Among the three paths to becoming stronger, the second one—activating the Infinite Tsukuyomi—was a final gamble born of despair. It was a scorched-earth tactic that would sever the future of the shinobi world. Unless it truly reached the final hour, Shinji would not choose this path.
Therefore, the only viable options were the first and third.
Regarding the first path—planting the tree—Shinji was already quite experienced thanks to his recent endeavor on T33.
Furthermore, the planetary energy T33 sacrificed at the end had allowed Shinji's Divine Tree to rapidly replenish most of its energy even after condensing a Chakra Fruit.
In other words, Shinji only needed to select another planet to host the Divine Tree for a short duration, and the tree would be fully charged to condense the next Chakra Fruit.
"Which planet should I choose?"
Shinji rubbed his chin.
Although the amount of planetary energy he needed to absorb this time was small and would not cause an ecological disaster, it was still a form of pillaging. It would inevitably affect all living beings on the planet. Therefore, it was best to choose a world already targeted by a Hegemon, similar to T33.
"The shinobi world is definitely out. Once the Divine Tree is planted here, the spatial barrier will be weakened. The Hegemon of Terror would likely seize the opportunity to infiltrate further..."
Shinji first thought of the shinobi world but immediately dismissed it.
If the world weren't already targeted by a Hegemon, briefly planting the Divine Tree wouldn't matter much to a world with such abundant planetary energy.
However, the shinobi world was already enduring an invasion. At this juncture, any action that depleted its energy would only accelerate the Hegemon's progress.
His next thought turned to the Sixth Ring World, which shared a similar fate.
His expression darkened slightly.
If Glory Alice's plan proceeded smoothly—luring the Propagation Hegemon from T33 to clash with the Plague Hegemon targeting the Sixth Ring World—he could copy that strategy. He could lure another Hegemon from a different world to combat the Hegemon of Terror.
But if the plan failed or backfired, accelerating the demise of the Sixth Ring World, then utilizing that world to plant the tree one last time before its destruction—just as he did with T33—would be a viable choice.
"But what about the next sacrifice?"
Shinji felt troubled once again by the requirement of a sacrifice.
The Divine Tree didn't lack much energy; with Shinji's current strength, he could find ways to top it off if he set aside his pride.
Sacrifices, however, were different. An Otsutsuki was not easy to find.
In the current shinobi world, those who qualified as Otsutsuki were only Shinji, Toneri, and the sealed Otsutsuki Kaguya. Others, such as the brothers of the Sage of Six Paths who only remained as spirits, likely no longer met the requirements for a sacrifice.
Shinji certainly had to exclude himself. Toneri was a subordinate and obviously couldn't be a sacrifice. After tallying the options, the only sacrifice currently available to be offered to the Divine Tree was the "Ancestor of Chakra" herself, Otsutsuki Kaguya.
"Kaguya is a Kekkei Mora; her chakra level is the same as mine..."
Shinji pondered silently.
While he was confident he could defeat a weakened Otsutsuki Kaguya, he was hesitant to sacrifice a Kekkei Mora level Otsutsuki to the Divine Tree. After all, Otsutsuki Kaguya was essentially the second most powerful existence in the shinobi world after him. Sacrificing her would effectively deplete the overall foundation of the shinobi world's strength.
But if he didn't choose Otsutsuki Kaguya, he had no other sacrifice for the Divine Tree.
"Unless..."
Shinji had a thought, remembering Otsutsuki Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki—the trio who arrived in the shinobi world in the original timeline.
All three were genuine Otsutsuki and met the requirements to be sacrifices.
However, in the original timeline, they arrived more than a decade after the Fourth Great Ninja War ended. That was too late.
At this thought, Shinji rose abruptly, opened a space-time gate, and stepped through.
The next instant, he appeared inside the research base and urgently summoned Amado, who had just finished his meeting. He asked, "Did Otsutsuki Isshiki ever contact other Otsutsuki?"
Amado was startled, not expecting this question. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I am not clear on whether Otsutsuki Isshiki contacted others."
Shinji wasn't disappointed. He continued, "Then do you believe the Otsutsuki clan has a way to contact each other?"
Amado pondered for a while before saying, "I speculate that some form of communication exists among the Otsutsuki! However, there is likely a level of competition between them. Otsutsuki Isshiki probably didn't try to contact others before he could find a suitable Vessel and restore his normal strength."
Shinji nodded. "Mm, that was my guess as well!"
Amado was curious. "Leader, why do you ask this suddenly?"
Shinji didn't hide it. "I need to lure other Otsutsuki to the shinobi world!"
"What!?" Amado was shocked. He advised, "Leader, the uncertainties are too great. It would be very dangerous!"
The remains of Otsutsuki Shibai were right there in the research base. If an Otsutsuki with strength comparable to Shibai were lured to the shinobi world, the world would be in massive trouble.
Shinji naturally knew that Otsutsuki like Shibai were extremely rare. Ordinary Otsutsuki generally fell between Six Paths Level and Kekkei Mora. This was the case for Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki.
Thus, he didn't explain. He simply instructed, "As for the reason, you don't need to know for now. You just need to find a way to help me contact other Otsutsuki clansmen and lure them to the shinobi world!"
"Yes!"
Amado could only nod.
Shinji added, "If necessary, you can utilize Eida's Senrigan!"
Hearing this, Amado immediately understood how much importance Shinji placed on this matter. He nodded again. "I understand!"
After dismissing Amado, Shinji continued to calculate.
Luring Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki to the shinobi world early was not an easy task. Shinji had to prepare a backup plan.
He had already thought of a contingency: if there weren't enough Otsutsuki, he could simply create one, just as he had done for himself.
Instantly, he thought of Obito, who was currently seeking death in the cells.
Obito was from the Uchiha clan, a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, and met the conditions to undergo the metamorphosis into an Otsutsuki.
Furthermore, he had Obito's pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and a small Ten-Tails from Otsutsuki Isshiki.
Theoretically, he could have Obito awaken the Rinnegan, seal the small Ten-Tails, advance to Six Paths Level, and become a new Otsutsuki—a new sacrifice.