Shikkotsu Forest. One of the three legendary Sage regions alongside Ryuchi Cave and Mount Myoboku.
Here, a thick, white mist clung to the earth year-round. The air was saturated with a gentle yet gargantuan volume of natural energy. Bizarre prehistoric ferns dotted the landscape, making one feel as if they had stepped back into the very origin of life.
Saiki had been reverse-summoned here by Katsuyu. His initial intent was merely to use the dense natural energy to recover from the exhaustion of his battle with Madara Uchiha's shadow clone.
However, the moment he sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state, he lost all consciousness.
His body, which appeared young and invincible on the outside, was actually riddled with deep, hidden fractures.
From his initial clashes with the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, to his slaughter of Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi, to the relentless gauntlet on the front lines—killing Hanzo, crippling the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, erasing Orochimaru, and finally the desperate struggle against Madara... every battle, especially those where he pushed his Sage Chakra beyond his natural limits, had silently shaved away at his primordial life essence.
Furthermore, to save Kushina Uzumaki, he had nearly drained his spirit and soul dry.
Though he had replenished some energy through his intimate Dual Cultivation with Tsunade and Kushina, it was ultimately just a drop of water in a parched desert. His expenditure had far outpaced his income.
Now, submerged in an ocean of natural energy, his chronically "bankrupt" body acted like a starving beast finding a feast. It instinctively began a frantic absorption and a profound level of self-repair and structural adjustment.
His consciousness drifted into a mysterious, deep state of Samadhi. His bodily functions were automatically recalibrated to the most perfect state of cultivation, and his perception of the passage of time outside was completely severed.
This single sitting lasted for two long years.
...
Two years. For the Shinobi World, they were years of relentless fire and shifting geopolitics.
The Third Great Ninja War had not only failed to cease; it had escalated into a total meat grinder.
The Iwagakure Front: Because Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, had been severely wounded by the Gedo Mazo and failed to recover, and because Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, remained a prisoner of Konoha, the Stone army faced immense pressure. They eventually chose a strategic retreat, shifting their primary forces to deal with their blood-rivals, Kumogakure. The direct intensity of their conflict with the Leaf dropped significantly.
But this gave Konoha no room to breathe.
Konoha's Plight: The Hidden Leaf was also bleeding out.
The "disappearance" of Orochimaru—a death known only to Tsunade and a handful of others—left the northern defense line without a top-tier powerhouse.
Though Minato Namikaze's fame skyrocketed, earning him the title of the "Yellow Flash" for his localized victories, a single man could not hold back the tide.
Konoha failed to secure a decisive advantage against the Stone and was instead dragged into a grueling war of attrition.
Sunagakure's Movements: To distract from the internal crisis of the Third Kazekage's disappearance, the Hidden Sand—already under fire from the Stone—became a major catalyst for the war's expansion.
As the weakest of the Five Great Nations in terms of manpower, their initial struggle against the Stone was difficult.
However, as the Stone was drained by the Leaf, the Sand found their footing and secured several regional victories.
Yet, seeing their "ally" Konoha drowning in a three-front war, the Sand leadership began to harbor dark thoughts.
The Land of Fire possessed the most fertile, temperate soil in the world. This wealth had long been coveted by the desolate Land of Wind.
Sand units began massing silently on the Leaf's border, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Amegakure's Chaos: The Rain Village had descended into absolute anarchy.
The death of Hanzo the Salamander left them leaderless. Internal factions began tearing the village apart.
The Akatsuki had fragmented after the death of Yahiko. Their leader, Nagato, had vanished after his "critical injury," rumored to be at death's door.
In reality, Nagato was physically spent after supporting Madara's shadow clone.
The Land of Rain became a chessboard for foreign spies, unable to form a unified defense.
The Cloud and the Mist: The Hidden Cloud fought the Leaf and Stone simultaneously. Backed by the Third Raikage and the AB Combo, they held their own, though the strain of a two-front war was showing.
But the true nightmare for Konoha was the Hidden Mist. Long content to watch from across the ocean, the Mist—nudged by the hidden hand of Madara Uchiha—finally lunged into the fray. They launched a violent coastal invasion of the Land of Fire.
Konoha was trapped in an unprecedented crisis: pressure from the remnant Stone units in the Land of Grass, a brutal war with the Cloud in the Land of Hot Springs, an invasion by the Mist on the coast, and the constant threat of a backstab from the Sand in the Land of Craftsmen!
The war had become a three-front, or even four-front, disaster.
Hidden Leaf Village. Hokage's Office.
Tsunade slammed another scroll marked "URGENT" onto the desk. The mountain of paperwork threatened to bury her alive.
Two years had passed. She was still the Acting Hokage, but the fatigue and irritation on her face grew daily.
Her once-radiant complexion was stained by an unshakable weariness. Her golden twin-tails seemed to have lost their luster.
"Those Mist bastards! Why now?!" she rasped, rubbing her throbbing temples.
The financial hole hadn't been filled, the front lines were starving for men, supplies were short, and every report brought only news of more death. She was at her breaking point.
No matter how fast Minato moved, he couldn't be in three places at once.
She stood up and walked to the window, looking toward the direction of Shikkotsu Forest. Her eyes flickered with a deep, aching longing and worry.
Over the past two years, she had visited the forest several times to see Saiki. But each time, she found him sitting like a statue in a sea of natural energy—his breathing steady and deep, but showing no signs of waking.
The Slug Sage only told her that Lord Saiki was undergoing a fundamental metamorphosis, and that waking him by force would be lethal.
"You little bastard... how much longer are you going to sleep?" Tsunade whispered, her voice carrying a rare, fragile vulnerability. "Konoha... really needs you right now."
She needed his power to sever the world. She needed his wisdom, hidden behind that lazy smirk. But more than anything, she needed the sense of peace she only felt when he was by her side.
Yet, the boy who had once set the world on fire had been silent for two whole years.
She didn't know that at that very moment...
Deep within Shikkotsu Forest.
The silhouette that had been wreathed in mist and shimmering energy for two years finally began to change. The pure white radiance around his body slowly receded into his skin like a drawing tide.
His long eyelashes gave a microscopic flutter. The Sage Chakra within his body, previously as still as a frozen lake, began to churn like melting spring water. It was reclaiming its vitality—becoming more condensed, more potent, and heavier than ever before.
Saiki was awake.
He had slept for two years without a drop of water or a grain of rice. His frame had grown significantly, his build looking more like a young man than a child. His spirit was overflowing; there wasn't a trace of weakness in him.
He sensed his own condition. He felt incredible. Though he hadn't necessarily "leveled up" in raw power, the flaws and essence-drain from two years ago were gone. The feeling of being hollowed out had vanished.
Looking back at his former self, Saiki felt that in his current state, he could take on five of the "old" Saikis at once.