The Sage of Six Paths' doubts

Hokage: I Have an Attribute Panel - Chapter 516

The reality largely matches the speculation.

Of the other four major ninja villages, only Iwagakure agreed to convene the Five Kage Summit; the other three did not.

This matter could only be left unresolved.

However, misfortune clearly had no intention of letting them go.

Less than a month later, Mist Village sent another intelligence report: their Six-Tails Jinchuriki had gone missing, and judging from the battle traces left at the scene, he had clearly been captured by Akatsuki again.

This Mist Village; the Akatsuki Mist Village too far in bullying them.

But when they actually tried to do something to the Akatsuki, they suddenly realized that Mist Village was now powerless against Akatsuki.

The Mist Village, residing overseas, had neither such a deep influence on the mainland nor the capacity to send more people to investigate further, so for the time being, it could only stay at home and watch helplessly.

Only then did they remember the Five Kage Summit that Konoha had proposed earlier.

Unfortunately, times have changed.

A month has passed, and Iwagakure, who had initially agreed, has long since changed their mind.

Sharing joy is worse than enjoying it alone, and suffering alone is worse than suffering together.

Even though the Tailed Beast of Iwagakure are all gone, it can't be just me. We're all from the Five Great Ninja Villages, so for the sake of fairness, we should all experience this pain together.

Now Mist Village has followed in their footsteps, and there's also Cloud Village and Konoha, and possibly Sunagakure.

Whether Iwagakure truly thought this way is unclear, but when Mist Village learned that Ōnoki was not participating in the Five Kage Summit, that was Iwagakure guess.

As for Cloud Village and Sunagakure, they still disagreed, and even Konoha, the original convener, seemed uninterested this time.

This time, Mist Village had no choice but to swallow their pride and suffer in silence.

While the Akatsuki was throwing the Ninja World into chaos, the minor incident of Konoha's Hyuga Yuto mysteriously disappearing during a mission went largely unnoticed.

Not to mention Konoha, even within the Hyuga Clan, after a period of fruitless investigation, considering his usual inappropriate words and actions, they determined him to be Rogue Ninja and thus settled the matter.

The current Konoha doesn't care that a pair of Byakugan are out there, especially since these Byakugan have a Curse Mark that ensures that if the owner of these Byakugan dies, the Byakugan will also be destroyed.

Hyuga Yuto was not taken seriously by Konoha.

Of course, the pursuit and killing by the Anbu is still necessary; that's their job.

Konoha's 103rd training ground is quite large, but it's located in a remote area, so few people come here.

However, during this period, the crackling of thunder and the chirping of Chidori could often be heard here.

If you get a little closer, it's not hard to see that the entire Training Ground is covered in scorch marks from lightning strikes, and some places have even been blasted by Lightning Style.

A shallow pit was created.

And all of this is Kakashi's masterpiece.

More accurately, it's a mark left by Kakashi and Taiichi together.

After learning that the Masked Man was Obito, Minato, after much deliberation, decided to tell Kakashi and Rin the news.

This was undoubtedly a huge blow to Kakashi and Rin. They were once such good comrades, friends who could entrust their lives to each other, but now they had become mortal enemies.

This was something neither of them could accept at the time.

Especially Kakashi. Rin, having transferred to the logistics and medical system, no longer had much ambition for strength, but Kakashi was different. He was working hard every moment to save Obito.

Now that he has learned this news, especially after knowing Obito's current strength, he has become even more frenzied.

To this end, he went so far as to seek out Taiichi and subject Taiichi to inhuman training every day.

Fortunately, Taiichi's Medical Ninjutsu had reached its peak; otherwise, with his training method, he wouldn't have developed any strength but would have ruined himself first.

On the Training Ground, a blinding bolt of lightning streaked across the sky from east to west, then turned back and streaked across the sky from south to north.

Taiichi stood in the center of the lightning path. With each flash of lightning, his Chakra Light Blade precisely struck its weakest point, exploding into multiple dazzling arcs of lightning.

After five minutes of continuous clashes, the lightning finally became unstable. After one last collision, it stubbornly flickered twice more before going out completely, revealing Kakashi panting heavily inside.

"Not bad, you've made great progress. You can already use this Lightning Release Chakra Mode in actual combat."

Taiichi were full of admiration. No one would dislike such a hardworking and dedicated person, especially since they were friends.

"No, that's far from enough. It's only lasted five minutes. What can you possibly accomplish with that kind of duration?"

Kakashi gripped the White Fang Short Sword, straightening his back and trying to make himself look less disheveled.

Taiichi rolled his eyes in exasperation, not even wanting to talk to this stubborn guy.

He walked slowly forward, placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, and without any further effort, Kakashi collapsed to the ground.

"See? What's with the bravado?"

Taiichi squatted down, grabbed Kakashi who was still struggling to get up, and his hand glowed with green light, soothing Kakashi's muscles.

"You've improved a lot. Before, you couldn't even unleash a few Chidori, but now you can use Lightning Release Chakra Mode to cut people down for five minutes straight. What more could you want?"

"But Obito— "

"There are no buts." Taiichi decisively interrupted Kakashi, "Obito is just troublesome because of the inherent mechanism of his Space-Time Ninjutsu. His strength itself is not particularly great. Now that we have figured out this mechanism, his threat has been reduced by at least half."

But you're different. You got to this point through your own strength. Your current physical condition and Chakra Quantity are completely different from what they were two years ago. What more could you want?

Kakashi reached out towards the sky, grasping at the air as if trying to hold onto his departing comrade, but finally clenched his fist with a sigh.

I want to become even stronger!

Kakashi's voice was full of determination, containing an extremely strong will.

Taiichi looked at Kakashi now and nodded in satisfaction, while also encouraging him.

"You still need to continue practicing Senjutsu. Haven't you noticed how rapidly your physique and Chakra Quantity have increased lately? That's the effect of Senjutsu. As long as you persevere, your strength will continue to improve significantly."

Speaking of Senjutsu, Kakashi also got excited. He was the one who volunteered to participate in the experiment after learning that Taiichi was developing Senjutsu.

It is precisely because he has mastered the basics of Senjutsu that he has made such significant progress, which is also the source of his confidence in catching up with Obito.

But Taiichi saw Kakashi's self-satisfied expression, he inexplicably became annoyed again, and when he was annoyed, he started to speak without restraint.

"I never expected this! Kakashi, your Senjutsu Mode talent is so much worse than your Ninjutsu talent. Among the second batch of people participating in the experiment, you were one of the last to complete the basics. I almost thought you'd never be able to use Senjutsu in your life."

As Taiichi spoke these seemingly casual yet teasing words, Kakashi's face, which had just recovered, darkened again.

Taiichi's words stirred up his tragic memories from the previous year. In order to cultivate Senjutsu, he got up earlier than the chickens and went to bed later than the dogs, but even so, he still couldn't grasp the essence of immortal Senjutsu for a long time.

Watching his fellow participants in the experiment complete the initial steps one by one, even the Senior in their forties and the little ones under ten years old succeeded one after another.

Kakashi was once considered a genius himself, had never experienced anything like this before, especially the pitying looks from his comrades and their regret over the "fall" of a genius, which pierced his heart more than once.

Fortunately, he finally succeeded, although it came relatively late. But once he got the hang of it, he refused to believe he would lose to anyone else.

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the guy with the twisted sense of humor beside him, speechless. If he weren't truly exhausted, he would have fought him for another three hundred rounds, completely defeating him until he knelt down and called him "Daddy."

Unfortunately, I can only think these things in my mind; I can't let this guy know.

After Taiichi finishes treating Kakashi, he will give the guy individual guidance on training in Sage Mode.

That's right, Kakashi's talent in Senjutsu Mode is just that terrible. If he wants to improve quickly, don't even think about it without special tutoring.

While Kakashi was diligently training to improve his strength, in another open space not far from him, Taiichi's true form was also striving towards his goal.

At this moment, Taiichi sat cross-legged on the ground, assuming a standard posture for Chakra training, but his entire body resembled a human-shaped candle.

A layer of pale blue Chakra flowed steadily across his body, and this layer of Chakra began to appear about a foot away from his body.

Its Nature Transformation, and its color changes from light blue to red.

Until it rises to a distance of two feet Chakra completely transforms into fire attribute, turning into a blazing flame.

That wasn't all; as the flames rose higher, their color began to change, from fiery red to orange, then to bright gold, and finally to incandescent white.

At the very top of the blazing white flames, even space itself was scorched and distorted. But that wasn't all. These flames intertwined and merged, undergoing some unknown transformation, as if they were alive, accumulating power, attempting to leap upwards again to complete the ultimate transformation.

This has been Taiichi's daily routine during this period of cultivation. Since the Fire Nature Transformation reached Lv15 (6999/7000), he has been stuck at this bottleneck for several months.

This is also the first time since Taiichi acquired the panel that it has been stuck on a certain bottleneck for so long.

To this end, after numerous attempts, he finally found a method to train the Fire Nature Transformation— in the extreme transformation of attributes, he constantly explored the possibility of leaping upwards, hoping to officially step into the Lv16 level, also known as the Six Paths Level.

The training was quite effective. Although the changes weren't visible on the panel, Taiichi could still feel that he was improving every day.

Especially in the last few days, he had a vague premonition that his opportunity for a breakthrough was about to arrive.

Even if Kaguya Otsutsuki were to truly break free from her seal at that time, he would not be afraid.

Just as Taiichi unleashed the ultimate power of flame, at a certain moment, the two wisps of flame at the tip of that cluster of flames seemed to trigger some mechanism as they intertwined, and the power they emitted indeed burned a tiny crack in the space above.

However, this change was fleeting, and the gap was smoothed out and mended in an instant, just like a fleeting moment, so that Taiichi did not notice this special change.

Although Taiichi himself was unaware of it, this brief fluctuation of power that touched the Six Paths level was sensed by the Sage of Six Paths, who was in the Pure Land, through some mysterious path.

Pure Land, the final resting place for the souls of all living beings in the Ninja World after death.

Since the death of the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, his soul also came here. However, unlike the other souls, which fell into slumber after arriving at the Pure Land and slowly merged into the world during their slumber, Hagoromo Otsutsuki's soul was powerful and solid.

Hagoromo Otsutsuki's soul is powerful and solid, and with the support of Chakra, he still maintains a clear sense of self.

He also used his power to transform the Pure Land and preserving the souls of outstanding ninjas from past generations, and constantly monitoring the Ninja World, silently protecting its development.

However, the recent changes in the Ninja World have left Hagoromo Otsutsuki feeling very confused.

From the memories of the souls who entered the Pure Land, Hagoromo Otsutsuki learned that the village of Konoha, founded by the reincarnations of his two children, did not continue to decline after their deaths, but instead became even stronger.

This was completely contrary to his prediction, but it wasn't something he couldn't let go of. As long as the Ninja World continued to develop steadily, he wouldn't interfere.

The progress of the world ultimately requires the efforts of people in the present world, and he is, in the end, just an old relic who has already died.

However, today, the sleeping Hagoromo Otsutsuki suddenly raised his head and opened his eyes. Purple light flashed in his pupils, and the power of the Rinnegan seemed to be able to penetrate the barrier between the Pure Land and the human world, reaching straight into the Ninja World.

After a long while, Hagoromo Otsutsuki frowned slightly, as if sensing something, but still couldn't find it.

"How could this be—it's disappeared again? That completely new Six Paths Power, I've never sensed it before. Has a new Six Paths Level powerhouse appeared in the Ninja World?"

Hagoromo Otsutsuki looked puzzled. Then, he made a grasping motion with his right hand, and the Six Paths Staff condensed in his hand. He grabbed the staff and swung it forward, as if striking a transparent wall, creating ripples in the space.

At the same time, centered on the staff, the entire landscape of the Ninja World gradually unfolds beneath it.

Just by looking at Hagoromo Otsutsuki's trembling staff, one could tell that even for him, this method was still quite taxing, and that the tax continued to increase as the projected area expanded.

This mirror image is like a satellite map that scans the entire area, with one bright spot after another constantly being marked on it.

Some glowed only like Fire Fly, while others shone brightly.

Each of these points of light represents a powerful Ninja World whose strength is at least at the Kage Level; the stronger the ninja, the brighter the point of light.

Within the entire mirror image, there were only three brightest points of light. Hagoromo Otsutsuki naturally knew who those were, but he only glanced at them and then paid no more attention.

However, apart from that, there doesn't seem to be any other power in the entire Ninja World that has reached this level.

But isn't the density of powerful individuals in Konoha, the Land of Fire, excessively high?

But this idea only flashed through Hagoromo Otsutsuki.

After a long while, the immense drain on his energy forced him to dispel his Ninjutsu. The image before him transformed into starlight and vanished, leaving the entire space once again as dark and desolate as the Pure Land had always been.

Looking at the empty space before him, Hagoromo Otsutsuki was still puzzled: Had he not found anyone? Was there someone in the Ninja World who could escape his Scout? Or perhaps—had he truly misjudged the situation?