Matsutani Shinya's Sage Mode

After Kanako disappeared, Yichen asked Han, "Senior Han, Yui and the other two have all taken on disciples. How are these children doing now?"

Han was pleased when Yichen mentioned the children, saying, "All nine children are quite good. They often come to see me, Kokuō likes them very much as well."

Yichen glanced at Kokuō, who was surrounded by Little Rhino Dog and Little Chōmei, and thought to himself, it's normal for Kokuō to like them. The disciples chosen by Toda Yui and the other two had been vetted by Yichen. They were all children who had been investigated early on and had a very positive feeling about Tailed Beast and Jinchuriki.

Yichen said, "Is there anything you need? Be generous with these children. If they lack anything, just let me know."

Yichen wasn't being biased; rather, it was a benefit of being Jinchuriki. Yichen was hoping that these children would gradually change the village's impression of Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki.

This is a big deal. Yichen is counting on Kokuō to stand up for Iwagakure at this crucial moment.

Ever since the Iwa Village Bi-Monthly Report started, Yichen has never stopped his propaganda efforts. Yichen's been brainwashing the villagers, gradually getting them to accept Han as their Jinchuriki. And it's already showing initial results.

If word spreads from the village that Han was exceptionally skilled at teaching his disciples, and that even the disciples of Han's disciples were growing rapidly, then Han's image would be even more positive.

Making the village accept the Tailed Beast can be considered a national policy. As the Tsuchikage, Yichen cannot be careless about this.

Han shook his head and said, "There's nothing missing. I still have plenty of the Ninjutsu you gave me last time. Before, Yui and the others had relatively singular attributes, so they couldn't use many of the Ninjutsu. Now they can be given to their disciples."

Yichen nodded and said, "Senior Han, I have to go to the Land of Demons in a few days. I'll have to ask you to keep an eye on the village again."

Han nodded quickly and said, "Lord Tsuchikage, don't worry, I will do everything in my power to protect the village."

Yichen chuckled and patted Han on the shoulder, saying, "Don't be so nervous. At this time, no one would bother causing trouble in our Iwagakure for no reason. However, you're currently the strongest fighter in the village besides me and the Third Hokage, so I'm giving you a few words of advice."

"Yes, I understand," Han said.

After finishing, Yichen went to check on Sokai and the other two.

The three of them were entrusted to Ikura's care while Yichen was developing his Flame Release bloodline limit, and Yichen didn't know how far the three of them were progressing in their training.

Ikura's work was actually busier than Yichen's, so although Ikura was in Sokai of taking care of the three of them, they actually spent more time cultivating on their own. However, Ikura would take some time each day to answer some of their questions about cultivation.

Yichen found the three of them directly at the training ground. Chiga and Sasagawa Ayumi were laying the foundation according to the training plan Yichen had made, while Sokai had activated his Sharingan and was practicing Chakra Control.

After more than a month, the three of them hadn't made any substantial progress. Chiga and Sasagawa Ayumi had only improved their basic skills a bit. Sokai's talent was truly a headache. Although he had awakened the Sharingan and his strength had increased significantly, his foundation in all aspects was really poor. Even with the Sharingan's assistance, he couldn't learn Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or even Chakra Control quickly.

So, after more than a month apart, the three of them hadn't changed much, except that they were more familiar with each other and their teamwork was more seamless.

However, Yichen was not in a hurry. With his rich experience, Yichen knew that this was normal and that now was not the time to try to force growth and quickly improve his strength.

After checking on the cultivation progress of his three disciples, Yichen stayed in the village for a few more days.

This continued until Shinya successfully entered Sage Mode for the first time.

Matsutani Shinya completed the basics of Senjutsu training in just over a month, which immediately attracted the attention of all the high-ranking members of Iwagakure.

Before Matsutani Shinya's training session, Yichen and other high-ranking members had already been standing by the Training Ground watching.

When everyone saw that the Sage Face Markings actually appeared on Matsutani Shinya's face, they were both shocked and excited.

Ikura was also practicing Senjutsu, felt this most deeply. Through repeated failed attempts at cultivation, Ikura experienced both the power of Natural Energy its difficulty in being controlled. Therefore, he was also the one most deeply affected among the higher-ups.

Ikura felt both gratified that the village had produced such an outstanding descendant and regretful that he had been surpassed by the younger generation.

Ikura once secretly told Yichen, "Since Matsutani Shinya has such a good talent for cultivating Senjutsu, maybe I should give up cultivating immortal Senjutsu. Anyway, there are already people to carry on the tradition of immortal Senjutsu, so the village won't be affected by having one more Sage or losing one."

"Giving up sooner will save the village a lot of money, or we can give the opportunity to cultivate Senjutsu to others sooner, and maybe we can even cultivate one or two more Sage."

However, Yichen refused, saying, "Ikura, you must persevere no matter how much it costs to cultivate Senjutsu. In the Ninja World, Kage Level is not the end; there are definitely higher levels above Kage Level."

"According to my analysis, there are only three paths to advance to the next level: first, to fuse Yin and Yang Chakra; second, to fuse the Five-Attribute Chakra; and third, to cultivate Senjutsu."

"The first option is out of the question. The village's Yin Release is still under development, and Yang Release is nowhere to be found. Only Medical Ninjutsu has a slight connection to Yang Release, but it's not pure."

"I'm on the second path, and you've probably seen how difficult it is. With my Chakra control, I've only managed to fuse three Kekkei Genkai and one Kekkei Tōta so far."

"Furthermore, regarding Light Release Bloodline Elimination, I'm only on par with the Third Hokage in terms of being able to perform the Kekkei Tōta Ninjutsu, but I haven't yet fused these three energies within my body. Kekkei Tōta hasn't elevated my Life level like Kekkei Genkai has."

"For no other reason than that the body simply cannot withstand the fusion of these three energies. If it's this difficult with three types of Chakra, what about four, or five? The peril of this path is unimaginable."

"Fortunately, we have a third path. Cultivating Senjutsu is also difficult, but we've found a safe path that we can take step by step."

"Practicing Senjutsu now is a waste of money, time, and energy, sacrificing time for practicing Ninjutsu and improving our strength. But once we master it, we raise our own limits, and our future will no longer be confined to the Kage Level."

"Therefore, don't worry about how much money you spent on training in Senjutsu. It's all worth it! The village having a ninja whose strength surpasses that of a normal Kage Level is far more useful than saving an astronomical sum of money."

Ikura still finds Yichen's words resonating deeply. His previous eagerness to achieve quick results in cultivating immortal Senjutsu was misguided, especially after witnessing Matsutani Shinya's rapid progress. His confidence wavered, and he even considered giving up – a truly regrettable decision.

One should be single-minded in cultivating Senjutsu, without thinking too much, and certainly not worrying about the money spent.

Saka didn't notice Ikura's expression. He Yichen said, "Yichen, does Matsutani Shinya have a chance to become Kage Level?"

Sage Mode is powerful, but if you can't reach Kage Level, it doesn't significantly improve the village's overall strength.

Yichen thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say right now. With his personality, it'll be difficult for him to find a Ninja Way that will lead him to Kage Level. But Senjutsu Chakra is amazing; maybe one day he'll naturally advance, just like when he became Quasi-Jonin. Nobody can say for sure."

Saka nodded, somewhat disappointed, yet also hopeful.

Ming silently calculated in his mind how many more resources the village would need to invest in Matsutani Shinya's cultivation of immortal Senjutsu.

Yichen said to Matsutani Shinya, who was not far away and had just entered Sage Mode, still observing the patterns on his Sage Face Markings in a puddle of water, "Shinya, try out your Senjutsu."

"Yes," Matsutani Shinya replied weakly.

Then he began to use Ninjutsu enhanced with Senjutsu Chakra. Just like when Yichen first entered Sage Mode, Matsutani Shinya now had a low proportion of Senjutsu Chakra converted into his body. After testing a round of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, he quickly exhausted it.

Yichen and the others nodded.

Yichen said, "That's right, it's undoubtedly Senjutsu. Maintain Sage Mode as much as possible in the future, and strive to be able to use Sage Mode in normal circumstances as soon as possible."

Yichen refers to Matsutani Shinya's current state, where only a portion of his physical energy, Mental Energy, and Natural Energy are fused into Sage Mode, as the First Stage. The First Stage carries a significant risk of being petrified by Natural Energy.

As for Ikura, she hasn't even reached the first stage; she hasn't even entered the door yet.

Before going to the Land of Snow, Yichen was in the second stage, which is characterized by the maximum integration of Natural Energy. In other words, the conversion rate of a ninja's physical Mental Energy is 100%.

At this stage, there is virtually no possibility of being petrified. Therefore, Yichen often sets up a Natural Energy Seal outside the village by himself, and then enters Sage Mode alone.

The third stage is what Yichen is currently in: he can enter Sage Mode directly in the normal environment of the Ninja World without relying on Natural Energy Seal. At this time, Yichen does not consume resources when entering Sage Mode.

The fourth stage is the Perfect Sage Mode, which doesn't require a long preparation time and allows one to instantly enter Sage Mode. This is still a long way off for Yichen at the moment.

Yichen just told Matsutani Shinya about using Sage Mode under normal conditions is this third stage. Yichen plans to send Matsutani Shinya to the Land of Snow Branch after he reaches the third stage to study the energy beneath the Rainbow Ice Wall.

"Alright, Shinya's Senjutsu is on track, and I need to go to the Land of Demons too. Tomoko has been getting along well with the Miko of the Land of Demons this past month, and the Miko has agreed that if we can really help them completely get rid of that monster, the Moryo, she's willing to let the Land of Demons support us in establishing a branch, just like the Land of Snow." Yichen said to the advisors beside him.

Ikura glanced at Yichen and said irritably, "Don't jump to conclusions. It didn't say that you, the Tsuchikage, had to go."

Yichen couldn't hold back any longer and said somewhat awkwardly, "The abilities of this Moryo from the Land of Demons are related to spiritual power. I plan to call Katsuya and Natsuki along to study it carefully. It's only suitable for me to go; it's not appropriate for Ikura to go."

"Hmph. Go ahead, go ahead. Even if it's appropriate for me to go, you'll have your reasons," Ikura said helplessly.

"Hehe, then I'll set off tomorrow?" Yichen cautiously glanced at the others.

Mei and Saka exchanged a glance, sighed, and said in unison, "We have no objections."

Yichen was overjoyed, and as if afraid the others would change their minds, he quickly said to Matsutani Shinya, who was not far away, "Shinya, that's enough for today. Go back and get some rest, and you can practice more later. Everyone, that's all for now."

After saying that, Yichen was the first to slip away.