Actions in the Shadows

[The previous chapter was chapter 587, it was mislabeled.]

The Sage Katsuyu suddenly felt like it was the one being made the punchline, but luckily it liked Sakura Haruno and didn't care.

Unlike the Great Toad Sage and the White Snake Sage, who were surrounded by a large group of disciples and followers, the Sage Katsuyu was a solitary "insect" in the Shikkotsu Forest, spending most of his time isolated from the human world, and sometimes quite lonely and bored. [Note]

Since Hashirama Senju, Sakura Haruno is the only person who has been able to live in Shikkotsu Forest for an extended period of time. She waited many years for someone to talk to, which is truly rare. As for what it is, that's not the point.

"You have other options, what do you mean --?" the Sage Katsuyu asked.

"Of course, I'm referring to the five paths to breaking through to the 'Six Paths' level, besides the orthodox Ninshu training path."

Sakura Haruno raised her right palm.

"First, the Taijutsu path." She curled her thumb. "Can one reach the power of the Six Paths Sage solely through physical strength? Possibly! With the Eight Gates Released Formation, once Eight Gates are opened, even a Genin can unleash Kage Level power for a short time. Therefore, an Elite Jonin Taijutsu could very well unleash power approaching that of the Sage of Six Paths!"

This idea came to her from a man with a perpetually bowl-cut hairstyle. Although that guy was honest and kind, and a bit eccentric, once he got really into it, nobody knew how powerful he could be after opening all Eight Gates!

"But you won't choose this path, right?"

"My Taijutsu skills are only average," Sakura Haruno readily admitted, nodding in agreement.

It's not just a matter of lacking talent.

Gaining power by burning one's life force is ultimately an unsustainable and heretical path.

On the other hand, the human body has its limits. Pure Taijutsu combat power has a limited upper limit, and Chakra is not a gentle energy that can nourish the body and infinitely enhance the physical body.

Even if she used Nintaijutsu and trained to the point of muscle-bound brain, she would at most be at the level of the Third Raikage —very strong, but not the strongest. And imagine a slender, beautiful girl developing such a muscular physique—doesn't it look awful to the eye...?

"The second incarnation is a creature like you, or the Great Toad Sage, or the White Snake Sage." She bent her index finger.

Simply put, it means they've stopped being human.

It's not entirely impossible— Orochimaru possesses the Secret Technique of reincarnation. As long as he finds a suitable target, seizes the body, digs a hole, hides, and cultivates for hundreds or thousands of years, slowly absorbing Natural Energy to grow, he could indeed have a chance to reach the level of the Six Paths.

However, while this seems simple, it actually has too many flaws and is only theoretically possible. The Sage Katsuyu knows full well how many hardships he has gone through to reach his current level, hence his silent smile.

"The third option is to switch allegiances and study science," Sakura Haruno said, curling her middle finger. "Abandon the Chakra system, gather the power of the entire human society to study science, and in a few hundred or a thousand years, the level of civilization will be greatly improved. Perhaps in the future, ordinary people will be able to play with nuclear bombs like toys."

This is the path taken in the previous life.

The Sage Katsuyu shook his head and chuckled, "They all sound pretty far-fetched."

In fact, there are successful examples of these routes, or at least they are being proven. The representative of Taijutsu is Might Guy opening the Eight Gates and almost kicking the finale; on the side of alien creatures, there are also examples of the three immortals, the Katsuyu, the Toad, and the white snake; and the scientific route is being practiced in Sakura's previous life's world.

Limited by its knowledge, the Sage Katsuyu was unaware of these things, but it knew that Sakura Haruno had clearly not chosen one of these paths.

So what's your choice?

"Me...?"

Sakura Haruno chose a fourth and fifth path, outside of these three, which could perhaps be called the path of improving Ninjutsu and improving Chakra.

"If traditional Ninjutsu is about creating a strong wind to attack the enemy, then my approach is to create a strong wind to blow down Taiseki on a mountaintop, allowing the rock to crush the enemy. It's not about the power of Ninjutsu directly acting on the enemy, but rather using Ninjutsu to change, propel, or even create a phenomenon to attack the enemy."

Her Water Blade Technique is the best example.

A suitable "stone," such as a high-pressure water jet, an inaudible infrasound wave, or even purified nuclear material, can often unleash power beyond the Chakra system.

Such techniques are not only incredibly powerful, but also so bizarre that they are often difficult to defend against.

"This is my core Ninjutsu system," the girl concluded.

The Sage Katsuyu only half understood what he was hearing.

It had heard Sakura Haruno describe the power of that technique.

--That terrifying explosion could destroy everything in the Shinobi World; just a moment after facing it, a massive wave of radiation energy seeped into her body.

Although he didn't know how Sakura Haruno did it, the Sage Katsuyu felt that even if the Sage of Six Paths were alive, he probably couldn't unleash such a powerful Secret Technique. From this perspective, the path Sakura Haruno took did indeed surpass that of the Sage of Six Paths.

But Sakura Haruno was not content to rely on this completely uncontrollable power, so she forged a new path—

An advanced version of Sage Mode.

Sakura Haruno had reviewed the documents hidden in Konoha's archives.

In the Second Hokage's notes, she saw the following viewpoint: the Sage of Six Paths' power is divided into three parts: Ninshu, Sage Mode, and Sage Eyes; conversely, if someone can take the path of Ninshu to its extreme, then cultivate Sage Mode to perfection, and obtain Sage Eyes, then their power is almost equivalent to that of the Sage of Six Paths.

Sakura Haruno believed she could traverse the path of Ninshu, but it was too long and impossible to surpass the Six Paths, so she chose to find another way.

Utilizing two types of energy that are far more powerful and violent than Natural Energy.

Atomic fission energy and fusion energy.

Fission energy is too violent and corrosive, while fusion energy does not have these drawbacks and is more powerful and active.

Sakura Haruno hopes to integrate these more powerful energies into the Chakra system, like Natural Energy, to create something even more powerful than Sage Mode.

Yang God Mode!

Now, taking advantage of the enormous radiation energy within her body and the opportunity presented by Sakura Uchiha replacing her at work, her long-planned training program is finally about to begin.

"Roar." The Sage Katsuyu raised its antennae and laughed, "What an ambitious plan! So your next training plan is to tame the energy hidden within you, right? Theoretically, as long as you successfully fuse with it, you will obtain Senjutsu Chakra Chakra."

"That's right." Sakura Haruno nodded.

That's the theory, but nobody really knows how to achieve this effect; Sakura Haruno has to find the answers herself.

As she tucked her restless hair behind her ears—the newly grown hair was exceptionally soft and docile—she said with a troubled expression, "But how exactly to do it is still a problem. No one has ever attempted this before, and I must forge a completely new path. Fortunately, I can use the Sage Mode and the Mysterious Peacock Method as references: the former tells me how to integrate with the immense energy from the outside world, while the Mysterious Peacock Method demonstrates how to absorb radiant energy."

"So, by successfully combining the two, we can complete this cultivation?" the Sage Katsuyu guessed optimistically.

The girl gave a wry smile, "If only it went this smoothly."

He was thinking that even the Sage Mode, with its complete cultivation methods, was so difficult, let alone dealing with the more violent and powerful radiation energy.

"In short, I'll be troubling you for a while longer." He bowed slightly.

"Before I begin my actual seclusion for training," she shook her head, then added, "I need to return to Konoha to take care of some matters and replenish my supplies."

"Go."

The Sage Katsuyu waved its tentacles and sent the girl back to Konoha via reverse teleportation.

At the same time, in the Land of Water, in the western ocean.

The storm has long passed, and the sea is calm.

A lone reef protruded from the sea. The reef was extremely low, only visible at low tide, and could only accommodate a few dozen people standing on it.

Within a radius of a hundred miles, it was the only place to settle down.

Splash--

The seawater relentlessly pounded against the rocks, the waves leaping and dancing merrily.

Amidst the rushing water, a man's voice suddenly rang out—

"Is this the place, Jue?"

[Second update complete.]