Intermediate Sage Body

Senju Nawaki closed his eyes and entered his Soul Space.

He focused his attention on the corpse of Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the Bloodline Completion System.

He did not wish to meet his future subordinates in such a disheveled state, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke could provide him with a decent harvest.

[Decompose]

He pressed the switches on the three ugly electromagnetic stoves to begin processing Sarutobi Shinnosuke's corpse.

A humming sound echoed throughout the Soul Space.

Each electromagnetic stove served a different purpose.

They filtered out the energy that matched Senju Nawaki's genes to complete his life form.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke's corpse melted, transforming into several orbs of pure energy.

As expected of the son in whom the Third Hokage placed such high hopes, he possessed all seven chakra attributes, with Earth, Water, and Yang attributes exceeding the others.

With this combination of attributes, if one were to add a Sage Body...

Senju Nawaki even wondered if that old geezer, the Third Hokage, had intended for his son to fuse them into Wood Release.

The answer was no longer knowable.

Now, all of this would become nourishment for Senju Nawaki, allowing his life form to undergo a leap in evolution.

Senju Nawaki's soul felt a powerful gravitational pull and voluntarily stepped into the range of the final electromagnetic stove.

The seven differently colored energies gradually merged into Senju Nawaki's soul and body.

"Ah..."

An involuntary sound of relief escaped his lips.

His body evolved once more, his life genes completed.

This time, the high-level Scientific Research Ability passive triggered.

It gave Senju Nawaki a new understanding of the life forms in the ninja world.

Humans in the ninja world possessed a peculiar gene segment in their bodies, a segment typically found in plants.

It appeared that the God Tree's transformation of the entire world was still ongoing.

Perhaps Kaguya Otsutsuki's original actions—cultivating the humans of the ninja world into war weapons capable of wielding chakra—were intended to defend against the Otsutsuki Clan.

There was no telling what other secrets lay hidden behind it.

He scanned his Soul Space; Sarutobi Shinnosuke had vanished from this world entirely, becoming a part of his power.

He focused his attention back on the panel before him.

[Name: Senju Nawaki (...)]

[Attributes: Yang (High), Yin (Medium), Wind (Medium), Earth (Medium), Water (Medium), Fire (Medium), Lightning (Medium)...]

[Rank: Planetary High-Level Life Form]

[Chakra: 8763]

[Bloodline: Intermediate Sage Body]

[Kekkei Genkai: Intermediate Wood Release]

[Skills: Three Body Technique (Intermediate), Ninja Tool Throwing (Beginner), Basic Taijutsu (Beginner), Earth Style Ninjutsu (Novice), Water Style Ninjutsu (Novice), Wind Style Ninjutsu (Novice)...]

[Passive: Scientific Keenness (High-Level)]

His panel had undergone a transformation once again.

The most obvious change was that all seven chakra attributes were now present and had reached at least the medium level, with the Yang attribute reaching the high level.

His original rank of Genin had vanished, replaced by "Planetary High-Level Life Form," which forced him to think of the Otsutsuki Clan, those life forms capable of traversing planets.

Whether he would reach a new height upon leaving the planet was unknown for now; his life level had not yet reached the degree of the Otsutsuki Clan.

But one day, he would see himself surpass the Otsutsuki Clan.

His Kekkei Genkai and bloodline had also reached the intermediate level.

Outside the Soul Space, Senju Nawaki remained still.

Everyone's attention was fixed on him as he kept his eyes closed.

Suddenly, his body shuddered, emitting a powerful wave of energy.

Even Orochimaru, who was leaning against a crumbling wall, cast an interested gaze in his direction.

Senju Tojian recalled the scene before he had awakened his own Wood Release, as well as the vanished corpse of Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

This situation was, perhaps, a good thing for Senju Nawaki.

Senju Nawaki's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.

He could feel the powerful life energy surging within his body.

The stump of his recently lost right arm writhed as energy converged, attempting to regenerate the limb, yet it remained perpetually incomplete.

"Intermediate Sage Body, it's still just a little bit short."

Senju Nawaki shook his head, a trace of disappointment lingering in his heart.

In an instant, the emotion vanished; it was sufficient for now.

His current strength should be at the level of an elite jonin, and combined with Wood Release, it was enough to intimidate his subordinates. The most important thing now was to leave the Konoha camp.

He held his remaining left hand across his chest.

"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"

He chanted inwardly.

Senju Nawaki's body was enveloped in a pale green light.

Legs and arms sprouted from his severed limbs.

"It grew back?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, looking down and murmuring to himself.

He had been skeptical of what Senju Nawaki said because there were many suspicious points within it.

The biggest doubt, and the one Senju Nawaki didn't even bother to hide, was that Sarutobi Shinnosuke would never have assassinated him at such a time; it was a glaringly obvious excuse.

Orochimaru had also sensed that there were forces within the Konoha camp targeting Senju Nawaki.

He possessed the Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique, which allowed him to regrow missing limbs as well. The mutation currently occurring on Senju Nawaki's body confirmed his suspicions.

It looked miserable, but it was all an illusion.

In his view, this was nothing more than a power struggle among the higher-ups.

At this moment, he already had his own plans and couldn't be bothered to expose the truth.

"Wait! Is that Wood Release?"

Orochimaru's pupils constricted as he stared fixedly at Senju Nawaki's newly grown arms and legs.

Although the exposed areas looked very similar to human skin, upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't human flesh and blood; there were no blood vessels, but rather a type of soft wood.

Senju Nawaki's gaze collided with Orochimaru's excited eyes.

Senju Nawaki was currently using the Wood Human Technique to complete his body, granting him the mobility of a normal person.

He would have to wait until he further elevated his life force, reaching at least an Advanced Sage Body, before he could truly regenerate limbs.

This was merely a short-term emergency measure.

"Mr. Orochimaru, thank you for saving me back then. This is your reward."

Senju Nawaki stood up, bit his left hand, and performed the Summoning Technique.

After the smoke cleared, a scroll appeared.

Senju Nawaki tossed the scroll to Orochimaru.

"Impure World Reincarnation?"

Orochimaru raised his hand to catch it, his eyes involuntarily locking onto the characters on the scroll.

This forbidden technique was the very one he had repeatedly requested the Third Hokage to let him study from the forbidden scrolls, and it was the one he cared about most.

Very few people understood his pursuit of eternal life.

Is this truly gratitude? Or is he trying to buy my silence? A doubt flashed through Orochimaru's mind, but the smile on his lips could not hide his excitement. What the old man refused to give him, he had obtained so unexpectedly.

He waved his hand, leaned against the crumbling wall, and began to read with impatient fervor.

He no longer cared about the surrounding chaos, becoming completely immersed in the forbidden technique he had dreamed of.

Even knowing that the Senju Clan was about to secede from Konoha, he had no desire to intervene.

More and more members of the Senju Clan gathered there.