Yet Genjo seemed to have already seen through his thoughts and softly said, "Benefactor Shinichi Higashino is inspecting the surrounding area to confirm whether any enemies are still lying in wait. He asked this humble monk to come first and tend to you."
"Your injuries are far too severe, benefactor. Please refrain from speaking any further and allow this humble monk to stabilize your condition first."
Hearing this, Shibito's lips moved slightly again, as though he still wanted to say something, but Genjo's finger had already gently touched the center of his forehead.
The next instant, a gentle, crystalline green chakra radiance blossomed from that fingertip, softly spreading like a veil of clear moonlight, like a spring breeze brushing across withered grass, or gentle rain nourishing the cracked earth.
As the green chakra flowed into him, wave after wave permeating every limb and every bone, Shibito's battered body resembled drought-stricken land finally receiving life-giving rain, healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Under the stunned gazes of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall ninja, their leader, who had been on the brink of death only moments ago, gradually regained a trace of vitality.
After only a few breaths, although Shibito's complexion remained deathly pale and his body was still frighteningly emaciated, he appeared like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.
Shibito looked down at his revitalized body in utter disbelief before raising his head toward the smiling young monk before him, and just when he was about to speak…
Whoosh!
A figure plummeted from the sky like a meteor, interrupting Shibito before he could utter a word.
It was none other than Shinichi Higashino!
Meanwhile, Genjo's gaze had already fallen upon the gigantic tree towering into the heavens in the distance, and his eyes instantly became profoundly meaningful.
The God Tree remnant!
Or rather, a branch that had been left behind from the God Tree all those years ago.
Feeling the unique stirring that arose from the depths of his bloodline, Genjo could not help sighing inwardly.
He had never imagined that he would discover a branch of the God Tree in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, one that had even grown into such a colossal, sky-shrouding form.
Come to think of it, whether in his previous life or this one, he had never truly understood the Village Hidden in the Waterfall.
He only knew that it had the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki and had produced an Akatsuki member named Kakuzu. Beyond that, he knew almost nothing about this small ninja village.
Had he known that a branch of the God Tree existed here, he might have found an excuse to visit long ago.
Could this branch of the God Tree have been one that Indra and Asura had accidentally overlooked when the two brothers traveled the world clearing away remnants of the God Tree all those years ago?
Genjo began speculating about the origin of this gigantic tree.
No, that was unlikely.
Removing the remnants of the God Tree had been an order personally issued by the Sage of Six Paths. At the time, Hagoromo Otsutsuki had already possessed immense strength and had also become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. There was no way he could have failed to notice a surviving remnant of the God Tree hidden somewhere in the Shinobi World.
Could it have been intentional?
After pondering for a while without finding an answer, Genjo simply decided not to dwell on it any further for the time being.
No matter what, discovering the branch of God Tree in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall was undoubtedly an unexpected delight for him.
The Bodhi Tree No. 1 currently in his possession had certainly been of tremendous help, but it ultimately had significant limitations.
The mother tree of that Bodhi Tree came from the mysterious giant tree deep within Shikkotsu Forest. It was a native creation born naturally from this world itself rather than a product of chakra.
Consequently, the benefits it provided were limited purely to the domain of Nature energy and offered absolutely no enhancement to any of the seven chakra natures: Dark, Light, Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Water.
This meant that every time Genjo cultivated with the aid of the Bodhi Tree, although his efficiency in absorbing and converting Nature energy and entering Sage Mode increased dramatically, he always felt as though something was missing. It was like a chef who had mastered perfect control over heat yet lacked a single cauldron capable of cooking seven different ingredients at once.
And the branch of the God Tree before him was precisely that cauldron.
He possessed the talent, Cultivation Lord, meaning that he could use methods such as grafting and fusion to combine the characteristics of these two ancient trees from different origins, extracting their respective traits for targeted cultivation.
In the end, he would cultivate a brand-new Bodhi Tree capable of both efficiently absorbing Nature energy and enhancing all seven chakra natures: Dark, Light, Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Water.
Furthermore, the God Tree itself was the origin of the Sage Body and the Sage Eyes. The Sage Body was an extension of the God Tree's Light Style power, while the Sharingan was the manifestation of its Dark Style power.
If he could conduct an in-depth study of this branch of the God Tree and investigate its internal energy structure and bloodline information, it would undoubtedly open an entirely new avenue for unlocking the potential hidden within his clone's bloodline.
Whether it was advancing Wood Style even further, fully unleashing the Sharingan's potential, or even reunifying the two into a single whole, this branch of the God Tree would be the best key he could ask for.
While Genjo quietly observed the Village Hidden in the Waterfall's giant tree, Shinichi stood amid the ruins with a calm expression, listening as Shibito rapidly reported all the intelligence regarding the invading enemies in a weak voice.
The truly noteworthy opponents could be counted on one hand.
Gari, wielder of a dual Kekkei Genkai; Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki; and Kakuzu, the king of bounty hunters.
There was also something called the Hero Water, which Shibito repeatedly mentioned, a substance that Shinichi had never heard of in either his previous life or this one.
"This branch of the God Tree has probably undergone some kind of unique mutation over these thousand years, secreting a special sap capable of forcibly stimulating a person's chakra."
When Genjo had treated Shibito earlier, Shinichi had examined his body and discovered traces of an enormous amount of residual chakra that far exceeded Shibito's own natural level.
However, measured in terms of multiplication, it was nowhere near the dozens-of-times increase Shibito had described. It did not even reach seven or eight times.
On second thought, that made sense.
Shibito was, after all, the leader of an entire hidden village, so his chakra reserves were naturally much greater than those of an ordinary ninja.
The so-called dozens of times was probably referring to average Genin and Chūnin, who could unleash astonishing power far beyond their normal limits after drinking it, only to have their lives rapidly consumed by the Hero Water until they ultimately died from complete exhaustion.
"Still, this is something worth paying attention to."
Shinichi silently committed the information to memory before refocusing his attention on the Village Hidden in the Waterfall chief, who was looking at him expectantly, and said, "Mr. Shibito, rest assured. Village Hidden in the Waterfall has been Konoha's friendly ally for generations. Now that it has suffered such a calamity, Konoha will not stand idly by. We will certainly recover the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki for the Village Hidden in the Waterfall and demand justice from the Village Hidden in the Stones and Village Hidden in the Grass."
Shibito nodded gratefully. He opened his mouth as though wanting to say something, but perhaps because he was poor with words, or perhaps because his injuries had left his mind still muddled, he ultimately managed only a dry reminder.
"Shinichi-sama... Please be careful."
Check my Patreon for 150 more chapters
Pa treon. com/SweetestDeath