"I've heard about you from little Tsunade, but the Sage Arts of the Shikkotsu Forest have extremely harsh requirements. There's a chance you might die..." The massive Slug Sage lowered its head, gazing at Danzo.
"I still want to give it a try." Having come all this way, there was no reason for Danzo to back down.
"Then follow me. I'm curious to see if you can complete Sage Mode training. You give off a strange feeling... powerful yet chaotic..."
The enormous slug slowly began to dissolve, while the surrounding trees shifted, parting to form a pathway.
As Danzo ventured deeper, the natural energy around him grew increasingly dense, to the point that he started to feel a slight discomfort...
"Aside from little Tsunade, no one has come here in a long time. I hope you can complete your training—then I'll have another contractor..."
Danzo observed the trees around him and noticed human faces embedded in their bark. Some even had vague, distinguishable limbs.
Sensing his confusion, the Slug Sage explained:
"These are the remnants of powerful humans who failed and were consumed by natural energy. Even I cannot save them... You still have a chance to turn back."
"Thank you for your concern, but I believe I can succeed."
"Let's hope so. You humans are always so fearless..."
After this brief exchange, they fell into silence.
Danzo continued forward until he reached the end of the path.
"This is the place. A fine spot... If you fail and end up rooted here, at least the scenery is pleasant."
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness," Danzo replied dryly.
The ground began to writhe as a stone tablet slowly emerged, surrounded by a slimy secretion.
"Train here at your own pace. Everything you need is here... If you get hungry, you can eat the poisonous mushrooms. You're strong enough that you probably won't die from them."
With that, silence enveloped the area.
Danzo carefully studied the inscriptions on the stone tablet, noting the warning left behind by the First Hokage:
Those with insufficient chakra should not attempt this training...
It seemed that, throughout history, only the First Hokage had successfully mastered this Sage Art.
"My bloodline and chakra should be sufficient..."
Danzo steadied his mind and began to attune himself to the natural chakra surrounding him.
The initial training was relatively simple, and in just three days, he had grasped the fundamentals.
Next was direct contact with the slimy secretion around the stone tablet... which was thoroughly unpleasant.
Coating his palms with the secretion, he resumed training.
Natural energy surged into his body, his hands developing wooden patterns before they gradually faded away...
…
Time passed quickly in training.
A month later, Danzo felt an unbearable itch all over his body—mushrooms had started growing on him.
However, his progress was undeniable. Strange black markings had appeared on his face, and his aura now exuded a natural vitality.
"I should have succeeded. With this, absorbing the energy of the Dragon Vein should be no issue..."
Danzo stood up, plucked the mushrooms from his body, changed into drier clothes, and prepared to leave.
"You're strange."
"Slug Sage, is there a problem?" Danzo asked. He had been aware that the sage had been observing him throughout his training, though it bore no hostility.
"During your training, I noticed that natural energy strongly rejected you—yet you still managed to complete Sage Mode."
"Natural energy rejected me?" Danzo was puzzled. Could natural energy possess its own will?
Wasn't Sage Mode simply the process of absorbing natural energy and blending it with physical and spiritual energy to create Senjutsu chakra?
"Yes, it rejected you, as if there is something in you that it despises... Yet, you are so powerful that, even if it resists, it has no choice but to submit to your will."
Something in me that natural energy despises...
Could it be Black Zetsu's presence?
That was the only logical explanation...
So it wasn't that mastering Sage Mode had made him strong.
Rather, it was because he was already strong that he could forcefully master Sage Mode.
But ultimately, that didn't matter.
As long as the results were satisfactory, that was enough.
Danzo could feel his power had increased significantly. In Sage Mode, his perception had expanded—he could now sense everything within a thirty-kilometer radius.
Noticing Danzo's indifference, the Slug Sage cautioned him:
"If you suffer severe injuries while in Sage Mode, you might turn into a wooden statue."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for your guidance, but it's time for me to leave."
Danzo had no intention of staying here any longer. Otherwise, he'd end up covered in mushrooms again.
"I will send you back—"
"No need, I'll handle it myself." Locking onto the coordinates of the Land of Wind, Danzo vanished in an instant.
Watching him leave, the Slug Sage murmured to itself:
"His aura is indeed chaotic... A truly peculiar contractor. Let's hope he lives long enough."
…
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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