"What the hell is going on?"
After returning home, Natsuhiko dropped onto his bed. His mind was in complete chaos.
He genuinely couldn't understand why that ordinary tree could produce a sealing-technique fruit.
It wasn't like he hadn't considered the possibility that it was because Minato had left the Flying Thunder God formula on the tree.
That was the only explanation that seemed to make sense.
But what frustrated him was that the seeds he had obtained in the past hadn't come about in this way.
"The speed-type seed was obtained in a bamboo forest. The strength-type seed came from a cypress tree. The reaction-type seed… I think I accidentally got that one from a flower."
Holding the yellow seed in his hand, Natsuhiko silently recalled the seeds he had acquired before.
"The Earth Release chakra seed, the Water Release chakra seed, even the Sage Technique chakra seed—they were all extracted from various trees or plants.
Aside from the Wind Release chakra seed, which I still don't fully understand, it was also taken from an ordinary tree.
So why is this time different? Could it be that the seeds I obtained before were actually born because those plants absorbed similar types of power?"
The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.
Finally, Natsuhiko let out a long sigh and decided not to overthink it anymore.
But he made up his mind—he had to test it.
"For example, I could have Kakashi use Lightning Release to strike a tree, and then I'll try extracting something from it."
Having made his decision, he stopped dwelling on it.
If his guess was correct, he could save a great deal of time in the future.
And if he was wrong?
It wouldn't matter much. He had lived like this for years already. There was no need to obsess.
Even if he couldn't unravel today's strange phenomenon, life still had to go on.
He would just treat today as a beautiful coincidence.
"Still… what should I do with this seed?"
He had barely resolved one headache before another presented itself.
Yes—the sealing-technique seed.
He had never expected to obtain such a seed.
That was why he had been diligently studying sealing techniques on his own.
Now that the seed had appeared, he felt both excited and helpless.
Excited—because with this seed, his sealing aptitude would greatly improve, and his abilities would grow stronger.
He could save time on foundational research and instead focus more on practical application in combat.
But helpless—because planting a seed required time.
Even if it was only a beginner-level seed, he estimated it would still take over a month.
In a month's time, he might very well master sealing techniques on his own anyway.
And there was another problem.
He had already planted enough seeds.
The painful lesson from his childhood still lingered vividly in his mind.
He had already planted four seeds.
That was more than enough allocated for him.
Who knew what would happen if he planted another one?
Even if it was just a beginner-level seed.
"My chakra reserves are already stretched thin. If I plant another one, who knows if I'll have enough chakra left?"
Natsuhiko felt deeply conflicted.
He hadn't even dared to plant the Wind Release chakra seed before.
And now, he was hesitant again.
But when he thought about the Flying Thunder God Technique—
His heart burned with temptation.
After struggling for quite some time, Natsuhiko finally clenched his teeth.
"Screw it. I'm planting it!"
He thought to himself fiercely.
"One month. As long as I don't run into any dangerous missions during that time, my current strength will absolutely be enough to handle things.
I don't believe I'll run into someone like Kakuzu again. For ordinary enemies, Kakashi is more than enough. And if it's troublesome, I'll just activate Sage Mode!"
The temptation of sealing techniques was something no other chakra-attribute seed could compare to—at least not for him right now.
Having made up his mind, Natsuhiko tightened his grip on the seed to prevent any wavering.
At the same time, a faint green chakra appeared in his palm.
This was the sign that his bloodline ability—the Senju Secret Technique—had activated.
As the green chakra pulsed gently, Natsuhiko clearly felt the seed in his hand enter directly into his body.
Slowly, the yellow seed seemed to flow along his bloodstream toward the area near his heart, where it quickly took root.
Almost instantly, he felt his chakra being rapidly drawn into the seed.
The seed itself began to change gradually.
Name: Senju Natsuhiko
Gender: Male
Birthday: March 24, Year 34 of the Konoha Calendar
Rank: Chūnin (Jōnin-level evaluation)
Bloodline Development: Beginner (Senju Secret Technique)
Seeds:
Jōnin-level Chakra Reserve Seed (60% Maturity)
Intermediate Sage Technique Seed (82% Maturity)
Advanced Earth Release Seed (71% Maturity)
Advanced Water Release Seed (71% Maturity)
Beginner Sealing-Type Seed (1% Maturity)
Fruits: None
Mission: Become the true final Boss of the Shinobi World (Unique)
...
"Yep. There goes another chunk of chakra."
Feeling the chakra being siphoned away to nourish the seed, Natsuhiko's heart ached.
His chakra reserves weren't large to begin with, and now it felt like adding frost to snow.
Still, he didn't regret it.
Once he made a decision, he never looked back.
From a cost-benefit perspective, no matter how he evaluated it, the Flying Thunder God Technique was the stronger choice at this stage.
Natsuhiko was smart.
He knew how to choose.
"That's settled. For the next month, I'll need to be extra careful."
He paused, then continued thinking:
"And I've been with the Fourth Hokage for three straight days… I wonder what kind of reaction the Third Hokage has had."
Hiruzen Sarutobi kept a very close watch over Minato—"strict" would hardly be an exaggeration.
After all, as Hokage, Minato didn't even have the opportunity to meet others privately in his office to discuss matters.
If that wasn't strict supervision, what was?
What Natsuhiko remembered most vividly was something Orochimaru had bluntly pointed out during the Kakashi arc in the anime:
Why had Hiruzen chosen Minato as Hokage?
Because he needed an obedient puppet. Nothing more.
"And now this still relatively obedient 'puppet' has suddenly gotten involved with a descendant of the Senju clan… I wonder what the so-called strongest Hokage in history will think—or do?"
Tilting his head slightly, Natsuhiko was genuinely curious about what plans the Third Hokage might have.
And now—
He was waiting.
Waiting for the Third Hokage to make a move.
Minato had guessed one thing correctly—but also incorrectly.
Natsuhiko was indeed investing on both sides.
Putting all your eggs in one basket was the most dangerous move.
But this time, Natsuhiko's actions represented only himself.
Not the Senju clan.