131
The three sages of the Three Great Sacred Lands had lived for over a thousand years for exactly the same reason.
Xunjing even suspected that those three old monsters already had nothing but senjutsu chakra inside them.
Even earlier, they might have cultivated by directly drawing in and releasing natural energy, as creatures cultivating purely through natural energy.
Unfortunately, the God Tree had descended a thousand years ago and drained most of the Ninja World's planetary essence and natural energy.
How else could short-lived creatures like toads, snakes, and slugs live that long?
There was only one answer.
Senjutsu.
As Xunjing mulled over how it all worked, things gradually became clear.
He mused aloud, "Then why does practicing Mount Myoboku's senjutsu make people look like toads? Why do even perfect Sage Mode users still have toad pupils?"
"And why is the senjutsu practiced at Ryūchi Cave tied to snakes?"
"Not to mention, senjutsu from different sacred lands comes with different boosts. Mount Myoboku's gives huge boosts to strength, speed, and reflexes, and even produces shock waves like Frog Kata. Ryūchi Cave's specifically enhances control over inorganic matter and sensory range."
"But when I entered Sage Mode and condensed senjutsu chakra, why didn't I show any signs of turning into a toad? Why weren't there any animal traits at all?"
"I didn't even get eye shadow or facial markings."
"Oh, that's not entirely true. A red dot appears between my eyebrows when I use senjutsu chakra."
Only after several attempts did he notice that detail.
Xunjing kept pondering. "Could it be because I didn't practice senjutsu using Mount Myoboku's complete cultivation method?"
"Or because I didn't use toad oil?"
"Or because I didn't have the Snake Sage inject senjutsu chakra into me?"
At that thought, he immediately stopped using the