As his body fell from the sky, Sarutobi Asuma moved a rock again and sat down before the waterfall.
Listening to the familiar rumbling sound, once his body fully recovered, several Truth-Seeking Balls materialized behind him.
Six of them!
"Although there's still a gap between me and the Sage of Six Paths, it's not far off."
"And, I can already unleash Six Paths Level attacks without even using the Eight Inner Gates formation!"
Sarutobi Asuma silently assessed his strength.
Level 11 Substitution Technique!
Level 10 Lightning Style Chakra Mode!
Level 10 Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Level 9 Scorch Release Chakra Mode!
Level 9 Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!
Level 9 Demonic Illusion: Caged Tiger!
He had offense, defense, control, evasion, and escape – it was quite comprehensive.
Even though the more powerful the Ninjutsu, the greater the Chakra required to unleash its might.
Before his physique underwent its transformation, he could only unleash Super Kage level power with these Six Paths Level Ninjutsu.
But now.
He couldn't fully unleash Level 10, but Level 9 wasn't a major issue.
Level 9 was also Six Paths Level!
"It's a shame, I can only roughly estimate my strength now, with no opponent to test and compare against…"
Sarutobi Asuma felt a bit regretful.
In the current ninja world, no one could fight him.
Even if Nagato went all out, he wouldn't fear him now!
"Eh, it seems I've forgotten someone…"
Suddenly, Sarutobi Asuma looked up.
It was broad daylight, so he couldn't see the moon in the sky.
However.
Perhaps Ōtsutsuki Toneri on the moon was currently staring at him with his Tenseigan!
"Ōtsutsuki Toneri himself doesn't have the Tenseigan, so he's not Six Paths Level."
"However, that giant Tenseigan should be incredibly powerful!"
He withdrew his gaze, but Sarutobi Asuma dismissed the thought of going to the moon.
"It's still too early to call myself invincible!"
"There's still the Ōtsutsuki clan out there, planting trees and raising Ten-Tails!"
"They created Ōtsutsuki Kaguya by having her eat a ripe Chakra fruit. The Ōtsutsuki Kaguya in her prime was definitely a Level 10 Six Paths Level entity, at the very pinnacle of the Six Paths hierarchy."
"But that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya feared the people from the Ōtsutsuki homeland, so she frantically continued to cultivate the God Tree and created White Zetsu as an army."
"The revolution has not yet succeeded; continued effort is still needed!"
"I don't even possess a single Kekkei Mōra yet!"
Thinking of these things, Sarutobi Asuma's restless heart finally calmed down.
His current Chakra levels were only on par with the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
If he could just lay low for another 15 years, he would amaze the Ōtsutsuki!
Gathering his thoughts, Sarutobi Asuma's attention returned to his own training.
The improvement of his Ninjutsu could be handed over to his Shadow Clones.
As for himself, his energy needed to be focused on Kekkei Genkai development.
However, thinking about how his cells autonomously absorbed Natural Energy when he previously activated the Eight Inner Gates, he opened the system and accessed his skill panel.
Level 6 Sage Transformation at 35%!
"The level is a bit low. It's not cost-effective to upgrade it with Skill Points right now."
Sarutobi Asuma hesitated for a moment, then decided against using Skill Points to upgrade it.
This was because he could still significantly improve it through years of his own training.
Closing the system, he created multiple Shadow Clones and assigned them their training tasks. Sarutobi Asuma then lowered his eyes and also entered his cultivation.
This time, his target was Wood Release, reaching the Kekkei Tōta level!
In addition to the current foundation, incorporate Yang Style Chakra Nature Transformation.
For Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta, he has predecessors to learn from, but not for Kekkei Mōra.
Unless he becomes a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
However, Sarutobi Asuma did not want to become a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki with future troubles, so he could only explore it step by step himself.
Starting with the fusion of two Chakra Nature Transformations for Kekkei Genkai, then to the fusion of three Chakra Nature Transformations for Kekkei Mōra, then four, five...
Gradually, step by step.
Sarutobi Asuma believed that with his Chakra Control and mastery of Chakra Nature Transformations, he would eventually be able to research it step by step.
The foundation for Six Paths Level had been laid, and now it was time to add the finishing touches!
Time flew by, and a morning passed in the blink of an eye.
Yūhi Kurenai was not around, so Sarutobi Asuma ate lunch at Ichiraku Ramen.
In the afternoon, Sarutobi Asuma went directly to the Hokage's office and found Jiraiya there.
"Asuma, you're here at the right time."
Namikaze Minato smiled.
Sarutobi Asuma stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Did Lord Jiraiya bring back news from Amegakure?"
"Yes."
Jiraiya said seriously, "Amegakure is now completely under Nagato's control."
"However, the current Amegakure is more closed off and more strictly governed than during Hanzō's era."
"The only good news is that the Land of Rain has become completely peaceful."
After Hanzō's death, Konoha had voluntarily withdrawn its forces.
And with the passage of so much time, with Nagato and the others' abilities, it was not difficult to govern Amegakure, suppress other ninja organizations, and expel the forces of other Hidden Villages.
Yahiko's death had brought Nagato not only pain but also motivation!
Sarutobi Asuma was not surprised by what Jiraiya said. "It seems Nagato and Obito have made contact, but we don't know what their plans are yet."
Jiraiya said, "I couldn't find any trace of Uchiha Obito. The White Zetsu you mentioned is indeed extremely troublesome; ordinary ninjas can't sense it at all."
He paused and added, "Kushina is pregnant now and is expected to give birth around October."
"To ensure her safety, should we find Uchiha Obito in advance?"
Sarutobi Asuma did not answer but looked at Namikaze Minato.
Namikaze Minato pondered for a moment and said, "With Asuma's ability, finding Obito shouldn't be difficult, but it might be impossible not to alert the people Uchiha Madara left behind, right?"
"That White Zetsu's ability to hide is very strong."
"It's even possible that there are others monitoring Obito."
"When Kushina gives birth and Obito arrives, that will be the optimal time."
Sarutobi Asuma nodded. "I agree with Fourth Hokage's opinion."
Jiraiya resigned himself. "In that case, let's prepare several contingency plans!"
He appeared somewhat worried.
During his trip to the Land of Rain, he could feel that Nagato had undergone a huge change.
If, on the night Kushina gave birth, not only Uchiha Obito arrived, but also Nagato with the Rinnegan, it would be troublesome!
However, he then suppressed this thought and smiled at Sarutobi Asuma. "You've changed so much in a year, it seems you've had good gains. I can't even see your strength anymore."
"I have indeed gained a lot; ten years of effort were not in vain."
Sarutobi Asuma revealed with a smile, "Perhaps I already possess power comparable to the First Hokage!"
"What?"
Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato were both surprised, and then overjoyed.
The First Hokage!
The man known as the God of Shinobi!
The one who founded Konoha, ushered in a new era, and was admired by countless ninjas!
Uchiha Madara himself had been defeated by him multiple times!
With this, Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato felt a great sense of security!
After leaving the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Asuma went to the Senju Ancestral Home.
Tsunade happened to be there too, and her expression was cold when she saw Sarutobi Asuma. "Hey, are you trying to make a move on Shizune?"
Sarutobi Asuma's expression froze, and he then looked at Shizune.
Shizune had already lowered her head, like a quail.
Retracting his gaze, Sarutobi Asuma met Tsunade's eyes and smiled, "Shizune's current potential is almost visible. In the future, she will at most become a second Tsunade, but with my help, she can go further!"
"Doesn't Lady Tsunade want Shizune to go further?"
Tsunade's breath hitched at the question, and she couldn't help but reflect on herself. But she quickly realized this brat was changing the subject. She leaned forward, her demeanor growing fiercer.
"Don't think I don't know your little schemes. You brat, you're even more—"
Before Tsunade could finish, Shizune anxiously interrupted, "Lady Tsunade..."
Sarutobi Asuma sighed helplessly but stepped up responsibly. "Sister Tsunade, everyone has their own choices and their own definition of happiness."
"What you think isn't necessarily what Shizune wants."
"I believe I have the ability to give Shizune a better life!"
Shizune's eyes widened as she looked at Sarutobi Asuma, tears welling up.
"That damn brat..."
Tsunade gritted her teeth, her knuckles cracking.
Unfortunately, she knew she couldn't win. Otherwise, she'd definitely let this brat know how heavy her fists were and how terrifying her rage was.
Moreover, deep down, she had to admit that what this brat said wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"Hmph, don't let me catch you slipping, or else..."
Tsunade threatened fiercely, then smashed the table in front of her with a single punch.
With a flash of movement, she was out the door.
She was going to drink!
And gamble!
When Asuma, that little scoundrel, owes money, it'll be under his name!
No, it'll be in his likeness!
Tsunade stormed off in a rage.
Meanwhile, Shizune quickly got up. "Asuma, I... I'm going to the Konoha Hospital!"
She said this and then fled like a startled fawn.
Sarutobi Asuma chuckled, shaking his head as he cleaned up the mess. Then, he entered the underground experimental base.
Shadow Clones were busy here. Sarutobi Asuma went directly to the deepest part, where they researched the Sharingan and cellular components of Dust Release.
Two Shadow Clones were busy here.
Upon seeing their main body arrive, both Shadow Clones stopped.
"Orochimaru is truly skilled, his human cloning research is quite advanced. If he had White Zetsu, he probably would have already cloned the First Hokage and Uchiha."
"Currently, the clones are still lacking."
"The integrity of the Dust Release cells is worrying. Most critically, analyzing the genes is much more difficult than we imagined."
"This is completely different from decoding our own genes."
"We need to add points!"
The two Shadow Clones explained the situation in a back-and-forth manner.
Sarutobi Asuma nodded in understanding. The two Shadow Clones immediately dissipated, and he opened the system.
There were still 7 Skill Points left.
Chakra Control Level 13 (Extraction, Manipulation) +1!
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