This was a forest, but it was unlike any kind of tree Fūmori Masaki had ever seen; it had no leaves, only bare branches, and its surface shimmered with a certain pale hue. At a glance, it looked just like white bone, creating a truly terrifying visual impression.
There was a damp atmosphere in the air, from where it originated, he did not know. Fūmori Masaki took a light breath, feeling it unusually refreshing, and his body and mind seemed to become comfortable.
At the same time, Fūmori Masaki could also feel that the Natural Energy in this place was very active; he did not initiate it, yet the Natural Energy was rapidly merging into his own body.
Fortunately, Fūmori Masaki realized it in time and consciously controlled the integration of the Natural Energy, so he did not experience an excess of power, and this strange situation also made Fūmori Masaki understand that this was Shikkotsu Forest, the place where Senjutsu was inherited.
"Whew, it's been a long time since I've been here; it's still the same as it was." Hashirama's nostalgic voice came from beside him, and Fūmori Masaki turned his head to see Hashirama stroking those trees.
"Lord Hashirama, this is..."
"Yes, this is Shikkotsu Forest; it must not be quite what you imagined, right?" Hashirama smiled. "After all, the Slug Sage is not the same species as us, so the environment here naturally wouldn't be suitable for ordinary people to live in. But don't worry, follow me, and you won't encounter any danger."
Fūmori Masaki nodded slightly, then followed Hashirama forward. There were paths here for ordinary people to move about, which were likely provided for those seeking Senjutsu, while the rest of the area was endless trees and pools of various sizes.
According to Hashirama, some pools had accumulated in Shikkotsu Forest over many years and possessed abundant Natural Energy, which could act to heal the body, while other pools were actually the Slug Sage's acid, and if one accidentally stepped into them, they would lose their life.
Fūmori Masaki listened to Hashirama's words while continuing to move forward with him, his gaze slowly moving, and he could already clearly feel the existence of Natural Energy.
In his perceptive vision, everything around him was flickering with intense light, and the light represented the concentration of Natural Energy; in Konohagakure, he had not seen a single place that had light comparable to it.
Since it was a place where Senjutsu was inherited, it likely gathered a considerable amount of Natural Energy, Fūmori Masaki thought, unable to help but recall the concept of 'blessed lands' from another world.
In his view, these places where Senjutsu was inherited were what were called 'blessed lands'; no wonder the Sages lived here instead of living in other parts of the Ninja World—how could other places be as comfortable to stay in as this one?
At this moment, Hashirama stopped, and they had reached their destination. Fūmori Masaki stood behind Hashirama and looked ahead, seeing a huge pool in front of them.
The pool was very clean, and a refreshing aura permeated from it. In Fūmori Masaki's perception, the light in this pool was incomparably dazzling, the most intense he had seen so far.
"You have finally arrived, Lord Hashirama." A Little Slug slowly crawled out, looking as if it had already been waiting here. It looked up at Fūmori Masaki and said, "Lord Hashirama, this is the gentleman who needs to use it, right?"
Hashirama nodded with a smile, said "Sorry for the trouble," and then turned to Fūmori Masaki and said, "Masaki, this is the thing I mentioned. It is spring water brewed under the special environment of Shikkotsu Forest; on one hand, it has the effect of attracting Natural Energy and assisting in Senjutsu training, while on the other hand, it has the effect of promoting physical development and strengthening the body."
It was very similar to the toad oil of Mount Myōboku, but the other effect was something toad oil did not have. Fūmori Masaki said, "In other words, as long as I drink this, I can gradually strengthen my physique?"
"Yes, the effect of this spring water is very good. If it weren't for the fact that it attracts Natural Energy, I would have brought every clansman here long ago," Hashirama said. "Unfortunately, not everyone is suitable for controlling Natural Energy, and it is too dangerous to let them drink it directly, so I had to take the spring water away from here. And after leaving the environment of Shikkotsu Forest, the effect of the spring water is greatly reduced, and after being processed through special methods, it becomes the secret training medicine of our Senju Clan."
Immediately, Hashirama reached out and patted Fūmori Masaki's shoulder, smiling, "However, you have already learned to control Natural Energy, so it doesn't matter if you drink this directly. But be careful, definitely don't drink too much; about one bowl is enough. If you drink too much, Natural Energy will zoom into your body, and if you can't control it all at once, you'll be done for."
"Ah! Lord Hashirama, can this Lord Fūmori also control Natural Energy?" The Little Slug made a sound of surprise; it hadn't expected that the young man in front of it could actually use Natural Energy.
"Just like me, this kid also started attracting Natural Energy without knowing when," Hashirama said to the Little Slug. "I have also been teaching him how to control Natural Energy these days. How should I put it, his level is already quite good now, but because his body is a bit poor, he can't go any further, so he has to use this spring water."
The Little Slug was very surprised. The practice of Senjutsu was extremely difficult; for thousands of years, not many people had been able to master it, and that was even while learning in places where Senjutsu was inherited. In the Slug Sage's memory, including Hashirama, there were only three people who could adapt to Natural Energy on their own like Hashirama.
And now, another person had actually appeared, and he didn't even belong to the bloodline of the Six Paths Sage from a thousand years ago, just an ordinary person.
"Incredible, purely in terms of aptitude for Senjutsu, this young man might even be above Lord Hashirama," the Little Slug thought to itself. It knew that the reason Hashirama could adapt to Natural Energy had a lot to do with the Sage Body inherited from his ancestors, but Fūmori Masaki had no ancestral heritage, yet he could still manage to make himself attract Natural Energy without having gone to a place where Senjutsu was inherited.
Suppressing the shock in its heart, the Little Slug pushed out a stone bowl and said to Fūmori Masaki, "Lord Fūmori, please use this to drink the spring water. Just as Lord Hashirama said, you only need to drink one bowl, once a day. In this way, Lord Fūmori's physique can slowly strengthen and better adapt to Natural Energy."
"Thank you," Fūmori Masaki said. He stepped forward, picked up the bowl, walked to the pool, and scooped up a bowlful. He stared at the bowl for a moment, steeled his heart, and drank it all in one gulp.
The taste of the spring water was very sweet and icy cold, as if a chill was gradually seeping into his body. Fūmori Masaki felt those "lights" around him stirring, as if pulled by something, rushing into his body.
Fūmori Masaki calmed his mind and focused his energy, slowly controlling the Natural Energy that had drilled into his body, letting it merge with his own Chakra to condense into Senjutsu Chakra. On his body, the senmon slowly crawled out. This time, the speed at which the senmon spread was unexpectedly fast, but fortunately, Fūmori Masaki's experience was also very rich, and under his careful control, nothing went wrong.
The Little Slug watched Fūmori Masaki and secretly exclaimed in its heart. Fūmori Masaki had indeed mastered Sage Mode, and it was a form completely different from the three places where Senjutsu was inherited, and it even had a certain gap compared to Hashirama's Sage Mode. Although Hashirama had already said so, seeing it with its own eyes was even more surprising.
Hashirama looked at Fūmori Masaki's calm appearance and breathed a sigh of relief. Although he felt that with Fūmori Masaki's level, the effect brought by a bowl of spring water should be manageable, he was still worried whether it would be different from what he imagined. Now it seemed that Fūmori Masaki could indeed handle it.
And after this "side effect" was perfectly handled, the other effect of the spring water suitable for Fūmori Masaki would slowly manifest. Although Fūmori Masaki did not immediately feel the enhancement of his physique, under Sage Mode, he could feel that his body had some subtle, indescribable changes, and this change was undoubtedly in a good direction.
Fūmori Masaki was a little excited. As long as he kept drinking it for a long time, his physique would definitely be able to slowly strengthen, and his Chakra would also increase accordingly. By then, his control over Senjutsu would also be able to become higher, and perhaps he could even step into a brand new stage.