I turned around leisurely, planning to sneak back to Uchiha Clan Compound while Tsunade was busy practicing, and continue his salty life.
However--
The moment he took the first step, a strong wind pressure suddenly came from the air!
Whoosh!!!
A golden figure came to him with lightning speed Body Flicker Technique, and then, a huge force grabbed his wrist fiercely.
"Uh??"
Shinichi's pupils shrank, and before he could react, he jumped into the air and was forcibly pulled up!
"Tsunade!? What are you doing!"
Shinichi screamed. He was standing on the ground just a moment ago. The next second, he was being carried by Tsunade with one hand, like a chicken, and he was galloping away in the direction of Mito Uzumaki!
The wind whistled in his ears, and his cloak rustled in the air.
Tsunade's speed is astonishingly fast. The combination of Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Six Styles has made her Body Flicker Technique reach the top level of Shinobi World, even surpassing Elite Jonin, which is known for its speed!
"Didn't you ask me to go to Shikkotsu Forest?" Tsunade said without looking back, with a matter-of-fact tone, "Since you are my military advisor, you have to come with me!"
"Strategy advisor? Wait, when did I become your advisor?" Shinichi looked confused.
Tsunade snorted coldly, "You guy, don't think that I don't know what you are thinking! You must want me to practice Sage Mode, and then you can lie down on Konoha!"
Shinichi smiled, "Uh... how could I be that kind of person..."
Tsunade's eyes flashed coldly, and his feet were a little faster.
"I can tell you that since you are the one who proposed that I practice Sage Mode, then you must also participate! I will not let you fish alone!"
Shinichi's scalp suddenly became numb. "Hey, hey, hey! You don't want me to go with you Shikkotsu Forest, do you?"
Tsunade smiled slyly, "What do you think?"
Shinichi looked horrified. "...Tsunade, calm down! Not everyone can learn Senjutsu! This requires extremely strong Chakra control and talent!"
Tsunade: "Aren't you a genius? How could you not learn?"
Shinichi's mouth twitched. "This has nothing to do with whether you can learn it or not... The main reason is that Shikkotsu Forest's environment is too harsh!!"
Tsunade ignored his struggle and tightened his grip on Shinichi's wrist like an iron clamp, continuing to gallop at an extremely fast speed.
Soon, the courtyard where Mito Uzumaki was located came into view.
Shinichi wailed in his heart. "It's over, I can't escape at all now..."
He looked at Mito Uzumaki in front of him and thought to himself: I'm afraid he will suffer a lot if he is kidnapped to practice at Shikkotsu Forest this time...
What kind of thing is this! You didn't get the soft rice, but you were forced to do hard training?
Mito Uzumaki's courtyard.
Setting Sun The afterglow shines in the courtyard. Through the layers of bamboo leaves, the light and shadow are mottled. The entire courtyard exudes a quiet and simple atmosphere.
Mito Uzumaki sat at the stone table, quietly watching the boy and girl in front of him.
Her eyes were soft, yet revealed an unquestionable majesty.
"Shinichi, you want to go to Shikkotsu Forest to practice Sage Mode with little Tsunade?"
She spoke slowly, her voice gentle and magnetic.
Shinichi was about to refuse decisively. "No..."
However, the next second, he felt a strong murderous aura.
Tsunade's eyes are like a wild beast locking its prey, full of threats - if you dare to say 'no', you will be dead!
Shinichi's whole body froze, and cold sweat instantly fell from his forehead.
"Yes, Grandma Mito." He quickly changed his words, showing a cute and helpless smile.
Mito Uzumaki chuckled, as if he already understood this scene.
"Okay, now that it's decided, you can also sign your name on Summoning Scroll."
She waved her hand, and the maid beside her immediately handed over an ancient sheepskin scroll.
The scroll is covered with complex Sealing Runes, and its surface is faintly flashing with faint Chakra fluctuations, exuding a mysterious and powerful aura.
Shinichi glanced at it and found a few lines of familiar names engraved on the scroll, including the signatures of Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Tsunade and Mito Uzumaki himself.
"It turns out this is Summoning Contract signed between Senju and Shikkotsu Forest..."
He sighed secretly in his heart, then took a deep breath, bit his fingertips, and wrote his name in blood.
As the last stroke fell, the scroll suddenly erupted with a soft white light, and then returned to calm.
Shinichi looked at his name with mixed emotions.
"Ah... it seems I can't escape at all..."
Tsunade raised his lips proudly and patted Shinichi on the shoulder. "Don't act like you are forced to do business. Learn Sage Mode. It will only do you good and not bad."
Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, but do you know how scary Shikkotsu Forest's training environment is? Are you sure you can survive it?"
Tsunade's mouth twitched. "Are you questioning me?"
Shinichi immediately changed his mind. "No, I am caring about you."
Tsunade gritted his teeth. "Very good, when Shikkotsu Forest comes, you will definitely experience it 'well'."
Mito Uzumaki watched the two bickering, a gentle smile flashing in his eyes.
"Okay, now that the contract has been signed, you will set off for Shikkotsu Forest early tomorrow morning."
She paused and looked at the two of them deeply. "Sage Mode is the ultimate test of Chakra's control and physical fitness. I hope you can gain something."
Tsunade nodded firmly, while Shinichi sighed silently in his heart--
I didn't get enough of the soft rice, but I was dragged to practice cultivation. Why did my life become more and more miserable as time went by?
Shinichi immediately returned home, rummaged through the boxes and cabinets to find all the space scrolls, and sealed everything that might be useful - pots and pans, tents, clothing, dry food, emergency medicines, and even a few military books and ninjutsu notes that he read in his spare time - into the scrolls.
"Shikkotsu Forest's cultivation conditions are harsh and the environment is extremely harsh... I don't want to live like an ascetic."
Shinichi complained in his heart while cleaning up.
After sealing the last space scroll, he collapsed on the bed like a dried salted fish.
"Sigh... I just have to wait for Tsunade's summons tomorrow."
--Night time--
Orochimaru had just returned from completing his mission. He passed by Shinichi's room and was keenly aware of the "lifeless" atmosphere coming from inside.
When I opened the door and took a look, I saw Shinichi lying on the bed like a dead fish that had lost its dream, with a look of despair written all over his face.
"Shinichi brother, what's wrong with you?"
Orochimaru rarely showed a trace of concern.
Shinichi turned over, waved his hands, and said helplessly, "Forget it, starting from tomorrow, I will go to Shikkotsu Forest to practice Sage Mode with Tsunade."
Hearing this, Orochimaru's golden snake eyes flashed slightly, and he said meaningfully, "It just so happens that during this period, I am also planning to go to Ryūchi Cave to ask White Snake Sage about the specific matters about Sage Mode."
Shinichi Hearing this, he sat up suddenly, a strange look flashed in his eyes.
"Wait a minute, Ryūchi Cave..."
He suddenly remembered that in the original time and space, Orochimaru had tried to practice Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave, but because his body could not bear the violent Natural Energy, he finally gave up Sage Mode and turned to the research path of Cursed Seal and scientific ninjutsu.
Thinking of this, Shinichi's face changed slightly. After pondering for a moment, he looked at Orochimaru seriously.
"Orochimaru, Ryūchi Cave and Sage Mode are not so easy to cultivate. I have something to tell you."
"Oh?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, obviously very interested in Shinichi's change of attitude.
Later, Shinichi told Orochimaru the practice rules of Ryūchi Cave in detail--
"Ryūchi Cave's way of practice is completely different from Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myōboku."
"There, you not only have to endure the extremely violent Natural Energy, but you also have to constantly coexist with the venom."
"Moreover, you must forcibly adjust your physique during Sage Mode's practice to make yourself a 'snake' more suitable for absorbing Natural Energy..."
"If you fail, the only thing waiting for you is to be swallowed by the three snake queens!"
"..."
Orochimaru After listening, he remained silent for a long time, his expression dark and unclear.
When Shinichi saw this, his heart sank slightly. After thinking for a moment, he made a bold decision.
Without saying a word, he took out a Kunai from his ninja bag and made a cut in the palm of his hand!
"Zi--"
Red blood gushed out instantly, but due to Shinichi's Sage Body's strong recovery ability, the wound began to heal automatically as soon as it opened.
"Tsk... Sure enough, the bloodletting needs to be done quickly, otherwise it will heal later."
He quickly picked up the test tube that had been prepared, collected his own blood, sealed the test tube, and handed it to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was stunned for a moment, and then he understood what Shinichi meant. His golden snake pupils shrank slightly, revealing a hint of surprise.
"... What do you mean?"
Shinichi grinned. "Aren't you going to Ryūchi Cave? My Sage Body blood may be able to help you get through the adaptation period. You can also study it in the basement of our house. There are research notes left by Second Hokage and me."
"Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to die on the way and be eaten by Snake Queen before you can reach Sage Mode."
Orochimaru stared at the test tube containing Shinichi's blood with a complicated expression. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile.
"... Ha, brother Shinichi, you are really becoming more and more interesting."
He took the test tube and put it away carefully, with some thinking in his eyes.
"Perhaps, with your blood, my path of 'evolution' will become smoother..."
The night was getting darker, the moonlight outside the window was shining, and the two figures intertwined in the dim room.
This night, the practice plan for Sage Mode was officially launched.
The next morning, it was just dawn.
Shinichi was still swimming in his dream, suddenly--
"Bang!"
The door was pushed open violently, and then a pair of powerful hands lifted him up from the bed!
"Uchiha Shinichi! Get up quickly!!"
The sound of Tsunade is so deafening that it can almost collapse the roof.
"Huh?!!"
Shinichi woke up suddenly. In a daze, before he could figure out what happened, Tsunade grabbed his arm and dragged him out of bed.
"Hey hey hey! Tsunade! Wait a minute!!"
Before Shinichi could fully wake up from his dream, he was dragged all the way out of the room by Tsunade, almost without even wearing his shoes.
However, he suddenly thought of something, and his eyes suddenly cleared up -
"Wait! My backpack!!"
He suddenly broke free from Tsunade's hand, grabbed the backpack beside the bed, and stuffed all the space scrolls, dry food, water bags, and ninja tools that he had prepared in advance into it to make sure nothing was missed.
Tsunade saw him carrying a bulging backpack and curled his lips, "It's really hard."
Shinichi glanced at her and sighed helplessly, "Did you think we were going for an outing? Shikkotsu Forest The environment is so harsh. If we don't prepare enough supplies, what should we do if we encounter danger?"
Tsunade put his hands on his hips and raised his head, "With me here, who dares to touch us?"
"..."
Shinichi is speechless, forget it, he doesn't want to reason with a violent girl who can break the ground with one punch.
Therefore, he could only accept his fate and follow Tsunade all the way to Senju Main Residence.
--Senju Main Residence, in the courtyard.
Tsunade stood in the center of the courtyard with Hand Seals in his hand. After a moment, a white light emerged from the ground.
"Katsuyu, I'm begging you to turn on the reverse teleportation!"
"Okay, Lady Tsunade!"
As a small Katsuyu poked its head out from Tsunade's shoulder, a soft and waxy voice sounded, and Shikkotsu Forest's space fluctuations began to emerge.
The next second, Shinichi and Tsunade were instantly wrapped in white light and disappeared into the courtyard of Senju Main Residence.
arrived at their destination--
One of Three Great Sage Lands, Shikkotsu Forest!