Chapter 216: Isshiki and the Sage of Six Paths Exchange Blows, Sasuke's Lifelong Resources

They say a single glance can span ten thousand years—

Even though Isshiki concealed his aura, and the Sage of Six Paths was only in the form of a clone—

Otsutsuki can always sense each other!

The Sage of Six Paths and Isshiki stared at one another, neither uttering a single word—

Because neither of them knew of the other’s existence, or rather, there was a massive information gap between them.

When Isshiki was backstabbed by Kaguya, the Sage of Six Paths and Hamura hadn’t even been born yet.

Even later, while living with Kaguya, the Sage of Six Paths had only ever heard incredibly vague fragments of information.

And before Kaguya was sealed, the heavily injured Isshiki was on his last legs, merely clinging to life in the shinobi world. Let alone gathering intelligence, he spent the vast majority of his time in a deep slumber—

It was only within the last century that he gradually began to become active.

These two belonged to the category of having heard of each other’s reputations but lacking any further intelligence.

Unable to confirm each other’s true status, neither had factored the other into their plans.

Yet, through a bizarre twist of fate, the two of them bumped into each other in Konoha, all because of Hiruzen Sarutobi—

“Excuse me, sir—”

The Sage of Six Paths, wearing a towel around his head, broke into an enthusiastic smile. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you hungry? Let me make you a bowl of ramen!”

Isshiki’s heart stirred, and he smiled as well. “Sure—”

The two closed the distance. Isshiki sat at the counter, his gaze locked tightly on the Sage of Six Paths’ back.

Meanwhile, the Sage of Six Paths used his sensory abilities to meticulously scan Isshiki’s chakra.

Both Otsutsuki were secretly alarmed.

“How could an Otsutsuki of this purity still be hiding in the shinobi world?”

“His chakra is very similar to Kaguya’s, yet he makes me feel even more dangerous than that woman—”

“That foolish woman actually managed to produce decent offspring! To think he survived despite being separated from the Ten-Tails. It seems that ‘Pure Land’ truly was his creation, not a native product of the shinobi world—”

Isshiki’s expression remained unchanged, but alarms blared continuously in his mind!

If he were to fight the Sage of Six Paths right now, he would be in grave danger.

Because Isshiki was still in the state of a reincarnated vessel. Erupting with his full power would trigger Karma, and if he couldn’t find a suitable host before then, he would truly die—

“Where did this dangerous individual spring from? His chakra is somewhat similar to Mother’s—”

“He’s definitely not a descendant of Hamura. Rather, he’s a powerhouse likely from the same lineage as Mother. It seems those clansmen she refused to speak of during my youth have actually been wandering the shinobi world for this long—”

“Should I fight him?”

“He seems to be in an abnormal state, just like me. If I overdraw the power of the Pure Land, my trump card against Mother will be exposed. Furthermore, this goes against my intention of not interfering in the shinobi world—”

The Sage of Six Paths and Isshiki were in somewhat similar predicaments.

Both possessed immense power, but their ability to act was strictly limited.

Unless absolutely necessary, they would not use it—

The Sage of Six Paths quickly pondered the situation.

If it weren’t for Hiruzen Sarutobi—

Then perhaps the Sage of Six Paths truly would have exchanged blows with Isshiki. But after witnessing the Hokage’s potential to continuously shatter limits, and the path Konoha was currently walking—

The Sage of Six Paths thought of another possibility.

Because according to Konoha’s current trajectory, the vast majority of shinobi in the future would possess Hashirama’s cells and curse marks. Some would be high-purity, while others might just be degraded versions that were merely better than nothing.

But if it succeeded, it would alter a fundamental ironclad law of the shinobi world.

That law was: once a certain tier of life was reached—for instance, the power over all creation granted by the Rinnegan being a basic threshold—the weak no longer possessed the ability to harm the strong.

However, through the collective mastery of Natural Energy, coupled with the interconnected effects of chakra, and unified under the Will of Fire, perhaps the weak, by banding together, could also possess formidable combat capabilities—

At the very least, they could lend their light to the Hokage!

Just like back when Asura and Indra fought. Through the connection of chakra, he received the power of his comrades—

“If the shinobi world can defeat even Mother’s former opponent—”

“Wouldn’t that prove I was right all along? Even if Mother breaks free from her seal, I can righteously tell her that her attempt to turn the entire shinobi world into White Zetsus back then was wrong!”

“Our family can finally understand one another.”

The moment the Sage of Six Paths thought of this, his heart began to pound wildly.

This was incredibly risky—

But equally, if this scene could be realized, it would perfectly untie the obsession that had gripped his heart.

A true, grand reunion!

The ramen went into the bowl, topped with boiling pork bone broth and a generous amount of toppings. The Sage of Six Paths placed the Tonkotsu ramen in front of Isshiki. “Please, enjoy—”

Isshiki nodded and ate the noodles quite elegantly. The two Otsutsuki sat across from each other in silence.

Only after Isshiki finished eating did the Sage of Six Paths slowly ask: “What brings you here, customer?”

Isshiki’s heart sank; the true clash was about to begin!

But since the Sage of Six Paths hadn’t attacked immediately, it meant there was room to negotiate. Isshiki considered his words and said: “I came for the Lord Hokage—”

He was indeed interested in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s unique body.

Through Isshiki’s perception, Hiruzen Sarutobi was imitating the Kekkei Mora—an ability exclusive to certain Otsutsuki—in a very primitive and clumsy manner. This had sparked immense interest within him.

However, when Isshiki tried to sense him more closely, the noble Otsutsuki was surprised to find that he couldn’t clearly see through Hiruzen Sarutobi’s condition!

Isshiki knew he wasn’t at his peak, but he still considered himself an existence that could effortlessly crush inferior life forms like shinobi—

To put it in perspective:

His eyes were like an X-ray machine. Even if not at full power, theoretically, he should be able to see through any shinobi.

But the sealing jutsu within Hiruzen Sarutobi’s body acted like countless layers of thick rubber. While not a “lead plate” capable of completely blocking his vision, it severely interfered with Isshiki’s perception.

Without further utilizing his power, Isshiki could only catch glimpses of information intermittently.

This was also one of the reasons Isshiki decided to come to Konoha: to observe Hiruzen Sarutobi closely—

“For the Lord Hokage, you say?”

The Sage of Six Paths nodded thoughtfully, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at Isshiki. “I came here to open this shop because of the Lord Hokage as well. It seems we have quite the coincidence—”

Isshiki acutely caught the look in the Sage of Six Paths’ eyes, and his heart tightened.

“So the Hokage has already been targeted by another Otsutsuki! It makes sense. For Kaguya’s son to be able to counter-kill her, he must have an incredibly insidious nature. He must have been planning his revival for a long time—”

“Hiruzen Sarutobi is already the vessel chosen by another Otsutsuki!”

Isshiki steadied his mind and slowly said: “Is that so? However, after tasting your cooking, brother, I, who also intended to open a ramen shop, feel I definitely cannot compete with you—”

“I plan to keep looking around the shinobi world. For people like you and me, we can find a suitable place anywhere. There’s no need to clash over the same spot—”

“Wouldn’t you agree?”

Isshiki looked directly at the Sage of Six Paths, his words laden with implication.

The Sage of Six Paths narrowed his eyes; he had noticed the other party’s condition was very poor.

Combining this with the information Kaguya had once left behind, as an Otsutsuki himself, he roughly deduced Isshiki’s state.

While he still existed on a dimension that could crush the shinobi world, he might not be completely impossible to deal with.

For instance—

“If I give Hiruzen more hints, helping him quickly comprehend the construction of the next stage of the Kekkei Mora—”

“Then figure out a way to give the Nine-Tails a nudge, making it flexibly utilize chakra connection jutsu. As for the application of Natural Energy, I could also give Orochimaru a few pointers—”

“Then perhaps Konoha truly will have the capability to resist on its own—”

“Hiruzen’s words are very true: a state without external threats will perish. Although the challenge of the Otsutsuki is arduous, as long as they overcome this mountain, the shinobi world will undergo a qualitative transformation!”

As for the Sage of Six Paths saying he wouldn’t interfere in the shinobi world—

That applied to the previous situation!

Now that a clansman of Kaguya had suddenly popped up, the Sage of Six Paths felt that as long as he didn’t directly mobilize the Yin-Yang powers of the Six Paths from the Pure Land to suppress him, merely offering some guidance—

That was already more than fair!

Even if Kaguya herself were here, seeing the shinobi world manage to suppress Isshiki, she would likely be utterly astounded.

“It’s a pity Mother probably won’t be able to see this scene, trapped inside the moon…” The Sage of Six Paths suddenly felt a pang of regret, but there was nothing he could do.

If he let Kaguya out, given her level of madness after being sealed for a millennium—putting her sheer power aside—the shinobi world would truly turn into a chaotic mess—

No one would be able to control the board!

But what the Sage of Six Paths didn’t know was that Kaguya might actually emerge from the moon, and his efforts in pushing Hiruzen Sarutobi forward would objectively accelerate this process—

“You are absolutely right. For people with skills like ours, it’s always best to look out for one another.”

The Sage of Six Paths looked at Isshiki, saying softly, “I probably understand the shinobi world a bit better than you do. Where do you plan to go next? Tell me, perhaps I can be of assistance—”

Isshiki hesitated.

His other target was naturally Madara Uchiha. Saying it out loud would definitely expose his plans.

But considering the Sage of Six Paths had discovered Hiruzen Sarutobi before he did, Isshiki didn’t think the other party would be ignorant of the second vessel—

Even though Madara Uchiha had hidden himself very deeply in the shinobi world, they were Otsutsuki after all.

If they wanted to find something, they could always find it.

“I heard the Second Mizukage of the Land of Water has revived and even fought the Lord Hokage—”

“The Rinnegan, the legendary Sage’s eyes, appeared in his eye sockets. I plan to go there and track down the traces of the Sage. Do you have any good advice for me?”

Although Isshiki’s tone was as exceptionally polite as the Sage of Six Paths’, his posture had stiffened.

A suitable vessel for reincarnation was incredibly rare.

Isshiki felt he had already followed the rules of the Otsutsuki Clan. First come, first served—he had conceded Hiruzen Sarutobi to the Sage of Six Paths. Therefore, the one possessing the Rinnegan should be his!

He couldn’t just eat from his own bowl while staring at someone else’s, could he?

If he did, that would be a grudge concerning survival itself. Throwing away decorum and fighting it out would be completely justified!

The Sage of Six Paths instantly understood—

He was talking about the reincarnation of his eldest son, Madara Uchiha!

In an instant, the Sage of Six Paths’ mind raced.

Initially, he was somewhat resistant.

After all, Indra’s reincarnate was strictly speaking his son as well. If he was possessed or influenced by Isshiki, it would be very troublesome. But then he suddenly felt that this idea was feasible—

Perhaps it could solve the family issues that had plagued him for a millennium!

During his time observing the shinobi world up close in Konoha, the Sage of Six Paths had set aside his pride as a sage.

He studied the causes of war, listened to Konoha’s analytical lectures, and humbly learned a great deal.

Like A-Huo, he had mastered the concept of “transferable” thinking.

“Take the root cause of Kirigakure initiating the war as an example. When internal contradictions couldn’t be resolved, they introduced an external conflict to break the deadlock. Isn’t this exactly the model between Indra and me?”

His parental conflict with Indra hadn’t been resolved in a thousand years—

And Isshiki was the absolute best catalyst to act as this external conflict.

“Madara possesses the body of all creation. He is indeed an excellent vessel for an Otsutsuki, but trying to corrode him won’t be that easy.”

“Furthermore, I can help Madara maintain his sense of self. Contacting him isn’t difficult for me—”

“This Otsutsuki seems to want to reincarnate, but in reality, I can use Madara’s body as a cage to trap him. This is much safer than fighting him directly—”

“Right now, Indra is also reincarnated in Konoha. If Madara, the reincarnate most similar to him, is used by an Otsutsuki to attack the shinobi world, wouldn’t that prove I was right all along?”

“As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi can lead the shinobi world to take down this Otsutsuki—”

“Not only will I win the argument with Mother, but I will also make Indra realize I was right. Plus, Hiruzen, my successor, will be able to receive my true teachings, and the shinobi world will undergo sufficient tempering—”

“This is winning upon winning. It’s not a win-win, or a triple-win; it’s a quadruple-win situation!”

The prerequisite was that the Sage of Six Paths could act as the safety net.

And Hiruzen Sarutobi had to be able to withstand the pressure.

This obviously carried an element of a gamble—

But the Sage of Six Paths felt he could give it a try!

He had played it safe for over a thousand years, waiting until he finally found a shinobi who was not only talented but could also thoroughly implement the principles of Ninshu—

The way Hiruzen handled Kirigakure and the Land of Water, distinguishing it from any previous era in the shinobi world, elevated his status in the Sage of Six Paths’ heart to something quite similar to how Tenzo Hyuga viewed Kimimaro—

It belonged to the unique dynamic of the shinobi world where the inheritor of one’s ninja way was deemed more important than one’s biological son—

“That truly is an excellent destination. The legends of the Sage are worth investigating. I hope you find the opportunities you seek there.”

The Sage of Six Paths smiled and extended his hand toward Isshiki: “I feel an immediate kinship with you. Although it’s a pity we won’t be able to work in the same village in the future.”

“I hope we have the chance to meet again.”

Isshiki paused for a moment, then extended his own hand.

Having been in the shinobi world for so long, although his situation was far more miserable than during his peak, he still maintained a dignified mindset.

Usually, he would drink red wine and adopt the habits of the local nobility to maintain a high-class psychological state.

The hands of the two Otsutsuki gripped each other firmly.

They tested each other’s strength in their own unique ways. Only after a long while did the two let go.

“Goodbye.”

Isshiki had confirmed it: the man was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Swiftly leaving Konoha, the territory claimed by the Sage of Six Paths, was the smart move.

Isshiki felt that this was only because the Sage of Six Paths’ condition was just as abnormal as his own. Otherwise, they would probably already be at the stage of mutually devouring their own kind—

And once they both successfully reincarnated, fighting over the Tailed Beasts would likely be inevitable.

“Goodbye.”

The Sage of Six Paths watched Isshiki depart.

He had also confirmed it: his plan was viable—

Compared to his mother at her peak, this opponent was very weak. If an extreme accident occurred, mobilizing the full power of the Pure Land could serve as a safety net.

The Sage of Six Paths was willing to take this gamble for Hiruzen Sarutobi!

And it was also a challenge to resolve his thousand-year-old family issues with his eldest son and his mother—

After Konoha’s grand strategy was established.

The situation in the shinobi world rapidly shifted from an all-out war to localized conflicts, occurring primarily on the borders of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth.

These served as live-combat training grounds for Konoha shinobi.

Within Konoha, and the territories operating under its broader framework—Amegakure, Kirigakure, and the Rouran region—the livelihood of the people had been restored to stability. Only a portion of shinobi and commanders went to the frontlines in organized rotations—

For Iwagakure and Kumogakure, their nerves had to remain perpetually taut, stuck in an incredibly agonizing state.

They knew full well that Konoha was using them as whetstones, yet they had no choice but to endure it. They ordered their own shinobi to hold their positions as best they could, inadvertently matching Konoha’s intensity—

Until their core combat forces recovered from their injuries. Both Kumogakure and Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki were heavily wounded, and the Fourth A had lost an arm—

Onoki and the Third Raikage didn’t even dare to launch surprise attacks on Konoha’s forces, fearing they might infuriate the enemy, causing the newly freed-up Hiruzen Sarutobi to take the field personally and escalate the localized war to an uncontrollable level—

Although both of them knew that after the war ended, Konoha would develop even more ferociously.

But under the current circumstances, fighting Konoha to the bitter end now would spell utter annihilation for both Iwagakure and Kumogakure; there would absolutely be no good outcome.

Conversely, by playing it safe and surviving, they would at least have the qualifications to talk about the future.

What if internal problems arose within Konoha?

After all, during Konoha’s peak, when they boasted two legendary shinobi, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the village had collapsed overnight—

Or perhaps Kumogakure and Iwagakure would research epoch-making jutsu or technology; it wasn’t impossible!

Examples like Kekkei Tota and the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths proved it could be done—

The Third Raikage and Onoki reached a consensus.

They would just continue serving as Konoha’s sparring partners for now, acting as punching bags that only took hits but never struck back, at least until their villages’ Jinchuriki recovered.

And the best-case scenario would be feigning an opening to lure key Konoha shinobi deep into their heartland, capturing them alive to use as bargaining chips in negotiations with Konoha, aiming to sign a long-term peace treaty—

But the problem was, Konoha’s various commanders executed Hiruzen Sarutobi’s orders impeccably.

Only Danzo harbored strange ideas in his heart, but it hadn’t been his turn to go to the battlefield lately.

Furthermore, there was the existence of the Flying Raijin jutsu—

And so, the localized war dragged on continuously.

Meanwhile, within Konoha, the dividends and resources brought by the war were being rapidly digested.

The Sage of Six Paths also made his move.

First, he made further minor adjustments to the stone monument placed in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s office, allowing it to display even more content, clarifying the methods of chakra fusion and the structure of the Kekkei Mora—

Hiruzen Sarutobi had Isshiki to thank for this.

If it weren’t for the pressure caused by Isshiki’s appearance, the Sage of Six Paths likely wouldn’t have been so straightforward in imparting his teachings, probably still thinking about using ramen to hint at jutsu through abstract concepts—

Not only that, but the Sage of Six Paths also took a stroll through Konoha’s Scientific Research Department. Utilizing his heaven-shaking comprehension of Natural Energy and Sage Mode, he tweaked Orochimaru’s experimental data on curse marks.

This left Orochimaru utterly bewildered when he arrived at the Research Department the next day.

How did the completely tangled mess of the advanced curse mark construct suddenly resolve itself overnight?

In all his years of doing scientific research, he had never encountered anything like this. The results felt as if they had fallen from the sky, leaving a rather unpleasant taste in Orochimaru’s mouth—

Where were his effort and sweat?

It made it seem like it was just a gift of luck—

Under the leadership of Kimimaro, Kisame, Mei Terumi, Yuki, and Yagura Karatachi, Kirigakure shinobi headed to the frontlines in batches, integrating into mixed squads with Konoha shinobi and the Amegakure forces led by Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko.

Various Konoha Committee Members also took on the roles of commanders, honing their experience in every aspect—

Hiruzen Sarutobi, meanwhile, continued his silent cultivation.

Just like Orochimaru, he would often find the answer inexplicably lying before him right when he was wracking his brain over an unsolvable construct—

However, unlike Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t overthink it. Once he confirmed the structural logic was sound, he immediately began cultivating it.

Particle Style, the five-element cycle of the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration, and the advanced architecture of kekkei composite threads were enough to keep him busy—

And the rest of the Konoha shinobi weren’t resting either; everyone was strengthening themselves.

A year passed by rapidly in this atmosphere of development and cultivation.

One year later.

Konoha.

Asuma, whose physique was now approaching adulthood, returned from the frontline battlefield. Standing at the entrance of the Police Force, he pinched Itachi’s cheeks and laughed heartily: “Oh ho! If it isn’t Uncle Fugaku’s son, Itachi!”

“You’re almost at the age to enter the Academy, aren’t you? Are you confident about passing the entrance exam?”

At this moment, Asuma finally understood why adults loved saying lukewarm things to tease him when he was a kid.

Because seeing Itachi puff out his cheeks was genuinely fun.

“Big Brother Asuma, you’re looking down on me too much—”

Itachi muttered softly: “I do possess a bit of talent as a ninja, you know.”

Forget about not passing the Academy entrance exam; if he didn’t take first place, Itachi would feel he had disgraced Big Brother Ao—

He wouldn’t even know how to face his father, Fugaku, when he went home!

However, the current Fugaku didn’t actually put much pressure on Itachi anymore.

As a genius educator, he had realized the benefits of an “autopilot” approach. He completely ignored Itachi and Sasuke, letting the two boys develop freely—

Relying on his “Mangekyo: Takemikazuchi,” he currently had abundant inspiration for the development of Magnet Style.

Having also acquired the research data of the Third Kazekage and Rasa, he spent his days immersed in studying his “Uchiha Magnetic Field Martial Arts.”

However, Itachi was somewhat worried about this; he felt Magnet Style wasn’t good for the brain—

Because Fugaku would occasionally get confused by the magnetic fields, saying inexplicable things that made Itachi feel his “domineering intent” to serve Lord Hokage and protect the Will of Fire—

“You want to take first place, do you?”

“Don’t underestimate your peers. From what I know, just Big Brother Orochimaru’s disciple, Kabuto, and Lady Mito’s god-grandson, Yamato, are entering the Academy with you—”

“Those two are definitely not to be trifled with.”

Asuma raised his eyebrows and said: “Yamato inherited the First Lord’s Wood Style. Although I feel his development direction is a bit weird—more akin to the architecture department, or accelerating the growth of various plants… you might as well call it ‘Architecture Wood Style and Grass Style.'”

“But his proficiency in sealing jutsu is definitely not lacking. After all, he’s a child raised by Lady Mito.”

“And then there’s Kabuto. This kid is someone even my old man likes. They say he’s very similar to Orochimaru when he was a child. To understand scientific research at his age, be proficient in medical ninjutsu, and have already signed a contract with the Ryuchi Cave—”

Itachi listened, his head throbbing. He felt as though the Asuma standing before him was a demon.

Why say these things that give people so much pressure?!

“Well, well—”

“In Konoha, you’ll have to experience these things eventually. Don’t think you can stand out just because you have a bit of talent. If our village lacks anything, it certainly isn’t geniuses; you can grab a handful of them anywhere—”

Asuma shrugged: “Look at me. Even though I possess Steel Release and Swift Release, and asked Teacher Kakuzu to widen my chakra pathways with Earth Grudge Fear, will I ever catch up to my father in this lifetime?”

Itachi deadpanned, watching Asuma pull out a cigarette, and remarked sarcastically: “Big Brother Asuma could, at most, compete with Lord Hokage in smoking—”

“You little brat!” Asuma laughed, shaking his head. “I’m trying to tell you to set your mentality straight. Just focus on your studies and do well in school. I saw you from a distance, a little kid with such a bitter face. How can someone your age have such heavy tear troughs—”

“Forget about my old man. Let me walk you through the current Konoha Committee Members and shinobi from other regions.”

“One-Tail Jinchuriki Nagato, Three-Tails Jinchuriki Kimimaro, Six-Tails Jinchuriki Shio Uzumaki, Seven-Tails Jinchuriki Tomie Uchiha. Just these four represent towering mountains among the new generation—”

After Kumogakure and Iwagakure tightened their frontlines, the Seven-Tails of Takigakure was swiftly captured by Kakuzu, Minato, and Tobirama. The three of them executed a blitzkrieg, seizing it with lightning speed, and then literally kicked to death the ignorant Takigakure hawks—

Reenacting the events of fifty years ago.

It was worth mentioning that after Shio Uzumaki became the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, she thanked the Nine-Tails and returned its chakra. Subsequently, she focused entirely on communicating with the Six-Tails to avoid any conflict.

Not everyone could be like Hiruzen Sarutobi, preparing to experiment with fusing nine different chakras within their body—

After receiving its chakra back from Shio Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails began playing the role of “Yao Lao” from Ninja Breaking the Heavens within the village. Whenever it saw a talented shinobi, it would bestow a portion of Tailed Beast chakra upon them—

The amount wasn’t massive, just enough to manifest a standard Tailed Beast Cloak.

Yet this caused the Nine-Tails’ reputation and status in the village to skyrocket at an astonishing rate, turning it into a Konoha Committee Member truly respected by everyone.

The Tailed Beast faction was developing at breakneck speed!

After all, who wouldn’t like a little fox that went around throwing money at people?

It was truly behaving like the foolish son of the Sage of Six Paths—

“Among the middle generation, I won’t even mention my old man’s three disciples. Big Brother Jiraiya has become even more proficient with Sage Mode; Big Brother Orochimaru has also mastered Sage Mode, and even helped your father, Sakumo, and Committee Member Hizashi upgrade their curse marks—”

“I heard the First Lord’s first batch of universally applicable cells is about to be deployed on a large scale soon. Committee Member Genma Kurama was said to be the first to receive the enhanced transplant, and it had excellent effects on their clan’s kekkei genkai illness.”

“I heard they even learned the ‘Water Mirror Jutsu’ from the Kirigakure region. When powered by true genjutsu, the might is immense!”

“And you know about your father. With his Magnet Style, he’s now more formidable than the deceased Third Kazekage—”

Asuma raised an eyebrow: “You’ll probably learn Magnet Style in the future too; that jutsu of his can be acquired through training.”

Itachi frowned in distress.

Magnet Style was indeed a good jutsu—

But due to Fugaku’s stereotypical behavior, Itachi always felt that Magnet Style was bad for the brain and unsuitable for cultivation—

If worse comes to worst, let his younger brother Sasuke learn it. After all, it is their father’s legacy; as the older brother, he should yield—

“And then there’s Sister Tsunade—”

At the mention of this name, both Asuma and Itachi sighed.

Even though one was the Hokage’s son and the other the Uchiha Clan Head’s son, in terms of status, neither could compare to the utterly transcendent Tsunade.

She was the one who had saved the most comrades during the Great Ninja War, the one with the purest bloodline—

Yet she remained the same: other than her teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, she would tear into anyone she found displeasing.

Even Fugaku, who had cultivated to the point where his mind was a bit murky, would instinctively shudder upon seeing Tsunade.

Hats; they really helped clear one’s vision.

“Let me list a few more for you—”

“I almost forgot about the evil blonde. Word is he’s highly compatible with both the curse marks and Lord Hashirama’s cells. With his mastery of the Flying Raijin jutsu, he’s half a tier above the four Jinchuriki. And he also holds a summoning contract with Mount Myoboku—”

“I heard Committee Member Nine-Tails even gave this blonde special treatment, handing Shio Uzumaki’s chakra over to him—” Asuma looked resentful: “I feel like I’ll never be able to beat him in this lifetime. All my Academy memories are just his face!”

“And among my peers, there’s Kakashi, who’s mastered Storm Style and kenjutsu; Guy, who’s proficient in the Eight Inner Gates; and Brother Ao, who practically raised you—”

Asuma said with a chuckle: “I heard that after Brother Ao returns from the battlefield this time, he’ll begin mastering the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Perhaps he’ll become Konoha’s sixth Jinchuriki, just sealing a monster instead of a Tailed Beast—”

After Konoha entered its new phase.

A major talent of a shinobi was reflected in their physical adaptability.

Being able to withstand more powerful curse marks and Hashirama’s cells would drastically raise their upper limit.

The same applied to finding suitable energy entities to stuff into one’s body.

Becoming a “Jinchuriki” in the broad sense had already become a widely accepted trend among Konoha shinobi.

Itachi felt his head spinning more and more. Was he really not that much of a genius?

There were simply too many capable people in the village—

And right at this moment.

The heterochromatic-eyed Nagato walked over and greeted Asuma with a smile: “Yo, here you are?”

“Big Brother Nagato, what brings you here?” Asuma asked, pleasantly surprised.

“What are you talking about? I’ve already moved to Konoha. I’m a person of this village now—”

Nagato rolled his eyes; he had learned this from Masamune Hyuga.

Nowadays, Yahiko and Konan had also officially registered their residence and, persuaded by Hanzo, moved to Konoha.

They could still care about the development of the Amegakure Province of Konoha from afar.

But the point was, if young people wanted to advance, they had to build their network in Konoha—

Konoha was the center of everything, and this was obvious and unchanging.

Always staying in Amegakure offered no future.

Furthermore, if Nagato and the others didn’t respond to the call for outstanding talents to enter Konoha, it could easily be interpreted by other factions in the village as “opposition” or “independence.” Amegakure’s talents flowing into Konoha was the general trend.

Even if there was a return flow of talent later, they first had to live in Konoha for a period and establish their identity.

“Hey, hey, Nagato!”

“Let me tell you, this bastard Nine-Tails is building factions! Why is it handing out chakra everywhere? It’s blatantly distributing gold beans; it’s bribery!”

“If it keeps this up, even the Chunin guarding the gates will have received a portion of its chakra!”

From within Nagato’s body came the shrill voice of a tanuki. It was, surprisingly, the One-Tail.

After Nagato became its Jinchuriki, the One-Tail found this red-haired, heterochromatic-eyed monster to be quite a decent person, and getting along with him was rather pleasant.

All it could say was, he truly lived up to being the Young Master of the old man’s family—

If you wanted to be a Jinchuriki, you should have just said so!

After settling comfortably within Nagato’s body, the One-Tail, having been mercilessly mocked by the fox, entered a darkened state.

Under Hanzo’s guidance, it swiftly found its new positioning within Konoha.

Join the Tailed Beast faction’s little circle?

Absolutely not!

It, the great One-Tail, was going to be the most unique entity among Konoha’s Tailed Beasts. It was going to fiercely supervise the Nine-Tails!

Only by doing so could it possess unique value to the Hokage—

“Stop yelling, stop yelling. Committee Member Nine-Tails did give the shinobi a bit of extra chakra, but it has no control effects. It even serves as a bridge to a certain extent, allowing them to communicate telepathically—”

Nagato’s face darkened: “Just give it up. It was personally appointed by Lord Hokage as a hereditary Konoha Committee Member. The position was specifically created for it.”

“Moreover, Lady Mito serves as its Jinchuriki. You can’t beat it!”

The tanuki let out a shrill screech: “That stinking fox is just lucky! I won’t listen, and I refuse to accept this!”

Itachi watched this scene in stunned silence.

Were the conflicts between Tailed Beasts this severe too?

The village was simply too complicated—

“So, don’t put extra pressure on yourself. Kids should act like kids.”

Asuma smiled and shook his head: “Cherish your time in the Academy! Your most pressing task right now is to pray your practical guidance Jonin isn’t an obnoxiously sunny shinobi like Minato—”

At this point, Asuma suddenly lit a cigarette, exhaling a puff of smoke sorrowfully: “Speaking of which, Obito has been gone for a long time. Last time Kakashi visited his grandmother; it’s my turn to go see the old lady!”

After Obito’s “death,” Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and a group of their Academy classmates would find time to go to Obito’s house to help his grandmother clean and take care of her daily needs.

The village also provided financial allocations for official condolence visits in such situations—

And Obito’s grandmother’s reaction had brought Kakashi, Rin, and many Konoha shinobi to tears.

Upon learning that Obito had sacrificed himself on the battlefield, the elderly woman merely said: “Did Obito act according to the Will of Fire on the battlefield? If he did, then that is good—”

Itachi nodded silently.

The fact that he could live and go to school peacefully in the village was entirely thanks to this.

“Back then, Obito wanted to be cool like Minato, learning powerful space-time ninjutsu and taijutsu so he could show off ruthlessly in front of you Academy students—”

“Sigh.” Asuma shook his head: “Let’s not talk about this! There have been some changes on the frontlines recently. It seems the Jinchuriki of Iwagakure and Kumogakure have recovered, so their aggressiveness has increased, but their defenses aren’t as tight as before—”

“Perhaps there will be another major battle, or maybe peace talks. Who can say for sure?”

“Anyway, Danzo and Big Brother Ao are on the frontlines. With their experience and the Flying Raijin jutsu, even if there are fluctuations in the battle lines, nothing should go wrong—”

Nagato nodded: “That’s right, just rest easy. The village isn’t afraid of fighting a war now—”

Nagato and Asuma chatted a bit more.

After they parted ways, Itachi took a stroll through the village.

Following Asuma’s comforting words, the pressure in his heart had indeed lessened significantly. After all, there really were too many geniuses.

The village’s main theme was “there’s always someone better behind a capable person”—

“But what should my younger brother do?”

“Sigh, it’s all Father’s fault for letting Sister Tomie be his teacher! Sasuke is young now, so it’s not a big problem, but once he grows up, he’ll definitely be compared to Naruto—”

The constant competition between Shio Uzumaki and Tomie Uchiha was still a popular topic of conversation in the village.

And disciples, as the inheritors of their ninja ways, were inevitably a part of their mutual rivalry.

This was a certainty—

Just thinking about this gave Itachi a headache.

It wouldn’t be impossible for his younger brother to learn their father’s Magnet Style, but compared to Naruto, the disciple of Shio Uzumaki, the resources available to them were vastly different!

On Naruto’s side, he had Mito and the Nine-Tails as elders, and Minato and Kushina as parents. The resources were visibly maxed out.

Itachi heard that Naruto wasn’t just receiving massive amounts of Nine-Tails chakra, but would also cultivate the exact same jutsu as Lord Hokage—

How much pressure would that put on Sasuke!

The moment he thought of this, Itachi became depressed, preemptively worrying for his younger brother.

And as he walked through Konoha, Itachi surprisingly spotted Sasuke.

At his current age, Sasuke was at peak adorableness.

Not only was he a little tyke, but his voice squeaked like a little duckling, and when he smiled, he looked incredibly cute, almost like a little girl.

Many adults in the village adored him.

Right now, Sasuke was inside Ichiraku Ramen, sitting beside the Sage of Six Paths with an adorable expression, eating a piping hot bowl of ramen while listening to the Sage tell him nursery rhymes from the shinobi world.

Upon seeing Sasuke, the Sage of Six Paths was astounded to discover that an Indra reincarnate could be this emotionally stable and incredibly cute—

The heart of an old father, separated from his eldest son for a millennium, was instantly pierced through its defenses by the combination of Sasuke’s cuteness and Indra’s chakra.

A toddler Indra holding his hand and calling him “Uncle is so nice”—

Could the Sage handle this?

This was truly top-tier substitution, the kind that surpassed the original—

“Ah, Sasuke is asking where the moon came from?” After Sasuke finished eating, the Sage of Six Paths skillfully lifted him onto his shoulders, saying with a beaming smile: “That was created by the Sage!”

“Later on, Uncle Ichiraku will teach Sasuke how to make a little moon, okay?”

Sasuke chuckled happily: “Okay! Uncle Ichiraku is the best—”

The other customers in the shop all chuckled good-naturedly, assuming he was just playing with the child.

“Sigh, Sasuke really is something, always running over here.”

Itachi rubbed his forehead and sighed. He actually felt Sasuke was wasting time doing this.

It wasn’t that he, as an older brother, wanted to put pressure on Sasuke.

But the issue with Tomie and Shio was ever-present, and Naruto was clearly somewhat like Konoha’s Crown Prince—

If he didn’t lay a solid foundation now, when he grew up and people’s expectations of him rose, he would definitely suffer internally.

Constantly playing ‘airplane’ with a ramen shop owner wouldn’t help his cultivation at all—

“Forget it, as long as Sasuke is happy—”

Itachi ultimately chose not to disturb Sasuke.

After all, the village was different now—

Even the son of a Konoha Committee Member and the disciple of another, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he grew up to be a ramen shop owner. He didn’t necessarily have to become a powerful shinobi—

But what Itachi didn’t know was…

Sasuke had inadvertently triggered the ultimate rule-based horror game. The Sage of Fairness was about to exert his power!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the shinobi world.

Madara Uchiha stared at Obito, who was training, and then reviewed A-Huo’s report.

Danzo and Ao were on the frontlines—

Iwagakure and Kumogakure had a strategy: feigning a counterattack to lure the enemy in—

It seemed the next phase of Konoha’s trials could begin!