Upon returning to the normal world and regaining his normal vision, Hyuga Yu looked around. Beneath the endless dark clouds, the toad oil waterfall training ground on the southern side of Mount Myoboku had vanished, replaced by...
A massive crater with a radius exceeding ten kilometers!
Everything within a thirty-kilometer radius—including the Toad Stone Forest, the Toad Oil Waterfall, the Toad Dojo, and the residential area of the Toad Clan—had been utterly destroyed. The scale of devastation extended all the way into the far distance, reaching the location of the Great Toad Sage's palace. At the center of the crater, which was precisely where Hyuga Yu stood, sat a spherical boulder from Planetary Devastation that was over a thousand meters in diameter and smoothly sliced in two. Scattered around the boulder were numerous remnants pulsing with terrifying chakra waves—
Countless fractured Yin-Yang Style black receivers stood jutting out from the earth like a forest of blades and a sea of swords!
Dozens of golden plasma vortex storms swept indiscriminately across the surroundings in the shape of tornadoes, instantly melting everything they touched!
In mid-air, a vast expanse of erratically moving repulsive wind blades filled the space, randomly slashing down to carve gashes over a hundred meters long into the ground. Countless cobweb-like fissures covered the entire area surrounding the crater!
There was also an even more terrifying category of destruction: dozens of cyan, life-like organic aggregates scattered throughout the crater. They were pulsing in a highly disciplined rhythm, unleashing a Yang Style storm every three minutes to completely devour the life force of all things within a one-kilometer radius.
And all of this had been caused by Hyuga Yu in his attempt to escape the world of "Insight" and break free from the influence of that Six Paths Sage Jutsu.
In other words, during these past five hours, Hyuga Yu had pushed his power to the absolute limit almost without reservation. The resulting collateral damage had completely leveled Mount Myoboku, one of the three great sacred regions of the shinobi world!
Hyuga Yu stood in silence, pondering for a long while before he understood exactly what had transpired here. Although their arrangement involved an exchange of mutual interests, the Toad Clan of Mount Myoboku had genuinely and tangibly helped him master Sage Mode. Yet, he had gone ahead and "uprooted" someone else's homeland, likely killing an unknown number of the Toad Clan's members in the process... While Hyuga Yu had no other choice, he could not simply ignore this or act entirely unbothered. At this thought, Hyuga Yu looked up with a hint of embarrassment, facing the thoroughly exhausted Great Toad Sage who had appeared before him. He was just about to offer an apology, saying, "You must be the Great Toad Sage. I..."
However, the expression on the Great Toad Sage's face was exceptionally solemn. He stared intently at Hyuga Yu and said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time for this!"
"The members of the Toad Clan have already been completely transferred inside the Stone Frog Sage. You do not need to worry."
"Hyuga Yu—"
"Quickly sense your current condition and recall the realm you reached just now!"
"You must save yourself, because... the power of the Sage Tag is almost entirely depleted!"
Hearing this, Hyuga Yu's expression grew grim. Following the Great Toad Sage's reminder, he immediately focused all his attention onto his own body.
He saw that, at this moment, his body consisted of only a head, the left side of his torso, and a single arm that could still move. The rest of his physical form had completely petrified.
Furthermore, the vitality of this remaining half of his body was rapidly draining away. A massive, transparent bloody hole had opened in his abdomen, through which he could look straight down at the ground behind him.
Hyuga Yu's own life force was frantically scattering and leaking out from this gap.
The white flesh originally cultured from the Hashirama cells had completely degraded into a pool of pus. Over that gaping wound, the Great Toad Sage had placed his massive toad hand, and in the center of his palm lay a faded green talisman inscribed with the character for "Sage" [Sen].
This was none other than the ultimate treasure of the Toad Kingdom capable of bringing the dead back to life—the Sage Tag!
Strands of black "sprouts" spontaneously squeezed out from the flesh that had already completely fused into Hyuga Yu's body as a part of him. Like newborns starving for nourishment, these sprouts latched onto the Sage Tag, greedily absorbing the potent life force flowing from this treasure of the Toad Kingdom!
Hyuga Yu quickly identified them—
These exceptionally bizarre-looking "sprouts" were, in fact, a composite entity made of the Earth Grudge Fear inside his body and the "Zero-Tails specimen" that had already merged with him!
Driven by the absolute baseline survival instinct of their core logic, they had spontaneously connected with the Sage Tag produced by the Great Toad Sage while Hyuga Yu's consciousness was entirely suspended. By drawing the life force that allowed Hyuga Yu to awaken from the state of death, they had successfully brought him back to life!
However, even with the salvation provided by the Sage Tag, Hyuga Yu quickly realized that his current condition was far from optimistic.
Just as the results of his previous medical examination in Konoha had shown, Hyuga Yu inherently suffered from a "bloodline disease." The core reason this bloodline disease had not actively manifested before was that the Hashirama cells had been compensating for the immense physical energy consumption on his behalf. Now, stripped of the Hashirama cells, the remaining cells inside Hyuga Yu's body were replicating at a frantic, chaotic pace, squeezing out the absolute last drops of his life force just to maintain a physique capable of keeping his Tenseigan chakra operational.
The rate of this cellular decay was already on the verge of reaching its absolute limit!
Without fusing the genes of the Kaguya clan to obtain the true "Sage Body" of the Hamura lineage, given Hyuga Yu's current bloodline tier and physical constitution, he simply could not command a level of power like this!
Hyuga Yu's face instantly turned grave. He was only alive right now because the Sage Tag was sustaining him, yet this treasure of the Toad Kingdom had already endured a thousand years of wear and tear, not to mention being used once by Otsutsuki Hamura. The current Sage Tag was no longer what it used to be. Just as the Great Toad Sage had noted, it clearly could not hold out for much longer.
Hyuga Yu had to save himself!
He quickly calmed his mind, immediately working out potential solutions—
First, as in Hyuga Yu's original plan, he could fuse the Kaguya clan's genes to remedy his bloodline defects and obtain the Sage Body of the Hamura lineage. Taking it a step further, he could fuse the genes of other great shinobi clans to obtain a more comprehensive, ultimate Sage Body that might even surpass that of the Sage of Six Paths and his brother.
This was a method that could completely cure the bloodline disease right at its source.
However, Hyuga Yu obviously did not have the necessary conditions for Kaguya clan gene fusion on hand. The corresponding technology was still being developed and verified for feasibility by Hiruko.
Second, he could find another object comparable to the "Hashirama cells," such as a treasure like the Sage Tag, to compensate for this terrifying consumption on his behalf.
To achieve this right now, the only thing in the entire shinobi world that fit the bill was the original strain of First Hokage cells.
But that original strain was currently far away in Konoha. Putting aside how difficult it would be for Hyuga Yu to get his hands on it in his current state, even if he did, the severe rejection reaction inherent to the original Hashirama cells remained a severe problem that could not be overcome for the time being.
And the third option...
Problems concerning the Tenseigan naturally had solutions belonging to the Tenseigan. Hyuga Yu sensed the faint trace of Yang Style chakra inside his body, a flicker of internal conflict flashing through his mind. He could quietly channel this strand of Yang Style chakra through the Sage Tag to connect with the Great Toad Sage, launching a sneak attack using Yang Style: Organic Reanimation to drain the Great Toad Sage's massive chakra reserves. This would restore his own ability to move, after which he could slaughter the entire Toad Clan of Mount Myoboku. By using Yang Style as a crucible and all the toads of the Toad Kingdom as fuel, he could melt the life force of every single toad into his own body to refine the ultimate Yang Style chakra.
Just like what the previous generations of Tennin had done to survive...
If he did that, Hyuga Yu would once again gain a period of time that would allow him to catch his breath and develop a technology to cure the root cause.
Finally, there was the method suggested by the Great Toad Sage:
To have Hyuga Yu desperately recall the realm of "Insight" he had just reached.
As for whether this method could truly save him, it remained an entirely unknown factor.
At this critical moment testing his humanity, Hyuga Yu suddenly felt a slight urge to laugh.
Then, he made his choice without a single shred of hesitation.
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he calmly attached that single strand of Yang Style chakra inside his body to the sprouts connecting to the Sage Tag.
Then, Hyuga Yu began to recall everything he had just experienced, beginning to reflect upon that so-called realm of "Insight."
Gradually, Hyuga Yu re-established his perception of the countless specks of light that had merged into his body within the world of Insight. In fact, even Hyuga Yu himself became a part of those countless vibrant particles.
In this state, a sudden realization dawned upon Hyuga Yu's mind. This was the natural energy spectrum he could perceive. Having gone through the world of Insight and witnessed the scene where "all things begin from one," Hyuga Yu had narrowly escaped death. Ultimately, he had replicated that scene, using all his own powers as a blueprint to simulate a blank origin point within himself, branding his own mark upon the absolute lowest level of his physical form.
This experience granted Hyuga Yu a special ability based on the logic of Six Paths Sage Jutsu: [Conversion].
Now, he could freely convert all types of chakra within his own body.
For instance, he could transform Yang Style chakra into Fire Style, Wind Style, Yin Style, or even chakra of the Earth Grudge Fear and Zero-Tails properties. In fact, as long as he integrated natural energy, he could smoothly convert even the Sage Jutsu chakra of the corresponding attributes entirely at his own whim.
What was the practical use of this ability?
In reality, it was nothing particularly exaggerated, and it fell completely short of the Six Paths level. This was because Hyuga Yu's ability worked exclusively on himself and could not be applied to others. It was merely a crude imitation of a Six Paths-level Sage Jutsu, entirely incapable of reaching that grand realm of Six Paths Sage Jutsu where "there is no distinction between the self and the external world, and there is nothing the self cannot grasp."
However, through this ability, Hyuga Yu could resolve a technological hurdle that had plagued him for a very long time—the controllability of Yang Style.
And this technique was just barely enough to resolve the predicament Hyuga Yu currently faced.
Now that he had a solution, a moral burden was instantly lifted from Hyuga Yu's heart, allowing him to breathe a slight sigh of relief. Closing his eyes slightly, he withdrew that strand of Yang Style chakra from his abdomen that he had intended to use for the sneak attack on the Great Toad Sage, converting it into his most familiar Wind Style chakra. Following that, Hyuga Yu raised his left hand—the only one he could currently use—and formed a single hand sign: the Ram sign. "Wind Style: Universal Pull!"
In the next instant, a minute amount of Wind Style: Chakra Scalpel mixed with gravitational waves rippled outward, centered on Hyuga Yu.
Chchch!
Within a fifty-meter radius of the massive boulder, the Yin-Yang Style black receivers jutting out from the rocks trembled slightly under the influence of gravity. Soon after, they tore free from the ground and shot toward Hyuga Yu, propelled by the gravitational pull.
Upon arriving right in front of Hyuga Yu, they settled down obediently and smoothly, stacking one by one into Hyuga Yu's left hand.
Immediately following this, the Yin-Yang Style black receivers melted straight into Hyuga Yu's palm. The Yin-Yang Style chakra contained within these receivers was decomposed by Hyuga Yu using his newly converted Tenseigan chakra, reverting into Yin-Yang Style Tenseigan chakra before being converted once more into the most fundamental physical energy to replenish the deficit in Hyuga Yu's body.
By recycling these items he himself had created, the chakra within Hyuga Yu's body quickly went from sparse, isolated strands back into a flowing stream.
Next, Hyuga Yu repeated the process using the same method, further increasing the output of his Wind Style and gravitational forces. One by one, he began drawing back the various ninjutsu currently wreaking havoc across Mount Myoboku—the black receiver communication network, the repulsive wind blades, the plasma storms, the Yang Style organic aggregates...
He retrieved them all, decomposing them back into the most basic chakra.
Once he had finally gathered enough chakra to roughly equate to a Level 8 Essence [精], Hyuga Yu converted this most basic chakra back into the Wind Style he controlled with the utmost proficiency. Operating in the form of Wind Style: Chakra Scalpels, he penetrated deep into every single decaying cell currently within his body, converting these Wind Style: Chakra Scalpels back into Yang Style once more.
"Yang Style: Chakra Scalpel!"
By converting Wind Style into Yang Style, he precisely transported the life force of the Yang Style to every single damaged cell, replenishing their frantically decaying vitality and shoring up Hyuga Yu's current body, which was leaking like a tattered rag.
Hiss!
"Haa..."
It felt as though a furnace had been lit inside him. His freezing body was quickly enveloped by a tingling, warm, and thoroughly comfortable current.
Hyuga Yu let out a long, deeply satisfied breath. Under this precisely controlled Yang Style regeneration technique, a faint trace of vitality quickly returned to his body once more. Even the bloody hole in his abdomen filled out at a speed visible to the naked eye after his basic Mystical Palm Jutsu was converted into Yang Style: Mystical Palm Jutsu.
The various terrifying ninjutsu disasters ravaging Mount Myoboku quieted down, and the issues plaguing Hyuga Yu's body were finally brought under control.
However, Hyuga Yu also gradually realized that this was merely a method that treated the symptoms rather than the root cause.
Achieving controllable Yang Style by converting other types of chakra could only alleviate his body's deficit; it could not truly resolve this fundamental deficiency.
Particularly now, having lost the Hashirama cells, the moment he engaged in an overly intense battle, Hyuga Yu's body would instantly plunge into a state of severe overload. His current physical condition was actually worse than it had been in the past; it was highly doubtful he could hold out through even a single full-scale battle.
The most critical issue at present remained the need to rapidly push Hiruko's project forward to obtain a "Sage Body" that would allow Hyuga Yu to unleash his full potential without restraint.
With this thought in mind, Hyuga Yu slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, the Great Toad Sage, who had been monitoring Hyuga Yu's condition the entire time and had even seen right through Hyuga Yu's previous "underhanded movements," finally let out a sigh of relief. Instead of reproaching Hyuga Yu, a slight smile appeared on his face. "Hyuga Yu—"
"It appears you have successfully endured the trial of 'Reincarnation'."
Hyuga Yu frowned slightly, looking up in surprise. "What exactly is... the trial of Reincarnation?"
The Great Toad Sage shook his head, choosing not to disclose too much. He simply narrowed his eyes and smiled, saying, "This proves... you already possess the qualifications to master Six Paths Sage Jutsu!"
"Touching the truth of all creation, controlling the absolute fabric of nature—what an enviable realm that is~"
"Heh, once you are capable of reaching the realm where you can 'touch the truth of all creation', come back to Mount Myoboku to find this old man, and accept the next phase of your Six Paths Sage Jutsu training."
"However, right now—"
The Great Toad Sage removed his palm from Hyuga Yu's abdomen and tilted his head up slightly. His gaze seemed to pierce through the world, taking in the sights on the absolute opposite side of existence. He lowered his gaze to look down at Hyuga Yu and said calmly, "It is time for you to return to Konoha."
Hyuga Yu's heart stirred. Just as he was about to press further regarding what the Great Toad Sage meant by "Six Paths Sage Jutsu" training, he suddenly sensed a powerful tugging force.
In the very next instant, Poof!
A cloud of smoke erupted, and Hyuga Yu instantly vanished from the leveled ruins of Mount Myoboku.
Leaving behind only the Great Toad Sage standing in place, looking at Mount Myoboku which had been completely turned to rubble. He could not help but shake his head. "Ah, time to rebuild yet again."
"Who would have thought that after more than a thousand years, a second chance would actually present itself..."
"It is just that, this time..."
"Will this child... be willing to shoulder the true will of the shinobi world?"
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