Naruto: Becoming Stronger through Bonds

Chapter 4: The power of bonds

____

After Danzo's narration, Ervin finally understood the chain of events.

It turned out that Danzo had disappeared during this time because he was secretly plotting to assassinate the Hokage!

After the Nine Tails Rebellion, the youngest and most brilliant Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had died, leaving the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to step up once more and take charge. Despite the pressing need for stability, Hiruzen showed no intention of choosing another Hokage to succeed him.

According to protocol, a new Hokage must meet the daimyo and receive approval. However, following the attack on Konoha, the village was left in ruins, and Sarutobi Hiruzen delayed his journey to the capital of the Land of Fire, finally scheduling it recently.

Danzo, having caught wind of this, mobilized all of Root's resources to carry out his plan to assassinate the Third Hokage.

The outcome, however, was a mixed bag.

The good news: the assassination was "successful."

The bad news: the Hokage he "killed" turned out to be Kakashi in disguise. The real Hiruzen had already uncovered Danzo's conspiracy.

Danzo, intoxicated by his brief moment sitting on the Hokage's throne, was startled when the real Sarutobi suddenly appeared, foiling his plan.

Although Sarutobi chose not to punish him harshly, his dismissive and arrogant tone deeply wounded Danzo's pride.

What stung even more was that Danzo had finally found a ninja with Wood Style, but Hiruzen managed to lure the individual away—with Kakashi's help no less!

As Danzo recalled these events, his frustration boiled over, and he even cursed Sarutobi Biwako, who had already passed away.

Shimura felt exasperated.

"Old man, don't push your luck. If anyone else attempted to assassinate the Hokage, they'd lose their life. The Third Hokage has already been incredibly lenient by not stripping you of your position as Root's leader."

"Does he even have the ability to do that?"

Danzo scoffed, a cold smile spreading across his face, exuding a sense of pride.

"Nominally, Root is part of Anbu, but Hiruzen has no authority to give orders. Even if my position were removed, those in Root would still follow me."

"That," Danzo added with a smirk, "is what makes a tool truly useful."

"Then don't go seeking your own death."

Ervin curled his lips. "I'm still in the Ninja Academy. That's his territory."

"He won't target you," Danzo replied in a calm but firm voice. "It's just an assassination. It's not as if I haven't tried before. I've been doing this for decades."

"When Hiruzen first became Hokage, I tried to assassinate him. I even made an attempt on the Fourth Hokage."

… What a bizarre tale.

Ervin sat there, listening to his grandfather recount his "glorious" history, unsure what kind of expression he should show.

All he could think was: The power of bonds is terrifying!

For most people, assassinating the Hokage would be a monumental event. For Danzo, it had somehow become a twisted way of strengthening his bond with Sarutobi Hiruzen?

Ervin decided it was best not to get involved in the feud between these two old men—so long as it didn't affect him.

After dinner, Ervin returned to his room to refine his chakra.

Danzo, on the other hand, headed back to the Root base.

With a tap of his wooden cane on the ground, two masked Root ninjas appeared instantly, kneeling on one knee behind him.

Danzo didn't issue orders immediately. He stood in thought for a long moment before speaking in a cold tone:

"Gather all information about swordsmanship from Konoha and other ninja villages. Organize and summarize it. Also, instruct the Water Country's secret operatives to investigate the possibility of acquiring a sword from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

"Understood." One of the ninjas replied and immediately retreated.

Danzo turned to the other. "What has Orochimaru been up to lately?"

"Orochimaru entered his laboratory half a month ago and hasn't come out since. Alternatively… it's possible my subordinates lack the capability to track his movements."

Danzo snorted coldly, without any intention of reprimanding his subordinates.

Assigning them to monitor Orochimaru was already beyond their capabilities. Orochimaru was the most enigmatic of the Sannin, especially after the other two had left the village. His temperament had shifted drastically.

Currently, Danzo and Orochimaru were in a delicate state of cooperation. However, as a way to retaliate against Hiruzen, Danzo was planning to expose Orochimaru's human experiments and force him to leave the village.

Using villagers for human experiments was a line that even Hiruzen, with all his influence, could not justify or cover up.

But before exposing him, Danzo intended to extract as much value as possible from Orochimaru.

Since Ervin was interested in swordsmanship, it was only natural for Danzo, as a grandfather, to provide the best conditions for his grandson.

Swordsmanship alone was insufficient—there must be a legendary sword to complement it.

His first choice was the Sword of Thunder God, the blade once wielded by his teacher, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. However, the sword was currently in Hiruzen's possession, making it difficult to obtain.

Another possibility was the Kusanagi Sword in Orochimaru's hands.

The Kusanagi was not a single sword but a class of legendary weapons. It was rumored that Orochimaru had more than one Kusanagi sword, and Danzo was intrigued by the prospect.

"Let's go," Danzo muttered as he began to leave the Root base.

His movements were slow, reminiscent of an old man on the verge of collapse.

"I'll pay Orochimaru a visit. I haven't given Ervin his sixth birthday gift yet…"

---

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Ninja Academy to resume.

Ervin slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and made his way toward the academy.

The Shimura clan's land was located outside Konoha. Along the way, many members of his clan greeted him respectfully, and he gained a few system rewards from these interactions:

[0.1 Standard Chūnin Chakra]

[0.2 Standard Chūnin Chakra]

[…]

The power of the system began to manifest.

One standard Chūnin's chakra was equivalent to that of ten ordinary Genin. By the time Ervin left the clan's territory, his chakra reserves had reached 1.3 Standard Chūnin, and he had also gained a few wind attribute talents.

The system's ability to merge talents was useful. However, perhaps due to the poor quality or insufficient quantity, his wind attribute abilities had yet to reach the Ultimate level.

Still, they were clearly improving.

When Ervin arrived at the Ninja Academy, he noticed a few students being dropped off by their parents. Upon seeing him, their faces paled, and they looked as if they were on the verge of tears.

Ervin glanced at them briefly before ignoring them. He walked straight into the classroom and took his usual window seat in the back row.

These were the same classmates who had mocked him for being an orphan, pointing out that no one ever came to pick him up.

After hearing their insults, Ervin had beaten them so severely that it took them over a week to recover and return to class.

Was his revenge complete?

Of course not.

If their parents were ninja, they wouldn't survive the year—they'd meet a "glorious" end on the battlefield.

When that day came, they'd finally understand what it felt like to be an orphan.

And if their parents weren't ninja?

Well, wouldn't that make it even easier to deal with them?

---

"Ervin!"

Ervin's musings were interrupted as a cheerful voice called out to him.

He turned to see a cute girl with long black hair dash into the classroom. Upon spotting him, her eyes lit up, and she immediately ran to the empty seat beside him.

"Izumi," Ervin greeted, smiling as he rubbed her head affectionately.