Reborn as Danzō’s Grandson, Must I Offend the Entire Ninja World?

"It's just a birthday present. Was it really worth a special trip?"

Yami muttered, but still opened the wooden box.

Inside was a katana—slender, sharp, and gleaming coldly, as if it could slice through anything with ease.

The hilt was wrapped in a snakeskin-like material to improve grip and friction.

Yami's eyes widened. "Is this... the Kusanagi Sword?"

"Not bad."

Danzō remained expressionless, but there was a hint of pride in his voice. "Orochimaru heard it was your birthday and asked me to give this to you. Consider it a gift from both of us."

Yami: "..."

I don't believe you. As if Orochimaru would be so generous as to just hand me the Kusanagi Sword.

If he didn't already know what kind of person Orochimaru was, he might've actually believed it.

Still, he was touched.

Regardless of how Danzō treated outsiders, at least toward his grandson, he showed genuine care—without any ulterior motives.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Danzō froze for a moment.

Was this... the first time Yami had called him Grandpa?

Ding!

[Host and Shimura Danzō's bond has reached the third stage (Final Level). Reward: One Standard Jōnin Chakra, Special Talent 'Ninja World Darkness.']

[Ninja World Darkness: Host can merge into any shadow, achieving concealment comparable to the 'Mayfly Technique.']

Yami was also momentarily stunned.

So just calling him "Grandpa" was enough to max out the bond?

The two stared at each other in silence for a long moment before Danzō coughed to break the awkwardness.

"It's getting late, Yami. Go rest—you still have school tomorrow. Remember, don't lose to the Uchiha."

"Oh."

Yami nodded, picked up the box containing the Kusanagi Sword, and walked back to his room.

At the same time, he made a decision.

Dying while sealing a bridge? Too pathetic.

Once he grew stronger, he would take over Root. It was better for this old man to stay home and enjoy retirement.

That night, sitting on his bed, Yami played with the Kusanagi Sword for a while before going over his gains from the day.

---

[Status Panel]

[Name: Shimura Yami]

[Gender: Male]

[Age: 6 years old]

[Date of Birth: April 1, Year 46 (Konoha Calendar)]

[Chakra Attributes: Fire (Genius), Wind (Genius), Yang (Excellent), Earth (Good), Yin (Genius)]

[Total Chakra: 1.1 Standard Jōnin Chakra]

[Chakra Control Talent: Genius]

[Mastered Ninjutsu: Three Basic Techniques (Proficient), Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (Normal), Fire Release: Great Fireball (Normal)]

[Nature Transformation: Wind Release (Mastery)]

[Special Talents: Father's Expectations, Mother's Love, Senju Bloodline (Thin, Under Development), Swordsmanship Genius, Stealth Mastery, Ninja World Darkness, Mother-in-Law's Expectation]

---

His progress was nothing short of astonishing.

Before today, he was just a promising Academy student, a genius among his peers.

But now, not only had his chakra reached Jōnin-level, but he had also gained two new chakra natures and two special talents.

The Earth Release chakra wasn't particularly interesting, he had no intention of training it unless he had genius-level talent for it.

The Yin Release chakra, however, was an entirely different story.

Yin Release was a rare and valuable attribute, closely tied to spiritual energy and illusion techniques. It governed the power of the mind and could shape the intangible into reality.

The Nara clan's shadow manipulation techniques and the Yamanaka clan's Mind-Body jutsu were both examples of Yin-based ninjutsu.

Even more importantly, the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was also deeply linked to Yin Release.

In the future, it was highly likely that he would obtain a bond related to the Uchiha bloodline. Strengthening his Yin Release would be crucial for that.

However...

Yami's gaze fell on the box containing the Kusanagi Sword.

At this stage, swordsmanship should be his main focus. With his advanced Wind Release nature transformation, his attacks would be as lethal as a Jōnin's jutsu.

And then there was the Jōnin-level chakra he had just received...

Yami concentrated, carefully sensing it.

He estimated that one standard Jōnin unit of chakra was roughly:

50 times that of a standard Genin.

5 times that of a standard Chūnin.

However, it had not yet reached the level of an elite Jōnin.

That made sense.

He needed to keep building his bonds, especially second- and third-stage bonds—if he wanted to see his strength skyrocket.

With that in mind, Yami set himself a new goal:

To become the ultimate "social butterfly" of the ninja world.

---

The next day, Yami went to the Academy as usual.

After yesterday's incident, where he had used an explosive tag on a target, his name had already spread to the upper grades.

Now that people had formed an impression of him, all he needed to do was learn their names, and the initial bonds would be established automatically.

After school, Yami accompanied Izumi home for taijutsu training with Ebisu-sensei.

Though the tuition was only meant to cover one student, Ebisu didn't dare argue with the Shimura family. He had no choice but to accept Izumi as well.

With Mother-in-Law's Expectation, enhancing his progress, Yami's improvement rate was nothing short of terrifying.

His mastery of Konoha's basic taijutsu had already surpassed that of most recently graduated Genin.

If this continued...

Ebisu suddenly realized that his job might soon become obsolete.

For the first time, he felt a sense of crisis.

Meanwhile, Izumi had no such concerns.

The little black-haired girl watched Yami with sparkling eyes, full of admiration.

Yami is amazing... and what he shows at school isn't even his full strength.

I have to work harder, I can't let him leave me behind!

(To be continued.)