Sage Mode, Shikotsu Forest

"Shikkotsu Forest?"

Qingyu's eyes lit up.

"The Shikkotsu Forest, one of the three great sage regions?"

"Correct."

Tsunade nodded, tapping her forehead lightly with her finger.

"I have a summoning contract with the Shikkotsu Forest. You should know that I'm taking you this time to see if you can also forge a contract with the Katsuyu clan."

Qingyu's heart stirred.

The summoning contract of the Shikkotsu Forest was one of Tsunade's signature assets.

Katsuyu could not only provide large-scale medical ninjutsu support but also spit acid for attacks and split into countless smaller individuals to heal allies across the entire battlefield simultaneously.

During the Shinobi World War, it was thanks to Katsuyu that Tsunade saved countless shinobi.

More importantly.

The Shikkotsu Forest possessed a "Sage Mode."

Each of the three great sage regions possessed a unique "Sage Mode" cultivation system.

Naruto had learned the "Sage Mode" of Mount Myōboku, and Kabuto had mastered the "Sage Mode" of Ryūchi Cave; only the "Sage Mode" of the Shikkotsu Forest remained a mystery in the original plot, as even Tsunade had never successfully cultivated it.

But just because Tsunade hadn't mastered it didn't mean Qingyu couldn't.

I shall simply become the one to master it.

Possessing the dual talents of the Sharingan and the Senju physique, he might just be able to fill this void.

"Sister Tsunade, is there any difference between the 'Sage Modes' of the three great sage regions?"

Qingyu asked.

Tsunade was stunned for a moment, not expecting Qingyu to even know about "Sage Mode."

However, she thought about it and realized that this child had grown up immersed in the Senju family's scrolls, was much more studious than she had been, and had even worked as an assistant for Orochimaru; his knowledge was indeed far broader than that of an ordinary child.

"'Sage Mode' is a new power formed by absorbing natural energy and fusing it with one's own chakra," Tsunade explained.

"But natural energy is the kind of thing that will finish you off if your control is even slightly off. That is why, in each of the three great sage regions, there are elders watching over you to prevent the shinobi practicing 'Senjutsu' from losing control."

"There are many clones of Lady Katsuyu in the Shikkotsu Forest, and she will help guide you."

Qingyu listened quietly.

This was rare information. Although he knew the general plot, Tsunade naturally knew these details in much greater depth.

"The effects of the 'Sage Mode' in each sage region are different. The 'Sage Mode' that Grandfather used..."

Tsunade paused here, her tone faltering as her brows furrowed slightly.

"How should I put it? His 'Sage Mode' was a bit different."

"How was it different?"

Qingyu pressed.

He wanted to know what it was.

Tsunade shook her head:

"He didn't follow the path of any of the three great sage regions; he explored it himself. However, he did receive guidance from the Katsuyu Sage."

Qingyu touched his chin, lost in thought.

Hashirama Senju's "Sage Mode" was indeed a mystery.

Whether he learned it somewhere or figured it out entirely on his own was never clearly explained in the original work.

If it were the former, then the "Sage Mode" of the Shikkotsu Forest was worth looking forward to.

If it were the latter... then it was even more worth looking forward to.

Could it be that Hashirama Senju had adapted it after receiving guidance from the Shikkotsu Forest to make it more suitable for humans?

One had to remember that Hashirama Senju was officially designated in the databooks as being able to "activate Sage Mode instantly."

And logically speaking, humans are also animals; why was there no human "Sage Mode"?

What is called immortal cultivation?

In any case, if Hashirama Senju's "Sage Mode" counted as a special case, then the shinobi world possessed a total of four types of "Senjutsu." As for the Cursed Seal, although its principles and effects were similar to "Sage Mode," it was completely different from true "Sage Mode."

Because it required no cultivation at all—only taking drugs. If you could withstand it, you succeeded; if you couldn't, you failed. Furthermore, the holder themselves seemed to need conscious training, but only to make their physical body more adaptable to the power of the Cursed Seal.

"Then, Sister Tsunade, when are we leaving?"

"No rush. I need to prepare a few things first."

Tsunade picked up the wine bottle again and poured herself a glass.

"You need to raise your physical fitness a bit more first. After this medicinal bath, your stamina will improve significantly, so it's the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot."

Qingyu nodded and asked:

"By the way, Sister Tsunade, the Ninja Academy is about to go on break. Could you take me out to perform some missions?"

Since he wanted to improve his strength, practical combat experience was indispensable.

"Me?"

Tsunade pointed at herself, then shook her head.

"I don't have the time."

She suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up.

"Next time, let Orochimaru take you."

At this, Tsunade rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"It just so happens that lending you to him can offset some interest, which will help me pay back some of the money I owe Jiraiya. Otherwise, he keeps going on about how 'if you borrow and return, it's easy to borrow again'."

Qingyu:

"..."

A few minutes later.

Qingyu arrived at the backyard and took the hilt of the Sword of the Thunder God out of his ninja tool pouch.

He gripped the hilt tightly and slowly channeled his chakra into it.

With a low hum, a blade of brilliant blue lightning extended from the hilt.

He looked down at the crackling blade, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Since the blade of the Sword of the Thunder God was condensed from chakra, could he attach another layer of nature transformation to it?

He had previously used Water Blade Slash on a kunai; the principle was to concentrate Water Release chakra at a single point, driving the water to rotate at high speed and coat the blade.

What if he applied the same technique to the Sword of the Thunder God?

Qingyu took a deep breath, holding the sword in his left hand while forming hand seals with his right.

One-handed seals required a high level of proficiency and usually reduced the power of the technique.

Therefore, Qingyu formed the seals very slowly, taking several times longer than he would with both hands.

However, Qingyu was determined to master this ability.

It was simple: the efficiency of one-handed seals was just too high.

If one-handed seals didn't affect the effectiveness of the technique, he could theoretically cast two ninjutsu simultaneously.

Of course, whether they would conflict was something Qingyu didn't know yet, as he hadn't tried it.

Subsequently, Water Release chakra surged from his palm, climbing up the hilt and onto the lightning blade.

A layer of transparent water film slowly spread over the chakra light-blade.

Water and lightning overlapped, emitting a faint sizzling sound.

Success!

Qingyu was secretly delighted.

Having two chakra natures attached to the same weapon simultaneously, while consuming far more energy than using them individually, significantly boosted both stability and lethality.

He gripped the sword with both hands, aimed at the scarred wooden target in the yard, and swung down.

Ssh!

The blade sliced through the wooden post, meeting almost no resistance.

The upper half of the post slid off diagonally, the cut as smooth as a mirror, with faint scorch marks remaining on the cross-section.

The piercing power of Lightning Release combined with the cutting power of the Water Blade was stronger than either one used alone.

Qingyu retracted the blade into the hilt and looked at the cut, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

High chakra consumption was a negative for others, but for someone like him, it was perfectly tailored.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

When Tsunade pushed open the door to Qingyu's room, Qingyu set down his ninjutsu scroll.

"Why didn't you knock?"

Qingyu realized that Tsunade didn't care about his privacy at all.

What if he had been changing his pants?

"Pack up. I'm taking you to Shikkotsu Forest today."

Tsunade leaned against the doorframe, having gotten up unusually early.

Qingyu jumped off the bed without a second word.

In that case, he forgave Tsunade!