"Tsunade, you haven't mastered Sage Mode yet, have you?"
Inside the underground base, Orochimaru led the group in and asked her softly.
However, Tsunade ignored him. Her eyes were fixed intently on Kagetsu and the black, hollow-like void behind him.
"This is?"
"A space-time technique."
"Second Grandpa's Flying Thunder God? It doesn't look like it."
"It has nothing to do with the Flying Thunder God. This is the 'Black Cavity' developed by Kagetsu. If you're interested in the details, you can check the records later."
Orochimaru spread his hands as he spoke.
The Black Cavity was one of the few techniques that intrigued Orochimaru. Even though he had access to its training methods, he lacked the confidence to master it and eventually gave up.
Space-time ninjutsu already required an extremely high level of talent and compatibility. The Black Cavity, apart from being a space-related technique like the Flying Thunder God, differed significantly in other aspects.
Flying Thunder God used marked kunai or objects as coordinates for instant teleportation.
The Black Cavity, on the other hand, functioned similarly to Summoning Jutsu, using a specific space as a transit point and relying on snake-like symbols or similar seals as coordinates.
In combat, the Black Cavity wasn't particularly useful.
It also resembled a Kekkei Genkai—one had to possess a specific kind of power before they could use it.
This power, which allowed control over the Black Cavity, was what Kagetsu referred to as 'Hollow Power' or 'Soul Power.'
Only by involving the soul could one perceive the mysterious spatial world that served as the transit station.
"Additionally, this technique is extremely dangerous. If you recklessly open the Black Cavity without Kagetsu leading the way, you might never find your way out—even in death."
"Does the danger come from the depths of the darkness?" Tsunade asked. When she entered the Black Cavity, she had vaguely sensed some kind of lurking threat in the shadows.
"It's just a scavenger called Cleaner. But it usually exists in a spatial gap. We can sense it, but as long as we hide ourselves well, we won't disturb it."
Orochimaru walked to the experiment table, turned around, and looked at Tsunade. He asked again, "You still haven't answered my question, Tsunade!"
"What question? Sage Mode?" Tsunade crossed her arms, recalled what Orochimaru had said earlier, and shook her head.
"I'm not qualified to practice Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode. Or rather, if I forcefully train in it, the risks would be extremely high. The Slug Sage Katsuyu doesn't recommend it for me."
"Then, do you want to hear my suggestion?" Orochimaru's gaze carried a deeper meaning.
"Don't look at me like that! That calculating look of yours is just as annoying as Jiraiya's perverted gaze!"
Tsunade frowned, instinctively becoming alert. As someone deeply connected to both Orochimaru and Jiraiya, she knew them too well.
Whenever Orochimaru showed this kind of expression, it meant he was highly interested in something—and scheming about it.
Tsunade had no interest in playing mind games with Orochimaru while working together.
"It's just a suggestion." Orochimaru slightly adjusted his expression.
"Go ahead. What do you want from me?" Tsunade didn't mind Orochimaru making demands or having plans—as long as he was upfront about them.
"The power of Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode," Orochimaru answered without hesitation.
"Tell me your reason," Tsunade asked, puzzled. "I remember Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku also have their own Sage Mode training, right? Why must it be Shikkotsu Forest?"
"Because we might need it later," Orochimaru said, exchanging a glance with Kagetsu. His raspy voice echoed once more.
"The Sage Mode of the Three Sage Regions is mostly aligned with the power of the creatures that reside there. The harsher the training, the more dangerous it is, but it also means the Sage's power can be incredibly strong.
If my guess is correct, the Sage Mode of the Shikkotsu Forest is related to vitality?"
"That depends on how you understand it." Tsunade didn't know why Orochimaru was so fixated on the Sage Jutsu of the Shikkotsu Forest, but since he asked so directly, she didn't mind explaining what she knew.
After all, just by listening to an explanation, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to master the Sage Jutsu of the Shikkotsu Forest without the help of the Slug Sage.
Tsunade even suspected that the Sage Modes of Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku also required the cooperation of their respective Sages.
"I only know that to train in the Sage Mode of the Shikkotsu Forest, you must have an extremely powerful body! Because it requires the acidic liquid infused with natural energy from the Slug Sage.
If your body and vitality aren't strong enough, the Slug Sage's acid will be a deadly poison!
I don't know what happens if you fail in Ryūchi Cave or Mount Myōboku, but in the Shikkotsu Forest, failure means complete annihilation—nothing will be left of you!
So unless you insist on it yourself, the only way to undergo Sage training there is by gaining the recognition of the Slug Sage.
However, if you do succeed in mastering the Sage Mode of the Shikkotsu Forest, according to the Slug Sage, you will gain near-immortality, rapid healing, an immense chakra reserve, and enhanced resistance to many types of Ninjutsu.
According to my second grandfather's speculation, my first grandfather's Wood Release might have been a mutation that occurred after training in the Sage Jutsu of the Shikkotsu Forest."
"My guess was right." Orochimaru pondered for a moment.
"What was right?" Tsunade clenched her fist in frustration. If Orochimaru didn't explain himself soon, she was tempted to plant her fist right into his face.
She wasn't worried about killing him—both Orochimaru and Jiraiya had incredibly strong bodies. Even if she punched them with full force, it might not seriously injure them. And if she held back, it definitely wouldn't.
"Jiraiya's Mount Myōboku Sage Jutsu mainly enhances Jutsu. Ryūchi Cave's Sage Jutsu leans toward bloodline abilities, focusing on devouring and fusion. From what you described, the Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Jutsu represents the strengthening—or perhaps even evolution—of life and the body."
Orochimaru couldn't contain his excitement, his tongue flicking through the air.
If he could combine the three types of Sage powers—techniques, body, and fusion [devour, learn]...
No, perhaps his understanding was still too shallow. There was an even deeper level of power.
But one thing was certain—this only strengthened his determination and greatly intensified his desire to collect the Sage Mode of the Three Sage Regions.
****
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