"Don't worry about it!"
Hearing Kakashi's words, Yagyu Sousuke merely smiled calmly and said:
"When Naruto returns, Team 7... no, I should say Kakashi Team's overall strength will undergo explosive growth!"
At this point, Sousuke paused before continuing:
"Kakashi-senpai, you can't keep being this sluggish anymore! Otherwise, when Kakashi Team reunites, if your strength is too lacking, you'll end up becoming a joke."
As his voice fell.
Whoosh
Sousuke's figure vanished amidst a swirl of breeze and falling leaves, leaving behind a deeply emotional Kakashi, who did not know what to say for a moment.
"Getting stronger, huh? Not everyone can keep improving endlessly like Sousuke-kun."
A trace of emotion appeared on Kakashi's face as he spoke:
"Well... if I really wanted to become stronger, it's not impossible either."
As he spoke, Kakashi reached up and gently rubbed his Sharingan, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Obito... your eye can see even farther now."
Whoosh.
As those words fell, Kakashi's figure also disappeared just like Sousuke's.
Nighttime.
Inside Sousuke's room.
After Naruto's departure, there were less than three years remaining before the ninja world would undergo another massive upheaval.
The beginning of Shippuden for ordinary ninja, it would practically mark the beginning of a nightmare.
Even a peak Kage-level powerhouse like Jiraiya had fallen during that era.
Not to mention everyone else.
Under such circumstances, Sousuke increasingly felt that his current strength was still insufficient.
"A peak Kage-level fighter simply isn't enough for the Shippuden era!"
Thinking about the future war, a troubled expression appeared on Sousuke's face.
"In other words, during the coming years, I need to redesign my training plans and awaken Wood Release before Shippuden begins!"
Otherwise, Sousuke truly did not know how he could step into the Super Kage tier.
Mangekyō Sharingan?
Not enough.
The system's sign-in rewards were too unpredictable, meaning there was no guarantee that before Shippuden began, his Mangekyō Sharingan would evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Not to mention ascending to an even higher level like the Rinnegan.
Only by completely developing his Sage Body and awakening Wood Release could he learn the Wood Release ninjutsu left behind by the First Hokage.
Once he obtained Wood Release even fighting all the way to the final climax of the story would no longer be a problem!
As for his other abilities, Sousuke had already pushed them nearly to their limits.
The Yagyu Style Swordsmanship.
It had already been trained to the absolute peak of mastery, and Sousuke had even developed many additional applications from it.
Ninjutsu.
With the amount of ninjutsu Sousuke currently possessed, he was no weaker than Kakashi in that field, if not stronger. Moreover, the techniques he mastered were all extremely destructive. In terms of pure ninjutsu attainment alone, Sousuke even had the confidence to dance against Uchiha Madara.
Taijutsu.
The same applied there as well. Current-day Sousuke had already completed the training of the Monster Strength technique. Combined with his natural superhuman strength and the fully completed Strength of a Hundred Seal, his taijutsu prowess could dominate the ninja world without question.
Genjutsu.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan, there was no way Sousuke could be weak in genjutsu.
And yet, despite having pushed every aspect of himself to the limit—
Sousuke was still only evaluated by the system as being at the Kage level.
His actual combat power had unquestionably already reached the peak of the Kage tier.
But there was still an enormous gap between that and the Super Kage level.
Looking throughout the entire history of the ninja world, how many people had ever reached the Super Kage tier?
Only four,
Indra.
Asura.
Uchiha Madara.
Senju Hashirama.
Those four alone!
"Super Kage-level powerhouses..."
Countless thoughts flashed through Sousuke's mind as he sighed emotionally.
"It really does come down to bloodline. And as for the even higher Six Paths level... that requires not only bloodline, but also one's own destiny and opportunities."
As for Six Paths-level existences throughout the history of the ninja world, there had only been three.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
And her two sons, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
In the future, Uchiha Madara would also join that level.
As for Naruto and Sasuke, the two of them combined probably barely counted as one Six Paths-level existence.
"If you don't have cheat-like advantages, then no matter how hard an ordinary person struggles their entire life, at most they'll only reach the peak of the Kage tier."
While drafting his training plans, Sousuke muttered inwardly:
"To reach the Super Kage level or even the Six Paths level, bloodline is indispensable! Fortunately for me, whether it's my bloodline or my own latent potential, I still have a very high chance of reaching the Six Paths tier."
Of course the Six Paths realm was still too far away.
For now, he would first set himself a small goal:
Before Shippuden began, officially step into the Super Kage tier!
"Starting tomorrow, I'll officially put the Sage Body development training plan into practice."
Looking at the training schedule in his hand, Sousuke spoke:
"Also, I can't stop taking missions. Right now is exactly the time I need to accumulate prestige and lay the foundation for becoming Hokage in the future!"
After finishing a new training plan focused on developing his Sage Body.
Sousuke went to sleep.
After all, meals had to be eaten one bite at a time. There was no point rushing too much.
The next morning.
Sousuke woke from his sleep.
"System, sign me in."
[Ding! Sign-in successful. Congratulations, you have obtained: Bloodline Limit Byakugan]
Hearing the system's voice, Sousuke instinctively froze for a moment, his face filled with surprise and confusion.
"Byakugan? Another bloodline-limit eye technique?"
Sousuke was genuinely conflicted.
"System, if I fuse the Byakugan, will it conflict with the Mangekyō Sharingan I already possess?"
Honestly if there really was a conflict, Sousuke would be extremely troubled.
The Tenseigan evolved from the Byakugan was incredibly powerful.
But the two abilities of his current Mangekyō Sharingan were simply too valuable.
Whether it was weakening or enhancement.
Both abilities provided terrifying boosts to Sousuke's combat power!
Of course obtaining the Byakugan was equally tempting.
Because according to Sousuke's memories, combining the Byakugan with Ōtsutsuki chakra could successfully awaken the Tenseigan.
And possessing the Tenseigan was equivalent to gaining the Six Paths-level Tenseigan Chakra Mode.
That was genuine Six Paths-tier combat power.
With the Indra and Asura chakra already existing inside his body, he should theoretically be capable of awakening the Tenseigan as well.
The only uncertainty was how long it would take.
[There will be no conflict. After optimized fusion, the Sharingan and Byakugan can be switched between freely. At the same time, the Byakugan's visual traits can also be concealed during usage.]
Now that was excellent news.
Hearing the system's response, Sousuke immediately perked up, excitement appearing on his face.
"Then optimize and fuse them! If I can successfully awaken the Tenseigan, then I'll truly have hit the jackpot."
The moment Sousuke chose fusion.
A cool stream of energy instantly surged toward his eyes.
Buzz.
Along with a sound echoing beside his ears, the Mangekyō Sharingan emerged within Sousuke's eyes.
Then, under the transformation of an unknown force his eyes gradually became a pair of pure white eyes.
Their flawless white clarity perfectly demonstrated the extraordinary purity of Sousuke's Byakugan.
"So this is the Byakugan?"
Holding up a mirror and looking at his own eyes, Sousuke sighed emotionally.
"It kind of affects my looks a bit..."
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