The images in his mind were still spinning.
Nobunaga didn't know.
He only knew he was exhausted, so exhausted that he didn't want to think about these things anymore.
His consciousness began to blur; Jiraiya's voice in his ears grew more distant, the breathing of Sandaime grew lighter, and the sound of the wind outside the window grew fainter.
He wanted to grab onto something, but his fingers wouldn't move.
He fell downward, sinking into a deep, quiet darkness.
Then, he heard that voice.
[The third simulation is about to begin.
The host's current state is detected as abnormal; your spirit is on the verge of collapse, and your physical condition is extremely poor. It is recommended to enter the simulation immediately to restore your mental state.
Please select the final mission objective for this dream simulation—]
"System," Nobunaga shouted in his heart.
The mechanical voice paused for a moment.
[Present.]
"Tell me, what is going on with Temari?
Didn't you say there wouldn't be any problems with the second simulation?
Didn't you say the data anomaly had been fixed?
Then why does she remember?
Why did she pursue me from that world?
Why did it turn out like this?"
Silence.
The mechanical voice did not sound immediately.
Nobunaga waited for a long time, so long that he thought the system was going to play dead again.
[The root of the data anomaly in the second simulation lies in the energy fluctuations of the space-time rift.
After the first simulation, the system had already performed repairs, but the residual effects of the rift remain.
This is not a direct error of the system, but the system bears responsibility for it.]
Nobunaga was stunned for a moment.
[After a comprehensive check, the system firewall for the third simulation has been upgraded, the space-time coordinate anchoring program has been reconstructed, and the memory synchronization protocol has been rewritten.
Triple encryption, five-layer verification, seven isolation walls. The data security level of this simulation is seventeen times that of the previous two.]
Nobunaga stood there, listening to those words.
He suddenly found it a bit funny. The system was reciting a script, like a child who had done something wrong, listing all the remedial measures one by one, fearing he wouldn't believe it.
[In addition, this simulation will enable a brand-new "Memory Isolation Protocol."
All experiences, emotions, and bonds in the simulation will be automatically sealed after the simulation ends and will not leak into reality in any form.
The system guarantees there will be no more Mei Terumī, no more Temari. There will be no one else coming to find you with memories from the simulation.]
Nobunaga fell silent. He looked at the darkness, looked at the glowing words, and watched for a long time.
"Do you guarantee it?" he asked.
[The system guarantees it.]
"You guaranteed it last time too."
Silence.
[The previous guarantee was based on the detection results at the time. The system failed to foresee the residual fluctuations of the space-time rift. This is a limitation of the system. But this time—]
"Enough," Nobunaga interrupted.
"I don't need your guarantee," Nobunaga said.
The system fell silent.
"What I need is—" He paused, his voice dropping, "Forget it. Start the dream simulation; I'll get stronger first."
[Please select the final mission objective for this dream simulation:]
[1. Become an excellent Konoha Jonin and preserve your life in the upcoming First Ninja World War. Mission reward: Mastery of Chakra Nature Transformation; Difficulty: C; Identity: Ordinary Genin of Konoha Village]
[2. Become a high-level official in Konoha, hold real power, marry Tsunade after the Second Hokage dies, and stabilize the situation in Konoha. Mission reward: Powerful vitality of the Senju Clan; Difficulty: A; Identity: Direct descendant of the Senju Clan]
[3. Pacify the chaotic world and unify the Ninja World. Mission reward: Significant improvement of Sage Body, Wood Release Bloodline Limit; Difficulty: S; Identity: Collateral descendant of the Senju Clan]
Nobunaga's gaze swept over the three options.
The first, C-rank, Mastery of Chakra Nature Transformation.
He skipped it directly. A C-rank mission for a C-rank life is not worth it.
Moreover, the Sage Body from the first simulation and the Mangekyo from the second simulation had already let him taste the sweetness of top-tier rewards.
The second, A-rank, Powerful vitality of the Senju Clan. This was indeed tempting.
The physique of the Senju Clan, combined with the Sage Body he already possessed, was enough to allow him to step into the threshold of Kage-level in a short time.
But the problem was—marry Tsunade?
He remembered how Mei Terumī chased after him when the first simulation ended, and Temari's eyes that recognized him after the second simulation ended.
This time, he didn't want to owe any more debts.
The third. S-rank difficulty. Unify the Ninja World. Significant improvement of Sage Body. Wood Release Bloodline Limit.
Nobunaga's eyes narrowed.
The Wood Release that pacified the chaotic world.
Senju Hashirama used this technique to pacify the Sengoku, established the first Village in the Ninja World, and was called the "God of Shinobi" by everyone.
If he could get this—
"Unify the Ninja World, huh..." Nobunaga muttered.
He was thinking of a method.
Relying on Konoha, start pushing forward.
Must become the Hokage and cultivate his own team.
"I choose the third."
[You have selected the final mission objective for this simulation: Pacify the chaotic world, unify the Ninja World]
[Mission reward: Significant improvement of Sage Body, Wood Release Bloodline Limit]
[Initial identity selected: Late Sengoku, direct descendant of the Senju Clan]
[Simulation starting, timeline: 25 years]
[You are Senju Nobunaga, the product of a chance love between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan. In that era of frequent wars, such a union was rare, but not non-existent.
Your father was an ordinary Jonin in the Senju Clan, and your mother was a female Ninja in the Uchiha Clan.
Their marriage did not bring peace, nor did it change anything; it was just two people tired of killing who found each other in the flames of war.]
[The year you were born, the Senju and the Uchiha were still at war.]
[The year you started to remember things, Hashirama and Madara were sitting by the Naka River, skipping stones on the water.
You didn't know what they were talking about, but you remembered Hashirama's laughter. That kind of laughter was loud, hearty, as if it could dispel the gloom of the battlefield.]
[Later, as you grew up a bit, you began to understand more.]
[You witnessed the end of one era and the beginning of another.]
[You witnessed the Senju and the Uchiha laying down their hatred and forming an alliance.
You witnessed the establishment of Konoha Village, and witnessed the birth of the First Hokage.
You stood in the crowd, watching Hashirama stand on the high platform, saying loudly, "From today on, this place is our home."]
[You watched him be revered by everyone as the "God of Shinobi".]
[In that era, there was no one who did not worship Senju Hashirama.]
[You were too.]
[You felt the warmth of the Senju Clan while the First Hokage was still around.
It was a very strange feeling; you clearly had the surname Senju, but before this, you had never felt what this surname meant.
Until Hashirama stood there, until everyone was looking in the same direction, you realized for the first time that a Village could be like this, that Ninjas didn't have to think about how to kill every day.]
[You told yourself, this is what you want to protect.]