is Izayoi!"
"He's so tall. I heard he's in the same year as my kid and was even the top student at the Ninja Academy."
"His hair color is just like the First Hokage's. As expected of a descendant of the Senju Clan."
"I saw his fight during the Chūnin Exams—he can fly and even unleashed a super powerful jutsu!"
"This is great! Konoha has another Wood Release user! No one will dare bully us anymore!"
"The demon... that incident won't happen again either!"
"..."
The murmurs of the crowd filled the air, and the villagers looked at Izayoi with fiery admiration.
Some villagers were even so frenzied they looked like they were ready to swarm him.
Seeing this, Izayoi quickly grabbed Uchiha Sasuke and Karin, one in each arm, and flew away from the central street.
Cheers erupted even louder as Izayoi soared off.
In that moment, Izayoi experienced the treatment Naruto got in the original story as Konoha's hero and came to understand just how crucial Wood Release was to the village.
Even though both were legendary Kekkei Genkai, Sasuke, as a Uchiha survivor, only drew interest from villagers eager to see his Sharingan in battle.
But Wood Release—Wood Release made all of Konoha erupt in excitement.
The ninja clans and shinobi alike began to see Izayoi as Konoha's future. Morale didn't just recover—it surpassed what it had been before Orochimaru's invasion.
For the villagers, it gave an overwhelming sense of security.
No more fear of a Nine-Tails rampage, surprise invasions, or sudden wars.
The legend of the God of Shinobi was as widely known as the Sage of Six Paths.
Even ordinary people knew Wood Release ended wars, suppressed Tailed Beasts, and could stand against entire nations.
Just glancing from afar at the towering forest formed by Wood Release filled both villagers and shinobi with confidence.
Wood Release was Konoha's backbone.
Even the Sage's fabled eyes couldn't compare in this village.
Because…
No one had seen the power of the Sage's eyes—but Wood Release was real.
"You'll never know peace again."
Dangling at Izayoi's side, Sasuke sneered, "Try going on a date with Hinata now. You'll be on display like a zoo animal—AAHH!"
Before he could finish, Izayoi suddenly let go.
Watching the ground zoom toward him, Sasuke's face turned pale.
Just then, a wooden vine wrapped around his waist, suspending him midair.
Looking up at Izayoi, who was flying above and dangling him like a puppet, Sasuke completely lost it.
"You bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
"You really don't understand the situation, do you?"
Izayoi, amused, began swinging Sasuke like a human yo-yo—up and down, left and right, spinning him clockwise and counterclockwise.
By the time Sasuke landed, his face was green and purple.
Nauseous beyond belief, he couldn't even seek revenge. He simply leaned against a wall and retched.
"I… I'm definitely going to kill you, you bastard!"
Even while exhausted and weak, Sasuke still tried to lunge at Izayoi.
But one sentence from Izayoi stopped him cold.
"Don't you want your gift?"
"…Yeah."
Sasuke instantly went quiet, sulking like a well-behaved kid.
Karin stood nearby, barely suppressing her laughter. Shoulders twitching, she went off to cook.
Izayoi didn't tease Sasuke further. Soon, he retrieved a red scroll just big enough to hold in one hand.
Under Sasuke's eager gaze, he unsealed it, producing a metal lockbox.
Izayoi entered a code and opened it, revealing two rows of vials filled with green liquid.
Sasuke asked, "What is this stuff?"
"Hashirama cells."
At those words, Sasuke's face drastically changed.
"Cells from the First Hokage?! Why the hell do you have this?"
"Good question. What you should be asking is: Why does the village have this?" Izayoi replied with a smirk.
Sasuke's expression darkened.
He wasn't stupid—he instantly realized: "The village experimented with Wood Release?"
"Correct."
Izayoi nodded. "I stumbled across this while stealing something. I also uncovered some very interesting secrets about your Uchiha clan's Sharingan."
"What secret? Wait—" Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened in shock. "This is what you meant before, when you said there's a risky way to get stronger?!"
"Not bad, your brain's finally working," Izayoi looked at him in mock surprise and explained, "The Sharingan can evolve beyond the three tomoe…"
"Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Sasuke interrupted, full of killing intent. "Itachi's eyes are above three tomoe!"
"Let me finish."
Izayoi rolled his eyes and continued, "Yes, it's called the Mangekyō Sharingan. It has unique abilities, very powerful. But using them drains chakra from the eyes, and overuse leads to… blindness."
Sasuke's eyes lit up: "It causes blindness? Really?!"
"According to what I've found, yes. But—there are two ways to prevent that."
Izayoi held up two fingers with a sly smile: "First, transplant a Mangekyō from a close relative—you'll get eternal vision."
The moment Izayoi said that, Sasuke's expression stiffened.
Then—like flipping through a drama reel—his face shifted through confusion, shock, realization, rage, hatred, and twisted fury.
His Sharingan activated and spun wildly.
Dark chakra surged from Sasuke's mind as his negative emotions skyrocketed.
"Heh…"
Sasuke suddenly sneered. "So that's why he spared me… said some cryptic crap… wanted me to awaken eyes like his before coming to kill him… That bastard wanted me to be his spare eyes!"
At that moment, Sasuke's hatred for Itachi reached a new peak—pure and unwavering.
Izayoi didn't correct him. Instead, he pulled out a vial and lied, "The second method—transplanting Hashirama cells. That's what the village's research found."
"Scientists discovered that Hashirama cells balance the power of the Sharingan. If someone from another clan gets Sharingan, transplanting these cells reduces the side effects. And if a Mangekyō user gets them, not only will chakra consumption drop, but lost chakra will recover on its own."
What Izayoi didn't say was…
If Sasuke got those cells, it would awaken the Indra Chakra inside him—rapidly unlocking the potential of his future Sage Eyes (Red).
"But just like how the village never produced another Wood Release user… If the transplant fails, the result is—death!"
Finishing, Izayoi stared at Sasuke, smirking: "So? Want to try it?"
"Yes." Sasuke didn't hesitate.
"You're not afraid to die?" Izayoi tilted his head.
"Without avenging Itachi, I am afraid of dying!" Sasuke grinned. "But I trust you won't let me die."
"I'll just collect your corpse." Izayoi rolled his eyes and locked the box again.
Sasuke blinked. "Aren't you going to do the surgery?"
"I'm not a doctor or scientist."
Izayoi stood. "Let's eat first. Tomorrow we'll clean the clan compound and the forest near the Naka River. In a couple days, I'll take you to someone who can do the procedure."
"…Okay."
Though curious about who it was, Sasuke obediently agreed.
…
Just like the Uchiha massacre and Orochimaru's invasion, this couldn't be kept secret.
The news that a new Wood Release user had appeared in Konoha spread the very same day.
By sunrise, the entire Land of Fire had heard.
Within two days, the whole shinobi world knew.
Photos and intel on Izayoi landed on the desks of every major power.
Why so fast? Because Konoha was deliberately fanning the flames.
A genius who hasn't grown needs protection.
But a newly graduated ninja who already controls five chakra natures, invented multiple seal-less jutsu, can fly, and uses Wood Release? Someone like that needs no hiding.
Even without Wood Release, Izayoi already posed a Kage-level threat.
And in flight, only Onoki among the Five Kage could threaten him.
So this was the best time to push Izayoi into the spotlight.
Konoha had just lost the Third Hokage, a village elder, and the entire Root organization. Even with Tsunade taking over, it was undeniably weakened.
A weakened Konoha would face doubts from clients, threats from other villages, and resistance from minor ones.
Wood Release was the cure.
Now that Konoha once again had a Wood Release user, nobles would prioritize Konoha for missions, and other villages would hesitate to provoke them.
This was the strategic deterrent of Wood Release—far more than a Tailed Beast.
After all, Tailed Beasts were once captured and distributed by the First Hokage using Wood Release.
…
Iwagakure, Land of Earth
"Konoha's fate truly is charmed…"
Staring at Izayoi's photo, Ōnoki felt a strange sense of déjà vu—as if years ago, he had held a photo of another golden-haired youth.
"When backed into a corner, this village always gives birth to extraordinary young talents. Is it because the Land of Fire has the best resources?"
Then his expression grew grim.
"At this age, he's still over a decade from reaching Hashirama's prime. Now is the best time to deal with him."
"But… I can't afford the risk. And Iwagakure can't either."
Suddenly, a gleam flashed in Ōnoki's eyes.
He might not dare—but others might.
Looking toward the direction of the Land of Rain, he whispered:
"The way that ANBU team vanished without a trace… Could the legends of the Sage of Six Paths be real?"
"If it's truly the Sage's eye, I wonder… Can it match Wood Release?"
…
Kumogakure, Land of Lightning
"Hmph, empty bluff."
Glancing at the report, the Fourth Raikage snorted.
"Even if it's the legendary Wood Release, how much power can a brat really wield?"
"Pushing him into the open like this shows Konoha's out of options."
"If it weren't for that Karui incident making me owe Tsunade a favor, I'd have shown you what the strongest hidden village really is!"
…
Sunagakure, Land of Wind
"A brilliant move…"
Looking at the file in hand, interim Kazekage Chiyo sighed.
"Letting the Senju drop their clan name and fully merge with Konoha not only eased clan-commoner tensions but preserved a lifeline for the Senju and the village."
"First and Second Hokage… You really foresaw this."
She looked over at Gaara, recently redeemed and now studying hard and slowly becoming more human.
She gently advised,
"Gaara, once you become Kazekage, never make an enemy of Konoha. Learn to use the alliance to your advantage…"
She didn't finish the last part—afraid to hurt Gaara.
Because Wood Release… is the nemesis of Tailed Beasts.
Gaara paused, confused, but nodded nonetheless.