Hikaru's power shot straight into the heavens, naturally drawing the attention of countless people.
But no matter how much chaos it caused across the shinobi world, and no matter how far his power spread, Hikaru had no mind to care about any of it right now.
Looking at the changes on his system panel and feeling the constant growth within his own body, Hikaru could not help but sigh inwardly.
The improvement brought by his eyes was truly enormous.
Although the panel did not show it directly, Hikaru could clearly sense that because his eyes had advanced, his body had also passively improved once again.
This kind of passive improvement naturally could not compare to the leap brought by obtaining a special power directly, but Hikaru knew very well that this improvement was continuous.
As for how long it would continue, he was not certain.
But he understood that this was likely a process of constant adjustment and adaptation.
His eyes had evolved, but his body could not yet fully keep up with the strength required to serve as their vessel. That was why this change had occurred.
Hikaru's physical strength was already extremely high. As a descendant of the Senju Clan, there were very few people in the entire shinobi world who dared say their bodies were stronger than his.
The key problem was that the strength of Hikaru's bloodline was still far from that of a true Ōtsutsuki.
The Jōgan was likely most compatible with the Ōtsutsuki, because the potential of these eyes was clearly very high.
When they were still in the initial stage, things had been manageable. After all, Hikaru's body had been nurtured by the Shattered Power of Asura.
But after his eyes absorbed such a massive amount of Tenseigan power, evolved, fused with it, and finally upgraded, Hikaru's current physique had begun to lag behind.
That was why the Jōgan was feeding back into Hikaru's body, allowing his body to evolve further.
At the same time, it was also giving the Jōgan a better vessel.
Or perhaps, to put it another way, a better cannon platform.
Hikaru shook his head slightly.
Even he felt that metaphor was not quite appropriate.
But after thinking about it, this explanation seemed the most reasonable.
Especially since Hikaru also noticed that his improvement was not limited to his physical body.
The Yin-Yang Release inside him also seemed to be improving for some special reason.
"Although the speed of improvement isn't as obvious as I imagined, I can still feel it."
Hikaru sensed the changes in his power and thought silently.
"Is it because the Truth-Seeking Balls appeared, feeding back into my Yin-Yang Release and driving its improvement?"
Hikaru could now be completely certain that he already possessed Truth-Seeking Balls.
The moment his eyes completed their evolution, he clearly felt a special power hidden within his body.
A power that had fused into spheres, yet could transform into countless forms.
At the moment, he still could not freely mobilize this power.
But he was certain that once he activated Jōgan Chakra Mode, he would be able to use it with ease.
"However, after my eyes evolved, what other abilities did they gain?"
Hikaru silently stood up.
When he first obtained the Jōgan, it had unlocked two unique abilities, as well as the common powers of such high-level eyes.
Now that his Jōgan had advanced to the true first stage, it should naturally possess even stronger abilities.
Thinking of this, Hikaru directly activated Jōgan Chakra Mode.
The moment that power activated, Hikaru's entire body became slightly blurred.
He had to admit that after absorbing the Tenseigan's power, the Jōgan had become increasingly similar to the Tenseigan.
At this moment, Hikaru looked almost identical to Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
Aside from the difference in their outlines and the color of their chakra, there was almost no major distinction.
And after Hikaru activated Jōgan Chakra Mode, three black spheres suddenly condensed behind him.
The three black spheres formed extremely quickly.
In the blink of an eye, they were complete.
With their appearance, Hikaru's aura became even more oppressive.
Hikaru slowly closed his eyes.
Because after activating this mode, a great deal of information had appeared in his mind.
He spent some time absorbing this information, and at last, he understood what changes had occurred in his eyes.
"So… it's this interesting?"
Hikaru murmured softly.
The abilities granted by his eyes this time were truly far stronger than the previous ones.
He was not sure whether it was because he had absorbed the Tenseigan's power, but the abilities he obtained gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
Still, no matter what, the strength of these powers was guaranteed.
This advancement had granted him four abilities in total.
None of them had specific names, and Hikaru did not know why that was the case, but all four were extremely interesting.
The first was a mind-control technique.
This technique was almost identical to the method Ōtsutsuki Toneri used to control Hinata.
It involved creating a special chakra sphere and implanting that sphere into the target's body, thereby achieving control with ease.
The appearance of this technique truly startled Hikaru.
He even considered whether he should use it on Nagato.
But after thinking for a while, Hikaru decided it was better not to be that kind of villain.
Besides, whether this technique could exert an excellent effect still depended on the target's personal willpower.
For example, if Hikaru tried to use this technique to control Obito, it was hard to say whether it would cause a "torn photograph" to appear in Obito's mind.
That might trigger Obito's passive mode—thinking about women—and ultimately unleash the terrifying willpower that could resist the Ten-Tails.
Nagato's willpower might not be that strong, but the boy did possess the Rinnegan, and Hikaru did not want to fall out with him.
After all, Nagato's current attitude seemed to be genuinely leaning toward him. In that case, there was no need for Hikaru to make small moves behind the scenes.
As for others, Hikaru wondered if he could test it on those small-country shinobi village leaders who chose to submit to him.
But that could wait until later.
In truth, Hikaru did not really want to use techniques to control people.
If he did that, what difference would there be between him and Danzō?
Aside from this mind-control technique, the other abilities also moved Hikaru greatly.
The second technique was one that could actively absorb chakra.
Although Hikaru might not necessarily be able to use the chakra he absorbed, rapidly draining an opponent's chakra was useful no matter how one looked at it.
What made him slightly unhappy was that it seemed other eyes came with this ability naturally, while his only gained it after upgrading.
But no matter what, having it was better than having nothing.
The third ability was also rather interesting.
It was a standalone sealing technique.
To be honest, this power was somewhat useless to Hikaru.
Because Hikaru had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, his sealing techniques were already not bad.
Although his sealing technique level was still only intermediate, that was completely sufficient.
After all, his battle style did not particularly require powerful sealing techniques.
Was he supposed to go seal Ōtsutsuki Kaguya?
Would that not be stealing Naruto and Sasuke's job?
"Still, there are other Ōtsutsuki in this world. Maybe it will be useful later."
Thinking of this, Hikaru no longer bothered worrying about the sealing technique.
After all, the fourth ability was the greatest gain.
The fourth ability Hikaru obtained was the power he had dreamed of for a long time.
Truth-Seeking Balls!
Even though he only possessed the first stage of the Jōgan, and therefore could only obtain three Truth-Seeking Balls, no matter what, possessing this power meant Hikaru had undergone a qualitative transformation.
"If the first stage gives me three Truth-Seeking Balls, then the second stage should give me six.
"And once I reach the third stage, I should have nine Truth-Seeking Balls, just like Uchiha Madara and the others."
The number of Truth-Seeking Balls was linked to one's own power.
Hikaru was extremely certain of this.
Moreover, the improvement of his own power and the evolution of his eyes could also drive the improvement of his body.
How could Hikaru not feel happy about such a positive cycle?
Especially since he truly did not lack the materials to evolve the Jōgan.
After all, there was still that enormous Tenseigan waiting for him on the moon.
Thinking of this, Hikaru's mood became exceptionally pleasant.
Although he knew his overall strength had still not reached the Six Paths level, no one truly knew what the Six Paths level specifically entailed.
But Hikaru knew one thing.
As long as he continuously upgraded his eyes, and as long as the Truth-Seeking Balls stimulated by his eyes improved his Yin-Yang Release, then with the system's help to fuse Kekkei Mōra, the secrets of the Six Paths would eventually no longer be secrets to him.
"Still, the so-called Six Paths road is still far away. There are many things I still need to do. Before, because of my eyes, I couldn't do much. But now…"
Thinking of this, Hikaru narrowed his eyes slightly.
Since his eyes now possessed combat power, it was time for him to do something.
The matter of reviving Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama clearly still needed to be handled by him personally.
Hikaru also needed to find suitable materials for them.
However, even if he obtained the materials, Hikaru might not choose to revive them immediately.
After all, the two of them currently had unlimited energy and could do many, many things.
Why should he be so anxious?
Free labor that worked hard without complaint was something Hikaru loved the most.
Of course, he knew such free labor could not continue forever.
But as long as he could use it, he absolutely should not waste it.
Besides, Hikaru had once promised Kakashi something.
So the second person he revived would still revolve around Kakashi.
According to his agreement with Kakashi, he would help Kakashi revive two people.
He had already revived one. That meant only one remained.
Of course, Kakashi did not know about this agreement.
But whether he knew or not did not change the matter.
Obito could not be revived, because that boy was still alive.
And Hikaru was not confident he could truly kill him.
Thus, the only person Kakashi could choose was Rin.
And Kakashi seemed to have already decided that the second person he wanted revived was Rin.
This involved the promise between him and Obito.
He had promised Obito that he would protect Rin, but clearly, he had failed to do so.
Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to revive Rin and then meet Obito.
He naturally did not want to see Obito disappointed.
"But unfortunately, you are destined to be disappointed. Still, Rin was so young. What will she be like after being revived?"
Hikaru still had a bit of wicked humor.
Speaking of which, he did not know how Edo Tensei chose the form of the revived.
Perhaps it chose the person's peak condition before death.
Just look at Uchiha Madara.
But for those who died before reaching their prime, perhaps they would return with the age and appearance they had before death.
Rin clearly died before adulthood.
So if she were revived now, she would probably look thirteen or fourteen years old.
"She was originally your childhood friend, but now she's suddenly several years younger? Should I revive Rin ten years later and make her the same age as Naruto and Sasuke?"
Perhaps because the Jōgan's improvement this time was too great, Hikaru's mood was excellent.
He was happy to imagine Kakashi's awkward expression.
He also wondered what kind of expression Obito would have if he met Rin after her revival.
Maybe Obito would decisively defect on the spot.
After all, he was truly a man whose mind was full of women.
"Why do I feel like I'm becoming more and more unscrupulous?"
Hikaru silently deactivated Jōgan Chakra Mode, then began to think seriously.
Nagato had already surrendered.
If Obito surrendered as well, then Akatsuki would practically become his organization.
This would indeed be extremely helpful for his mission.
But his methods did not exactly count as upright.
He was clearly using information from the original story to grab people by their weaknesses and squeeze value out of them.
However, he only thought about this problem briefly before throwing it to the back of his mind.
His methods might not be very proper, but no matter what, he could be considered a dream fulfiller.
I fulfilled your dream for you.
I even mercifully gave you a chance to make up for your regrets.
So why wouldn't you obediently work for me?
"There is no free lunch in this world. There are only cheap lunches, expensive lunches, and even more expensive lunches.
"If you eat my lunch, naturally it will be the most expensive kind."
After sorting out his thoughts, Hikaru decided to return to Konoha.
There were still many things he needed to arrange before leaving.
Although obtaining White Zetsu bodies this time would not immediately be used to revive Hashirama and Tobirama, he could use them to reperform Edo Tensei on the two.
That way, they could exert even greater strength.
And the matter of reviving Rin could also allow them to observe properly.
No matter how much they heard from Hatake Sakumo, it could not compare to personally watching the process once.
…
"What? You want to leave Konoha?"
Inside the Hokage's Office, Hikaru had summoned Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama together.
This meeting only involved the three of them.
Whether it was Saya, the ANBU members, or anyone else who wanted to meet the Hokage at this moment, all of them had been stopped by him.
Although according to some of the rules Hikaru had established, this completely violated procedure, the rules were made by Hikaru.
If he wanted to do it this way, others truly could not say much.
Hashirama and Tobirama were both very curious about why Hikaru had summoned them so mysteriously this time.
But when Hikaru spoke of his plan, before he could even explain in detail, both of them were already astonished.
Hikaru actually wanted to leave Konoha again?
Was this something a Hokage should do?
Even though they knew Hikaru's strength was extremely powerful, and even though they knew this boy had precedent, it was precisely because of that precedent that they could not feel at ease about him leaving.
After all, with Hikaru's strength, there were not many things that could interest him.
And once he became interested, could that thing possibly be simple?
Clearly, neither of them believed that anything capable of catching Hikaru's interest would be easy to handle.
The last time he went to the moon, his miserable state had left a deep impression on them.
Hikaru looked at their expressions and felt helpless for a moment.
Naturally, he could tell what the two of them were thinking.
But he also understood this was concern.
Whether it was concern for a junior, or concern because he was Konoha's Hokage and his reckless behavior might affect Konoha, Hikaru accepted it.
However, leaving this time was necessary, so he could only explain properly.
"Yes, I need to leave Konoha for a period of time. I will leave behind a clone."
Hikaru lightly spread his hands, then continued seriously,
"Just like last time. But this time, the reason I'm leaving is to find bodies more suitable for you two.
"I believe this matter is very important, whether for you or for Konoha.
"With new bodies suitable for your revival, you will be able to exert even greater strength. Isn't that a good thing?
"Besides, you both understand my strength. Even if you were in your prime, I might not necessarily be afraid."
Facing these two, Hikaru spoke very directly.
And the two clearly would not be angry because of his words.
After all, everything Hikaru said was true.
In their view, Hikaru's current strength was likely enough to fight evenly even with Hashirama in his prime.
The problem was that Hikaru was really not an obedient person.
And the shinobi world right now could not exactly be called peaceful.
"I think it is better not to go. In any case, we are not in a hurry."
Hashirama thought for a moment, then finally shook his head.
"Not long ago, we all sensed an extremely terrifying chakra appear.
"That chakra was somewhat similar to the eye we encountered on the moon. At first, I thought it was you.
"But we have seen your eyes and your chakra. Clearly, that power is very different from yours.
"For such a power to appear in the shinobi world is clearly not a good thing, especially since it appeared so close to Konoha."
"Indeed. I also think this is not a good time to leave Konoha."
Tobirama also spoke from the side, his expression extremely solemn.
"Even if you want to leave, at least clarify the problem with that power first.
"Otherwise, with our current condition, even if we encountered an enemy like that, we would be little more than a drop in the bucket."
Listening to their words, Hikaru suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed.
Because the person who had caused that huge commotion was, in fact, him.
He had actually known that the impact caused by his eyes' breakthrough would not be small.
After all, such chakra had scattered outward. Any shinobi with strong sensory ability would be able to detect it.
Reality proved that his thought had been completely correct.
Hashirama and Tobirama had clearly sensed his power erupting.
However, because Hikaru's eyes had fused and upgraded, and because too much Tenseigan chakra had mixed into them, the chakra of his eyes had undergone a complete transformation.
With this change, never mind Hashirama and Tobirama failing to recognize it—even Hikaru himself might mistake it.
After all, the difference between before and after was simply too great.
"Well…"
Hikaru tapped the desk somewhat awkwardly, then explained,
"If that is what you are worried about, there is no need.
"Because that chakra was caused by me.
"You two know that I absorbed a lot of Tenseigan chakra. The purpose was to improve my eyes.
"At that time, it happened to be the most critical moment of my eyes' advancement, so I left Konoha to handle it.
"I just didn't expect that my eyes' improvement would cause such a huge commotion.
"And I especially didn't expect this improvement to mutate my chakra so greatly.
"So it is normal that you sensed it incorrectly."
"So the previous commotion was actually caused by you?"
Hashirama and Tobirama both looked at Hikaru in slight astonishment.
This result truly left them somewhat unsure of what to say.
But if that was the case, then it meant Hikaru's strength had improved once again.
And if so, Konoha had no danger to worry about.
"Besides, don't worry. The place I'm going this time is not dangerous."
Seeing that they had clearly relaxed, Hikaru continued while the iron was hot.
"Although there may be a little trouble, compared with the previous moon journey, it will truly be extremely easy.
"This time, what I am most worried about is Konoha.
"Even though I will leave behind a shadow clone, it still cannot compare with my main body.
"And I do not think that after I leave, the two of you will fail to notice it. That is why I thought it would be better to inform you beforehand."
Hikaru's shadow clones were indeed very strong, but for certain powerful people, seeing through some clues was not difficult.
Since that was the case, Hikaru naturally chose a better option—telling them directly.
This would reduce the chance of exposure, and at the same time, it would let them know that he respected them.
Why not accomplish two things at once?
Besides, if Hikaru truly wanted to leave, these two could not stop him anyway.
"Since that is the case, then go."
Tobirama knew Hikaru had already made up his mind, so persuasion would probably be useless.
Moreover, he himself also hoped to obtain a body that could allow him to fully exert his strength, so after a little thought, he agreed decisively.
"But as before, you must pay attention to your safety. Do you understand?"
"I agree with Tobirama. You are the Hokage. Konoha cannot do without you."
Hashirama also nodded seriously. But soon, his expression became somewhat strange.
"Speaking of which, if you want people not to see through the issue with your clone, why not choose another kind of clone?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Wood Clone. Your current strength is no worse than mine. Back then, even Madara could not see through my Wood Clone. I think you should have no problem either.
"So why don't you use a Wood Clone?"
…
Departing from the port in the Land of Waves, Hikaru stood on the sea route heading toward the Land of Water, his entire body wrapped in a black cloak.
His gaze calmly watched the slightly turbulent surface of the sea, and his heart was equally peaceful.
After persuading Hashirama and Tobirama, Hikaru naturally set out.
In truth, persuading them had another more fundamental purpose.
It was to prevent Hashirama from noticing something and saying nonsense afterward.
Hikaru truly could not be certain whether that man would do something like that.
If it really happened, ayame would definitely find out.
Hikaru did not want that woman to worry unnecessarily.
Strictly speaking, his departure could also be considered giving her a vacation.
After all, she had been tormented by him to the point of asking for leave.
His combat strength was indeed formidable in every aspect.
As for the Wood Clone that Hashirama mentioned, Hikaru truly had never considered it from beginning to end.
He had to admit that the Wood Clone was indeed an extremely powerful clone technique.
Its concealment was so strong that even Madara with the Mangekyō could not see through it.
Moreover, Wood Clones possessed extremely strong combat power.
Just look at Madara during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
He had played with the Five Kage using Wood Clones and even combined them with Susanoo.
That alone showed how terrifying this technique was.
The problem was that, like other clones, Wood Clones had one weakness that was difficult to overcome.
They could not inherit memories.
Ordinary clones, including Water Clones, existed mostly to confuse the enemy and create opportunities for attack.
But Shadow Clones were different.
They possessed both combat ability and reconnaissance ability.
Although their combat ability was sometimes truly speechless—shattering the moment they were touched—that still could not hide their ability to transmit memories back to the main body.
Hikaru was now the Hokage.
And Konoha currently had many policies being promoted.
He had to know everything that happened in Konoha.
Participating in real time was completely different from reading documents, listening to reports, or hearing others relay events afterward.
That was why Hikaru would rather use fragile Shadow Clones than powerful Wood Clones.
"However, I added Yin-Yang Release into the Shadow Clone, increasing its strength. This way, it should have no problem dealing with ordinary battles."
Hikaru calmly looked at the sea.
The place he was heading to this time was still Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
He believed that if nothing unexpected happened, he could absolutely find Obito there.
However, this time, he had no intention of making things too big.
His targets were only Obito and Black Zetsu.
Of course, if possible, Hikaru did not mind obtaining something else valuable to him.
For example, the Six-Tails' chakra!
The first time he came, Hikaru obtained the Three-Tails' chakra and even seized White Zetsu bodies.
It could be said that he had made a huge profit that time.
However, that time, he had also caused a very large commotion.
He had even directly blown up the Mizukage Building.
After so many years, the Mizukage Building must have been rebuilt.
But Hikaru believed the hatred left behind from that year still remained.
If he dared to show himself recklessly again, he believed Kirigakure would absolutely mobilize the strength of the entire village to stop him.
Although he was not afraid of suffering any bad ending—after all, his strength could hold up, and if he wanted to leave, he could leave—who knew whether this would cause undesirable consequences?
Hikaru did not want to become the public enemy of the shinobi world.
"Although I'm almost there already, at least my current image is still positive."
Hikaru thought silently, then stopped thinking about it.
After drifting at sea for so many days, he was almost at his destination.
He had to make more preparations.
He had not used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was not that he could not teleport from Konoha to Kirigakure.
Although the distance was indeed extremely far, Hikaru could still do it if he fully circulated his chakra.
He simply felt it was unnecessary.
After all, he was not in a hurry right now.
Whether it was the Hokage's work or the improvement of his own strength, both had consumed a great deal of his time.
Since he had finally obtained a rare chance to relax a little, there was no need to fight for every second.
"Still, Kirigakure is still sealing its borders. Obito really did a decent job."
Hikaru tilted his head slightly.
Soon, he noticed a patrol unit of Kirigakure shinobi approaching them on the sea.
However, after glancing at the ship's registration number, they left directly.
Every village could be infiltrated.
But the infiltrators were not necessarily from enemy villages.
Shinobi needed money.
Because Kirigakure's borders were sealed, many shinobi had lost the possibility of accepting outside missions.
As a result, they developed side businesses of their own.
Clearly, the ship Hikaru had hired had bribed these Kirigakure patrol shinobi.
Although the price was slightly higher, it was safe.
After landing, Hikaru also considered where he should go first.
After thinking it over, a good target suddenly came to mind.
Especially after he discovered that his Flying Thunder God mark was still there, and that the target was inside her own home, he became even more certain that going there was the best choice.
The chakra inside him moved slightly.
The next moment, Hikaru appeared directly inside a house.
Looking at the woman before him, whose expression was slightly dazed, Hikaru spoke in a gentle voice.
"Long time no see, Madam…"
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