Upon learning that Tsubasa had returned home, the whole family rushed over. Each family member Gate of Opening greeted Tsubasa with an excited hug. Tsubasa Shouhua, Senju Ga, and Tenpuku were the last to arrive; they had gone to Grandpa's weapons workshop to retrieve weapons. Seeing Tsubasa, they ran up to him and embraced him, their eyes filled with joy. " Tsubasa, you're finally back!"
Dad rushed over, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy. Grandpa was even more excited, grabbing Tsubasa's hand and looking him up and down, muttering, "Have you lost weight? Are you tired from being out here?"
After a few words of concern, Tsubasa finally found a moment to sit down next to his grandfather, Senju Yasuhei, and said earnestly, "Grandpa, I want to learn medicine making." A hint of satisfaction flashed in his grandfather's eyes, and he nodded without hesitation, "Good lad, I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time. Apart from Ninjutsu, my only hobby in my life is studying pharmacology and medicinal properties. I could tell when you were working with me on the Nine Revolutions Life-Saving Pill last time that you have the potential to be a pharmacist!" As he spoke, his grandfather got up, took out a box full of the marks of time from his room, opened it, and carefully placed a stack of thick books in front of Tsubasa.
Grandpa laid out the books and opened them one by one, explaining, "This one is ' Detailed Explanation of Medicinal Herbs,' which records in detail the origin, characteristics, and effects of various medicinal materials. Look at this honeysuckle; it's cold in nature and sweet in taste. Its main effects are clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispersing wind-heat. It's often used to treat wind-heat colds and sore throats. But you have to be careful when picking it; it's most effective when the buds are still open."
Grandpa picked up another book, "This book, ' Detailed Explanation of Medicinal Properties,' categorizes medicinal herbs into four properties: cold, hot, warm, and neutral, making it easier to remember. For example, cold-natured herbs can clear heat and purge fire, like Coptis chinensis, which is an excellent medicine for treating damp-heat diarrhea, but people with weak spleen and stomach should use it with caution." Tsubasa listened intently, nodding repeatedly, his interest in making medicine growing stronger.
Grandpa went through each book, explaining the key points and important notes. After finishing the explanation of the medicinal herbs, Tsubasa put all the books into the sealed scroll. Then, he mysteriously took out the white jade-like ore he had obtained from under the Katsuyu Sage from his backpack and asked curiously, "Grandpa, what is this? I felt it was extraordinary, so I picked it up."
Senju Yasuhei took the ore, glanced at it, and his face instantly lit up with surprise. "This is High-Grade Chakra Metal! It's really a good thing!" Tsubasa looked puzzled, scratched his head, and asked, " Chakra Metal? I remember the Chakra Metal my grandfather showed me was blue."
Grandpa smiled and explained, " Chakra Metal are divided into four grades according to quality. The most common blue-green color is Low-Grade Chakra Metal. It has good Chakra conductivity and is usually used to make weapons for elite ninjas. Above that, bluish-white is mid-grade, with excellent Chakra conductivity, and is used in weapons for some Clan Head Level ninjas. And your milky-white piece is High-Grade Chakra Metal. Weapons forged from it are legendary quality weapons. The legendary Six Paths Tools used High-Grade Chakra Metal, allowing ninjas to fight beyond their level in battle, and the tools also possess various amazing Ninjutsu powers. There's also a blood-red one, which is the Mother of Supreme-Grade Chakra Metal."
" The Mother of Supreme-Grade Chakra Metal?" Tsubasa's eyes widened in surprise, filled with curiosity.
Grandpa nodded and continued, "This blood-red, Supreme-Grade Chakra Metal is extraordinary. It can absorb the Natural Energy and earth to give birth to Chakra Metal, which is why it's called the 'mother mine'—a peerless treasure! Owning it is equivalent to having a continuous supply of Chakra Metal. Where did you find this High-Grade Chakra Metal?"
Tsubasa scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "This ore was under the Katsuyu Sage. It was only today, when Master used his spirit to remove a portion of the Katsuyu Sage's true form, that this ore was revealed beneath it."
Upon hearing Senju Yasuhei's expression immediately turned serious, and he cautioned, "Then you absolutely must not offend the Katsuyu Sage. Safety first. This kind of ancient spirit Sage immortal has unfathomable strength; we can't risk it all for a piece of ore."
Tsubasa nodded seriously, thinking to himself: The wonders of this world far exceed my imagination. I must work harder in the future to explore more of the unknown.
After chatting with his grandfather, Tsubasa hurriedly went to find his mother, Senju Ga. As soon as he saw her, Tsubasa eagerly said, "Mom, do you have any books about minerals? I want to learn more about them." Senju Ga, seeing her son's thirst for knowledge, smiled and took two books from her study: one introducing various minerals, and the other about ore processing and forging. "Son, take these two and read them carefully; they might help you."
Tsubasa took the book and carefully placed it into his sealed space. Then, as if by magic, he produced a variety of colorful fruits from the Shikkotsu Forest, emitting an enticing aroma. "Mom, I picked these in the Shikkotsu Forest. They're so delicious! Quickly wash them and let everyone try them!"
The family sat together, savoring these exquisite delicacies. Tian Zhiyun hugged a strawberry-shaped fruit bigger than her head, took a big bite, and juice splashed onto her face, but she didn't care at all, letting out a particularly satisfied laugh, "Wow, it's so delicious! I've never eaten such sweet fruit before!" Her cute and innocent appearance amused the whole family.
As a princess of the Land of Fire, Tian Flying Swallow had tasted all sorts of delicacies in her daily life, but even she was captivated by these dozens of fruits she couldn't name, and ate with great relish. While eating, she asked curiously, " Tsubasa, are all these fruits unique to the Shikkotsu Forest?"
Tsubasa nodded and began to describe the Shikkotsu Forest: " The Shikkotsu Forest is amazing! It's full of exotic flowers and herbs, and these fruits are part of it. When I first arrived at the Shikkotsu Forest, I wasn't familiar with anything and didn't dare to pick anything to eat. Later, I used the methods of cultivating flowers and herbs to identify the toxicity of fruits. Highly poisonous plants will wither. I also used a white herb root to test for poison, and I can also use a silver needle to identify whether these fruits are poisonous. For example, those purple, thorny fruits look scary, but once you remove the thorns, the flesh inside is sweet and delicious; and those long, thin fruits that look like winter melons, you have to wait until their skin turns golden yellow before you can eat them, otherwise they will be bitter and astringent." The family listened with great interest, occasionally exclaiming in amazement.
That night, the moonlight, like water, spilled into the open-air garden. Tsubasa and his five fiancées— Tian Yueqing, Tian Uguisu, Tian Muyan Tian Flying Swallow, Tian Zhiyun —lay together on soft cushions, admiring the moon. Tian Yueqing leaned on Tsubasa's shoulder and whispered, " Tsubasa, tell us a story."
Tsubasa smiled and nodded, then began to tell the story of the Sage of Six Paths: "Long, long ago, the earth was shrouded in evil, and the Sage of Six Paths and his brother stepped forward... In the end, the Sage of Six Paths and his brother sealed away their mother, and peace was restored to the world. Alright, that's the end of the story."
Tian Uguisu blinked her big eyes, still wanting more, and said, "This story is so wonderful, Tsubasa! Can you tell us more later?" Tian Muyan chimed in, "Yes, yes, you told it so well!"
Tian Flying Swallow said playfully, "You have to come back more often, otherwise we won't be able to hear such wonderful stories." Tian Zhiyun hugged Tsubasa's arm and said coquettishly, "If you don't come back, I'll miss you."
After listening to everyone's words, Tsubasa felt a warmth in his heart. "Don't worry, I'll definitely come back often." Then he sat up and said earnestly, "Alright, everyone go to sleep! I still have some things to talk to the mothers about."
After everyone left, Tsubasa went to his mothers and said goodbye to each of them, "Mothers, don't worry about me. I'll come back every three months from now on." Dō Senju hugged Tsubasa tightly, saying reluctantly, "How about coming back every month?"
Tsubasa smiled helplessly, "Mom, that would be too much of a disturbance to the Katsuyu Sage. Let's talk about it after I've gotten to know the Katsuyu Sage better!"
Grandpa Senju Yasuhei walked over and patted Tsubasa on the shoulder. "It's really not good to disturb the Sage's rest too much. Tsubasa, you should cultivate diligently. The path you're on is different from ours. Throughout history, only Hashirama and you have achieved the Perfect Sage Body, so I can't help you much on your cultivation path, but we, your family, will never hold you back. Don't worry!"
Senju Ga handed the sealing scroll to Tsubasa, her eyes filled with worry and reluctance. "I sealed a lot of food inside, son, you must take good care of yourself."
Tsubasa nodded heavily, bowed to his family, and then disappeared into the villa after forming Hand Seals.