After swallowing the Demon Core, the Toad Sage nodded in agreement. "You're right. Hokage, talking with you has broadened my horizons considerably. Since you are so knowledgeable about so many secrets of this world, you must be no ordinary person. Could you tell me about the cultivation realms after the Golden Core stage?"
Tsubasa shrugged and said, "I'm just a passerby who knows some secrets. I've only just figured out how to cultivate to the Late Foundation Establishment stage. I'm asking you how you condensed your Golden Core because I sensed that you, Sage, have reached the Golden Core Realm."
The Toad Sage was silent for a moment, then slowly said, " Hokage, I inexplicably broke through to the Demon Core Realm after eating a powerful demon. We had a very pleasant conversation today. I've decided to give you the Summoning Scroll of Mount Myōboku. I hope you can make good use of it to help Mount Myōboku find a good representative to protect this world."
As he spoke, the Toad Sage took out an ancient scroll and handed it to me. Tsubasa solemnly accepted the scroll and said, "Thank you for your trust, Sage. I will certainly not fail you." The man and the toad chatted for a while about cultivation. The Toad Sage invited Tsubasa to come to the sacred Mount Myōboku to cultivate when he had time. Tsubasa thanked him...
After bidding farewell to the Toad Sage, Tsubasa used the Reverse Summoning Technique to leave Mount Myōboku and arrived at Shikkotsu Forest, where he met the Katsuyu Sage.
" Katsuyu Sage, I've returned from Mount Myōboku. Unfortunately, the Great Toad Sage doesn't have a suitable Transformation Secret Technique for you," I said truthfully.
The Katsuyu Sage's voice was gentle and slow. "It's alright, we all expected this outcome. Since it didn't happen, then so be it. However, did you gain anything else from your trip to Mount Myōboku?"
I smiled, recalling my conversation with the Toad Sage, and said, "It was quite fruitful. I not only learned a lot of secrets about the Sage of Six Paths and the Ōtsutsuki Clan, but I also made a very interesting friend, the Toad Sage."
The Katsuyu Sage swayed slightly, seemingly smiling, "That's good. I hope these gains will be of some help to you." A damp, moss-like stench wafted through the air. The Katsuyu Sage, its mountain-like body coiled in the valley, its tentacles trembling slightly in mid-air. " Tsubasa, now that you're married, may I try the Soul Reincarnation Technique first?"
Tsubasa stared at her intently and said, "You know this secret technique is only theoretical. Once it's used, you'll become a human infant, and you have no idea what the aftereffects might be?"
The Katsuyu Sage's body suddenly convulsed violently, emitting a tremor like wind chimes. "I have guarded this land for over a thousand years, and I am long weary. I am willing to take a gamble!"
Tsubasa crouched down, his fingertips tracing the healing mucus she secreted. "You said you envied humans for being able to experience such a rich and varied life, for being able to love, hate, and be entangled in a limited amount of time. Actually... I'm still a little worried about putting you in danger."
The Katsuyu Sage remained silent for a long time, his voice trembling like never before. "But I hate this inhuman body now... Let me try. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm terrified of living like this in the Shikkotsu Forest forever."
"The physical body isn't the problem; the key lies in the soul." Tsubasa pulled a yellowed rune scroll from his ninja tool pouch. The blood-drawn runes on it glowed with an eerie light. " Soul Reincarnation Technique can separate the soul and place it into a completely new life. But it requires a willing donor— the Katsuyu Sage. Are you really willing to take the gamble?"
Upon leaving the Shikkotsu Forest, Tsubasa returned to his home in Konoha. He entered Tian Yueqing's room with practiced ease. She was sitting on the veranda, polishing the Ten Thousand Talisman Demon-Sealing Scroll, her red hair fluttering in the night breeze. Seeing Tsubasa enter, she exclaimed with delight, " Tsubasa, you're back! So late..."
"There's a tricky matter I need your help with." Tsubasa sat cross-legged, staring into her eyes. "It's about the secret technique of soul reincarnation..."
Tian Yueqing paused, the Ten Thousand Talisman Demon-Sealing Scroll reflecting a cold light in the candlelight. "Do you know how dangerous this technique is? Reincarnating a powerful creature like the Katsuyu Sage, the slightest mistake could result in both the caster and the mother being annihilated."
"That's why I came to you. You're also an expert in Sealing Jutsu." Tsubasa revealed everything about the Katsuyu Sage. "Furthermore, you're a member of the Uzumaki Clan, with exceptionally strong vitality, making you the most suitable person to be the Katsuyu Sage's mother. And..." Tsubasa lowered his voice, "I need to use the dual cultivation method to guide my soul into your body to ensure a stable and complete union between my soul and the new life source."
Under the runic light, Tian Yueqing's earlobes flushed red. "You certainly know how to pick people. But let me make this clear—I just don't want to see the Katsuyu Sage trapped in the Shikkotsu Forest going mad."
Three days later, after everything was prepared, Tsubasa returned to the Shikkotsu Forest with Tian Yueqing. The Katsuyu Sage was somewhat excited; from now on, these two would be the parents of its human body. Tsubasa drew various strange runes on the Katsuyu Sage's body. Gradually, the Katsuyu Sage used the runes to form a magic circle, and Tsubasa and Tian Yueqing sat facing each other. His hand covered Tian Yueqing's palm, his body heat transmitting through their skin. "Remember, once you begin casting the secret technique, you cannot stop, otherwise all three of us will face unknown dangers."
"Understood." Tian Yueqing bit her fingertip, dripping blood onto the rune sealing array. The crimson patterns instantly lit up, the heavens and earth trembled, and the Katsuyu Sage's soul was extracted from its enormous body by the array. The Katsuyu Sage endured immense pain. Finally, the Katsuyu Sage's soul transformed into a fist-sized glowing soul bead, hovering in the center of the array. Then, guided by Tsubasa, it transformed into a stream of light and entered Tsubasa's brow. At the same time, Tsubasa kissed Yueqing's lips, and the two began their union...
Tian Yueqing's eyelashes trembled violently, and a pale purple Cursed Seal appeared on her forehead. Their Chakra and Spiritual Power intertwined in her dantian, forming a visible vortex. Finally Tsubasa could clearly feel the Katsuyu Sage's consciousness soul orb moving around. Tsubasa used his Soul Power to guide the soul orb, and the Katsuyu Sage's soul orb, like a slippery fish, burrowed from his body into Tian Yueqing's body, eventually forming a new life after Tsubasa and Tian Yueqing's bloodlines merged.
"Hold on!" I growled, forming a hand Hand Seals with my other hand and slapping the last rune onto Tian Yueqing abdomen. She groaned, and the magic circle erupted with a blinding light. As the light faded, a strange vitality returned to her pale face.
"It's a success..." Tsubasa slumped to the ground, watching Tian Yueqing gently stroke her abdomen. There was no bulge there, but she could feel the fluctuations of new life—the spiritual embryo carrying the soul of the Katsuyu Sage.
Tian Yueqing look, her legs going weak as she stood up. I reached out to support her, my hand brushing against the smooth skin of her waist. Her ears turned bright red as she shook me off. "Husband, what should we name this spirit child, the reincarnation of the Katsuyu Sage immortal, after it's born?"
Tsubasa looked at her, then at the corpse of the Katsuyu Sage, which resembled a mountain range in the Shikkotsu Forest. The runic array was dissipating; after thousands of years of solitude, the Katsuyu Sage had finally embarked on a new journey. Let's call her Tian Yu.
Tian Yueqing leaned against Tsubasa and said, "Alright, if the reincarnation of the Katsuyu Sage is going to be called Tian Yu, I just wonder if the Katsuyu Sage will recognize me as his mother when he grows up!"