"Immortality?"
Madara raised an eyebrow when he heard that, looking at Uchiha Raijin with some doubt.
"I've seen Senjutsu before."
Madara looked down at Raijin in front of him.
Immortality—it was a topic that felt far out of reach.
In Madara's eyes, the only thing comparable to peace was immortality.
Two of the greatest problems in the ninja world, and neither had a good solution.
"The Senjutsu you've seen temporarily gathers natural energy in the body and combines it with chakra to enhance the power of techniques."
Raijin explained simply, then paused. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Madara with a hint of mischief.
"So? The natural energy you absorbed from Jiraiya is running out, isn't it? No way to replenish it, right? Feeling a little anxious now?"
By basic energy logic, no matter how powerful Madara was, the energy he used was still chakra.
And mixing chakra with natural energy in a one-to-one ratio could dramatically increase a technique's power.
Which meant that even with the Nine Tomoe Rinne Sharingan activated, Senjutsu was still highly valuable to Madara.
"I've been busy studying this eye lately. I haven't had time to focus on Senjutsu."
Madara raised a hand and pointed to the vertical pupil on his forehead.
As the only one from the Warring States period who could rival Senju Hashirama, Madara understood that a person's energy was limited.
He was also good at prioritizing which techniques he needed to master.
There was no doubt that Senjutsu was worth learning, even though the natural energy he absorbed from Jiraiya wasn't helping him much at the moment.
But having personally experienced the power of Senjutsu, Madara knew it wasn't useless to him.
The real issue was that he had too much chakra and too little natural energy.
Because of that, techniques using Senjutsu chakra were actually weaker than those powered purely by his own chakra.
But the problem wasn't that Senjutsu was weak—it was that there wasn't enough natural energy, and he hadn't learned how to absorb it on his own.
Was he anxious? Maybe a little.
But no matter how anxious he was, Madara would never let Raijin see it.
Dignity came first.
"Sounds like you've been busy."
Raijin chuckled, but inwardly, he became more alert.
So, Madara had been quietly working on getting stronger too.
It seemed he needed to take his own training more seriously.
First, a small goal—unlock all Eight Gates.
Right now, he had only opened the first four, and the effects weren't that impressive.
The last four—that's where the real power was.
Madara might be acting all high and mighty now, but back then, Might Guy had kicked him so hard he coughed up blood.
If Guy could do it, why couldn't he?
"Immortality isn't guaranteed. That depends on talent. But living for a few thousand years? That's no problem."
Raijin added after a brief pause.
"Just a few thousand years?"
Madara snorted, looking off to the side.
He was tempted to learn it...
But he had to hold back. He had already asked once—there was no way he would ask again so soon.
Besides, he knew Raijin wouldn't tell him even if he asked now.
They might be working together, but both kept their most valuable techniques tightly guarded.
The only difference was that they were no longer fighting constantly.
Instead, a new rivalry had emerged between them.
And right now, they were starting from the same point.
No one can take the other down, so the only option is to become stronger.
Whoever grows stronger in the same amount of time will gain the upper hand.
Whoever gains the upper hand will have more influence.
Until one of them completely becomes the other's subordinate.
"Anyway, that's it. You keep drinking your tea, I'm leaving."
Raijin didn't bother arguing in response to Madara's indifference.
Stop bragging.
Forget about you, a man-made Six Paths level being— even the naturally gifted Otsutsuki aren't guaranteed to live for thousands of years.
With that, Raijin disappeared right in front of Madara without waiting for his reaction.
And the moment Raijin vanished, Madara's face darkened instantly.
"Zetsu."
A cold voice rang out. Almost as soon as Madara spoke, a figure appeared silently in the small courtyard.
"Madara-sama"
Zetsu knelt on both knees, lowering his head deeply.
"Explain."
Madara's voice was calm, giving away no emotion.
But Black Zetsu felt his heart sink.
An invisible pressure weighed down on his shoulders.
"I just wanted to observe the new generation of Konohagakure and see if there was a chance to assist you, Madara-sama."
Gritting his teeth, Black Zetsu forced a slight tremble into his voice.
"From now on, report everything to me in advance. Also, stay away from Konohagakure's new generation."
Hearing this, Madara silently closed his eyes for a moment.
"Yes."
Zetsu responded without hesitation. After waiting for a moment and realizing Madara had nothing more to say, he cautiously lifted his head, only to find that Madara had completely lost interest in him.
Black Zetsu then quietly sank into the ground.
This time, it really was an unexpected turn.
Even Black Zetsu hadn't expected Raijin to react so quickly.
And…
Did that guy cast some kind of jutsu to cover all of Konohagakure?
Either way, he had barely managed to get through this.
From now on, he would have to be even more careful.
…
Sensing that Black Zetsu had left, Madara slowly opened his eyes, set down his teacup, and stood up, walking deeper into the room.
After experiencing Senju Hashirama's betrayal, Madara had grown much more suspicious.
Even though this was the first time Zetsu had failed to report before taking action…
A seed of doubt had already begun to take root in Madara's heart.
Even if, on the surface, Black Zetsu had passed this test.
…
Late at night, by the central lake, at Raijin's house.
Tsunade silently watched Raijin, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by five shadow clones, quietly training in Senjutsu. She was at a loss for words.
"What are you doing…?"
After waiting for Raijin to finish a training cycle, Tsunade asked in surprise.
"Ah…"
Raijin, sitting in the middle, slowly opened his eyes and looked at Tsunade.
"I'm training in secret so I can scare Uchiha Madara to death."
"You…"
Tsunade couldn't help but laugh, looking at Raijin with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"No wonder I never managed to surpass you, no matter how hard I worked. So, this is how you trained when we were kids?"
"Hmph. Using shadow clones to assist in training—the fatigue returns in full to the original body, but it affects the mind rather than the body."
Raijin snorted and said to Tsunade.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Your mental strength is really impressive."
Tsunade shook her head helplessly and replied to Raijin.
"Actually, the first stage of Senjutsu isn't that hard. It's mostly about accumulation. But after the Second Shinobi World War ended, I have to admit, I slacked off."
Raijin also shook his head helplessly and said to Tsunade.
"But now, Uchiha Madara is right nearby, researching the Nine Tomoe Rinne Sharingan and Yin-Yang Release. He's working hard to get stronger. Compared to him, I don't have any real advantage. So, this is the only way."
"Yeah."
Tsunade nodded. To be honest, she liked Raijin's attitude of self-reflection.
After spending so many years with him, she knew very well that Raijin wasn't a perfect person, nor was he someone who could do everything.
That lazy aura around him wasn't an act.
He was just genuinely lazy.
Completely lazy.
But at the same time, he was very clear-headed.
He knew exactly what to do at the right time.
He wouldn't stubbornly stick to a path just for the sake of pride.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't really put in any effort for a long time either."
Tsunade said as she walked up to Raijin.
"You're right. Ever since the Second Shinobi World War ended, not just you, but I also slacked off. In fact, everyone in Konohagakure has.
The first stage of Senjutsu is supposed to be a process of accumulation, but after all these years, not a single person has truly opened all Eight Gates."
She paused for a moment.
"But now, new challenges have appeared. If we keep going like this, it's not going to end well."
"But training in Senjutsu is seriously boring…"
Raijin said to Tsunade with a helpless expression.
"Then do you have any way to speed up the process?"
Instead of saying anything else, Tsunade directly asked Raijin.
"I do. I believe the biggest advantage of natural energy is its ability to repair the body. If that's the case, then maybe we can use some extreme methods for Taijutsu training and then rely on Senjutsu to heal the body.
That way, we should be able to improve our physical condition in a short time."
Raijin explained to Tsunade.
"That makes sense. If that's the case, then the Lightning Body-Training Method would be a great choice."
Tsunade's eyes lit up as she spoke.
"Yeah, but it's a painful process."
Raijin nodded and continued.
"So, I decided to use Shadow Clones to assist with training. It's a bit annoying, but at least it doesn't hurt."
As he spoke, Raijin spread his hands at Tsunade.
"That's so like you."
Tsunade couldn't help but shake her head with a wry smile.
"But training also requires a balance between work and rest. Let's stop for today."
As the most knowledgeable person when it came to medical ninjutsu, Tsunade wasn't saying this without reason.
Training in Senjutsu was essentially about using natural energy to strengthen the body and mind.
But absorbing the free-flowing natural energy in the air also consumed a certain amount of mental strength.
Of course, once the natural energy started circulating in the body, it did enhance physical abilities.
And during that process, it also strengthened mental power.
However, if someone kept training nonstop, it would still lead to mental exhaustion.
Especially in Raijin's case—he wasn't just practicing Senjutsu himself, but his Shadow Clones were also absorbing natural energy.
That meant his mental energy consumption was five times higher than usual.
The natural energy absorbed by the five shadow clones wouldn't immediately be used to enhance Raijin's mental power.
Instead, it would first enter Raijin's body, and then he would use it to strengthen his physical body.
Natural energy is said to enhance both the body and the mind.
But in reality, the body benefits far more than the mind.
After all, the so-called enhancement of mental power mainly manifests as strengthening the brain.
This, in turn, improves the neurons' capacity. Strictly speaking, natural energy doesn't directly restore mental power—it raises its upper limit.
If Raijin trained in Senjutsu without rest for three months, he would end up mentally exhausted and lying in a hospital bed in Konohagakure.
Drinking millet porridge personally prepared by Tsunade.
Pretty much… just like Kakashi after being hit by Tsukuyomi.
"Mm."
Raijin nodded in response, stood up, and dispelled the shadow clone technique.
As one of the developers of Senjutsu, he was well aware of the precautions needed during training.
The moment the shadow clones were released, a massive amount of natural energy surged into Raijin's body.
Along with it came an overwhelming sense of fatigue.
He instinctively took half a step back, and Tsunade, standing beside him, supported him.
The next moment, a gentle flow of natural energy entered Raijin's body, helping him process the sudden influx of energy while also easing his mental exhaustion.
After a while, Raijin stretched lazily, feeling refreshed.
"Thanks~"
He turned to look at Tsunade. He didn't fully understand the principles of dual cultivation, but for now, Tsunade's actions were definitely increasing his training efficiency.
"Do you even hear yourself right now?"
Tsunade immediately smacked Raijin's arm, looking displeased as she questioned him.
The best way to help someone recover their mental power was to have a skilled medical expert intervene.
…
Meanwhile, Otsutsuki Isshiki, who was waiting for Raijin and Madara's usual pattern of fighting every three days and having a major battle every five, suddenly sensed that something was off.
Why was everything so quiet? There was no way they had joined forces again, right? No way… You were almost killed by Uchiha Raijin! And you can just let that go?
But at this moment, Otsutsuki Isshiki had no way of investigating the situation. He could only wait in silence.
Yet as time passed, the ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger.
(End Of Chapter)
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