"That's right, the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Seiryū nodded.
Then, his body flickered and vanished, only to flicker again and return to his original spot.
"I'm gone, and I'm back. I'm gone again, and I'm back again. To be honest, the Flying Thunder God Technique is quite handy!"
While performing the Flying Thunder God Technique, Seiryū flashed a bright, radiant smile.
Tsunade covered her forehead, her face covered in dark lines.
She did not even know what to say about this brat Seiryū anymore.
Acting up at a time like this.
What exactly was this kid trying to do?
Was he simply playing with the Madara in front of him?
"You bastard!"
Seeing the opponent playing with him like this, Madara's blood pressure rose in anger.
Although this body was not his current one.
He had merely transferred his Chakra, Dōjutsu, and consciousness into this body.
But the frustration in his heart was growing more and more intense.
He wished he could hack this brat with the foul personality into a thousand pieces!
"I'm just telling you that you simply can't do anything to me."
Seiryū withdrew the smile from his face, returning to normal, and said indifferently, "Now let's talk. What exactly is your objective?"
"You've mentioned the Dragon Vein inside me twice. Do you want to do something with my Dragon Vein?"
"Dragon Vein?"
Madara's eyes flickered.
He seemed to have some impression of this term.
However, he could not recall where he had heard it at first.
"What is that box? From my perception, it seems a bit unusual."
Seiryū did not explain, shifting his gaze to the Box of Ultimate Bliss beside Madara.
He continued, "You just poured the Chakra you absorbed into that box. You want to open it, don't you?"
"A box that requires a massive amount of Chakra to open. It's made me quite curious."
The moment he had left using the Flying Thunder God Technique earlier.
The system in Seiryū's mind had already chimed, notifying him that the mission was complete.
All the information for the Intermediate Hadō Compendium and Intermediate Bakudō Compendium had surfaced in his mind.
Afterward, he would just need to experiment a bit.
Then he would know which ones could be replicated in this world.
The reason he used words to provoke Madara was mostly to see if the system would trigger another mission.
It did not happen.
So Seiryū could not be bothered to keep provoking the other party.
However.
Seiryū was in no hurry to leave.
Madara might not be able to trigger more missions.
But Satori within the Box of Ultimate Bliss might still trigger a mission related to Hollows.
Madara frowned slightly.
What a keen reaction.
To actually deduce such a thing from just a few details.
This guy was not just exceptionally talented.
His mind was also extremely sharp!
He was taking Seiryū more and more seriously.
"Curious? I am also very curious. This is a Ninja Tool related to the Sage of Six Paths. Legend says that once opened, it can grant the opener's wish."
Perhaps because he could not keep Seiryū there, or perhaps with other thoughts in mind.
Madara decided to reveal some things about the Box of Ultimate Bliss at this time.
"Oh, grant wishes?"
Seiryū showed a look of curiosity at the right moment.
He continued, "I also wanted to gather seven types of Chakra-natured Rasengans to summon a Divine Dragon and grant a wish. Who would've thought there was a wish-granting box here?"
It was mentioned in the original movie version.
However, wish-granting did not exist. There was only a monster sealed inside.
Was Madara trying to use his Dragon Vein Chakra to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss and see if a wish could be granted?
Madara: "..."
He felt like he could not keep up with the other's topics.
Had he been out of touch with the era for too long?
Or was this kid just different from everyone else?
"Who exactly are you? Madara already died at the hands of my Great-grandfather. There's no way he could have lived until now!"
Tsunade was still wary of the Madara before her.
She did not relax her guard.
Madara.
What that name represented.
She naturally understood it all too well.
She had to uncover the other's true identity!
"Heh heh."
Hearing this, Madara just gave a light chuckle.
He seemed very satisfied with Tsunade's solemnity.
That's more like it.
This was the expression someone who knew the name of Madara should have!
That brat was not normal at all!
"The things you know are still too few. This world is much larger than you imagine. Even techniques to summon the dead exist. Nothing is impossible!"
Madara spoke calmly.
"Hmph, just putting on an act!"
Hearing Madara mention summoning the dead, the first thing Tsunade thought of was a Forbidden Jutsu developed by her Second Grandfather, the Summoning: Impure World Resurrection.
However, the Madara before her contained life force within his body.
He was not someone brought back by Edo Tensei.
"Regardless of whether he's Madara or not, it's a fact that he possesses a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan. Well, even if they're stolen."
Seiryū spoke again. "Since Setsuna's eyes were gouged out, it means the other party has informants within Konoha."
"They can even enter the Uchiha Clan's territory and do such a thing without anyone knowing."
"This is no small matter. Konoha is like their backyard, coming and going as they please."
Setsuna's eyes being in Madara's hands.
This revealed many things.
The other party had informants in Konoha.
It was highly likely to be White Zetsu.
Damn, that old lady Obito helped.
Was she really White Zetsu in disguise?
Hearing Seiryū say this, Tsunade's pupils shrank slightly as she realized this after the fact.
No.
She thought even further.
Madara was, after all, the former leader of the Uchiha Clan. Could he be in contact with the current Uchiha Clan?
If that was the case.
Then the trouble would be massive!
"You truly are clever, deducing these things from just a few details. I'm becoming more and more interested in you."
Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan fixed on Seiryū as he said slowly, "Staying in a place like Konoha is a waste for you. Become my subordinate, and I can give you whatever you desire!"
This kid was indeed a talent.
Exceptional talent and a good head on his shoulders.
If he could be recruited, he would be even more useful than Nagato!
"Huh?"
Seiryū was stunned by these words.
He pointed at himself with a strange expression. "Recruit me as a subordinate? You've got some nerve. It'd be more like you becoming my subordinate. I could even let you be Hokage in the future."
"As for giving me what I desire?"
"I want to become the Soul King who controls the Three Realms, become Sage Seiryū, and stand side by side with the sun. Can you give me those?"
He actually had the gall to say such things!
Did he really think Seiryū was as easy to fool as Obito?
"As long as it's something you want, I can give it to you in the future!"
Madara did not care about Seiryū's mocking words and spoke calmly.
As long as the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan succeeded.
Within the dream.
Never mind being the Soul King of the Three Realms, the Sage of Six Paths, or standing side by side with the sun, you could even destroy the world if you wanted to!
After a pause, Madara glanced at Tsunade and said calmly to Seiryū, "I absorbed a small portion of your Chakra just now. Through the emotional feedback from the Chakra."
"You probably like Hashirama's granddaughter, right?"
"You're just afraid to show it because of your Sensei-student status!"
"Become my subordinate. In the future, I can change everyone's perception, erasing your Sensei-student relationship so you can become partners with her without any reservations!"
He had just used Dōjutsu: Kaiten-shin to absorb some of the opponent's Chakra.
Chakra was originally a combination of physical and spiritual energy.
It contained a person's will and thoughts.
One could even share their thoughts and memories through the connection between Chakras.
Through the subtle feedback from the Chakra he just absorbed, or rather, the emotions and thoughts in the Chakra captured by Dōjutsu: Kaiten-shin.
He vaguely sensed that this kid held romantic feelings for Hashirama's granddaughter.
Well.
The small amount of Chakra absorbed could only provide that much information.
If he could completely absorb the opponent's Chakra and soul, Dōjutsu: Kaiten-shin could even peek into a person's entire memory!
If romantic feelings were used correctly.
They could become a method to control a person!
"???"
Question marks floated over Seiryū's head.
His expression froze at this moment.
Chakra absorbed by Madara could actually provide this kind of emotional feedback?
What the hell!
This felt like a public execution. No, it was that terrible feeling of having a secret crush on a girl suddenly exposed by someone else!
Even with Seiryū's sharp mind, he did not know how to react for a moment.
"???"
Madara's words and Seiryū's frozen expression left Tsunade stunned in place.
This kid Seiryū, likes her?
Afraid to show it because of his status?
Even wanted to become partners with her?
Wait!
The reason Seiryū was so resistant to becoming her student, could it be because.
Tsunade's heart could not help but skip a beat.
No, it could not be, right?
Could this kid really have resisted becoming her student because he liked her?
This kind of thing.
Thinking about this.
She could not help but feel a strange emotion arise.
The thoughts she had suppressed earlier that made her heart race were now resurfacing.
But inexplicably.
She did not know how she should interact with Seiryū in the future.
Because of their statuses, because of their ages.
"Phew."
After his expression froze for a moment, Seiryū slowly exhaled.
He looked at Madara, a cold light flashing in his eyes, along with annoyance. "Want to see the power of the Dragon Vein? Then have it your way."
Seiryū was indeed a bit angry.
A confession was a trumpet call for victory, not a charge to become a clown.
Things had not even started yet.
And now it had been blurted out by someone else.
Tsunade, after all, saw him as a student and family.
If she knew his thoughts now.
Just the ethics alone would make her hesitate!
To put it simply.
It was still too early!
What if things were ruined?
What if Tsunade could not face him anymore?
At the thought of this, the anger in Seiryū's heart surged!
Finally, it turned into a cold, teeth-gritted snort. "If I don't give you a brutal lesson, my name isn't Seiryū!"
'Boom!'
At this moment.
Seiryū released the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
The Dragon Vein Chakra sealed within the Strength of a Hundred Seal surged out like a tide.
It transformed into a purple, flame-like flickering Chakra cloak on the surface of his body.
At the same time.
On top of the purple Chakra cloak, there was another distinct color.
The green Chakra aura of the Eight Gates' fifth gate, the Gate of Limit!
He was striking with almost his full power!
'Boom!'
As Seiryū's foot pushed off, the ground suddenly cracked.
Shunpo boosted his speed to the absolute limit at this moment, turning him into a streak of light as he charged toward Madara.
"Heh, your concerns can be resolved here. As long as you become my subordinate, you can consider it!"
Watching the attacking Seiryū, Madara's eyes lit up, and he gave a confident smile.
He noted that this kid's strength was indeed extraordinary.
But he had no intention of dodging.
Even if he was a genius, even if he could channel Chakra similar to a Tailed Beast!
It did not change the fact that the opponent was only about ten years old.
How strong could a ten-year-old brat really be?
'Hum!'
Madara crossed his arms, his demeanor calm.
The half-body skeletal Susanoo, which had not dispersed, became even more solid under the drive of the Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular power.
It possessed powerful defensive capabilities.
Enough to withstand the vast majority of attacks!
"Resolve my ass!!"
Seiryū's punch, fueled by rage, had already struck.
Dragon Vein Chakra Mode, the Eight Gates' fifth gate, and the burst of the Monstrous Strength Technique.
This single punch could shatter a giant boulder!
'Boom! Crack!'
The punch landed, slamming heavily onto the Susanoo.
Only a thunderous roar that shook the surroundings was heard, followed by a light sound like glass shattering.
Under this punch.
The Susanoo shell with its formidable defense simply could not hold.
It was instantly crushed and shattered!
And although the power of the punch was weakened, its momentum remained unabated as it smashed toward the slightly pale Madara inside the Susanoo!
"This guy."
Madara had not expected this kid to unleash such a powerful attack.
To actually be able to break through the Susanoo's defense.
He had truly underestimated Seiryū.
Seiryū's age was also too misleading.
'Boom!'
Madara took Seiryū's punch squarely in the chest.
The burst of Monstrous Strength and the surging punch force sent the body he was controlling flying.
It shot through the Susanoo and hurtled backward.
Moving as fast as a cannonball, it pierced through several buildings behind him.
Finally, it crashed into a building and was buried by rubble.
Fortunately, the body Madara controlled was not his own, so he would not feel pain.
However, being sent flying so easily also made Madara's anger flare up.
"Very good!"
Cold words drifted out from the ruins, followed by a 'boom' as the rubble was blown away by a force.
Madara rose from the ruins.
The chest area of this body was caved in, but it was recovering at a visible rate.
This body belonged to White Zetsu Tobi.
White Zetsu could not really be considered human.
Rather, it was a special creation!
Injuries that would be fatal to an ordinary person were nothing much to a White Zetsu.
After standing up.
Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly as he stared forward and coldly spat out a sentence. "It seems I underestimated you, kid!"
The Mangekyō Sharingan's Dōjutsu, Susanoo, was driven by Madara at this moment.
"Roar!"
Surging Chakra billowed from his body, and a sound like a wild beast's roar vented violently as a cyan half-body Susanoo projected from Madara's body.
This time it was no longer in skeletal form.
Instead, it was a Susanoo holding a katana condensed from Chakra, clad in robes, and emitting a sinister and eerie aura.
Susanoo Second Stage!
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)