"Oh, there's work to do again."
After performing the technique of annihilation and recovery, Tuishi sighed.
Strengthening intelligence collection naturally relied on his avatars. At this point, nearly every clone had been assigned a region and was responsible for gathering information. His earth-nature clone, Tu Shi, had been assigned to the Land of Earth.
Currently, he felt like the most active among the clones.
It made sense—he had long defected from his village and exposed his true power. Without the need to suppress his strength, he could act freely, and it was liberating to use any method without restriction.
"Just wait a little longer. The Soul Nourishing Pill is nearly perfected. A few more days should do it."
Gazing at the newly developed pill formula, Tu Shi decided to remain in place until the soul-related elixir was completed.
Right now, he was in the ideal state for pill research, and the development of the Soul Nourishing Pill was at its most efficient phase.
Moreover, once the pill recipe was finalized, its effects would be greatly enhanced. That meant the main body's cultivation speed would also increase. Since the strength of the clones stemmed from the original, the sooner, the better.
"Spiritual Rejuvenation Grass, Soul Nourishing Flower… With so many new ingredients added, the efficacy should increase significantly."
It wasn't just the ingredients being expanded—Tu Shi had also refined the precise techniques of alchemy to perfection.
"This step isn't ideal. Ganoderma lucidum provides natural energy—it would be best if its essence were active throughout the process. I'll shift the fusion phase here, allowing its medicinal essence to gradually blend with the others in controlled doses. Not just Ganoderma lucidum—I'll apply this to the other components as well."
…
Half a month later.
"Finally, it's complete. The new Soul Nourishing Pill formula is perfected."
The formula was finalized. Now, it was time to test its real-world effectiveness.
Due to the war, Hui's supply lines had been cut, so Tu Shi had to rely on deductions and scavenging for material preservation.
"Tch, only a few Soul Nourishing Flowers left… Let's hope this batch works."
Staring at the last dozen soul flowers in his reserves, Tu Shi sighed deeply.
He carefully laid out all the necessary ingredients in front of him, preparing to begin.
Gentle flames ignited out of thin air before him. After all this time honing his skills, his control over fire-style chakra for alchemical purposes had vastly improved.
The flames hovered midair, stable and calm under Tu Shi's precise manipulation.
He channeled chakra into them. The flame's radius expanded, splitting into several distinct fireballs.
Tu Shi began the purification process, casting different ingredients into different flames.
He didn't purify each ingredient with its own flame—instead, each flame handled a group of ingredients. This method minimized cross-reactions and prevented negative interactions among certain herbs.
For instance, Refreshing Herb didn't harmonize with Ganoderma lucidum—it could strip away some of its useful components. So, they were purified separately to avoid unnecessary loss.
Each flame purified ingredients without overlapping functions, and Tu Shi moved with practiced ease. The process didn't take long.
Soon, multiple refined liquids floated in the air, each protected by its own flame.
Ganoderma lucidum and other natural energy providers were grouped and integrated first.
Next came Refreshing Herb. Unfortunately, it had a suppressive component that dulled the soul-enhancing properties. Tu Shi couldn't extract them separately, so he introduced a third neutralizing substance to counteract the suppressive effect and unlock the soul-beneficial components.
Each step had been carefully calculated.
The suppression was more like a fusion. After fusing both liquids, Tu Shi further refined the new compound, isolating the soul-enhancing portion and discarding the rest—any impurity could interfere with the next critical steps.
"This segment of Refreshing Herb activates the soul… Now comes the true soul enhancer: the Soul Nourishing Flower."
He combined the new extract with the liquid essence of the Soul Nourishing Flower. Then, he blended in the Ganoderma lucidum infusion to enhance the synergy.
He began fusing auxiliary ingredients into the core mixture, using small portions of Ganoderma liquid during every stage to maintain a stable base.
"With no deviation during fusion, the formula seems stable."
Tu Shi formed a hand seal.
"Condensation!"
This stage didn't simply compress the liquid into pill form—it mirrored the method used to create military rations pills, ensuring the medicinal effects would take hold immediately upon ingestion.
"Phew, looks like it's stable."
As the flames dissipated, a few glossy, round pills floated in midair, emanating a faint, mysterious glow.
Tu Shi didn't test the pills personally. Pills like body-forging fluid and cultivation boosters were safe for clones to use due to their physical nature. But soul-targeting pills were different—clones didn't share the original's soul.
He stowed the Soul Nourishing Pills away. After a few more practice rounds and using the remainder of his Soul Nourishing Flowers, he produced sixty-three pills—enough to fuel half a year of cultivation.
Afterward, Tu Shi also crafted new batches of the enhanced Body Forging Liquid and Yuan-Boosting Pills.
He stored some Soul Nourishing Pills and Body Forging Liquid in a scroll, then activated a teleportation technique to send it to Clear Island. The rest he reserved for personal use or distributed among the clones.
Body Forging Liquid was essential. Even Hui, the busiest clone, used it for daily medicinal baths in his command tent. Yuan-Boosting Pills helped restore chakra. Though the clones had large reserves of chakra and often feigned fatigue in battle, unexpected events could arise. Being prepared was essential.
"That said… the chakra recovery from Yuan-Boosting Pills is still lacking. Ten units overall, with only five units restored per minute—it's too little. Time to start research in that area."
He'd already maximized the use of existing ingredients. Maybe focusing on natural energy would lead to improvements.
Thanks to the Body Forging Liquid and the training in Lightning Release Body Refinement, all clones now had enhanced physical bodies and chakra levels in the hundreds.
Even so, the recovery rate was far from ideal. Though it wasn't as potent as military rations pills, Yuan-Boosting Pills didn't upset the stomach and even provided minor body nourishment.
Besides, if one pill wasn't enough, take two—or ten.
…
Konoha, Sarutobi Clan Residence
"Sunagakure! What are you still hesitating for?! You're already old! Even if you improve your elemental mastery, your weakening body will hold you back! You won't gain true strength!"
The voice from the shadows was urgent—but faint.
Hashirama's cells were powerful. Danzo had lived this long despite losing half his body, but now, even that was reaching its limit.
Tobirama was gone. No matter how potent Hashirama's cells were, they couldn't keep half a body alive forever.
With Root disbanded, Danzo no longer had access to their secret medical resources. Konoha's public medics wouldn't treat him, and his remaining body was decaying by the day.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face twisted in turmoil—hesitation, pain, and internal struggle clashed across his features.
Danzo's words—"You're old"—hit harder than any jutsu.
It was true. His strength was declining. Hui was at his peak. Even if he kept training, how long would it take to surpass Hui and reclaim his honor?
Revenge.
That was it. Hui hadn't just killed Danzo—he'd humiliated Hiruzen, ousting him from the Hokage position and almost erasing his entire legacy.
He had sacrificed so much for Konoha, yet it was all undone by Hui in an instant.
Only one option remained: Hashirama's cells.
The voice in the darkness went quiet—perhaps because Danzo no longer had the strength to speak.
After what felt like hours, Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his jaw, his hands trembling.
"Danzo… I want to transplant Hashirama's cells."
"…I knew I wasn't wrong about you, Hiruzen."