Chapter 316: Jianmu, the Creator!
One by one, powerful figures from the Ninja World stepped forward to engage the Azure Dragon, only to discover that the creature seemed to be omnipotent.
It wielded various Kekkei Genkai with effortless ease, proving more potent than anyone present.
Finally, all eight Tailed Beasts, save for the Three-Tails, appeared, only to be mercilessly beaten and toyed with by the Azure Dragon, completely subdued.
Namikaze Minato couldn't help but ask, "Asuma, is the Azure Dragon merely an amalgamation of the Seven Chakra Nature Transformations and various bloodline powers?"
"Of course not!"
Sarutobi Asuma chuckled lightly.
If it were that simple, he wouldn't have gone through all this trouble.
He could have simply used the Dragon Vein's power to create it and presented it as a pet to his children.
"Azure Dragon!"
Sarutobi Asuma called out to the Azure Dragon, which was still joyfully playing with everyone.
The Azure Dragon immediately flicked its tail, sending the Fourth Raikage, A, flying. It then shrunk its body and trotted over to Sarutobi Asuma's shoulder.
"Go on!"
Sarutobi Asuma patted its back.
The Azure Dragon immediately let out a roar and, under the watchful eyes of Tsunade and the others, burrowed into the ground and vanished.
Immediately after, the ground began to tremble, and a colossal tree shot up from the earth. It appeared identical to the previous Sage Tree, yet Tsunade and the others could clearly sense the difference.
It was different now.
The previous Sage Tree was also incredibly powerful, but it was merely a tree.
However, the current Sage Tree gave off a feeling of being alive.
In fact, at that moment, everyone felt as if they were being watched.
The Sage Tree grew, reaching a thousand meters before its growth finally stopped. Its roots, like giant pythons, emerged from the ground and shot towards the Fuinjutsu that sealed the Ten-Tails' infant form.
Speaking of which, this particular ninja tool belonged to Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
The tree roots lifted the lid of the Fuinjutsu and burrowed inside. The crowd outside then heard terrified, shrill roars.
Those were the roars of the Ten-Tails!
"Even as an infant, it's astonishing!"
Mei Terumi couldn't help but exclaim.
She had witnessed the terror of the Ten-Tails before.
The Azure Dragon had also displayed incredible power earlier, giving the impression that it was no weaker than the Ten-Tails.
But now, with the Azure Dragon transforming into the Sage Tree, it seemed even more terrifying.
The Ten-Tails' roars grew weaker and weaker.
Everyone's gaze was drawn to the Sage Tree.
What was previously a bare Sage Tree had now grown branches and leaves, stretching outwards and blocking out the sky. Everyone could feel immense power surging within it.
They also felt the sky darken, and even the temperature seemed to drop.
"It's absorbing the power of sunlight!"
Namikaze Minato observed.
Sarutobi Asuma nodded and smiled, "Indeed!"
"To be honest, solar energy is not inferior to Natural Energy," Gaara remarked. Shukaku mentioned that he also sensed magnetic forces!
"That's the magnetic field," Sarutobi Asuma explained. "Jianmu and the Azure Dragon can also absorb the power of the magnetic field."
"Of course, there's also lightning, water, and even various thermal radiations."
As he spoke, Sarutobi Asuma added, "The Azure Dragon and Jianmu are both its names."
"Just like the Ten-Tails and the God Tree!"
Jianmu?
Everyone was confused by the strange name.
Did it hold some special meaning?
Sarutobi Asuma elaborated, "Jianmu is a mythical divine tree said to connect heaven and earth."
Naruto looked up at the treetop, which was almost out of sight, and asked, "Can it really reach the heavens?"
Sarutobi Asuma smiled, "You'll know when the time comes."
Just then, Nawaki suddenly exclaimed, "It's blooming!"
Everyone immediately focused their gaze.
It had indeed flowered!
And it was different from the God Tree.
The God Tree flowered at its crown, revealing the Rinne Sharingan.
But the Jianmu, at this moment, was like an ordinary fruit tree.
Except, the Jianmu before them had only produced one flower, a single, brilliant golden blossom.
Soon, the power of the Ten-Tails' juvenile form was drained by the Jianmu.
Its roots retracted and burrowed back into the ground.
However, the Jianmu had not yet borne fruit.
Sarutobi Asuma stepped forward, placing a hand on the trunk of the Jianmu. Using himself as a conduit, the power accumulated from around the world and even from the Sage Trees beyond the heavens flowed continuously, then surged into the Jianmu.
On the Jianmu, the flower withered and bore fruit. A golden fruit, it grew larger and larger under everyone's watchful eyes.
Gulp!
Killer B couldn't help but swallow. Then he said, "Even though I don't smell anything, it's incredibly tempting. Damn it, idiot!"
However, Killer B wasn't the only one who felt the urge to pick and eat the fruit.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Sarutobi Asuma stopped injecting Sage Power, and the golden fruit on the Jianmu finally ripened.
It was only fist-sized, yet it shone like crystal, as if it were pure Chakra condensed into form.
"Yyyya..."
Sarutobi Ene, held by Shizune, already had her hand outstretched.
Although Sarutobi Mirai couldn't see the fruit, she stared intently at the sky, drooling.
Nawaki continuously wiped his mouth, restraining himself from asking his parents for the Jianmu fruit.
Sarutobi Asuma flashed forward, ascending several hundred meters into the sky. He reached out and plucked the Jianmu's first, and only, fruit.
"This is a Sage Fruit!"
Sarutobi Asuma said with a satisfied smile.
The Jianmu's branches and leaves swayed, as if responding to him.
Sarutobi Asuma returned to the ground and handed the Sage Fruit to Tsunade.
Looking at the three little ones, Tsunade hesitated.
Senju Tobirama spoke, "Tsunade, don't hesitate. Nawaki and the others still have plenty of time."
"Besides, even if Nawaki ate this Sage Fruit now, it wouldn't be a good thing for him."
Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune also spoke up in persuasion.
Jiraiya laughed, "Tsunade, if you can't bear to eat it, give it to me. I won't be polite!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Dream on, Jiraiya!"
After saying that, she took the Sage Fruit and, under everyone's gaze, ate it in a few bites.
Then, brilliant golden light erupted from within her, forcing everyone except Sarutobi Asuma to involuntarily close their eyes.
Sarutobi Asuma had activated his Electromagnetic Eye, and his Perception also enveloped Tsunade.
He saw, and also sensed, that Tsunade's life essence was undergoing a sky-high transformation under the power of the Sage Fruit.
Her genes were changing.
Her mitochondria were changing.
Her cellular activity was changing.
...
Soon, the golden light around Tsunade subsided.
And without anyone realizing it, she had begun to levitate in the air.
Uchiha Sasuke remarked, "Just like mastering the Six Paths' power, she can float in the air."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone saw black orbs appearing behind Tsunade, one after another.
A total of nine!
"Yin-Yang Release technique, Truth-Seeking Balls!"
Senju Tobirama smiled, "This is at least Quasi-Six Paths Level!"
At this moment, Tsunade opened her eyes, revealing a pair of Golden Rinnegan with six tomoe!
Everyone was startled.
Six-Tomoe Rinnegan!
This means that, in terms of ocular power, she is even stronger than Uchiha Sasuke, who has received the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
After all, Uchiha Sasuke only has one eye with the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan; his other eye is not yet a Rinnegan.
Furthermore, after the Fourth Great Ninja War, the secrets of the Rinnegan and Sharingan have become widely known.
Coupled with Sarutobi Asuma's current reforms to ninja ranks, everyone essentially has a benchmark in mind.
Opening the Mangekyo Sharingan basically grants Kage-level strength.
If one has the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and can use the Perfect Susanoo, they are certainly Super Kage level.
Uchiha Madara, for example, is a prime illustration of this.
Above Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan is the Rinnegan.
A regular Rinnegan can reach Quasi-Six Paths level.
Uchiha Madara, for instance.
And the current Uchiha Sasuke.
Although Uchiha Sasuke possesses the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, he only has one, and he is still far from Six Paths Level.
Six Paths Level, in essence, is measured by the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, even Uchiha Madara only achieved Six Paths level power after becoming a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, but even then, he had not truly reached the Sage of Six Paths' level.
Now, Tsunade possesses Truth-Seeking Balls, has fused the Seven Chakra Nature Transformations, and has a pair of Six-Tomoe Rinnegan. Evaluating her as Six Paths Level should not be an issue.
At the very least, in the minds of Onoki and others, Tsunade's current Rinnegan level seems to have surpassed that of the Sage of Six Paths.
They also know that Tsunade possesses the Sage Body through Sage Transformation and has mastered Wood Release, a Kekkei Tōta.
It's unknown how she compares to the Sage of Six Paths, but at the very least, calling her Six Paths Level is not a problem.
One Sage Fruit creates one Six Paths Level individual!
Many people couldn't help but swallow.
"This is too exaggerated!"
Kurotsuchi exclaimed in a low voice.
Kitsuchi beside her said, "It's not exaggerated at all. Remember, the Jianmu just devoured a Ten-Tails earlier, albeit a young one."
"Besides, Lord Asuma injected an unknown amount of power."
Kurotsuchi looked at the Jianmu and muttered softly, "I wonder if I'll have a chance to eat one... no, just a bite would be fine."
Kitsuchi couldn't help but give a wry smile. He then looked at Sarutobi Asuma, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, startling him. He secretly glanced at his daughter, and seeing that she wasn't looking at Sarutobi Asuma, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
On the other side, Orochimaru looked at Tsunade, very excited, "This is astonishing power!"
"I haven't had the chance to personally research the God Tree before. If I could research the Jianmu..."
Orochimaru couldn't help but stick out his tongue.
Kabuto immediately poured cold water on him, "Lord Orochimaru, it's best not to let the Azure Dragon know about this idea, otherwise, the consequences are unpredictable."
Orochimaru's smiling face froze.
Kabuto then added, "You could try borrowing a branch from the Sage Tree from Lord Asuma for research."
"It won't be a problem for you to awaken the Rinnegan. After mastering Yin-Yang Release, you can also learn from the Sage of Six Paths and Lord Asuma to create beings similar to Tailed Beasts."
"Perhaps by researching the Sage Tree, we can also create something similar in the future..."
Orochimaru's smile returned, "Kabuto, that's a very good suggestion!"
Asking Sarutobi Asuma for a branch shouldn't be difficult.
At worst, he'd have to agree to a few more conditions.
There's plenty of time anyway!
Sarutobi Asuma didn't have Tsunade demonstrate her Rinnegan's ocular techniques. Instead, he said to the Jianmu, "You can grow without restraint!"
The Jianmu swayed its branches and leaves, and a surge of joyful consciousness waves spread out.
Then, under the gaze of Senju Hashirama and the others, the Jianmu grew again.
This time, more branches and leaves emerged, overlapping each other heavily.
"It's... it's so tall!"
Naruto looked up. He couldn't see the end anymore, and even his perception couldn't reach it.
The Nine-Tails said, "It's growing towards outer space. Let's go up and take a look."
Naruto was stunned for a moment, then eager, and said to Sarutobi Asuma, "Uncle Asuma, can we go up and take a look?"
Sarutobi Asuma listened and laughed, "Of course, you can, but be careful."
Within the troposphere, there's nothing much, at most strong winds.
Or you might encounter lightning.
But once you reach the stratosphere, or even the upper atmosphere, it will become much more dangerous.
"Don't worry, Uncle Asuma!"
Naruto was incredibly confident, then said to Uchiha Sasuke, "Sasuke, let's go up and take a look together!"
As he spoke, he was already flying up.
Uchiha Sasuke immediately followed.
"Wait!"
Haruno Sakura shouted, then also rushed upwards.
Yamato looked left and right, then could only follow suit.
With Naruto and the others taking the lead, Neji and the other twelve rookies, along with Killer B, Kurotsuchi, and others, also followed, wanting to see just how tall the Jianmu was.
Sarutobi Asuma let them.
However, he suspected most of them would only reach the troposphere.
They might even encounter lightning hazards in the troposphere.
But with the Jianmu here, there would be no casualties.
Even if they fell, the Jianmu would catch them.
Without paying attention to these youngsters, Sarutobi Asuma had the Jianmu grow many vines to form seats for Senju Hashirama and the others to sit down, and then they shared their insights from this creation.
As they talked, he began to explain Chakra Nature Transformations to everyone again.
If Chakra Control could be improved little by little with perseverance, then Chakra Nature Transformations truly required brains.
Moreover, the further one progressed, the deeper the connection between Chakra Nature Transformations and Chakra Control became.
Often, a deep mastery of Chakra Nature Transformations would also promote the improvement of Chakra Control.
Similarly, with strong Chakra Control, mastering Chakra Nature Transformations would also become simpler.
After Sarutobi Asuma lectured for an hour, seeing everyone with furrowed brows, he immediately stopped.
The content for Level 9 was enough for them to study for a long time.
"Creating the Azure Dragon and Jianmu this time has given me many insights, and I have a clearer understanding of the ninja's path of training, seeing the path beyond Six Paths Level."
When Sarutobi Asuma finished speaking, everyone's spirits were lifted.
Onoki said, "Lord Asuma, is it related to the Azure Dragon and Jianmu?"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded, then smiled, "Beyond Six Paths Level is Super Six Paths Level, and above Super Six Paths Level, I call it Creator!"
Creator?
Mei Terumi asked, "Lord Asuma, by Creator, do you mean like the Sage of Six Paths creating the Nine Tailed Beasts, and you creating the Azure Dragon and Jianmu?"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded, "You could say that."
"Of course, this is a very direct understanding, and not entirely comprehensive."
"Creation is not just about creating life."
"It also involves the ability to change life, and even change matter."
"Creating Tailed Beasts is probably the simplest form."
"Because Tailed Beasts come from Tailed Beast Chakra, and Tailed Beast Chakra originates from the Ten-Tails."
"The Sage of Six Paths creating the Tailed Beasts was essentially giving nine portions of the Ten-Tails' Chakra form and consciousness."
"This is also why Kaguya, upon her revival, could not immediately subdue the Nine Tailed Beasts; the key was that they possessed their own consciousness."
Senju Tobirama listened and said, "So, the reason the Sage of Six Paths created the Nine Tailed Beasts back then was actually to prevent Kaguya's revival."
Sarutobi Asuma nodded.
At this moment, Gaara asked, "Lord Asuma, is it possible for us to reach the Creator realm you mentioned?"
Sarutobi Asuma chuckled, "Nothing is impossible; at least I have achieved it now."
"Since I have already paved such a path, I believe that those who are sufficiently talented should have no problem."
"I will pass on the Yin-Yang Release, Truth-Seeking Balls, Sage Body, and Kekkei Mōra to all of you, but ultimately, you will have to rely on your own efforts."
"I hope that one day, even if the Ōtsutsuki Clan comes, I won't have to act. I hope more people will be able to defeat them and tell these thieving bandits that the Ninja World is not theirs to trifle with!"
"Even more, I hope that one day, we can venture into the depths of space, all the way to the Ōtsutsuki Clan's homeland, and eliminate them completely!"
At this moment, even Onoki and Orochimaru, among others, felt their blood surge involuntarily.
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