" Ren! What on earth are you and Sasuke screaming about?!"
Crash!
Accompanied by a furious shout, Fugaku slid the door open and strode outside.
Boom!
At the same time, thunderclouds thickened overhead, the signs of an imminent storm growing heavier by the second.
"Looks like it's going to rain. Hurry up and grab a raincoat and get ready for school," Fugaku said, glancing up at the sky before frowning in confusion.
"Where's Sasuke? He was just yelling like a lunatic. Where'd he run off to?"
Ren pointed upward, lowering his voice and conveniently skipping a few words.
"He said… he wants to become the king of the Uchiha clan."
If Sasuke had heard that, he would've absolutely demanded clarification: What about the three words in front — Thunder God King?!
Unfortunately for him, Sasuke didn't hear it.
Only Fugaku did.
The moment those words reached his ears, Fugaku's pupils shrank, and a chilling smile slowly crept onto his face.
He reached out and gripped the nearby bamboo rod labeled "Seven Wolves," his fingers tightening as he spoke each word through clenched teeth:
"Oh? Becoming the king of the Uchiha?"
"The old man hasn't even stepped down yet, and he already wants to take the throne?"
"Truly… my wonderful son."
BOOM—!
Right on cue, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky.
With perfect accuracy, it struck the very top of the tree—
The spot where a small boy stood with one arm raised toward the heavens.
"Gah! This lightning… kind of tickles… but I'm going to be… the Thunder… God… King…"
Sasuke barely managed to finish the sentence.
The next second, smoke poured from his mouth as he collapsed, limbs twitching uncontrollably, arcs of electricity still crackling across his body.
Fugaku's face darkened like a storm cloud. Silently chanting He's my son, he's my son, he rushed forward and caught him.
After confirming that Sasuke had only been electrocuted into unconsciousness and wasn't seriously injured, he finally let out a breath of relief.
Then the word king echoed again in his mind.
His expression turned even darker.
"Fine. When you wake up, your father will make sure you really get to be a king."
Nearby, Ren pressed himself flat against the courtyard wall, wisely choosing to stay silent.
He glanced at the unconscious Sasuke and sighed inwardly.
Ah… sibling succession disputes. Timeless and eternal.
Time passed quickly, and morning arrived.
As Sasuke regained consciousness, the Uchiha compound once again descended into its usual brand of chaos.
"Ahhh! Mom, why didn't you wake me up?!"
"I'm going to be late, I'm going to be late!"
"Move, stupid legs, move faster!"
After a whirlwind of shouting and scrambling, Sasuke bolted toward the Academy.
The streets were mostly empty, letting him race through without obstruction.
Just as he reached the entrance, he abruptly slowed, composed himself, straightened his sleeves, slipped both hands into his pockets, tilted his chin coolly—and strolled inside with deliberate arrogance.
"Sasuke-kun? You're late today. Did you oversleep?" a girl asked curiously.
"Hmph. If not for my father forcing me, I wouldn't even bother coming here," Sasuke replied with disdain.
"The clan teaches far more than this place ever could."
His words instantly reignited the girls' starry-eyed admiration.
"Wow, he really is from the Uchiha clan…"
"So handsome, and so rich…"
"But… didn't he wet the bed this morning? Wouldn't a boyfriend like that wet the bed every day? I don't know whether I should still like him…"
"Sasuke-kun would still be cute even if he wet the bed."
Wet… the bed?!
Crack.
Sasuke's steps froze mid-stride.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the girl, lips trembling.
"W-Who… who's spreading that nonsense?!"
"Oh, your brother Itachi told us," she replied innocently.
Boom.
It felt like lightning struck his brain again.
A splitting headache surged through his skull.
"That damn Ren… I'm going to kill you…"
Smack!
Before he could finish, a blond blur slapped him on the back of the head.
"Yo, Sasuke! You're late today!"
Naruto laughed, bouncing into the classroom.
Sasuke stood frozen, eyes dull and unfocused.
"…Did the lightning really knock some screws loose in his head?" Ren muttered from a distance with a sigh.
Being struck by lightning really wasn't good for anyone.
"Anyway, I've pretty much finished chatting for today. Time to head out."
With a light step, Ren left behind a shadow clone and casually headed out of the Academy grounds.
His conversation-copy success rate was still low.
Worse, he could feel the immature Wood Release power inside his body steadily eroding him—like a slow-acting poison gnawing at his cells.
It wasn't hard to predict the end result: accelerated cell division, shortened lifespan.
Whether the First Hokage's early death had anything to do with overusing Wood Release or just accumulated battle injuries—or whether it was simply Kishimoto's late-stage patchwork lore—was anyone's guess.
But one thing was certain:
Wood Release was no simple power.
And his was only a defective version.
"I wonder how many First Hokage cells Danzo actually obtained when Orochimaru defected five years ago…"
"If there are still some left… could I just take them directly?"
With that thought, Ren vaulted cleanly over the Academy wall.
Taking the front gate?
What kind of delinquent skips class through the front door?
But the moment he landed, something felt wrong.
A gaze.
Cold, predatory, locked firmly onto him—like a snake hidden in the shadows, waiting to strike.
"At this timing, someone staring this blatantly at me…"
Ren stretched lazily, his joints popping.
"So you finally noticed, Danzo."
ANBU surveillance was mostly symbolic.
Root, however, was an extension of Danzo's will itself.
If Danzo harbored killing intent, Root would act on it without hesitation.
Given Danzo's obsession with Uchiha eyes, it was no surprise.
He turned and calmly walked toward the large tree where the hostile presence lurked.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Wooden sandals echoed crisply against the stone path.
High above, a masked Root operative narrowed his eyes, hands silently forming seals.
The next instant, he launched himself forward.
"Wood Release: Silent Binding Technique!"
The ground erupted as wooden restraints burst upward, forming a cage that wrapped tightly around Ren's body, locking him in place.
"Hah… careless little brat."
The Root shinobi stepped out from the shadows, the character first clearly visible on his sleeve.
"As long as I capture you, Danzo-sama will finally let me leave Root…"
After the previous mission failure—and after seeing Kakashi firsthand—he desperately wanted to return to normal life.
That was why he had taken this dangerous assignment: capturing an Uchiha inside the village.
Ren, however, wasn't panicking at all.
His eyes were shining.
Literally shining.
Wood Release.
The thing he'd been longing for—right here.
His excitement practically doubled.
The next second, he looked up at the Root operative and grinned.
"Hey, mister… how about we chat for ten minutes?"
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