How much patience Danzō possessed…
That would become clear soon enough.
Those little Root operations were nothing more than appetizers.
There were more important matters to deal with first.
The Uchiha Clan was a ticking time bomb that could engulf Konoha at any moment.
And the enemies waiting in the future would only become stronger…
And increasingly unreasonable.
In this world…
Power was the only currency that stood above every rule.
The Valley of the End…
The legacy left behind by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Yu smiled faintly.
“…Not a bad place to visit.”
A flash of golden light.
His figure disappeared from Konoha’s bustling streets…
And appeared in an entirely different world.
The Valley of the End.
A colossal waterfall cascaded like the Milky Way itself.
Its thunderous roar echoed endlessly through the valley.
Mist filled the air, refracting soft rainbows beneath the sunlight.
On opposite cliffs stood two gigantic stone statues.
Hashirama Senju.
Uchiha Madara.
Separated by the raging river…
Yet forever facing one another.
Time had weathered both monuments.
Even so…
The overwhelming pressure they radiated remained.
As though the wills of the two greatest shinobi in history were still battling across the valley.
Hashirama’s boundless life force…
And Madara’s overwhelming will of destruction…
Still lingered within the air.
Together, they formed a unique spiritual field.
Yu landed lightly beneath Hashirama’s towering statue.
Compared to it…
He seemed no larger than an ant.
Looking upward…
Hashirama’s face remained resolute despite centuries of erosion.
There was generosity in those carved features.
Compassion.
And…
An almost childlike determination.
“…The God of Shinobi.”
Yu murmured softly.
“You sacrificed everything…”
“For an ideal as intangible as peace.”
He shook his head.
“I understand it.”
“But I don’t agree with it.”
“System.”
“Check in beneath the First Hokage’s statue.”
Ding!
Check-in successful at: [Valley of the End – First Hokage Statue]!
Congratulations!
Reward Obtained: Wood Release – Beginner Mastery (Potential greatly enhanced through Asura Chakra and Sage Body)!
Additional Reward: Perfect Compatibility with Hashirama Cells!
Another…
Beginner Mastery.
But Wood Release was different.
Even its beginner stage possessed extraordinary value.
The instant the system notification disappeared…
An immeasurable torrent of knowledge and life force flooded into Yu’s mind and body.
The true essence of Wood Release.
The power to create forests.
The deepest mysteries of life itself.
Every cell within his Sage Body rejoiced.
Like crops finally receiving rain after endless drought…
His entire body greedily absorbed this new strength.
His Asura Chakra merged with it perfectly.
Transforming into the purest Wood Release chakra imaginable.
Perfect Hashirama Cell Compatibility allowed him to bypass every danger others feared.
No rejection.
No instability.
No painful adaptation.
It felt…
As though he had been born to wield this power.
Wood Release chakra surged through him.
Gentle…
Yet overwhelmingly dominant.
Containing both creation…
And destruction…
In perfect balance.
“…This feeling…”
Yu slowly closed his eyes.
Carefully experiencing every change.
Unlike any power he’d obtained before…
This felt much closer…
To the world’s fundamental laws.
Several moments later…
He opened his eyes.
A sharp light flashed within them.
He raised one hand.
Five fingers spread toward the empty ground.
“Wood Release…”
“Deep Forest Emergence.”
He didn’t force anything.
He simply guided his chakra according to the knowledge naturally engraved into his mind.
RUMBLE!!
The earth trembled violently.
Stone cracked apart beneath his feet.
Dozens of enormous dark-brown trees burst from underground…
Growing at astonishing speed.
Intertwining.
Branching.
Expanding.
Within moments…
A dense forest had appeared before him.
Towering trees stretched skyward.
Their lush canopies blotted out the sun.
Every trunk radiated overwhelming vitality.
Each one tougher than ordinary ninjutsu could hope to destroy.
And this…
Was merely Beginner Mastery.
He hadn’t even poured significant chakra into the technique.
If he truly unleashed it…
While adding Sage Chakra…
“…Hashirama’s signature technique…”
“It certainly deserves its reputation.”
His control over the forest felt absolute.
A mere thought…
One enormous branch extended like a serpent.
It gently lifted a pebble lying dozens of meters away…
Then carefully placed it back exactly where it had been.
Offense.
Defense.
Control.
Area suppression.
Wood Release truly excelled at everything.
“…Its potential is tremendous.”
Just as Yu admired the technique’s elegance…
Something stirred within him.
A distant…
Gentle voice echoed faintly inside his mind.
Filled with hearty laughter.
“…Hahaha…”
“…Peace…”
“…is hard-won…”
“…Protect it…”
Within that lingering will existed limitless hope for peace…
Boundless hatred of war…
And profound loneliness.
Hashirama Senju.
Was this the lingering imprint of his will?
Yu stood quietly.
He could clearly sense the overwhelming strength contained within that lingering consciousness.
Alongside…
Its absolute purity.
“…Protect peace?”
A faint smile appeared.
“…You’re such an idealist.”
“So idealistic…”
“It’s almost adorable.”
He paused.
“I’ll gladly accept your strength.”
“But peace…”
“I’ll define it myself.”
The whisper gradually faded.
As though it had never existed.
Yet Yu knew.
It hadn’t been an illusion.
This place…
Hashirama’s lingering power…
Had resonated with him.
Sage Body.
Asura Chakra.
Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Flying Thunder God.
Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Perfect Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
And now…
Wood Release.
The greatest bloodline abilities…
And secret techniques…
Of both the Senju and Uchiha…
Now coexisted within a single body.
A thought briefly surfaced.
If I fought Hashirama Senju…
Or Madara Uchiha…
At their absolute peaks…
How high would my chances of victory be?
Just as quickly…
He dismissed the idea.
Now wasn’t the time.
Wood Release had elevated his overall strength to an entirely new level.
His options had become even more diverse.
Whether dealing with extremist Uchiha…
The scheming Danzō…
The future Akatsuki…
Or even…
The legendary Ōtsutsuki Clan…
A cold smile spread across his face.
“Anyone who reaches out…”
“…loses that hand.”
Simple.
Direct.
Effective.
That had always been his way.
His strength was ready.
Now…
It was time to resolve the troublesome matters waiting for him.
Uchiha Fugaku.
The clan head many secretly criticized as weak.
What exactly was he thinking?
Was he simply resigning himself to watching Konoha’s leadership slowly erode the Uchiha’s place within the village?
Or…
Was he quietly waiting…
For an opportunity capable of completely changing the clan’s destiny?
Yu found himself genuinely curious.
He casually waved one hand.
The forest he’d created instantly dissolved into countless green particles.
Scattering into the wind.
As though it had never existed.
The Valley of the End returned to its original appearance.
Only the endless roar of the waterfall remained.
Yu cast one final glance toward the two colossal statues.
His eyes lingered slightly longer upon Madara’s monument.
“…The fate of the Uchiha…”
“…isn’t something old ghosts like you get to decide.”
The next instant…
He vanished.
His next destination—
The Uchiha district.
The Clan Head’s residence.