Chapter 47: Wood Release
Time flowed like a river. Another month passed swiftly, bringing the timeline to Konoha's 59th year. Naruto and his classmates were still four years away from graduating from the Academy. Shishou found himself back in the routine of school life.
During this month, Shishou dedicated his time to training with Mikoto, Izumi, and Yugao, acting as their sparring partner to boost their combat skills. Witnessing the formidable abilities of Orochimaru and Itachi had driven Mikoto, Izumi, and Yugao to double their training efforts. Mikoto and Izumi were fueled by revenge, while Yugao was motivated by her admiration for great power.
Meanwhile, Shishou had sent Karin and Eri Uzumaki to the Land of Demons, where they were learning the basics of sealing techniques from the Priestess, laying the foundation for mastering the Uzumaki clan's advanced sealing arts.
Additionally, Shishou frequently visited Danzo's Wood Release laboratory, using his Phosphorous Worms in an attempt to acquire Wood Release for himself. He estimated that a few more visits would suffice for him to awaken the Wood Release.
As for Danzo's experiments, they remained as futile as ever. Interestingly, Danzo's presence in the lab had become rare. Shishou speculated that Danzo might be losing hope and preparing to abandon the experiments.
On the other hand, there was no news from Orochimaru. Shishou assumed that Orochimaru was still evading the Akatsuki. It would likely be some time before Orochimaru could resume his experiments with Hashirama's cells.
Another month passed, bringing the timeline to March of Konoha's 59th year, nine years before the Fourth Great Ninja War. After school, Shishou returned home alone. Due to a test at the Academy today, he hadn't let his insect clone attend in his place.
Setting down his backpack, Shishou used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the Forest of Death, arriving at Danzo's lab. It had become like his backyard by now. He materialized near the piles of experimental corpses.
"Today's haul is a bit smaller," Shishou muttered to himself, noticing the reduced number of bodies. He released his Phosphorous Worms to consume and recycle the bodies before proceeding to the lab's center to continue his search.
Having planted dormant Phosphorous Worms on all the Root members in charge of the lab, Shishou wasn't worried about detection. He aimed to find Yamato, hoping to gain information on Wood Release techniques and training methods.
Despite a thorough search, Shishou found neither Yamato nor any documents on Wood Release jutsu.
"Looks like Yamato isn't in this lab," Shishou thought, teleporting to the Root's headquarters entrance.
In a secluded corner, he reappeared, having already mapped out all Root bases and headquarters locations. He avoided direct confrontation with Danzo due to the risk posed by Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, the most powerful genjutsu, which Danzo possessed.
Shishou transformed his Phosphorous Worms into ordinary moths, directing them towards the headquarters' entrance. The moment they approached, he sensed something amiss.
"Blood... Is that Orochimaru?" Shishou saw Orochimaru emerging from the gate, carrying an unconscious Yamato. "Damn, he's taking Yamato! How am I supposed to get Wood Release now?"
Preparing to follow Orochimaru, Shishou halted as several figures emerged from the gate, including Danzo, who was chasing Orochimaru. Shishou decided to stay hidden and observe.
"Chase him down!" Danzo commanded, leading the Root members in pursuit of Orochimaru.
"Damn, Orochimaru really knows how to stir things up," Shishou thought, trailing them from a distance, hoping to pick up any scraps of information or resources.
In the forest outside Konoha, Danzo and his Root operatives surrounded Orochimaru.
"What's the meaning of this, Danzo?" Orochimaru said, feigning ignorance while holding Yamato.
"Orochimaru, you can take Yamato, but you must agree to one condition," Danzo said, an idea forming in his mind.
"Oh? And what might that be?" Orochimaru asked, intrigued.
"Clone technology..." Danzo began.
"Alright, I agree," Orochimaru interrupted, smiling.
Meanwhile, Shishou, watching from a distance, couldn't hear their conversation due to the presence of a Hyuga with Danzo. He speculated that they were striking some kind of deal.
"Did they just cut a deal instead of fighting?" Shishou muttered, seeing Danzo cut off Yamato's arm before allowing Orochimaru to leave with him. "It must be related to Yamato's Wood Release and cloning. Otherwise, Danzo wouldn't let him go."
With Root members still out, Shishou teleported back to the headquarters and ransacked the place, collecting various scrolls, including some on Wood Release techniques.
Thanks to Orochimaru's disruption, it wasn't unusual for Root to be missing some scrolls. Even if Danzo suspected foul play, he'd blame Orochimaru.
A month later, Shishou deduced that Danzo had traded Yamato for Orochimaru's cloning technology. This was evident as the quality of Root's clones improved dramatically.
During a subsequent visit to collect bodies, Shishou finally awakened Wood Release. In the Forest of Death, he extended his right hand, channeling chakra to produce countless branches from his palm.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu!" Shishou performed the seals, creating a wooden clone beside him. When the clone dispersed, it turned into a tree.
Examining the tree left by the clone, Shishou smiled. With Wood Release, he could now seek an opportunity to approach Tsunade. He had been eyeing her—no, her jutsu techniques—for a long time.
Correcting his thoughts, Shishou teleported away, planning his next move.
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