Chapter 32: The Concept of Wood Release
"Sorry, sorry! I'm late."
Inside the private room, Shisui looked at everyone with an apologetic smile.
"I didn't expect you to be here too, Kakashi-senpai. And… this is…?"
"We ran into something quite unusual this afternoon, senpai."
Haruta smirked mischievously as he responded.
"I'd rather keep the details classified, but let's just say it was an interesting event."
Interesting? That was an understatement.
For the Uchiha, today's events were nothing short of a major shake-up.
Who was the one scheming to wipe out the Uchiha?
Danzo.
And today, they had stormed Danzo's stronghold and fought inside his own base.
In a way, wasn't that a form of early revenge?
Too bad Shisui had missed the chance. What a pity…
"Uh… is that so…"
Shisui clearly had no idea what Haruta was thinking. But since Haruta mentioned it was classified, he figured it was best not to ask.
However, he hadn't actually spent the evening with Itachi, as he had told Yūgao earlier.
Instead, he had been meeting with the Uchiha clan elders.
The Uchiha faction was quite complicated. Before the Nine-Tails incident, there had been three main factions within the clan:
The radicals, who upheld Uchiha Setsuna's ideology and believed in using force to make the Uchiha "great again."
The moderates, including Shisui, who sought a peaceful way for the Uchiha to fully integrate into Konoha.
The neutral faction, the so-called "opportunists," who didn't care who won—as long as they backed the victor.
But after the Nine-Tails attack, the entire Uchiha clan was forcibly relocated to the outskirts of the village.
On top of that, rumors and slander spread through Konoha, painting the Uchiha in a terrible light.
Under this pressure, many from the neutral faction began siding with the radicals, leaving the moderates in an increasingly difficult position.
Joining the Anbu was Shisui's way of earning the Hokage's trust, but that alone wasn't enough.
More Uchiha needed to be recognized and trusted by Konoha's leadership. But for that to happen, they needed allies.
Haruta's actions during today's mission had deeply impressed Shisui.
At the same time, the Third Hokage's handling of the situation had also left a lasting impression.
That's why today, Shisui had brought up Haruta during his discussion with the elders.
Of course, he couldn't disclose Anbu missions, but he tried to subtly highlight Haruta's value.
Unfortunately, his elders still preferred to trust their own clan members.
---
"Alright, let's drop this topic."
Haruta shook his head and raised his cup of fruit juice with a grin.
"It's our break time, so let's not talk about missions. Too bad we can't drink alcohol—otherwise, we wouldn't stop until we were completely wasted."
"Come on, we're ninja. We can't just drink recklessly."
Yūgao rolled her eyes.
"Besides, don't forget about the Three Prohibitions of a Ninja."
"But I heard some interesting stories about Jiraiya-sama…"
Haruta blinked playfully and turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi-senpai, Jiraiya-sama didn't seem to care about the Three Prohibitions, yet he was still a powerful ninja, right?"
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Kakashi choked awkwardly.
How was he supposed to answer that?
Was he supposed to say, "Different people have different constitutions"?
That would be absolute nonsense!
"I think… since we're still young ninja, alcohol would just make us drowsy and unfocused. It's better to stay away from it."
Tenzo, being the honest guy he was, scratched his head and looked at Haruta.
"We've all had missions where we waited for the target to get drunk… and then assassinated them."
"..."
Yūgao and Shisui fell silent.
Weren't we supposed to be avoiding work-related topics?
But Haruta actually nodded thoughtfully.
"That's true. Drunk targets are the easiest to handle. It's also the easiest way to stage an 'accidental death'—like slipping off a rooftop.
But considering how many people we've already killed… having a few drinks—"
"Enough! That's enough!"
Yūgao couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Haruta's shoulder firmly.
"You two need to cut it out."
"Senpai, you have a Sharingan too. Maybe we should exchange some insights."
Shisui, looking a bit embarrassed, quickly turned to Kakashi with a smile.
Kakashi's Sharingan had once sparked a huge controversy within the Uchiha clan.
But for some reason, the Uchiha patriarch had personally put an end to the dispute.
Shisui never understood why, but since it had already been settled, there was no point in dwelling on it.
And he had to admit—Kakashi, despite not being an Uchiha, wielded the Sharingan with remarkable proficiency.
They had never really had a chance to discuss it before, so now was a perfect opportunity.
"Sure."
Kakashi didn't refuse, and the two quickly started their own conversation.
Meanwhile, Haruta turned his gaze toward Tenzo.
Wood Release had always fascinated him.
It was a power he desperately wanted to get his hands on.
Even though his physical stats were incredibly high, he wasn't confident that he could survive implanting Hashirama's cells.
Even White Zetsu cells were risky, let alone pure Hashirama cells.
"After all, I'm not like Tenzo. I don't have a Sharingan to balance it out."
In Haruta's eyes, Hashirama was the most unique reincarnation of Asura.
Forget his chakra reserves, which were absurdly massive—even greater than Naruto's with half of Kurama inside him.
Even his approach to battle was completely different from other Asura reincarnations.
Throughout history, Asura reincarnations always emphasized unity and teamwork.
But Hashirama?
He still believed in unity… but he never actually needed anyone's help.
He just soloed Madara.
"So, in the end, I need to rely on myself."
Haruta stroked his chin.
He had always believed that Wood Release wasn't a Kekkei Genkai—it was actually a Kekkei Tōta.
Tenzo's Wood Release—even if Haruta didn't know the exact ratio—was clearly a fusion of Earth and Water Release.
But that version of Wood Release wasn't known for its destructive power.
Its greatest contribution?
Revolutionizing Konoha's home construction industry.
"The real key to Wood Release is the control of Yang Release.**"
Only by infusing the right amount of Yang chakra could one create true Wood Release techniques.
Haruta silently mulled over his theory.
It was about time he started working toward making it a reality.
Yes, he was a powerhouse—but he was well aware of the dangers ahead.
Especially since he planned to inherit Danzo's legacy.
If he wasn't strong enough, how could he even compete for it?
---
"What's wrong? Are you upset?"
Just as Haruta was deep in thought, Yūgao's hesitant voice reached his ears.
"Sorry… I just thought that kind of talk wasn't appropriate for this moment…"
"Don't overthink it, senpai. I'm not that petty."
Haruta interrupted her with a smile and a shake of his head.
"Besides, it was my fault. Seeing an old colleague from Root made me slip up. In fact, I should be thanking you for stopping me."
"…Really?"
Yūgao blinked.
Haruta nodded.
"Of course. I hope you'll always look out for me, senpai. Can I count on you?"
"I told you, just call me Yūgao."
She rolled her eyes at him, then nodded seriously.
"Don't worry. I'll always look out for you."
But as soon as she said it, she froze.
Wait… how long does 'always' mean?
***
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