"Go back to your room!"
Kaito frowned in thought. Now that his strength had reached a plateau, the next step in his growth was clear—he needed to learn Sage Mode.
Originally, he had planned to travel to the Shikkotsu Forest after the Chunin Exams.
But now that he had left Konoha, there was no reason to wait any longer.
The next morning, Kaito informed Tsunade of his plan.
Tsunade, rubbing her temples from fatigue, looked up with a frown when she heard him.
"You want to learn Sage Mode?"
"Yes," Kaito nodded seriously.
"Hey! You should know that Sage Mode isn't easy to learn. It takes real talent! I, your teacher, once went to Shikkotsu Forest to try learning it myself."
"It's a pity I didn't have the talent for it. I trained for almost a year without any progress before giving up," Tsunade admitted with a touch of frustration.
After a brief pause, she changed her tone. "But you're different. With your talent, you might just be able to learn it like my grandfather did."
"Then I'll head to the Shikkotsu Forest now. Please take care of yourself, Lady Tsunade."
"Go, go," Tsunade waved him off, already sounding exasperated.
"Lady Katsuyu, I want to learn the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest. Please help me!" Kaito bit his finger and performed the Summoning Technique.
"Sage Mode? Understood, Lord Kaito. Please place your hand on me. Once you're ready, I will use the Reverse Summoning Technique," Katsuyu said gently.
"I'm ready," Kaito nodded.
"Goodbye, Lady Tsunade," Katsuyu said politely before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
When the smoke cleared, both Kaito and the slug were gone.
Bang!
Just like starlight falling from the sky, Kaito's body reappeared in a damp clearing.
Surrounded by sticky earth and small slugs, Kaito wrinkled his brow.
"So this is the Shikkotsu Forest… It's darker than I expected."
He recalled everything he knew about the place. Shikkotsu Forest was one of the Three Great Sage Regions, alongside Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave. It had existed since the days of Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Unlike the other two regions, Shikkotsu Forest was a single unified entity. Every slug within it was an extension of the Slug Sage. Even the Katsuyu summoned by Sakura and Tsunade was a part of the same being.
If he had to rank the three Sage Regions, Kaito would place Shikkotsu Forest at the top. After all, the Slug Sage had built its reputation alone, and that alone showed its power.
"Lord Kaito, please follow me. This is where the natural energy is most concentrated," said the slug on his shoulder, interrupting his thoughts.
"Alright," Kaito nodded and followed.
"Katsuyu, shouldn't the Slug Sage appear to greet me?" he asked as they walked.
"The Slug Sage is already aware of your arrival through me," the slug replied.
"Right…" Kaito suddenly remembered. Each of Katsuyu's clones was also the Slug Sage itself.
After a while, guided by the slug, Kaito arrived at a particularly humid area thick with vegetation. The towering plants grew so densely that they blocked out the sunlight.
The forest grew darker, but a faint, pleasant fragrance lingered in the air.
"This place smells… nice?" Kaito muttered to himself. "Shouldn't a place like this reek of rot?"
Unable to make sense of it, he chalked it up to the mystical nature of the Slug Sage and moved on.
"Lord Kaito, allow me to explain Sage Mode to you now," the slug on his shoulder said.
"Alright, go ahead."
"Sage Mode involves absorbing natural energy from the environment. It's a completely different training path compared to your regular chakra-based techniques."
"But once mastered, Sage Mode greatly enhances your physical abilities. Your strength, speed, reflexes, and the power of your jutsu will increase significantly."
The slug explained everything with patience and detail.
Kaito listened attentively, like a dedicated student.
After a thorough rundown, the slug explained both the benefits and dangers of the training.
Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode was considered the safest and gentlest among the three regions. The slug would act as a conduit, absorbing natural energy and transferring it to Kaito. If anything went wrong, it could quickly pull the excess energy back out of his body.
It was a far cry from the harsh methods of Ryuchi Cave, where snake venom was used to forcibly inject energy—and failure could mean being devoured.
Even Mount Myoboku's transformation into toads seemed more dangerous by comparison.
Having absorbed everything he'd heard, Kaito prepared to begin his training.
There were two necessary conditions for Sage Mode training: a large chakra reserve and precise chakra control.
Kaito had both.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and entered a state of meditation.
Within the dark space of his mind, he felt himself entering another world—silent, infinite, and devoid of light. It felt like standing on the edge of an abyss.
Next to him, a single glowing form lit up the darkness.
He recognized it—it was the slug.
To his perception, it was like a small vortex, continuously drawing in the floating, colorful energy that drifted down from above.
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