Hidden Leaf, Root training ground.
Danzo was gazing at the two young men before him.
In truth, the focus of his attention remained fixed on Simu.
"Today, I shall examine the results of your training."
Danzo's familiar, raspy voice rang out.
At this point, a month had passed since Simu joined Root.
During this month, he and Yi consumed 'medicinal meals' hand-crafted by Kabuto every night for dinner, then returned to their rooms to sleep soundly.
Once they fell asleep, a certain old man with half his body wrapped in bandages would gently push open their doors in the dim light, slowly unwinding his bandages to reveal his large, red... Sharingan.
Doesn't this sound a bit like some sort of unspeakable adult film?
Fortunately, while Danzo was a bit of a pervert and quite dark, he had no peculiar physical fetishes; otherwise, Simu likely wouldn't have endured until today.
During every hypnosis session, Danzo would occasionally recall that first illusion he cast—the sense of honor from becoming the Hokage and reaching the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
It was truly addictive.
If it were Simu, he would surely have shouted "Fantasy, initiate! Everything initiate!" before activating the genjutsu.
After so many days of genjutsu brainwashing, these two Root newcomers had undergone significant changes.
The gaze Jia directed toward Danzo now carried a hint of respect.
As for Yi?
This fellow had completely become Danzo's sycophant.
As soon as Danzo finished speaking, Simu shouted at the top of his lungs, "Respected, Great Shadow of the Underground, Lord Danzo!"
Hearing the title "Shadow of the Underground," even Danzo was momentarily stunned.
He hastily interrupted Simu's 'hands-clapping' gesture and asked, "What is the meaning of this 'Shadow of the Underground'?"
Upon hearing this, Simu spoke in a tone filled with fanaticism. "In my view, Lord Danzo is the greatest. You are the one who truly inherited the Will of Fire of the First Hokage. It is only because of that decadent old man, the Third, that you have been delayed in becoming the Hokage."
Simu spoke such treasonous words without a hint of hesitation on his face.
Danzo merely raised an eyebrow slightly, not stopping Simu from continuing.
Sure enough, seeing that Danzo did not stop him, Simu's tone became even more fanatical.
"But as I see it, even though Lord Danzo is constantly suppressed by that old man, you have never lost your Will of Fire. Instead, you have become the roots of the tree buried deep underground, continuing to eliminate enemies for the Hidden Leaf in the shadows, providing nourishment, and supporting the great tree that is the Hidden Leaf!"
"Although on the surface that old man is the Hokage, the true shadow of the Hidden Leaf is Lord Danzo!"
Simu stared at Danzo with burning eyes, his fist pressed against his chest as if he were ready to offer his heart for Danzo at any moment.
"In my heart, only Lord Danzo is the true Hokage of the Hidden Leaf—the true shadow who supports the village from underground without asking for anything in return!"
After this speech, Jia had fallen into a state of total shock.
Good heavens, has Yi already become such a staunch supporter of Lord Danzo?
Never mind Jia; even Danzo himself began to sink into self-doubt.
Could it be...
Am I actually the true Hokage of the Hidden Leaf?
Come to think of it, it wasn't wrong. For all the years Hiruzen had been in power, Danzo was the one doing all the dirty work. He had eliminated countless enemies for the Hidden Leaf in the shadows.
That fellow Hiruzen was indecisive and only knew how to play balance-of-power politics in the village, which led to the Uchiha Clan growing increasingly powerful, even threatening the stability of the Hidden Leaf.
Yet such a weak man allowed Danzo to carry all the infamy while he stood in the sunlight, enjoying the respect and adoration of all the villagers.
It was unfair!
In the illusion, after becoming the Hokage, Danzo had led the Hidden Leaf to new heights of glory and even unified the shinobi world.
Even though it was just an illusion, Danzo always felt that if he had become the Hokage back then, he would have done much better than Hiruzen.
Perhaps he truly should become the Hokage, just like in the illusion.
The glory of the Hidden Leaf must bloom in his hands!
However...
He looked at Simu, who fanatically wanted to offer his heart, and couldn't help but ask himself: Was two portions of the hallucinogenic medicine really a bit too much?
Compared to Jia next to him, the effects of the medicine on Yi seemed a bit too potent.
Or had his genjutsu grown powerful enough to reach this level?
While Danzo was still pondering how to face his subordinate's almost insane enthusiasm, he heard Simu continue. "Lord Danzo, you are the fertile soil that nourishes the growth of the Hidden Leaf; you are the shadow that protects all villagers..."
He raised his head, the determination in his eyes almost manifesting into substance.
"Lord Danzo, let me go and eliminate that old man, the Third. Such a decadent person is not fit to sit in the Hokage's seat. Only you, the great Lord Danzo, can lead the Hidden Leaf to glory!"
Wake up, old man Hiruzen, it's time to drop your loot!
Hearing this sentence, Jia's eyebrow twitched violently.
The breathing of the Root ninja hidden nearby to protect Danzo grew rapid.
Even Danzo's heart skipped a beat.
However, being the legendary Darkness of the Shinobi after all, his composure was quite remarkable.
In other words, even if he truly wanted to assassinate Hiruzen and become the Hokage himself, he would never say it out loud or agree to it personally.
Faced with Simu's incomparably loyal suggestion, Danzo merely said calmly, "Yi, you are being a bit too extreme."
He placed his remaining hand behind his back, adopting the serious posture of an old leader. "While Hiruzen may lack sufficient talent, assassinating the Hokage is a grave crime and would surely cause massive upheaval in the Hidden Leaf. Without my order, you must not act rashly."
"Understood."
Simu nodded.
Not allowed to act rashly without your order?
That means start the assassination once you're ready, right, you old geezer!
It wasn't impossible.
As long as there was any possibility of internal strife in the Hidden Leaf, Simu felt he should strive for it.
If he could eventually pin the blame on the Jashin Religion and the Great Lord Jashin, that would be for the best.
If that failed, pinning it on the Akatsuki wouldn't be bad either.
Regardless, the Akatsuki organization was so strong that carrying a bit of blame shouldn't be a big problem.
Seeing Yi agree, Danzo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, he was truly afraid this Root rising star might let his passion go to his head and actually attempt to assassinate the Third.
If he succeeded, that would be fine, but if he failed, wouldn't that expose the fact that Root possessed a Wood Style user?
Furthermore, for a crime as grave as assassinating the Hokage, a single Yi could not carry such a heavy burden of blame; he might even be executed!
Danzo could not bear to send such a super-rising star, the sharp blade in his hand, to his death.
It was better to wait patiently for the right opportunity.
After concluding the treasonous discussion about assassinating the Third Hokage, the topic finally returned to the theme of demonstrating training results.
Simu immediately clapped his hands together.
"Wood Style: Wood Clone!"
Chakra gathered at his back along his meridians, and then Simu's skin and clothes rapidly began to woodify, extending out like growing branches.
Subsequently, these growing branches manifested various patterns, finally forming one 'Simu' after another as they landed on the ground.
The four Simus chuckled, then simultaneously clapped their hands.
"Wood Style: Tree Realm Wall!"
The ground surrounding the first clone shattered instantly as thick branches grew out, forming a sturdy hemisphere to shield him.
"Wood Style: Giant Wood Technique!"
A thick wooden pillar suddenly erupted from the ground in front of the second clone, reaching toward the sky.
"Wood Style: Smothering Binding Technique!"
The third clone held his arm out flat, and it rapidly transformed into a supple branch that coiled around all the training posts on the exercise field.
A terrifying force erupted from the branches, and in just an instant, these training posts shattered under the immense pressure.
The last one, Simu's original body, smiled slightly and clapped his hands.
"Wood Style: Great Forest Technique!"
Simu injected a large amount of pre-condensed Wood Style chakra into the ground through the acupoints in his feet. This chakra spread out rapidly from Simu like ripples, then condensed together at his designated locations.
Then, the entire exercise ground erupted with immense vitality!
Even Danzo's eye constricted violently.
The entire surface of the exercise ground was forced apart by bulging tree roots as countless vibrant trees grew from the shattered soil at an incredible speed.
In just a few seconds, the green forest had seized the entire training field!
This had become Simu's home field.
To be honest, Simu was also quite surprised when he first encountered the Wood Style.
Such flourishing vitality was truly a delight.
If he had possessed this ability in his past life, he wouldn't have had to worry about desertification at all.
"Is this the true power of the Wood Style?"
Boundless vitality and terrifying field control.
Danzo looked at the lush scene before him and once again confirmed Yi's talent.
Although he was prepared, Yi's performance still exceeded his expectations.
Regardless of the jutsu, Yi performed them perfectly.
Both the effect of the techniques themselves and the control of chakra reached the extreme; even Danzo himself could not reach such a level.
As expected, using genjutsu and drugs to firmly grasp such a genius in his own hands was an incomparably correct choice!
Danzo was filled with anticipation for the future.
If Yi continued to grow at this current pace, perhaps the assassination of the Third and his own rise to Hokage that he spoke of really could be achieved!
Meanwhile, Jia stood to the side and let out a long sigh.
We are both Wood Style users, so why is it that I have only just learned two Wood Style jutsus, while this guy can already use the Great Forest Technique to this extent?
One could only say that people's constitutions are different.
Of course, Jia did not develop any melodramatic jealousy.
After all, his ability to learn two Wood Style jutsus within a month was entirely thanks to the other's guidance.
Without Yi, Jia would be doing well just to have learned the first jutsu by now.
Faced with Simu's outstanding performance, Danzo was not stingy with his praise.
"You have done very well, Yi."
However, there was no expression of joy on Simu's face; instead, he said gloomily, "Reporting to Lord Danzo, I have not done enough!"
"Oh?"
Danzo looked at Simu with interest. "Your progress is already quite significant. What? Are you still not satisfied?"
Simu clenched his small fists.
"Lord Danzo, you are unwilling to let me assassinate that old man because I am not yet strong enough, and you fear I would just be throwing my life away, right?"
Uh...
Danzo was a bit surprised, though he indeed had such considerations, but was that something one could say out loud in broad daylight?!
It was only because they were in Root; if they were outside, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have sent the Anbu to check their water meter immediately.
Seeing Danzo remain silent, Simu continued to clench his fists, gritting his teeth. "If I become strong enough, Lord Danzo won't have to worry about my safety. We can kill that old man and let Lord Danzo become..."
"Enough, say no more."
Danzo interrupted Simu in time.
As said before, this child was simply too extreme!
Why was he talking about such decapitation-worthy things every single day?
However, there was some truth to what he said.
Interrupted by Danzo, Simu immediately fell silent, but his thoughts were still visible from his stubborn expression and determined eyes.
What kind of thing is that old man Hiruzen? Once my power is complete, I will surely charge into the Hokage Building and seize that position. At that time, Lord Danzo will be the Great Hokage, and I will be the Second Hokage...
Seeing Simu's expression, Danzo suddenly felt a bit of guilt.
Although this fellow Yi was a bit extreme, he was quite loyal and only thought of Danzo's best interests; he was a good child.
In order not to discourage his subordinate, Danzo pulled a scroll from his pocket.
"Yi, this is a technique left behind by the First Hokage called 'Wood Human Technique.' It is one of the most powerful jutsus he left behind."
"Grow well. There will eventually come a time for you to exert your full effort in the future."
In truth, Danzo had hesitated for a long time before choosing to give this scroll to Simu.
After all, it was one of the most powerful Wood Style jutsus left by the First.
If it weren't for Simu's declaration today truly touching his heart, he would never have handed such an important technique to someone else.
Taking the scroll, a joyful smile immediately appeared on Simu's face.
After waiting so long, this old geezer Danzo was finally willing to hand over the precious Wood Style techniques left by the First.
It had to be said that this Wood Human Technique was completely different from those flashy, common jutsus; the difficulty had increased significantly. Even with Simu's processing power, understanding it was somewhat challenging.
But it was exactly this kind of challenging technique that Simu loved to tackle!
After all, this was the power of the legendary God of Shinobi...
This was also the reason why Simu had been performing so diligently since entering Root. Only by showing his talent and loyalty could he obtain more resources and intelligence.
As long as Danzo still had the idea of becoming the Hokage in his heart, he had to find ways to improve Root's strength.
And the best and fastest way to improve Root's strength was to invest resources into a genius like himself!