Underground, in Root.
The air reeked of rot where the sun never reached.
In a deep chamber, several figures sat around a table, faces blank, eyes fixed forward.
At the head, a man kept his eyes shut, as if waiting.
Moments later, a shadow raced through the narrow hall and entered the room.
"Lord Danzo, confirmation received. Squad A has been wiped out."
The masked shinobi knelt on one knee, words echoing in the hollow space.
At the report, every gaze slid to Danzo at the head.
"I understand. I failed to account for this," Danzo said, opening his eyes, voice low.
He had invested heavily to form that strike team.
It was a unit he never moved unless vital.
Losing all of them at once was a knife to the bone.
"Lord Danzo, allow me to act."
"I will bring the Sharingan back for you."
"Give the mission to our squad."
"..."
The fully indoctrinated shinobi spoke over each other.
They had no independent thought, only loyalty to Danzo.
"No. The Uchiha will tighten security after this."
"We shelve it for now. We have other matters."
"The Third's operatives have been busy. We must find ways to check them."
Competition between ANBU and Root had been constant since Root's founding.
The Third had sanctioned Root and granted authority, but ANBU would not easily cede power.
After the war, ANBU's influence swelled, and Danzo sensed Root being eased aside.
Perhaps with Hiruzen's tacit nod.
Splitting focus now would be foolish.
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
When he closed his eyes again, the others withdrew in silence.
He sat alone, thinking.
"Has someone in the Uchiha awakened the Mangekyo."
The intel said few elites had stayed behind in the district.
Their route had avoided patrols. How were they found so quickly.
Even if discovered, a jonin team should not be erased without a single survivor.
And was this tied to that immense chakra spike the sensor caught before.
The more he turned it over, the harder his head throbbed.
He let out a breath and rose for the Hokage Tower.
There was more to contest with Hiruzen.
"White Fang of the Leaf. Quite the run you are on," he murmured, and the chamber fell quiet once more.
...
At the same time, after a brief weightless drop, Senya settled onto the thick loam of an ancient forest.
Shikkotsu Forest, at last.
"Haa..."
The instant he landed, vast, pure natural energy surged into him.
Every cell sang with satisfaction.
The Sage Body's progress jumped forward.
The rush was so exquisite he could not help the deep breath.
"System, begin today's check-in."
Once his body adapted, he called inward.
DING! Check-in successful. Reward: Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode.
A deep green light blossomed in his mind.
Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode: amplifies bodily activity, offense, and defense by channeling natural energy, and extends taijutsu reach and perception through nature flow.
Sage Mode forms sage chakra from natural energy, greatly boosting the power of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.
"Sage Mode."
His heart stirred as he read.
The Sage Body absorbed and digested natural energy to permanently uplift the flesh.
Sage Mode skipped digestion to directly empower techniques.
Similar, yet not the same.
"Both together are how Hashirama unleashed that towering Buddha that met a full Susanoo with the Nine-Tails."
The thought of their combined force drew a quiet awe.
The little slug slipped away into the trees, likely to meet the Slug Sage.
Senya did not follow.
He found a quiet spot and began to train.
An hour passed.
When every cell brimmed with nature, he urged the green light.
SWISH!
The operating method of Sage Mode and the control of nature sank straight into his mind.
With long practice of the Sage Body, natural energy was already an old friend.
After a quick alignment, he pressed his fingers together and tried to enter Sage Mode.
Nature coursed through him like a flood.
A strange, potent aura began to form.
As its concentration peaked, his presence rose and sharpened.
"Sage Mode, on."
He breathed the words and stepped across.
...