Whether the supernatural has a great influence depends not only on how widespread it is,
but even more on the upper limits of its power.
In the Ninja World, those at the very peak could easily reshape the terrain. They might not be able to move mountains or fill seas, but they were comparable to walking human missiles.
But the achievements of people in this world who trained in Chakra were destined to be limited.
Even with exceptional talent, they could at best become a Jonin—and even then, a Chakra-deficient Jonin like Kakashi, hardly a match for the modern world.
However...
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't draw an absolute conclusion.
Now that the Chakra Seed exists, Masahiro's descendants will also be able to refine Chakra.
If each generation optimizes their genes and adapts to the power of Chakra...
They might gradually break through to higher levels.
Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to recall something. He turned to Masahiro and said,
"Sit still and clear your mind. Don't resist."
Then seven types of Chakra Nature Transformation flared in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand once more. He cycled through them counterclockwise, then pressed his palm against Masahiro's forehead.
"Whoosh."
A powerful suction came from Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand, and he absorbed every last bit of the meager Chakra inside Masahiro.
"Just as I thought..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, a look of understanding on his face.
"The Chakra Seeds I planted carry my imprint."
"I can retrieve them, too."
His expression turned regretful.
"But I don't have Otsutsuki blood..."
"I have no way to refine it into a fruit or pill..."
"So relying on this to evolve to a higher level of life is basically impossible..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. Without Otsutsuki blood, the Chakra system really did have obstacles at every turn.
The Legend of the Five Villages Eye Conflict was no exaggeration.
"Recovering Chakra to this extent can at most restore some of it when your reserves are depleted."
As he thought this, Sarutobi Hiruzen returned Masahiro's Chakra. He had no use for such a small amount.
Masahiro, however, was utterly confused. He had no idea what had happened; he only felt the power inside him vanish and then reappear in an instant.
But his awe of Sarutobi Hiruzen's abilities had only deepened.
Several days later,
Two tall horses pulled a spacious carriage along the main road.
At the reins, seated behind the horses, was Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the Demon Slayer Mark on his face.
Who would have thought that the coachman of this carriage was the greatest swordsman in the world?
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't asked him to do this. The original coachman had been Masahiro, who was traveling with them. Tsugikuni Yoriichi had simply felt sorry for Masahiro, who was having to travel alone, and offered to take turns with him.
Masahiro had been reluctant, or perhaps embarrassed, but he couldn't refuse Tsugikuni Yoriichi's kindness.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat reading.
The road outside was rough, and the carriage itself was rudimentary.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen had applied Earth Release nature transformation to the carriage's interior, keeping it stable.
So he could calmly study the scroll in his hands.
Beside him, Masahiro was working hard to practice Hand Seals.
Practicing Hand Seals was an important part of a ninja's training. Most Ninjutsu required them.
Since Masahiro had never received ninja training as a child, he had to start with the simplest seals.
His movements were slow, and his fingers stiff, but he practiced with great effort.
Masahiro was sweating profusely. For an adult whose joints had grown stiff, practicing Hand Seals was undoubtedly harder than it was for a child with supple joints.
He glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, absorbed in his scroll, and silently encouraged himself.
Even Lord Sarutobi, despite being so powerful, was still learning. He had to work even harder.
Sarutobi Hiruzen really was learning something new, a field even the Professor of Ninjutsu had never studied before.
The scroll in his hands bore the words:
Puppetry Notes
That was right: Sarutobi Hiruzen was studying Sunagakure's signature technique, Puppetry.
As for where the notes had come from—
Konoha White Fang had said that cutting down Sand Ninja Puppet Masters felt pretty damn satisfying—and they dropped scrolls, too.
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen in the past would never have bothered with Puppetry. Konoha was a village rich in techniques.
It had the most extensive collection of techniques and an endless stream of talented innovators.
The many secret techniques left behind by the Second Hokage alone were already devastating—cough, cough—or rather, endlessly useful.
Naturally, he'd looked down on Puppetry, which had a decent lower limit but a laughable upper one.
But after arriving in the New World, Sarutobi Hiruzen had begun to see ways he could learn from Puppetry.
The notes on Puppetry from Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law mostly covered the mechanical aspects, but they also included speculation about Human Puppet techniques.
"A Perfect Being naturally has the potential to become a rather perfect Biological Weapon..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen had already had this idea the last time.
"Biological Weapons are common on the Ninja World's battlefields."
"Human Puppets, Summoned Ninja Beasts, the Aburame Clan's Insect Technique, and the like..."
"They all fall within the scope of Biological Weapons."
"As for what a Biological Weapon needs..."
As a Hokage who had lived through several Ninja World Wars, Sarutobi Hiruzen understood war deeply.
"Controllability, power, and cost-effectiveness."
Taking modern warfare into account, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that the Ninja World's Biological Weapons were all lacking.
Summoned Ninja Beasts and secret techniques were not cost-effective.
Human Puppets made good use of recovered corpses, but they still needed a skilled operator. Otherwise, their performance was laughable.
Tailed Beasts were even worse. They were almost completely uncontrollable, and Jinchuriki were basically unable to use them effectively on the battlefield.
Even Kumogakure, which claimed to consistently produce Perfect Jinchuriki, and Konoha, with its supreme Sealing Jutsu, had seen countless cases of Tailed Beasts going out of control.
"As long as I can solve the problem of controlling the Perfect Beings in the Demon Slayer World..."
As Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help thinking about how to develop Konoha's advantage in war.
"Cost-effectiveness goes without saying. Perfect Beings with infinite regeneration would be as cost-effective as it gets."
"Their strength could also reach the level of a Jonin."
"They could give us a considerable advantage in war."
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts were running wild, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's voice came from outside.
"Lord Sarutobi..."
"We've arrived..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and climbed down from the carriage with Masahiro.
A tall man, completely shrouded from head to toe, climbed down with them. From his aura, he was clearly Perfect 1.
Through his research into Impure World Reincarnation and Puppetry, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already learned how to control Perfect 1's movements, at least to some extent, using specially made talismans.
They climbed down from the carriage and walked a few steps. A small city wall stood in the distance.
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