"I only found out about this recently too. But civilization in general is still pretty much the same as when we were kids. Maybe it's just a feature of this world..."
Daily Life Li Ke explained. He really had no idea what was different; he'd only looked up the information on the spot, and hadn't had time to study it carefully because he'd suddenly ended up here.
Most importantly, the world he lived in had no famine whatsoever. It didn't even have the multitude of kingdoms found on Earth—there was only one national government.
So he really didn't feel much about these things. He didn't have to worry about them.
Unlike Smiling Proud Li Ke, who still had to check whether the tenant farmers on Mount Hua were doing a good job with their crops.
Apocalypse Li Ke's hands trembled with excitement. If these things really worked the way Daily Life Li Ke said they did, then the revival of civilization in his world would no longer be empty talk!
Unfortunately, though, he didn't have anything to offer the other Li Kes. All he could do was see whether his own talents might be useful to them.
But he didn't even know what his own talents were!
While he was still trying to figure that out, Black Mist Space began to fall apart once again. Everyone felt as though something was breaking, and they all knew it was time to part ways again.
They exchanged farewells, then returned to their respective worlds. Naruto Li Ke opened his eyes in a hurry, saw that only a few minutes had passed since he'd fallen asleep, and resignedly closed his eyes again to go back to sleep.
No joke—there was a good chance he'd be stuck working like an ox as a frontline transporter again tomorrow. If he didn't get some sleep while it was safe, he might not make it through the next day.
But...
"What kind of powers do the other Li Kes have?"
Li Ke was pretty curious. So far, Daily Life Li Ke's talent had been the most useful to all of them.
At the moment, Daily Life Li Ke's talent seemed to make his body exceptionally strong. It wasn't a talent that simply enhanced his physical abilities; rather, he could uncover all the Kekkei Genkai within his body without limit. Li Ke wasn't sure whether it was an affinity for energy or an ability to draw out his bloodline.
French Li Ke had a talent for magic power. Type-Moon Li Ke had the somewhat strange Heroic Spirit Summoning, and Smiling Proud Li Ke was a sentient hard drive.
"So far, Apocalypse Li Ke, Warhammer Li Ke, and Dark Li Ke haven't shown any talents. Is it because their talents are useless in my world, or have their talents already appeared and we just haven't noticed?"
Li Ke was curious about this. With two more Li Kes joining them, he felt his potential had increased once again, but he hadn't gained any unusual powers.
Apocalypse Li Ke hadn't shown any extraordinary powers either, so Li Ke really couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"After all, there are cases where someone's talent is completely useless in another world."
Li Ke couldn't help thinking of Smiling Proud Li Ke, whose magic power and Heroic Spirit Summoning talents were completely useless. The only way he'd been enhanced was through Daily Life Li Ke's talent for strengthening his body, which had saved him at least ten years of training.
He was also the one who'd felt the effects of Daily Life Li Ke's physical enhancement most profoundly. His current chakra could match Senju Tobirama's in his youth, and that was all thanks to Daily Life Li Ke's ability to strengthen the body.
"What about everyone else's talents, then?"
The more Li Ke thought about it, the more he felt that Black Mist Space still held plenty of untapped potential. But they genuinely didn't have the ability to explore it right now, so there was nothing they could do but let the matter drop.
As Li Ke continued thinking, he gradually drifted off to sleep. His body also began to change without a sound. Countless energies naturally flowed into him, and the violent energy began to nourish his body. His body, worn out from spending the entire day constantly exhausting his chakra, quickly returned to normal.
Senju Tobirama, who had been thinking about a new technique suited to Li Ke, suddenly extended his senses in astonishment and quickly reached a conclusion.
"Sage Mode... No, this isn't Sage Mode. The natural energy his body absorbs is actually turning into chakra... How is this possible? What are the limits of his talent...?"
Senju Tobirama no longer knew how he should look at Li Ke, or what attitude he should take toward him. Li Ke had merely exhausted his body's chakra, and his body had started absorbing nearby energy on its own to help him recover. It only looked like Sage Mode because Li Ke's body had absorbed too much natural energy in a short time and couldn't fully process it.
He could also sense that, in this strange state, Li Ke's body and eyes were rapidly evolving toward a level Tobirama didn't know.
But compared to the energy required for that evolution, Li Ke's body was still far too small. If Tobirama himself were an adult, then with the chakra reserves he already had, combined with the power gained from absorbing the natural energy around him, his eyes and body would likely complete their transformation in no time.
In the end, it was his age and body that held this young man back!
"Can a talent like this really exist? Even Big Brother couldn't possibly have a talent like this."
Senju Tobirama was stunned once again. In the short time since then, Li Ke's body had already returned to peak condition! The strange changes in his body faded away as well, restoring him to normal.
However, when Senju Tobirama carefully sensed him, he could still feel Li Ke's body constantly absorbing the natural energy around him and slowly growing stronger.
So Senju Tobirama thought for a moment, then formed several hand seals while Li Ke was fast asleep.
Genjutsu: Dream Training Technique!
As a result, Li Ke, who shouldn't have been dreaming at all, found himself staring blankly at Senju Tobirama standing before him.
"Huh? Wasn't I..."
Li Ke asked in confusion. He remembered that he was supposed to be going to sleep.
"That's right, you're dreaming. I'm here to train you."
Senju Tobirama, inside the genjutsu, smiled. The next moment, his left eye took on the appearance of a Byakugan, while a Mangekyō appeared in his right eye.
"After all, your power is meant to defeat my Big Brother's ideals!"
He suddenly brought his hands together. In the next instant, countless trees sprang to life and attacked Li Ke. And that wasn't all: when Li Ke threw out his Flying Thunder God Kunai, trying to counterattack, streams of water shot toward him.
Li Ke quickly threw the kunai in his hand and leaped through the gaps between the water arrows. At the same time, he opened his Byakugan.
"Wood Release, huh!"
Li Ke's figure suddenly appeared in midair.
He'd thought of this move as soon as he first saw his Byakugan's Dojutsu!
Now, he'd let Evil Senju Tobirama get a taste of it!
Then, in the next instant, Li Ke saw countless Senju Tobiramas! Each of them held a Rasengan glowing in a different color! And around him, the very jutsu he'd wanted to use on Senju Tobirama appeared!
The technique that used his Byakugan's Dojutsu to form Flying Thunder God Marks in the air beside his opponent!
Li Ke: "!"
Seriously?! You too?!
That was exactly what he'd thought of when he discovered that his Dojutsu could alter a jutsu's nature and form in midair without hand seals!
He could place a Flying Thunder God Mark beside an enemy anywhere in his field of vision! If he mastered the technique, he could mark an opponent the moment he saw them and teleport without needing a Flying Thunder God Kunai!
But Senju Tobirama had thought of it too—and this shameless old Senju ghost had even copied Minato Namikaze's Rasengan!
So, while Li Ke stood there stunned, shadows quickly wound around him. They inscribed Flying Thunder God Marks and various sealing arrays across his body, then used the Nara Clan's Shadow Binding Jutsu to tie him up tight.
And so, Li Ke had another eventful night.
"Ugh, I get the feeling I'm going to die of a mental breakdown."
When Li Ke woke up in the morning, he held his head. He'd spent the entire night sparring with Senju Tobirama. Tobirama had been a little less insane toward the end, but he still hadn't gone easy on him.
Still, Li Ke's combat experience had improved by leaps and bounds. He still couldn't compare with Senju Tobirama, but at least he could put up a fight.
Though he'd still get crushed by the evil old Senju ghost in under five minutes, his understanding and use of his abilities had improved rapidly in the genjutsu.
But when he abruptly stood up, the absolute field of vision granted by his Byakugan made him clutch his head again.
"Once I got used to Senju Tobirama's fighting style, I could actually fight him. The problem is, Tobirama can adapt to the Byakugan's three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision very quickly, but I can't. I have to use the Mangekyō Sharingan to cover it and use the Byakugan only for scouting. Otherwise, my brain can't keep up with all the information."
"Still, the dizzying sensation from this Byakugan is a real headache..."
"That's because your brain hasn't fully developed yet. You're not even twelve. As long as you grow up safely to sixteen, the strain the Byakugan puts on your brain won't be so obvious."
Senju Tobirama offered Li Ke some encouragement at just the right moment. Tobirama approved of Li Ke's performance in the genjutsu. Not everyone could endure the pain of being killed over and over again and still keep fighting him.
Li Ke had the fierce disposition of a shinobi from the Warring States period.
What Li Ke hadn't expected was that, when he left the tent and went to the command center to find Minato Namikaze and Shikaku Nara, he discovered he didn't have any assignments today.
"Some other people need a chance to prove themselves, and besides, Kirigakure can't turn the tide no matter what they do now. If there's anything we still need you to do, it's stay at the camp and be ready to pick people up and send them out."
Shikaku Nara smiled at Li Ke as he said this.
"But the war is basically over. Once yesterday's battle report was sent back, the Daimyo restored Konoha's funding, and the reinforcements have already arrived."
He paused, then handed Li Ke a report of his war achievements.
"So unless the Kirigakure shinobi deploy their Three-Tails Jinchuriki on the battlefield, the war is over. Until you get another assignment, take a break and have your squad patrol... Qingtan, once the war is over, you'll be very busy."
Shikaku Nara's words had a double meaning. Li Ke didn't object. He looked over his battle record and saw that Minato Namikaze and Shikaku Nara had managed to secure quite a lot for him.
At the very least, the war achievements he'd set aside to exchange for the Flying Raijin Jutsu were still safely listed on his record. They hadn't been spent.
"Understood."
Li Ke nodded and took the mission scroll Shikaku Nara handed him. After glancing at it, he saw that even among patrol assignments, he'd gotten one of the easiest.
The patrol ran from two to four. It wouldn't interfere with meals or his midday nap, and unless the Kirigakure shinobi had gone insane, they wouldn't pick a fight with a Flying Thunder God user somewhere without water.
Holding the scroll, Li Ke spoke in his mind.
"Right, Lord Tobirama, how about we summon the First again?"
But Senju Tobirama hesitated this time.
"Hmph. You're quite bold. Aren't you afraid your body will run into trouble again?"
"Well, I mostly want to learn Sage Mode. I've always preferred hands-on practice to theory lessons."
Li Ke genuinely didn't want to go through such a long ordeal. If he summoned Hashirama Senju into his body and let him use Sage Mode, he could understand the feeling firsthand and learn it better.
Why not use a better way to learn?
Senju Tobirama thought for a moment. His knowledge of Sage Mode came from his Big Brother, after all, so he agreed that it would be better to have his Big Brother take a look at Li Ke's condition.
"Then do as you like. Here's my chakra."
Li Ke accepted the chakra with a smile, then hummed as he made his way back to his tent amid the bustle of the other shinobi.
Kurenai and Asuma weren't there. Li Ke activated his sensory ability and found that the two of them were setting up defenses. Like him, they had a relatively safe assignment, but it still earned them plenty of battle credit.
So he relaxed and prepared to summon Hashirama Senju.
But just then, a chakra signature suddenly appeared within his sensory range. It was very similar to that of the Uchiha Clan.
Li Ke didn't pay it any mind. He assumed some Uchiha shinobi had awakened their eyes, so he prepared to use his ability.
After all, it was perfectly normal for Uchiha to power up on the battlefield.
But Senju Tobirama immediately took control of his body and repeatedly used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, rushing toward that direction.
In his confusion, Li Ke also heard Senju Tobirama's furious shout, tinged with disbelief.
"Damn it, Madara Uchiha! How could he still be alive?!"
I'm not feeling very well. I'll see tomorrow whether I need to revise this...
I fell asleep three times while writing...
Having a cold is such a pain.
Before you continue