Although Natsuhiko had expected that his battle with Ōtsutsuki Urashiki would cause a sensation throughout the shinobi world.
He truly had not expected that there would be so many complicated things involved.
For example, the changes in Kumogakure. He had actually not thought too much about them, and he did not know that Killer B would change so greatly.
He knew that Killer B had sat in the position of the Fifth Raikage in order to take the blame and face Konoha's pressure.
But he did not truly understand what Killer B had experienced after taking that position, nor what kind of person he had become.
After all, as Konoha's Hokage, Natsuhiko could not afford to divert his attention elsewhere. What mattered most to him was still his own village.
Just like now. Although he could clearly see that his progress bar had increased by one percent during this period, he merely nodded in satisfaction and quickly stopped paying it any further attention.
To him, there was no need to focus on it.
His mission was important, but given its current rate of growth, excessive attention would not help. It was better to let it develop naturally.
Moreover, under Natsuhiko's policies toward the smaller nations, even though it had taken three years to stabilize the Land of Hot Water, he had still gained five percent progress.
And during that process, both he and his subordinates had gained enough experience. With that in mind, he was certain that reforms in other villages would proceed even faster.
Therefore, Natsuhiko did not pay special attention to this kind of situation, which could only be considered an unexpected gain.
What he valued more were things that could bring him long-term and sustainable improvement and influence.
After resting comfortably in Konoha for several days, Natsuhiko had personally witnessed the village's remarkable self-recovery ability, as well as the outstanding efficiency of his subordinates. At the same time, he had also experienced firsthand what it felt like to be a patient—albeit one who was being cared for exceptionally well.
Due to their work, Sora and Renge naturally did not have much free time. Even so, the two of them still took turns coming over to take care of Natsuhiko.
This was something Natsuhiko had not expected. Although he had always felt that there was no need for it, he had no intention of opposing it either.
Moreover, during this period of "recovery," he would often go to the area beneath the Hokage Building to check on Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
Senju Hashirama had little interest in experiments. He was simply not suited for such work.
However, he was still highly interested in the results of the experiment. Given Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's identity and strength, it was impossible not to take an interest.
As a result, he spent most of these past few days in the laboratory with his younger brother, Senju Tobirama.
As for Konoha's situation, once Natsuhiko had taken stock of it, he no longer paid it much attention—the village's losses had been relatively minor.
Most of the reconstruction was also concentrated in the outer areas, and he trusted that Konoha's ninja could easily handle that kind of work.
And in practice, things were unfolding much as he had expected. Even though Natsuhiko himself had begun to slack off, with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Nara Shikaku coordinating efforts, everything was still progressing in an orderly and efficient manner.
It was even said that, after learning of Konoha's current situation, the other ninja villages chose to offer material support, with some even sending artisan ninja to assist with reconstruction.
One could say this fully reflected Konoha's standing in the shinobi world—all of it ultimately stemmed from Natsuhiko's influence.
Today, Natsuhiko also felt somewhat bored, and there were not many political matters requiring his attention. As a result, he simply went to the laboratory beneath the Hokage Building.
And as soon as he entered, he saw Senju Tobirama recording something, while Senju Hashirama was leaning his head over to watch.
"Have you found anything new?"
Seeing this scene, Natsuhiko could not help asking curiously. At the same time, his gaze also turned toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, who was lying on the operating table.
This unlucky guy had already been cut open by Senju Tobirama, and his abdominal cavity was now completely empty.
On the table beside him, there was also a pile of bottles. Inside these bottles were various organs soaked in formalin.
Natsuhiko also noticed that several of these bottles contained bright red blood. Clearly, Senju Tobirama had not wasted a single thing.
However, the scene still made Natsuhiko feel slightly nauseous. It reminded him of his previous life, when a medical student classmate had once tried to show him the dissection room in their school's basement.
Even now, he still remembered that guy's ill-intentioned grin as he said he would take Natsuhiko to meet their "teacher."
At the time, Natsuhiko had actually believed him. In the end, he discovered that the "teacher" he had been introduced to was nothing more than a cadaver.
Of course, Natsuhiko knew that cadavers used for teaching deserved the greatest respect, but unfortunately, his tolerance back then had truly not been very good.
His current situation was much better, but even when facing all of this now, although he still felt somewhat nauseous, he could control himself.
"There are many discoveries. It can even be said that they exceeded our imagination."
Senju Tobirama glanced at Natsuhiko, then directly handed a report to him. After Natsuhiko received it, he continued.
"This records some of my views, while more detailed data still needs further testing.
"But even with just this information, it has already exceeded our imagination. Calling these people gods would not be an exaggeration."
Senju Tobirama's tone was filled with emotion. It could be seen that he had truly been shocked. Even though he still maintained his calm, his tone had already changed.
Seeing this, Natsuhiko could not help becoming even more curious. Then he began to read Senju Tobirama's report carefully.
It was fine when he did not look carefully, but as he read it in detail, his expression also changed slightly.
In Senju Tobirama's data, Senju Hashirama had sadly become a unit of measurement. In Tobirama's view, there was probably no better comparison target than Senju Hashirama.
According to his data, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's physical strength was more than five to ten times stronger than Senju Hashirama's.
Aside from that, even after this guy's death, the cells in his body still maintained unimaginable activity. They were even much more active than those of many living people.
Especially since even though this guy had already been dissected, one could still seem to feel a strong life aura from his body, the kind only the living should have.
Moreover, the chakra inside his body was so vast that it was unimaginable. This chakra was fused within his cells and was extremely aggressive.
Most importantly, his chakra had already completely surpassed Senju Tobirama's understanding. It had reached an almost unimaginable level.
However, Natsuhiko had a rough idea of what it was. This guy could already be considered to be at the level of a Kekkei Mōra user.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki was a Kekkei Mōra user—on this point, Natsuhiko was certain he was not mistaken.
After all, that terrifying Yomotsu Hirasaka technique—identical to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's—was something he could not possibly misread or mistake.
However, even though Urashiki had grasped such power, his actual performance was still utterly unsightly—no better than trash.
But Natsuhiko did not find that strange. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had already set a precedent, and this man's personality was frankly hard to put into words.
That kind of arrogance and conceit was something even Kaguya did not possess, yet this man alone was enough to make Natsuhiko feel uncomfortable just by standing there.
To put it bluntly, he could almost be compared to the future Sasuke—though not necessarily in terms of strength.
Sasuke had that kind of presence—the kind that made enemies instinctively want to jump out and punch him the moment he appeared.
But this guy was not much better. Just standing there, he gave off the impression of being high above everyone else without even trying, which made people feel intensely irritated.
This kind of arrogance had indeed decided many things. Combat had never been measured by strength alone. It was like chakra volume. Many people believed that the more chakra a ninja had, the stronger that ninja was.
But that was not the truth. Having more chakra only decided that the ninja could unleash a more terrifying upper limit, but it did not mean he was truly strong.
Having vast chakra but not knowing how to use it was not anything rare.
Likewise, having powerful strength but being affected by personality, combat style, tactical habits, battle experience, and other issues would also seriously affect a person's performance in battle.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki was exactly in this situation now. His strength was so powerful that it was suffocating, but his personality, combat experience, and the rest were also so bad that they made people speechless.
Therefore, his defeat truly could not be considered an accident. And after such a defeat, there was nothing strange about how others handled him.
"What a terrifying guy."
Silently putting down the report in his hand, Natsuhiko could not help sighing inwardly at the strength of these people. Even after death, this guy was still constantly telling the world how powerful he was.
However, such a guy had still been killed by Natsuhiko, and this made his heart stir slightly.
Of course, this was not the main point. The main point was that this guy's strength was so powerful, so if he became nourishment for Natsuhiko's planted seeds, what exactly could be grown from him?
This was what Natsuhiko cared about and paid attention to the most. It was also what Natsuhiko valued the most.
For someone like this, even if I only strip away a tiny bit of his power, it will be completely enough for me to gain a huge improvement.
And I have his complete corpse. As long as there is enough time, I can obtain everything I want. This guy's entire body is a treasure.
This idea had actually already begun to form in Natsuhiko's mind when he encountered this guy, but seeing this report now made it mature and become even more intense.
When Natsuhiko looked again at Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, who had already been dissected, he no longer felt any nausea.
After all, in his eyes, every part of this guy's body was nothing but material. With that thought in mind, how could he still feel disgusted?
"He is indeed excessively strong, but this is a good thing for us."
While recording something, Senju Tobirama slowly spoke.
"Most importantly, I discovered that there are some things inside this guy's body that are highly compatible with you and Elder Brother.
"This means that once enough experiments are done to ensure that nothing will happen to either of you, I can try using his power to strengthen you.
"And after obtaining this guy's power, your strength will definitely rise to another level."
When he said this, Senju Tobirama's eyes lit up slightly. It could be seen that he was truly looking forward to this matter.
However, Senju Hashirama seemed somewhat uninterested in such a result. He seemed more focused on why this guy's physical quality and strength were so powerful.
He already knew that this guy had huge problems with his personality, tactics, and real combat experience, but having problems did not mean they would be easy to deal with.
Moreover, no one knew whether these monsters would continue descending upon the shinobi world, and no one could guarantee whether the next one to descend would be the same as this guy.
Therefore, as a member of the shinobi world, and also one of its strongest people, Senju Hashirama knew that he would inevitably encounter these people.
Understanding their abilities and characteristics naturally became one of his most important tasks.
But understanding was one thing. That did not mean Senju Hashirama needed to transplant things from their bodies into his own and turn himself into something neither human nor ghost.
This was not to say that he did not oppose human experimentation. In truth, he did oppose it. Even if it was an enemy, he would not necessarily do something that insulted a corpse.
But the people before them were no longer as simple as enemies. That was why Senju Hashirama had abandoned his old way of doing things and cooperated with Senju Tobirama to examine this guy's corpse.
Even so, there were still some lines he would not cross. Besides, in his view, was his own potential really so poor that he had to transplant things from this guy's body into himself?
Senju Hashirama was still a proud person after all. Even though he often showed some lack of confidence in daily life, deep down, he was still a confident man.
Think about it. If he were truly someone without confidence, what right would he have to stand at the peak of the shinobi world and stand alongside someone like Uchiha Madara?
In the battles of the past, when he faced Uchiha Madara, he had even held a certain advantage.
"I do not need it. I believe I can handle it myself."
Senju Hashirama looked through Senju Tobirama's records while speaking calmly.
"Although I admit he is very strong, I still have confidence. So to me, there is no need to use anything from his body."
"Elder Brother?"
When Senju Tobirama heard Senju Hashirama's words, he could not help frowning. Clearly, he was not very satisfied with this result.
"This is not the time to be stubborn. Our urgent priority is to improve our strength so we can deal with their threat.
"Of course I know your ability, Elder Brother, but to put it bluntly, these people have already surpassed our level.
"Natsuhiko could deal with this guy because this guy was careless. But if the next one who comes does not have this strange personality, then…"
"I do not think there is any need to keep arguing about this matter."
Before Senju Tobirama could finish speaking, Natsuhiko directly interrupted him.
As he spoke slowly, he raised his head and looked toward Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama. Then he continued.
"Indeed, we truly do not know what kind of opponent we will encounter in the future, but Tobirama-senpai has misunderstood one thing.
"Everyone's path of development is different. Forcing someone to develop according to your own expectations often only brings tragedy.
"Hashirama-senpai has his own ideas and his own path, so we do not need to change that.
"After all, Hashirama-senpai possesses the power to injure, or even kill, these people."
Forcing others to act according to one's own thoughts could sometimes produce positive results, but most of the time, the result would be unsatisfactory.
This was not a joke. After all, a classmate from Natsuhiko's previous life had used the first half of his life to tell Natsuhiko this conclusion.
Natsuhiko's family environment when he was young had been fairly good, and his parents had not forced him to do this or that. They had completely allowed him to choose according to his own personality.
Because of this, Natsuhiko had not attended any extra tutoring classes when he was young, and he had a childhood that was fairly free and worth remembering.
But a classmate who had studied with him since childhood was different. From a young age, that person's schedule had always been full.
Weekends were supposed to be his holidays, but in reality, they were only the time when he started new lessons somewhere else.
Although Natsuhiko admitted that this guy had been very good at studying since childhood and had always ranked near the top of the class, receiving awards like model student and excellent study representative until his hands went soft.
Even Natsuhiko and his other friends had been very envious of this guy. In any case, since childhood, this guy had always been the model of "someone else's child."
It could be said that this guy had been an outstanding example from elementary school all the way to high school, and he had even entered a good university with a very high score.
As for someone like Natsuhiko, he had fought desperately just to enter a lower-tier second-rate university.
But after graduating from university and working for several years, when Natsuhiko saw him again, he was suddenly struck by how much the man had aged—he looked as if more than ten years had passed.
They went to a small bar and chatted for a while. Only then did Natsuhiko learn just how miserable the current situation of this man—who had once been outstanding since childhood—had become.
Because he had only known how to study since he was young, his interpersonal skills were almost negative. After graduating from university and joining a company, he had never received promotion or importance.
This once left him extremely confused. Most importantly, he had talked back to his superior, causing his situation to become even worse.
After wasting so many years, he finally understood that society was still a society of relationships and human dealings. It was not that if you were excellent enough, you would be valued.
Rather, on the premise that you were excellent, you also had to handle all kinds of relationships well, making people know you and remember you. Only then would you gain the chance to be valued.
But since childhood, he had only known how to memorize texts and bury his head in study, always remaining indifferent toward the people around him. This caused him to have no idea how to handle such things.
As for his family, because of years of high-pressure living, his heart was filled with dissatisfaction toward his parents, to the point that their relationship was now extremely bad.
Perhaps because he had become an adult, the patient guidance his parents constantly gave him back then had become something he found extremely hateful. He felt that he should have independent thoughts.
But none of his thoughts received any recognition. In the end, it even caused both sides to quarrel endlessly, almost reaching the point where they would never speak again.
Even now, Natsuhiko still remembered him saying that when he was studying, he had felt very tired. So tired that he could not breathe.
He said he felt that he was not living for himself, but living as the person shaped by his parents' eyes, by the regrets they had once held themselves.
He also said that when he was studying, he had once thought about jumping off a building. There had indeed been quite a few cases back then, but he had never dared to do it.
Especially at the end, he also said that he was actually very envious of Natsuhiko. Although his parents had said all day when he was young that Natsuhiko only knew how to play and never studied, and would have no future.
In his heart, he was still envious. In his heart, he also did not admit that what his parents said was right.
Of course, the facts also proved that Natsuhiko was doing much better than him now, at least before crossing over.
It could be said that this person, who had been extremely outstanding since childhood and had always moved forward according to his parents' plans, was a huge tragedy.
He was like someone who had been placed inside a drawn circle. He could only keep wandering and being shaped within that circle, and he could receive all praise and encouragement.
But once he went beyond that circle, or even merely touched its edge, he would receive the harshest scolding, and would even be pushed back without hesitation.
As for how that guy was doing now, Natsuhiko did not know.
Because after that meeting, he left the city and returned to the place where he worked, continuing that endless day-after-day life.
Until before Natsuhiko crossed over, they never had any contact again.
Senju Tobirama naturally could not be Senju Hashirama's parent, nor could he produce that kind of damage, but the situation between the two of them still made Natsuhiko unconsciously think of this matter.
Moreover, in Natsuhiko's view, sometimes each person's growth truly needed guidance, not a forced demand on how they should act.
Even if the starting point was good, if it was unsuitable, then it was unsuitable.
Look at the future Sasuke, treated like a fool by Uchiha Itachi, trapped inside a circle and forced to follow a fixed path.
On the surface, it seemed like he was kindly helping Sasuke, allowing Sasuke to become a great hero who stood tall in Konoha.
But every person was an independent individual, and their thoughts and ideas were all different.
Therefore, did Itachi's actions not still end up creating a complete tragedy in the end?
Natsuhiko's words made Senju Tobirama frown, while Senju Hashirama revealed a happy smile. It was clear that the two of them were in completely different moods at this moment.
Senju Tobirama truly had not expected Natsuhiko to support his elder brother's childish idea. In his view, this was simply an irrational choice.
How could someone as extremely rational as Natsuhiko support such a thing?
However, Senju Tobirama also noticed something Natsuhiko had said. That was, Senju Hashirama had grasped a method that could injure or even kill these Ōtsutsuki.
This made him somewhat curious. Could it be that these Ōtsutsuki had some fatal weakness that could be properly used?
Thinking of this, he could not help asking, "What is the ability you are talking about? Could it be senjutsu?"
"Senjutsu is definitely not a problem, because senjutsu has always been a power beyond imagination, and these people basically do not possess senjutsu themselves."
Natsuhiko nodded directly, because this was reality.
Before he came into contact with these Ōtsutsuki, he had not thought about these issues. In fact, in his view, the power used by these Ōtsutsuki was probably senjutsu.
After all, these people had grasped the power of the Ten-Tails. They controlled the Ten-Tails to form the God Tree. If they sealed the Ten-Tails inside their bodies, would that not be the same as possessing senjutsu?
One had to know that when Naruto sensed the Ten-Tails, what he discovered was a boundless and unimaginable natural energy. To put it bluntly, the Ten-Tails was a gathering of senjutsu power.
But after truly fighting, he realized that his thinking had been somewhat simple.
These Ōtsutsuki did not possess senjutsu. The power they used had surpassed the level of chakra and had completely reached the peak of power, kekkei mōra.
This kind of power could suppress and analyze all chakra, or rather, all powers formed from chakra.
But it did not truly and effectively destroy senjutsu or Yin-Yang Release. It could even be harmed by these two powers, or suffer fatal effects from them.
Senju Hashirama himself could use senjutsu, and now he was also learning Yin-Yang Release, with fairly good results in both.
Even if he had not fused Yin Release and Yang Release together, the things he had grasped could still cause enormous destructive power.
"So that is how it is. Senjutsu and Yin-Yang Release actually have this kind of effect. You killed him by relying on this power?"
After listening to Natsuhiko's explanation, Senju Tobirama could not help nodding with a somewhat complicated expression.
It had to be said that this was truly good news. Although Senju Tobirama did not know senjutsu, he had still achieved some decent results in Yin Release.
Especially after reading the information about those Ōtsutsuki on the moon, he had gained a certain grasp of these two powers. In particular, he had a very good grasp of Yin Release.
This also meant that if he faced this kind of terrifying enemy, and if he handled it properly, avoiding the fatal damage the opponent could inflict.
And if the opponent showed carelessness, then it was not impossible for him to deliver the most fatal strike.
However, although he had a method of attack, the gap in their essence was still very large. Senju Tobirama was still very clear about this point.
It was like a child holding a knife. The knife was a fatal threat to anyone, but the child still had to have the chance and ability to stab it into the enemy's body.
Facing these Ōtsutsuki, Senju Tobirama was very certain that he was the child. Actually achieving all of this would truly be too difficult.
"It seems we need to go to the moon again."
Thinking of this, Senju Tobirama no longer focused on "using the cells of this corpse to strengthen Natsuhiko and his elder brother." Instead, he began considering another issue.
Experiments still needed to be done, but these experiments did not necessarily have to continue in the shinobi world. After all, if something went wrong, it would be hard to say what might happen.
The moon was in space, extremely far from the shinobi world. And after Natsuhiko's last cleanup, the Ōtsutsuki inside the moon had practically been wiped out.
At least during these three years, whether they used clones to rebuild the moon or went up there with their real bodies, they had not discovered any other life.
Therefore, in this quiet environment on the moon, where there was no one else, Senju Tobirama felt it would be a better experimental site.
Of course, if it was only that, it would still be far from enough. The main reason was that he hoped he could gain more improvement.
After realizing that his own strength was insufficient, he was unwilling to continue like this. Although his elder brother and Natsuhiko did not seem to plan on using this guy's cells to improve themselves.
Senju Tobirama did not care that much. As long as it was necessary and safety could be guaranteed, he could completely try using this power.
His purpose was also to protect the shinobi world. It was just that his methods were a little more "flexible."
Therefore, this kind of experiment could easily cause misunderstandings among others, and an uninhabited environment like the moon was perfect.
Aside from that, there were books left behind by the deceased Ōtsutsuki on the moon. These were also very helpful for improving his strength.
Even though these moon Ōtsutsuki were worlds apart compared with the true Ōtsutsuki, their ancestor was still the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths.
These two reasons were already enough for him to make this decision. Besides, he still had another thought he was unwilling to say out loud.
That was, he could not be certain whether this corpse would attract the attention of other Ōtsutsuki. If it really did, that would definitely be a disaster.
If this corpse truly was a "locator," then it would be better to let it locate the moon. That way, it could also reduce trouble for the shinobi world.
"Go to the moon?"
When Natsuhiko heard this, he could not help nodding seriously.
"That is a good idea. I can feel that my eyes are about to evolve further. Going to the moon and relying on the power of that Tenseigan to make a further attempt is definitely a good idea."
"Your eyes are about to evolve?"
Natsuhiko's words immediately drew Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama's attention. Of course, they knew what Natsuhiko's eyes meant.
According to Natsuhiko, if he had not relied on the power provided by those eyes, he might not have lasted until the final moment, nor completed the final killing blow against Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Although Natsuhiko had never specifically stated how his eyes would evolve, or what they would become afterward,
the two of them had faced the Sharingan constantly during the Warring States Period. To put it bluntly, they both had a deep understanding of dōjutsu.
What they were uncertain about now was whether Natsuhiko's evolution could reach the level of progressing from the Three-Tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, they would not ask such a boring question, because every ninja had their own secrets.
"If that is the case, then we truly have great reason to go to the moon."
Senju Hashirama also spoke with great seriousness at this moment. Right now, he no longer looked as slightly lazy as before, but was instead filled with fighting spirit.
"We must properly temper ourselves. Only then can we deal with those people, and only then can we protect our shinobi world."
"Indeed."
Natsuhiko nodded lightly, and at this moment, a smile appeared on his face.
"Only when our strength is enough can we deal with these people. After all, none of us wants our home to be destroyed by bastards like them."
Although Natsuhiko was not originally from the shinobi world, and to the entire shinobi world, he was also only an outsider.
After so many years of development, his vision had already grown higher and farther.
It could be said that he already treated the entire shinobi world as his own backyard. How could he tolerate others running into his backyard and doing whatever they wanted?
And according to Natsuhiko's guesses and understanding, these people wanted to tear down the entire garden.
"Right."
But at this moment, Senju Hashirama suddenly spoke again.
"I have an immature idea. I wonder what you think of it?"
Natsuhiko turned to him curiously. "Go ahead. Your ideas are usually quite constructive."
"The enemies we're facing are extremely troublesome. Since that's the case, why not find more people who can help us?"
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow. "You mean…"
Hashirama looked directly at him. "What do you think about reviving Uchiha Madara?"
"…"
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