Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

Madara Uchiha defected from Konoha.

...

three days later.

Shen Er gathered information about himself in a tavern.

It's a bounty from Takigakure.

[A bounty is offered for the traitorous ninjas Kakuzu and Natsuyuki from Takigakure. Bring them back to Takigakure alive: 75 million taels of silver; their corpses: 35 million taels of silver.]

The reason was not given, but the bounty was twice as much.

They're probably thinking of taking back the Earth Grudge from him and Kakuzu; what a clever scheme.

Shen Er took a sip of wine.

The "Xia Youjie" on the bounty poster was his code name in the ninja world. Apart from Kakuzu, who had just parted ways with him, and the elders whose clans were wiped out, no one knew his real name.

From the very first day he transmigrated, he had already planned to defect.

For ten years, he lived a secluded life, wearing a mask and other coverings to conceal his face, all for this day. After his defection, he discarded all those disguises, changed his name, and no one knew his true identity.

Of course, this is the ninja world.

A ninja's chakra and signature techniques are like anti-counterfeiting marks; they cannot be hidden or altered.

Shen Er plans to go to Konoha.

To be on the safe side, a name and appearance alone are not enough; he needs to create a completely new identity and disguise for himself.

Shen Er, a doctor from a faraway country with a heart full of love.

This was his plan.

Entering Konoha as an outsider makes it virtually impossible to get close to the hearts of ninjas.

He needs a profession that perfectly complements his goal of plundering hearts.

The medical profession is the perfect fit.

Shen Er's medical skills are actually not bad.

As a taijutsu ninja, learning to heal oneself is a required course. In addition, having been a medical student in his previous life, he had mastered quite a few medical ninjutsu techniques over ten years of intermittent study.

While not among the top ninjas, it's more than enough to forge an identity and infiltrate Konoha.

Moreover, he now possesses the Earthly Grudge.

In my past life, I often came across a joke that Kakuzu was best suited to be a surgeon.

Now, he has truly put his knowledge to practical use.

...

Shen Er returned to the inn, clapped his hands, and summoned the spirit of Di Yuan Yu.

A tangled ball of black thread.

"The little thing looks rather unique."

Shen Er remained unfazed, swallowed the black thread whole, and instantly refined it.

The Earthly Grudge then merged with his heart.

A strange power spread throughout his body, transforming and strengthening his physical form.

Similar to the parasitic creatures in "Parasyte," they both exist by parasitizing the bodies of their hosts.

Releasing the Earthly Grief is a bit troublesome; it requires making an opening in the body so that the black lines can emerge from it.

Shen clicked his tongue lightly, finally understanding that the stitches all over Kakuzu's body were a necessary condition for releasing the Earth Grudge.

"That's so ugly..."

A person's reputation matters.

Shen Er, who did not need to fight the Earth Grudge for the time being, simply made a cut on each of his left and right hands to release the Earth Grudge.

Following the instructions recorded in the secret manual, Shen'er began his training.

...

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Having already mastered the use of the Earthly Grudge Technique, Shen'er began the first step of her plan.

Plunder the heart.

They even went to a certain underground gold exchange to lie in wait and seriously injured five ninjas in a row.

While they still had a breath left, they raised their hands and released the Earthly Wraith, which enveloped and devoured their hearts.

bang bang bang bang...

My heart beats powerfully, like an emperor's engine.

While granting him life force, the meridians above the ninja's heart, connected by the Earth Grudge Fear, allowed Shen to master a new chakra attribute.

"Wind, thunder, water, fire, earth, I have everything I need now."

Shen Er clenched his fist, feeling the abundant life force and power within his body.

The Earth Grudge Fear technique was truly a miraculous secret art; even using the hearts of ordinary ninjas of average quality, it greatly enhanced his power.

But it's hard to say that it caused a qualitative change in Shen'er.

Firstly, he fights using taijutsu rather than ninjutsu; secondly, the chakra attribute he obtains by plundering hearts does not essentially belong to him and cannot be fused and evolved into bloodline limits, bloodline elimination, or bloodline nets.

Ultimately, it's an external force...

However, he was not discouraged.

With a lifespan almost equal to that of heaven and earth, he possesses limitless potential.

After taking these ninja corpses from the gold exchange, they handed them over to the gold exchange in exchange for a large sum of bounty money.

Shen Er began the second step of his plan.

Impersonating a doctor.

Although he was imposters, he was actually practicing medicine.

Starting from Tanabata Street, they headed towards Konoha, using medical ninjutsu to treat the sick and save lives in various villages and towns along the way, charging only a symbolic "1 ryo" for treatment.

He would tell everyone he met about his fabricated life story.

A gambling father, a sick mother, and he himself inherited the skills of a renowned old doctor. His homeland was ravaged by war, and he was determined to bring peace and take away the pain... His poignant narration brought tears to everyone's eyes and deepened their respect for him.

One month later.

As Shen'er's fame grew, his reputation spread throughout the Land of Fire: "Divine Healer Shen'er," "Bodhisattva Shen'er," "Saint Shen'er," and so on.

Feeling that the time was right, Shen Er finally arrived at Konoha Village.

Standing at the village entrance and gazing into the distance, one can see the familiar Hokage Rock. However, at present, only the large head of Hashirama Senju is carved on the Hokage Rock.

"...Finally, we've arrived in Konoha."

Shen Er was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Ten years have passed since I traveled through time.

He finally made his way from one village to another.

At this time, Konoha was still in its early stages, and the buildings were not yet large in scale.

The Anbu and the Police Department have not yet been established, but the ninjas responsible for guarding the village have already been assigned.

The atmosphere in Konoha was tense due to Madara Uchiha's defection some time ago.

Just as Shen Er approached, a ninja with white eyes immediately stopped him: "Stop! Who goes there?!"

Rolling my eyes...

Ninjas of the Hyuga clan.

Shen said calmly, "My name is Shen, and I am a doctor."

"Doctor?" The Hyuga ninja hesitated. "You have chakra?"

"When traveling around practicing medicine, one always needs some means to protect oneself."

"Wait... I need to report to my superiors."

"No need to report!"

Just then.

A loud, carefree voice suddenly rang out.

A tall, imposing man clad in red ninja armor strode quickly from the village. "I have long heard of the renowned physician Shen'er. Welcome to Konoha."

The newcomer was none other than Hashirama Senju, hailed as the God of Shinobi!

Shen Er: "..."

He never expected that he would encounter a BOSS right after leaving the beginner village.

Chapter 3 Only those who gain recognition can become Hokage.

"Lord Hashirama!"

"Lord Hokage!"

The guards at the village entrance all bowed in salute.

Shen Er's heart was beating very fast.

Facing Hashirama Senju directly gave him a sense of oppression, as if he were being scorched by the sun.

It wasn't fear, but the suffocating feeling caused by the disparity in strength.

He was too weak, while Hashirama was too strong.

Even if he were to be clear-headed, if his plan to plunder hearts were exposed, no matter how many hearts he had, with the blessing of the Earth Grudge, he would be easily annihilated by Hashirama with a single slap.