Blonde hair split into two ponytails draped over her back.
The door opened, and the imposing Tsunade, accompanied by the quiet Shizune, entered Fugaku Uchiha's line of sight.
Just as Fugaku was about to greet her, the woman cut straight to the chase: "Is Jin here?"
Fugaku paused slightly, his gaze moving past Tsunade to look behind her... Shizune gave him a slight nod, following silently half a step behind Tsunade.
How rare... The usually elusive Sannin was actually visiting uninvited.
Based on Fugaku's understanding of Tsunade, she shouldn't be here; she should be gambling at a casino or drinking away her sorrows at a tavern after losing.
The man discreetly withdrew his gaze and stepped aside to let the two into the entryway.
"Please wait a moment, Lady Tsunade. Jin is still sleeping. I will go wake him."
"Who is it, dear?" From the kitchen adjacent to the entryway, the curtain was lifted, revealing a gentle face.
Wearing an apron around her waist and holding a spatula, Mikoto Uchiha peeked out and exclaimed in surprise, "Lady Tsunade..."
As she spoke, she hurried out of the kitchen and bowed respectfully to Tsunade.
The Sannin suddenly realized she might have been too hasty and presumptuous. She took two steps forward, personally helped Mikoto up, and turned to apologize to Fugaku, "I am sorry for intruding so early. It is just... I have something very important to ask the child."
"Then I will go wake him right now."
"No... let the child sleep a little longer."
Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged a glance.
The latter smiled gently. "Alright. I just made breakfast. If you do not mind, Lady Tsunade, please have a simple bite here."
"Mikoto's cooking is excellent. You must try it, Lady Tsunade. Please, have a seat," Fugaku chimed in, gesturing toward the tatami mats and inviting Tsunade to sit at the head of the table.
Tsunade thanked them and sat down with Shizune.
Promptly, Fugaku brewed two cups of tea and pushed them over.
Tsunade and Shizune each took a shallow sip. Unexpectedly, in the next second, Fugaku's leisurely words almost made them spill their tea!
"Did you come here for the [Wood Style], Lady Tsunade?" Fugaku calmly poured himself a cup of tea. He guessed that Tsunade's unprovoked visit to find Roy had no other draw besides... the [Wood Style].
After all, it was the [Wood Style], a powerful [Ninjutsu] that only the First Hokage had mastered.
As the First Hokage's granddaughter, it was only natural for her to be curious upon hearing about it. Moreover... Fugaku's eyes darkened. He guessed in an instant that it was highly likely the Hokage who had told her this news...
Somewhere in the unseen distance, it felt as though a gaze was hovering over the Uchiha compound.
Fugaku's guess was correct.
Ever since Tsunade slammed the door and left...
In the semicircular Hokage's office within the Hokage building, the crystal ball flickered. Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated in thought for a moment before finally activating the [Telescope Technique], using his chakra to cast his gaze over.
However, having learned his lesson from before, Hiruzen did not approach abruptly. He merely hovered above the courtyard, waiting quietly...
This wait lasted an entire morning...
Inside the house, in the living room.
Unsurprisingly, Tsunade and Shizune displayed noticeable emotional fluctuations...
None of the Sannin in Konoha, the greatest ninja village, were fools. Whether it was Jiraiya or Orochimaru, they all had their brilliant sides, let alone Tsunade, who in the original story would eventually shoulder the burden alone and succeed Hiruzen as the Fifth Hokage...
The woman sensitively detected something amiss in Fugaku's words!
She leaned forward, her large chest resting on the table, and looked at Fugaku urgently. "Did that child, Jin... show you the [Wood Style]?"
Beside her, Shizune also looked over...
Fugaku frowned imperceptibly.
From the looks of it, Tsunade seemed unaware.
Did the Hokage not tell her?
As his thoughts churned, Fugaku remained silent for a moment before nodding gently. "The cup in front of you was made by Jin."
Regardless, she was already here. Lying would definitely not fool Tsunade; she only needed to go back and ask Hiruzen to find out the truth. Fugaku decided to be honest. Deep down, he also harbored the intention of using the [Wood Style] to protect Roy.
After all, this was the [Wood Style], a power only the First Hokage could control. In the current ninja world, whether it was Kumogakure, Kirigakure, or Iwagakure, any village would treat such a talent as a strategic reserve... Therefore, Fugaku was not afraid of Tsunade knowing. On the contrary, the more she knew, the more she would care, and the more she cared, the more attention she would pay, ensuring no harm would come to him.
Tsunade looked down and picked up the cup again.
She had not noticed it at first.
Now, rubbing the teacup and feeling the smooth, delicate texture on its surface, it was clearly not... carved out with a file...
For a moment, the woman stared blankly... forgetting to speak...
'Lady Tsunade...' Noticing Tsunade's expression, Shizune, who was kneeling behind her, gripped her own teacup tightly. Imitating Tsunade, she gently rubbed the side of the cup. In an instant, she felt Tsunade's state of mind.
It was a complex, surging wave of intertwined excitement and confusion.
Just as Lady Tsunade had firmly denied to the Hokage in the office earlier... 'The caster could be anyone, but it is absolutely impossible for it to be an Uchiha'... If what Fugaku Uchiha said was true, then... that child...
Shizune could hardly imagine how bright his future would be...
Therefore.
"I came to visit," Tsunade finally seemed to pull herself out of her turbulent emotions after a long while. She took a deep breath and said, "I want to see if he is the real deal!"
Hearing it with one's own ears was not as good as seeing it with one's own eyes... Tsunade looked at Fugaku sincerely. "Fugaku, please forgive my bluntness, but..."
"This is very important to me!"
The pendant on her chest swayed slightly with the rise and fall of her breathing.
That was the memento her grandfather had left her...
Fugaku picked up his teacup and took a sip. He said nothing else, only replying, "When he wakes up, you can see for yourself, Lady Tsunade."
*Creak—* At that moment, the sliding door connecting the living room to the bedroom was pulled open from the inside by a small hand. Wearing pajamas and looking groggy, Itachi rubbed his sleepy eyes, poked his head out, and softly called, "Father..."
Then, he caught sight of Tsunade and Shizune sitting opposite Fugaku.
The young boy was visibly stunned.
He heard Fugaku say to him gently, "Go wake your brother. It is eight o'clock; he should have slept enough..."
Itachi turned back into the bedroom and reached out to grab Roy's arm...
...
Hunter x Hunter world.
Zoldyck family castle.
It was noon. As the last pillar of blood energy shot into the sky and then slowly contracted, returning entirely into Roy's body.
In the shower, the showerhead poured down streams of water with a *patter*...
Roy faced the agony head-on, letting out a muffled groan as he felt his body tear apart and reconstruct, then tear and reconstruct again, over and over, repeatedly... Compared to the last time when he exploded into minced meat, scattered everywhere, and barely relied on [Rebirth from a Drop of Blood] to restore his physical body, the situation this time, after allocating points in batches, was undoubtedly much better. At least he did not recklessly almost... explode like before!
One second... two seconds... one minute... two minutes... After about five minutes, the last trace of pain faded, and the system prompt echoed in Roy's ears... The boy bared his back, stretching his body. His latissimus dorsi flared like the wings of a bird. Looking up from a low angle, they completely blocked the overhead light. In an instant... it was as if the sky had gone dark!
Roy exhaled two long streams of air from his nose with a deep hum, then clenched his fist...
*Crack!* The air in his palm was directly crushed.
Before the explosion could sound, it was forcefully snuffed out by his brute strength.
That absolute control over his power, the ultimate understanding and mobilization of every joint, every muscle, and every blood vessel in his body, gave him an unspeakable sense of exhilaration and comfort.
He then straightened his back. His spine stretched like a great dragon, popping joint by joint with a *crackle*, revealing his formidable majesty!
"Hohoho... there will be a good show to watch tomorrow..." In the training room on the east side of the first floor of the Zoldyck castle, a certain pinnacle of humanity stroked his beard and smiled. His old eyes narrowed, gleaming with sharp light.
Beside him, white hair swaying, Zeno remained silent, looking deeply as he thought to himself, 'Yes... this day... came too fast!'
So fast that he felt a bit dazed... a bit in disbelief, and at times, even a bit bewildered...
He was not using [En], just standing with his hands behind his back, listening.
That popping spine, that powerful breathing, that heartbeat like a beating drum, that blood energy like a cascading waterfall... even if his grandfather wanted to block it, he absolutely... could not block it...
*Creak—* The rocking chair swayed... In that dim little room on the first floor... having finally pacified Betty...
Maha was listening to the cartoon, his eyes closed to enjoy a moment of peace. After a long while, he suddenly remarked, "It turned blonde again..."
*Whoosh—* A gust of hot wind swirled through the window lattice and slipped through the crack of the shower room door... stirring Roy's beautiful silver hair, making it sway gently.
A strand fluttered, reflecting in the mirror.
Visible to the naked eye, half of Roy's hair, from the tips to the middle, had almost entirely transformed into a golden blonde...
However, regrettably, this point allocation did not seem to bring any obvious changes to his height or physique...
After briefly feeling and adapting to his new body, Roy opened the panel and took a quick glance...
[1. Manifested Aura: B (680k/1m -> 350k/1m) (Note: Rating based on Chimera Ants, ref Youpi: B (400k/1m))] [Converted to Naruto world, ref "One-Tail" Shukaku chakra: ~50 Kakashis... Host's current Nen is ~"40 Kakashis", i.e., 0.8 Shukakus]
[2. Potential Aura: B (540k/1m -> 990k/1m) (Note: Ref Youpi: B (400k/1m), above Youpi, infinitely close to Ant King)] [Converted to Naruto world, ref "One-Tail" Shukaku chakra: ~50 Kakashis... Host's potential Nen is ~"200 Kakashis", i.e., 4 Shukakus]
[3. Nen Ability Shape Transformation: lv4 (12,780/100k) -> lv4 (70k/100k) (Note: Due to aura surge, shape transformation slightly increased)]
[4. Nen Ability Nature Transformation: Yang: lv4 (47k/100k) -> lv4 (78k/100k) (Note: Due to aura surge, nature transformation slightly increased) Yin: lv4 (89k/100k) -> lv5 (470/1m) (Note: Mangekyo awakened, pending development, 1m needed for LV6 "Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan") Fire: lv4 (1,540/100k) -> lv4 (21k/100k) Water: lv3 (3,517/10k) -> lv4 (5k/100k) Wind: lv3 (1,874/10k) -> lv3 (8,741/10k) Earth: lv3 (387/10k) -> lv3 (6,415/10k) Rating: B (Above Kite, not inferior to Neferpitou, Youpi, Shaiapouf) Evaluation: Above first-tier, below peak (Host has grown from a green apple sapling into a tall, fruitful apple tree) (Note: Based on mental feedback... fully possesses the strength to fight Silva Zoldyck)]
A faint smile curved on Roy's lips.
He let the showerhead pour out a steady stream, washing away the sticky grime clinging to his skin... With another glance, he wrapped himself in a towel and dried his hair. At a certain moment, his eyebrows twitched as he leisurely heard a faint call coming from his [Unconscious Domain]...
Roy immersed his consciousness, looking through the [Gate of Cognition] in the direction of the call...
Itachi, with his black hair draped over his back, was gently shaking his hand...
"Brother, wake up, we have guests..."
The young boy's faint breathing brushed against his face, tickling him... Roy watched with some surprise... He did not have time to continue developing his Mangekyo. With that thought, he decided to leave it to be developed in his dreams...
In the next second, he took a step forward and disappeared into the light. When he reappeared, he had already evaporated all the moisture from his body and was lying peacefully on the soft bed.
"Xiao Jin, keep watch and do not let anyone in. I am going to take a nap..."
"Caw!" The Golden Crow spread its wings, emerging from the top of his head at Roy's command.
Its plump body rolled onto the bed, staring with wide, innocent eyes...
Roy gave it a helpless glare, crossed his hands over his lower abdomen, and slowly closed his eyes...
It seemed... as his constitution strengthened step by step, his control and "cognition" of his "Nen ability" had also invisibly elevated significantly. This time, it did not take long for Roy to quickly enter deep sleep and capture the [Gate of Cognition].
Taking a step forward, he instantly passed through the colorful dream corridor.
When he opened his eyes again, he had passed through the [Naruto Gate] and arrived in the Naruto world. In his bedroom at the Konoha Uchiha compound, he groggily opened his eyes...
"Brother, you are awake!"
A bright gaze, mixed with sleepiness, fell upon Itachi.
The boy paused his shaking of Roy's hand and blurted out.
Slowly, several gazes looked over through the sliding door...
In the early morning light, a lazy silhouette stretched its arms in a yawn. Swaying with the wind, it suddenly merged into the light.
With another flash, with his hair down and yawning, he stepped out of the light, sat cross-legged next to Fugaku, and smiled brightly at Tsunade: "I heard you were looking for me?"