"The power of destiny!"
Sarutobi Asuma praised, smiling, "Great Toad Sage, then what about my destiny?"
"Heh heh, it's not as powerful as you might imagine,"
Gama-Maru chuckled, "I only dreamed of a certain fragment."
"I saw barren lands revive, I saw the power of ninjas, but I also saw war... However, the ninja world has always been inseparable from war, hasn't it?" Sarutobi Asuma nodded and smiled, "Indeed, ninjas are always involved in war, but a war dreamed of by the Great Toad Sage must be no ordinary war?"
"Could it be that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, sealed by the Sage of Six Paths' brothers, has escaped?"
Gama-Maru's eyes flickered slightly, "Oh?"
"That war was indeed immense, it seemed to involve all the ninjas!"
"Ah, haha... I remember now!"
"It seems two children received something precious."
Sarutobi Asuma immediately thought of Naruto and Sasuke.
Beside him, Sage Fukasaku was sweating profusely, "It seems I'm truly getting old, always losing things!"
Sarutobi Asuma laughed, "So, the child of prophecy that the Great Toad Sage predicted for Jiraiya has appeared."
Gama-Maru didn't answer directly, but said, "Destiny is always unpredictable. Any slight change can bring about countless possibilities."
Sarutobi Asuma nodded in agreement, then suddenly asked, "Great Toad Sage, if the Sage of Six Paths' brothers hadn't intervened back then, what would the Earth be like?"
Gama-Maru's gaze sharpened, then he smiled, "No one would know, after all, there are no 'what ifs' in the world."
"Well, that's all there is about your destiny."
With that, Gama-Maru slowly lowered his eyelids.
Sarutobi Asuma bowed, didn't press further, and turned to leave.
Sage Fukasaku watched him go, then turned and asked, "Great Toad Sage, what about this young man?"
Gama-Maru opened one eye slit and smiled, "He knows many ancient things, unexpectedly. His destiny is unfathomable!"
"Truly an astonishing young man. I never thought such an existence would appear in the Ninja World!"
Sage Fukasaku was surprised, "Even you cannot see through it?"
"Although his power is immense, it's probably far inferior to yours, isn't it?"
Gama-Maru chuckled, "If we are talking about the sheer amount of Sage Power, then he is indeed inferior to me."
"But vastness and power are two completely different concepts."
"I sensed the presence of a network in him, something even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't achieve..."
"Because of his existence, the Ninja World has moved in an unpredictable direction."
"I'm truly looking forward to it!"
After speaking, Gama-Maru closed his eyes, seemingly going to wander the world in his dreams again.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Asuma was recalling his conversation with Gama-Maru.
He seemed to have said something, yet also nothing!
"So, I hate this kind of riddle-like way of speaking the most..."
Sarutobi Asuma grumbled inwardly.
However, he also inwardly warned himself.
Destiny is inscrutable, be mindful of being guided!
He didn't want to become a second Jiraiya!
Sarutobi Asuma and his group didn't linger in Mount Myōboku, as they didn't want to eat a bug feast.
They returned the way they came.
The task of planting trees in the forbidden zone was also completed.
Sarutobi Asuma, along with the three women, returned to Konoha, then found Namikaze Minato to learn about the Ancient Country of Loulan within the Land of Wind.
This trip to the forbidden zone reminded him of the Dragon Vein power in the vast desert of the Land of Wind, which was said to provide infinite Chakra.
Whether it was related to the Ten-Tails was yet unknown.
But this power could be utilized well.
"Dragon Vein?"
Namikaze Minato asked, "Asuma, you want to use the power of the Dragon Vein to cultivate the Sage Tree?"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded, "The power of the Dragon Vein cannot remain sealed forever. Eventually, ambitious individuals will use it to achieve their ambitions."
"Since that's the case, let this power benefit the Land of Wind, and let the Land of Wind transform from a desert into an oasis."
"With the support of the Dragon Vein's power, transforming the Land of Wind in the future won't require much effort."
Namikaze Minato knew this was preparation for unifying the Ninja World in the future, so he nodded immediately. "The Ancient Country of Loulan no longer exists. Their new queen has led her people away from there, and the seal is buried within the ruins."
"While it won't be difficult for you to find with your abilities, bring my kunai along!"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded. "Understood!"
After leaving the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Asuma didn't immediately head to the Land of Wind. Instead, he returned to the Sage Domain to refine a sealing container.
The Sage of Six Paths had nine little pets, but he didn't need many; one was enough for now.
The sealing container used to seal the Eight-Tails previously was made from materials Sarutobi Asuma had created using Yin-Yang Release.
However, this time, he decided to use the remains of the God Tree and branches from his own Sage Mode as materials.
After a month, a small, exquisite wooden golden gourd was completed.
"Let's call it... the Eight Trigrams Sage Gourd!"
He casually gave it a name and hung it from his waist. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. "A gourd... I might be able to refine an Immortal Slaying Gourd?"
"My treasure, turn around!"
"Immortal Slaying Flying Dagger!"
Sarutobi Asuma felt greatly moved by the thought.
The Sage of Six Paths had left behind many treasures, and he also needed to consider his future descendants by refining some treasures.
"But, I'll postpone that for now. I need to prepare more."
Suppressing his thoughts, Sarutobi Asuma used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave the Sage Domain and arrive in the Land of Wind.
He had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique before and had placed markers in the Land of Wind.
In the vast desert, Sarutobi Asuma took out Namikaze Minato's kunai, quietly sensed it, and then leaped up, transforming into a streak of lightning as he whistled away.
In less than 5 minutes.
Sarutobi Asuma found the ruins of the Ancient Country of Loulan, half-buried in the sand.
In just a few years, Loulan, which once had countless tall buildings, had become this.
"The immense power of the Dragon Vein can even distort space-time, allowing one to return to the past... I just wonder if this power can send me back to that Earth..."
Sarutobi Asuma's mind drifted for a moment. After a long while, he snapped back to reality, his figure flashing as he entered the ruins, finally arriving at the place where the Dragon Vein was sealed.
He reached out and grasped Namikaze Minato's kunai, immediately sensing the vast power that was sealed within.
It was a power hidden within the earth!
"However, Chakra, this kind of energy, cannot be naturally generated. Even with the convergence of Natural Energy, it cannot transform into Chakra."
"It seems only the God Tree can..."
"Only the God Tree can gather so much power from the earth and then convert it into Chakra."
Sarutobi Asuma inferred while sensing.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Sarutobi Asuma felt a fluctuation in consciousness.
Very faint, but truly present!
Sarutobi Asuma was surprised.
The Dragon Vein's power had actually given birth to consciousness?
"Activate... Seal... Eternal Life..."
The consciousness was transmitted fragmentedly into Sarutobi Asuma's perception.
"Interesting..."
Sarutobi Asuma showed a slight smile.
Immediately, thick Adamantine Sealing Chains burst out from behind him, piercing into the surroundings and forming a massive barrier.
Once the barrier was complete, Sarutobi Asuma slowly pulled out the sealing kunai.
As the kunai was pulled out, the seal dissolved, and with a roar, the immense power erupted like magma from underground, appearing in an eerie purple color.
However, this Dragon Vein energy was restrained by Sarutobi Asuma's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Thus, the power that could not be released outward surged towards Sarutobi Asuma instead.
Sarutobi Asuma calmly opened the golden gourd at his waist.
"Absorb!"
Sarutobi Asuma raised one hand.
The next moment, the surging Dragon Vein energy was contained by a powerful force, flowing into the gourd like streams of water.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a sound like a dragon's roar echoed in Sarutobi Asuma's ears.
However, he knew this wasn't the Dragon Vein's roar, but the sound of surging energy grinding against itself.
It was just like when he unleashed the Heavenly Dragon Vacuum Wave, the sound of air friction creating a dragon-like roar.
But, he could still feel it.
The Dragon Vein's consciousness was manipulating the Dragon Vein's power, making it more aggressive.
Sage Art – *Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence*!
Sarutobi Asuma's eyelids drooped slightly. The next moment, the Sage Tree erupted from the ground beside him, its thick roots like dragons breaking through the earth and burrowing deep underground, binding the surging Dragon Vein's power.
At this moment, a series of fragmented images flashed through his mind.
It was the hazy memories of the Dragon Vein's consciousness!
Within these hazy memories, Sarutobi Asuma saw the God Tree, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, and the complete Susanoo!
"As expected, it's related to the God Tree..."
"The God Tree gathered such immense power from the earth. It's a shame it couldn't be used, as Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was sealed away."
"The current state of the Land of Wind has a lot to do with this!"
"However, the power back then was nowhere near as vast as it is now. The God Tree only started it, and then this power has been constantly gathering the earth's strength. No wonder it's infinite power... Because as long as the Earth doesn't perish, it's theoretically inexhaustible."
Sarutobi Asuma opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face.
The Dragon Vein's power was immense, far exceeding the Nine-Tails' power.
But unfortunately, the Dragon Vein's consciousness itself was not powerful.
Moreover, his Sage Tree was a perfect counter.
And then there were the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
It had now become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Soon.
The surging, torrential Dragon Vein power gradually subsided.
Sarutobi Asuma stopped and retracted the Dragon Vein's power, sealing the gourd's opening.
The Dragon Vein's power that had been surging from the sealing site began to sink, revealing the thick, dense, web-like roots of the Sage Tree.
Deep underground, the Dragon Vein's power was completely suppressed and bound by the roots of the Sage Tree.
With this immense power, the Sage Tree could have covered the entire Land of Wind in an instant.
However, Sarutobi Asuma did not immediately expand the Sage Tree.
It wasn't time yet.
Placing his hand on the Sage Tree's thick trunk, Sarutobi Asuma curled his five fingers and pulled a purple orb of light from within the Sage Tree, which vaguely resembled a dragon.
The Dragon Vein consciousness!
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