Long-Awaited Rest, Sage-like Body

Minamoto Takuya's gaze completely regained its calm, every outward emotion perfectly concealed.

He slowly raised a hand and lightly drew a fingertip across his skin.

A plump, round drop of vivid crimson blood immediately beaded up and hung from his fingertip.

He stared at that drop of his own blood. From this moment onward, this drop of blood—and every cell in his body—would possess effects as miraculous as Hashirama Senju Cells.

Their vitality was equally immense. Though they retained the unmatched devouring and corrosive properties of Hashirama Cells, they had become more "gentle," making them easier for other bodies to accept and assimilate.

To the countless people in the Shinobi World who craved power, his cells might be even more "perfect" and more "suitable" than the legendary Hashirama Cells.

However, sacrificing himself for others? Selfless devotion?

That was never his path.

He was a conqueror, the possessor of power. He would never become a stepping stone for others to climb.

Only when the surging chakra within him finally stabilized did Minamoto Takuya slowly stretch his long-tense muscles and bones. With a drawn-out sigh, he gave himself a thorough stretch.

This period of secluded cultivation had taken far longer than he had expected.

It really has been a long time... he murmured inwardly.

His original plan had simply been to use the absolute power of the Mangekyō Sharingan to forcibly suppress the Hashirama Cells and finish everything in one go. At most, it should have taken only a few days.

Who would have thought that this spur-of-the-moment path of "assimilation" would be so difficult? It had consumed an entire year and several more months of his life, every moment a struggle against his own will.

Yet, as Minamoto Takuya felt the boundless, ocean-like torrent of chakra flowing through his chakra pathways,