Tsunade had begun addressing her weaknesses, steadily advancing toward becoming a well-rounded shinobi.
For most people, mastering even a single elemental chakra nature or excelling in just one of ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu was already an extraordinary feat.
But for those who wished to take part in Aoba's final plan, that level of proficiency was far from enough.
Even with all her progress, Tsunade had only just begun to reach the threshold of true power.
Ōnoki knew he was in trouble, but there was little he could do. As the Tsuchikage, he had held dominion over the ninja world for decades, primarily because of his mastery of Dust Release.
Dust Release was absolute destruction. Once unleashed, opponents had no choice but to evade. The moment they were forced into defensive maneuvers, he, from the skies, could freely rain down attacks upon them.
This strategy had never failed him.
But against Tsunade, it was completely useless.
Not only could she withstand Dust Release without taking any damage, but more importantly, she now had the means to attack him in the sky.
Attached to Tsunade's right wrist was a specially designed bracer.
Aside from providing basic defense, its true function was as a ninjutsu support device.
Aoba recalled that in Boruto, Konoha had developed similar devices, tools capable of unleashing various jutsu without hand seals.
Though the current version was still in its early stages, it had already proven effective in combat.
Tsunade's model was a first-generation prototype capable of casting only a single jutsu, Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
The only thing the user needed to do was supply chakra. The bracer would automatically form the necessary hand seals and continuously unleash fireballs.
And unlike standard fireballs spat out from the mouth, these were both stronger and had far greater range.
The device had only one drawback, high chakra consumption.
But for Tsunade, that was not a concern.
Ōnoki frantically maneuvered through the air, dodging the relentless fireball barrage.
Within a minute, he was already struggling.
In most ninja battles, large-scale ninjutsu was rarely used.
A conventional shinobi duel typically involved a mix of deception, information gathering, baiting out an opponent's jutsu, and draining their chakra, before finally landing a decisive blow.
This was precisely why ninjutsu artillery fighters, like Kakuzu, were so terrifying.
Standing in one place and casually unleashing endless elemental jutsu was something 99% of shinobi could not handle.
Only Kage-level opponents could even attempt to counter them.
The fight between Tsunade and Ōnoki had already surpassed the conventional ninjutsu level.
What Ōnoki didn't realize was that this battle was not about the strength of their jutsu anymore.
It was a battle of chakra authority.
But there was one thing he did understand, he had already lost.
Tsunade may have been older, but she was still a taijutsu specialist and the greatest medical ninja alive. Her physical condition was leagues ahead of his.
She bombarded him relentlessly from the ground, forcing him to dart around like a trapped bird.
Deflecting the fireballs wasn't particularly difficult, but the moment he paused, Tsunade immediately ramped up the rate of fire, going from single shots to continuous barrages.
She was spending chakra like it was nothing.
Ōnoki could not comprehend how the nature of ninja combat had changed so drastically.
It was no longer about skill. It was purely about chakra reserves.
If this was a contest of chakra, five Ōnoki wouldn't be enough to match one Tsunade.
But he could not surrender.
This was not just his own fight, it was a battle for Iwagakure's very survival.
He understood one undeniable truth: If he lost, Iwagakure's history would end today.
Meanwhile, in Kirigakure...
While Tsunade and Ōnoki clashed, a group of unexpected visitors arrived in Kirigakure.
The Mist's Anbu intercepted the intruders, only to realize, upon first contact that these individuals were on an entirely different level.
They were too strong. Far too strong. These were not ordinary infiltrators.
The attackers were Kakashi Hatake who was wielding dual Kamui with no chakra limitations, Nagato Uzumaki who was no longer burdened by the Rinnegan's massive chakra drain, Minato Namikaze – the Yellow Flash himself. Hiruzen Sarutobi – a master of all five elemental releases, effectively a living artillery cannon. Shin – an undying Mokuton user and Uchiha Itachi – a tactical genius capable of controlling the battlefield.
This was a team specifically assembled with one target in mind, Madara Uchiha.
Madara immediately sensed their presence.
As a shinobi without weaknesses, his sensory abilities were just as refined as his combat skills.
He knew the moment they arrived.
Though he had always regarded Aoba Kamikawa as his true adversary, he now had to admit, if he did not step in, Kirigakure's forces stood no chance against these five.
This wasn't a random skirmish.
This was an execution squad sent specifically for him.
There was no question, this was Aoba's plan.
What Madara didn't know was why Aoba hadn't come in person.
Aoba was unable to engage in battle right now.
At this moment, he was deep within his laboratory.
Despite all his preparations, there were still things he lacked.
But there was no more time.
He could feel it.
The Sage of the Six Paths was drawing closer to reality.
For whatever reason, the Sage had been trapped in the Pure Land until now.
But soon, he would return.
And if he truly manifested in the physical world, Aoba knew he would not be able to stop him.
Unlike Kaguya, who was sealed away, the Sage was still the highest authority over chakra before her resurrection.
If he fully returned, no shinobi who used chakra could stand against him.
Time was up.
Today, Aoba was preparing to completely purge all chakra from his body.
Removing chakra from a shinobi was a death sentence. The best proof of this was how a Jinchūriki died when their Tailed Beast was extracted, even though a Tailed Beast's chakra was external. To sever one's own chakra entirely was even more extreme.
However, Aoba was born with the ability to absorb natural energy. His body stored vast amounts of it. It was a power wild, untamed, and far more difficult to control than chakra. But it was also the foundation that would allow him to survive this process.
The extraction ritual was the result of years of research by Tobirama and over a hundred researchers from Konoha's scientific division.
In truth, most of them had no idea what they were actually working on.
They believed they were researching a special sealing technique.
"Are you sure about this? Theoretically, you should survive, but we haven't conducted enough experiments. I still think this could kill you." Tobirama's voice was serious.
"Tobirama, I don't want to repeat myself. There's no time."
"...Fine. Let's begin."
No one knew exactly how powerful Aoba had become over the years.
Inside him, he had gathered and fully fused the origin chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts.
This meant he was one step away from reaching the level of the Sage of the Six Paths.
Furthermore, fusing the origin chakra of the Tailed Beasts had fundamentally altered the nature of his own chakra.
It was as if he had a miniature sun of chakra within him, endlessly generating more power. His chakra reserves had reached, and possibly even surpassed, those of the Nine-Tails.
Purging something that powerful was not a simple matter.
This experiment was not conducted within Konoha.
Instead, it took place in a secret underground facility outside the village, built specifically for dangerous experiments.
The entire base had been evacuated, and eleven massive chakra cores had been installed around the perimeter to fuel a defensive barrier, to prevent an uncontrolled chakra explosion.
Even with all these precautions, Tobirama was drenched in cold sweat.
He had always believed his experiments were extreme.
But now, compared to what Aoba was attempting, everything he had ever done felt tame.
The sheer amount of chakra being extracted was equivalent to removing a fully-formed Nine-Tails from a Jinchūriki.
If anything went wrong, no defensive barrier would be able to contain it.
The destructive potential of the energy being extracted was a hundred times greater than a standard Tailed Beast Bomb.
If things spiraled out of control…
Tobirama shook his head, refusing to dwell on it.
He focused on the task at hand.
Aoba removed his upper garments and stepped into the massive sealing array inscribed on the floor.
As Tobirama initiated the technique, the symbols within the formation began to glow faintly.
Unlike traditional large-scale ninjutsu, there was only one active participant, Tobirama himself.
But in reality, Tobirama was just the operator.
The true executioners of the ritual were specialized sealing devices, each containing miniature chakra cores that powered an automated sealing sequence.
These devices functioned similarly to the chakra-enhanced bracers Tsunade used in battle.
Each device had been pre-programmed with a precise set of instructions.
If a human performed the extraction manually, minor inconsistencies in chakra flow could cause fatal errors.
But machines did not make mistakes.
For something as critical as his own life, Aoba had taken no chances.
As the process began, the massive array activated instantly.
Countless chakra chains erupted from the formation, piercing into Aoba's body.
Moments later, his entire physique began to expand.
A massive ball of burning chakra, resembling a miniature sun, slowly emerged from within him.
At that exact moment, Tobirama changed his hand seals.
He activated Flying Thunder God, summoning a second person into the laboratory.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Purging Aoba's chakra was only the first step.
The second phase of the experiment was to retrieve the ancient deities slain by Indra Ōtsutsuki.
These beings had never truly disappeared.
Instead, they had been sealed within the bloodline of the Uchiha clan.
And now, Sasuke, the purest living descendant of the Uchiha bloodline, was being used as a vessel to trace and extract them.
This was not a simple process.
Because doing this would lead to an outcome Aoba would rather avoid.
Sasuke would die.
Aoba did not want to sacrifice Sasuke.
But he needed the ancient deities within his blood.
Thus, the only viable option was to combine the two rituals.
Aoba would extract all of his own chakra.
At the same time, he would extract the sealed deities from Sasuke's bloodline.
And then, they would exchange power.
Aoba would absorb the ancient deities.
Sasuke would inherit all of Aoba's chakra.
Chakra had the power to preserve life.
And Aoba's chakra was only one step away from perfect fusion.
Once Sasuke absorbed it, he would immediately become as powerful as Obito during the Final Battle.
He wouldn't reach the level of Six Paths Madara, but he would come close.
And more importantly, he would gain near-immortality.
With some additional training, he would be able to take the final step.
As Indra's reincarnation, he might even become stronger than Madara himself.
But there was another reason why Sasuke had to be the one involved.
A critical reason.
Every shinobi in the world who used chakra was vulnerable to the Sage of the Six Paths' influence.
Even Hashirama had been nothing more than a puppet in the Sage's hands.
Only Sasuke was immune.
Or rather, only the reincarnation of Indra had ever shown resistance to the Sage's control.
Whether in the original timeline or in this altered reality, Indra's reincarnation had always been nearly unaffected by the Sage's influence.
If you would like to read more...
The novel has be completed (Chp. 362) on the patreon -> SaintXI