"New intelligence has arrived. Iwa and Suna were attacked. The culprit was most likely Urashiki. Both villages were nearly wiped out, and every shinobi there had their Chakra drained."
It was mid-June.
Inside the Hokage Office, Tsunade informed everyone present of the latest reports brought back by Konoha's scouts.
As the war dragged on and circumstances changed, Iwa and Suna had temporarily put aside their hatred and formed an alliance.
However, several days earlier, both villages had come under attack.
Anyone with Chakra in their body had been killed after having it completely extracted.
Iwa and Suna now existed in name only.
The near-destruction of two of the Five Great Shinobi Villages naturally sent shockwaves through the shinobi world.
The retired Third Hokage, Hiruzen, took a slow puff from his pipe and frowned.
"Their Chakra was drained?"
"He was probably replenishing his own reserves."
Sasuke, who was still stranded in this space-time, spoke solemnly.
"Members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan can extract Chakra from others. Chakra is what they came to this world for in the first place."
"He was badly injured in the last battle, and his Chakra consumption was enormous. For someone at that level, recovering naturally isn't easy."
Sasuke knew that problem very well.
He had never truly reached Hagoromo's level, yet even he had difficulty rapidly restoring his Chakra after exhausting himself.
For someone who needed to recover quickly, extracting Chakra from a Tailed Beast was naturally the most efficient method.
However, the Tailed Beasts were either under Madara's control, in Konoha's hands, or had not yet been resurrected.
Urashiki did not have many options left.
"That's probably what happened."
Seiryū nodded.
"The greater someone's Chakra capacity, the harder it becomes to refill completely through natural recovery alone."
"Urashiki is a Kekkei Mōra. The amount of Chakra he requires can't possibly be small."
To be fair, Urashiki had even swallowed his own Rinnegan during their previous battle.
Combined with the severe injuries Seiryū had inflicted, it made sense that he now desperately needed Chakra.
The Ōtsutsuki were essentially beings sustained by Chakra.
As long as they obtained enough of it, they could recover from terrible injuries very quickly.
Urashiki's situation was also different from Isshiki's.
Isshiki required a suitable Karma vessel in order to resurrect properly.
Urashiki merely needed enough Chakra to restore himself.
Jiraiya's expression grew serious.
"So we may still have to face Urashiki at full strength?"
Minato responded calmly.
"If Seiryū could defeat him once, then Seiryū, who is even stronger now, should have a better chance next time."
Seiryū thought silently, 'The problem is that Urashiki might not be alone.'
There was another Ōtsutsuki hiding somewhere in this shinobi world.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Seiryū strongly suspected that Urashiki and Isshiki had already made contact.
If those two chose to cooperate, the situation would become considerably more troublesome.
After a brief pause, Seiryū said, "If Urashiki were the only problem, he wouldn't be much of a threat to me anymore. But."
"There's also Madara."
Nagato finished the thought for him, his tone equally wary.
After receiving the Yin Power, Nagato's Rinnegan had undergone another transformation.
Three tomoe had appeared in each eye.
His ocular power had risen dramatically, and so had his overall strength.
He had already approached the Six Paths level.
Seiryū fell silent.
Well.
Nagato was not wrong, so there was no reason to correct him.
A few days earlier, Kurama, who had finally lowered his pride enough to cooperate properly, had delivered important information through Kushina.
The Ten-Tails had been born.
The Tailed Beasts had originally been separated from the Ten-Tails.
At the moment of its rebirth, Kurama had vaguely sensed its presence.
Madara had somehow gathered enough of the Tailed Beasts' power to recreate the Ten-Tails.
He might already have become its Jinchūriki.
A Madara who had become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki was naturally an enemy no one could ignore.
"A fully recovered Urashiki and a Madara who may already be the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki."
Tsunade rubbed her temples.
"The enemies we're facing are getting ridiculous."
She felt enormous pressure.
After all, she was the Hokage.
Konoha's survival ultimately rested on her decisions.
Seiryū smiled.
"If one comes, we beat one. If two come, we beat two. If three come."
He paused.
"Fine. We beat all three at once."
"The enemy is strong, but we're hardly weak."
The situation in this timeline was far more dangerous than in the original story.
The enemies were stronger.
But Konoha's side was also far stronger.
There might not be an Allied Shinobi Forces, but Konoha had no shortage of top-tier combatants.
Tsunade glanced at Seiryū.
"You're probably the only person here who can still say something like that so casually."
Seiryū spread his hands.
"What else am I supposed to say? Surrender?"
Tsunade had no response.
After that, Konoha's senior officials and strongest shinobi began discussing how to prepare for the conflict ahead.
Another major battle was clearly approaching.
Naturally, they needed a plan.
However, after going back and forth for quite some time, they still failed to come up with anything especially useful.
Seiryū, who had barely spoken during the discussion, gradually became more speechless the longer he listened.
Finally, he could not take it anymore.
"Why are all of you thinking about how to respond after the enemy attacks?"
"Madara's base is most likely in Kiri. Why don't we attack him first?"
He was genuinely baffled.
Konoha was currently at its strongest point in history.
The number of powerful shinobi gathered here was enough that, in an earlier era, they could have overwhelmed the entire shinobi world several times over.
Yet everyone was still discussing passive defense.
They could not locate Urashiki.
Fine.
But Madara's base was most likely right there in Kiri.
Why were they waiting for him to make the first move?
Everyone fell silent.
When Seiryū put it that way, he did have a point.
For the past two years, Konoha had become accustomed to reacting after enemies moved first.
They prepared defenses.
They endured the attack.
Then they counterattacked.
And even before those two years, Konoha had rarely been the side to initiate major offensives.
Now that Seiryū had said it out loud, everyone suddenly realized that waiting might actually be the worse option.
It was simply habit.
Konoha's traditional approach had always been to avoid unnecessary conflict and only strike back after being provoked.
Seiryū's expression became pained.
"Your silence is making me nervous."
"Starting wars has never really been Konoha's style."
Tsunade coughed awkwardly.
"However, the current circumstances are different."
"Taking the initiative may indeed be the better choice. We should discuss it."
An offensive still carried risks.
First, how strong was Madara now that he might have become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki?
Second, if Konoha committed too many of its strongest fighters to attacking Kiri, would that leave the village vulnerable to Urashiki?
Those questions could not be ignored.
So they continued discussing.
And discussing.
Eventually, Seiryū ended the debate with a single sentence.
"I'll go to Kiri first and test the situation myself."
Seiryū had already been absurdly powerful before.
Now he had become even stronger.
No one present truly knew where his current limit was.
But one thing was certain.
Even if Madara had become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, Seiryū should at least be capable of protecting himself.
Night fell.
At Seiryū's home, Tsunade, Kurenai, Rin, Sāra, and Hina had all gathered.
Because of the Rōran Forbidden Jutsu, Divine God Transfer, Seiryū had already made his feelings clear to them.
After all, the technique required physical intimacy, and by now their relationships could no longer be brushed aside as vague or unspoken.
Besides, even without that, the only thing missing before had been an explicit confession.
Over the two years Seiryū had been absent, Tsunade had not merely spent time getting closer to the others.
She had also quietly arranged certain things behind the scenes.
The atmosphere in the room was strange.
Everyone wore a different expression.
Shy.
Nervous.
Calm.
Understanding.
Amused.
Aside from Tsunade and Sāra, the other three looked somewhat conflicted.
"Hehe."
Seiryū, whose mind was usually quick enough to handle almost anything, suddenly had no idea what to say.
"So. Nice to meet everyone. My name is Uzumaki Seiryū. I'm from the Uzumaki Clan."
He stopped.
Then frowned.
"Why am I introducing myself in my own house?"
The real problem was seating.
Every one of the women had chosen to sit on Tsunade's side of the room.
Seiryū was alone.
Completely alone.
It was bizarre.
They were supposed to be his girlfriends.
Yet somehow, his girlfriends had formed their own faction, and he was not part of it.
Amazing.
"Oh my."
Sāra rested her chin on one hand while sitting beside Tsunade.
"I didn't expect Seiryū to actually feel awkward."
She raised an elegant eyebrow and smiled teasingly.
"So even you can make that kind of expression."
Seiryū gave a dry laugh.
"I'm an adult, but this is still my first time dealing with something like this."
Kurenai snorted lightly.
"Being an adult doesn't make you any less awkward."
Seiryū looked at her.
"Can you not enjoy this so much?"
Rin had grown her hair long over the past two years and wore it tied simply behind her.
She looked bright and youthful.
Seeing Seiryū struggling for words, she could not help smiling.
But she said nothing.
To be honest, when Seiryū had spoken openly to her two days earlier, Rin had felt both thrilled and overwhelmed.
She had already suspected some of his feelings.
Tsunade had also told her certain things.
But hearing Seiryū say it directly still felt unreal.
Did he truly like her?
Could she really be with him?
Only now, sitting here together with the others, did Rin finally feel that it was real.
The person she loved did not love only her.
But even so, she felt satisfied.
"Um."
Hina had tied up her red hair neatly, giving her a graceful and dignified appearance.
Her soft features showed visible uncertainty.
"Do I really belong here?"
She had only received Seiryū's confession the previous day.
Otherwise, she would not have been sitting here now.
But she still carried some insecurity.
She was not especially powerful.
She had not grown up alongside Seiryū.
She had originally come from another village.
And Seiryū had once saved her.
Compared with the others, Hina felt that she had the least to offer.
She lacked confidence.
"Of course you belong here."
Tsunade understood Hina's personality well.
She was gentle, avoided competing with others, and carried some insecurity because of what she had experienced in the past.
But her feelings for Seiryū were genuine.
When Seiryū had disappeared, Hina's fear and concern had been no less sincere than anyone else's.
That was one of the main reasons Tsunade accepted her.
Furthermore, Tsunade knew about the prophecy concerning the Forbidden Child.
The shinobi world's destruction or rebirth could depend on Seiryū's choices.
Once before, Seiryū had nearly gone to an extreme for the sake of his own happiness.
At the time, he had been powerful, but nowhere near as terrifying as he was now.
If he ever truly lost control again.
The shinobi world might actually be destroyed.
Of course, Tsunade did not view her acceptance of the others as some reluctant compromise.
Over the past two years, she had witnessed their feelings for Seiryū herself.
What else was she supposed to do?
Reject everyone and pretend none of it existed?
She also did not dislike any of them.
Tsunade looked toward Hina.
"Besides, this idiot has clearly liked you for a long time."
"You're not getting away that easily."
Then she smiled.
"And you wouldn't want the shinobi world destroyed, would you?"
Seiryū stared at her.
"Wait."
"How did this suddenly become about destroying the shinobi world?"
Tsunade looked at him.
"What do you think?"
"You're slandering me."
"Hehe."
Sāra ignored their bickering.
She rested her chin on her hand and looked directly at Seiryū.
"Seiryū, my status has gone down."
"Before, I was your wife."
"Now I've somehow become your girlfriend."
"Shouldn't you compensate me?"
Seiryū looked suspicious.
"That sounds wrong."
"We never actually got married. How were we husband and wife?"
"We held a ceremony."
Sāra smiled.
"And you took my first kiss."
"I held ceremonies with the others too."
Seiryū replied without hesitation.
"So that makes all of you my girlfriends."
Sāra stared at him.
"Rōran may allow multiple marriages, but even by our standards, your attitude is a little too casual."
"Haha. Not at all."
"I wasn't complimenting you."
"Really?"
Sāra fell silent.
Looking around at everyone he cared about, Seiryū suddenly smiled with unusual awkwardness.
"Please take care of me from now on."
"This is my first real relationship, so I honestly don't know what I'm doing."
That part was true.
Across both of his lives, this was the first time Seiryū had genuinely entered a relationship.
He had no experience at all.
Kurenai, Rin, Sāra, and Hina all remained silent.
Then, almost simultaneously, they looked toward Tsunade.
The message was obvious.
Tsunade was in charge.
Seiryū fell silent.
He felt tired already.
His girlfriends were clearly not on his side.
How exactly was he supposed to deal with this?
At this rate, Tsunade was absolutely going to manipulate him through them in the future.
Tsunade crossed one leg over the other and spoke with the unmistakable confidence of someone in command.
"You'd better behave yourself from now on."
"Otherwise."
She smiled.
"Hehehe."
"I can't promise what might happen."
Seiryū said nothing.
Ruthless.
Absolutely ruthless.
She had really used this kind of tactic against him.
Damn the Dragon Vein.
If it had not trapped him for more than two years, none of this would have happened.
Seiryū now both loved and hated the situation.
On the positive side, Tsunade had already explained everything to the others.
Everyone understood his feelings.
None of them had rejected him.
He had completely skipped the terrifying confrontation he had once imagined.
On the negative side, Tsunade had somehow become the leader of his entire romantic life and could now use that position against him.
Unforgivable.
Inside the Yin Seal, the little dragon Ryūha sensed Seiryū's frustration.
Its voice seemed to say:
'Why are you blaming me?'
(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.)