Even Natsuro himself was a bit stunned. As a kid, he had only hoped to reach Kage-level one day, which would be just enough to survive the Fourth Great Ninja War.
He figured being a low-key Konoha jōnin with hidden strength would've been enough to keep him alive.After all, what's the point of being Hokage if you're not strong enough to back it up?
But now, without even realizing it, he was nearing Six Paths level. In the actual war, he could already play a crucial role.
More importantly, his path to growth was not yet over. Once he finished refining the techniques and powers he currently knew of, he'd undergo another major transformation.
And just how powerful would he become after that transformation? Even Natsuro himself couldn't help but feel excited.
Stretching his arms lazily, he told himself, it's time to keep pushing forward. There are still plenty of monsters ahead to surpass: Six Paths Sage Mode Naruto, Six Paths Madara, and the Sage of Six Paths himself, and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki…
What once seemed like an impossible dream now didn't feel so out of reach.
Besides, Naruto had already nearly caught up, there was no reason for him to slack off.
True, he didn't have the same OP cheats as Naruto, no Nine Tails or no Sage of Six Paths power…
But for Natsuro, he himself was his own greatest cheat.That had always been the case, and always would be.
With a smile on his face, he dove back into training.
....
The Next Day – Konoha, Hokage Office
Sasuke stood in front of Natsuro, reporting the previous night's incident.
Last night, Karin had sensed an immense, powerful chakra suddenly appear.
After a pause, Sasuke glanced at Natsuro, then continued: "According to Karin, that chakra was even stronger than yours."
At first, Sasuke thought Natsuro had broken through to another level. But Karin insisted that the chakra didn't belong to Natsuro. It felt similar to Naruto's, but… different.
Even Karin wasn't entirely sure, she suspected she might've misread it. The chakra vanished quickly afterward.
Still, Sasuke came to the Hokage office today to report it. As ANBU captain and out of personal curiosity, he needed answers.
Sasuke also assumed that whoever released that chakra couldn't have escaped Natsuro's notice, so if Natsuro hadn't reacted, it meant he knew something.
Which meant…
Sasuke already had a theory, a nearly unbelievable one.
Natsuro looked at him with an odd expression. If Sasuke learned that was Naruto's chakra… he'd definitely be shocked, and even more eager to grow stronger.
Unfortunately, unlike Naruto's cheat-like Nine Tails power, Sasuke didn't have many comparable boosts. At least not before gaining part of the Six Paths power.
Still, he chose not to hide it.
He told Sasuke everything: that Naruto had reconciled with the Nine Tails and awakened Sage Fox Mode, and that in many aspects, Naruto now surpassed even Natsuro.
"Sage Mode plus Nine Tails Mode…?"Even though he had guessed it, Sasuke was still shaken.
He hadn't imagined Naruto would become this powerful.
Natsuro said Naruto didn't just have more chakra than him, in many ways, he had outclassed him.
Sasuke found that hard to accept. He couldn't even gauge Natsuro's strength anymore, but Naruto had already surpassed him?
What happened to growing stronger together?
At this rate, Sasuke might not even qualify to compete for the Hokage seat…
Granted, being Hokage wasn't just about power. But still, Sasuke believed the Hokage had to be among the village's absolute strongest. If he was too far behind, it would feel disgraceful.
Unless Naruto had already served as Hokage and Sasuke was just a successor, but he didn't want to wait that long.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke finally made the decision he had long hesitated over. He looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Natsuro, give me Hashirama's cells, and Itachi's eyes."
"You're sure?" Natsuro asked, though he already expected this.
"I can't afford to fall behind Naruto," Sasuke said firmly."Power is just power, there's no right or wrong in its nature."
He had already come to terms with it long ago, he just couldn't get past his own mental barrier.
"Alright, but one thing you should know," Natsuro warned. "Even with Hashirama's cells and Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan… you still won't beat Naruto. You'll just get closer."
He wasn't trying to discourage Sasuke, just giving him a reality check.
Because if Sasuke went through with this and still couldn't beat Naruto, he might have a breakdown.And there'd be no undoing it, he couldn't take the cells and eyes back.
"What if I also mastered Perfect Sage Mode?" Sasuke asked, his eyes burning.
Natsuro went silent.
After all, canon Sasuke never had perfect Sage Mode. He only borrowed Jūgo's Sage transformation. Mastering a true, balanced Sage Mode on top of the Eternal Mangekyō would be something else entirely.
And with Hashirama cells, it might just be possible.
So, he didn't know how strong that version of Sasuke would become.
"Perfect Sage Mode isn't easy to achieve," he said instead.
"I'll succeed," Sasuke said with confidence. And if even that couldn't catch up to Naruto, then so be it.
"…Alright, I approve," Natsuro nodded.
"Huh? Is someone else's approval needed too?" Sasuke asked in confusion.
"Of course. You'll need Tsunade's permission," Natsuro replied. "She's Hashirama's only living grandchild. If you want to use his cells, you should ask her."
"Plus, she's available right now. You can even ask her to perform the transplant for both the cells and the eyes."
Sasuke went silent.
He had a decent impression of Tsunade, but… she was a Senju. Would she really allow a Uchiha to implant her grandfather's cells?
Still, Natsuro had a point. If he was going to use Hashirama's DNA, it was only right to get her consent.
"…I understand. I'll go talk to Lady Tsunade now."And with that, Sasuke left.
Natsuro smiled as he watched him go.
He didn't think Tsunade would object, what did the feud between Senju and Uchiha have to do with her, personally?
Besides, he had a funny realization...
Naruto had rushed to fight the Nine Tails and awaken his power because he saw Sasuke's Susanoo.
Now, Sasuke was choosing to accept Hashirama's cells and Itachi's eyes because of Naruto's power.
These two really were something else, chasing after each other even in this world. No wonder one was the protagonist and the other basically the male lead of a romance subplot.
Natsuro shook his head with a chuckle. He turned his attention back to the room, Shikaku was also present, but said nothing.
Still, Shikaku's mind was far from calm.
He didn't know just how strong Naruto had become, but Natsuro's displayed power alone was already beyond human comprehension.
And he was sure Natsuro hadn't even shown everything.
Now, Naruto had surpassed Natsuro in some areas?
And Sasuke… was closing the gap as well?
Even if Sasuke didn't catch up entirely, he'd still be very close.
Shikaku couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Three such monstrous figures, since the deaths of Hashirama and Madara, the shinobi world hadn't seen power like this.
And now three of them were popping up at once?
What kind of era was this?!
Just like the Slug Sage had before, Shikaku could only marvel at the absurdity.
But then he recalled something Natsuro had casually hinted at once…And now, Shikaku believed it might actually be possible.
After all, all three were from Konoha.
He just hoped no other village had a monster like them hiding in the shadows…
Although, with the way these three made power seem "attainable," Shikaku suspected that might be a very misleading impression.
Still, if it were all real…
Then he would be one of the few to witness history firsthand...
At this moment, Sasuke had already sought out Tsunade.
"Well, this is rare." Tsunade was a bit surprised to see Sasuke visiting her.
Shizune had already prepared tea for them both.
"Go ahead, what brings you here?" Tsunade asked bluntly, sitting in her usual relaxed and confident manner across the table, sipping her tea.
She didn't believe Sasuke would come just to chat. Although they'd had a decent relationship when she was still Hokage, it wasn't to the point of casual visits.
"Lady Tsunade, it's like this…" Sasuke didn't hide anything. He told her about his conversation with Natsuro and then looked at her expectantly.
"So you're saying you want to transplant my grandfather's cells, and have me transplant Itachi's eyes for you?" Tsunade asked directly.
"Yes," Sasuke nodded.
The room fell into silence. Tsunade sipped her tea, clearly deep in thought.
Just as Sasuke started to think she was going to refuse, Tsunade finally spoke:
"If that brat Natsuro already agreed, it means he acknowledges your path. I've got no reason to say no."
Sasuke blinked in surprise. He had been bracing for rejection. To think she'd actually agree…
"Surprised?" Tsunade smirked.
Sasuke nodded. "Honestly, yes. The Senju and Uchiha clans haven't exactly had the best relationship."
"Hmph. That's all ancient history, those grudges don't bind us anymore. Besides, the Senju and Uchiha clans are practically gone now. What's the point in clinging to all that?" Tsunade waved it off casually.
Sasuke looked at her and nodded slowly. He thought that if Tsunade had agreed to become the Third Hokage's successor back then, maybe things would've turned out differently… but, alas.
"But it's a shame," Tsunade said, "If more of the Uchiha had been like you, polite and respectful, even that old bastard Danzo wouldn't have found a good excuse to act."
Tsunade had observed Sasuke's growth during her time as Hokage and couldn't help but feel it was regrettable. She didn't think her uncle Tobirama's theory was entirely wrong, the Uchiha were more prone to emotional extremes, more easily consumed by hatred.
But Sasuke? He too had borne deep hatred, an immense one at that, and yet he'd grown into who he was now. That proved the Sharingan's influence wasn't absolute.
Unfortunately, Sasuke was only one person, and that was not enough to overturn the clan's legacy.
Sasuke remained silent at her words, reflecting on his clan. He gave a bitter smile.
Could they really have changed?
He didn't think so. If it had been that easy, things would never have spiraled the way they did...
And yet, Sasuke made a decision in that moment. If there was ever a chance to time travel, to bring back a few Uchiha infants from the past, then he would raise them himself and give them a better upbringing.
At the very least, the old Uchiha clan's rigid traditions clearly weren't working. They had to start from the ground up, especially in shaping character.
"When do you want to do the transplants?" Tsunade asked.
"As soon as possible," Sasuke answered seriously.
"So eager, huh?" Tsunade looked him over, then stood up. "Come with me. I'll run some tests. If your body checks out, we'll do the surgery in the next couple of days."
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," Sasuke said earnestly and followed her out.
Shizune smiled. She had expected this outcome all along, Tsunade was just that kind of person.
And she was genuinely happy for Sasuke. As Kakashi's student, and someone close to them, she naturally wanted to see Sasuke grow stronger.
Thinking this, Shizune quickly followed as well. As Tsunade's assistant, how could she not?
...
Two days later
Sasuke's transplant surgeries were completed successfully. But he didn't stay put in the hospital like he was supposed to, he snuck out to train.
So now, Tsunade had come to the Hokage office to complain.
"That brat Sasuke has no sense! His eyes are still recovering, and he just left the hospital like that, probably went off to train or something!"
"Mhm," Natsuro nodded. He had a good guess, Sasuke had likely gone to Ryūchi Cave to learn Sage Mode.
"You're not even going to check on him?" Tsunade asked, giving him a side-eye. "You were the one who gave him permission."
"He'll be fine," Natsuro said casually. "You should trust Sasuke a little more."
Tsunade nodded. She did trust him, but as a medical professional, she couldn't stand patients treating their bodies recklessly.
After a moment, Tsunade sighed and asked, "I just don't get it. Why are you all so obsessed with getting stronger?"
"For me, it's because I don't want to have regrets," Natsuro replied, smiling faintly as he recalled all the things he had changed.
Everything he had once found unjust or tragic in the original timeline, he had done his best to correct.
That's the benefit of being strong. When you're powerful enough, you don't have to bend to anyone. You can do things your own way.
Tsunade looked at him, puzzled. She didn't really understand what kind of regret he was referring to.
But he had no intention of explaining.
Even if she pressed, he would only smile and say nothing, leaving Tsunade to leave in frustration.
After she left, Natsuro watched her go.
What could he say? "Jiraiya was originally supposed to die, but didn't because of me"? That would only raise more questions he couldn't answer.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason he pursued strength...
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Currently on Chapter 370: Can a Mortal Slay a God?