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The wind and sand howled across the desolate land as Jiang Chen swiftly pinpointed the Dragon Vein. His eyes widened in astonishment the moment he arrived— within this vast Dragon Vein, he sensed an energy more formidable than anything he had ever encountered.
This force was beyond anything the entire Ninja World had ever revealed to him.
Even the sealed figure looming in the sky failed to emanate such an overwhelming presence.
"Such immense energy fluctuations… It must exceed ten thousand points… No, it is even more than that!" Jiang Chen murmured to himself while his expression was a mixture of awe and disbelief.
A sudden gust of wind stirred the air and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he stood amidst the ruins of the ancient kingdom of Roran.
Before him lay a Flying Thunder God Kunai, half-buried in the ground, untouched by time.
There was no mistaking it— this was the seal crafted by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Jiang Chen's gaze lingered on the seal before shifting downward.
The extraordinary energy was emanating from beneath it.
It was unfathomable. Based on his perception, Jiang Chen estimated its power to be no less than a hundred thousand points.
Even the formidable figure imprisoned on the moon, who in Jiang Chen's senses only possessed a few thousand points of power, paled in comparison to the power of this energy.
His eyes gleamed with determination and without hesitation, he sat cross-legged.
Closing his eyes, he immersed himself in meditation, seeking to comprehend the depths of this overwhelming energy.
The wind and sand continued their endless dance across the landscape.
Time slipped by in silence.
…
Meanwhile, at Mount Myōboku, Jiang Xi remained deep in training.
Due to the presence of the Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave, her progress in Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode proved difficult. The two different path energies conflicted against each other, creating an obstacle in her advancement.
Yet, her resilient physique kept her balanced.
Her only challenge was the sluggish pace of progress.
Still, this was not an insurmountable issue.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye. After relentless effort, Jiang Xi finally mastered Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode.
This time, Jiang Chen did not need to guide her.
The toad sages, Fukasaku and Shima, personally led her to Shikkotsu Forest.
There, her training in the Sage Techniques of Shikkotsu Forest began.
Compared to Mount Myōboku's methods, Shikkotsu Forest's training was significantly more arduous.
Moreover, having already mastered two different Sage Modes, Jiang Xi found her progress nearly at a standstill.
Fortunately, the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest, unlike Fukasaku and Shima, possessed a superior teaching method. Additionally, as Jiang Xi delved deeper into her training, her bloodline and talent subtly began to evolve.
Gradually, she grasped the fundamentals of Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Techniques.
Time continued to slip away unnoticed.
Another two years passed in silence.
…
Half of their time in the Ninja World had already elapsed.
The year edged closer to the sixtieth of Konoha's calendar.
At the border of the Land of Fire, within a deep canyon—
"Pathetic."
"The Fourth Kazekage..."
Orochimaru curled his lips into a smirk, staring at the lifeless body of Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage.
"Orochimaru Sama." A pale-skinned youth beside him addressed him with reverence.
"We move forward with the plan. It's time for Konoha's old windmill to turn once more. Sensei, as your former student, I shall grant you the grandest farewell." Orochimaru's cold laughter echoed through the canyon.
…
One month later—
The Konoha Crush Plan was set into motion.
The Sand and Sound Villages launched a joint assault on Konoha.
In the ensuing chaos, the Third Hokage perished in battle.
The Sand Village suffered devastating losses, and the entire Ninja World plunged into turmoil.
The fragile peace that had settled over the land shattered in an instant, all due to the attack on Konoha.
Both the Cloud and Stone Villages swiftly began their military mobilizations.
The once-dormant tension between the five great ninja villages rekindled, setting them on the path to war once again.
In the depths of a cold, dimly lit lair—
"The winds have begun to stir. Sarutobi Sensei, isn't this your greatest legacy?" Orochimaru's eyes shimmered with twisted delight.
Unlike the original tale, his hands remained unsealed.
If he so desired, he now had the power to raze Konoha to the ground. Even the presence of Jiraiya would not be enough to stop him.
But destruction was not his goal.
From the very beginning, he sought only one thing— the end of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
A few months later—
"Orochimaru Sama. He's here."
A shadowed figure entered Orochimaru's lair.
"What a fascinating specimen. So this is the power of Indra's lineage that Xi spoke of..." Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed as he gazed at the cold, stoic figure before him.
"Orochimaru, what can you teach me?" Uchiha Sasuke's voice was calm, his expression unreadable.
"What can I teach you? I can teach you the power to shake the world, of course. The power of the Sage of Six Paths— Sasuke, does that interest you?" Orochimaru's voice carried a sly smile as he spoke.
Hearing those words, even Uchiha Sasuke felt his heart stir.
At this moment, the entire course of the Hokage story had subtly shifted due to Jiang Xi's involvement.
Orochimaru was no mere machine.
As he uncovered more knowledge, once-hidden truths were now within his grasp.
Though the overall story hadn't strayed far from its original path, in reality, it had already undergone profound changes.
Where the future would lead, no one could say. Just as no one truly knew the extent of Orochimaru's current abilities.
Of course, none of this concerned Jiang Chen or Jiang Xi at the moment.
For a World Conqueror like them, chaos in the narrative was inevitable.
In Shikkotsu Forest, Jiang Xi remained immersed in her training, honing her Sage Mode.
With time, her control over Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode steadily improved. At her current pace, she was not far from mastering it entirely.
Meanwhile, at the Dragon Vein—
Jiang Chen remained seated in meditation.
The Flying Thunder God seal had been undone by his hand, unleashing the vast power of the Dragon Vein across the ancient kingdom of Roran, forming layers of space-time bubbles.
Jiang Chen found himself within these shifting bubbles.
Inside, scenes from different eras flickered into existence. Visions of the Warring States era a hundred years ago. Glimpses of events from decades in the future. And even moments from a thousand years past, depicting an earth-shattering event.
Past, present, and future wove together in an intricate dance as the very fabric of space trembled.
At the center of it all, Jiang Chen remained motionless, his eyes closed.
Time and space had long since lost their meaning to him. He had no sense of how long he had been there. Or how much time had passed. Finally, amid the swirling scenes of time, Jiang Chen's eyes slowly opened.
The moment his eyes flickered to life—
(To Be Continued…)