Whether it was the fusion of the Tailed Beasts or chakra integration, everything was progressing more smoothly than ever. Aoba could feel his strength increasing at an exponential rate.
The only thing that wasn't going well was the evolution of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. There wasn't even the slightest sign of progress.
This was completely different from his previous assumptions.
However, in theory, the Rinnegan wasn't even that important anymore. Aoba had already completed the fusion of all the Tailed Beasts' original chakra.
Technically speaking, he was now a miniature Ten-Tails.
Aoba could feel the power inside him burning like a sun. At this point, his chakra reserves had even surpassed those of the Nine-Tails.
Creating Tailed Beast Bombs with his bare hands was no issue.
Even taking a direct hit from a Shinra Tensei at full power wouldn't be a problem.
His chakra attribute fusion was also progressing rapidly. Within a few months, he would be able to complete the fusion of all seven chakra natures and form his own Truth-Seeking Orbs.
At the same time, the immense Tailed Beast chakra was continuously transforming his body. Aoba felt that his physical strength had already surpassed, or at least matched, the legendary Senju Hashirama.
But that wasn't the end, his body was still evolving. He estimated that he might eventually reach the level of Six Paths Madara, with an immortal-like physique.
To put it bluntly, Aoba was now strong enough to take on the entire shinobi world by himself. His enhanced body and chakra had significantly improved his sensory perception.
With this level of power combined with Sage Mode, Aoba was confident he could now detect Obito's Limbo clones.
At this point, he was close to becoming an all-around, overpowered shinobi with no weaknesses.
But the stronger he became, the more uneasy he felt.
Everything was going too smoothly.
Looking back on his journey, Aoba even made a chart analyzing the various events he had experienced.
That was when he noticed something odd.
The first time he had sensed the presence of an unseen force working behind the scenes was when he started his reforms.
As soon as he began, he had felt subtle resistance. At that time, Konoha had been under immense pressure from the entire shinobi world.
Aoba was certain that someone didn't want him to change the world's balance.
But over time, he noticed an even more insidious problem, his training seemed almost too successful.
Although the fusion of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had encountered some hurdles, in reality, every other aspect of his growth had gone remarkably well.
From mastering the five basic chakra natures to Sage Mode, from transplanting Hashirama's cells to awakening the Mangekyō and Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, everything had progressed far too smoothly.
Of course, Aoba had put in tremendous effort. But as someone from a modern world, he was aware of a harsh but realistic truth: in the real world, hard work didn't always guarantee success.
Yet somehow, every crazy idea he had, every step he took, had worked out perfectly.
For a transmigrator, this might not seem unusual. After all, if he had already crossed into another world, wasn't it natural to have a cheat ability? Being a genius wasn't that surprising.
At first, Aoba hadn't thought much of it.
But now, his progress was too fast, so fast that he finally started to feel suspicious.
So, he stopped training.
And that was when something truly bizarre happened.
He could feel the chakra inside his body continuing to evolve on its own.
Even worse, his chakra was spontaneously condensing into Truth-Seeking Orbs.
For Aoba, this wasn't good news, it was a nightmare.
It meant that the worst-case scenario had come true. His chakra was out of his control.
Or rather, he had never truly been in control of it to begin with.
Aoba had considered many worst-case scenarios. This possibility had been included in his contingency plans.
The problem was, his countermeasures weren't complete.
So far, he hadn't found a way to resolve this situation.
His closest confidants, Tsunade and Yumi, were the first to notice that something was wrong with him. But unfortunately, they couldn't do anything to help.
Aoba had advanced so far beyond everyone else that almost no one could keep up with his progress anymore.
After thinking it over, Aoba turned to Tobirama.
Among everyone he knew, Tobirama was the most likely to understand what was happening to him.
It took Aoba a long time to fully explain his situation. After listening, even Tobirama looked bewildered.
People usually hit bottlenecks in their training. But now, Aoba's progress was so absurdly fast that even Tobirama struggled to process it.
However, as the greatest scholar of the shinobi world, Tobirama quickly grasped the key issue.
"You suspect that someone tampered with your chakra, like what happened to my brother?"
"Exactly. I only just realized it. The Sage of Six Paths spread chakra throughout the world, claiming it was to promote understanding and bring peace to the shinobi world.
But we all know that after chakra appeared, war didn't disappear. In fact, its intensity increased by at least a hundred times.
And yet, the Sage of Six Paths never showed up again.
So, I suspect that his real purpose in spreading chakra had nothing to do with peace.
If he had an ulterior motive, then he must have left behind a contingency plan.
At first, I thought he could only influence the reincarnations of Asura and Indra.
But now, I'm not so sure.
Perhaps, if he wanted to, he could influence anyone."
This was the most terrifying possibility.
If it were true, then Aoba was almost guaranteed to lose.
If every move he made was being manipulated, if even the power within him didn't truly belong to him, then how could he possibly win this war?
However, after thinking for a while, Tobirama offered a different perspective.
"I don't think the situation is as hopeless as it seems. I just carefully analyzed everything you said and found a key issue. Have you noticed that, in the beginning, you weren't even aware that your chakra was being interfered with?"
Aoba froze for a moment, then understood Tobirama's point.
"You're right, I wasn't aware at first. No, maybe it's not that I wasn't aware, but rather that I wasn't strong enough back then.
As I became more powerful, I gradually started noticing the interference.
It's not that I suddenly became aware of it, the truth is, I wasn't being interfered with before. But as I grew stronger, the interference increased.
Now, I've reached a point where I even feel like I'm losing control over my own power."
"Exactly. That's what I wanted to point out." Tobirama nodded, satisfied with Aoba's quick understanding. Talking to someone smart always made things easier.
"But why is this happening? Let me think…"
Now that he had a direction, Aoba's thoughts expanded rapidly, trying to pinpoint the underlying cause.
"Maybe it's because the stronger you become, the closer you get to him."
Once again, Tobirama hit the nail on the head. Aoba was struck with sudden realization.
"Yes, that's it! The interference only started to become noticeable as I fused with more and more of the Tailed Beasts. No, it's not just that. There's another reason. Don't forget, the Tailed Beasts were created by the Sage of Six Paths. That's precisely why I never wanted to become a Jinchūriki in the first place. But now, it seems that even extracting a portion of their essence wasn't enough to avoid the very problem I feared."
"That's not surprising. After all, that man is considered the progenitor of chakra."
Tobirama's words made Aoba suddenly lift his head, a spark of insight flashing through his mind.
"No, he's not."
"He's not the progenitor of chakra."
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Currently on Chapter 349 - Obito's Obsession