To master peerless martial arts, you must endure hardships beyond what ordinary people can bear.

Deep in the woods, thick fog rolled in!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Manji raced through the woods, sweeping his senses across the area.

Mount Myōboku was always bright as day.

Ryūchi Cave was eternally dark.

As for Shikkotsu Forest, it was shrouded in thick fog, like a level of the Backrooms.

"Strange. My senses clearly say it's nearby. Why can't I find it?"

Manji was puzzled.

The original story had made it clear.

The Katsuyu summoned by Tsunade and Sakura was only a small part of the Slug Sage's body.

In other words, the Slug Sage had to be enormous.

In fact, she should have been visible at a glance.

But Manji had searched for ages and hadn't seen a trace of her.

Yet his senses clearly told him she was nearby.

Manji thought for a moment. "Strange. Sage senses can't be wrong... Unless..."

As he spoke, Manji seemed to realize something. He stared down at the ground in astonishment.

"Sage, you've been here all along?"

Manji suddenly understood.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire ground of Shikkotsu Forest began to quake.

The once-solid ground and trees all turned into slugs!

So the entire Shikkotsu Forest was on the Slug Sage's body!

Manji leaped into the air, surprise flashing in his eyes!

"I see... You really are enormous..."

Manji had found the Slug Sage the moment he entered Shikkotsu Forest.

The Slug Sage was the land beneath his feet!

"Hehe... You found me quickly. You're the first human to set foot in my Shikkotsu Forest. White Eyebrow and Black Snake have already told me about you. Since you want to learn, I'll teach you."

The Slug Sage spoke gently.

The next moment, a scroll appeared before Manji.

At the same time, a small slug landed on his shoulder.

The little slug spoke softly. "Lord Manji, I'll assist you in learning senjutsu from here on."

Manji was a little taken aback. The Slug Sage was far too accommodating.

Just like in the original story, she had a lovely voice.

"Thank you, Sage!"

Manji said the same thing as always.

Manji: I won't stand on ceremony.

He immediately began his training.

Nearly another month passed.

Sage markings appeared on Manji's face, similar to Hashirama Senju's!

[Note: The original story never said that Hashirama Senju's senjutsu came from Shikkotsu Forest. But in this story, we'll say that it did.]

"Just as I thought, it's similar to Hashirama Senju's..."

Manji smiled faintly and used senjutsu to form a water mirror, looking at his reflection.

His face now bore markings almost identical to Hashirama Senju's.

"But Shikkotsu Forest's senjutsu reacted the same way as Ryūchi Cave's."

Manji sensed it.

He couldn't use multiple forms of senjutsu at once.

Just like with Ryūchi Cave.

If he wanted to use senjutsu, he had to choose only one form.

For example, if he wanted to use Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu, he would have to shut off the others.

"That's a problem. I'll have to figure out how to fuse these forms of senjutsu."

Manji stroked his chin, thinking.

It was hard to imagine how powerful the resulting senjutsu would be if he fused the three great forms with Enma's senjutsu.

"I'll take it slowly. I've learned so many forms of senjutsu in just a few months. I've been rushing ahead, so I need to take time to digest it all."

Afterward, Manji signed a contract with Shikkotsu Forest.

Then he said goodbye to the Slug Sage.

When he returned to Mount Myōboku, Manji came across a crying toad.

"Boohoo! Great Immortal White Eyebrow, please take this toad in! He has nowhere to go, and both his parents are dead..."

A scarred toad knelt before the White-Browed Toad and pleaded.

"What's going on?"

Manji stepped forward and witnessed the scene.

"You're back, Manji... It's nothing. Just an orphaned toad. It happens all the time."

The White-Browed Toad sighed deeply.

Manji raised an eyebrow. Seeing the pitiful little toad, he crouched down and asked, "Little toad, what's your name?"

The scarred toad quickly nudged the little toad with his elbow. "Hurry up and answer! This is Sage Manji!"

The little toad looked at Manji and hurriedly replied, "Greetings, Sage Manji. My name is Gamamaru."

"Gamamaru? Oh... Hm?"

Manji nodded, then a hint of surprise crossed his face.

Gamamaru?

That name sounded familiar.

Wait, wasn't the future Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku named Gamamaru?

Thinking of this,

Manji looked at the toad named Gamamaru with a hint of surprise. He still needed to make sure.

"Gamamaru, tell me, do you dream at night?"

Manji asked calmly.

Surprise flashed in Gamamaru's eyes, and he quickly nodded. "Sage Manji truly is unfathomable. I do dream! And my dreams always come true!"

At that, Manji smiled faintly. "What have you dreamed about?"

"I dreamed that one day I'd become the leader of Mount Myōboku."

Gamamaru answered honestly.

At those words,

the scarred toad beside him immediately darkened with anger and scolded him. "Gamamaru, don't make things up or act like a fortune-teller in front of the two sages!"

"I was wrong. I'm sorry, both of you!"

Gamamaru realized he'd said the wrong thing and hurriedly lowered his head in apology.

Manji smiled faintly and looked at the White-Browed Toad. "Grandpa White Eyebrow, what do you think?"

"Just a child's nonsense. How could anyone take it seriously? Still, it's strange for a toad to dream."

The White-Browed Toad smiled and waved a hand.

Manji stood with his hands behind his back and looked Gamamaru over. Then he said, "Gamamaru, you have no parents. So, would you like to sign a contract with me?"

At those words, Gamamaru was stunned!

It wasn't just Gamamaru. The White-Browed Toad and the scarred toad beside him both wondered if they'd misheard.

Manji was currently the second most powerful figure on Mount Myōboku. Aside from the White-Browed Toad, he was the only other leader there.

What's more, Manji had only signed a contract with one toad so far.

That was the head of Mount Myōboku, the White-Browed Toad!

Everyone who signed a contract with Manji was somebody important.

The White Snake Sage, the White Ape King, and the White-Browed Toad were all top-tier players.

But what about Gamamaru?

He was just a nobody, always daydreaming—a lowly little toad who stood around like a lackey.

What was this supposed to mean?

Was the second most powerful figure on Mount Myōboku, and the one contracted to all Three Great Sage Regions, really going to sign a contract with an ordinary little toad who did nothing but daydream?

"Sage Manji, this... This doesn't seem right, does it?"

The scarred toad also thought it was a joke and spoke hesitantly.

Gamamaru didn't dare say anything, but hope shone in his eyes.

He firmly believed that his dreams would come true. It was just that no other toad believed him.

Could Sage Manji really have recognized his talent?

"Of course. Come here, Gamamaru."

Manji smiled faintly and took out a scroll.

Just like that, Gamamaru signed the contract in a daze.

"From now on, move in next door and live with me."

Manji looked at Gamamaru.

"Hurry up and thank the sage!" the scarred toad reminded him.

Only then did Gamamaru snap out of it. He quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of gratitude.

After Gamamaru left,

the White-Browed Toad looked at Manji with a smile. "Manji, why did you sign a contract with that toad?"

Manji smiled faintly. "I just thought he was interesting."

The White-Browed Toad smiled knowingly. "Looks like you noticed something different about him too, Manji..."

Manji raised an eyebrow, then his expression darkened. "Grandpa White Eyebrow, don't tell me you noticed Gamamaru a long time ago?"

The White-Browed Toad only smiled and said nothing.