"Ding! Your [Uzumaki Clan Sage Body] and [Senju Clan Sage Body], both at [God Bloodline] rank, can be fused in one of two ways. Only one option may be selected.
"First: [Complete Sage Body], also at [God Bloodline] rank. Combined with Ashura's chakra within you, this will grant the [Wood Release] kekkei genkai.
"Second: [Senjutsu Body]. Your body will automatically absorb natural energy and continuously convert your chakra into senjutsu chakra, allowing you to use senjutsu indefinitely without adverse effects."
Naruto studied the two options, weighing them carefully.
Wood Release was tempting—especially if it meant wielding the same power as Hashirama Senju.
He could already picture it: entire forests rising at his command, enormous wooden constructs towering over the battlefield. Add Susanoo and a Nine-Tails clad in Susanoo armor…
A grin tugged at his mouth.
And once he obtained the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the path to awakening the Rinnegan might be within reach as well.
The power Madara had spent so long pursuing could be his much sooner.
Just imagining it made his pulse quicken.
But senjutsu was hardly something he could dismiss.
Even Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, had trained in it. That power had helped him confront his own mother and seal her away.
And when Obito and Madara became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, senjutsu and taijutsu could still injure them when ordinary ninjutsu proved ineffective.
That alone showed how valuable it could be against opponents at that level.
Then there were the ancient sages living in the three legendary summoning regions.
Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest…
Some of the beings associated with those places had lived for a thousand years. Was their mastery of natural energy part of the reason they could survive so long?
If so, senjutsu offered more than strength.
Naruto looked back at the first option.
Choosing Wood Release would put him on a path toward becoming a full-fledged Ōtsutsuki. Powerful as that sounded, he could already imagine where that path might end. To go beyond it, he might have to leave this world and seek out even stronger beings.
The [Senjutsu Body], on the other hand, might let him reach the same level of strength while granting him an even longer life.
And this wasn't ordinary Sage Mode.
Learning senjutsu alone wouldn't allow him to maintain Sage Mode forever. The system was offering something different: a permanent change to his body, with senjutsu chakra becoming its normal state.
If the energy sustaining his body changed, perhaps his body—and even his lifespan—would change with it.
The Ōtsutsuki were powerful, but they still relied on chakra. If all his chakra became senjutsu chakra, wouldn't that give him an advantage of his own?
His grin returned.
He wanted to find out how far this path could take him.
Perhaps it would let him surpass even the Ōtsutsuki.
"System, if I choose [Senjutsu Body], can I still learn Yin–Yang Release? And will I keep my Sharingan?"
"Ding! Yes. Both are compatible with [Senjutsu Body]."
That settled one concern.
Yin–Yang Release was an ability he could learn to wield, not something restricted to this particular body. Choosing the senjutsu option wouldn't prevent him from mastering it.
Before he could say anything else, the system continued.
"Ding! Please note: the transformation will remove the additional abilities granted by [Uzumaki Clan Sage Body] and [Senju Clan Sage Body]. These will be replaced by the abilities of [Senjutsu Body]."
Naruto's smile vanished.
The Uzumaki body granted him enormous chakra reserves, Adamantine Sealing Chains, the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, [Physical Healing], and a talent for sealing techniques.
The Senju body granted another increase to his chakra reserves, exceptional chakra control, [Ninjutsu Talent], and [Earth Sensing].
He would lose all of them.
"You really don't make this easy, do you?" he muttered. "That would cut off my path to becoming an Ōtsutsuki…"
He had been ready to choose [Senjutsu Body], but he hadn't expected the price to be this steep.
His current chakra reserves were many times greater than those of the Naruto he remembered from the original story.
That Naruto had never possessed either of these fully awakened, system-granted bodies. He hadn't received the enormous increases that the Uzumaki and Senju bodies now gave him.
The Nine-Tails' influence had contributed greatly to his immense reserves and remarkable recovery, alongside his natural Uzumaki vitality.
Naruto remembered the explanations from the journey to the Land of Waves, as well as the later accounts of how the Nine-Tails' chakra affected his body during his transformations.
If losing the two bodies merely returned his reserves to their original level, he could accept that.
He would still have far more chakra than most shinobi.
But what about [Ninjutsu Talent]?
"Ding! All techniques learned through [Ninjutsu Talent] will be retained, along with your current proficiency in them. [Senjutsu Body] also provides its own additional abilities."
Naruto breathed out.
"Good. So I'll still have [Wind God Form], and I'll still be able to form a Rasengan with one hand."
Some of the tension left his shoulders.
"Right… I've already learned those techniques. Changing my body shouldn't erase what I know."
He turned his attention back to the description of [Senjutsu Body].
As he read further, his eyes brightened.
Its additional abilities were listed beneath it:
[Senjutsu Amplification]: Techniques are empowered with senjutsu chakra, increasing their strength several times over.
[Body Enhancement]: Increases physical strength, speed, mental strength, and reaction speed. These improvements continue to develop over time rather than remaining fixed.
[Natural Perception]: Detects danger and living beings within a radius of several kilometers. At close range, allows the user to perceive even the smallest movements of an opponent.
[Natural Healing]: Senjutsu chakra naturally provides powerful healing capabilities.
[Unique Senjutsu]: Allows the development of personal senjutsu abilities through experimentation and training, comparable to the distinctive techniques of the three legendary sage regions.
By the time Naruto finished reading, he could barely contain his excitement.
These abilities were stronger than those he would be giving up.
More importantly, they could keep improving.
Ordinary chakra drew on a shinobi's own physical and spiritual energy. Using it steadily exhausted those resources.
Senjutsu brought in natural energy from the world around him.
With [Senjutsu Body] continuously absorbing that energy, he wouldn't simply be wearing himself down every time he fought. The energy flowing into him would help replenish his strength and reinforce his body.
Instead of only growing tired, he could become stronger and more vigorous through using it.
This wasn't just an increase in the amount of chakra he possessed.
It changed the kind of power sustaining him.
"If you'd shown me this part sooner, I wouldn't have spent so long worrying…"
Then another thought interrupted his excitement.
"System, what happens to my female avatar? Will she lose her [Uzumaki Clan Sage Body] too?"
"Ding! No. Your avatar will retain her existing body and abilities. However, she will not receive [Senjutsu Body]."
Naruto considered that for a moment, then nodded.
It made sense.
He had created her after obtaining the [External Avatar] ability. Unlike a shadow clone, she had become a separate, living person the moment she was formed.
She could be killed, but she wouldn't disappear in a puff of smoke. Nor would she disperse and return to his body.
She was still completely under his control, and her personality and thoughts were the same as his. In that respect, she resembled a shadow clone.
Physically, though, she was independent.
It was much like the second incarnations he had read about in fantasy novels during his previous life—a second body that could continue to exist on its own.
Satisfied, Naruto made his decision.
"System, fuse them into [Senjutsu Body]."
"Ding! Fusion requires a [Bloodline Fusion Scroll], available for 200 System Points. Your current balance is 130 System Points."
Naruto stared at the message.
Then his expression fell.
"Damn it… After all that, I can't even afford it?"
He let out a breath, then glanced in the direction Shikamaru's team had gone.
"Well, I won't have to wait long. Killing one more of the Sound Four should give me enough."
With that, Naruto became a gust of wind and rose above the treetops, swiftly flying after Shikamaru and the others.