With the combined power of over a hundred chakra-cloaked shinobi, they finally managed to suppress Aoba's overwhelming chakra, just barely.
The sealing technique itself wasn't particularly complex. The real challenge was whether they had enough chakra to contain him.
Once the sealing was complete, Aoba could distinctly feel that the chakra inside his body had entered an inert state.
The uncontrollable growth and fusion had slowed to an almost imperceptible rate.
Only then did Aoba finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Previously, he had prepared an emergency contingency, if things went out of control, he would use Shiki Fūjin to let the Reaper take his soul.
Then, Konoha's team would use the same method to resurrect him, transferring his soul into a fresh body.
This process would essentially kill him and force him to abandon his current vessel.
It was an absolute last resort.
But now that the sealing had worked, it meant he had some time to find an alternative solution.
At this stage, there was only one viable path left, Senjutsu. Or more precisely, Natural Energy.
Aoba noticed that despite everything, he could still absorb Natural Energy without issue.
Over the years, he had completely adapted to its negative effects, rendering himself immune to its drawbacks.
However, he realized something interesting, Natural Energy was not as "gentle" as chakra.
For shinobi, chakra was a controlled, manageable energy.
But Natural Energy? It was wild, violent, and unrefined.
This was why it couldn't be manipulated through traditional hand seals, it didn't follow the same system.
That said, Natural Energy was still usable.
Aoba could channel it to perform techniques like Rasengan or Tailed Beast Bomb, jutsu that didn't require seals.
But for more complex techniques? It was impossible.
In truth, all Senjutsu since its inception had been based on mixing Natural Energy with chakra.
No shinobi had ever used pure Natural Energy directly.
And there certainly was no known method for controlling it with seals.
This meant Aoba had to completely relearn how to use it, to tame it and reprogram it into a new system of techniques.
In theory, this was an impossible task. He simply didn't have enough time.
Even though the Sage of Six Paths had yet to act for some unknown reason, there were still other pressing threats, Hashirama and Obito.
Both of them alone were dangerous enough.
And now that Aoba's battle strength had been reduced to its lowest point, Konoha no longer had absolute certainty of victory.
Inside the lab, Aoba had personally joined the research on developing new jutsu.
He needed a technique capable of removing all his chakra without killing him.
Given the sheer scale of his chakra reserves, this was no simple task.
And then, amid the chaos of experimentation, a message arrived...
Itachi Uchiha wanted to see him.
Itachi had been awake for some time now, but he had remained silent.
Even when Sasuke confronted him with question after question, Itachi gave no response.
It was as if he were awake but still absent.
Aoba had not expected that the first person Itachi would request to see would be him.
After some thought, he decided to accept the meeting.
Hashirama being influenced by the Sage of Six Paths was understandable, he carried Asura's chakra, which was directly inherited from the Sage.
But Itachi?
The fact that the Sage had intervened in his case had always puzzled Aoba.
Aside from that one time, the Sage had never directly acted again.
That alone showed just how critical it was to prevent Sasuke's growth.
By all logic, Itachi should have died in his battle against Sasuke.
But because of Konoha's advanced medical developments, the lab had managed to save his life.
Now, he was the only known person to have been directly manipulated by the Sage and still be alive.
That made Itachi incredibly valuable.
Inside the hospital room, Aoba walked in to find Uchiha Itachi sitting by the window.
His once-piercing gaze was now dulled, replaced by a pair of ordinary eyes.
His body had been fully repaired, but his chakra was completely sealed away.
Aoba wasn't about to take any risks with a man as dangerous as Itachi.
When Itachi saw him enter, he slowly lifted his head.
"I heard you wanted to see me."
"Yes."
Itachi's voice was calm, controlled.
His body had recovered, but there was something different about his presence.
Aoba could feel it, this was not the same Itachi from before.
It was something beyond losing his Sharingan.
It was a fundamental shift in his mind.
Aoba had studied Itachi's character extensively in his previous life.
He had understood him completely.
But now, in front of him, sat an Itachi he no longer recognized.
"Itachi Uchiha… why did you call me here?"
Itachi locked eyes with him.
"Aoba Kamikawa, I have a few questions for you. Answer them. And in return… I will give you some of the information you have been seeking."
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Currently on Chapter 353 - The Pure Land Itself