After splitting off a part of his soul, it was natural for Seiki Shimaseki's main body to lose some of his strength.
However, considering the current overall situation in the shinobi world, even if he retained only seventy to eighty percent of his full power, there wasn't a single person who could stand against him.
Nagato couldn't do it. Obito couldn't. Not even Black Zetsu could.
Of course, just to be cautious, Seiki had left Flying Thunder God Technique Forms on each of his bodies.
If anyone actually tried to take advantage of his weakened state, he would immediately summon his clone to merge.
What do you think about a shapeshifting Super Konoha Man? Scary, right?
After leaving the Flying Thunder God Technique Forms, as he looked at the newly created Aizen, Seiki fell into contemplation again.
"My main body's strongest aspects are Yin Release and Yang Release, so those will be the directions I focus on studying in the future. However, what I display outwardly as my strength is Wood Release."
"As for the clone, its strongest aspect is the Five Elemental Techniques. In the future, I can also use this body's advantage to research the Five Elemental Techniques, since I can use them but don't truly understand them yet. As for what I display outwardly, I'll use the Five-Sense-Controlling Technique of Yin Release!"
As he thought about this, an amusing scene suddenly popped into Seiki's mind.
The enemy had finally managed to break through his genjutsu after great effort and was standing proudly in front of his clone, only to be told, "Actually, my strongest ability is the Five Elemental Techniques!"
No doubt, that would be one hilarious moment.
...
Iwagakure.
"In an instant, he subdued both you and the jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails?" In the Tsuchikage's office, Onoki's face turned serious as he looked at Han and asked.
Han nodded vigorously. "Incredibly powerful!"
"No wonder it's Wood Release!" Onoki exhaled heavily. For someone who had lived through the Warring States era, this outcome wasn't actually unexpected, but it still gave him a strange sense of temporal dislocation.
An opponent like this was just like Madara Uchiha back then—one who made people feel utterly helpless.
Seeing Onoki's eyes darken in deep thought, Han scratched his head and said, "Actually, I think we don't need to worry too much about his rapid power growth."
Onoki looked at him in surprise. "What did you say?"
Han stated matter-of-factly, "No matter how much we might worry or struggle, we simply have no way of opposing Seiki Shimaseki. If anything, we don't even possess the ability to resist him!"
Onoki's mouth twitched slightly in a hidden grimace. "So what are you suggesting?"
With a dreamy gleam in his eyes, Han said, "If Seiki Shimaseki truly had ambitions of global domination, his abilities would make it a cakewalk. Yet not only has he not done that, he hasn't gone after any of us former enemies either. Clearly, he's a person who genuinely practices the philosophy of peace… If it's him, maybe he really can achieve lasting peace!"
Onoki looked utterly bewildered. How did Han come back so different after just one outing? Just because the other guy hadn't done anything to you?
"Peace built on the power of a single person is just an illusion, just like what I experienced in my era!" Onoki recalled with nostalgia. "Once Hashirama Senju died, that so-called peace and order collapsed instantly!"
"This time, it's different."
Han shook his head. "Compared to the First Hokage, Seiki Shimaseki's greatest advantage is his youth. When the First Hokage brought peace to the warring world, he was already in his thirties or forties. But Seiki is only fifteen now!"
"Also, the First Hokage died too early. At that time, peace was still just a simple concept in people's minds. But what about Seiki? If he can maintain peace in this world for fifty, eighty, or even a hundred years, then peace will become an ironclad principle of this world!"
"Right… Time!" Onoki suddenly realized, his eyes complicated. "Is something like peace really possible?"
...
In the Grass Country,
Inside a remote village, a dozen rogue ninja were searching back and forth for hiding spots where someone might be concealed.
"Found that woman yet?"
"Not seen her."
"She's pretty good at hiding! But carrying a baby like that, she can't have gone far. She must be nearby!"
"Keep searching!"
Hiding beneath the floorboards while holding a small infant, a red-haired woman's gaze turned unyieldingly resolute. "Absolutely, I will never let Xianglin suffer the same fate as me!"
At that moment, however, her palm covering the infant's mouth began trembling—it was obvious the baby was crying.
"Xianglin, be a good girl, just endure a little longer!"
Suddenly, several loud firecracker-like explosions sounded from outside.
"Fireworks?" the woman wondered doubtfully, then her face abruptly changed expression, because the baby in her arms seemed startled and began crying loudly, and she could barely keep it quiet anymore.
Finally, the baby's cries rang out through the village.
The woman tried soothing and gently rocking the baby until it fell asleep again.
As she held her breath and listened carefully to the outside sounds, she found there was no sound at all.
Just as she was anxiously hesitating, the floorboard was suddenly flipped over, the violent disturbance making the baby cry out once more.
This time though, the woman had no time to comfort Xianglin anymore.
Standing in the room were five ninja whose menacing appearances sent chills down the spine, and about seven or eight others crowded outside due to the limited space.
"Karen Kagura, you've made us work really hard!" the leading ninja laughed loudly.
"You… you monsters, get away from me!" Karen Kagura shouted, picking up a nearby kunai and pointing it shakily at them.
"You plan to kill us with that toy? That's really scary!" the leader laughed, throwing a shuriken to knock the kunai out of Karen Kagura's hand.
Seeing this, the other ninja burst into laughter.
Karen Kagura lightly bit her lower lip before speaking, "Let me give Xianglin to someone else to raise, and then I'll go with you!"
"No need to bother," the leader replied with a smile. "We can raise her ourselves."
"Let you raise Xianglin into a [Human-Shaped Blood Increasing Pill]?" Karen Kagura mocked.
"Don't put it that way. You and your daughter are worth more than Blood Increasing Pills!" After the leader said this, everyone laughed again.
"You bastards!" Karen Kagura clenched her fists tightly, her eyes full of hatred and contempt scanning through the crowd, then she looked in disbelief at a man wearing glasses standing outside the door, shouting, "Yoshiyuki, why are you here?"
The leader signaled someone behind him. "Yoshiyuki, come meet her."
As the bespectacled man walked in, Karen Kagura could hardly believe it. "Why are you with them?"
"Because I've always been the Boss's man, duh!" Yoshiyuki pushed up his glasses with a helpless shrug. "If it weren't for the Boss worrying how sweet your blood might taste in despair, you really think I'd stick around? Come on, red hair—get a clue."
Karen Kagura flushed with anger. "B-but regardless of that, Xianglin is still your daughter!"
"Exactly!" Yoshiyuki smirked. "That's why the second I realized she inherited your genes, I brought the Boss right over to train her. What do you say? Pretty solid dad move, huh?"
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