Future Paths

"Two ordinary jonin, both injured, and it was basically three against two in our favor. And we still ended up badly wounded? Main body, you might as well kill yourself to atone!"

"Five katas of chakra, abnormal regenerative abilities, and all those advanced jutsu you know. Are you kidding me?"

Sitting beside the Chakra Flame, Senba of the Forest had already woken up three days ago. He glared at the main body across from him, his disappointment plain on his face.

When he saw Yue and Iruka leap down from the branches, Senba's taut nerves finally relaxed. Unable to resist the weakness brought on by blood loss any longer, he tilted his head and passed out, despite Yue's anxious cries.

When he emerged from the darkness, Senba heard his clone's harsh words.

"Can't be helped. I can only use Wind Release and Earth Release," Senba said, sitting cross-legged with his right hand over the Chakra Flame. He watched the blue flames dance across his fingertips.

"Until I can defend myself, I won't reveal everything I can do. Besides, with Slug here, my injuries were within expectations."

"Hopefully, one day this fire will become a blazing pillar that reaches the sky. When that day comes, we won't have to live at anyone else's mercy."

Senba gazed at the Chakra Flame, which had grown to twice its original size, his eyes alight with fascination. No one could take this power from him.

Unfortunately, Senba of the Forest was best at pouring cold water on his hopes. He looked at the fine cracks across the main body's frame—the proof that he had come to this world.

"You only have Senju blood in your body. If you get a chance to acquire Uchiha blood someday, then maybe there'll be a chance. Otherwise, you'll always be suppressed by the Six Paths Power."

Senba had no response to Senba of the Forest's words. He simply stared at the Chakra Flame in his hand, lost in thought.

In the Naruto world, the power system was broadly divided into the chakra system and Sage Mode, which drew on Natural Energy.

The chakra system was unquestionably dominant. The Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga of Konoha, along with the Taketori Clan of Kirigakure and others, were all branches of this system.

For instance, the moment Kaguya Otsutsuki used All-Killing Ash Bones, it indirectly proved just how high the Taketori Clan could theoretically rise.

Likewise, Madara Uchiha absorbed Hashirama Senju's cells and awakened the Rinnegan in his later years. By the end, after absorbing the Ten-Tails, he had transformed directly into an Otsutsuki.

But to be fair, Senba would never have imagined that Madara would take Hashirama to heart in such a literal, physical sense. That was certainly a bizarre turn of events.

Madara's transformation into an Otsutsuki might have seemed easy, but Senba hadn't forgotten that Madara was the reincarnation of Indra—and that he had absorbed the cells of Hashirama Senju, the reincarnation of his younger brother Asura.

If the Six Paths Power was involved, then an ordinary person's odds of success were practically zero. At best, they might end up like Obito Uchiha: an incomplete version.

So Senba wasn't very confident that he could transform into an Otsutsuki himself. Especially with Black Zetsu, the ultimate filial son, around. If someone manipulated him into becoming a vessel for Kaguya Otsutsuki's revival, he'd be doomed.

As for Sage Mode, which drew on Natural Energy, to put it plainly, it was an amplifier. Once someone entered Sage Mode, the power of their ninjutsu, Illusion Techniques, and taijutsu all surged dramatically.

Natural Energy and the chakra system were also incompatible. That was clear from the fact that Truth-Seeking Orbs couldn't absorb ninjutsu infused with Natural Energy.

The source of Natural Energy was the Three Great Sage Lands. It was a power that had existed in this world before the Otsutsuki arrived. The native forces and the invading Otsutsuki were natural enemies.

Seen in that light, when the Great Toad Sage helped the Sage of Six Paths and his younger brother seal away their mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, it probably wasn't entirely for the sake of the people of the Shinobi World.

Even so, the upper limit of Sage Mode couldn't compare with that of the chakra system. Hashirama Senju and Yakushi Kabuto had already reached the pinnacle of that path, yet they were still far from the Six Paths level.

What worried Senba most about Natural Energy was the danger involved in training with it. The original story never explained how to train in Sage Mode at Shikkotsu Forest, but judging from Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, the risks were probably much the same.

Still, he had no choice but to risk it. Natural Energy's incompatibility with chakra alone made it worth learning. Senba had never been one to stake everything on a single path.

As Senba's mind raced, Senba of the Forest suddenly appeared before him and stared intently at him.

Since they shared the same mind, Senba knew exactly what the other was thinking. But that ridiculous idea was simply impossible.

"Don't start," Senba said, shaking his head and rejecting the idea outright. "Do you think Uchiha Shisui's eyes are that easy to get? In a direct fight, even if I used every trump card I have, I might not beat him. For now, I need to stay on good terms with him."

"Main body, don't say I didn't warn you." Senba of the Forest snorted and looked Senba in the eye, his tone full of meaning. "Even among Sharingan, some are better than others."

"Uchiha Shisui's eyes are undoubtedly top-tier, and relatively easy to get. The others will be much harder. Of course, once you're strong enough, you could just dig out Obito Uchiha's or Itachi's eyes."

Senba had considered what Senba of the Forest said. He even had a backup plan that might let him obtain a pair of Sharingan of his own.

But that was for later. For now, he was publicly known as nothing more than a young Konoha prodigy. Especially after this incident, Uchiha Shisui would certainly tell the Third Hokage how he had performed.

With Senba's outstanding talent and no Wood Release to upset the balance, the Third Hokage would undoubtedly feel at ease around him.

Senba could already imagine that, when he returned, the Third Generation might use the "Will of Fire" on him—a so-called S-rank Illusion Technique.

Just look at Uchiha Shisui, unconscious beside Senba. Brainwashed by the Will of Fire, the boy had been forced into a life of painful contradictions.

Joking aside, maybe Kotoamatsukami had come about because the Third Generation's Will of Fire had been deeply implanted in his mind.

Of course, hardly any Uchiha weren't tangled up in contradictions. Just look at their clan leader: he wanted to integrate into the village, but couldn't bring himself to lower his pride; he wanted to lead his clan in a coup, but feared that failure would bring about their destruction.

Caught in that agonizing tug-of-war, the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out by their own people in a ridiculous fashion. It was a joke.

To put it this way, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, even a single White Zetsu had died more meaningfully than the Uchiha Clan. At least it had died on the front lines.

At that thought, Senba slowly opened his eyes. A bright light poured in from the window, making him squint. He turned and saw Tsuki sitting beside him, keeping him company. Her little head bobbed as she fought sleep, and Senba couldn't help smiling.

His cheerful laugh woke the sleeping Uchiha Tsuki.