Naruto Shippuden: New Season Big Update

The ninja using Explosion Release and the two-man team with deadpan expressions never managed to track them down, but Uchiha Qiu Yang remained unconscious for seven or eight days.

Every day, Nadeshiko watched him run a fever during the day, only to turn cold at night, whimpering like a puppy as he sought her out for a hug.

A few days later, Nadeshiko noticed something writhing beneath his chest. Summoning her courage to peel back his shirt, she was horrified to see a distorted human face bulging from his skin.

Having no idea that this was the face of the First Hokage, she turned pale with fright and collapsed to the ground. When she gathered the nerve to look closer, the face had already vanished.

It felt as though it had been a mere hallucination, yet the terrifying sight left a shadow in her heart.

Three days later, Nadeshiko, who had barely slept the previous night thanks to Uchiha Qiu Yang's tossing and turning, was dozing off against the cave wall.

Suddenly, she felt a ticklish sensation on her face. A woman's keen sixth sense told her that someone was staring at her.

Recalling that ghastly face, Nadeshiko jolted awake, only to find Uchiha Qiu Yang grinning at her.

"Hello there, Miss Nadeshiko. Have I been asleep for a long time?"

He leaned in closer, his voice remarkably gentle.

It was as if he were expressing gratitude or perhaps trying not to startle her, causing Nadeshiko's heart to skip a beat.

"Were you the one taking care of me? I knew saving you was the right choice—the moment I saw you, I knew you were a beautiful and kind-hearted girl."

Such a blunt compliment made Nadeshiko momentarily forget her fear, and she blushed, wanting to lower her head.

However, with Uchiha Qiu Yang's face only centimeters away, she could only hold her breath and pray for him to back off.

Uchiha Qiu Yang was grinning from ear to ear, so happy he felt like planting a kiss on Nadeshiko's cheek.

The moment he woke up, he had spotted the makeshift syringe on the ground that he had used to store the Hashirama Cells.

That was the very thing he hadn't been able to bring himself to inject, despite all his mental preparation!

Unexpectedly, through a twist of fate, Nadeshiko had injected the Hashirama Cells into him while he was poisoned.

Most importantly, he had successfully withstood the assault of those tyrannical cells and merged with them.

It was a perfect fusion, one that didn't even leave the First Hokage's face on his body.

Right now, Uchiha Qiu Yang could clearly feel that his chakra reserves had expanded by at least a fifth compared to before he fell unconscious.

Furthermore, swish, swish...

Without hesitation, Uchiha Qiu Yang performed the hand seals for a basic Wood Release technique right in front of Nadeshiko.

His right hand suddenly split into four wooden branches, which continued to extend and grow forward.

It was authentic Wood Release; calling it a complete rebirth would not be an exaggeration.

Wahahaha... Truly, a blessing in disguise!

Nadeshiko was stunned by the jutsu she had never seen before.

Although she had never met the God of the Ninja World, Senju Hashirama, she had heard of Wood Release. She gaped, asking, "Is this... the legendary Wood Release?"

"That's right. Thank you, Nadeshiko. If not for your help, I definitely wouldn't have been able to master this."

"???"

What? Nadeshiko was confused, wondering why he claimed he couldn't have learned Wood Release without her.

Could it be... the effect of hugging him at night?

Nadeshiko shook her head to dispel the absurd thought, then suddenly turned cold, stating that since he was awake, they should return to their respective villages to report.

The tension between them seemed to have dissipated, yet a wider chasm now stood between them.

Hearing this, Uchiha Qiu Yang suddenly remembered his current situation and the future of the Ninja World.

Bringing her into the subsequent plot felt far too dangerous, and she would likely still encounter the person from the original story...

Uchiha Qiu Yang did not know that because of the butterfly effect he had caused by crossing over, the person Nadeshiko was supposed to meet would never cross her path in this lifetime.

However, he was now completely calm. To ensure this beautiful girl who had helped him wouldn't get hurt, he decided to set aside his feelings.

Perhaps only when he reached the Six Paths Level could he pursue the love in his heart without reservation.

"Then I'll head back to my village to report. Are you returning to yours as well?"

"Mm."

Nadeshiko answered, her mind in a whirl.

In truth, she had requested to be on the same mission as Uchiha Qiu Yang after explaining her village's customs to Tsunade and asking for the arrangement.

She hadn't expected so many things to happen. Having been out for so long, it was time to return and report to her master.

She also needed to think carefully about whether she truly wanted to let the village's customs dictate her fate.

To be joined in marriage with this Uchiha Qiu Yang...

"Wait, Nadeshiko."

As they walked out of the cave to part ways, Uchiha Qiu Yang suddenly grabbed her small hand, then, ignoring the murderous look in her eyes, pulled out a scroll.

He performed a seal to undo it and picked out a cat mask:

"I really didn't react in time that day. I'll compensate you with a cute one; it suits your temperament perfectly."

"If you dare to breathe a word about the time you spent with me, I will never forgive you. And... the next time I hear you slandering me by claiming I have some lover... hmph!"

That final "hmph," delivered with a slight inflection, tugged at Qiuyang's heartstrings once more. He couldn't help but want to draw closer, but in the end, he managed to keep his emotions in check.

Despite her words, the young girl took the mask from Qiuyang's hand and put it on. After casting one last deep look at him, she dashed toward the woods on the left, gradually vanishing from his sight.

He watched her figure with a sense of loss, returning to the cave to stare blankly for over ten minutes. Finally, he picked up the piece of cloth she had torn off to cool his fever and tucked it into his robes.

He then left the cave, though he did not truly return to Konoha to report back. Instead, he chose to continue as he had before, traveling to familiarize himself with the Hashirama Cells within his body.

As time passed, Qiuyang clearly felt his Mangekyo Sharingan beginning to slowly recover its ocular power, nourished by the Hashirama Cells.

Furthermore, the recovery speed of his lost ocular power was increasing, which inversely suggested that the Senju power was integrating with him more tightly than ever.

Once his ocular power was fully restored, Qiuyang used medical ninjutsu to perform a transplant, temporarily swapping in the Two-Tomoe Sharingan that had belonged to his original body's older brother.

Over the next year, he traveled and adventured everywhere, searching for an opportunity to evolve his Sharingan.

Unfortunately, his luck always seemed to fall just short; after such a long time, he had barely managed to evolve these eyes into the Three-Tomoe form.

Qiuyang understood that evolving to the Mangekyo Sharingan required a specific catalyst to trigger intense emotional fluctuations.

Artificial intervention would leave him with expectations, and it was not guaranteed to create the necessary scenario or opportunity.

There was no point in rushing.

Therefore, in the time that followed, he devoted himself to studying Wood Release ninjutsu and continuing to master the Flying Thunder God technique.

The effects of fusing with the Hashirama Cells were significant; he could now jump to moving marks at will without weaving hand signs, and he could even activate the Flying Thunder God technique regardless of distance.

The only caveat was that for ultra-long-distance travel, it still depended on whether his chakra reserves could sustain it.

The Eight Trigrams Sealing that Jiraiya had once placed on his body had long since failed, yet after only three months, his chakra volume was already comparable to what it had been when the Eight Trigrams Sealing was still active.

Some time later, on an ordinary day, Qiuyang received a notification via a Communication Frog, learning that his teacher, who had been traveling in the Land of Iron, would be returning to Konoha with Naruto in a few days.

He was struck by a sudden realization, as if waking from a dream: three whole years had passed without him even noticing.

A brand new season is about to descend; now, let us welcome the grand entrance of all these overpowered monsters.