"Thump-thump! Thump-thump!"
At that moment, Seiryū felt a wave of heat surge through his body.
His heart began beating faster, pounding like a drum. It reminded him of the King Engine or Nika's Drums of Liberation.
Hmm.
It was surprisingly rhythmic.
As the heat spread throughout his body, Seiryū's injuries began healing at an even faster rate.
His Transformation Jutsu was also automatically dispelled.
In the blink of an eye, every injury on his body vanished as though it had never existed.
More importantly, his physical condition was better than ever before.
His entire body overflowed with vitality and power!
"It really worked. As expected of my wonderful system!"
Seiryū clenched his fist and felt the heat flowing through his body. A grin appeared on his face as his eyes gleamed.
"Although it's slightly different from the Yang Power of the Sage of Six Paths, this is definitely Yang Power!"
The heat surging through his body was Yang Power.
It had been born from combining the Sage Modes of the Three Great Sage Regions.
Yang Power and the Sage Body were essentially two sides of the same concept.
Both represented an evolution of the body and bloodline.
Seiryū had previously suspected that the system's completion requirement for this mission might be related to the purity of his Quincy nature.
After all, in Bleach, Quincies were divided between mixed-blood and pure-blood.
Now that Seiryū had produced Yang Power and developed a Sage Body through the combination of three Sage Modes, the equivalent in Bleach would be a mixed-blood Quincy evolving into a pure-blood Quincy.
In Bleach, Quincies could strengthen their connection to Yhwach by receiving his blood.
In this world, Seiryū had instead used the Sage Modes of the Three Great Sage Regions to force his Yang Release Chakra through a qualitative transformation.
There were similarities between the two.
Therefore, once Seiryū produced Yang Power, the system determined that he had fulfilled the mission requirements.
Perfectly reasonable!
Seiryū activated Vollständig: Heavenly Eye and examined himself.
"My body changed as well. It feels more complete somehow."
Although the Transformation Jutsu had been dispelled and the visible mutations had disappeared, Seiryū could clearly tell that his body was different.
It was a positive change.
His appearance remained unchanged, but internally, his body had become more refined and complete.
His very existence had undergone a qualitative transformation.
"Was this caused by Yang Power or the Quincy Vollständig?"
Seiryū thought for a moment.
"Hmm. It should be that the Quincy Vollständig reward altered my body first, allowing me to properly maintain all three Sage Modes. That, in turn, allowed the Yang Power to form."
The sequence was actually quite simple.
Even after deliberately adjusting his body, Seiryū had still been unable to perfectly maintain three Sage Modes simultaneously.
However, the Quincy Vollständig granted by the system had directly changed his body.
Some system rewards had always made Seiryū fundamentally different from ordinary people.
That was part of what made him special.
The Quincy Vollständig reward had altered his body so that it could perfectly harmonize with all three Sage Modes, allowing him to use them at the same time.
Meanwhile, Sage Mode was closely related to Yang Release Chakra.
When all three Sage Modes were combined, his Yang Release Chakra finally crossed the threshold required for a qualitative transformation.
And the ultimate form of Yang Release Chakra was Yang Power.
This had been Seiryū's original theory.
Now it had been proven correct.
The Quincy Vollständig from Bleach had manifested in this world through Sage Mode.
More precisely, it had become a Sage Mode unique to Seiryū, one created by combining the Senjutsu of all Three Great Sage Regions!
No one had ever achieved such a thing before.
And there probably would never be another person capable of reproducing it.
The difficulty was simply too high.
Without the system's reward, Seiryū estimated that he would have needed a very long time to complete it.
The risks were also absurd.
Just during his experiments, Seiryū had already suffered severe injuries countless times.
As for anyone else, apart from Tsunade, who now possessed Yang Power, practically no one could even attempt it.
And even if Tsunade could survive the process, whether she possessed the talent to learn and combine the Senjutsu of all Three Great Sage Regions was another question entirely.
There were simply too many requirements.
"I can go further."
Seiryū's eyes flashed.
This was not yet his limit.
He decided to test it immediately.
"Sage Mode. No, I should call it Quincy Vollständig now."
"Activate!"
'Hum.'
Natural energy from the surroundings surged violently toward Seiryū.
It poured into his body and transformed into three different forms of Senjutsu Chakra, maintaining a perfect balance around his abdomen.
He had entered Sage Mode.
And at the same time, Quincy Vollständig!
'Boom!'
Wings formed from condensed Senjutsu Chakra spread behind him.
They resembled several connected tomoe extending outward, giving them a strange and distinctive appearance.
The moment the transformation completed, Seiryū's Chakra surged dramatically.
Powerful winds erupted around him and quickly formed a raging storm.
"This increase isn't as extreme as opening the Eight Inner Gates Formation, but it's comparable to Dragon-Human Hollowification."
"And more importantly, there's almost no burden on my body."
Yang Power continuously surged through Seiryū while Senjutsu Chakra circulated throughout his body.
He carefully assessed his condition.
Although it could not match the explosive increase produced by forcibly opening the Eight Gates, the improvement was still enormous.
It might not be any weaker than Dragon-Human Hollowification.
More importantly, the physical burden was almost nonexistent.
One could even say there was no burden at all.
Yang Power was inherently connected to life force.
Even if the transformation caused damage, the injuries would heal instantly.
As long as Seiryū maintained this state, he was practically immortal.
It was even more exaggerated than High-Speed Regeneration!
Seiryū raised an eyebrow.
"A healing ability even stronger than High-Speed Regeneration."
"Does this count as an ability tied to my Quincy Vollständig?"
"Divine Healing?"
"Damn. It actually suits me perfectly as a Medical Ninja and someone associated with the Fourth Division."
If Seiryū remembered correctly, the Sternritter possessed incredibly abnormal abilities tied to their Schrifts.
Some were so powerful that they bordered on absolute rules.
One after another, they were completely unreasonable.
Seiryū discovered that the regenerative ability granted by his Vollständig was similarly absurd.
As long as Quincy Vollständig remained active, killing him would be extremely difficult.
Although he had not tested it, Seiryū instinctively felt that even if his head were destroyed or most of his body obliterated, as long as a small piece of flesh remained, he could regenerate from it.
He would effectively be immortal!
"And I can use this healing ability on other people too?"
"Damn. Did I really become a healer?"
Seiryū paused.
"Uh. I suppose I already was a Medical Ninja."
He naturally understood how to use the ability.
No one needed to teach him.
The knowledge existed as though it had been engraved directly into his instincts.
It was somewhat similar to how members of the Uchiha Clan instinctively understood the Dōjutsu awakened by their Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Vollständig isn't merely another form of Sage Mode."
"Just like Dragon Vein Chakra, it was altered by the system and gained additional characteristics."
Seiryū clearly understood the ability of his Quincy Vollständig.
It simply felt natural.
Like the other abilities granted by the system, it had become something unique to him that others could not reproduce.
Even if someone else eventually learned the Senjutsu of all Three Great Sage Regions and successfully combined them, they still would not obtain the same miraculous powers.
At most, they would develop Yang Power and a Sage Body.
"I became stronger without going bald!"
Seiryū was extremely satisfied with the result.
There was no question about it.
He had become even stronger.
And even harder to kill.
If Sasuke used Amaterasu on him now, Seiryū suspected the black flames could burn him for days and still fail to kill him.
"Wait."
"If my body has become stronger and more complete, wouldn't that also affect the Eight Gates?"
"With this level of regeneration, shouldn't I be able to completely negate the damage caused by opening them?"
"Could I maintain the Eight Inner Gates Formation indefinitely?"
"And if my body is stronger now, wouldn't the Eight Inner Gates Formation itself become even stronger?"
"Even Six Paths-level opponents would get beaten senseless by me."
Seiryū's eyes sharpened.
"And it isn't only the Eight Gates."
"I can also use Dragon-Human Hollowification."
"If I stack all three transformations, how strong would I become?"
"Even against a Kekkei Mōra at full strength, I should be able to fight, right?"
Dragon-Human Hollowification combined with the Eight Inner Gates Formation had already given Seiryū the power to fight Six Paths-level opponents.
He had beaten a disgrace of the Kekkei Mōra like Urashiki into the ground with relative ease.
If he added Quincy Vollständig on top of those two transformations, his strength would rise by another enormous margin.
Even a Kekkei Mōra at full strength might no longer be beyond his reach.
"I'm terrifyingly strong now!"
Seiryū's confidence swelled considerably.
He could hardly help it.
The improvement brought by Quincy Vollständig was enormous.
Seiryū had already been monstrous before.
Now he had become even more ridiculous.
Could he still be considered human?
From now on, perhaps everyone should simply call him Sage Seiryū!
"No."
"There are still dangerous opponents."
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki is still somewhere in the shinobi world!"
Seiryū suddenly remembered another member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
The man who had arrived on this planet together with Kaguya, only to be ambushed and nearly killed by her.
Isshiki was no ordinary opponent.
Even while using Jigen's imperfect body and being unable to display his full strength, he had still overwhelmed Naruto and Sasuke.
Sasuke's Complete Body Susanoo had looked like cheap purple armor in front of him.
After being forced to reincarnate through Jigen, Isshiki became even more terrifying.
If Naruto and Kurama had not gone all out and activated Baryon Mode to burn away Isshiki's remaining lifespan, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations might truly have ended right there.
How could the story continue after everything had already gone cold?
More importantly, even after reincarnating through Jigen, Isshiki had definitely not reached the Kekkei Mōra level.
At most, he had reached the Six Paths level.
Yet the disgrace of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, Urashiki, would probably have been beaten senseless by him.
If Isshiki ever reached Kekkei Mōra, how much stronger would he become?
He would undoubtedly be an unimaginably dangerous enemy.
"If Urashiki hadn't appeared, I might have almost forgotten Isshiki was still hiding somewhere in this world."
"Even that dead old man, the Sage of Six Paths, has been watching the shinobi world."
"Then Isshiki, who has been hiding here all this time, should also be observing what happens."
Seiryū narrowed his eyes.
"In other words, he probably knows about Urashiki."
"Could those two Ōtsutsuki have already made contact?"
Urashiki had disappeared after being defeated by Seiryū.
Perhaps he had already encountered Isshiki.
Two members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan working together would pose a considerable threat.
And now that this timeline had already received an unexpected visitor like Urashiki from another space-time, who knew what else could happen?
Perhaps the other Ōtsutsuki roaming beyond the stars could suddenly descend as well.
"Damn."
"The more I think about it, the more dangerous this shinobi world becomes."
"That old man Hagoromo handed me the Six Paths Yin and Yang Powers and expected me to protect all of this?"
"I got ripped off!"
Seiryū suddenly felt as though the Sage of Six Paths had tricked him.
Expecting Seiryū to protect such a dangerous world in exchange for a little Six Paths Yin and Yang Power?
What a terrible deal.
Seiryū cursed viciously.
"Damn it. Later, I absolutely have to find a way to win over Kaguya and become that old man's father."
"Otherwise, I'll never get over being taken advantage of like this!"
Elsewhere in the shinobi world.
Within the Land of Fire, in an area that had once served as a buffer zone during the war between Konoha and Kumo.
A hidden underground laboratory existed in a secluded location.
The dim laboratory contained a massive culture tank.
'Click. Click.'
The sealed tank, filled with green liquid, was suddenly pushed open from within.
An arm emerged.
Ryota slowly stood up inside the tank.
His hair and eyes were both black, while green liquid dripped from his naked body.
"So this is the body of an Uchiha implanted with Hashirama cells."
"It certainly possesses extraordinary qualities, but."
The voice coming from Ryota's mouth was not his own.
It was Orochimaru's hoarse, feminine voice.
Orochimaru had used the Forbidden Jutsu, Living Corpse Reincarnation, to transfer his soul into Ryota's body.
The current Ryota was Orochimaru!
Orochimaru covered his right eye and muttered, "This eye won't be easy to restore."
Ryota had previously sacrificed the three-tomoe Sharingan in his right eye to activate Izanagi.
As a result, the eye remained blind.
Izanagi was a Forbidden Jutsu that rewrote unfavorable reality into a favorable outcome at the cost of permanently extinguishing the Sharingan used to perform it.
"The consequence of Izanagi is complete blindness."
"Although I still possess several Sharingan, none of them form a matching pair."
"If I simply replace this eye, I may no longer be able to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
After dressing himself, Orochimaru looked over the experimental records scattered across the nearby table and frowned.
Before defecting from Konoha, Orochimaru had taken a large amount of Danzō's experimental equipment and research materials.
Among them were Hashirama cells and several Sharingan.
Although one or two had already been consumed during his research, he still possessed several remaining eyes.
Unfortunately, every one of them was a left eye.
They could potentially be transplanted elsewhere on the body, but they could not properly replace the right eye.
The blood vessels and chakra pathways did not correspond correctly.
A direct transplant would eventually fail and the tissue would die.
More importantly, without a proper pair of Sharingan, Orochimaru feared he would be unable to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan successfully.
He had taken Ryota's body specifically for the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai.
The Mangekyō Sharingan.
The even stronger Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
And ultimately, the Rinnegan!
These powers were crucial to Orochimaru's pursuit of immortality.
For that purpose, he needed strength.
Much greater strength!
"Should I clone another one?"
Orochimaru considered the possibility for a moment before rejecting it.
"No. A cloned eye may not work."
Although Orochimaru's cloning technology was advanced, it could not yet reproduce a complex Dōjutsu perfectly.
There were too many uncertain variables.
Therefore, restoring the sight of the original right eye was the safest option.
Through his research, Orochimaru had discovered something important.
The Sharingan had not lost its sight because its cells or internal structure were destroyed.
Its ocular power had simply been completely exhausted.
Then the solution was obvious.
As long as he found a way to restore the eye's ocular power, the Sharingan might regain its light!
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)