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Since Tsunade would become the Fifth Hokage in the future, the Jiraiya standing before them must possess power on par with a Hokage.
If he could obtain that kind of power, then personally killing Uchiha Itachi and avenging his clan would be effortless.
A twisted hunger for strength flashed across Sasuke's eyes.
Jiraiya caught that cold obsession lurking in the boy's gaze, and his heart tightened slightly. The Third Hokage had been right. Sasuke's talent was undeniable, but his mindset was dangerously extreme.
Training while carrying such overwhelming hatred would inevitably lead to disaster.
"Come with me."
Jiraiya gave Sasuke a long, searching look before turning away. For now, he decided to take them out of here first. He needed to find a way to resolve the poisonous knot in the boy's heart as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, on the Multiverse Projection Forum.
Uchiha Madara watched Senju Hashirama fooling around in the chat, acting like an idiot in front of countless powerhouses from different worlds. Disgust filled Madara's eyes.
He knew his old rival's personality well enough, but seeing him embarrass himself in front of the entire multiverse was still unbearable.
Yet Madara's blood was also beginning to boil.
Whether it was the confrontation between Saitama and Boros, or the jaw-dropping battles occasionally displayed by other powerful beings across the forum, all of it stimulated his battle-hungry nerves.
With adrenaline surging through his veins, Uchiha Madara immediately threw out the most domineering challenge imaginable:
"Boros, wait for me! Once I reshape my body and regain my power, I will come personally to challenge you! Remember my name. I am Uchiha Madara!"
The confidence in that declaration bordered on arrogance.
In Madara's mind, once he obtained Six Paths–level power, he would be invincible.
After all, he had never truly experienced the limits of that level. All he knew was that it represented the highest power in the ninja world.
The Sage of Six Paths founded the ninja creed. If Madara possessed the same level of power, then with his own talent, he might even surpass the Sage himself.
When that time came, even facing the so-called universe conqueror Boros wouldn't necessarily end in defeat.
The moment Madara's public declaration appeared, the forum exploded.
"HAHA! This Uchiha Madara actually dared to challenge Boros? That's insane!"
"Whoa, that aura of arrogance is amazing! I knew he was ruthless when I saw him in the ranking video!"
"But seriously, after witnessing Boros's planet-destroying power, he still dared to send a challenge. Just for that courage, I respect him!"
"Respect! No wonder he made the rankings. But wait… aren't they from completely different worlds? How are they supposed to fight?"
"Who knows? This Multiverse Projection Forum can gather powerful beings from different dimensions just to chat. Arranging a cross-dimensional duel shouldn't be impossible, right?"
Spectators everywhere rubbed their hands in excitement. They didn't dare fight these top-tier monsters themselves, but watching the drama unfold was entertainment of the highest order.
Madara ignored all the noise.
His attention was locked on a single person.
Boros.
He waited for the reply like burning wood waiting for someone to pour oil onto the fire.
After a brief silence, Boros's response landed like a hammer inside Madara's eyes.
"No interest. You're too weak."
Five simple words.
Madara almost exploded on the spot.
"…Too weak, huh."
His eyes narrowed slightly, an icy glint flashing across them. A mad smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Does he really think the power shown in that video is the limit of what I can achieve?"
He forcibly suppressed the fury boiling in his chest. Right now, he was merely a resurrected dead man who had yet to obtain the power of the Six Paths. Arguing with that cosmic pirate was pointless.
Boros might be powerful.
But Madara firmly believed that once he bathed in the light of the Six Paths and achieved the ultimate body, he would never be inferior to that arrogant fool.
When that day came, he would crush Boros beneath his feet.
He would make him understand what true terror meant.
The terror of Uchiha Madara.
Madara swore it silently in his heart.
After living so long, he had never encountered anyone who dared challenge his authority so directly.
While Madara briefly sank into his thoughts, the forum suddenly exploded again.
Another figure had made a dramatic entrance.
Madara snapped back to attention and saw the chat scrolling at a ridiculous speed. He quickly scrolled upward to find the source of the chaos.
"Hm? Frieza? Where did this guy come from?"
Apparently, during the brief moment Madara had been distracted, someone lurking quietly in the depths of the forum had finally emerged.
Frieza.
The self-proclaimed Emperor of the Universe had always been extremely sensitive about that title.
And now another being had appeared using the exact same label.
Boros.
Frieza's anger was inevitable, even if Boros came from a completely different dimension.
However, when Frieza appeared and started talking, the reaction he received was… overwhelming mockery.
"Who's this? Frieza? Anyone know him?"
"What's going on? Where did this guy get the nerve to question Emperor Boros's title as ruler of the universe?"
"Exactly! Has he even been on the rankings? Wait… didn't Cell mention someone named Frieza during that Super Saiyan battle? Other than that, no clue."
"Look at him. Skinny, ugly… honestly, he looks like his combat power wouldn't even rank among the weakest fighters."
"I'm dying! Some nobody trying to challenge Boros? Did you learn arrogance from Uchiha Madara? At least Madara has world-destroying strength to back it up!"
Instead of intimidating anyone, Frieza's appearance only attracted more ridicule.
Of course, a few clear-headed observers began thinking more carefully. Anyone bold enough to appear like this probably wasn't ordinary.
But most people stayed silent.
To them, Frieza was just another new face.
Dragon Ball World
BOOM!!!
Flames of fury burned in Frieza's eyes as he clenched his teeth.
With a casual wave of his hand, he blasted a small planet in front of him into cosmic dust.
He glared at the names on the glowing screen, the ones mocking him. To him, they were criminals who had dared desecrate his authority.
"Very good… just you wait, you insects."
"If I ever get the chance, I, Frieza, will grind your bones to dust!"
He let out a cold, vicious laugh and casually crushed a captured slave beside him into a cloud of blood.
Earth
Son Goku stared at the chaotic forum with a confused expression.
At this point in time, he had no idea that Frieza was the legendary emperor of the universe.
Nor did he know that in the near future, that monster would become his greatest enemy.
Right now, he was simply sitting there with a pile of snacks, happily watching the drama unfold.
A perfect spectator.
On the other side of the universe, Boros glanced at Frieza's furious provocations.
Extreme disdain flickered across his face.
He didn't take the clown seriously at all.
Frieza? Some unknown nobody popping out of nowhere, daring to spout nonsense.
Boros felt annoyed. These noisy people were starting to interfere with his training.
Just as he was about to close the forum, a sudden notification popped up.
Congratulations! You have entered the Shocking Moments Ranking. Your reward will be issued shortly. Please check and receive it.
Boros froze.
"What is this nonsense?"
The screen in front of him burst into blinding golden light. Then a syringe filled with strange energy materialized out of thin air.
Reward issued: Genetic Completion Serum.Effect: Fully unlocks potential and increases base power by 1–5 times.
Boros stared at it in stunned silence.
Then his face twisted into an ecstatic, almost insane grin.
"Th-This is… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Heaven itself is helping me!"
"Saitama! This time, the one who falls will definitely be you!"
At the same time, on Earth, Saitama stared at a transparent panel floating in front of him.
"Saitama, what's wrong?"
The chairman of the Hero Association asked immediately.
"Uh… the forum says I ranked on the list, so they're giving me a reward."
Saitama sounded completely indifferent.
Rewards didn't excite him much.
After all, it wasn't like they could grow his hair back.
As for power or tools… he didn't really need those either.
The next second, a beam of pure golden light shot straight into his body.
Reward issued: Genetic Potential Advancement +1
Saitama tilted his head blankly.
"Genetic… advancement? What kind of weird term is that?"
"Saitama-sensei… YOU…!!"
Genos's voice suddenly exploded with shock and disbelief.
"What?"
Saitama turned toward him, puzzled.
"Please… touch your head! You…!"
Genos looked like he had just seen a ghost.
Everyone nearby wore the same stunned expression.
"Huh?"
Saitama blinked and rubbed his smooth bald head.
Wait.
Why does it feel… prickly?
Huh???
Could it be…
He dashed to the nearest window and used the reflection to check his appearance.
And there it was.
On top of his previously smooth bald head…
A tiny patch of short, fuzzy hair.
Extremely short, but unmistakably real.
Hair stubble.
"I… grew hair?!"
Saitama could hardly believe his eyes.
He had long since given up all hope for his hair. This sudden miracle left him both shocked and thrilled.
And more than that…
He clenched his fist subconsciously.
A sense of power surged through him.
This wasn't imagination.
He felt that his strength had increased by more than double.
"…I got stronger again."
Saitama muttered absentmindedly.
He was already standing at the very peak, so powerful that no one could challenge him.
Yet now he was still growing stronger.
What was the meaning of endless power like this?
…Wait.
His eyes widened slightly.
He had become stronger because he received the reward.
Which meant…
Boros must have received one too.
Saitama quickly opened the forum.
Sure enough, he saw Boros's message.
Boros:"Saitama. I have accepted the forum's gift. My power has risen to a new level. Wait for me! This time, victory will be mine!"
Seeing the arrogant message, Saitama finally smiled.
So Boros had grown stronger too.
Would their next battle end differently from the one in the video?
Saitama didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
He was excited.
Meanwhile, after finishing the reward distribution, Mason collapsed onto his sofa like a puddle of mud.
The forum and reward system were privileges he possessed as the administrator of the Multiverse Projection Platform.
Using the views and clicks on his videos, he could extract 1% to 10% of the generated energy and turn it into rewards for the ranked participants.
In other words, it was a way to strengthen the "actors."
And the stronger those actors became, the more spectacular future videos he could produce, which meant even greater profits.
After resting for a moment, Mason began brainstorming the next Shocking Moment video.
There were countless famous scenes across the multiverse, but he had to choose carefully to maximize attention.
After all, his income depended on it.
He thought for a long time but couldn't decide.
Just as frustration set in, a newly joined name on the forum suddenly caught his eye.
Ultraman Zero has joined the forum!
Ultraman Zero?
Mason's eyes lit up instantly.
As if he had grabbed the tail of an inspiration, he sprang up from the sofa in a flash, opened the editing panel, and eagerly began producing a new video.
Soon after, powerful beings across countless worlds received a system notification simultaneously.
The creator you follow has uploaded a new video.Top Multiverse Battle Scenes: The Miracle Warrior — Hyper Zetton!
One Piece World – Aboard the Thousand Sunny
"OOOHHHH!! It's here! A new video!"
Luffy shouted excitedly the moment he saw the notification.
Behind him, Zoro instinctively tightened his grip on the swords at his waist.
"Ohohoho… a 'Miracle Warrior,' huh? That title sounds pretty impressive."
Brook held up a pair of underwear from somewhere and smiled with anticipation.
Miracles.
He truly believed they existed in this world.
Marine Headquarters
The navy's top officers were in the middle of a high-level meeting.
The moment they saw the notification, they immediately and silently agreed to pause the meeting.
"Could this new figure…"
"…be another hidden powerhouse we've never seen before?"
"....."