Carrying the Legacy Forward!

Boom!

The ground shook, the earth split open, and countless trees burst from the soil, rapidly growing into towering giants. In an instant, the endless plain transformed into an ocean of forest!

A closer look revealed luxuriant branches and verdant leaves, as though these trees had absorbed the earth's nutrients and grown over decades, even centuries!

Their crowns pressed together overhead, blotting out the sky, while their shadows overlapped below without leaving a single gap!

If there was one patch of open ground, it was where Riu stood!

Perhaps Riu's presence was simply too overwhelming, but every tree bent slightly toward him, as if worshipping the creator who had bestowed life upon them!

How could this sight possibly be described? After much thought, only four words fit—unparalleled in the world!

In the distance, those fortunate enough to witness this grand spectacle felt their hearts surge.

"Oh~~! It appeared! The First Hokage's divine technique that pacified the chaotic age!!" The White Zetsu stood, sat, or remained half-buried in the soil, whistling and shouting. Born from Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi Divine Tree, they had lived for nearly a thousand years beneath the grace of a trace of Hashirama's Power, yet even they could not help but be awed by the sheer magnificence of that power!

"So this is the level of a Sage? They're on a completely different level from the ninjas of later generations!" The young female ninja, Yūhi Uzuki, sighed in heartfelt awe.

"Hooray~! Hooray~!" Tobi danced about wildly, seeming to become that goofy fool again, but no one knew what he was thinking. It seemed that, from this moment on, Yu truly no longer needed my protection...

"How beautiful..." Orochimaru was perhaps the most deeply moved among them. Two streaks of emotional tears actually flowed from the corners of his eyes. "Under my guidance, the legend of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, has finally been recreated in Yu-kun!"

In the clearing amid the forest, Riu lowered his hands from their seals. Looking at the Myriad Phenomena he had created with his own hands, he said joyfully, "My goal has finally taken its first step..."

Yes, the first step!

Dual Kamui had been part of his starting setup and did not count.

The Complete Hashirama Body and Wood Release Power were merely the beginning.

They were among the prerequisites Riu needed to awaken the Rinnegan!

The next prerequisite...

Was the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!

Riu still did not know whether obtaining the Complete Hashirama Body and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan would be enough to awaken the Rinnegan. But without awakening the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, awakening the Rinnegan would be impossible. That was beyond doubt!

There was also the power of Sage Art, and the power of the Ten-Tails.

Step by step, he would gather all the elements that made up the power of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, and recreate the legend of the founder of the Ninja Sect!

But was Six Paths Power truly the end?

No! Hamura Ōtsutsuki, the ancestor of the Hyuga Clan and younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths, had created the Lunar Ōtsutsuki Lineage, which possessed the powers of the Byakugan and the Tenseigan. How could a perfectionist like Riu simply overlook that?

He wanted that too!

Only then could he obtain power close to that of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the "Mother of Chakra," right?

Yes... Kaguya!

A goddess who, throughout history, could only be sealed and never killed. Sooner or later, Riu would bring an end to her and transform into a true Ōtsutsuki!

"Karma" was another mysterious power revealed only in the post-Hokage era of Boruto. Its very existence was no less extraordinary than the Rinnegan.

—The fact that one who killed a god was no longer a mortal. That was what "Karma" meant.

It was a God-Slayer Contract that could only be obtained by killing a god from beyond the heavens—a member of the Ōtsutsuki Main Family. Whoever possessed it would inherit all the power of the god they had slain and evolve into a true Ōtsutsuki!

Riu wanted to obtain Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's Karma. Only then would he have the qualifications to challenge the Ōtsutsuki Clan!

Riu's vision was never confined to the small Shinobi World! Even now, he did not know where the Ōtsutsuki Clan's home planet was, much less how to reach it. But one day, Riu would get there through his own power and challenge the Ōtsutsuki Clan!

He would defeat those members of the Ōtsutsuki Main Family who were even stronger than Kaguya, and perhaps even defeat the one capable of leading that godly race—the "Ōtsutsuki Clan Head"!

The road ahead was long and arduous...

Thinking of this, Riu emerged from the joy of obtaining Hashirama's Power. He turned and walked out of the forest, stopping before Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, come with me. It's time to begin the next plan..."

Orochimaru smiled. "Yu-kun, I would be delighted to accompany you. But before that, could you let me sleep? I haven't closed my eyes in nearly two months..."

Hearing that, Riu looked at Orochimaru's heavy eye bags and dark circles, and he actually felt somewhat embarrassed for once.

That was right. Orochimaru had his own work to do, yet Riu had forcibly recruited him as an employee. Not only had Orochimaru become a rogue ninja of Konoha, but even his little admirer Kabuto had lost his life. Asking for an unpaid vacation was not too much, was it?

So Riu nodded. "It's deep winter now. Snakes really do need to hibernate. Fine, get some proper sleep and recover your strength first... But I think that by the time you wake up, the ninja world will already have been turned upside down."

"Oh my, then I'm very, very much looking forward to it..." As Orochimaru spoke, his eyes had already closed. He fell asleep standing right there, showing just how exhausted he truly was...

"Zetsu, take Mr. Orochimaru somewhere to rest. Be gentle, and don't wake him..." Riu instructed the White Zetsu.

Two White Zetsu stepped forward and hoisted Orochimaru's precious body onto their shoulders. "This guy's sleeping so deeply, he probably wouldn't wake up even if we kicked him twice."

"Even so, do not be disrespectful."

To achieve Riu's goals, Orochimaru, who possessed the core technology of the Naruto World, was indispensable!

"Wonderful, it's finally over. I haven't been sleeping well these past few days..."

Beneath the setting sun, Yūhi Uzuki nestled against Riu's chest.

"I made you worry." Riu wrapped an arm around Yūhi Uzuki's shoulders.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle! A strange sound suddenly rang out.

Yūhi Uzuki blushed. Could that have been my stomach growling? But on second thought, she had just eaten, so she was not hungry. She looked toward Riu, only to find him staring at his own stomach as well.

Riu had not experienced this feeling of his stomach churning and craving food for a very long time. It felt almost unfamiliar.

"Hungry?" Yūhi Uzuki asked.

"Mm, a little. This body really does feel more like a living person now..." Riu said.

"Let's find something to eat... This could count as our first date." Yūhi Uzuki rubbed a strand of purple hair by her temple, her face flushed crimson in the glow of the sunset.

"Mm. Then let's go... to Konoha."