With a heavy sigh, and a slight dose of adrenaline and determination, we approached the Slug sage, is this how ordinary shinobi felt when Madara pulled up with the Susanno and the meteorite?
Though, it must be noted that Lady Katsuyu can only be said to be massive, not scary looking, like you won't consider a blue white massive slug to be that scary, she may be larger than ten tails, but ten tails was hideous…
And whether you want to believe it or not, looks matter, you can tell yourself otherwise, but no, that's the truth, and Katsuyu looks innocent.
Even so, Neither I nor Tsunade said anything as we moved forward.
After a bit of walking, we finally reached her.
Well, at least close enough, if we went any closer, We would probably not be able to look at her eyes.
A being so massive that even if she had no powers, with just her size and weight alone, she might be one of the strongest beings on the planet, if she just stood there silently, she could have aura farmed, but,
she spoke.
"Welcome, lord Inaba and lady Tsunade," her voice was oddly polite, very soft, which clearly didn't match her size, the contrast was so much that if I didn't know any better, I might have burst out laughing…
And you clearly don't expect someone to be this humble when they are at a level atleast similar to that of Hashirama and Madara, it just feels strange, her calling me lord…
Anyways, she continued,
"I've been expecting you. Both of you are the new contractors of Shikkotsu forest, you can consider it your second home, and visit here anytime you feel like it."
"Thank you for welcoming us, Lady Katsuyu. I was very curious about one of the fabled holy summoning places, hence the sudden visit." I replied politely
"You both are welcome here anytime, no need to be polite about that, I suppose you're curious about what it means to possess the summoning contract of the Slugs.
Our abilities are quite different from the other holy places, it might feel underwhelming at first, considering they are not directly suited for combat…
regeneration, medical jutsu, division, acid, chakra transfer, these are some of the abilities I possess, and of course, the most important thing is certainly Senjutsu."
She paused there, almost knowingly.
Naturally, I latched on to the last part, considering that it was obvious that she wanted me to ask further, maybe even sages like to show off sometimes, no matter how polite they are...
"Senjutsu?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.
Tsunade also nodded in interest as to learn of what it was.
Katsuyu let out a soft laugh, and continued. "You're quite sharp. Yes. The Shikkotsu Forest does have its own Sage Mode just like Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi cave.
The sage mode of Mount Myoboku is focused on physical enhancement, the sage mode of Ryuchi cave offers domain control, and the sage mode of Shikkotsu forest grants massive boost in chakra applications, granting you the capability of using jutsu which are far beyond the scope of the ordinary.
But I'm afraid… it's not something you can learn just yet."
I frowned. "Why? Is it because of my chakra amount?"
"Yes," she replied calmly. And continued,
"Your control is… extraordinary. I have seen thousands of shinobi over the course of history, lord Inaba. But never have I seen one manipulate chakra the way can you do.
It is beyond even Lord Hashirama's capabilities. Of course, you are nowhere near him in terms of chakra amount though.
That level of control may one day allow you to master the perfect Sage Mode. Unlike the imperfect forms used by many others, but you need to possess a certain level of chakra to even access the sage chakra safely.
With your chakra control, you might manage, Lord Inaba, but I would suggest you to wait and grow a bit, there is no need to take unnecessary risks."
I nodded slowly. "So I can't learn it now."
"You cannot master it now," she corrected,
"But you can begin the basics. The training for sage mode is long. It requires immense balance- of physical energy, spiritual energy, and natural energy. With your control, the biggest hurdle is already behind you.
I will not teach you how to absorb nature chakra now, but that is not the only thing I can teach you, and there are many things I possess which can help you grow faster and better."
I stared into the forest, and let out a sigh, even more busy days ahead.
Fuinjutsu under Grandma Mito.
Ninjutsu and Kinjutsu from Tobirama sensei.
Medical jutsu, along with Tsunade-chan.
And now… Senjutsu from Lady Katsuyu.
'Just how many tracks am I expected to run on at the same time?'
Sadly, the answer was,
'All of them.'
I sighed. "Thank you for that, Lady Katsuyu, I have heard of your expertise in medical jutsu, so there are certain enhancement jutsus I have created which would require your help in progressing.
The truth is… I've am also interested in this Senjutsu you speak of. I am thinking about integrating senjutsu with fuinjutsu."
Tsunade gave me a sideways look. "You're insane. I have heard about senjutsu before, Grandpa had it, it's super difficult to learn, he was the only one who had it in the entire world, and there are no masters of Senjutsu at all, and you are thinking of experimenting on it."
I smiled. "Now now, Tsuna-chan, Lady Katsuyu said I would eventually master it's perfect version, no need to worry about it."
Katsuyu chuckled again. "Then let us begin with the first phase. Meditation and sensing. Once you return to Konoha, I will send a clone to you. We shall begin gradually."
Anyways, that was about it, so after a bit more time there, and another poof into smokes later, Tsunade and I appeared back in Konoha.
The first thing we did was head to the Hokage Tower.
Tobirama was as usual, sitting behind a pile of scrolls, one hand scribbling, the other already sensing our presence before we even entered.
"So… how was it?" he asked, eyes not leaving the page.
Tsunade replied excitedly "It was massive and glowing too, and Lady Katsuyu was very polite."
I stepped forward. "She explained the full ability set of the Slugs. Including their senjutsu. She also said I could eventually master the perfect Sage Mode."
That got his attention.
He looked up, a bit more animated than usual.
"Did she now?"
I nodded. "She also said I should begin basic training. She's going to send a clone here to oversee my training."
Tobirama leaned back in his chair.
"…That's good. That's very good."
He was smiling, I could feel the approval radiating off him.
"My brother," he began slowly, "was a master of that very Sage Mode. The Shikkotsu Forest version. He called it a power that connects the user directly to the world itself, sadly that was the only explanation he could offer."
That sounded like something Hashirama would say.
Tobirama continued, "It is extremely rare. Almost no one outside the holy places and its contractors even know about it.
He told me once, only those who were capable of loving the world could draw nature's energy into them perfectly. But you can't take his words at face value."
I blinked. "That's… poetic."
"He was a sentimental idiot," Tobirama muttered.
"But yes, Senjutsu is strong. Strong beyond anything you can imagine. If you really do manage to master perfect Sage Mode… you might completely surpass me."
I didn't say anything, anything I said now could be used against me later. He was just saying it, me agreeing to it would change things.
Anyways, yeah, so more hectic training happened, and as the Chinese say, The years flew by like the swift wind.
Before I forget to mention, I am 16 now. And you know what that means. ZEHAHAHAHA.
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