A sanctuary ideal for slug survival, yet hostile to human life.
The freely flowing acid could still be selectively avoided, but the acidic mist that often blanketed the Shikkotsu Forest was an inescapable and adverse climate condition.
The sky was gloomy, and the sunlight filtering through the clouds was weak and powerless giving the forest, shrouded in acidic mist, a damp and unpleasant atmosphere.
The outskirts of Shikkotsu Forest, born from countless corpses, had the thinnest concentration of acid mist. The deeper one ventured, the denser the acid mist became.
When Kushina first arrived at Shikkotsu Forest, she was exhausted both physically and mentally from the acidic mist. Normally, with the help of the slug clinging to her, she could resist the erosion of the mist, but Kushina believed this harsh environment was ideal for training.
Thus, relying on her Tailed Beast Cloak and Creation Rebirth, she became the first human capable of surviving long-term in Shikkotsu Forest without the assistance of the slug.
After two months of persistent training, her strength had increased significantly. Fortunately, the acidic mist of Shikkotsu Forest was not a permanent climate condition, otherwise, even with Kushina and Kurama's massive chakra reserves, they wouldn't have lasted long.
Kushina came to Shikkotsu Forest for one reason... Sage Mode.
Just as Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku each have their own unique Sage Modes, so too does Shikkotsu Forest, revered as one of the Three Great Sanctuaries. However, compared to the other two, the training conditions for Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode were far more demanding.
As with the other sanctuaries, failure to master Sage Mode meant death.
At Mount Myōboku, failure turned one into a toad statue. At Ryūchi Cave, failure meant being transformed into a snake and devoured by the White Snake Sage. At Shikkotsu Forest, failure resulted in being dissolved into an incomplete skeleton.
If Mount Myōboku's training was gradual and nurturing, and Ryūchi Cave's was brutal and direct, then Shikkotsu Forest's was a slow and torturous ordeal.
All three required a certain threshold of chakra to attempt Sage Mode. But Shikkotsu Forest demanded ten times that minimum.
Even Tsunade, capable of storing massive chakra reserves, could not meet the requirements for Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode. Kushina on the other hand, being a member of the Uzumaki clan and host to the Nine Tails, had the necessary qualifications due to multiple contributing factors.
After two months of tireless effort her training was nearing completion, though it was not yet perfect.
The Great Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest was an enormous slug. Tsunade's summoning slug was actually a split-off, independent consciousness from the Great Slug Sage. In terms of size, the Great Slug was fifteen times larger than the summoning slug.
Normally, the Great Slug Sage divided itself into countless small slugs, so its usual size was only about three times that of Tsunade's summon.
Currently, Konoha was under attack by the Akatsuki. Tsunade had summoned her slug to help treat the wounded so the slug was aware of the situation in Konoha, but chose not to inform Kushina, who was in the middle of critical training and could not be disturbed.
Sage Mode... and a concurrent internal trial, aimed at earning the Nine Tails' recognition.
A palm-sized slug quietly watched Kushina, who stood within the acid mist unharmed. It was one of the many split bodies, capable of establishing communication with its main body in Konoha at any time.
Thus, it clearly understood Konoha's current crisis as it prepared for the second wave of assault from Pain's Six Paths.
"Great Slug Sage, should we ask Kushina to stop training?" Knowing Kushina's personality, the slug was deeply concerned, realizing she still knew nothing about Konoha's dire situation.
"All things must have a beginning and an end. Since she has started, she must persist to the end. Even if the process is long, it is no excuse for premature abandonment." The Great Slug Sage, as massive as a mountain and visually identical to Tsunade's summon, spoke with a deep, mature female voice. Its antennae were not even visible when it raised its head.
"Understood," the small slug replied.
Inside the sealed space, the light was dim. Dripping water echoed from the darkness, and the place where one's feet stood rippled like the surface of water, as if standing on it.
The cage that sealed the Nine Tails had its gate wide open, and the sealing tag pasted upon it was torn in two.
This was a scene the Nine Tails had long dreamed of, freedom at last. But now that it had finally come to pass, he felt no joy.
The reason was simple... The woman before him was a master of sealing techniques. Even though the seal had been voluntarily destroyed, she could easily reapply another one at any moment. So the open gate did not signify true freedom.
True freedom required her death, his claws tearing her apart. Naturally, he was currently trying just that.
Boom!
A violent explosion of chakra sent shockwaves across the water's surface, disturbing the calm. The entire sealed space trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
Suddenly, chains glowing with golden light appeared, illuminating the dim space with radiant brilliance. Ten… twenty… thirty chains danced like dragons, forming a net across the sky and ground, descending upon the Nine Tails.
Controlling the golden chains was a beautiful woman. Her eyes shone with unwavering determination as she quietly stared at the Nine Tails. But hidden deep within that gaze was a subtle, unmistakable plea.
The Nine Tails stared coldly at the approaching net. Opening his mouth wide, he let out a roar. The sound waves boiled the water beneath his feet. Simultaneously, chakra rapidly gathered in his mouth—the formation of a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Shoom...
The Tailed Beast Bomb, like a laser beam, shot toward Kushina through a gap between the chains, attempting to annihilate her.
Clang! Clang!
The golden chains suddenly contracted, forming a tightly interlocked iron wall. With precise control, it completely blocked the Tailed Beast Bomb.
The dense energy sphere smashed into the iron wall of golden chains, spinning furiously, yet unable to shake the wall in the slightest.
A moment later, the Tailed Beast Bomb exploded with overwhelming force, causing the entire seal space to quake again.
The brilliant red glow of the explosion seeped through the edges of the wall, bathing the whole space in crimson.
Kushina stood behind the golden wall, the red light gently infiltrating her pale blue eyes.
That gentle, watery blue held a firmness capable of wearing down stone.
Within her beautiful pale blue irises her pupils had shrunk slightly, a sign that she had entered Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode.
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