Chapter 248 : Super Luxurious System Panel
Uchiha Taiga glanced at his system panel.
The panel floated before his eyes, translucent and light blue, filled with lines of text.
Such a luxurious panel represented Uchiha Taiga's growth over the past ten years.
Some of it came from the annual lottery draws.
For example, the Unity of Body and Soul was the best reward he had obtained from the draws.
Of course, there were also ordinary rewards, such as experience in certain chakra nature transformations, which greatly enhanced Uchiha Taiga's proficiency in specific elemental jutsu.
But the majority of it came from Uchiha Taiga's own accumulation over the years.
He had spent ten years gradually elevating these abilities to their current level.
After all, at Uchiha Taiga's current level, mastering one principle meant mastering them all. It hardly took any effort; the foundational elements naturally improved on their own.
For instance, he could effortlessly master Kekkei Genkai.
He didn't need to train bitterly like others, nor did he need to risk his life. His body would automatically adapt and adjust, subsequently developing the Kekkei Genkai through his own bloodline.
This was the advantage of his bloodline.
After all, in terms of bloodline purity, if the current Uchiha Taiga were placed out in the cosmos, he would definitely be on par with the main branch of the Otsutsuki clan.
However, Uchiha Taiga didn't care much about this, as he had no interest in bloodline supremacy.
Bloodlines determine everything?
That was the logic of the Otsutsuki clan, not his.
Having lived two lifetimes, he had seen too many people reach the pinnacle without relying on special bloodlines.
Therefore, he was gradually eliminating the influence of the Otsutsuki bloodline on himself.
This action of Uchiha Taiga was reflected in the system panel as Energy Affinity.
Furthermore, he had a premonition that once all the chakra natures, Kekkei Genkai, and even jutsu on the panel were assimilated into Energy Affinity, it would upgrade to at least SSS rank.
When that time came, he would completely break free from the restrictions of the Otsutsuki bloodline and truly forge his own path.
And the God Tree before him was the first step on that path.
It was not born to absorb natural energy, but rather to produce it.
This was the fundamental difference between him and the Otsutsuki clan.
The Otsutsuki clan in the cosmos took without restraint, plundering everything in the universe to elevate themselves in pursuit of becoming 'gods'.
Uchiha Taiga, on the other hand, chose the opposite path. He wanted to enrich the universe, growing alongside the cosmos to eventually become the 'Only One'.
It was a grand ambition, almost impossible, but Uchiha Taiga was confident. After all, he was a noble system player.
Uchiha Taiga had never spoken of these things to anyone else.
These were his own thoughts, and others wouldn't understand.
Because when it came to bloodlines, even someone like Nagato had his own pride.
This was evident from how much Nagato cared about the Uzumaki clan after learning he was a descendant of their bloodline. Very few people in the ninja world could break free from this stereotypical mindset.
They took pride in their bloodlines, boasted of their heritage, and rooted themselves in their clans.
This was a tradition in the ninja world that had lasted for thousands of years; it couldn't be changed with just a few words.
Therefore, for Uchiha Taiga, this path was destined to be a lonely one.
No one could understand him, and no one could walk alongside him.
He could only walk alone, step by step, until the very end.
Namikaze Minato took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart.
He looked at Uchiha Taiga and asked, "What do you mean by the exact opposite?"
Uchiha Taiga didn't hide anything. He raised a finger and pointed at the thin mist surrounding them.
"Do you feel it? The mist around us."
Namikaze Minato nodded. "I know, that's natural energy."
As someone contracted with Mount Myoboku, he was no stranger to natural energy.
Although he hadn't trained in Sage Mode, he knew what natural energy was.
It was a power that existed between heaven and earth, one of the sources of chakra.
Uchiha Taiga smiled.
"This God Tree can absorb various energies from the cosmos and produce natural energy."
His voice was calm.
"It isn't consuming this planet's natural energy; it's replenishing it."
Namikaze Minato's eyes widened sharply, his pupils shrinking as his mouth fell slightly open.
If that were truly the case, then this tree was no ordinary treasure.
A tree capable of producing natural energy.
A tree capable of making a planet flourish.
A tree capable of terraforming a dead planet into a new home suitable for human survival.
What kind of concept was this?
This was something that could change the entire world.
Namikaze Minato's heartbeat quickened. As he looked at the giant tree, his vigilance unknowingly faded, replaced by an even greater sense of shock.
Then, he heard Uchiha Taiga speak again.
"In my vision, the natural energy produced by this God Tree could make a planet flourish, even terraforming a dead planet into a new home suitable for human survival."
His voice remained calm.
"But unfortunately, I succeeded, yet I also failed."
Namikaze Minato frowned, hurriedly pressing for answers. "Where did you fail?"
His tone was urgent.
Uchiha Taiga raised his hand and pointed at the mist again.
"You can see it too, the amount of mist."
Namikaze Minato nodded.
"Yeah."
Of course he saw it.
The mist was very thin and faint, draping over the tree like a light veil.
"Since it can already produce natural energy, why do you consider it a failure?"
His voice carried a hint of confusion.
Uchiha Taiga shrugged.
"Because the output is too low. A single tree only covers a range of a few dozen miles. The natural energy it produces is only enough to sustain the ecosystem of such a small area."
He shook his head.
"I envisioned that planting one God Tree on a planet would be enough, but now it seems that's far from sufficient."
He paused.
"This God Tree absorbs too little cosmic energy, and its conversion efficiency is too low."
A trace of regret laced his tone.
"Ultimately, it's still missing a crucial element."
Namikaze Minato stood to the side, listening to Uchiha Taiga's words.
He looked at the thin mist, then at the giant tree, and remained silent for a long time.
Then, he spoke. "What is that crucial element?"
Uchiha Taiga looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up.
"Can't you guess?"
Namikaze Minato frowned in thought, searching his mind for various possibilities. Then, realizing something, his eyes widened slightly.
"Do you mean... the Tailed Beasts?"
Uchiha Taiga nodded, then shook his head.
"It's related to the Tailed Beasts, but not entirely. The truly crucial point is the sentience of the Tailed Beasts."
Namikaze Minato froze for a moment.
Sentience?
He didn't quite understand.
It was no secret that the Tailed Beasts possessed sentience.
The Nine-Tails could speak, think, and have its own emotions and judgment.
But what did sentience have to do with natural energy?
He couldn't figure it out.
Uchiha Taiga looked at him. "The sentience of the Tailed Beasts stems from their chakra."
His voice was calm.
"That is the chakra Hagoromo Otsutsuki separated from the Ten-Tails, which formed their individual consciousnesses. And the nine Tailed Beasts combined make up the Ten-Tails, which is another manifestation of the God Tree. The Ten-Tails also possesses its own sentience."
He paused.
"What I want to figure out is how sentience is born from chakra. That might be the key to the God Tree's success."
Namikaze Minato's frown deepened. He didn't fully understand, but he realized one thing.
Uchiha Taiga resurrected him and asked him to contact the Nine-Tails not for the beast's power, but for its sentience.
Namikaze Minato remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"So, do you need me to contact the Nine-Tails now?"
Uchiha Taiga nodded.
"Of course."
He looked at Namikaze Minato, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Now, you should believe that I haven't lied to you, right? I'm actually quite self-centered and rarely explain things patiently to others. So, just do as I say."
Namikaze Minato nodded. He asked no further questions.
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