Naruto: Power through Bonds

Jiraiya returned to Konoha with a high-profile entrance, quickly lending his support to Sarutobi Hiruzen and helping stabilize the village's shaky situation. 

His status carried tremendous weight: the disciple of the Third Hokage, the mentor of the Fourth Hokage, and a renowned hero of the village. With his presence alone, morale lifted, and the guidance of the Anbu restored order. The minor unrest soon settled, and Konoha resumed its quiet recovery. 

Shimura Danzo, however, was furious. In his office, anything that wasn't nailed down became a projectile. Papers, ink bottles, even a chair—all hurled in anger at the sudden turn of events. 

But none of that concerned Denji. Upon his return, he granted himself a half-month break. 

During that time, he learned from Izumi that Itachi had been assigned to a standard Genin squad. Just like any new ninja, Itachi was performing simple village tasks, gaining experience through the routine missions given to new graduates. 

This development left Denji disinterested, for now. Achieving the third stage of his plan required intense emotional triggers, and killing Itachi was currently off the table. Instead, he decided to let Itachi grow stronger. One day, when the time was right, Denji could crush him, perhaps even using the leverage of a certain younger sibling to push Itachi's emotions over the edge.

With his rest complete, Denji resumed his studies, and this time his mentor was the captain of the First Root Battalion, an Aburame clan ninja. The Aburame clan's expertise wasn't limited to controlling insects; they were also highly skilled in poison craft. After all, many of their insect species produced toxins, leading the clan to develop a thorough understanding of poisons as they raised and trained their colonies. 

Fortunately, Denji wasn't expected to master poison creation. His lessons were focused on identifying different toxins and learning the various methods used to administer them. As for antidotes and detoxification techniques, a different instructor would handle that aspect of his training. 

It was during one such lesson that he encountered Yakushi Nono again. 

"Well, if it isn't Dean Nono," Denji said with a sly grin. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" 

Back in the early days, he often visited the orphanage under the guise of bringing warmth and kindness to the children. In truth, it was to strengthen bonds and gain influence. After a few visits, most of the children's bonds had reached their second stage, and his visits became less frequent. Still, he regularly sent food and supplies to the orphanage to maintain the relationship.

Nono, standing before him now in the Root's headquarters, looked uneasy. "Please, Master Denji, just call me by my code name while we're here," she said bitterly. "This is the Root. My position isn't something I enjoy discussing openly." 

"So you're the famous 'Walking Shrine Maiden,'" Denji said, pretending to come to a realization. 

Nono's expression tightened, her discomfort clear. In the depths of the Root, where identities were cloaked in secrecy, she preferred not to draw attention to her dual role. Yet here was Denji, casually peeling back the layers of her carefully constructed façade.

[Host and Yakushi Nono have reached the second stage of their bond, earning a reward of medical ninjutsu talent.]

Denji was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected that merely mentioning a name would be enough to trigger such a significant bond progression.

"Lord Denji, those are just baseless rumors. Please don't refer to me by that title," Nono said with a forced smile, one that looked more pained than pleasant. "Shall we start your training?"

Denji nodded, pushing aside his surprise, and quickly focused on learning.

Tsunade's reputation as Konoha's foremost medical ninja—and indeed the greatest in the entire ninja world—was well-known. Thanks to her influence, Konoha had the most advanced medical techniques among the Five Great Nations. Within that echelon of healers, Nono's skills stood out. She might not surpass Tsunade, but she was firmly in the upper tier. For Denji, having such a talented mentor was an opportunity he wouldn't waste. He committed himself not only to mastering detoxification techniques but also to learning medical ninjutsu under her guidance.

For many, medical ninjutsu was challenging. It required exceptional chakra control and a strong affinity for Yang-style chakra. Both were often stumbling blocks. Denji, however, had no such limitations. With his exceptional chakra control and a bloodline rich in vitality, his progress left Nono astonished. In just two weeks, he had absorbed her insights into medical treatment and mastered some of her specialized ninjutsu.

"Lord Denji, the only person left in the world truly qualified to teach you now might be Lady Tsunade herself," Nono said with a sigh, amazed at his growth.

"Forget it," Denji replied, setting down the unlucky fish he had revived and subsequently killed multiple times during his practice. "Given the bad blood between my grandfather and Tsunade, there's no chance of me becoming her disciple."

Nono fell silent. Danzo's reputation was as notorious as it was deserved. To the average ninja, he inspired fear and respect. To someone like Tsunade, however, he was nothing short of an adversary. Their heated clashes in the past had made their enmity well known.

Still, Nono chose not to comment further. "Lord Denji, I've taught you all I can," she said, bowing slightly. "If you continue studying on your own, you'll surely reach a level of skill equal to Lady Tsunade's, even without becoming her student."

With that, she asked for permission to resume her other duties. "If there's nothing else, I'll be taking on other assignments for Lord Danzo."

Denji made his way through the Root's labyrinthine base to the innermost chambers. He pushed open the heavy doors of Danzo's office, his voice tinged with impatience. "Old man, I've completed every task you set for me. Have you found me some teammates yet?"

Three months had passed since Denji had earned his Genin rank, and he still wasn't part of a team. Without a proper squad, his aspirations of quickly rising through the ranks—becoming the youngest Jōnin, then Hokage—seemed like distant dreams.

Danzo looked up from his desk. His initial frown softened as he regarded his grandson. "We've made progress. You'll have your teammates and Jōnin leader within a week."

Denji rolled his eyes. "A week? Can't you just pull some people from the Root?"

Danzo shook his head. "That's not how this works. The Root operates from the shadows. You, on the other hand, need to be seen in the light. You have to follow the normal progression if you want to earn widespread respect."

Satisfied that Denji understood the importance of this approach, Danzo offered him some encouragement. "Go get some rest. You've been working hard lately."

Denji sighed but agreed. "Fine. I'll go hang out with Izumi."

Danzo's mood darkened. "Can't you stay away from that Uchiha girl?" he muttered, his earlier approval souring.

Denji, unfazed, waved him off. "Who I hang out with is none of your business. If you don't like it, have another grandson."

"Disrespectful boy! Rebellious grandson!" Danzo roared as Denji left the office. For all his bluster, he knew there was little he could do. Could he really just have another grandson to replace Denji? The thought was as impossible as it was ridiculous.

...

Stones