"Is this guy being a little too cautious?"
The moment Urashiki saw Seiryū return, he immediately abandoned his objective and escaped using Yomotsu Hirasaka.
Seiryū could not help but complain.
Had he really become that intimidating?
Tsunade, Nagato, and Sasuke, who had stepped forward to stop Urashiki, also fell silent.
An Ōtsutsuki did not even have the courage to attack Seiryū and fled the moment he appeared.
He really was being a little too cautious.
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched. She deactivated her Yang Power Chakra Mode and turned toward Seiryū.
"How did things go at Kirigakure? Did Madara become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki?"
"He's dead."
Three confused expressions immediately turned toward him.
Wasn't he only going there to test Madara's strength?
How long had he even been gone?
And Madara was already dead?
"Dead?"
Tsunade's expression became even stranger.
She had learned about the power of the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki from Madara himself.
And he had died that easily?
"Did he fail to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki?"
"No. He became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki and reached the Six Paths level, but he still died."
Seiryū shrugged and spoke calmly.
"Don't look at me like that. With all three transformations combined, I have enough power to fight someone at the Kekkei Mōra level. Naturally, someone at the Six Paths level isn't my match."
"However, something unexpected happened."
"Something unexpected?"
"Orochimaru and another Ōtsutsuki interfered. Their target was Madara."
"Wait."
Sasuke frowned.
"What do you mean by another Ōtsutsuki? Did Kaguya Ōtsutsuki resurrect? Didn't you stop Black Zetsu?"
Another member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Could Kaguya have been resurrected?
Sasuke had already explained what happened during the Fourth Shinobi World War in his timeline, including Black Zetsu's existence.
"It's not Kaguya. It's another member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
Seiryū began explaining.
"His name is Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. He arrived on this planet together with Kaguya."
Seiryū briefly explained what he knew about Isshiki.
As for where the information came from, naturally, Isshiki himself had revealed it.
At least, that was the explanation Seiryū gave.
"They operate in pairs."
Sasuke immediately thought of Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki.
Those two Ōtsutsuki had also acted together.
Moreover, Momoshiki held a higher position than Kinshiki.
"I didn't expect another Ōtsutsuki to have been hiding in the shinobi world, especially one who outranked Kaguya."
Sasuke's expression became extremely grave.
"If Isshiki is still alive in this timeline, then what about the timeline I came from?"
By now, Sasuke had gained a general understanding of this timeline's history.
Many historical events had originally followed the same course.
The major differences had begun with Seiryū.
As the "Child of Prophecy," his existence had changed the course of history.
If their earlier histories were largely identical, then that meant Isshiki probably existed in Sasuke's timeline as well.
This was an extremely important discovery!
"He should exist there too. And this guy is very strong, even stronger than Madara as the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki."
Seiryū left it at that.
In the era Sasuke came from, Isshiki was naturally still alive.
There was no doubt about that.
If Sasuke learned about Isshiki ahead of time, he could at least make some preparations.
Perhaps then he and Naruto would not suffer such a crushing defeat.
Watching Naruto and Sasuke get overwhelmed so badly had been frustrating enough.
It was one of the reasons Seiryū had such a poor opinion of how things developed in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
"Even stronger than Madara."
Sasuke's expression grew even more serious, and the pressure he felt increased considerably.
If he returned to the Fourth Shinobi World War now, Sasuke did not believe his current strength surpassed Madara as the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
One had truly reached the level of a Sage.
The other had not.
The difference between them was enormous.
Now, Sasuke had suddenly learned that an enemy even stronger than Madara might be hiding in his own timeline.
Naturally, he felt pressured.
"I can't interfere with what happens in another timeline. You'll have to deal with that yourselves."
Seiryū patted Sasuke on the shoulder with the air of an elder giving advice.
"I can tell you everything I know about Isshiki so you'll be better prepared when you return."
Although there was a considerable difference between their apparent ages, they were roughly the same height.
Actually, if their ages were calculated properly, Seiryū was technically older than Sasuke.
Sasuke had not even been born yet in this era.
"Thank you."
Sasuke spoke seriously.
Knowing that such a powerful enemy might be waiting for him placed considerable pressure on him.
He even began to wonder whether he had become too weak.
Without considering anything else, the fact that Seiryū possessed this level of strength at such a young age left Sasuke somewhat frustrated.
Had all those years of his life been wasted?
Not only had his strength barely improved, in some ways he had actually become weaker.
"There's no need to thank me. You're from Konoha too."
Seiryū waved dismissively.
Then, as though remembering something, he asked, "Speaking of which, shouldn't your limited Chakra reserves be something you could compensate for by transplanting Hashirama cells?"
"Why haven't you ever had Hashirama cells transplanted?"
In the original timeline, Kabuto might have used Hashirama cells to treat the dying Sasuke, but that definitely had not been a true transplant.
It had merely been a special form of Medical Ninjutsu.
At the very least, Seiryū could not sense any Chakra from Hashirama cells inside Sasuke's body.
If Sasuke underwent a proper transplant, shouldn't that help compensate for his limited Chakra reserves?
Sasuke explained, "After the Fourth Shinobi World War ended, Konoha prohibited human experimentation and destroyed all known Hashirama cells to prevent them from causing any more trouble."
Hashirama cells really had caused an extraordinary amount of trouble.
One could even argue that they had contributed greatly to the events leading up to the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Konoha in Sasuke's timeline had already banned human experimentation and destroyed the remaining Hashirama cells.
The only exception had been the prosthetic arm created for Naruto.
"No wonder."
Seiryū nodded slightly.
He had simply been curious.
If he remembered correctly, Naruto in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations also possessed Hashirama cells, yet he had never displayed Wood Release.
Was he unable to learn it, or had he simply chosen not to?
It was probably the latter.
From Sasuke's explanation, it was obvious that people in their era regarded Hashirama cells as something extremely dangerous.
Under those circumstances, Naruto, as Hokage, naturally would not casually rely on their power.
Hmm.
That was certainly a cautious approach.
If Seiryū had transplanted Hashirama cells himself, he definitely would have tried to master Wood Release.
After all, Wood Release's power was obvious.
"Since you brought up Hashirama cells, then... could I undergo a transplant here?"
Sasuke took a deep breath and looked at Seiryū.
"With an enemy that powerful waiting for me, I think I need to become stronger. At the very least, I need to compensate for my limited Chakra reserves."
Seiryū's words had reminded him of that possibility.
If transplanting Hashirama cells could compensate for one of his greatest weaknesses, Sasuke did not mind doing it to prepare for future enemies.
He needed to become stronger!
Sasuke then looked toward Tsunade and spoke seriously.
"Fourth Hokage, I know this is an unreasonable request, but I need to become stronger. Only then can I protect the Konoha of my timeline!"
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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