After Ryosuke came to this world, there were many, many memories worth engraving in his heart.
He met quite a few close friends, also defeated some enemies worthy of respect or contempt, and, accompanied by many fellow companions, worked together to make this terrible world a better place.
For a man, what kind of honor is this.
But if we're talking about the most precious...
"It seems to be this one."
This was the night right after the Kirigakure battle ended, after overthrowing Yagura, killing the daimyo of the Land of Water, and at the celebration banquet Terumi Mei held after becoming the Mizukage.
Ryosuke said these words to Terumi Mei on the top-floor rooftop.
And this was the beginning of Ryosuke conquering the world.
He was no longer a wandering warrior, no longer a bounty hunter who killed people to earn soul fragments.
By Ryosuke's side, he had a group of trustworthy companions, and after the slaughter ended, he had a home where he could return.
The most precious memory.
Truly deserving of the title.
Ryosuke picked up this memory fragment. Under the shared perception of the Slug Sage, his thoughts were magnified and radiated outward, like an amplifier broadcasting across the universe.
According to the Slug Sage's explanation, during the process of the memory fragment radiating outward, a portion of it would enter the River of Time.
Between the memory and the real past that actually happened, an extremely faint resonance would occur. As long as Ryosuke could rely on this resonance and send his soul into the River of Time, the first round of practice would be considered complete.
For the physical body to enter the River of Time was extremely difficult, just like the last time Ryosuke and Uchiha Itachi traveled through the River of Time.
It consumed a huge amount of dragon vein power, not to mention the need for corresponding formations and entry points.
If not for Heavenly Great Life's deductions, an ordinary person couldn't possibly do it.
For a soul to enter would be relatively easier, but only relatively. Without the protection of a physical body, the soul entering the River of Time carried tremendous risk.
But for now, Ryosuke didn't feel danger. He only felt... a bit familiar.
Memory and past.
Reality and illusion resonating.
"This…"
"Isn't this the same feeling as when I draw a Stand-In each time?"
A Stand-In was a projection of the spirit cast into reality.
Whenever Ryosuke drew a Stand-In, as the starlight descended, the Stand-In and Ryosuke's soul would connect with each other.
One was the real body, the other was the illusory Stand-In.
One was the real historical past, the other was the illusory memory fragment.
The two were nearly identical.
The haze lingering before Ryosuke gradually dissipated. He subconsciously said a name, "Hermit Purple."
Purple vines suddenly appeared, tore apart the last trace of illusion, guarded Ryosuke's soul, and carried him into the River of Time.
And the other end of the purple vine, was the past where this piece of history actually happened.
Ryosuke hovered above the River of Time, looking down.
"Found it."
———
Ryosuke slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing him open his eyes so quickly, interrupting the perception, the Slug Sage thought Ryosuke had failed, and gently comforted him, "In terms of danger, resonance indeed isn't very high, but in terms of difficulty, it's the hardest part of the entire training process."
"Many people get stuck at the resonance stage for years, even decades. Ryosuke, don't rush, keep your mind calm. One or two failures are perfectly normal."
The Slug Sage's voice was sweet and gentle, with a special soothing charm. It signaled the small slug to bring over some refreshments.
"Rest for a bit, then we'll continue," the Slug Sage said.
"No need," Ryosuke said.
The Slug Sage smiled and said, "Ryosuke, you really don't need to rush."
"In finding the past through resonance, more important than stacking time and trying repeatedly is that fleeting, Biu~, instant feeling."
"I wasn't rushing."
Ryosuke said, "I found the corresponding past already. What's the next step?"
"Huh?!"
The Slug Sage asked in disbelief, "You really found it? No, I'm not saying I don't believe you, just… isn't this way too fast?"
From the time they began the training until now… Not even ten minutes had passed.
Finding the past projection, this was the first step in training the Path of the Past, and the hardest one.
To use nothing but pure feeling to find something never seen before.
The Slug Sage wasn't merely comforting him earlier.
All who came to Shikkotsu Forest to train were extraordinarily gifted. Even among them, the fastest, First Hokage Senju Hashirama, took a week.
"You really found it? It isn't an illusion?"
Some people, after searching too long, would enter a half-awake, half-dreaming illusion, thinking they had reached the River of Time.
Eventually hallucinating, and slowly going insane.
Ryosuke let out a small laugh, resonated with the past again, and instantly faint, dust-like haze wrapped around him.
Others could not see it, but how could the Slug Sage not?
It wasn't an illusion. Ryosuke had indeed taken the hardest first step in less than ten minutes.
The Slug Sage stared blankly at Ryosuke.
It had never seen someone like this. At this moment, the Slug Sage felt as if, while others ran 100 meters in 10 or 11 seconds, geniuses might run it in 9 seconds… but Ryosuke, reached the finish line the moment the starting gun fired.
"Forgive me, I lost my composure a bit, it's just too…"
"Unbelievable."
The Slug Sage couldn't help but ask, "How did you do it?"
Ryosuke thought for a moment and said, "Practice makes perfect?"
He had drawn so many Stand-Ins, if he still couldn't recognize this "connection" feeling, that would be strange.
The Slug Sage didn't understand.
After being silent for a long while, it took a deep breath and decided to skip this topic.
Finishing the first step early was good overall.
"Please continue," Ryosuke said.
"Alright."
The Slug Sage said, "Next is the first danger point..."
"Piling."
"You need to take out a strand of soul and treat it as a wooden stake, then drive it into the past. The soul-stake will become a conduit for energy transmission and form a shadow."
"With that, the past projection will be set."
After hearing the process, Ryosuke asked, "Where is the danger?"
"The impact of the soul during piling."
The Slug Sage's tone became serious, "You will use your main soul as the hammer, and the separated strand as the stake. Under the impact of the River of Time, you must strike again and again."
"Your soul will be damaged in the process, and there is a very high chance of getting lost in the River of Time."
Compared to the first step, Resonance, the second step, Piling, was far more straightforward and simple, very much in the Slug Sage's brute-strength style.
After all, it could split infinitely. As long as it found the past, it could just keep trying.
When a clone died, another little slug took over seamlessly. It had absolutely no need to care whether its soul might shatter or get lost during the piling process.
The Slug Sage gave one final warning, "You can still stop now."
Ryosuke smiled.
"I've already reached the 'piling' step, how could I stop here?"
He closed his eyes again.
This time, the Slug Sage could no longer help him. Everything depended on Ryosuke alone.
Ryosuke's pure white soul floated above the River of Time, looking down at the surging current. He gently plucked a "white strand of hair" and tossed it out.
The thin hair lightly drifted in the air, spinning once, then transformed into an unimaginably massive beam of light, and stabbed straight into the River of Time.
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