Dango Sage?

Because they were in Sealing Barrier rich in Natural Energy, Yichen's first reaction was that Dango had made contact with the Natural Energy. Without hesitation, Yichen immediately used his Sensory Ninjutsu, and sure enough, the energy that Yichen sensed to calm his mind was being absorbed into Dango's body at a very slow pace.

This energy was naturally the Natural Energy that permeated the Ninja World. According to Yichen's perception, the Natural Energy that entered Dango's body didn't merge with Dango's Chakra Fusion, but rather integrated into Dango's body, Dango Yichen a faintly extraordinary feeling. This was probably the reason for the strange sensation Yichen had felt earlier.

It actually worked! Yichen was shocked. He didn't disturb Dango, unsure whether Dango's condition was accidental or had been going on for a long time.

Quietly leaving the room without disturbing Dango, Yichen departed from the Sealing Barrier and hurried towards the village as quickly as possible.

Because of the short distance, Yichen arrived at the village in no time and headed straight for the Tsuchikage's Office Building.

It was already evening. Seeing the lights still on in the distance at the Tsuchikage's Office Building, Yichen breathed a sigh of relief, quickly arrived in front of the Tsuchikage's Office Building, and then came to an abrupt stop.

Just before Yichen came to a complete stop, a team of fully armed Anbu appeared in front of Yichen.

Without wasting words, Yichen immediately displayed a set of hand gestures, gestures that only Anbu Squad Leader could understand.

Seeing this, the opposing Anbu Squad Leader also made a set of hand gestures and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Yichen, and I have important business to discuss with Lord Tsuchikage."

The Anbu Squad Leader nodded, gave a few instructions to one of his subordinates, and then that subordinate turned and entered the Tsuchikage's Office Building. The squad leader, along with his two remaining subordinates, maintained a standoff with Yichen throughout the entire incident.

Yichen didn't pay any attention and waited patiently outside the door.

A moment later, the Anbu came out and whispered a few words to the squad leader.

The squad leader nodded and said to Yichen, "Lord Tsuchikage wants you to go in." He then stepped aside to make way for him.

Without delay, Yichen went straight to Ōnoki's office after entering the room.

Upon entering Ōnoki's office, Yichen went straight to the point without saying a word: "Lord Tsuchikage, there's been progress with the Natural Energy update."

Ōnoki perked up upon hearing this. He had already received news of Yichen's return to the village, but because it was already late, he had assumed that Yichen would come to report on his work the next day. He hadn't expected Yichen to come so late.

I thought Yichen would talk about the Supply Station or the Land of Rain, but unexpectedly he talked about Natural Energy.

Iwagakure has been researching Natural Energy for several years, but Natural Energy is too domineering, and there's not much the village can do about it; in terms of progress, there's been almost nothing.

I never expected Yichen to give me such a big surprise as soon as he returned to the village.

Ōnoki asked eagerly, "You can absorb Natural Energy now?" Ōnoki assumed that Yichen had made progress in cultivating Natural Energy after returning home.

Yichen shook his head awkwardly and said, "It's not me, it's a Ninja Cat. This Ninja Cat is the Ninja Beast of my former teammate, Shironeko, from the Team 18. It's called Dango."

"Right now, Dango is in my house, absorbing Natural Energy."

Ōnoki thought for a moment; he remembered every Anbu Squad. He had a deep impression of the Team 18 because its captain Purple Lightning, had been promoted to Elite Jonin some time ago. The Team 18 was a truly elite squad in the Anbu, and there was indeed a member named Shironeko in it who owned a Ninja Cat.

Ōnoki said to the empty office, "Go and invite the advisors directly to the No. 1 Natural Energy Seal Site." Many Natural Energy sealing barriers have now been established near Iwagakure, and Yichen's location is the first one, hence the number one.

"Yes." A voice answered from the empty office.

Yichen wasn't surprised; that's just how the Anbu operates.

After giving the instructions, Ōnoki led the Shadow Guard and Yichen to Yichen's hut.

Upon arriving at Yichen's hut, Yichen tiptoed inside, while Ōnoki floated in silently.

While Yichen needed Sensory Ninjutsu to detect the Natural Energy, Ōnoki could directly sense Natural Energy slowly flowing into Dango's body thanks to his Kage Level Kekkei Tōta and Chakra.

Suppressing their excitement, Ōnoki and Yichen stepped back and began to inquire about Yichen Dango's specific situation.

Yichen recounted what he knew about Dango, and then Ōnoki said to the Anbu, "Go and inform Owl to bring the Shironeko here." Ōnoki had information on every Anbu, but he wouldn't carry such information with him all the time, and besides, Ōnoki wasn't at the level of being able to remember the address of every Anbu.

Therefore, the task of finding the Shironeko was directly assigned to Xiao Anbu Captain.

No sooner had Ōnoki given his instructions than several advisors arrived.

At Ōnoki's prompting, Yichen explained the situation in detail to the advisors. Among the advisors, the elderly female advisor entered Yichen's hut, used her Sensory Ninjutsu to investigate, and afterwards, she could no longer hide the excitement on her face. The other three advisors, however, could not sense Natural Energy and had not learned Sensory Ninjutsu, so they did not enter the hut.

The group arrived at a relatively quiet spot, Ōnoki said, "I've already sent someone to look for the Shironeko. Tomorrow, after Dango wakes up, we'll check on its body to see if there's anything unusual."

The advisors nodded. Natural Energy was a powerful force; it was what Hashirama Senju used to defeat Madara Uchiha and create a new order in the Ninja World. Now, Iwagakure finally had a ninja (including Ninja Cat ninjas) who could establish a connection with Natural Energy. Therefore, the high-ranking officials were still unsettled and unable to think calmly.

Yichen said, "Lord Tsuchikage, I wonder if Dango is an isolated case? Should we check on the others before dawn to see if anyone else has reached this stage?"

Ōnoki thought about it and agreed. Instead of waiting idly, they might as well go and look again. So he instructed Yichen, "Yichen, this task is yours." Then he turned to a Shadow Guard captain and said, "Zero, you lead the way for Yichen and take him to the other places as well."

Yichen and Ling should be said in unison.

Then Yichen used his Sensory Ninjutsu to first investigate all the residents within the Seal Number One barrier. There were more than fifty people living there, all of whom were the first batch of geniuses selected by the village. In addition to these fifty-odd people, there were also four or five Ninja Beasts that looked like Dango.

Some of the ninjas are currently on missions, leaving a total of 32 people and three Ninja Beasts. Yichen carefully examined each ninja and Ninja Beast, paying particular attention to the condition of several Ninja Beasts, but unfortunately found nothing.

Facing the expectant gazes of the higher-ups, Yichen shook his head regretfully, then followed Ling to the next location.

The second Sealing Barrier wasn't far away, but after Yichen explored it, he still found nothing. He then tried the third and fourth barriers, but still gained nothing.

By the seventh location, Yichen noticed something unusual. This place was different from where he lived; it was actually a place similar to a sanatorium, or almost like the ward of a hospital. There were many wounded people inside, which was the place that the High-ranking officials had previously planned to use to house the lightly wounded.

Right there in this place, Yichen sensed that in one of the wards, an injured Jonin had significantly more Natural Energy around him than in other areas. But strangely, this Jonin was not absorbing Natural Energy.

Yichen explained the situation to Ling, and then the two went to the door of the ward and looked inside through the window. Comparing what they saw through the window, Yichen realized that rather than Natural Energy gathering around the ninja, it was more likely that the energy was gathering around the ninja's weapon.

Yichen gave Ling a hand gesture, and then the two left the seventh Sealing Barrier and headed to the next one.

After searching through all the Sealing Barrier, Yichen Yichen returned to his own cottage several hours later, only to find that the Shironeko had already arrived.

He was standing at the door of Yichen's hut, looking both excited and nervous.

Yichen nodded to her, then said to Ōnoki, "Lord Tsuchikage, we've checked everything and found no other ninjas capable of absorbing Natural Energy. However, at the seventh seal, there is a ninja whose weapon can gather Natural Energy."

Ōnoki paused for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "A weapon?" He then looked at Rei, "Whose weapon is it?"

Zero replied, "It's Yoshiki Jonin."

"So it was him. He does indeed have a decent Ninja Blade. With that Ninja Blade, he can use Wind Release with power far exceeding B-rank. It turns out that weapon can communicate with Natural Energy," the Middle-aged Male Advisor, Saka, said after hearing Zero's words.

Ōnoki nodded. "I've heard of his Ninja Blade too; it can indeed amplify Wind Release." Then he said to Saka, "Once Yoshiki's injuries have healed, let him demonstrate his Ninja Blade sometime."

Saka nodded.

After that, everyone had nothing else to do but wait for Dango to wake up.

So Yichen walked over to the Shironeko and asked, "Has Dango been acting strangely lately?"

The Shironeko shook its head. "I don't notice anything wrong."

While Yichen was away, the higher-ups had already questioned Shironeko in detail, so Shironeko didn't need to recall and gave Yichen the answer directly.

Seeing that Yichen was also confused, the Shironeko asked, "Yi, do you think Dango has learned Senjutsu? Should we start calling it Dango Sage?"

Yichen rolled his eyes. Mount Myōboku, one of the Three Great Sage Regions, has accumulated over a thousand years, and only three Toad have the title of "Sage" in their names. How old is Dango? He has been absorbing Natural Energy for who knows how long. If he can become Sage so easily, then Sage are too worthless.

However, Yichen knew that the Shironeko had been looking forward to this for a long time and couldn't bear to discourage her, so he said, "Even if Dango can really become Sage in the future, it won't be something that happens overnight. Anyway, in my opinion, being able to absorb Natural Energy is definitely a good thing. Especially for someone like Dango who absorbs Natural Energy slowly, there shouldn't be any side effects."

Natural Energy is domineering, and if it is directly Chakra Fusion, it is very difficult to control. That is why Senjutsu is difficult to cultivate.

However, Natural Energy is definitely beneficial to the body. When the amount of Natural Energy reaches its limit, it can elevate life, not only extending lifespan far beyond its initial duration, but also generating various abilities that come into contact with the rules at the level of power.