Konoha's Mission Master

Close your eyes tightly and empty your mind.

Yakumo's spiritual body detached from her physical body and, guided by unknown energy, traversed an infinite distance.

When he opened his eyes again, his spiritual body appeared on a desolate and enormous void warship.

This warship was incredibly large, at least hundreds of thousands of kilometers long. It seemed to be cast from an enormous amount of bronze, without any trace of splicing, and it exuded a powerful aura.

The natural dangers of the universe cannot affect the warship's course, and even... black holes are destroyed by the warship's power.

Suddenly, Yakumo's spiritual body detached from the warship.

From his perspective... the warship was still traveling straight through the void of space, and he was just a passenger temporarily aboard it.

Under the influence of unknown energy…

Yakumo's spiritual body rapidly teleports through the void of the universe, sometimes being forced to change direction to avoid perilous situations.

He quickly made up his mind.

The game system's power is probably not as great as that bronze warship, since that warship directly suppressed the dead ends of the universe, rather than taking a detour.

I don't know how much time has passed...

Yakumo's spiritual body arrived at its destination.

It was a giant tree, entirely green. In its presence, even planets seemed incredibly small; its sheer size defied description.

Countless worlds float within the tree canopy.

Ancient Tree of the Void, Ancient Tree of Eternity, Ancient Tree of Time.

"Congratulations to the player for witnessing the ultimate power in the universe: the master of the virtual realm."

Yakumo floated silently in the void, gazing at the ancient tree with boundless divine power at the end of his vision, a look of bewilderment on his face.

Could it be... that he's going to comprehend the Dao-level Wood Release from this big tree?

At least... the game system should have given him a hint.

Now how to do?

Yakumo was very puzzled, his spiritual body drifting in the void.

Eighty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the still and unknowable void began to change slightly. Countless small red flowers bloomed on the crown of the ancient tree, and in an instant, a fresh and elegant yet exaggeratedly strong fragrance swept over.

The Way of Plants, the Way of Life…

Yakumo carefully observed the large tree in front of him, feeling as if he had grasped something, yet also as if his hands were empty.

His spirit gradually drifted off to sleep amidst the intoxicating fragrance of flowers.

When he opened his eyes again, there were no more flowers on the giant tree, and he would have to wait again.

The void is silent and still, the universe is infinitely vast.

Yakumo seemed to be in a dream, yet also awake; eighty years passed in the blink of an eye.

The big tree has sprouted countless small red flowers again.

This is a cycle... a cycle.

Yakumo slept for a full 160 years and was awake for 80 years.

Red flowers bloom, their subtle fragrance filling the air.

Yakumo focused his mind and reached out to grasp the void. He seemed to have gained some insight, yet he also seemed to be just one step away from achieving it.

The feeling... is like there's a treasure gate right in front of him, but he can't push it open.

Suddenly, a strong wave of sleepiness washed over him, and he immediately roused himself to fight it off.

And he opened his eyes wide and stared at the giant tree.

Within the divine light emanating from the giant tree, Yakumo discovered three distinct energies, none of which resonated with Wood Release. Yakumo focused intently on his search until an even more intense drowsiness overwhelmed him.

When he opened his eyes again.

It's another new cycle.

"I want to find the way of life."

Is life... a form of energy?

In this world, one wants to raise their energy level.

There are roughly two methods. The former involves fusing energy from multiple attributes to achieve the seven chakra attributes of fire, wind, water, lightning, earth, yin, and yang, which are the limits of a ninja. Using the Otsutsuki bloodline as a guide, these chakra are fused to create Truth-Seeking Balls.

Of course... the prerequisite for this fusion is the Otsutsuki bloodline.

Yakumo lacks the necessary qualities; this path is impassable.

Another method is to increase the intensity of energy.

Wood Release is said to be a bloodline limit, but it is actually a bloodline elimination technique. It uses earth, water, and Yang Release power as pieces to create the power that can overwhelm the ninja world.

The transformation of Wood Release is also an upgrade of the energy within the body.

Yakumo analyzed that, under normal circumstances... the ancient tree's energy is contained within, making it impossible to observe and learn from, except when its fragrance spreads and life flourishes...

Only this enormous ancient tree can emit energy fluctuations.

This is the real opportunity for Yakumo to learn.

As the fragrance of flowers spreads, the energy of the ancient tree manifests itself.

"Blooming, life... I understand!!"

Yakumo immediately focused his gaze, and his mind suddenly cleared.

Sure enough, he sensed a fourth energy within the massive canopy, which was the life path he needed to learn!

"No...it's not the way of life, but life energy!"

Yakumo immediately began to observe with his mind, and a mysterious feeling arose in his mind.

But... in the end, it couldn't resist the allure of the flowers and fell into a deep sleep.

Countless reincarnations, countless realizations, countless two hundred and forty years.

Yakumo survived the blooming of the flowers and witnessed the ripening of the bright red fruits. Those fruits, under the influence of unknown energy, flew into the vast and boundless void of the universe.

This is the ancient tree's way of giving back to the universe.

Those bright red fruits will be picked up by lucky ones... and a few of them, blessed with great fortune... will return here many years later to give back to that giant tree.

This is also the cultivation of this ancient tree.

Yakumo didn't try to catch those bright red fruits; he focused on getting them for free.

Countless years have passed…

He finally understood the uniqueness and mystery of life energy.

At that moment, his mental perspective rapidly shifted away.

Stay away from... this huge ancient tree.

These creatures must have completely surpassed humans in intelligence, right?

The more Yakumo saw the vastness of the universe, the more he realized his own insignificance.

As light and shadow shifted, Yakumo opened his eyes high in the sky.

Within his body, the three chakra systems of Yang, Earth, and Water are rapidly rotating in his abdomen, with Yang Release chakra being the primary source and Earth and Water Release chakra providing support.

The three energies converged like a spiral.

"Hiss, is this a battle cultivator condensing a vortex?"

"I'm very familiar with this stuff."

"Should we shout it again...?"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential!"

Yakumo mentally cursed the game system, but the fusion of the three energies was not going smoothly, as if a crucial medium was missing.

"Is this... going to fail?"

Yakumo attempted to forcefully promote the fusion of the three energies through mental control, but immediately encountered astonishing resistance.

The once stable spiral structure has also developed cracks... as if it is about to collapse.

"This is probably going to be bad."

But he was powerless to intervene in anything.

At this moment, the Dao Transformation Scroll that Yakumo possessed unfurled.

Immediately, it transforms into a special energy, serving as the most important medium to promote the fusion of the three energies.

Suddenly, multiple pure white energies emanated from Yakumo's body, radiating a shimmering vitality and revealing their extraordinary nature.

Yakumo smiled slightly, knowing that the matter had been resolved!

So that's why... the scroll played a fusion role.

At this moment, 20,000 gold coins began to disappear.

That pure white energy continued to expand, spread, and increase.

A terrifying vitality emanated from Yakumo's body, most noticeably manifested in the large wooden cocoon turning a vibrant green.

Yakumo releases his shadow clones...

The giant cocoon unfurled and stood tall in mid-air.

As Yakumo breathed, this pure white energy began to nourish his body, and a terrifying pressure spread outward like a wave.

Under the influence of the gold coins, this pure white energy continued to expand and spread until the body was full.

This energy operates in a distinct manner from chakra, with no conflict or interference between the two.

At that moment, the game system notification sounded.

[Hint: Player lifespan has been greatly increased!]