With that thought, Uchiha Madara made his decision. Before giving an answer, he needed one last confirmation.
His expression stayed calm as he spoke with an unreadable face. "I want to ask you something."
"Please go ahead," Uchiha Gen replied with a slight smile.
"After unification, how do you intend to maintain peace?"
Everyone in the hall shifted their attention toward him.
Gen gathered the points he had explained earlier and laid them out again, then added a crucial final piece.
"All of those measures are for stabilizing the new nation and creating an environment as fair as possible."
"I am not chasing absolute fairness. No world has that. Unfairness exists from the moment a person is born."
"If we can achieve justice, that is already extraordinary."
"And most importantly, I will always be here to anchor this world. I cannot die."
That final line made the room erupt. Many faces changed at once, doubt flashing through the crowd.
Plenty of people stared at Gen as if he had lost his mind.
Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Madara, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Kakashi... all of them wore the expression one gives a lunatic.
It was understandable. Not even the Sage of Six Paths was immortal, so how could Gen be?
The Sage did not die of old age but of exhaustion. As the Ten Tails jinchuriki, he removed the Ten Tails from his own body. When a jinchuriki is separated from their tailed beast, only tremendous life force can delay death.
Uzumaki Kushina survived momentarily only because her vitality was exceptional. The Sage's life force vastly surpassed hers, which allowed him to live out a normal final lifespan after extraction.
Even the pure Otsutsuki are not truly immortal. Their lives are simply so long that they appear that way.
Those close to Gen opened their mouths but could not find the right words. They did not fully believe his claim either, and saying so out loud would have been difficult.
Only Orochimaru accepted it without hesitation.
"Heh... the three seniors were mighty in their era, but their thinking is rigid," he said with an air of smugness. "Waves behind push the waves ahead. Just because the old generation failed to reach immortality does not mean we cannot. Why should juniors be weaker than their predecessors?"
His statement dragged the First, Second, and Madara into the same group, then dismissed everyone else in the room besides Gen.
Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara all looked at him. The latter two in particular stared with open hostility, not only because of his arrogance but also because Orochimaru was the one who had used Edo Tensei to summon them.
"Do not give me that look. I am simply telling the truth," Orochimaru said. "Gen and I developed a forbidden technique years ago. Its name is the Reincarnation Technique."
The room trembled with tension. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Tobirama raised a hand to his chin. "Reincarnation Technique? If I remember correctly, that means a living person... which implies taking over another body to gain eternal life."
Orochimaru smiled. "Correct. Nidaime-sama remains a genius. You understood it immediately. The Reincarnation Technique indeed works as you described."
"In fact, this jutsu borrows heavily from techniques created by Nidaime-sama, including Impure World Resurrection and the Spirit Transformation Technique."
Faces around the room tightened. Taking over a living body sounded sinister.
Orochimaru let out a soft laugh. "Do not look at me that way. There is another method. One can reincarnate into a personal clone."
"A clone is a vessel without a soul, created through scientific means from one's own cells. Reincarnating into a clone has far fewer drawbacks and a much higher success rate than seizing another living body."
"This brilliant concept was Gen's."
"Gen and I already have fully prepared clones. We can reincarnate at any moment."
The room shifted again. More thoughts stirred.
Eternal life. That temptation was overwhelming.
Gen smiled. "To be honest, the Reincarnation Technique is only a backup plan."
"What we are pursuing now is a far superior path."
All eyes snapped back to him.
"A more advanced form of immortality?" Madara said with interest.
"Exactly. If Chakra cannot easily grant immortality, then we change the medium. Use natural energy instead."
"Human life is like a mayfly compared to the world, but natural energy endures side by side with the world itself."
The Divine Tree consumes natural energy. When a planet runs dry, the planet dies. The Otsutsuki are cosmic raiders who never understood sustainable cycles.
"By channeling natural energy directly, transforming the body and soul, one can elevate their very life level."
"I have created a method to use natural energy independently of Chakra. I have long reached proficiency."
"My life level has already advanced, and my lifespan has surpassed mortal limits."
"And even now, there is endless room to evolve further."
Gen lifted his right hand. As his fingers curled slightly, countless bright white motes appeared in the sky around the mountains.
The motes gathered from every direction, a tide of shining particles rushing toward his palm. They swirled together until they formed a blazing sphere the size of a basketball.
Gen flicked his arm.
The sphere shot out like white lightning and struck a cloud-covered mountain.
A thunderous explosion followed. Natural energy detonated, a harsh white glare swallowing the peak. Wind roared outward. Clouds scattered. Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes.
Kankuro and Temari would have been swept away if Chiyo had not hooked them with chakra threads in time.
As the light faded, the mountaintop more than a hundred meters tall was gone. What remained was a jagged, exposed platform of stone.
Silence followed.
Those with weaker strength were stunned by the sheer power. The stronger ones were shocked not by the destruction but by Gen's effortless control over pure natural energy. Even Hashirama, with perfect Sage Mode, could not manipulate natural energy directly like this.
Then a booming laugh broke the stillness.
Madara threw his head back. "Hahaha... truly, the waves behind push the waves ahead."
"Uchiha Gen, Orochimaru... I acknowledge both of you."
"Give the word to unify the world. I, Uchiha Madara, will give everything I have!"