Konoha's Status Bar Ninja

"Thirty-six million ryō... not bad."

Just after reporting his mission results to Danzō, Hajime was informed that a bounty had been placed on his head.

The one who issued the bounty was most likely Sunagakure, who had suffered heavy losses the day before.

He had to admit—Suna-nin were incredibly efficient.

As for the name Wood Release Emissary... Sunagakure really needed to work on their nickname game.

Hajime silently mocked them in his mind.

Danzō, however, spoke in a low, commanding tone: "Three days from now, a group of Chūnin will be promoted to Jōnin. Root will handle the final stage of the assessment. You'll be in charge of it."

In charge of the Jōnin promotion exam?

Hajime was taken aback.

He was still technically a Chūnin himself!

Though surprised, he asked calmly, "Lord Danzō, what is the final stage of the assessment?"

Danzō replied flatly, "Loyalty."

"The Will of Fire."

"Make good use of your genjutsu ability."

Hajime's eye twitched almost imperceptibly, but he quickly bowed his head. "Understood."

…

Leaving Danzō's office, Hajime couldn't help but think to himself, So Danzō knows about my hypnosis technique now. Was it Inuzuka Ryo? Or Aburame Ryoma?

Well, it doesn't matter who it was.

In Konoha, my true trump card was never any single jutsu.

Still, Danzō really isn't the kind of leader who can tolerate others shining too brightly. Definitely not a good boss.

If he ever starts feeling threatened... he won't hesitate to get rid of me.

Hajime couldn't help but think of Yakushi Nono and Yakushi Kabuto.

But then again—

"Lord Danzō, I'm your most loyal and capable subordinate..."

"You wouldn't be thinking of disposing of me, would you?"

Returning to his residence, a sly smile curled on Hajime's face—but beneath the surface, he remained as rebellious as ever.

…

Hokage's Office.

Danzō was reporting to Hiruzen Sarutobi about the Wind Country mission that Hajime had just completed.

Naturally, the news of the bounty placed on the Wood Release Emissary hadn't escaped Sarutobi's attention.

A bounty this public would soon spread through all of Konoha—not just to Hiruzen, but even to ordinary shinobi.

Especially among the Jōnin level.

After reviewing Hajime's combat achievements, Sarutobi's evaluation of him rose even further.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Once the Jōnin assessments are over, send him to Lady Mito."

Although Hiruzen had already planned to make Hajime a spy and prepare him for future assignments, Danzō still felt a pang of displeasure at how blatantly Hiruzen was trying to poach someone from under him.

The Hokage, huh…

Danzō nodded outwardly, but inside, his ambition grew even stronger.

As long as I become Hokage, no one will ever be able to steal away the talents I've trained.

As long as I become Hokage, no one will ever dare betray me!

…

Inside a Konoha izakaya (pub).

Jiraiya, together with Namikaze Minato, was drinking with Tsunade and Orochimaru.

There were other Konoha shinobi in the tavern as well.

Suddenly, someone said aloud, "Hey, did you guys hear? Someone placed a thirty-six million ryō bounty on a Wood Release user."

"Wood Release? As in the First Hokage's Wood Release techniques?"

"Weren't those experiments deemed a failure and sealed away?"

…

As Jiraiya heard the chatter, he turned to Tsunade and Orochimaru, curious. "You guys hear about this bounty on the Wood Release Emissary?"

"Man, that old man's keeping a tight lid on this one."

Tsunade scoffed but couldn't help picturing Hajime in her mind.

Seeing the look on her face, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Tsunade... you seem like you already knew."

Jiraiya blinked in surprise and looked at her.

Even Minato, who had been quiet, turned to glance over.

After all—this was Wood Release they were talking about!

Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "I knew about it, but since the teacher hasn't made it public, it's still considered classified."

Jiraiya's eyes lit up with mischief. "Don't tell me this person is someone we all know?"

Tsunade glanced at Minato.

Jiraiya caught on immediately. "Minato doesn't know them?"

Scratching his chin, Jiraiya groaned slightly. "This one's tough to figure out..."

…

As evening fell, Tsunade returned home reeking of alcohol, only to be greeted by an excited voice at her side.

"Nee-chan, Nee-chan! Is it true someone in the village has mastered Wood Release?"

Tsunade turned her head and looked at her younger brother, who had come running over excitedly. She immediately placed a hand on his forehead. "Where did you hear that?"

Nawaki quickly replied, "The whole village is talking about it—because of the bounty!"

"Nee-chan, is it true?"

Tsunade nodded.

Nawaki's eyes immediately lit up. Eager and full of energy, he asked, "Nee-chan, I'm about to graduate. Can I apply to have the Wood Release Emissary as my team leader?"

"If I master Wood Release too, I'll definitely become Hokage in the future!"

Let that guy become Nawaki's teacher?

Tsunade froze for a moment, slightly tempted by the idea.

But then she remembered Hajime's affiliation with Root, and she dismissed it right away.

She had never liked the aggressive Danzō, and Hajime's way of doing things was nearly identical to his.

She certainly didn't want her little brother becoming that kind of shinobi.

So Tsunade said, "The identity of the Wood Release Emissary is classified. There's no way he could become your squad leader."

Nawaki looked instantly disappointed.

But then his face lit up again as he declared passionately, "Even without Wood Release, I'll still become Hokage!"

"If you're the Fourth Hokage, Nee-chan, then I'll be the Fifth!"

Hearing that, Tsunade couldn't help but bend down and poke his cheek with a finger, laughing. "If you want to be Hokage, you'll have to work really hard!"

Nawaki nodded vigorously. "Mm!"

"Then come train with me, Nee-chan!"

…

After waking up in the evening, Hajime left the Root base and headed to the busiest food street in Konoha to grab a meal. To his surprise, it hadn't taken long at all for the "Wood Release Emissary" to become a hot topic among the village's shinobi.

He had to admit—he was famous now!

Unfortunately, only the nickname was famous. No one actually knew who he was.

The shinobi world's version of a hit song with an anonymous singer.

After eating and drinking his fill, Hajime strolled casually through the bustling streets. His eyes wandered aimlessly, but his thoughts were focused on his status window.

"Poison Immunity" — how could he make it permanent?

He glanced at the only status he had ever successfully solidified:

"Swordsmanship Expert."

He had managed to lock that one in by extensively training in swordsmanship while the status was active—it was like turning talent into real skill.

The status had been granted, but the swordsmanship he trained was his own…

"So, should I develop a poison-type jutsu?"

"A jutsu that grants immunity to all poisons?"

"Poison-style ninjutsu…"

Hajime thought of Shizune's jutsu where she spewed toxic gas from her mouth.

"Looks like I need to find someone knowledgeable to ask for guidance…"

Hajime knew how to use poisons, but when it came to developing highly toxic ninjutsu, he was clueless.

And then one person came to mind:

Tsunade!

"Is it too late to go visit her now?"

He looked up at the bright, high-hanging moon—then leapt into the air.

Time was short. He couldn't afford to waste it.

…

Senju Clan Ancestral Home.

When Hajime arrived, Tsunade was in the middle of single-handedly thrashing her younger brother.

He had to admit, training this late into the evening was impressively dedicated.

Watching as her exhausted brother collapsed to the ground, Tsunade clapped her hands and said, "That's enough for today. You've made good progress."

"Go take a bath, then spend some time with Grandma."

Nawaki pulled himself up weakly. "Got it… But, Nee-chan, when will I be as strong as you?"

Tsunade smiled. "When you're my age."

Nawaki's eyes filled with hope. "Then I want to grow up fast!"

The innocent, wide-eyed look on his face almost made Hajime laugh out loud.

Once Nawaki left, Hajime finally stepped out from the shadows. "Tsunade!"

Tsunade had already noticed him and turned to face him, arms crossed. "What are you doing here?"

Hajime got straight to the point. "I've got a question about ninjutsu. I came to ask for your advice."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Ninjutsu?"

"I remember you're good at Wind Release and swordsmanship. I can't help you much with those."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Wait, are you trying to learn medical ninjutsu?"

Hajime laughed. "No."

"I want to ask you about toxicology."

Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Poison?"

Hajime nodded. "Those Sand shinobi love using poison too much."

Perfect excuse.

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. "Puppet masters do tend to have extensive research into poisons."

"So, are you trying to learn how to make antidotes?"

Hajime shook his head. "No, I want to learn how to develop a poison-based ninjutsu."

Tsunade looked even more surprised.

She found Hajime's intentions harder and harder to read.

But she didn't press further. She just nodded. "Alright, follow me."

...

In the study.

Tsunade pulled out a number of scrolls and laid them out on the desk in front of Hajime. "These are all research materials on deadly poisons."

"To create a poison-based ninjutsu, the first step is to understand different toxins. That way, you can use chakra to produce them."

"Of course, there's a simpler way."

"You could coat your custom-made poisons onto weapons or hidden tools."

Hajime decisively chose the first option.

The second method, while easier, obviously wouldn't help solidify his Poison Immunity status.

Hajime quickly unrolled the scrolls and began reading their contents.

He already had a decent foundation in toxicology—it was part of standard Root training.

But compared to Tsunade, a true expert, he was still far behind.

Until now, Hajime had only known how to identify, mix, and apply poisons. And even then, he needed formulas.

Tsunade, on the other hand, was someone who conducted in-depth research.

She could analyze an unknown toxin and formulate an antidote on the spot.

In the shinobi world, poisons came in endless varieties.

Most poison-using shinobi made their own blends with unique recipes no one else knew.

You could imagine how difficult they were to counter.

So, generating poisons with chakra wouldn't be easy—especially potent ones.

And what nature transformations did poison-type ninjutsu use?

All of them!

Water, Earth, Yang, Yin—sometimes even hybrid styles.

Poison ninjutsu was a complex field.

Anyone not already a specialist wouldn't bother researching it.

It was so much more convenient to just use pre-made poisons or rig hidden weapons.

As Hajime read the materials, he also listened to Tsunade's explanations.

Then suddenly, Tsunade asked, "If your goal with developing a poison-type ninjutsu is to counteract poisons, then you're likely aiming for a toxic immunity effect, right?"

Hajime immediately gave her a thumbs-up.

Tsunade lifted her chin slightly, a hint of pride on her face, but her tone quickly became serious. "If you want to build poison resistance, there are a few approaches."

"For example, starting from chakra—if you can produce a variety of poisons with chakra, your natural resistance to poison would also increase."

She added meaningfully, "Like Wood Release, for instance."

Wood Release grants poison resistance?

Hajime froze, then remembered the Advent of a World of Flowering Trees technique.

But both he and Yamato, as far as he could recall, had been poisoned before.

He was a Wood Clone.

And Yamato had been captured and drugged by Kabuto.

Still, creating plant-based toxins using Wood Release…

Made perfect sense!

"Looks like there's still huge untapped potential in developing Wood Release. It's not just about chakra capacity…" Hajime thought to himself, then motioned for Tsunade to continue.

Tsunade went on, "The second method—get poisoned, then treat yourself, but leave a small trace of the toxin in your system. Over time, your body builds resistance."

"Or combine both approaches. That's faster and more effective."

Hajime's hand paused mid-scroll.

He froze in place.

(End of Chapter)