[Bond] Ch 20: Senju & Uchiha Bloodline

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"Yami, congratulations."

Danzo handed a forehead protector to Yami, the smile on his face unwavering since he stepped inside. "From this moment on, you are officially a ninja."

He encouraged him, "You may not be the youngest Chunin in history, but the current times are different from before. You have the chance to become the youngest Jonin in the village. Keep working hard."

The youngest Jonin in Konoha's history was Kakashi, who achieved the rank at just twelve years old. However, given Yami's talent and background, surpassing that record was well within reach.

Yami examined the Konoha forehead protector, wondering where to wear it. His forehead wasn't that wide, so putting it on his head would just ruin his looks. Just as he was contemplating this, the system notification sounded in his mind.

[Host has established a bond with Konoha Village. Awarded rank: Genin. Special status unlocked: 'Backed by the Great Tree.']

[Effect: While within the Land of Fire, training speed increases by 20%, chakra recovery rate increases by 20%. The effect scales with rank.]

[Congratulations! Becoming a Konoha Genin has triggered the first stage of 'A Mother's Love.' Would you like to claim the reward? (Note: Reward expires in 24 hours.)]

"Not yet."

He mentally responded, then looked up at Danzo with a grin. "Old man, being the youngest Jonin isn't enough for me. If I'm aiming for something, it's got to be the youngest Hokage."

Originally, he didn't care much about official ranks. As the true 'Crown Prince' of Konoha, even Jonin wouldn't dare act superior in front of him for fear of attracting Danzo's scrutiny.

But after receiving the system's notification, Yami changed his mind.

In this world, the only thing one can truly rely on is their own strength.

"Good!" Danzo's lone eye gleamed with appreciation. "That's the ambition I like to see. You truly are my grandson. "

"That Hokage position was supposed to belong to the Shimura clan in the first place. Don't worry, I'll take that seat soon and pave the way for you."

Danzo calculated in his mind—he could still serve for another twenty years. By then, Yami would be in his late twenties, the perfect age to become Hokage.

Then, Yami would have a son, and a grandson… If raised properly, there was no reason why the Hokage title couldn't be passed down like the position of the Daimyo!

Imagining that future, Danzo felt his blood boil. He almost wanted to drag Hiruzen down from his seat immediately.

But for now, he had to focus on Yami's development.

After calming his excitement, Danzo said seriously, "Now that you're a Genin, tradition dictates that you'll be assigned a Jonin instructor and two teammates."

"However, your situation is unique, as the only two early graduates this year are you and Uchiha Itachi. The standard Genin teams have already been assigned…"

"I'm not teaming up with Uchiha Itachi." Yami immediately shook his head.

That guy was a walking disaster.

In the original timeline, Itachi awakened his Sharingan a year later than he did now, and the trigger was the death of his teammate.

It wasn't that Yami lacked confidence in his own survival. The issue was that Itachi had already caught the attention of the mastermind, who had been scheming from behind the scenes.

Other than the village leaders and a few select figures, there were very few people in the ninja world that Yami actively wanted to avoid.

That crazy man was one of them. It was better to lay low and grow stronger first.

"Then you won't be teaming with him." Danzo nodded slightly. "Hiruzen can deal with him. For now, you'll undergo training in Root. I'll arrange a suitable instructor and teammates for you."

"Sounds good," Yami agreed. It was the perfect opportunity to farm some rewards from the Root members.

— — —

After finalizing the arrangements, Yami had dinner with Danzo before making an excuse to return to his room. It was time to claim his reward.

Unfortunately, the system only gave him 24 hours to redeem rewards. Otherwise, he would've preferred to max out all his attributes before cashing them in for an instant breakthrough.

What did it mean to truly break past limits?

At minimum, it meant reaching the level of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

Too bad the system was too well-designed, leaving him no loopholes to exploit.

"System, claim the reward."

Yami silently gave the command. As always, the system didn't respond verbally. It lacked any real intelligence, only providing explanations when necessary.

The reward was granted without a sound. His body immediately felt warm all over as his cellular activity and chakra circulation skyrocketed.

At the same time, his chakra reserves began increasing at an alarming rate.

Opening his status panel, he watched the numbers in the chakra section jump rapidly.

[5.2… 5.7… 6.2… 6.5… 7…]

After about ten minutes, the numbers finally settled at 9 chakra units.

Meanwhile, his Senju bloodline advancement had shifted from 'Developing' to 'Normal.'

As for Wood Release…There was no sign of it.

Many people mistakenly believed that Wood Release was inherently tied to the Senju bloodline. However, that wasn't entirely true.

The Senju Clan and Wood Release were separate things.

Across thousands of years, the only recorded ninja to ever awaken Wood Release was Senju Hashirama. Even the Sage of Six Paths was uncertain to have had it.

What was special wasn't the Senju Clan—it was Senju Hashirama himself.

Who knew how that monster even developed such an absurd Kekkei Genkai, capable of directly linking to the Divine Tree itself?

Suddenly, Yami felt a sharp pain in his eyes. His hands instinctively covered them.

A stream of blood-red tears dripped down his cheeks, staining his arms.

When he opened his eyes again, his pupils had turned crimson—with a single tomoe in each eye.

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