Jokichi returned to the dojo at home; the sound of firecrackers could still be faintly heard outside.
He took out Tenten's hair and silently muttered Forge in his mind.
Instantly, two items appeared in his hands.
A palm-sized doll and a pitch-black cluster of light.
[Tsukkomi Role: A doll with a built-in tsukkomi function; it will automatically tsukkomi upon discovering a point worthy of it.]
[Weapon Soul: Contains the owner's love and affinity for weapons. After absorption, it will grant the absorber the original owner's love and affinity for weapons, allowing them to easily pick up and master any weapon.]
Mhm! It fits Tenten's character positioning very well.
However...
It is clearly the hair of a rich girl, so why didn't it give some money?
Or a money-finding item would also be fine!
Like a cornucopia or something.
Jokichi felt a slight regret.
However, this is a world where power determines everything after all.
Although there was a little regret, he did not care too much.
Jokichi was still very satisfied with this unexpected harvest.
He was currently undergoing training in ninja tools. With this Weapon Soul, his future training would definitely progress at a godly speed, and he would be able to grasp the deeper essence of weapons.
After throwing the Tsukkomi Role into the system space, Jokichi absorbed the Weapon Soul.
Nothing unusual happened during the absorption process, only that his body and mind felt as if they had been washed, generating a kind of enlightenment.
This feeling could not be put into words; it was extremely profound.
Jokichi took out a practice longsword from a scroll.
Gripping the sword hilt, it felt unusually intimate and familiar, as if it were an extension of his body.
Jokichi tried swinging it, and his body moved naturally.
High-difficulty moves that previously required intense concentration to complete were now executed naturally and very easily.
After Jokichi finished performing a set of sword forms, not only was he not tired, but he was glowing with health and full of vitality.
"Is this the power brought by the Weapon Soul?"
Jokichi looked at his hands, which were no different from before, but during the sword practice just now, he had truly experienced the difference from the past.
This was not a bloodline, but talent.
The world never lacks geniuses. Even without a powerful bloodline, they still shine brightly in their respective fields.
Jokichi felt it was a pity for Tenten.
Because what she liked was all weapons.
If she only loved a certain type of weapon and concentrated her efforts on training hard with one weapon, relying on this talent, her future achievements would by no means be inferior to Mifune.
However, although it was a pity, he did not feel sorry for it.
A blessing in disguise; who knows if it is a blessing or a curse.
Without concrete implementation, no one knows whether it is a blessing or a disaster.
Perhaps Tenten's talent stemmed precisely from her love for all weapons.
The sound of firecrackers outside gradually thinned out; New Year's Eve was nearing its end.
In the dark, the unknown action also reached its conclusion.
Konoha, Northwest Industrial Zone.
A dark fluctuation rose, swallowing everything.
Hokage Building, Uchiha Itachi transformed into crows and flew away from the sky.
Hiruzen sat alone in his office chair, deep in thought, his aged face full of exhaustion.
He seemed to have aged even more.
...
Dojo courtyard.
Jokichi was preparing to take a shower and go to sleep.
Suddenly, a rain of feathers fell from the sky, and Uchiha Itachi's figure manifested amidst the feathers.
Jokichi paused his footsteps, looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Has everything been resolved?"
"Resolved," Itachi nodded indifferently.
"Is that so." A hint of a smile appeared on Jokichi's face, "Then congratulations."
Itachi was noncommittal. He gently shook his head, "I am here to say goodbye to you."
"Goodbye?"
"I killed Danzo. From now on, I am a Konoha missing-nin."
"..."
Jokichi fell silent.
The reason he helped Itachi, apart from wanting to find an expert to guide his training, was also the thought of changing the tragedy of the Uchiha clan.
After all, it was a regret left behind when watching the anime in his previous life.
Having come to this world, under the condition that it would not endanger himself, he would definitely try to change what could be changed.
However, he absolutely never expected that Itachi would kill Danzo.
Although he also hated Danzo very much, and if the other party provoked him, he would definitely make a move to kill him.
But Danzo was also an important plot character in Naruto. Dying right now, how much impact would that have on the future?
Jokichi could not imagine.
But at the very least, the original Sai was gone, and Aburame Torune might also hide in an uninhabited forest cabin for the rest of his life, living on unknown to anyone, until he died of old age meaninglessly.
As for other unknown people or things, they were even more countless.
This might be a good thing, but it could also lead the future to an uncontrollable and terrible state.
For the first time, Jokichi felt fearful of the butterfly's wings.
As an outsider, a casual action of his own might make originally existing things disappear.
"Sorry!"
Seeing that Jokichi did not speak, Itachi took the initiative to say, "We agreed back then to exchange my life and freedom for your help, but now I cannot fulfill that promise."
"No, it is nothing." Jokichi shook his head gently, indicating he did not mind.
In fact, the contract between the two was only a verbal agreement. Even if Itachi broke the contract, Jokichi could do nothing about it.
However, Jokichi knew that Itachi would not break the contract.
It was not trusting his character, but grasping his weak point.
Itachi was a person with a super strong conviction.
And dealing with a person possessing a super strong conviction, forced contracts and such were completely useless, because they completely did not care about other things. Only grasping their weak point would work.
Itachi's conviction was to protect Konoha and protect peace.
Jokichi had demonstrated to Itachi a power beyond common sense, a power capable of destroying Konoha and even the world, destroying peace.
And this power could not be controlled or eliminated by him.
Therefore, Itachi could only stay by Jokichi's side.
Monitor him, guide him, protect him...
To make the person grasping this power walk on the path of protecting goodness.
In fact, Itachi did not have to kill Danzo to resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and the village.
However, Jokichi was too immature.
Although he was considered precocious compared to his peers and also had items capable of gathering intelligence, he was still too immature in many aspects.
If Danzo and Root continued to exist, then Jokichi's abilities would definitely be discovered.
Jokichi's abilities were too heaven-defying; Danzo would definitely try every possible means to seize them.
Even if they could not be seized, he would want to control them in his hands.
But Itachi was very clear that this could not possibly succeed.
Just that Nine-Tails-like existence alone would require Konoha to gather the strength of the entire village to contend against, let alone that he also had the Mangekyo Sharingan and an unknown number of other things related to abilities.
Danzo's actions could not possibly succeed; they would only push Jokichi to the opposite side of Konoha.
If someone with ulterior motives caused trouble within and deliberately guided him, Jokichi might even go down a crooked path because of it, causing an ending he did not want to see.
Therefore, Danzo must die, and Root must be disbanded.
Sure enough, Itachi did not break the contract, just as Jokichi had thought.
He reached out his hand, and a crow landed on his arm. "I will give this crow to you. You can use it to contact me. No matter what it is, as long as it does not violate our original agreement, I will definitely do it for you."