Chapter 353: The Long-Awaited System

Chapter 353: The Long-Awaited System

The familiar sound of the system notification echoed in Hagoromo Gengetsu's mind.

Well... if he was being serious, it hadn't been that long.

Gengetsu remembered the last time the system issued a mission, which was during the period when he was hunting down Orochimaru.

Before that, he completed the long-awaited S-rank mission. Upon returning, he skipped a few unnecessary side quests and then entered the time when Sasuke became a traitor.

He didn't pay much attention to the details of the mission because Sasuke was right beside him at the time. A casual slap was all it took to complete the mission.

Thus, with the system's notification, the "Naruto" arc had come to an end.

The next phase would be the "Shippuden" era.

In terms of time, there was a two-and-a-half-year gap between the "Naruto" and "Shippuden" arcs.

After he dealt with Orochimaru, events quickly unfolded: the hunt for the tailed beasts, his visit to Konoha, the battle at Mount Myoboku, the extraction of the tailed beasts by the Gedo Statue, the brief world of Infinite Tsukuyomi, and finally, the Fourth Great Ninja War, where he ascended to the level of the Six Paths.

From the battle at Mount Myoboku to the end of the Fourth Ninja War… According to Hagoromo's calculations, Naruto hadn't even had time to finish his seven days of mourning for the Sage of the Six Paths.

Considering everything that had happened, it had barely been a month.

Yet, within that month, the system was already issuing "Shippuden" missions. After thinking it over carefully, Gengetsu had to admit it was remarkably efficient.

"But, system, haven't you noticed we've traveled to a different world?" he muttered as he glanced at the new mission details.

Ding!

Shippuden is here! A new era begins once more!

Host, please continue your efforts to create new glories!

Main Mission: The Long-Awaited Reunion!

Mission Description: After a short farewell of two and a half years, Naruto returns to Konoha. Team 7 reunites, and under the orders of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, another bell test awaits. But this time, there are no bells—only the full power of Konoha's Jonin, Hatake Kakashi. Join forces with Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno to defeat Kakashi Hatake!

Mission Reward: A portion of Jonin-level chakra; proficiency in lightning release chakra nature transformation and shape transformation; diluted Otsutsuki clan bloodline.

"Oh??"

Gengetsu wasn't surprised by the first mission of Shippuden, as he had already anticipated it.

What did surprise him, though, were the mission rewards.

Ignoring the first two rewards, he focused directly on the last one.

The Otsutsuki clan bloodline.

This wasn't the bloodline of Asura or Indra, nor the bloodline of Hagoromo Otsutsuki.

No, this was the genuine bloodline of the Otsutsuki clan from the universe—a true inheritance from that celestial lineage.

Though the bloodline was diluted, and though most pure-blooded Otsutsuki wouldn't stand a chance against him now, Gengetsu saw it as an opportunity to further increase his power.

The system was rewarding him with only a diluted Otsutsuki bloodline for now. But if he completed everything, could he eventually obtain the full Otsutsuki bloodline?

Unlike Kaguya Otsutsuki, Gengetsu, after reaching the Six Paths level, considered additional chakra more as a supplementary resource. He was already at his peak.

Kaguya, on the other hand, reached her pinnacle only when she absorbed the Chakra Fruit and gained the entire planet's chakra. That's why she needed the Infinite Tsukuyomi through her Rinne Sharingan to gather the world's chakra.

But Gengetsu had no need to harvest chakra from others.

His focus now was on how to elevate his strength further.

Neither ninjutsu nor secret techniques could enhance his power anymore. The Otsutsuki clan, however, offered a solution.

Their method involved planting Divine Trees on various planets, absorbing the fruit of the trees, and continuously evolving themselves.

Yet, this process drained all the chakra from a planet, leading to the eventual death of all life on that planet.

Though Gengetsu had done many ruthless things to ascend to the Six Paths level, he still found it hard to be as heartless as the Otsutsuki clan, who could wipe out billions without batting an eye.

In a sense, Kaguya had done Earth a favor.

Speaking of Kaguya… there was another option.

At a critical moment, he could strike like she did.

It was important to note that Chakra Fruits could vary in quality.

Young and healthy Otsutsuki clan members were ideal sacrifices for the Divine Tree.

However, Kaguya had already consumed a complete Chakra Fruit and was now immortal; the Divine Tree wouldn't be able to devour her. The Sage of Six Paths was dead, and in his current chakra form, even if the Divine Tree consumed him, the resulting fruit would likely be subpar.

The two Otsutsuki who would arrive in the future seemed like good candidates, but that would be in a decade or so.

Gengetsu considered them as a backup plan.

For now, though, with two Kaguya and two Sage of Six Paths likely present as threats in this world, the system offering him a new path to power seemed like the optimal choice.

He had reached the pinnacle of talent and ability, becoming the first non-Otsutsuki to ascend to the Six Paths level.

Now, it was time to pursue power through bloodlines and physical traits.

After all, the legacy of the Naruto world was rooted in bloodlines.

While Hagoromo's lineage was impressive and could be traced back to the Otsutsuki, it still paled in comparison to the direct Otsutsuki bloodline, where almost everyone had the potential to reach the Six Paths level.

If he could gain the full Otsutsuki bloodline, his strength would undoubtedly soar.

Gengetsu couldn't help but praise the system: "I have to say, you're still very useful!"

Now, it was time to complete the mission.

After all, if Kaguya and the Sage of Six Paths had really fought it out, they would have settled the score a year ago.

Since the ninja world remained unchanged, it was likely they were still in some kind of stalemate.

There was no rush to confront them.

His own development was the priority.

"Tsunade, do you know what Kakashi's up to these days?" Gengetsu asked, turning to the bleary-eyed Tsunade beside him.

Tsunade lazily responded, "Kakashi? Is he famous or something?"

'You don't even know your future successor?' Gengetsu thought. Out loud, he said, "Hatake Kakashi."

"Hatake… oh, that's Sakumo's kid, right? No idea. Don't care," Tsunade mumbled as she turned her head away.

She still remembered Sakumo, which only deepened her reluctance to return to Konoha.

"Well, I guess I'll head to Konoha," Gengetsu muttered, shaking his head as a shadow silently split from his form and transformed into his likeness, making its way towards Konoha.

Meanwhile, Naruto had also just bid farewell to Sara and was racing towards Konoha at full speed.

"I must… I must warn everyone!"