Naruto: Becoming Stronger through Bonds

Chapter 20: Senju bloodline

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"Ervin, congratulations," Danzo said as he handed the forehead protector to Ervin's small hand. His smile, unusually warm, hadn't faded since he entered the door. "From now on, you're a true ninja."

Danzo continued, "Although you're not the youngest Genin, the circumstances today are very different from when I was young. You have the chance to become the youngest Jōnin in the village. Keep working hard."

The youngest Jōnin in Konoha's history was Kakashi, who had achieved the rank at the age of twelve. However, Ervin had both the talent and the family background to surpass even that.

Ervin took the forehead protector, examining it carefully and considering where to place it. His forehead wasn't particularly wide, so wearing it there might not be ideal—it could detract from his appearance.

As he thought, a prompt from the system echoed in his mind:

[Host establishes a bond with Konoha Village, gains organization membership (Genin), and acquires a special state: Leaning Against a Big Tree.]

[Effect: Within the Land of Fire, training speed increases by 20%, and Chakra recovery speed increases by 20%. The effect improves with job title advancements.]

[Congratulations, Host, on becoming a Konoha Genin and reaching the first stage of "Mom Loves You." Would you like to claim your reward? (Note: Reward is reserved for 24 hours.)]

Ervin silently replied, Not yet.

Looking up at Danzo, he smiled and said, "Old man, what's the point of being the youngest Jōnin? If I'm aiming for something, I'll aim higher—how about the youngest Hokage?"

At first, Ervin hadn't cared much about the concept of being part of an "organization." As the unofficial prince of Konoha, even the Jōnin tread lightly around him to avoid Danzo's wrath.

However, the system's prompt had changed his perspective.

In this world, no one could be entirely trusted. Only one's own strength was reliable.

"Good!" Danzo's one visible eye sparkled with pride. "You have ambition—worthy of being my grandson. The position of Hokage should have belonged to the Shimura family in the first place. Don't worry, I'll become Hokage myself as soon as possible to pave the way for you."

Danzo's mind began calculating. He believed he could remain active for another twenty years. By then, Ervin would be less than thirty years old, in his prime, and perfectly poised to ascend as Hokage.

Once Ervin became Hokage, his lineage could carry on the role. With proper training, perhaps the Hokage position could become like the daimyo, passed down through generations of the Shimura family.

The thought ignited a fire in Danzo's heart, making him want to pull Hiruzen from his seat right now. But he knew better.

For now, his focus needed to remain on Ervin's immediate future.

Danzo calmed his thoughts and spoke in a measured tone. "Now that you're a Genin, by Konoha's tradition, you need to be assigned to a three-man team with a leader Jōnin and two teammates." He paused. "But your situation—and Itachi's—is special. Both of you graduated early, and the teams for this year's graduates have already been arranged..."

"I'm not teaming up with Uchiha Itachi," Ervin interrupted, his head shaking like a rattle.

He wasn't about to put himself in harm's way. Teaming up with Itachi, at this point in his life, was akin to courting disaster.

In the original timeline, Itachi awakened his Sharingan a year later than he did now. The catalyst for that awakening had been the death of his teammates.

Ervin was not lacking in confidence in his own strength, nor was he afraid of being sacrificed.

The real reason he avoided teaming up with Itachi was because Itachi had already been targeted by someone, and even the awakening of his Sharingan seemed to be part of his calculations.

In the vast ninja world, there were only a handful of people Ervin felt he couldn't afford to provoke—aside from the Kage themselves. Among them, He was the most dangerous. Staying hidden and continuing to develop his abilities was the wiser choice.

"Then don't team up with him," Danzo said with a slight nod. "Let Hiruzen worry about Itachi. You'll train at the Root for a while, and I'll arrange a suitable team leader and teammates for you."

"Alright," Ervin agreed without hesitation. It was the perfect opportunity to build connections with the Root and gain rewards from its members.

After finalizing his plans, Ervin and Danzo had dinner together. Once the meal was over, Ervin found an excuse to return to his room and claim his rewards.

It was a pity the system only allowed rewards to be claimed within a day. Otherwise, he would have preferred to save them, max out all his attributes to the Ultimate level, and then collect everything in one go to surpass his limits.

And what did "breaking the limit" mean?

At the very least, it represented the level of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

Unfortunately, the system was well-designed, leaving no room for exploitation.

Ervin had even considered staying in the ninja academy until all his attributes reached the Ultimate level. But after careful thought, he decided against it. Staying in the academy would severely limit his opportunities to interact with others and grow.

Becoming a ninja was the only way to truly connect with the world and make meaningful progress.

Besides, talent wasn't everything. With enough hard work, he believed he could eventually reach the level where he could break the limits.

"System, distribute the rewards," Ervin muttered internally.

The system responded silently. It wasn't particularly intelligent, capable of answering only basic rule-related questions.

The rewards were issued quietly. Ervin felt a sudden warmth spread through his body. His cell activity and chakra flow surged to a higher level, and his chakra reserves increased rapidly.

Opening the system panel, Ervin watched as the chakra amount column jumped continuously:

5.2 cards, 5.7 cards, 6.2 cards, 6.5 cards, 7 cards…

After about ten minutes, the number finally settled at 9 cards.

Among his special talents, the development of his Senju bloodline had progressed to an ordinary level.

As for Wood Style?

There was no sign of it at all.

Many mistakenly believed that the Senju bloodline and Wood Style were inseparable, but this was far from the truth.

Senju was Senju, and Wood Style was Wood Style.

Throughout thousands of years of history, the only ninja to awaken Wood Style was Senju Hashirama. Even the question of whether the Sage of Six Paths could use Wood Style remained unresolved.

It wasn't the Senju bloodline that was extraordinary—it was Hashirama himself.

No one could explain how Hashirama had developed such an outrageous technique, one that could even connect to the sacred tree.

Suddenly, a sharp pain seared through Ervin's eyes, causing him to cover them instinctively.

A line of blood-red tears trickled down the corners of his eyes, staining his arms.

When he opened his eyes again, his pupils glowed with a deep crimson hue, and a single tomoe appeared in each eye.