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[Konoha] Chapter 331: Kaguya Gives Birth!
🕑 Added 2025-01-15 06:20:32 +0000 UTCThe so-called "Sage Emperor Mode" can be considered the counterpart to the Sage of Six Paths Mode that the Sage of Six Paths granted Naruto as a power boost.
The Sage Pill was created using Shūichi’s own chakra, imbued with his unique traits.
What made it extraordinary was Shūichi’s ability to harmonize his chakra, allowing it to seamlessly integrate into any shinobi’s body, much like how the power of the Nine-Tails could be distributed among others.
However, Shūichi’s chakra was far superior in nature to that of the Nine-Tails. It existed on the same level as the Ten-Tails—perhaps even subtly surpassing it.
The name "Sage Pill" wasn’t chosen arbitrarily to sound impressive; it reflected the essence of Shūichi himself. He was a sage, and his chakra was Sage Chakra—true immortal energy.
This distinction set it apart from the Ten-Tails. For instance, a Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails did not inherently possess the power of senjutsu.
Thus, the Sage Emperor Mode far exceeded both the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and the Fox Mode.
Of course, the power of a single Sage Pill couldn’t provide the endless chakra that the Nine-Tails could.
But by using the chakra of the pill as a foundation, combined with the Curse Mark developed by Shūichi, the Sage Emperor Mode was no longer a one-time transformation.
While the strength of the mode depended on the individual and the potency of their Curse Mark, its fundamental nature remained unchanged.
Even if the pill’s power was depleted, the Curse Mark retained a seed of the pill’s energy, enabling the user to re-enter a weaker version of the Sage Emperor Mode in the future.
---
Following Haku was Anko Mitarashi, who also received a golden Sage Pill.
Like Haku, Anko erupted in golden light after consuming the pill. When the light faded, her chakra cloak was revealed, though it differed from Haku’s.
In addition to the golden magatama and lotus patterns, Anko’s chakra cloak was a flowing cyan-blue, resembling flickering flames.
Seeing this, Minato Namikaze was immediately reminded of the Scorch Release Chakra Mode that Shūichi had once demonstrated.
The only difference was the addition of golden magatama.
"Did this directly grant her the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai?" Minato speculated.
At that moment, Anko widened her eyes, sensing the overwhelming power coursing through her. "This… this is the power of Scorch Release transformation!"
In the past, while training in the Root Division under Shūichi, Anko had learned the Fire Release Chakra Mode. Her subsequent path mirrored Shūichi’s as she worked to fuse it with Wind Release.
However, she had struggled to complete the practice of Scorch Release over the years, relying instead on her enhanced Fire Release Chakra Mode to achieve second place in the competition.
Now, the pill granted by Shūichi had directly endowed her with the power of the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai.
"This is only a temporary possession of Scorch Release," Shūichi explained. "To truly master this power permanently, you must complete your own training in Scorch Release."
Anko, snapping out of her reverie, looked at Shūichi with admiration and nodded firmly. "I won’t disappoint you!"
Despite their master-disciple relationship, Anko’s flirtatious nature persisted.
Shūichi glared at her with feigned irritation.
Unbothered, Anko cheekily winked at him in defiance.
Choosing to ignore her antics, Shūichi turned his attention to Kurotsuchi.
To his surprise, Kurotsuchi also winked at him playfully.
Shūichi pretended not to notice and sent an Sage Pill flying toward her.
Kurotsuchi didn’t catch it with her hands; instead, she opened her mouth and swallowed it whole.
Her transformation followed, revealing a white chakra cloak adorned with golden magatama and lotus patterns.
Clenching her fist, Kurotsuchi exclaimed, "Such immense power!"
"It’s dozens of times stronger than my Rock Fist Jutsu!"
"And my Lava Release…"
She could feel her Lava Release evolving into something even more potent and was eager to test it.
Noticing her excitement, Shūichi turned to Akatsuchi. "Akatsuchi, use the Golem Technique and let Kurotsuchi test her new power."
Akatsuchi nodded hurriedly. "Yes, Lord Shūichi!"
He formed hand seals, and soon a golem of rock materialized beside him.
Akatsuchi withdrew, leaving the golem behind.
Kurotsuchi glanced at it before exhaling a stream of gray cement. The cement engulfed the golem, solidifying rapidly.
Minato and the others immediately understood what had happened.
Kurotsuchi’s Lava Release, originally a combination of Fire and Earth Releases, had evolved with the addition of Water Release, becoming a Kekkei Tōta.
Her original Lava Release had produced quick-drying lime for attack and restriction, but now, with Fire, Earth, and Water combined, the improved Kekkei Tōta was far more efficient, versatile, and destructive.
"Amazing!" Kurotsuchi couldn’t help but cry out in delight.
The other shinobi watching were awestruck. Even the experienced Jōnin couldn’t hide their envy.
"Who would’ve thought there’d be rewards like this in the competition!"
"As expected of the God of Ninja—the strongest in the shinobi world, surpassing even the Sage of Six Paths!"
"To grant others the power of Kekkei Tōta… such abilities are beyond imagination!"
"Do you think future Jōnin tournaments will offer similar rewards? It’s something to look forward to!"
The shinobi buzzed with chatter.
The Sage Pill was a prize no one could resist desiring.
Even the Fourth Kazekage and the other Kage, who stood close and witnessed its power firsthand, couldn’t help but feel tempted.
At this moment, Shūichi handed an Sage Pill to Deidara.
Deidara accepted it with a grin. "Lord Shūichi, what did you think of my explosive art earlier?"
Shūichi smiled. "Your micro-bomb concept is excellent. Consider refining your explosion techniques further to evolve Explosion Release into something even greater, like Kekkei Tōta or even a Kekkei Mōra."
Deidara nodded enthusiastically. "I’ll do my best!"
"Then, does this pill contain Explosion Release’s power too?"
Shūichi smirked mysteriously. "You’ll find out once you take it."
Deidara swallowed the pill, transforming just like the others into the Sage Emperor Mode.
The black chakra cloak with golden magatama and lotus patterns exuded a solemn and icy aura.
Deidara closed his eyes to sense it carefully before opening them excitedly. “So that’s how it is! This is a whole new level of explosive art!”
“As expected of Lord Shūichi!”
“Lord Shūichi, I can’t wait to showcase this explosive art!”
Ōnoki quickly interjected, “Don’t mess around here!”
Explosions weren’t like Kurotsuchi’s ninjutsu—they were often massive, loud, and highly destructive.
Shūichi chuckled. “It’s fine. Let’s test it out.”
With a wave of his hand, a space portal appeared in front of Deidara. “Step through.”
Without hesitation, Deidara stepped into the portal and arrived in a vast desert. This was one of Shūichi’s pocket dimensions, a space he mastered after learning Amenominaka from Kaguya, mirroring her abilities.
Under the great tree in the real world, Shūichi activated a technique. Vines from the tree extended and connected to everyone present, directly projecting the view of the pocket dimension into their minds so they could witness everything firsthand.
Inside the pocket dimension, Deidara, clad in the Sage Emperor Mode, hovered in midair. The mouth on his right palm began to chew energetically.
Moments later, the palm mouth spat out a white clay sphere.
The fist-sized sphere was tossed downward by Deidara. It sprouted wings and flapped rapidly, angling downward as it soared.
At that moment, all eyes were on the clay bomb, which seemed indistinguishable from Deidara’s previous creations.
The clay bomb neared the ground, closing the distance to less than ten meters.
From a safe distance, Deidara raised a single hand in a sharp motion. “Detonate!”
Boom!
The clay bomb exploded, immediately followed by a second, even more catastrophic explosion. In the blink of an eye, the desert was engulfed in blazing heat, blinding light, and a massive shockwave, sending a towering mushroom cloud into the sky.
Even Deidara, floating in the air, was forced back by the sheer force of the shockwave, his arms crossed defensively. Yet his face radiated sheer exhilaration and excitement.
“This surpasses even C4!”
Meanwhile, Ōnoki and the others watching wore grim expressions.
The explosion’s magnitude was overwhelming.
It was far beyond Deidara’s previous techniques. The bomb looked deceptively similar to his earlier creations, but the destructive power was on an entirely different level. More critically, they couldn’t determine whether this new explosion technique still fell under the category of Explosion Release Bakuton), or if it had evolved into a Kekkei Tōta or even a Kekkei Mōra.
The explosion’s effective radius was at least 10 kilometers. Even if the lethal radius was just one-third of that, it was still 3 kilometers—a devastating range.
Moreover, judging by Deidara’s condition, it didn’t seem to put much strain on him.
Deidara disappeared from the pocket dimension and reappeared under the great tree, looking as eager as ever.
“Lord Shūichi, what is this technique called?” he asked excitedly.
Shūichi smiled. “It’s called Nuclear Fission Explosion.”
Ōnoki’s gaze sharpened. “Is this a Kekkei Tōta?”
“Nuclear… does that mean an atomic-level explosion?”
Shūichi nodded with a grin. “Exactly. It’s nuclear-level.”
“It works by using C4 to trigger a chain reaction of atomic fission, releasing a devastating amount of energy through a cascading series of explosions.”
“The power generated by atomic fission far surpasses C4.”
The Fourth Kazekage asked, “So, this surpasses Dust Release Jinton) as a Kekkei Tōta?”
Shūichi shook his head. “It’s not about surpassing.”
“No technique is flawless or invincible.”
“And the power of a jutsu is deeply tied to the chakra behind it.”
“The strength of the Nuclear Fission Explosion can also be controlled by the amount of chakra invested.”
The Fourth Raikage nodded. “True, and this technique is likely still vulnerable to countermeasures like Lightning Release.”
Deidara, listening attentively, said seriously, “I’ll work on refining it further to make the art of explosions even more perfect. hmph!”
Ōnoki’s eyebrow twitched. “You idiot! You should focus on mastering this Kekkei Tōta yourself!”
Deidara chuckled. “Relax, old man. Of course, I’ll master it.”
“Don’t worry. This is the art of explosions—it’s my specialty!”
Shūichi chuckled softly and moved on to distributing more “boosts.”
No, they were Sage Pills.
After Deidara, it was Kimimaro’s turn.
Seeing it was his turn, Kimimaro bowed deeply. “Lord Shūichi.”
Shūichi gave a slight nod. “Give it a try.”
A pill floated into Kimimaro’s hands.
Kimimaro respectfully caught it and swallowed it in one motion.
Unlike the others, Kimimaro did not manifest a chakra cloak indicative of the Sage Emperor Mode. On the surface, it seemed as if nothing had changed.
However, Kimimaro could clearly feel the transformation within his body.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, bone spines emerged from his back. Raising his right hand, a gray bone spike extended from his palm.
Swoosh!
The bone spike shot forward, piercing the stone figure that had been sealed by Kurotsuchi’s Lava Release.
In the next moment, under the stunned gazes of everyone present, the stone figure disintegrated into ashes along with the gray bone spike.
Shikotsumyaku: All-Killing Ash Bones!
Among the gathered shinobi, even Kakashi, who had maintained a casual demeanor until now, instantly became serious.
“This is Kaguya’s Kekkei Mōra...”
Kakashi silently thought to himself, Shūichi is going too far.
Shikotsumyaku... Is he trying to help this child develop a Kekkei Mōra like Kaguya’s?
That’s an incredible expectation—will it be too much for this child to handle?
At this moment, Kimimaro was shaken to his core. He could sense that the fusion of this new power with his own Shikotsumyaku had completely suppressed his terminal Kekkei Genkai disease.
“So, this is what Lord Shūichi meant when he said he could cure my illness entirely?”
“I see now!”
Kimimaro looked up at Shūichi, his gaze filled with reverence as if he were a god. “Lord Shūichi, I won’t let you down!”
Patting Kimimaro on the shoulder, Shūichi smiled. “I believe in you.”
He then continued distributing customized Sage Pills to the next group.
Akatsuchi, C, Omoi, Suigetsu, and Temari—each received a pill.
These pills were tailored specifically for them, perfectly enhancing their individual strengths.
Akatsuchi’s Earth Release, C’s sensory abilities, Omoi’s Lightning Release, Suigetsu’s Water Release, and Temari’s Wind Release all saw significant improvements.
While they didn’t gain Kekkei Genkai powers, this distinction set them apart from the top five individuals.
Even so, their enhancements were enough to make all the shinobi present eagerly anticipate the upcoming Chūnin and Jōnin tournaments.
After distributing the "cheats," Shūichi promptly made his exit.
He had to go home to take care of his kids.
As for the rest of the arrangements, they didn’t require his involvement—Minato and the others could handle everything.
---
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was June of Konoha Year 60.
At the Sage Emperor’s Sanctuary...
Inside a wooden hut, four skilled women—Nonō Yakushi, Tsunade, Shizune, and Asuka—were assisting with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki’s delivery.
Outside the hut, Shūichi stood silently, waiting.
Though he was becoming more accustomed to these situations, childbirth still made him nervous.
Suddenly, the cries of newborns pierced the air.
Shūichi let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Moments later, Nonō and Shizune each walked out of the hut, each carrying a baby.
Shūichi quickly stepped forward to meet Shizune, carefully taking the child from her arms. “I told you to just supervise.”
Shizune, now heavily pregnant herself and only three months away from her due date, smiled softly. “I’m fine.”
Her eyes were filled with anticipation as she looked at the baby girl in Shūichi’s arms, imagining her own child soon to come.
Beside her, Nonō chuckled. “Congratulations, Shūichi. Two more healthy children.”
Shūichi turned his attention to the twins—a boy and a girl.
As expected of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, their lineage was extraordinarily powerful.
Even with his own genes mixed in, both children bore small horns on their foreheads.
However, they had inherited his jet-black hair.
For now, it was hard to tell what other traits they had inherited.
“Have you decided on their names?” Nonō asked.
The names had not been revealed in advance.
Looking down at his daughter, Shūichi smiled. “The boy will be called Hoshita Senichi.”
“And the girl will be called Hoshita Tsukiko.”
(End of Chapter)
