From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

After sensing the energy within his body, the immortal clone knew that he had already reached his limit in absorbing natural energy today. He could not absorb any more natural energy before refining and fusing it.

Cultivation is like eating, drinking, and growing. You have to wait until your body has digested the food before you can continue eating. It's not like you can keep eating and your body will keep growing. If you force yourself to eat too much, you will just bloat and die.

Of course, natural energies that have solidified into physical forms, such as the Grell mines and dragon veins, and even possess their own spirituality, are exceptions. Not only do they possess higher quality and quantity of natural energy than the natural energy that is free-floating in the world, but they are also easier to digest, absorb, and transform.

"Almost there, almost there! Give me another month, and I'll be able to condense the fourth Dragon Ball!"

He gently clenched his fist, sensing the immense energy within his body. The immortal clone thought to himself that if he continued at this pace, he could condense his fourth Dragon Ball in about a month.

It should be noted that the formation of the Dragon Balls becomes more difficult and takes longer each time.

Based on his talent and progress, he shouldn't have been able to condense a new Dragon Ball for the next ten or even twenty years.

However, after obtaining the secret technique of "Wrath of Heaven," which could amplify the absorption of natural energy, the immortal clone improved upon it.

The speed and efficiency of cultivating immortal techniques will increase by at least ten times!

He, who would normally not be able to condense a new Dragon Ball for more than ten years, is now only a little over a year, less than two years, away from condensing his fourth Dragon Ball.

Bang!

At this moment, a cloud of white smoke rose up around the immortal clone. After the smoke dissipated, the communication snake of Ryuchi Cave appeared in the same spot.

The immortal clone asked, "Is it the White Snake Immortal who is looking for me, Little White?"

This communication snake is pure white and named Xiaobai. It is said that it is the same species as the White Snake Immortal.

"Young Master Yinglong, the White Snake Immortal sent me to inform you that your immortal artifact is about to be born. He asks you to go to Dragon Land Cave in a month to unseal your immortal artifact."

The little white snake flicked its tongue and responded in a gentle and respectful tone.

The little white snake couldn't be disrespectful; the young master Yinglong before him was declared the successor by the White Snake Immortal in front of all the snakes of Dragon Land Cave two years ago.

After the White Snake Immortal ascends to become a dragon, he will become the successor to the Dragon Cave.

Her status is even above that of the three great goddess elders.

It is said that many unruly snakes were not convinced by this suddenly appearing creature, but within a few days, they were all taught a lesson and became obedient.

"Unseal a celestial artifact?"

Upon hearing this, the immortal clone nodded: "I understand. Go back and tell the White Snake Immortal that I will definitely arrive in a month."

The Seven Treasures Seven-Branched Sword was forged a year ago. He had personally inspected this immortal weapon, which was forged from the seven treasures of Buddhism and contained the seven attributes of Yin, Yang, Wind, Thunder, Earth, Water, and Fire.

Moreover, the five materials used to forge the Seven Treasures Seven-Branched Swords—wind, thunder, earth, water, and fire—are all products of the power of nature. Even the gold (yang) was imbued with the power of yang escape by the Great Slug Immortal.

Silver (Yin) is imbued with Yin Release power by both Sasuke's main body and Sage's clone, so the Seven Treasures Seven-Branched Sword also possesses extremely powerful and abundant natural energy.

According to the White Snake Immortal, the power of the Seven Treasures Seven-Branched Sword exceeded her previous expectations, and its potential was extremely great.

In order to make the best use of the Seven Treasures Seven-Branched Sword, the White Snake Immortal did not immediately hand it over to his immortal clone after forging it.

Instead, it was placed next to the Seven Swords, the sacred artifacts of Ryuchi Cave, to absorb a portion of their power.

The reason for sending the immortal avatar to the Qifeng Temple to witness the birth of the Seven Treasures Seven-Branched Sword was naturally to transform it into an immortal weapon that the immortal avatar could cultivate with in spirit and life at the moment of its birth.

In this way, the stronger the immortal clone is, the stronger the Seven Treasures Seven-Branched Sword will be, and vice versa.

The two have formed a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship!

...........

Late that night, when the silver moon hung high in the sky.

Darkness enveloped the silent night sky, with only a crescent moon hanging high above, occasionally disappearing into the clouds, revealing only a few points of light.

Wearing a black hooded cloak, Kabuto Yakushi walked slowly across the island. He made no sound as he walked, and his aura seemed to blend into the surrounding environment.

Even if an average person saw such a person, their brain would automatically ignore them.

Clearly, after these two years, Kabuto Yakushi has mastered the invisibility technique of Ryuchi Cave to a very high level.

He's leaving!

He was leaving Otogakure.

He has now cultivated Guiya Luo and five clones that are perfectly compatible with him.

So, he's leaving!

Kabuto Yakushi walked silently without uttering a word. With his current mastery of Sage Mode, if he were to use the Flying Imprint Sage Technique, ninety-nine percent of the ninja world would not be able to sense him at all.

Even Karin, a sensory-type member of the Uzumaki clan, wouldn't be able to detect his presence unless she specifically focused her senses on him alone.

However, he was still discovered!

Yakushi Kabuto, who had been walking with his head down, suddenly stopped and looked up. He saw that there was a person standing in the middle of the road.

Even with Yakushi Kabuto's current perception, he only detected the newcomer's presence at a distance of less than 100 meters.

Uchiha Sasuke!

Upon seeing the handsome and familiar face of the newcomer, Kabuto Yakushi's eyes flashed with solemnity and caution, and his heart instantly jumped.

"Senior Dou, what are you planning to do all alone so late at night? Are you planning to leave without saying goodbye?"

Unlike Kabuto's caution, Sasuke appeared very relaxed, speaking as if he were greeting a long-time friend.

"We've known each other for years, it's one thing to leave, but to leave without saying goodbye is a bit much, isn't it? Don't you think so, Senior Dou?"

Upon hearing this, Kabuto Yakushi remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Sasuke-kun, are you here to kill me?"

He has now been cultivating immortal arts for two years, and his mastery of immortal arts far surpasses that of Orochi Kabuto during the Fourth Shinobi World War in the original timeline.

Although his current body has not absorbed and fused with the First Hokage's cells and the Uzumaki cells, nor the bloodline limit of the Sound Five, like Orochimaru did.

However, he spent several times longer training in Sage Mode than Orochimaru, and he has been Sasuke's experimental assistant for the past few years.

Sasuke made most of his experimental results public to him, which resulted in his current strength being in no way inferior to Orochimaru from the original timeline.

Even in today's ninja world, he would be considered to have stepped into the threshold of the Super Kage realm. In a one-on-one fight, the five Kage would really be no match for him now.

Even so, Kabuto Yakushi still had no confidence whatsoever in defeating the boy in front of him. In fact, he couldn't even manage to escape and save his life, let alone defeat him.

Because Uchiha Sasuke is too strong!

As Sasuke Uchiha's experimental assistant over the past few years, Kabuto Yakushi was acutely aware of just how terrifyingly strong Sasuke was.

Even though Kabuto no longer takes the Five Kage seriously, he still can't see just how strong Sasuke Uchiha really is.

Perhaps the current Sasuke Uchiha is equivalent to Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju reborn at their peak.

They will only know who is stronger after they have fought a battle.

The peak of the two ninja gods is generally considered to be the time of their battle at the Valley of the End, when they were both around fifty years old.

The Uchiha Sasuke in front of me is still a little over a month away from turning 16.

If he were to attack me, I probably wouldn't even be able to fight back.

Kabuto felt a bitter and helpless feeling welling up inside him, but to his surprise, Sasuke shook his head and said calmly:

"Senior Dou, you've misunderstood. I'm not here to kill you."

“I am not a person who breaks his word. Our agreement was that you would help me take control of the Sound Village and act as my assistant for the next two to three years. You have fulfilled your promise, and you have done so perfectly. Since you have fulfilled your promise, I should also fulfill mine.”

Hearing this, Kabuto Yakushi breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you."

After speaking, Kabuto continued walking away, and Sasuke silently watched him leave. It seemed that, just as Sasuke had said, he would keep his promise. Sasuke did not make a move until Kabuto had passed him.

"once!"

Sasuke, with his back to Kabuto, suddenly spoke up: "Kabuto-senpai, I know you've never truly been loyal to me. You want to fulfill Orochimaru's last wish, and I have nothing to say about that. But you only have one chance, one chance to challenge me!"

Upon hearing this, Kabuto frowned, turned around, and asked with great surprise, "Why?"

"Senior Dou, you have helped me a lot over the years. Even if you have never truly been loyal to me, even if we turn against each other in the future because of our different positions, this friendship will still remain."

"Moreover, I once gave Honglian a chance to challenge me, and now I'm giving you the same chance."

Sasuke gave Guren a chance to challenge himself in order to obtain Guren's Crystal Release training method.

And unsurprisingly, driven by this momentum, Guren's strength increased considerably, and Sasuke naturally obtained a more powerful Crystal Release technique from her.

Sasuke is now able to crystallize chakra at an extremely low cost, forming his own Flying Thunder God Dagger.

Furthermore, Sasuke's current mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique has reached the second stage, placing him on the same level as Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze.

It's just that his skill level isn't quite there yet, but Sasuke's ability to crystallize chakra during battle means that his chakra can transform into his own Flying Thunder God coordinates and medium at any time.

In some ways, Sasuke's Flying Thunder God Technique is now stronger than that of Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze, making it even more difficult to defend against.

"After this opportunity, you only have two choices, Senior Dou. I think you understand without me saying more, right?"

It's either complete submission or death.

Kabuto understood, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "I understand! I will be fully prepared before challenging you again. Although it may sound a bit presumptuous to you, Sasuke, I still have to say that I will not hold back then. Be careful, Sasuke!"

"Also, before I left, I left behind my own modified Impure World Reincarnation technique in the laboratory. This forbidden technique should be of some help to you."

After leaving those words behind, Kabuto Yakushi turned and left without looking back, his figure disappearing completely into the night.

Hey.

Sasuke sighed inwardly. At this moment, he truly understood Cao Cao's conflicted feelings towards Guan Yu.

On the one hand, they wanted to kill him as soon as possible to avoid him becoming a threat; on the other hand, they were reluctant to kill him and could only treat him kindly and patiently.

Nothing more than ability!

Kabuto Yakushi was truly a medical and scientific genius. Without his help, Sasuke's research would have been more than twice as slow.

Even if Sasuke surpasses Kaguya Otsutsuki one day, he will not stop his experiments and research.

Because science has no limits!

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Sasuke really couldn't bear to kill Kabuto Yakushi, such a research genius.

So Sasuke gave him a chance, a chance to challenge himself.

Another purpose was to have Kabuto Yakushi act as a tool for him to fuse the bloodlines of the Divine Tree and the Otsutsuki.

After all, the idea that immortal techniques were the catalyst for fusion was just his speculation, and no evidence had yet confirmed it.

Spiritual practice is like climbing a mountain; the closer you get to the summit, the more cautious you must be.

Of course, if Kabuto still refused to pledge allegiance to him at that time, Sasuke would have no choice but to kill him.