The commotion in the distance subsided, naturally drawing the attention of everyone on the battlefield.
'Boom!'
Madara raised his hand and unleashed a powerful repulsive force, forcing back Tsunade, Nagato, Sakumo, and Jiraiya, who had surrounded him.
He looked in that direction and narrowed his eyes.
"So, that man really did win."
"But he didn't kill his opponent?"
'I'm no match for him right now. I need the power of a Sage.'
Madara's expression became grave.
He had been paying close attention to that battle, keeping part of his focus on it even while being surrounded.
The strength of those two far surpassed his own at the moment. Until he obtained the power of a Sage, he would not be their match.
He had already begun thinking about retreating and had no intention of continuing the battle.
It was time to leave.
"The next time we meet, I will also possess the power of a Sage. When that time comes, it will be your end. No one can stop me."
After coldly saying this, Madara flashed and disappeared.
Tsunade wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her brow tightly furrowed.
"What troublesome power. Even Creation Rebirth can't completely neutralize that deathly aura."
Sakumo remained silent.
Nagato, who was also injured, let out a heavy sigh.
"He still managed to escape."
Jiraiya spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression changing.
"He was clearly suppressed by Seiryū, yet we still had such difficulty fighting him."
The four of them had gained little advantage while surrounding Madara. Instead, they had been easily repelled and injured.
The difference in strength was still too great.
They had to be especially careful when dealing with that Dōjutsu containing a deathly aura.
Even after going all out, they had barely managed to delay Madara.
On the other side, the battle had also ended.
The surroundings were in ruins, with craters and shattered wood scattered everywhere, showing how intense the battle had been moments earlier.
Orochimaru licked his lips and looked at the purple Susanoo before him, revealing a feminine smile.
"That boy was right. You truly are no weaker than Madara."
"The Rinnegan. What fascinating power."
"It's a pity. That boy is free now, so I don't have much time left. Otherwise, I would really like to see more of what your eye can do."
The power Sasuke displayed was indeed terrifying.
He had fought Hashirama and Tobirama without falling behind, and his Susanoo could easily crush Wood Style.
Such strength truly was no weaker than Madara's.
Unfortunately, the battle had been too short, and Orochimaru had not seen Sasuke's stronger abilities.
That tomoe-patterned Rinnegan was even more unusual and should possess extraordinary Dōjutsu.
Orochimaru was extremely interested.
However, there was no time to witness the power of that eye now.
The battle in the distance had already ended.
If he continued to remain here, Orochimaru did not believe he could fight Seiryū.
He knew very well how reckless that boy could be.
Seiryū would activate the Eight Inner Gates Formation, a technique that normally guaranteed death, without the slightest hesitation.
With Seiryū possessing such terrifying strength, Orochimaru might truly be killed if he remained.
"Goodbye, Uchiha from another space-time. Hehehe. The current shinobi world is becoming more and more interesting."
After saying those final words, Orochimaru, Hashirama, and Tobirama disappeared instantly.
Tobirama had used the Flying Raijin Jutsu.
'My Chakra still isn't sufficient, but these two former Hokage are indeed stronger than I remember.'
Sasuke did not stop them.
Although he had absorbed his father's Chakra, his reserves were still not abundant, only around twenty to thirty percent.
Moreover, Hashirama had been preparing a Ninjutsu moments earlier, and the fluctuations of that Chakra had made even Sasuke wary.
It must have been the strongest Wood Style Ninjutsu on record, the technique that established Hashirama's title as the God of Shinobi.
Sage Art: Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands.
With his current lack of Chakra, Sasuke could not say for certain whether he could block Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands.
These two former Hokage were stronger than the ones in his memory.
Sasuke then looked toward the distance, surprise and curiosity appearing in his eyes.
'And who exactly is that boy? Why have I never heard of him?'
He was extremely curious about Seiryū.
A powerhouse like this should not have been unknown, so why had Sasuke never heard of him in Konoha?
He even felt that, with his Chakra fully restored, he might still be unable to defeat Seiryū.
That was simply unbelievable.
'This place is definitely strange. I need to understand what's happening.'
Sasuke dispersed his Complete Body Susanoo.
He flashed toward Fugaku, Minato, and Boruto.
Fugaku still felt somewhat awkward around this son, but he asked with a trace of concern, "Are you all right?"
Sasuke simply nodded.
"I'm fine."
The father and son said nothing more, and the atmosphere became somewhat strange.
Anyone would feel awkward in this situation.
Although they were father and son, this was still their first meeting.
Calling them strangers related by blood sounded strange, but that was truly the situation.
Fugaku was still the clan leader, and he adjusted quickly.
After a brief pause, he said, "Not bad. You haven't disgraced the Uchiha Clan."
Then he glanced at Sasuke's empty left sleeve, and his stern expression softened slightly.
"You must have suffered greatly. You've worked hard, Sasuke."
Sasuke paused before replying, "This is the duty of our clan."
Was this considered receiving his father's approval?
It also fulfilled one of his childhood wishes.
The feeling was unexpectedly pleasant.
Fugaku simply nodded.
"Hmm."
Then they fell silent again.
Although both of them had many questions, neither spoke.
Minato broke the silence.
He walked over with Boruto, his grandson from another space-time.
"We can discuss the details later. For now, let's go and check on the others."
Minato also had many questions he wanted to ask, but this was not the right time or place.
They should check on everyone else first.
Seiryū was especially important.
The Eight Inner Gates Formation, which normally guaranteed death once activated, was not something to take lightly.
Nearby, Seiryū rubbed his brow and clicked his tongue.
"That reward really came at the wrong time."
He had only paused for a fraction of a second, yet Urashiki had managed to escape.
That man had acted decisively.
However, Seiryū would have another problem to deal with in the future.
A Kekkei Mōra-level threat had appeared without warning.
Tsunade flashed over, her tone somewhat nervous.
"How is your body?"
Seiryū waved his hand.
"I'm fine. Step back. I'm going to deactivate the Eight Inner Gates Formation."
Tsunade fell silent.
She did not move away.
This was not the first time she had seen Seiryū's method of deactivating the Eight Inner Gates Formation.
Even so, it still made her teeth ache.
With a wet tearing sound, Seiryū pierced his own chest and removed his withered heart.
Then, under the effects of High-Speed Regeneration, a healthy and powerful heart began beating once more.
Seiryū handed the removed heart to Tsunade and smiled.
"Here, this is for you. Another one of my true hearts. This is already the second. Look how well I treat you!"
Tsunade fell silent.
She took out a specimen container from her ninja tool pouch and placed the heart inside.
Looking at the energetic Seiryū, the corner of her mouth twitched.
"Have you completely given up on being human?"
Seiryū sighed helplessly.
"There's no other way. I still can't freely control the power of the Eight Inner Gates Formation."
"I can only deactivate it by removing the heart, which serves as its power source."
"What about next time?"
"I'll become faster with practice. See, it only took a few seconds this time. Next time, I'll try to finish within one second. That empty feeling is still a little uncomfortable."
"Do you think that's what I meant?"
"Removing hearts and eyes is quite common. You saw that man remove his eye earlier, right? That so-called Ōtsutsuki ate his own eye like candy. That's even less human."
Seiryū spoke calmly.
"As for removing hearts, Kakuzu and I are both experts."
"I was wrong last time. I wasn't the first person to perform a heart transplant. That should have been Kakuzu!"
There were plenty of people in the shinobi world who no longer behaved like ordinary humans.
There was also Hidan, who worshipped an evil god and could not be killed.
Seiryū had only removed his own heart.
It was not a serious problem!
Tsunade felt a headache coming on.
"I'm asking when you'll be able to completely control the Eight Inner Gates Formation."
"Although I can't tell whether this will leave any lasting damage to your body, it's still a hidden danger!"
"If you're worried about my lifespan, then don't. The idea that using Second Gear shortens a rubber man's lifespan is already outdated. He's now the noble wielder of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika!"
Seiryū did not care at all.
"With my vitality, I should be able to live for several hundred years without a problem."
"Even Madara can restore his youth. For me, someone who practices the Eternal Youth and Longevity Technique, it should be even easier."
"Did you really think I was trapped by the Dragon Vein for more than two years? Wrong! It was actually because of the Eternal Youth and Longevity Technique. I'm getting younger the longer I live!"
Tsunade rubbed her brow and could not be bothered to argue with him.
The fact that Seiryū could still argue meant that he was in good condition.
She said, "All right, stop fooling around. There are still many things we need to handle, and we also need to understand their situation."
Seiryū said, "Things will become more troublesome in the future. Not only is there Madara with the Rinnegan, but now there's also the even stronger Ōtsutsuki Clan. It's time to begin another period of harsh training."
Tsunade pursed her lips.
"We're too weak and can only hold you back, forcing you to endure so much pressure. I."
Seiryū interrupted her with a bright smile.
"Can you stop saying such sentimental things? That isn't like you."
"Isn't it natural to bear pressure for the person you care about? I am a man, after all!"
Tsunade glanced at him and scoffed.
"You're clearly still a brat."
"No personal attacks. I'm very handsome and tall after Hollowification. How am I a brat?"
"Kurenai is older than you now, and you still claim you're not a brat?"
Seiryū fell silent.
She had struck a sore spot!
Did she not know that Kurenai had recently been trying to make him call her Onee-san?
Soon, the others arrived as well.
They had also witnessed Seiryū remove his own heart.
Every one of them wore an expression of indescribable shock.
What kind of procedure was that?
Jiraiya took a breath and looked at Seiryū as though he were staring at an inhuman monster.
"What exactly did you just do? You removed your own heart?"
Minato also had a strange expression.
"Are you really all right, Seiryū?"
Sasuke was also deeply shocked by what he had witnessed.
Boruto's face had turned pale.
He muttered softly, "Is he even human?"
What was wrong with this boy?
Was he still human?
How was he still so energetic after removing his own heart?
"The Eight Inner Gates Formation gains its power by opening the final gate located in the heart. As long as the heart is removed."
Seiryū briefly explained.
"That's basically the reason. Removing the power source deactivates the Eight Inner Gates Formation."
"Of course, don't imitate me. Anyone who copies this will die."
No one else could imitate this method of exploiting the technique.
It was something only Seiryū could do.
Perhaps a Six Paths-level or Kekkei Mōra-level Sage could survive it, but anyone at that level would not need the Eight Inner Gates Formation.
The increase provided by the Eight Inner Gates Formation also had an upper limit.
It currently gave Seiryū an enormous increase in strength, but as his normal strength rose, the increase provided by the technique would gradually weaken.
This was something Seiryū had only recently discovered.
If Madara became the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki and then activated the Eight Inner Gates Formation, his strength would certainly increase, but it would not be an exaggerated increase of several dozen times.
Simply put, the Eight Inner Gates Formation was a method of forcibly increasing Chakra.
It used Chakra as fuel to strengthen the body and release greater power and speed.
However, the Six Paths level and Kekkei Mōra level had already undergone a fundamental transformation.
Their bodies and Chakra had reached a terrifying level.
As a result, the increase provided by activating the Eight Inner Gates Formation would become limited.
It was not a simple numerical increase.
The technique possessed a certain upper limit.
Of course, that upper limit differed depending on the user.
Seiryū felt that his Eight Inner Gates Formation still had room to improve.
It had not yet reached its limit.
As for how far he could take it, Seiryū did not know.
After all, he was rather unusual.
Everyone who heard Seiryū's explanation fell silent.
The Eight Inner Gates Formation, which guaranteed death after opening the final gate, could actually be deactivated this way?
By removing your own heart?
Were you even human anymore?
"All right, don't dwell on it."
Seiryū did not continue discussing the matter.
He looked toward Sasuke and Boruto.
"There are still some things we need to clarify regarding the two of you and the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
Seiryū understood what had happened, but he still had to maintain appearances when necessary.
He could not simply tell them that he was a transmigrator.
Hearing this, Sasuke nodded and said solemnly, "We also have many questions about you and this space-time that need to be answered."
(To be continued.)
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