The Sage Body!

Since the system had implanted the knowledge directly into his mind, Yo had also mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique!

Unfortunately...

Using the Flying Thunder God Technique required a substantial amount of chakra.

With only enough chakra to rank as a Chunin, Yo could barely use it a few times.

That greatly diminished the technique's value.

Chakra!

It was severely limiting Yo's strength!

"It's been a year!"

"I can draw again! I wonder what I'll get this time?"

"I'm not expecting an overpowered cheat like the Eternal Mangekyo or the Rinnegan, but please don't let me down!"

Yo took a deep breath. "System, start the annual draw!"

Hum!

The translucent screen trembled slightly, and the status information vanished.

In its place appeared a golden prize wheel.

The wheel spun rapidly, flashing with dazzling light.

Yo held his breath, staring at the wheel without blinking.

A few seconds later.

"Stop!"

The wheel gradually slowed to a halt.

Whoosh!

A line of prominent text appeared on the pale blue screen:

[ Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Sage Body (Hashirama Senju)! ]

"Huh?"

Yo froze, then his eyes widened with delight.

The Sage Body?

He'd actually drawn the Sage Body—and Hashirama Senju's, no less?

Yo couldn't keep the grin off his face. Even an AK-47 couldn't wipe it away.

What a surprise!

This was a real surprise!

Hashirama Senju was a genuine Super Kage, the God of Shinobi!

And what was Hashirama Senju's greatest strength? Wood Release?

No! No! No!

Wood Release!

It was certainly a powerful and unusual Kekkei Genkai.

But honestly...

It was nothing special!

Wood Release wasn't much stronger than Lava Release, Scorch Release, Magnet Release, Ice Release, Boil Release...or the other Kekkei Genkai.

What made Wood Release special was its ability to restrain and absorb chakra.

That was what allowed it to suppress Tailed Beasts.

Hashirama Senju's true strength was his terrifying Sage Body!

The Sage Body gave Hashirama more chakra than a Tailed Beast, along with unparalleled vitality!

Combined with Sage Mode, it was what made Hashirama Senju the God of Shinobi.

Take Fire Release, for example.

In the hands of an ordinary Uchiha, it was, at most, useful for controlling an opponent's movements.

But in Madara Uchiha's hands, one Great Fire Annihilation felt like an unstoppable natural disaster.

"Now...I've obtained Hashirama Senju's Sage Body too?"

Yo was thrilled.

Terrifying amounts of chakra, unparalleled vitality, and healing ability.

Just imagining it was incredible!

Just look at Orochimaru!

Look at Danzo!

They'd spent their whole lives studying First Hokage Cells, but neither had managed more than a crude imitation!

Orochimaru's Great Snake Liquid Body Technique and Danzo's transplanted arm were nowhere near the real Sage Body.

Yamato?

Did Yamato even count as having the Sage Body? His was diluted ten thousand times over!

"I have the Flying Thunder God Technique and 108 Fire Release Ninjutsu, but only enough chakra to rank as a Chunin!"

"That means I can't bring out the full potential of either the Flying Thunder God Technique or high-level Fire Release Ninjutsu!"

"My chakra reserves are the weakness I most need to address!"

But now...

"System, fuse the Sage Body!" Yo silently commanded.

"Fusion!"

The instant he gave the command, a warm current as vast as the ocean appeared inside him.

It spread through his limbs, organs, head, and feet, then flowed into every corner of his body.

There was none of the intense pain he'd imagined. Everything happened silently, like gentle spring rain nourishing the earth.

Yo could clearly feel every cell in his body humming with delight.

They greedily absorbed the pure energy, brimming with vitality.

His muscle fibers grew tougher; his bones became denser; his cells grew more active...

But the greatest change was to his chakra!

Yo's chakra reserves, which had been at Chunin level, began to swell wildly.

Even without deliberately refining it, chakra kept pouring forth in an endless stream.

The fusion lasted for several hours.

When the warm current finally stopped and became one with his body, Yo slowly opened his eyes.

He didn't even need to check. He could feel chakra surging through him like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, never ceasing.

His chakra had once been Uchiha in nature, tending toward Yin.

Now it had perfectly merged with the Sage Body's vast, vigorous, life-filled Yang nature.

Yo clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking sharply as a surge of strength far beyond what he'd had before burst through him.

"So this...is the Sage Body?" Yo murmured.

"My chakra reserves have increased at least a hundredfold, and the chakra itself is exceptionally potent, brimming with vitality!"

Yo tried to draw on his chakra. It flowed smoothly, as easily as moving a limb.

"Incredible! With this much chakra, I can use the Flying Thunder God Technique without holding back!"

Yo was buzzing with excitement.

The Flying Thunder God Technique was a space-time ninjutsu that consumed chakra like crazy.

Before, with so little chakra, he'd had to carefully ration every use of the technique.

Now...

He could use it as freely as he wanted without worrying about running out of chakra!

"More importantly!"

"This vitality!"

Yo could feel his body's recovery had reached an almost absurd level.

Old training injuries quietly healed.

And...

Yo pulled out a Shuriken and slashed his arm.

Blood welled up, but the wound quickly closed.

Yo wiped away the blood. His skin was smooth and unmarked, as if he'd never been injured.

"The Sage Body didn't just give me immense chakra!"

"It also gave me unparalleled vitality and healing ability!"

"Even if I suffer a serious injury—like being impaled or cut in half—I can recover quickly."

That was the Sage Body!

Yo grinned. "And with Hashirama Senju's Sage Body, I'll definitely be able to develop Wood Release!"

Wood Release!

It was the most unusual of the "ninjutsu-type" Kekkei Genkai.

It seemed to come from combining Water and Earth chakra.

But in fact, combining Water and Earth wasn't enough to obtain Wood Release. The prerequisite was...having the Sage Body!

The Sage Body's unique Yang Release chakra was the key.

So Wood Release seemed like a Kekkei Genkai, but in reality, it was Water + Earth + Yang...a Kekkei Tōta!

"However..."

"With the Sage Body, awakening my Sharingan might be even harder!"

Yo was already twelve years old, but he still hadn't awakened his Sharingan. It wasn't because his Uchiha blood was impure.

Uchiha needed intense emotional upheaval from a powerful mental shock to awaken their eyes.

Yo...

As a transmigrator with a rock-steady mindset, there was no way he'd awaken them.

Now that he'd obtained the Sage Body, it would probably be even harder.

"But that's fine. I just need to transplant a pair of Mangekyo!"

"With the Sage Body, even an ordinary Mangekyo will let me use it like an Eternal Mangekyo!"

The Mangekyo would go blind!

Unless...

Its owner had Hashirama cells!

Just like Obito.

He used the Mangekyo frequently, yet never went blind.

That was because the Hashirama cells in his body kept healing him.

"Hopefully, I'll draw a pair of Eternal Mangekyo someday. Otherwise...I can always go pluck someone else's Mangekyo!"

Yo shook his head.

"Open the status panel!"

Whoosh!

[Host: Uchiha Yao]

[Age: 12]

[Chakra: Kage Level]

[Chakra Affinities: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, Earth, Yin, Yang]

[Mode: None]

[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Unawakened)]

[Constitution: Sage Body (Hashirama Senju)]

[Ninjutsu: Three Body Technique, Shadow Clone Technique, Flying Thunder God Technique, Fire Release Ninjutsu (108 techniques)]

"Why is my chakra only at Kage Level? Shouldn't it be Super Kage?"

Yo frowned. "Is it because I've only just fused with the Sage Body? Or because I'm still too young?"

"It must be because I'm too young!"

"And my chakra affinities!"

"With Water and Yang added, I now have all seven chakra affinities!"

"That means I can use ninjutsu of all seven affinities!"