Naruto: Becoming Stronger through Bonds

Chapter 21: The First Lesson Of Becoming A Ninja - Killing

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Standing in front of the mirror, gazing at the Tomoe in his eyes, Ervin couldn't help but curse inwardly.

He had said to Izumi that opening the Sharingan too early was bad for the body, yet here he was, having awakened his eyes overnight.

On the system panel, his Uchiha bloodline had advanced from Rich to Ultimate.

Feeling the growing pupil power in his eyes, Ervin suspected that he could naturally develop to a three-tomoe Sharingan without any external stimulation.

As for Mangekyō Sharingan, he couldn't be certain, but he was confident that achieving it would be significantly easier for him than for most others.

"Mom... you really gave me an incredible gift," Ervin whispered softly.

In the Naruto world, hardworking geniuses existed, but reaching the peak was impossible without extraordinary bloodlines.

Take Might Guy, for example. That kick of his was indeed awe-inspiring, but in the end, it merely caused temporary damage to Madara, who promptly regenerated. Guy had to sacrifice his life in the process, and without Naruto's Six Paths Yang Power, he would have died.

The ninja world was vast, yet in truth, it was also narrow.

Only the bloodlines of the Uchiha and Senju served as tickets to the top. Now, with both bloodlines coursing through him, Ervin finally felt a strong sense of confidence.

Closing his Sharingan, Ervin returned to bed.

At the one-tomoe stage, the Sharingan offered him little practical improvement, but it would undoubtedly attract unnecessary trouble. Until he could dominate Konoha and resolve all potential threats, it was best to keep his Sharingan hidden.

The Anbu—officially the Assassination Tactics Special Forces—was founded by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

In fact, most of Konoha's modern systems and mechanisms were developed by Tobirama. The so-called First Hokage was often just the enforcer of Tobirama's strategies.

Beyond his ability to create Forbidden Techniques, Senju Tobirama was undoubtedly a political genius, and the establishment of the Anbu was one of his greatest achievements.

The primary purpose of the Anbu was to protect the Hokage and carry out specialized assassination missions. It was a highly unique organization, independent of the Genin-Chūnin-Jōnin hierarchy. The identities of its members were strictly confidential, and they always appeared masked.

However, beyond its challenging operational role, the Anbu's true purpose was centralization. It was a force that unconditionally obeyed the Hokage and did not answer to Jōnin squad leaders or any other high-ranking ninjas.

In essence, it functioned as Konoha's Guards, authorized to act with extreme discretion, including killing first and reporting later, under the Hokage's direct orders.

Unfortunately, while the system Tobirama designed was effective, it had undergone significant changes under the Third Hokage.

Nominally, Danzo's Root was just a small unit within the Anbu. However, with Hiruzen's trust in Danzo and Danzo's own audacious maneuvers, Root had evolved into a massive, semi-independent entity.

The official structure of the Anbu included a captain, a vice-captain, and four battalions. Each battalion was led by a captain who oversaw sixteen members, divided into four teams, each with its own team leader.

Publicly, the total membership of the Anbu was estimated to be under 100 members, though there might have been additional operatives in secret.

Root, in theory, was meant to be a single brigade within the Anbu, consisting of approximately 20 members. However, Ervin estimated that Root's operatives now exceeded 50, effectively making it another Anbu in its own right.

It was easy to imagine how far Danzo's power had grown under Hiruzen's permissive leadership.

Compared to the more widely recognized Anbu, Root's missions were far more brutal. Danzo's selection methods were harsher, and the overall quality of Root's members was superior.

Wearing a forehead protector on his waist, Ervin stood in front of the cave at the entrance of the Root base and couldn't help but sigh:

"This Root leader is more comfortable than Hokage. What is the old man fighting for?"

The figure of the young man slowly sank into the darkness, passed through the winding and rugged cave, and the space in front suddenly became clear, and a wide hall appeared in front of him.

It was very quiet around, so quiet that it was creepy.

A ninja wearing a red mask stood in the hall and waited quietly, followed by three subordinates.

Seeing Ervin appear, the red-masked man said coldly:

"Ervin-sama, I am the captain of the second team of the Root, codenamed 'Owl.'

"The leader has ordered that I will be responsible for your first lesson in the Root."

"The content is also very simple, that is killing."

For the Root ninja, killing is indeed the simplest of all their training items.

Ervin knew that most of the Root ninjas looked like dead people, so he didn't care about his attitude.

He nodded and said, "You arrange it, and I will do it."

Although he had a cheat, he was once a nobody and had never killed a chicken, let alone a person.

With strength, his mentality became a weakness.

The battlefield was not a pure data comparison.

Even a Genin could kill a Jōnin or even a Kage with a kunai.

Ervin knew that this was a level he had to go through, and there was nothing wrong with the old man's arrangement.

However, he still put forward a condition, "I declare in advance that I will only kill those who should be killed. If I think they should not be killed, I will not do it."

The red-masked man, 'Owl,' still spoke coldly, "For the Root, ninjas are just tools, and all mission targets can be killed. But Ervin-sama is different.

"You have autonomy."

The group left the Root base and went directly out of Konoha Village, heading northwest.

At the speed of the ninja, they soon arrived at an ordinary village a hundred kilometers away.

As the most powerful country in the world, the Fire Country has rarely been invaded by foreign enemies, and it is generally peaceful and harmonious.

But it is still easy to find bad guys.

After all, the whole society is still in the feudal aristocratic system, and a lot of corruption is hidden under the bright surface.

Bandits, land hooligans, and a few people who should be killed can be found in any village.

On the way, Owl had told Ervin all the intelligence he had prepared in advance.

Their target is a wealthy man in the village who made huge wealth by lending money, forced dozens of families to break up, and plundered the land.

There are two wandering ninjas as bodyguards around him, but their strength is average, just the most ordinary Chūnin level.

This kind of fat pig is usually a cash machine at the Root, just waste utilization, and given to Ervin to hone it.

The strength shown by Ervin in the duel with Itachi that day can definitely crush this kind of miscellaneous ninja.

Standing on a big tree in a wide courtyard, Owl's cold voice came.

"Ervin-sama, you can go in now."