It wasn't that Haseo was too cold-hearted to even help Nawaki build up his mental readiness; it was because he knew that any attempt to do so would only make things worse. Since such counterproductive actions would only make things worse, Haseo decided not to get involved.
After handing Nawaki over to the Anbu, Haseo stopped involving himself in what came next.
Outside the Land of Rain, in a rare moment of leisure at Shikkotsu Forest—
Haseo sat frowning on a big rock. He looked like he was deep in thought about some life-changing mystery... when in reality, his mind was completely blank.
After quite a while, he finally spoke to Katsuyu beside him, "Katsuyu, although I've consistently continued my training in Sage Art, recently I've felt like I'm making no progress at all. This is the first time something like this has happened to me—it feels as if I've become stuck in some sort of stalemate, unable to move forward even slightly.
In the past, no matter how slowly I improved, I always felt that my practice paid off after enough time passed.
Now… it seems like I've reached my limit. No amount of hard work will change anything anymore.
Trying to describe it… Hmm, right! It's like a woman who's been through ten long months of pregnancy—time to deliver and show the world the result—but ends up stuck in labor. No matter what she tries, she just can't push the baby out. It's making me anxious. Maybe this kind of 'birth' needs an extra hand." [Midwifing Sage Art?]
At this point, Haseo seemed to recall someone who had once experienced a difficult childbirth, hence his peculiar analogy.
"Lord Haseo, I'm merely a mollusk. I don't understand human reproduction. Perhaps you'd find a more suitable person to discuss this with," Katsuyu replied solemnly, clearly unversed in the art of sarcasm.
Haseo: "..."
Well, Katsuyu was not only a soft-bodied creature, but an ancient one at that. It never reproduced itself—how could division possibly be less troublesome than giving birth?
That's why it didn't really get Haseo's metaphors.
"As for Lord Haseo's concerns about your Sage Art cultivation, considering your description combined with my recent observations of your training, I believe you may have finally reached 'the final hurdle.'
You've hit the wall. If you manage to breakthrough, then despite the years spent cultivating—even at such a slow pace—you'll have finally reached the threshold of success," Katsuyu added afterward.
One more word and I really will lose it… Haseo felt as though this giant white worm was mocking him, even though Katsuyu was merely describing the facts straightforwardly.
"The problem is, how does one cross this threshold? So far, I haven't thought of any method. Do I just keep going through the motions and waste time?" Haseo hoped Katsuyu could provide answers, after all, for a long time now his Sage Art cultivation had been under Katsuyu's guidance.
"This is indeed a tricky part. It's possible that Lord Haseo might suddenly have an epiphany at any moment and figure out what to do next, but there's also a chance you could get stuck at this stage for a very long time..."
Haseo envisioned that, drawing from other series' training methods he'd seen before, what he should do next would involve breaking through an inner cultivation stage—progressing smoothly from [First Layer of Sage Art Training] to [Ninth Layer of Sage Art Training]. But then... would he need to go through Initial, Middle, and Peak stages within the Ninth Layer? And then further divide Peak into Initial, Middle, and Ultimate Peak?
An endless nesting structure like this?
Unfortunately, this tragic outcome does theoretically exist.
Feeling like you're on the verge of success yet never actually reaching it—just like waiting forever at City Hall for a girlfriend who promised to arrive at 9:00 AM but never shows up.
"You must instantly utilize your full chakra extraction capacity while simultaneously absorbing natural energy and completely combining it with your own chakra. Only after fulfilling these prerequisites can you possibly achieve 'Sage Mode'... though accomplishing this might still be quite difficult for Lord Haseo."
According to Haseo's understanding, the key difference between Mount Myōboku's inherited 'Sage Mode' and the toads' version lay in how natural energy was gathered—the entire training process had always taught him to extract massive amounts of natural energy instantaneously rather than accumulating it slowly like the toads did.
Eliminating that slow gathering process definitely made the sage art training much harder.
Even with good physical resistance, one couldn't just recklessly absorb natural energy directly into their body. There was a precise balance required—spiritual energy, physical energy, and natural energy must blend together in equal proportions.
Without innate talent, mastering this balance required endless practice and experimentation. Maybe someday Haseo would finally grasp the right feeling, as Katsuyu would later say.
As for exactly when he could succeed... well, everyone knows the answer...
When pigs fly!
Haseo couldn't help but wonder—shouldn't sage techniques come naturally and easily? Like they do for those guys? Why was it so hard for him?
Fortunately, Katsuyu hadn't finished speaking yet. The slug continued, "This task would normally be extremely difficult for Lord Haseo... but you're actually quite fortunate. Something you carry can temporarily guide you through that final step."
"On me? What is it?" Haseo asked, puzzled.
"Please look down, Lord Haseo."
"..."
Following instructions, Haseo bent forward and looked down. From his chest dangled something familiar—indeed, it was...
The Curse of the First Generation?!
"When it comes to applying sage arts and achieving Sage Mode, even among all the users of [Sage Art from Shikkotsu Forest] throughout history, no one could surpass Lord Hashirama Senju. The chakra left behind by Lord Hashirama should be able to offer proper guidance to you, Lord Haseo."
Haseo: "..."
Wait—this thing had purposes beyond cursing people to death?! Wasn't it supposed to be a form of punishment? Haseo was completely stunned.
"Look, Katsuyu... I never got much schooling, and I ain't exactly well-read. So don't try pullin' the wool over my eyes—this actually gonna work, right?"
"It does. Even natural energy will actively respond to Lord Hashirama's chakra."
This was getting a bit mystical. Could it be that Hashirama Senju was truly destined by fate itself...? Well, in some sense, Hashirama truly could be considered heaven's chosen child.
No wonder he was of Grandpa's generation. He and Haseo belonged to entirely different eras.
"Lord Haseo, this is certainly worth trying regardless. Even if it fails, nothing would be lost," Katsuyu added upon noticing Haseo's hesitation.
"It's not like I'm worried First Hokage's chakra will affect me or anything. It's just... If we extract the chakra sealed inside this gemstone, will the gem itself get damaged? I really don't want to break it," Haseo explained.
The First Hokage's chakra wasn't like his Senju cells, which people avoided like venomous snakes. Haseo was simply concerned about something else.
Although this object appeared to possess strong cursed properties, since it was a gift from Tsunade, naturally Haseo didn't want to damage it...
If he actually broke it, he wouldn't even know where to begin explaining to Tsunade.
"Just extracting the chakra sealed within won't cause any actual harm to the gem's material, Lord Haseo. There's no need for concern," Katsuyu explained, as if trying to reassure him.
This explanation made Haseo stay silent for quite some time before he finally murmured under his breath:
"So… it really *is* unbreakable after all, huh?"
Katsuyu: "..."
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