Senju Nawaki closed his eyes and entered his own soul space. His focus locked onto Sarutobi Shinnosuke's body, tied to the bloodline restora
Senju Nawaki closed his eyes and entered his own soul space. His focus locked onto Sarutobi Shinnosuke's body, tied to the bloodline restoration system.
He didn't want to see his future subordinate in such a miserable state. Shinnosuke carried value—value that Nawaki intended to claim.
He pressed down on the switches of three grotesque devices within the soul space—Boilers, ugly and unnatural. A deep buzzing filled the void as the machines roared to life.
Each one carried a different function, each one part of a cruel design. Together, they began processing Shinnosuke's body.
The first filtered and refined the energy.
The second aligned it with Nawaki's own genetic structure. The third finalized the transformation, drawing the purified essence into Nawaki's evolving lifeform.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's body dissolved, melting into several spheres of pure energy.
"As expected of Hiruzen's son…" Nawaki mused to himself.
The seven chakra attributes could all be extracted from him. Among them, earth, water, and yang were particularly strong—dominant, surpassing the others.
Combined with the framework of a Sage Body, they carried terrifying potential. Nawaki even suspected that the Third Hokage, that old man, might have been secretly grooming his son to awaken Wood Release one day.
Whether true or not, the answer no longer mattered.
All of it—Shinnosuke's talent, his hopes, his future—would now become fuel for Nawaki. His lifeform would leap forward.
The soul of Senju Nawaki felt the pull and stepped willingly into the field of the last Boiler.
Seven distinct energies—red, blue, green, yellow, violet, black, and white—began to merge into his body and soul.
"Ahhh…"
A sound of involuntary pleasure escaped his lips. His body evolved once again, his genetic structure moving toward completion.
This time, an advanced passive ability was triggered—Scientific Acumen (Advanced).
Nawaki's eyes widened. A new layer of understanding about life in the ninja world revealed itself.
He realized something profound: humans of this world carried peculiar genetic fragments within their bodies—fragments that normally only appeared in plants. The implications were staggering.
The Sacred Tree's transformation of the world had not yet ended; its influence was still ingrained in every living being.
What Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had done long ago… perhaps it had not simply been conquest. Perhaps she had been preparing, shaping humanity into chakra-wielding weapons, meant to stand against the Ōtsutsuki clan.
What secrets still lay buried behind it all, Nawaki could not yet know.
He glanced once more at the soul space. Sarutobi Shinnosuke had vanished entirely, reduced to nothing but nourishment.
…
Nawaki's gaze turned back to the panel floating before him.
[Name: Senju Nawaki (…)]
[Attributes: Yang (High), Yin (Medium), Wind (Medium), Earth (Medium), Water (Medium), Fire (Medium), Lightning (Medium)]
[Class: Planetary Advanced Lifeform]
[Chakra: 8763]
[Bloodline: Intermediate Sage Body]
[Bloodline Limit: Intermediate Wood Release]
[Skills: Three Body Techniques (Intermediate), Ninja Tool Throwing (Elementary), Basic Taijutsu (Elementary), Earth Ninjutsu (Beginner), Water Ninjutsu (Beginner), Wind Ninjutsu (Beginner)…]
[Passive: Scientific Acumen (Advanced)]
…
His panel had changed again. All seven chakra attributes were now complete, each refined to a medium level, while Yang stood alone at high. His former designation of Genin had disappeared. In its place: Planetary Advanced Lifeform.
The words made him think of the Ōtsutsuki clan, who transcended worlds, their existence beyond the boundaries of a single planet. His own life level had not reached theirs—not yet—but one day… one day he might surpass even them.
His Kekkei Genkai and bloodline had both advanced to intermediate rank. He had reached a new stage.
Outside his soul space, in the world of flesh and stone, all eyes were on Senju Nawaki's still body.
Suddenly, he trembled. Power rippled outward from him in waves so strong that even Orochimaru, slouched lazily against a broken wall, lifted his gaze with interest.
Senju Dōma remembered well the moment he himself had awakened Wood Release—the surge of vitality, the sight of Shinnosuke's vanishing body. Perhaps… Perhaps this would be a good thing for Nawaki.
With a sharp crack, Nawaki's eyes opened. A thin ray of light shot from them. He could feel it—the abundant, overwhelming life energy coursing inside him.
His right arm, which had been torn away, writhed at the stump. Energy swirled, trying desperately to rebuild the limb, but failing. Something was missing.
"The intermediate Sage Body… always just a little short."
Nawaki sighed with faint disappointment. The emotion lasted only a heartbeat before vanishing. It was enough—for now.
By his estimation, his strength had already reached the level of an elite jōnin. With Wood Release added to that, he was more than capable of commanding others. What mattered most now was leaving Konoha's camp behind.
He raised his remaining left hand across his chest.
"Wood Release: Wooden Human Technique."
A pale green light flared around him. From the places where his limbs had been severed, arms and legs sprouted once more.
"They grew back?" Orochimaru murmured, his golden eyes narrowing.
He studied Nawaki closely, suspicion clouding his gaze. He already doubted the boy's earlier claims.
There were too many inconsistencies.
The greatest of them—the excuse that Sarutobi Shinnosuke had tried to assassinate him here, of all times—was laughable.
Clearly fabricated.
But Orochimaru's instincts told him something else: there was indeed a force within the Konoha camp moving against Nawaki. That much was real.
He himself had mastered the Great Snake Shedding technique; even if his body was destroyed, he could slough it off and grow anew. To him, losing an arm or leg was an inconvenience, nothing more. Watching Nawaki's transformation only confirmed his suspicions—appearances could be deceiving. What looked like weakness might be nothing but strategy.
"This isn't flesh…" Orochimaru muttered under his breath, leaning closer.
The newly grown arms and legs, though shaped like human limbs, lacked blood vessels, lacked flesh. They were not of the body, but of wood. A clever imitation, animated by chakra.
Nawaki met Orochimaru's sharp gaze with one of his own. The boy's body might be incomplete, but with the Wooden Human Technique, he could function, move, and fight. One day, when he reached the level of a high-level Sage Body, his true flesh would regenerate. For now, this would suffice.
"Lord Orochimaru," Nawaki said evenly, "thank you for saving me, This is your reward."
He bit into his palm and pressed his hand to the ground. Smoke erupted as he performed a summoning.
When the mist cleared, a scroll rested on the ground. Nawaki picked it up and tossed it to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's hand closed around it. His pupils dilated.
"Impure World Reincarnation…"
His voice was a whisper, but trembling with hunger. His eyes lingered on the words of the forbidden technique etched into the scroll.
This—this was what he had begged the Third Hokage to let him see. The Jutsu hidden away in the scroll of seals. The key to his obsession, to his dream of eternal life.
A doubt flickered in his mind: Is this truly gratitude? Or are you silencing me?
But the thought was smothered by his excitement.
He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his lips. At last, he had it—the technique that had haunted him.
He leaned back against the broken wall, ignoring the chaos of battle outside. The noise of shinobi shouting, the gathering of the Senju clan, all of it faded. His entire world was now the scroll in his hands.
Even if the Senju clan truly intended to abandon Konoha, it no longer concerned him.
The only thing that mattered was the forbidden technique he had always longed for.