Chapter 98

That meant their Akatsuki's dream

would forever remain unfulfilled in this lifetime.

But if they merely used the rewards granted by the live-streaming system,

they could resurrect Yahiko from the world of the dead without paying any other price,

and this temptation was truly immense!!!

"Nagato… let me handle this one."

"Your body can't bear the cost of failure."

"Even if I answer wrong and lose ten years of life, it wouldn't affect me much."

"Let me stand between you and Yahiko this time, and shield you both from wind and rain."

Konan stepped forward and firmly took Nagato's hand.

…

Obito Uchiha, wearing the Uzumaki mask,

was also deeply unsettled inside.

The power to resurrect the dead lay right before him,

and all he needed to do was answer just one question,

and he could save Rin, the one he had longed for day and night, from the world of the dead,

without paying any price at all.

【Orochimaru: What a pity… Though the reward this time is very tempting, the penalty for a wrong answer is also severe. Resurrecting the dead holds no joy for me. I forfeit this answering right.】

【Tsunade: … I trust my judgment of my grandfather. The answer must be C. If I answer correctly, Itachi can return to me!!】

【Tobirama Senju: I also forfeit this right. I have no one specific I wish to resurrect.】

【Hiruzen Sarutobi: What a pity… The penalty for failure is too severe. I choose to decline.】

【Jiraiya: When will the system reward this great master with a legendary beauty?! That would be far more realistic!!】

【Kakashi Hatake: Rin!! This time, I will save you—wait for me!!】

【Obito Uchiha: Shut up!! Kakashi!! You have no right to speak Rin's name. Even if Rin is to be saved, it must be by me alone!! You coward, get out of the way!!】

【Naruto Uzumaki: Violence cannot solve everything. I believe Elder Hashirama, though changed, is still a good man. I choose D!!】

【Sasuke Uchiha: I choose C!! Though I can't save everyone, I hope to resurrect my father or mother—I still want to see them one more time…】

…

【Naruto Uzumaki: I choose D!!】

【Sasuke Uchiha: I choose C!!】

【Tsunade: I choose C!!】

【Madara Uchiha: I choose A!!!】

【Tobirama Senju: I choose B!!】

【Fourth Raikage: I choose B!!】

【Rosha: I choose B!!】

…

"I never expected… the senjutsu of Mount Myōboku and the senjutsu of the Dragon Palace could blend together so perfectly…"

"And yet it exists within a single human."

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I could never have imagined this scene."

The Slug Sage stared in awe at the Hashirama Senju before him.

When Hashirama Senju stood close before him,

he finally felt the astonishing amount of natural energy contained within Hashirama Senju.

"I never thought… the unassuming,

most unassuming leader of the Wetland Grove… the Slug Sage is the strongest of the Three Sages."

"Your mastery of natural energy, your cultivation of senjutsu… you've long surpassed the leaders of the other two sacred places."

Hashirama Senju himself had never imagined

that the seemingly most detached,

the weakest Slug Sage was the strongest among the three sacred place leaders!!

The other two sacred place sages were still unaware of this,

each believing themselves to be the most likely to break through to the ultimate realm!!!

Watching how the natural energy danced joyfully around the Slug Sage,

Hashirama Senju knew

that he had utterly surpassed the other two sages,

stepping into a new level!!

The two other sacred place sages were still struggling to master natural energy,

trying to make natural energy serve them better.

But the Slug Sage had already made natural energy willingly serve him,

with no resistance whatsoever.

Merely by this one point,

he had already far outstripped the other two sages.

This step seemed not far,

But these two immortals have been stuck in this place for many years,

and they may never be able to take this step in their entire lives!!

"Heh… their talents are both stronger than mine."

"I've reached this point only by persisting step by step on my own…"

"To awaken sentience in an ordinary beast and gradually master natural energy is inherently an act against heaven…"

"Unlike them, I never devoted much attention to the human world from the start—I've always focused intently on cultivating senjutsu."

"They've been tainted by too many worldly things, and it's precisely these things that have blocked their further progress."

Hearing Hashirama Senju's praise,

the slug immortal's face also showed a faint soft smile.

Although he knew Hashirama Senju's purpose in coming to the Wet Bone Forest,

he did not believe Hashirama Senju carried any great malice!!!

He could clearly sense

that this human merely wished to learn the Wet Bone Forest's senjutsu,

to advance his own senjutsu further,

he only desired to grow stronger!!!

Sitting cross-legged, Hashirama Senju nodded, acknowledging the slug immortal's words.

Although the slug immortal's strength was not greater than his,

to have cultivated natural energy to this level,

he was nonetheless the pinnacle of existence in this world, without equal.

He believed even Madara Uchiha might not be the slug immortal's match,

among all living beings he had ever seen,

the slug immortal was the most powerful being he had ever encountered!!!

【Madara Uchiha: …Impossible?? Does Hashirama have some problem judging my strength? Am I not a match for this snail?? That's an insult.】

【Tobirama Senju: …I've never cultivated senjutsu, so I don't understand how they judge strength among each other, but if this elder has such high standards, then what he says must be true.】

【Hashirama Senju: What I said about the other me is likely true—I met the slug immortal several years ago; his understanding of natural energy truly surpassed many others… Back then, I already felt his strength was unfathomable, but I never imagined he was even stronger than the leaders of the other two sacred places.】

【Jiraiya: I never expected that among the three of us, Tsunade's faction is the strongest.】

"I agree with your words, slug immortal."

"Although they've also persistently continued developing senjutsu and exploring natural energy,"

"they've been distracted by too many things from the human world."

"So after all these years, they've remained stagnant, making no progress whatsoever…"