Although Zhang Miao had acquired Wood Release and the Sage's Body a long time ago, unfortunately, both of these ninja specialties were incomplete.
Firstly, his Wood Release Chakra was obtained after recruiting Yamato and not the original version belonging to Hashirama. Hence, its power was significantly limited. Despite being formidable in single-target attacks, it lacked effectiveness in group attacks.
Secondly, his Sage's Body was a combination of Senju bloodline obtained after recruiting Tsunade and his own Uzumaki lineage. The name "Primary Sage's Body" provided by the system indicated its limited power.
While others might dream happily with these two specialties, for Zhang Miao, who aspired to become a true deity, these incomplete skills were far from sufficient.
Therefore, as he looked at Hashirama's ninja abilities, he started considering them seriously.
"No doubt, if I choose Hashirama's Wood Release, I'll fully unleash its power. And if I select his Sage's Body, it will surpass my 'Primary Sage's Body.' So, either way, I won't lose!"
With this in mind, Zhang Miao sighed, pondered for a while, then nodded.
"Well, I have plenty of attack methods. Not having Wood Release won't make a big difference. On the other hand, the Sage's Body, continuously providing Chakra, offers higher value for me. So, I'll go with this!"
After making the decision, Zhang Miao immediately pointed his finger at the second option, and the system's voice chimed in.
"Ding! Congratulations, His Holiness, for obtaining Hashirama's Sage's Body. As His Holiness already has the Primary Sage's Body, your body is now automatically upgraded to the Intermediate Sage's Body. Under the influence of the Intermediate Sage's Body's natural energy, your Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu powers are doubled!"
"Doubled Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu powers?"
Upon hearing this system prompt, Zhang Miao immediately inquired mentally, "Does this doubling include Bloodline Limits?"
For the present Zhang Miao, ordinary Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu couldn't satisfy his needs. Most of his attack techniques were derived from Bloodline Limits, prompting this question.
The system's reply did not disappoint him.
"Indeed, it includes Bloodline Limits. All Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu techniques at His Holiness's disposal will have double their original power. Certain Ninjutsu affected by Chakra can reach ten times or even dozens of times their original base power, based on the Chakra amount used by His Holiness."
"I see!" Excitement flickered in Zhang Miao's eyes upon hearing the system's response. "So, my Sharingan's visual power and Wood Release Ninjutsu are enhanced, right?"
"Yes!" The system immediately confirmed, "Your current visual power is twice its original, and your Wood Release Ninjutsu is also twice as potent as Hashirama's."
Though expected, upon hearing this system prompt, Zhang Miao couldn't help feeling a bit excited.
"My original visual power could release Blaze Release for about twenty minutes. Doubled, it's forty minutes now. Paired with Wood Release Ninjutsu equivalent to double Hashirama's—no problem facing the Five Great Shinobi Countries. If the Intermediate Sage's Body is this strong, then what about the Advanced Sage's Body?"
Thinking this, Zhang Miao's gaze heated up as he looked at the other pile of ninja fragments.
"Both are 8-star ninjas. If Hashirama is this powerful, then Madara won't let me down either. Let's get started!"
While saying this, Zhang Miao swiftly began performing hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a bang, a cloud of white smoke rose again from the rock. When the smoke dispersed, Madara, dressed in dark red ninja armor with long hair, appeared before him.
Similar to Hashirama previously recruited, the Madara standing before Zhang Miao was also very young, appearing no older than forty. The sharp gaze and the aura of killing intent exuded from him made him look as though he had just stepped off the battlefield.
However, upon seeing Zhang Miao, his expression immediately turned respectful. Without waiting for Zhang Miao to speak, he knelt down on one knee.
"His Holiness, Madara, has come as per your summons. Thank you for granting me a youthful body and eternal life. Your command is my mission. I am willing to eliminate all obstacles for you and unify the Ninja World!"
As Madara finished speaking, the system's prompt sounded in Zhang Miao's mind.
"Ding! Congratulations to His Holiness for recruiting the 8-star Super Kage-level Senju Hashirama and acquiring this ninja's chakra reserves. As His Holiness has recruited Uchiha clan members over three times, it's impossible to acquire this ninja's specialty. The system will automatically transfer this ninja's specialty to other recruits!"
Zhang Miao: "..."
"What the heck is going on?"
Upon hearing the system prompts, Zhang Miao froze. While he was still processing, the system chimed in once more.
"Ding! Successful transfer. Hashirama has acquired Madara's ninja specialty—Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan!"
"Ding! Because Hashirama already possesses the Sage's Body, the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan automatically evolves into the Rinnegan. Hashirama's star rating automatically increases to 9-star!"
As these two system notifications sounded, Hashirama, who was standing, immediately knelt before Zhang Miao.
"Hashirama has arrived as summoned by His Holiness. I am willing to devote all loyalty and life to His Holiness. Also, I'm thankful for the power you've bestowed upon me. Hashirama is eternally grateful!"
Zhang Miao: "..."
Do you think I'm willing to grant you power? I was coerced into this!
At this moment, Zhang Miao recalled the system's rule: after recruiting three times from the same clan, the ninja's specialty couldn't be acquired. It would be transferred to other ninjas.
For instance, both the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan were major clans in Konoha. Zhang Miao had recruited more than three ninjas from both clans, so the transfer was inevitable.
Realizing this, Zhang Miao closed his eyes as he looked at the kneeling Hashirama and Madara. He let out a long sigh.
"Alas, this is fate. You two, get up!"
"Yes, His Holiness!" Upon Zhang Miao's command, Hashirama and Madara immediately complied and stood up.
After they rose, Zhang Miao slowly opened his eyes and nodded at both of them.
"You're both excellent. However, you're too famous, so your names need a change. Hashirama will now be called Hashiradai. From now on, I'll call you Big Pillar. Understand?"
"Yes!"
As Zhang Miao finished speaking, the newly named Hashirama's expression stiffened for a moment. Then, he reluctantly nodded.
"Big Pillar understands!"
Observing Hashiradai's resigned expression, a hint of mockery flickered across Madara's face. Before his smirk faded, Zhang Miao's voice echoed again.
"As for Madara, you'll be called Hagedara* from now on. How about that? I've picked a name that's particularly smooth and down-to-earth, right?"
Hagedara: "Σ(°°|||)︴"
*TL Note: The chinese name for Madara's clone includes a character that translates to "Alopecia areata", a term for patchy hair loss, a condition where someone has a circular bald patches in their head. I decided to use "Hage", which translates to something like "Bald" in japanese"