Calmly, he spoke.
He understood Danzo all too well. Using the excuse of doing everything "for the village," Danzo had ruled the darkness of Konoha through Root. In Danzo's eyes, his life was filled with moments of greatness.
In other words, he valued his life far too much. To the extent that if there was even a sliver of a chance to escape, he would take it without hesitation.
"Oh please," White Fang rolled his eyes. He was sure Orochimaru wasn't praising their leader.
...
Next to the Konoha camp, within the Senju clan's designated area.
At that moment, Senju Yukika looked at Tsunade with a somewhat helpless expression.
Truthfully, when he said he was "overexerted," he just didn't feel like attending that boring meeting.
Sure, Cero Oscuras was indeed a burden on his current body, but it wasn't as dramatic as he claimed. Just one Cero. If Yukika pushed himself, he could even fire two in a row.
That would be true overexertion.
With the Senju clan's strong physique, plus the regenerative abilities inherited from Ulquiorra's Hollow powers, he had already mostly recovered by the time they got back to camp.
Still, Tsunade insisted he undergo a full-body check-up.
"Hmph, put this on," Tsunade said, tossing a robe at Yukika, her face a little flushed.
A full-body check naturally meant checking every part of him. So at the moment, Yukika wasn't wearing anything.
But...
Tsunade had to admit one thing:
Her younger cousin had grown up.
"Told you I was fine," Yukika muttered lazily as he draped the Senju robe over himself and slumped into Tsunade's arms.
The Senju clan's first battle had gone exceedingly well.
Regardless of what the other villages thought, morale among their clan members was soaring, and the Konoha shinobi now held deep respect for the Senju who had saved their lives.
That was exactly the effect Yukika wanted.
"Yukika, I have a question," Tsunade said, holding her cousin, a note of hesitation in her voice.
"It's about the wings, and that light…"
Of course it was.
Yukika wasn't surprised in the slightest.
He had shown off those abilities specifically to inspire his clan.
To give them hope once again.
Since the days of Senju Hashirama, the Senju clan hadn't manifested any unique kekkei genkai. Aside from their renowned vitality and exceptional chakra reserves, there wasn't much else. No one had awakened Wood Release again for decades.
Many in the clan attributed this to the new generation not being as gifted as the First Hokage.
But that wasn't entirely true.
Wood Release wasn't just a simple combination of water and earth chakra. It was a unique ability passed down from Asura himself.
Even those who forcibly obtained it—like Yamato—barely scratched the surface.
True Wood Release was a fusion of both its technique and Asura's essence.
So it wasn't surprising that no one else in the Senju clan had awakened it.
But now, with Yukika's appearance, their hopes were reignited—on a completely different path.
"Shizune told me… that you might be able to let all of us use that light…" Tsunade said, eyes full of hopeful light. "Is that true?"
She had seen that light's power firsthand.
If the entire Senju clan could wield it—just how terrifying would that be?
"Of course," Yukika replied calmly.
He had said it before—his power, the Black-Winged Demon, had been enhanced by the system.
In the future, he would even be able to open a Garganta, summoning more Hollows with the form of a Vasto Lorde.
In other words—
He wasn't fighting alone. He had the entire Hollow realm behind him.
Of course, integrating Senju clan members with Hollow physiology would require extensive experimentation, assistance from the system, and a certain item from the shop: the Prototype Hōgyoku.
Even just turning them into lesser Hollows would give the Senju clan immense power boosts.
Which is why—
Orochimaru was his first target.
Uncle Snake longed for immortality.
And Hollows… their lives bordered on eternity.
He wouldn't be able to resist.