Afterdealing with Danzo, Izuna moves out of the village.
'I have dealt with Danzo.Hewon't be a nuisance anymore. Now it's time for training.'
"My first destination is ShikkotsuForest. It is one of the sage regions of the Shinobi world. One could quickly learn Sage mode if they practice here.
I have to learn the 'Six Paths Sage Mode' if I want to heal Minato and Kushina. Obito and Grandpa Madara acquired it after becoming the jinchuruki of Ten-tails, and Narutoreceived it directly from Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
Most of them lost 'Six Paths Sage Mode' later on. Naruto can't use Truth Seeking Balls anymore. I want to figure out the secret behind it, and I want to learn it permanently. There is no use of this power if it can't be utilized again. So, I have to learn the secrets of Sage Art.
This journey to Sage regions will help me learn the secrets and the origin of Sage Arts. I don't believe a bunch of Toads, snakes, and slugs figured Sage Art on their own."
Izuna closes his eyes and concentrates on the marking he placed on Katsuyu. After concentrating for a while, Izuna figured out the space co-ordinates of his markings.
He teleported and appeared inside a forest. Izuna looks around to figure out his location. There are massive trees in the forest, the size of which could easily dwarf any of the tailed-beast.
"Huge! Such gigantic trees."
Izuna raises his neck to figure out the height of the trees. The trees are almost touching the clouds and still, there is no sign oftheir top.
"Let me test their sturdiness."
Izuna clenches his fist and infuses a small amount of chakra. He dashes towards a nearby tree and punches its trunk.
Bang…
His punch leaves a small dent in the trunk of the tree. There is no large hole or anything.
"Such a sturdy tree. It felt like I just punched a metal wall. No, even steel isn't as sturdy as this. Is this the effect of Senjutsu chakra? These trees basked in Senjutsu Chakra for eons and now they have evolved to the such extent."
The tree regenerates from the impact.
"I wonder how strong the original Shinju tree was. Well, Naruto chopped it down with his Lava Release: Rasenshuriken. But that Rasenshuriken has Six Paths Sage Chakra in it. So, I don't know the exact extent of its power.
Now, let's roam around the forest and scout it. I hope to see Katsuyu soon. I still don't know why I teleported to this place instead of Katsuyu."
Izuna climbs on the huge tree and inspects around.
"I can't see anything. These damn trees block my vision."
He jumps down and saunters insidethe forest. He walks for a while inside the forest.
"I have yet to encounter any native animal of this place. I think only 'Summons' live in this place. I wonder how summons makes a summoning contract with a ninja.
Well, some kind of Space-time Ninjutsuis involved to let them teleport directly to their summoner. But how come thesummoner can summon any kind of summon of same species when he just makes a contract with them."
The figure of Jiraiya with many toads pops up in his memory. Jiraiya gives a thumb up to Izuna with a perverted smile. Izuna shakes his head and continues to contemplate this matter while walking inside the forest.
'I hope to meet someone soon.'
Rawr…
His line of thoughts is broken by the roar of a creature. Izuna gets ready to engage the creature.
'Well, that was fast!'
A giant tiger with forked-tail pounce over Izuna. Izuna ducks down and rolls to avoid the pounce.
The tiger failed to hunt his prey on the first attempt. It turns around and stares at Izuna. The massive claws of the tiger glisten in the dim sunlight.
Rawr…
The tiger tries to smash Izuna with its paws.
"These trees are sturdy due to SenjutsuChakra, but what about you?"
Izuna clenches his fist and infuses chakra in it. His fist turns metallic, and he punches the tiger at its jaw.
Bang…
The tiger is sent flying from the punch. One of its canine breaks. The tiger slowly stands up and angrily looks at Izuna.
Rawr…
It opens its mouth and spews out a jet of flames at Izuna. Izuna makes a one hand sign.
'Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu'
He spews out a water bullet at the incoming fire. The water bullet cancels out the fireballand continues to move towards the tiger.
Bam...
It hits the tiger squarely in its face and sends him flying again. The tiger crashes into another tree.
Rawr…
The tiger slowly stands up and roars again. Its skin turns red, and its strips forms astrange pattern over its body.
"Senjutsu Chakra! That's Senjutsu Chakra. This wild cat can use Senjutsu Chakra." Izuna activates his Sharingan and scrutinizethe process.
Rawr…
The tiger roars again and pounces on Izuna. Izuna infuses a little more chakra and punches the tiger again. The tiger crashes into another boulder.
"Do you think that will make any difference? You are still a weak little cat."
'This forest can help me train in Taijutsu skills. I should master the Opening of the Seventh gate here. These huge animals with strange Sage Chakra will be the perfect target for practice.
Their body can take a beating and still survive. Then, I will beat them to my heart's content.'
Izuna stops using Ninjutsu and opens up Six Gates and engages in combat with the Sage-powered Tiger.
After beating the tiger for a while, he feels hungry. He looks at the giant tiger and murmur,
"I wonder how this giant Cat will taste like."
The giant tiger shivers upon hearing these words. It turns tame and makes a cute posture.
Meow… Meow…
The tiger meows in front of Izuna androlls around on its belly.
"..."
Izuna speechlessly looks at the tiger.
"He understood me. So, this large cat has some level of intellect. Nah! I will hunt for something else to eat. I don't really like the taste of a tiger. You better come tomorrow for the beating...I mean training or I may change my mind any instant.
The tiger turns around and dashes inside the forest like a cheetah.
"_"
"This giant cat. Sigh!" Izuna sighs and hunts for prey.
He soon spots a giant wild boar. The wild boar notices Izuna and charges towards him.
--
After a few minutes later,
Izuna is roasting the giant boar on a large skewer. The aroma from the roasted meat enters his nose, and he starts to hum.
"I should add some seasoning to it.Izuna takes out a scroll and adds salt, pepper, and other spices to the roast meat."
The fragrance enchants him and droolleaks from his mouth. He gulps his saliva and breaks a large chunk of meat.
"Itadakimasu!"
Izuna takes a huge bite from the meat and eats it.
"Good! So good! This roasted boar meat is so good. I can even feel my chakra reservegrow a little. Only a little bit. But this is still a huge discovery." Izuna continues to eat the roast meat as he completely ignores the pack of giant wolves and many other carnivore creatures around him.
After taking another bite, Izuna places down the huge chunk of meat.
"It's time to exercise again." He cracks his knuckles and engages in another fight with these giant animals.
Bang… bang… boom…
After an hour of an intense fight, Izuna returns to the spot to continue his meal. But there is no sign of his meat anywhere.
"Who the fuck stole my food?" Izuna yells angrily.
He gets his answer shortly. There is a giant hole just beneath the skewer.
"It's one of the underground worms. Next time I spot you, I will eradicate your whole colony. Thankfully, I stored some of it separately."
He takes out a piece of roasted meat and eats it while grumbling over the loss of such fine food.
--
A few days later,
Izuna continues to explore the large Shikkotsu Forest. He honed his Taijutsu skills in combat against the wild animals of the forest.
"I am not gaining any combat experience. The moves of these animals follow a certain pattern. They hardly do something unexpected whereas, in a fight against a Ninja, the ninja may unexpectedly pull out a new trick.
But I have nothing to complain about. My mastery of Taijutsu has increased drastically. I can open gates faster and the gates can last for much longer. I think I will be able toopen the seventh gate in few more days."
Izuna clenches his fist and walks around the forest.
Burble… burble…
"This sound… it is the sound of falling water. There is a waterfall nearby. Let me check it out, maybe I can spot more animals there."
Izuna dashes in the direction of the sound.
Burble… burble…
Izuna dashes towards the sound of falling water. Soon, he reaches near the source of the sound and spots a gigantic waterfall.
Izuna gapes at the scenery and immerses in its beauty for a while. The reflection from the sun creates a large rainbow at the top of the waterfall. The fresh breeze flows near the waterfall and he could feel his body getting revitalized near the waterfall.
"This is Nature Energy. My body is passively absorbing a little amount of Senjutsu energy and is rejuvenating itself." Izuna inhales deeply and walks toward the waterfall.
He cups his hand and collect water from the stream and taste it.
"Such clear water and the taste is so good. This scenery is so enchanting. It is… it is so…"
"Beautiful, right?"
Izuna is interrupted by a sudden feminine voice. He turns around to spot the newcomer. He spots a giant two-tail fox. Izuna raises his guard and warily looks at the fox and gets ready to engage in a fight.
"Relax. Calm down, I am not looking for a fight." The fox tries to relax Izuna.
Izuna relaxes his guard a little and questions the fox,
"Who are you? Do you have any issues with me?"
"I am Kurumi. One of the natives of the Shikkotsu forest. I am a part of the Fox clan."
The Fox introduces herself.
"Sorry for interrupting you earlier. It wasn't my intention."
The fox apologies.
"I am ordered by Lady Katsuyu to summon you. Lady Katsuyu wants to have a chat with you." The fox informs Izuna.
"Oh! So, Katsuyu finally remembered me. I have some questions to ask from her. Lead the way."
Izuna responds to the fox. The fox walks towards one of the cavern passage. Izuna follows the fox while still on guard.
The fox continues to lead him inside the cavern. After a while, they exit out of the cavern in a vast open area. There are no large trees out there, only some vines and shrubs. The size of shrubs and vines easily scaling a two-story or three-story building.
Izuna continues to follow the fox. He spots many slugs slithering around. One of the smaller slugs raises its head and greets Izuna.
"Hello. Izuna-kun. It has been a while since we last met."
Izuna skeptically looks at the slug which greatly resembles Katsuyu. He activates his Sharingan and checks its chakra Signature.
"Katsuyu, you are Katsuyu."
"Hello! Izuna-kun. How are you doing?" Another giant slug greets him.
Izuna turns his head and looks at the new slug.
"You are also Katsuyu. Are both of you her clones or fissions?" Izuna questions them.
"No, both of us are Katsuyu." Both the slug reply to Izuna.
"Then which of you is the real one, or are you suffering from an identity crisis?" Izuna remembers a filler episode of Naruto where Naruto's shadow clones held the real Naruto as a hostage.
"Both of us are real." Both of them reply simultaneously again.
"Hey! Can you take me to the real Katsuyu? I can't quite understand the situation here." Izuna stares around and spots various gigantic versions of Katsuyu.
The two-tailed fox nods to him and continues to lead him towards the Katsuyu.
They walk for a while and soon reaches near the roots of a gigantic tree. The fox points towards a cave and explains,
"Lady Katsuyu is inside that cave. My task is over if you want to meet me again, then visit me at Fox clan."
The fox turns around and dashes in a particular direction. Izuna enters the cave and soon spots a massive slug slithering back and forth inside the cave.
"Katsuyu! You are the real Katsuyu, who was looking for me, right?" Izuna question the slug.
"Yes, I am indeed the Katsuyu who was looking for you."
The giant slug turns its head and looks at Izuna.
"It is quite late to say it, but still 'Welcome to Shikkotsu Forest Izuna-kun'." The slug welcomes him.
"Hey! Before we start our conversation, I have a question for you. Do you mind answering it?" Izuna question the slug.
"Go on! I will try to answer your question." The slug assures him.
"What's the deal with all these Katsuyu out there? Are they your fission clones or something? All of them are Katsuyu right?" Izuna questions Katsuyu.
"Oh! That. It is not a secret for the natives of the Shikkotsu Forest. Actually, all of them are Katsuyu. We share every information with each other, and all of us are linked telepathically to each other.
After a certain period, the Katsuyu will undergo binary fission and split into two new Katsuyu. The new Katsuyu will inherit the memories of the Old Katsuyu. This way we have survived for a very long time."
Katsuyu answers to Izuna. Izuna looks at Katsuyu with a surreal gaze.
'That's it. That's the secret of Katsuyu. I thought it would be something mind-blowing. But this, I can't put my head around it. It is amazing actually but still, it lacks in compared to my fantasies.'
Izuna sighs to himself. He questions her again,
"I placed my teleportation seal on one of your smaller body. When I teleported here, why I appeared so far from your location?"
Izuna looks at Katsuyu.
"Izuna-kun, Shikkotsu Forest is isolated from the rest of the world by a space-time barrier. The founder of the Uzumaki clan constructed this barrier. I help to maintain the barrier around the forest.
It is because of this reason that your teleportation formula wasn't able to pick up my co-ordinates closely. Thus, you were teleported at the outer edge of the forest. Various low-intelligence creatures reside at the outer edge of the forest."
Katsuyu continues to explain,
"Izuna-kun. We Katsuyu are the protector of the Shikkotsu Forest. It is us who take care of the Forest and maintains its eco-system despite it being isolated from the rest of the world. Shikkotsu forest existed way before the era of Rikkudou Sennin, and I have been maintaining it for such a long period.
Over the passage of years, due to continuous fission, I have turned into multiple Katsuyu who help me maintain the forest more efficiently. Many of Katsuyu died through accidents, death in battle, or through various other reasons."
Katsuyu explains about her herself.
"Katsuyu, who was your former summoner? I mean before Tsunade who contracted with you." Izuna asks in curiosity.
"I was a former summon of Mito Uzumaki and before that, I had summoning contracts with Uzumaki clan members. One Uzumaki clan member helped me once by sealing a berserk creature present in the Shikkotsu Forest.
That battle caused the death of many Katsuyu. Thankfully, the Uzumaki clan member sealed the creature before any major harm was done. It was during that moment when I formed a summoning contract with the Uzumaki clan members."
Katsuyu laid a summoning contract in front of Izuna. Izuna opens the scroll and starts to filter through the names of her contractor.
"Tsunade Senju, Mito Uzumaki, Ashina Uzumaki..."
He continues to skim through the name of her previous contractor. After skimming for a while, Izuna stops at the first name on the list.
"Kenshiro Senju…"
Izuna looks at the scroll once again.
Kenshiro Senju…
He looks at Katsuyu and questions her.
"Lady Katsuyu! Who is this Kenshiro Senju? You made a contract with the Uzumaki clan members, right? Then why is a Senju clan member first on your contractor list?"
Izuna question Katsuyu.
"Oh, that! I guess you are aware of the fact that the Uzumaki clan and Senju clans were relatives, right?"
Izuna nods to Katsuyu.
"Kenshiro is the first Uzumaki clan member. You can also call him the founder of the Uzumaki clan. He is the person who sealed the vicious creature and protected the Shikkotsu forest a few centuries ago.
After he made a summoning contract with me, he founded the Uzumaki clan and separated from the Senju clan. If you are interested in his story, then I will narrate it to you."
Izuna nods to her as he gets ready to listen to her tale.
'I am pretty interested in the story of this Kenshiro Senju. He is the founder of the Uzumaki clan and had a 'Sin eye' in his possession. I wonder how he got hold of the 'Sin eye'.'
"Then listen attentively!"
Katsuyu starts to narrate the story of the First Uzumaki to Izuna.
"A few centuries ago,
The shinobi world was engulfed in wars and chaos. There were no proper boundaries of the nation. Various clans waged war against each other, either for territory or for resources.
The Senju Clan was one of the most powerful clans. Senju clan enrolled in a battle against the Uchiha clan, another powerful clan.
During those Warring periods, the leader of the Senju clan had five offspring. His elder son was talented in combat.
The youngest son Kenshiro was quite a dunce. He could not master even any basic ninjutsu. In a battle against Uchiha, three of the brothers fell to the Uchiha clan's genius Tenma Uchiha.
Unable to bear the loss of his siblings and to overcome his helplessness, Kenshiro left the Senju clan on a journey to achieve power.
It was during this journey, Kenshiro learned Fuinjutsu. It was during this time, he helped me seal the creature and helped the Shikkotsu Forest."
Katsuyu walks out of the cave and leads Izuna. After walking for a while, they reached in front of a large temple. Katsuyu and Izuna entered the temple.
In the center of the temple, Izuna spot a gigantic statue of a man. The man had long-spiky hairs and a giant scroll is tied to his back. He had two shoulder guards with a Vajra symbol on one of them and a spiral symbol on others. His hands are clasped together, and he is in a battle stance.
"He is Kenshiro Uzumaki! Kenshiro Senju, to be exact. To pay tribute to him, the summons of Shikkotsu forest constructed a temple and erected his statue."
Izuna looks closely at the statue and notices strange marking all over the Statue's body. The markings closely resemble Strength of a Hundred Seal. He turns towards Katsuyu and questions her,
"Isn't that the Strength of a Hundred Seal? That's Tsunade technique right?"
Katsuyu nods to him and reply,
"It is indeed similar to Strength of a Hundred Seal because Tsunade derived her technique from this jutsu. Tsunade's Creation Rebirth Technique is incomplete.
Kenshiro-sama created this technique to use in conjunction with Sage Mode. Mito-sama modified the technique to use Normal Chakra instead of the Sage chakra and Tsunade-sama further improved the technique.
But now her technique has a side-effect. The Original technique created by Kenshiro-sama had strict requirements but it had no side-effects."
"Oh! There was such a thing. Then why don't you help Tsunade-san to learn this original technique." Izuna questions Katsuyu.
"I tried to convince Tsunade-san to learn this technique. But it requires lots of time to learn, and Tsunade-san took part in the Second Shinobi War during her youth, and then the loss of her loved ones caused trauma to her. So, she neglected this technique." Katsuyu sighs.
"I will convince Tsunade to learn this technique. She will heed to my request. You can train Tsunade in this technique." Izuna assures Katsuyu and inspects the temple.
There are various sealing scrolls placed inside the temple. Izuna picks up one of the scrolls and reads it.
"Oh! These scrolls have many sealing techniques written on them. These seals are way beyond the Grandmaster level."
"Izuna-kun! Kenshiro-sama created these seals. He was famous as the 'Sage of Sealing' throughout the Shinobi World. He was a very powerful Shinobi, but sadly he lived a brief life."
Katsuyu sighs and reminisces about her past. Izuna's interest piques and he questions Katsuyu.
"Lady Katsuyu, how did he die? He was a powerful Shinobi, right? Who was capable of killing him?"
Katsuyu looks at Izuna and hesitates for a while before she revealed the fact,
"It was your ancestor, Tenma Uchiha. Tenma Uchiha awakened the power of Mangekyo Sharingan and fought in a battle against Kenshiro-sama. Their battle was intense, Tenma Uchiha had the power of Susanoo whereas Kenshiro-sama had Sage Mode and his various sealing techniques.
Their battle lasted for two days and night. Kenshiro-sama ended the life of Tenma Uchiha. Sadly, Kenshiro-sama succumbed to his injuries from the battle."
'It seems like Kenshiro Senju and Tenma Uchiha were the past incarnations of Asura and Indra Otsutsuki. It is their fate to clash in every incarnation. With Black Zetsu behind the scenes, it is impossible to avoid the battle.'
Izuna inspect the remaining scrolls and remarks,
"Kenshiro Uzumaki had a very high aptitude for Sealing. To gain fame as 'Sage of Sealing' and clash against a Susanoo with Fuinjutsu and Sage Mode alone.
So, after Grandmaster comes the Sage. I hope these scrolls will give me a direction to achieve Sage rank in Fuinjutsu."
He turns towards Katsuyu and asks her,
"Lady Katsuyu, can you help me in training Sage Mode? I want to master Senjutsu and become a Sage."
"Well! I will help you learn Sage Mode, but you have to be compatible with Sage energy to master it. Otherwise, you will turn into stone because of the potent Nature energy."
'Compatibility! I was born with it. I just have to hop in and learn Sage Mode. Later, I will figure out a way to gain 'Six Paths Sage Mode.'
Maybe I should contact with toads and ask that old toad about Hagoromo Otsutsuki. He must have some knowledge about the 'Six Paths Sage Mode'.'
Izuna makes his plan.
"Lady Katsuyu, do you have some sort of aid that helps in the acceleration of the learning process?" He remembers about the Toad oil of the Mount Myoboku.
"We do! It is a slug secretion oil. If you apply it on your body, you can absorb Nature energy faster." Katsuyu leads him to a pool filled with white sticky liquid.
"Ugh! This… "
Izuna looks at the slimy liquid and complains.
"I won't apply it to my body. I will learn the Sage Mode through Normal ways." Izuna complains.
"It is your choice, Izuna-kun."
Katsuyu slithers towards the giant tree in the center of the forest.
"Izuna-kun. The first and the most important thing required to master Sage Mode is a calm mind. If your mind is calm, then only will you able to concentrate on Nature's energy.
Nature energy is present everywhere. Our every breath contains Nature energy. The Chakra system of the body absorbs Nature energy and converts it to Chakra to replenish the Chakra. This way the Chakra System acts as a converter.
But in this, we lose the potency of Nature energy. The Chakra gains an elemental Nature and thus losses its versatility. Nature energy has no elemental Nature which makes it more versatile and potent.
However, there is a catch here. Since it has no elemental nature, it is very hard to sense. And the excessive intake of Nature energy will convert a person to stone, since Nature energy has the will of the planet.
Now, do you have any more questions? If not, then we will start with meditation. Remove all excessive thoughts from your mind and focus on sensing Nature energy."
Katsuyu instructs Izuna and helps him in concentrating.
"Uh! Lady Katsuyu. I used to meditate a lot to calm my nerves. I can easily enter the 'Mind Zero' state. Can we move on to the next stage of the training?"
"… If it is so let's move on to the sensing of Nature energy." Katsuyu looks at Izuna with disbelief. Her Optical tentacles shake frantically.
"Izuna-kun, you have to enter in the meditation state and try to sense the Nature energy around you. You are a sensor type ninja, right? It will be easier for you to sense Nature energy. Just concentrate and feel the Nature energy.
This giant tree releases an enormous amount of Nature energy. It is part of the reason I brought you under this tree. You will be able to sense Nature energy easily here.
But if you are having difficulty in sensing the Nature energy, then you can always apply the slug oil and passively absorb the Nature energy and get a feel of the Nature energy."
Katsuyu points towards the slug oil pool.
"Anything! But that. I will figure out a way to sense Nature energy on my own." Izuna crosses his hand in denial.
"Well! If you say so. I will stay here and monitor your progress. I will prevent you from turning into stone in case you absorb excessive Nature energy." Katsuyu slithers to a nearby boulder and rests against it.
Izuna closes his eyes and enters the mediation state.
'Let me try to feel Nature energy with my body first.
Izuna closes his eyes and feels the Nature energy.
After meditating for a while, he feels a tingling sensation over his skin. His body absorbs nature energy at a slow pace.
'I can sense the Nature energy but the rate of absorption is quite slow. It will take me a while to absorb it at a rapid pace. I have to practice a lot in order to absorb Nature energy. Now let's try the unusual method.'
Izuna activates his Sharingan and observes the entire process. He can see Nature energy entering his body through his tenketsu points.
'So, this is Nature energy.'
Izuna looks around and spots an enormous amount of Nature energy being released by the gigantic tree. Let me try to absorb this energy directly.
He calms his mind and focuses his concentration on Nature energy. He releases his chakra from his tenketsu points. The released chakra wraps around Nature energy and tries to pull it inside his body.
'Heavy! It feels so heavy. I can feel the will of the planet inside this Nature energy. I have to contest with the planet for this energy.'
Izuna clenches his teeth and releases more of his chakra to drag the natural energy. He drags the Natural energy inside his body.
He gains a Cyan color Chakra cloak around his body.
'So, this is Nature energy. I can feel my body rejuvenating from this energy. My physical strength had grown quite a lot. It feels like I can easily punch a large hole through that earlier tree quite easily now.'
Izuna clenches his fist and punches the air with full force.
BOOOM…
His punch produces shock waves. The 'Sin Seal' activates and absorbs the Nature Energy, leaving Izuna out of the Sage Mode.
"Wow, Izuna-kun, that was amazing." The Optical tentacles of Katsuyu shake in excitement.
"You could enter the Sage Mode for a while. Though only for a brief moment. But that was the genuine Sage Mode. You are a genius, Izuna-kun. At this rate, you will perfectly master the Sage Mode in a few weeks."
Katsuyu praises Izuna. The cloak around him disperses and Izuna returns to normal.
'And it's gone! This fucking seal. It has to eat everything like a snack. It ate my Chakra for three years, I finally got rid of that problem with Yin Kurama. But now it is sucking my Natural energy. Just you wait, I will see how you will drain me again.'
Izuna infuses Light Chakra and mixes it with Natural Energy. The Sin Seal stops on contact with Light Chakra and lies down silently.
In these three years, he had figured out more about the 'Sin Seal'. This is quite a gluttonous seal, it will continuously suck chakra from Yin Kurama and will occasionally stop when it is full.
He can still use that stored chakra, but only in the form of Darkness Chakra, Fuinjutsu seal, and for a dark Susanoo. So, this seal embodies darkness. It will repel anything related to Light. Part of the reason, it stops its mischief when given a dose of Light Chakra.
'I still can't recreate that jutsu.'
Izuna remembers the jutsu he used against that cloaked figure.
'I can't balance the Light and Dark Chakra to replicate that feat. Both of them repel each other, and I haven't figured out a way to balance them. I am missing something crucial in the process.'
Izuna sighs and closes his eyes to concentrate again.
'Still, there is one benefit of this seal. It won't allow me to turn into a stone while absorbing excessive Nature energy. It will suck that extra Nature energy and keep me safe. I want to get rid of this love and hate relationship with this seal.
Now let's practice in the usual way. I will use the other method only during emergencies to immediately get into Sage Mode. I have to still learn the normal process, then only will I able to learn the secrets of the 'Six Paths Sage Mode'.'
"Time to use the most broken jutsu to speed up the process."
'Shadow Clone Jutsu'
Izuna creates three shadow clones. The clones sit around the tree and enter into meditation.
"What are you doing, Izuna-kun? Why are you making Shadow clones?" Katsuyu looks at Izuna in surprise.
'There is no harm in telling her. She can't exploit the Shadow clone herself.'
"Lady Katsuyu, I am using Shadow clones to hasten up the process of learning the Sage Mode. Whenever a shadow clone disperses, it transfers all of its memories and experience to the Original body.
This way, I can cut short on time and learn many things simultaneously. But there is a drawback to this trick, many clones when dispelled will cause an information overload in the user's brain. This is the reason why I am only using three Shadow clones to speed up the process by three times.
Any more than that will break my concentration. So, I have to be careful while using this technique." Izuna explains to Katsuyu.
"That's quite convenient, Izuna-kun. You can continue your practice, I will continue to monitor your progress."
Katsuyu rests against the boulder while shaking its optical antlers.
Izuna continues to practice the Sage Mode. He practices the Sage Mode for a few days.
'I guess I have got a hang of it, but I am yet to completely master the sage Mode.
Guess I have to raise the difficulty by a notch.'
Izuna climbs up on the large tree. After reaching a spot where the wind current is quick, Izuna stops and concentrates again.
'There is quite the pressure here. These wind currents will harass me and will disrupt my concentration. If I can enter and maintain 'Sage Mode' under such conditions then I would have perfectly mastered the Sage Mode.
The next step would be to enter the Sage Mode while running. Naruto wasn't able to figure that out, but I will give it a shot. If I can enter the Sage Mode while running, then I will able to enter Sage Mode during combat.
The next step is to just create the Sage Arts Jutsu. I will think about that later.'
He closes his eyes to sense the Nature energy while sitting on one branch of the tree.
'Hard, it is quite hard. But I have to hold on.'
Soon, Izuna enters in a meditative state, and his body absorbs the Natural energy.
A while later, a cyan-colored cloak appears on his body. The cloak flickers as Izuna struggle to maintain his concentration.
Haah… Huff…Huff
The cloak disperses, and he pants.
'I have to practice again.'
He clears his mind and enters in concentration again. Katsuyu looks at his figure and murmurs to herself,
"He is progressing much faster than anyone else. Even Hashirama Senju-sama could not progress this much in such a short period.
His Sage Mode is quite different compared to others. He has a Chakra cloak around his body. Hashirama Senju-sama had markings reminiscent of Kenshiro Senju-sama, but his Sage Mode is quite different."
--
Days passed by,
Izuna had perfectly mastered the Sage Mode. While in Sage Mode, he has a cyan color Nature energy Chakra Cloak around his body. His eyes had golden and silver markings around them, and his Sharingan keeps its color.
'I can sense this tremendous boost in power. Somehow, my sage mode is quite similar to Mitsuki. But I don't have a horn on my head and I retain my form. I do have a perfect affinity for all kinds of energy.'
"Time to test my powers. Let's startwith my speed while using Nature energy."
'Swift Release: Sonic Steps'
Zoom…
Izuna crashes into a boulder. He stands up and dusts himself.
"That was quite fast. I never expected it to be so fast. I didn't even felt a thing in that collision. My durability and natural defense have increased by a lot.
Then what about my strength? How strong am I?"
Izuna lifts a large boulder easily and throws it far away. The boulder smash into a hill and lodges into it.
"Impressive. Your strength is impressive, Izuna-kun."
Katsuyu praises Izuna.
"Now it is time to enter Sage Mode while running. If I can overcome this challenge, then I don't have to worry about anything. Ican fight tirelessly for many days without exhaustion. Nature energy will rejuvenate my body with vitality."
Izuna runs around while trying to concentrate. His clones follow his movements and try to enter Sage Mode.
"It is quite difficult and borderline impossible. I have to think of a solution for this to work."
Izuna stops and ponders on this problem.
Huff… huff…
"Guess I will leave it as a work in progress."
Izuna huffs and wipes his sweat.
"I have spent an entire month to figure out a way to enter Sage Mode while engaged in combat. But it is very difficult and I am going insane with this slow progress."
Izuna sits near the root of the Giant tree and contemplates his progress.
'I have spent the past six months of training in the Shikkotsu Forest. My strength has grown considerably. I can open and sustain the Seventh Gate for a while, and the biggest progress is Sage Mode. I can enter Sage Mode in just under two minutes and it lasts for fifteen minutes. But I still can't enter Sage Mode while battling.'
"Looks like I have to visit toads for more information. Maybe they could help me with this problem."
Izuna stands up and walks towards Katsuyu. He bows to her in gratitude.
"Thanks for your help, Lady Katsuyu. You helped me a lot in my Sage Mode Training. Thanks to your pointers, I could learn and perfect my Sage Mode so quickly."
"There is no need to thank me, Izuna-kun. It was all your hard work and talent which lead to your success." Katsuyu shakes her optical tentacles.
"What are your plans, Izuna-kun?" She asks him curiously.
"I would like to pay a visit to Mount Myoboku. Those toads are also the master of Sage Mode, I want to enter Sage Mode while engaged in combat. Maybe their pointers could help me improve further." Izuna replies to her.
"Then, Izuna-kun! I would like to ask a favor from you. Can you convince Tsunade to visit Shikkotsu Forest? It would be great if she could learn the Sage Mode. Her strength is declining with her age, I have a feeling the future is embroiled in Chaos and I don't want Tsunade to lack strength." Katsuyu requests to Izuna.
"I will convince her and send her here. She is taking care of Naruto for now. I will send her immediately in a few more months when she leaves Konoha on a journey. Until then, Farewell Lady Katsuyu."
That's a relief to hear. I hope Tsunade will master Sage Mode too. On behalf of Tsunade, I thank you for taking care of her." Katsuyu bows and her optical tentacles shake.
"Farewell Izuna-kun!"
Izuna closes his eyes and senses the space co-ordinates of his markings on the toad summons of Jiraiya.
"Found it. Time to leave."
Izuna teleports from Shikkotsu Forest and reappears inside the Mount Myoboku.
He is welcomed by the sight of various small waterfalls and streams flowing around. The air is fresh and there is a lot of sunlight in the area.
This beautiful and exquisite site enchants him, and he stores it deep into his memories.
"Mount Myoboku has a fresh air compared to Shikkotsu Forest. Shikkotsu Forest was dark and humid whereas this place has lots of sunlight and has a freshness to it. Both places have their own merits."
Izuna takes a deep breath and continues to frame the vast expanse of small hills and various strange trees and shrubs in his memory.
Croak...
"Oye Kid!..."
The sound of the croaking of a frog disturbs this peaceful scenery. Izuna ignores the croaking and continues to gaze at the scenic beauty of Mount Myoboku.
Croak... Croak...
"Oye Kid! Don't test my patience. Answer to me."
The frog croaks again.
'Damn! This frog is ruining the beauty of Nature for me.'
Izuna turns around and angrily stares at Gamabunta.
"Can't you see, I am busy, you rusty frog." He yells at Gamabunta.
"Kid! I should be the one to get angry. You entered our territory without my permission, and now you are bossing me around. Don't you know who I am? I am the chief toad of Mount Myoboku, the Land of Toads. That Kid Minato never taught you any manners."
Gamabunta angrily stares at Izuna.
"I will teach humbleness to you." Gamabunta withdraws his Dai blade and gets ready to slash Izuna.
"Stop it! You moron. He is a guest of our Mount Myoboku. Few people can reach here, and it has been a while since we had a visitor."
A small green frog with white hairs styled in mohawk, thick eyebrows and a small goatee jumps in front of us. He held a stick in his hand. The frog jumps up and slams the stick on the giant frog's head.
The stick looks like a toothpick in front of the massive size of Gamabunta.
Bang…
The impact from the stick smashes Gamabunta on the ground and creates a crater around him.
"Go back to your training. Don't dillydally around."
Gamabunta rubs his forehead and complains,
"But Paa! He is an intruder, and he talked rudely to me. I must teach this sharp-tongued kid a lesson."
The green frog glares at Gamabunta with a scrutinizing gaze.
Gamabunta picks up his blade and hops away from the place. The green frog turns towards Izuna and greets him.
"Welcome Izuna-boy! I have been expecting you for a while. The 'Great Toad Sage' had already prophesied about your arrival. I am Fukasaku, one of the 'Two Great Toad Sage' of Mount Myoboku. Me and my wife Shima are the heirs of the 'Great Toad Sage'.
The 'Great Toad Sage' wants to meet you. He has a prophecy for you." Fukasaku informs Izuna.
'There is no harm in meeting with 'Great Toad Sage' this early. My goal was to ask a few questions from him. But he wants to meet me, this makes things a lot easier.'
"I am Izuna Uchiha. It is nice to meet you." Izuna bows before Fukasaku.
"I know about you, kid. Jiraiya-boy informed me about you. You were one of the student of Minato-boy. Sadly, Minato-boy passed away too early." Fukasaku sighs in grief.
"Let me take you to meet with 'Great Toad Sage'." Fukasaku leads Izuna towards a temple.
Many toad statues line up in front of the temple. They reach near the entrance and Fukasaku stops.
"Let me inform 'Great Toad Sage' about your arrival."
Fukasaku enters inside the temple. Izuna observes the surrounding area.
He can see many gigantic toad statues lines around. A few meters away, he notices a small pool of oil with many gigantic stone statues of toads encircling the area.
'So, this is the legendary Toad Oil of Mount Myoboku. It helps in the absorption of Nature Energy.'
The image of slimy white liquid appears in his mind, and he almost pukes out his breakfast.
'Thankfully, I don't have to use that slug oil to master Sage Mode.'
After a while, Fukasaku returns with a disappointed expression. He sighs and informs Izuna.
"Great Toad Sage is deep in his meditation. It will be awhile before he wakes up from his meditation. Why don't you spend these days in Mount Myoboku?
I will teach the 'Sage Mode' to you. It will help you a lot in your Shinobi Journey."
Izuna closes his eyes and absorbs Nature energy. Fukasaku stares at Izuna with wide-eyes.
A Cyan color Cloak appears around Izuna, and golden and silver markings appear around his eyes. He turns towards Fukasaku and replies,
"I have already mastered the Sage Mode."
Fukasaku inspects Izuna's Chakra cloak and murmurs to himself,
"This is a strange variation of Sage Mode. I have never heard or seen anything like this. This large density of Nature energy and those markings around his eyes. It is a perfect Sage Mode.
Not even Jiraiya-boy can enter the perfect Sage Mode. This kid is talented in Senjutsu."
Fukasaku muses for a while before he responds,
"I am surprised to see your talent in Senjutsu, Izuna-boy. I will teach 'Frog Kata' to you. Only those who have mastered the 'Sage Mode' can learn the 'Frog Kata'. It is an exclusive technique available only to Senjutsu users.
The Great Toad Sage created this technique and passed it to us. Are you interested in learning this technique?"
'Frog Kata is an excellent technique. I must learn it.'
Izuna nods his head.
"Yes, teach me 'Frog Kata', Fukasaku-san."
"Don't be so formal, Izuna-boy. Call me Paa like the rest of the people. It is decided then, I will teach you Frog Kata until Great Toad Sage wakes up from his meditation."
Fukasaku clasps his hand and enters Sage Mode. He explains about 'Frog Kata' to Izuna.
"Izuna-boy! Frog Kata is a taijutsu technique exclusive to Sages. The Senjutsu Chakra activates the body in various ways, enhancing the speed, reflexes, strength, stamina, and durability of the user.
This allows the user to perform incredible feats like leaping great distances, shattering sharp materials with bare hands, and lift objects several times their size and weight."
Fukasaku jumps around and showcases the enhanced strength of Sage Mode.
"To properly use this enhanced strength in combat, we require frog Kata.
The user can create an aura of Natural energy around their body and use it to attack their enemies. The Aura acts as the extension of one's body and only other Sage Mode Users can see it. This makes the attack caused by 'Frog Kata' to appear invisible to others."
Fukasaku clenches his fist and punches a boulder. He held his fist a few centimeters away from the boulder.
Crack…
A crack appears on the boulder and it shatters from the attack.
That's how you do it, Izuna-boy."
Fukasaku demonstrates Frog Kata to Izuna. Izuna clenches his fist and stands in front of a boulder. He punches the boulder and stops a few centimeters away from the boulder.
Some slight cracks appear on the boulder, but it holds itself.
"I need some practice to master it completely."
"This… Izuna-boy. How did you do this? You could utilize Frog Kata to such an extent on your first observation." It flabbergasts Fukasaku.
Izuna turns around and shows his Sharingan to Fukasaku.
"Remember! I am an Uchiha. My Sharingan can see through all kinds of jutsus, no matter what it is.
I used the 'Eye of Insight' of Sharingan to copy the jutsu. But it seems like I have to practice a little to master Frog Kata."
"That's convenient, Izuna boy. Jiraiya boy took so long to learn Frog Kata, and even his Sage Mode is imperfect. Minato-boy was able to learn the perfect Sage Mode, but his fighting style didn't match with the Sage Mode. So, Minato-boy neglected the Sage Mode.
You are impressive Izuna-boy. You mastered the Sage Mode and its taijutsu technique at such a young age. There hasn't been a genius like you to visit Mount Myoboku in a while."
Fukasaku points at various stone statues and remarks,
"All of these statues were human once. Most of them were one of a kind genius. They were able to successfully able to travel through the secret path and visit Mount Myoboku.
But Sadly, none of them achieved the Perfect Sage Mode, and in their desperate attempts, they turned into a stone statue."
Fukasaku sighs and continues,
"I will give pointers to you. Follow my instructions and you will master Frog Kata in a few days."
Thus, another intense session of Sage Taijutsu starts for Izuna.
--
After a week,
Izuna punches a boulder from a few inches away and the boulder blows into smithereens.
"Looks like you have completely mastered the Frog Kata. Your rate of progress is amazing, Izuna-boy.
It's time to meet Great Toad Sage. He has summoned us."
Fukasaku leads the way to Great Toad Sage's residence. Izuna follows Fukasaku and enters inside the temple.
A giant brown toad with a white belly appears in his vision. The toad's skin is wrinkled, and the toad is squinting to gains vision. The toad wore a professor's hat with tassels and an orb on top of it. He also wears a necklace around his neck with a giant bead with 'oil' in kanji written on it.
There are giant scrolls lined behind him and the toad sits in a shallow pool of water with the kanji 'Sage' inscribed on it.
'So, he is the Great Toad Sage Gamamaru. He has lived for a thousand years and was born way before the arrival of Kaguya.
I am already aware of this fact, but the actual thing is more like a living fossil.'
Izuna examines the Great Toad Sage Gamamaru. Fukasaku bows before Gamamaru and informs him,
"Ojiji-Sama, the one you summoned has arrived as you predicted."
The Great Toad Sage gestures for Izuna to get near him.
"I was expecting your arrival, Izuna Uchiha. I have divined the future, and it involves you in lots of events. So, I divined about your future and got some information.
I have a prophecy for you. Hear me out."
Izuna perks up his ear to listen to the prophecy.
'This Old frog's prophecies are quite accurate. Maybe he can give me a clue or two about the 'Sin Seal'.'
"Boy, I can see danger looming over your family in near future. You will fight against lots of powerful enemies in the future, and I can see a giant pillar linked with chains."
The Great Toad Sage turns silent for a while and meditate.
"That's it. I can only see this much. For some odd reasons, your future is hazy and I can't peek much into your future.
Now, if you have any questions, I will listen to them."
Izuna contemplates for a while,
'I could ask about 'Six Paths Sage Mode' from him. Maybe he can lead me in a certain direction. It is decided then.
"Uh… I would like to have a private conversation with Ojiji-sama; if it is fine with him."
The Great Toad Sage gestures to Fukasaku and nearby toads to leave the temple. After all of them exits the temple. He turns towards Izuna and replies,
"I am aware of your problems. I have already divined about them. I will answer them for you."
Izuna is surprised to hear this, his surprise turns to excitement, and he anxiously looks at Gamamaru.
"Don't be too hasty, boy. Everything moves at its own pace. Now for your questions, I will first narrate the details of Rikudou Sennin to you."
The Great toad Sage closes his eyes and narrates the event.
"You must be aware of the details of the fight between Rikudou Sennin and The Ten-tails.
He fought against the ten-tails and sealed it inside himself. Thus becoming the First Jinchuruki to exist ever. After becoming the Jinchuruki of Ten-tails, he gained God-like powers. He manifested Truth Seeking Orbs the ultimate manifestation of all Nature transformations through the use of Yin-Yang Release.
As the jinchuruki of Ten-tails, his Senjutsu was enhanced to its peak, and he named it 'Six Paths Senjutsu'.
However, sometime before the end of his lifespan, Hagoromo separated the Ten-tails from his body and sealed its body inside the moon. He extracted its chakra and formed the Nine-tailed beasts you know today.
As a result, Hagoromo lots all of his powers and the 'Six Paths Sage Mode'. However, Hagoromo wielded Rinnegan in his eyes. His ocular power allowed him to re-master and re-invent the 'Six Paths Sage Mode'. He mastered all Nature Transformations from scratch and finally gained access to Truth-Seeking Orbs.
Thus, by mastering all the Nature transformations and finally shaping them into Truth Seeking Orbs Hagoromo gained 'Six Paths Sage Mode' again.
Hagoromo was the jinchuruki of Ten-tails and he had Rinnegan to help him with Nature Transformations. With his prior experience, it wasn't a difficult feat for him.
But, Izuna-boy! You on other hand don't possess any of those things. The journey to gain 'Six Paths Sage Mode' will be extremely hard for you."
The Great Toad Sage explained everything to Izuna. Izuna exits from the table and muses over Gamamaru's words.
'So, to gain Six Paths Sage Mode; I have to master all Nature Transformation and create a Kekkai Mora. Only then will I able to create my Truth Seeking balls and enter in Sage Mode.'
Izuna starts to ponder over 'Six Paths Sage Mode'.
'Naruto exhausted every last bit of chakra in his fight against Sasuke. Thus effectively losing all of Hagoromo's chakra, but he later regained the 'Six Paths Sage Mode' though he permanently lost the Truth-Seeking Balls.
Maybe it has something to do with the chakra of all tailed beast. Hagoromo was a jinchuruki of Ten-tails and Naruto was a pseudo-jinchuruki. Do I have to steal chakra from every tailed-beast to enter 'Six Paths Sage Mode'? That's a lot of work.
I will try to figure out another way to enter the Sage Mode.'
Izuna stares at the 'Sin Seal' and contemplates a little.
'Maybe who knows this nasty seal can help me. Though it is unreliable, it has saved my ass in some thorny situations. But I won't leave everything to it, I will start the Nature Transformation training first.'
A while later, Fukasaku enters the temple and bows in front of 'Great Toad Sage'.
"Ojiji-sama! Is he the 'Child of Prophecy'? The 'Saviour of Mankind'." Fukasaku questions the Great Toad Sage.
The Great Toad Sage shakes his head and replies,
"No, he is not. He is more like the 'Guardian of the World' then its protector."
Fukasaku tilts his head in confusion and questions,
"What's the difference between them? Aren't they the same?"
Great Toad Sage shakes his head and replies,
"No, there is a difference. The 'Saviour' will protect the world from its dangers, whereas the 'Guardian' will defend the world from otherworldly threats.
It is no use talking about it now. You will understand in the future. Just keep in mind, maintain a friendly relationship with the boy. Guide him to the correct path.
You can leave now. I need to enter my meditation."
Great Toad Sage dismisses Fukasaku.
'This grumpy old senile geezer. All he does is sleep. At least, give me a proper explanation…'
Fukasaku complains to himself and exits from the temple. He spots Izuna sitting on a boulder. Fukasaku hops towards Izuna.
"Izuna-boy! I will help with your Nature transformation training. We toads have some ancient scrolls passed down as heritage. These scrolls existed way before the Rikudou Sennin."
'Oh! That seems intriguing.'
Izuna's interest is piqued after listening about the origin of the Scrolls.
This seems pretty intriguing.'
Izuna curiously looks at the stack of scrolls laid in front of him.
'I always wondered how these bunch of toads gained wisdom and the power to wield Senjutsu.
Chakra is a power exclusive to Otsutsukis. Hagoromo was born with Chakra because of Kaguya. Later he shared his chakra with the rest of beings through the use of Ninshu.
Chakra became a privilege accessible to all living beings on Shinobi World. But Senjutsu was present way before Chakra, since Gamamaru trained Hagoromo in Senjutsu.
Now, here is the question. How come these toads came to know about Senjutsu? Maybe these scrolls might answer my doubts.'
Izuna grabbed a scroll to read it.
"This is…"
The writing of the Scroll surprises him.
"These markings! They are similar to the one present in 'Grimoire of Sin'. Is it a coincidence of some kind?"
Izuna turns towards Fukasaku and questions him,
"Fukasaku-san, where did you get these scrolls? I have never seen this writing anywhere? They look so ancient and I can sense a vast amount of Nature energy in them."
Fukasaku contemplates for a while before he replies,
"Izuna-boy, these scrolls are a heritage of us Frogs. Many millennia ago, one of our ancestors saved the life of a certain 'Person'.
The 'Person' was seriously injured and was on the verge of death. At that time, there was no concept of Chakra or Senjutsu.
The ancestor together with other animals nursed him back to health. It was that 'Person' who taught us the concept of Senjutsu and trained our ancestors in Senjutsu together with other animals.
He created Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and The Ryuuchi Cave. These places later turned into the 'Sage Regions' of the Shinobi World.
These scrolls were written by him to pass to his inheritor. Though I am still unaware of his possession which he passed down. Even Great Toad Sage doesn't know much about this.
There is no record of that person's information in the remains of history. As far as I know, he fought against some otherworldly invaders and died in the battle.
There are still some ruins of their battle spread throughout the Shinobi world, though the exact location of these ruins is unknown. This is the information passed down by our ancestors." Fukasaku explains to Izuna.
'Really, there was such a backstory. If I remember correctly, none of the Otsutsuki demonstrated 'Senjutsu' in any battle. Well, their chakra is potent enough on its own.
Like literally, they can reincarnate themselves through the use of 'Kãma Seals'. Also, they convert the entire life energy and Nature energy of the planet into fruit and harvest it. So why do they even need Senjutsu?
This can only mean one thing, Senjutsu is a power not inherited from the Otsutsuki clan but its source is the same as this 'Sin Seal'. The person whom I fought against wasn't an Otsutsuki, He utilized a power similar to this 'Sin Seal' and he didn't have any sort of Dojutsu.
Now, if he is like Otsutsukis, then I highly doubt I killed him during our previous encounter. So who is he? Why was he after the 'Sin Seal'? And most of all, what is the origin of Senjutsu and Fuinjutsu?'
The gears in Izuna's brain churned and various questions popped up in his mind.
'Let me see the content of this scroll first. Maybe they could answer some of my questions.'
Izuna opens the scroll and activates his Sharingan to decipher it. He looks at the scroll's content again but couldn't decipher it.
'I have to use my Mangekyo Sharingan to decipher it.'
He turns towards Fukasaku and informs him,
"I will borrow these scrolls for a while. I think I will be able to decipher them."
"You can do as you please, Izuna-boy. I will return. Maa would be waiting for me." Fukasaku hops away from the spot.
Izuna teleports from his spot. He reappears at the top of the giant tree in Shikkotsu Forest.
'Let me try to decipher it now.'
He activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and inspects the scroll again.
'WELP! I still can't read it.'
The 'Sin Seal' reacts again and forms strange markings around his right eye.
The contents of the scroll reveal itself to him as some information pops out in his brain.
--
Day 27,
It has been a while since I got stranded in this dimension. There are various inferior creatures in this dimension. They can't utilize any sort of energy, and their mortality rate is very high.
A bunch of low-level animals saved me, and I feel thankful to them. Well, not really! But still, they saved my life.
The fight with the Otsutsuki clan members left me with many serious injuries. I have to open a Yomotsu Hirasaka to escape from the chase of Otsutsuki clan members.
But they were prepared. They even brought Karasuki and Hirasuki to chase me down. The Time and Space artifacts helped them chase me down to this dimension.
It requires lots of energy to travel freely through dimensions, but thankfully our clan techniques are oriented towards space-time and sealing.
These Otsutsuki spent lots of their Chakra to travel through space and time. It will be awhile before they recover and search for me.
I have to get help from natives of this dimension. Sigh… again, these animals have very low intelligence. I should teach them one of my clan's techniques.
Maybe these animals could gather their surrounding energy and attain some spiritual wisdom. I need help while dealing with those Otsutsukis, and even if it is a little, it will suffice.
So, I trained them in Senjutsu Arts; the energy utilizing technique of our clan. Otsutsukis are born with Chakra and thus they have a natural advantage against us, but their nefarious ways of gaining power didn't sit well with us.
Sigh… I am caught in such a difficult situation."
The writing on the scroll ends. Izuna rolls the scroll and contemplates.
'This scroll is nothing more than a diary. But it seems like I will get all of my answers in them.
So, my hunch was correct. Somebody taught these toads, slugs, and other summons. And from the looks of it, he was chased down by Otsutsuki clan members.
Man! These Otsutsukis are present everywhere. I always wondered how Kaguya had enough time to create some ruins in the Shinobi world when she was busy with her 'Peaceful World Quest'.
Looks like Otsutsuki visited Shinobi World earlier on an expedition to hunt this guy down. They even took the Time Artifact Karasuki with them.'
Izuna takes out a piece of strange metal in his hand.
'If my guess is correct, then this broken artifact of the Namikaze clan is Hirasuki, as mentioned in this diary scroll. Maybe it broke during their final confrontation and during later years Namikaze clan chanced upon it.
But to think, there are other races out there who are as equally powerful as Otsutsukis. Looks like I am born in an alternate or parallel Naruto World.
I have to make preparations for this new danger too. There are other powerful beings out there with their sight on 'Shinobi World'. I need as many helping hands as possible.
I have to talk with Tsunade regarding her Sage Mode training. She will be a great asset in the future. I have to pay a visit to the village and check on Shisui and Itachi too.
It has been a year since I left the village. I only briefly return to the village just to show my face to Mom. All this training had exhausted me mentally, I have to take a break and in the meantime convince Tsunade too.'
Izuna stows away the scroll and jumps down from the tree. He senses the chakra of Katsuyu and moves towards her.
"Lady Katsuyu, I will fulfill my promise now. In a few more days, I will bring Tsunade to Shikkotsu Forest for Sage Mode Training."
"Thank you so much, Izuna-kun. I will be able to keep the legacy of Kenshiro-sama alive this way. His clan got annihilated a few years ago, but thankfully I will be able to pass his legacy to Tsunade. Only if that girl Tsunade found a mate and birthed a child. Sigh…" Katsuyu sighs and her optical tentacles twirls around.
"Farewell, Lady Katsuyu." Izuna teleports away from Shikkotsu Forest.
"If only you were a bit older, Izuna-kun. Then it would have worked out…"
Katsuyu sighs again and looks towards the temple.
--
Izuna appears on top of the Hokage Monument.
He looks around and inspects the village.
"The air is a bit chilly here. I can see the tension in the village. I guess Uchihas' dissatisfaction is apparent to the villagers. I will pay a visit to Mom and Dad and then I will talk with Tsunade.
I will look upon Itachi and Shisui too, they would have progressed a lot this year."
Izuna disappears from the Hokage's monument and re-appear outside the Uchiha clan.
--
Inside the Hokage's Office,
Hiruzen stares at Hokage Monuments and murmurs,
"Tobirama-sensei, it has been a while since Danzo disappeared from the village. My suspicion is, he died in a battle; but I am not aware of the culprit.
There are no clues or traces of Danzo anywhere. Even the Root Shinobis have no information on this matter. All of them were trapped in a powerful genjutsu. I suspect the culprit is the same person who attacked the village during the Nine-tails incident.
But Danzo had done plenty of dirty deeds and schemes, and I unknowingly supported him. I am not a competent leader. If only I could notice it earlier."
Hiruzen sighs and looks at the report.
"Recently, there have been increased reports and complaints from civilians regarding the mistreatment by Uchiha Police Force. The Uchiha Police Officers continue to harass civilians and shopkeepers.
They even had some skirmishes with Anbu and caused some mutual damage."
Hiruzen sighs and places down the scroll.
--
In an underground hideout,
Achoo…
Obito sneezes and looks around.
'It's a bit chilly here.'
He stands up and walks towards Black Zetsu.
"It's time to start the next phase of our plan. We failed to capture the Nine-tails in the previous attempt. Our strength is not enough to collect all the Nine-tailed beasts together.
Konoha has various powerful shinobi. Obito looks at the pinned pictures of Hiruzen, Sakumo, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Fugaku, Minato, Kushina, Hiashi, and Izuna.
There is a cross on Minato, Kushina, and Orochimaru's pictures.
"We can deal with the rest of them. Nagato's Six Paths of Pain are sufficient for them, but our major concern lies with Izuna Uchiha."
Obito stabs a Kunai in Izuna's picture.
"He is way too strong for us to handle. Even Nagato with his Rinnegan was struggling against this monster. He is a Genjutsu, Kenjutsu, Ninjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, and even Fuinjutsu Master. He doesn't have any weakness…. Maybe except for his family members."
Obito contemplates on the matter. He turns towards Black Zetsu and speaks,
"It is time for you to officially join the Akatsuki. We need to recruit more members for our plan to succeed. I will discuss our plans with Pain.
I will infiltrate Hidden Mist Village and will seek a way to gain control of the Fourth Mizukage. Their Mizukage is quite young, and he is a jinchuruki as well.
We need resources to support Akatsuki and initiate the next step of our plan. I will control Hidden Mist and gain funds for our operations."
Obito swirls out of the hideout. Black Zetsu looks at the disappearing figure of Obito and thinks,
'Mother! I am one more step closer to your revival. All Chakra shall be reunited again and form the Chakra tree. That foolish Hagoromo distributed the Chakra to mankind and wasted it.
But I will soon reunite it. Mother shall see this world once again. All Chakra shall return to its Original Owner.'
Black Zetsu enters the ground and moves out from the hideout.
--
Izuna enters inside the Uchiha compound and strolls in the market. He observes the passer-by and notices a lack of Non-Uchiha citizens.
'The Uchihas are isolating themselves. Even the Uchiha Police Force appears to be cold and distant. I suppose Fugaku is pressured by those Old geezers of the clan. After Grand-uncle passed away, there is no one to keep them under tabs.
It was their ambition paired with Danzo's manipulation, which leads to the downfall of the Uchiha clan. I have dealt with Danzo, but these old senile geezers are still persistent.
I don't want to step in early to involve in the conflict as it is too much of a pain in the ass and the ambitions of these old geezers will only increase.
But I won't allow the mindless slaughter of the clan. If Obito touches my family, I will end him. I don't care about the future. I am a selfish person and I don't have any thoughts regarding other Uchiha clan members, but my parents are my bottom line.'
He enters his house, and his mother greets him.
"Izuna dear! It has been a while since you last showed up. Mother missed you a lot. You will be a big brother soon. Are you happy about it?"
Izuna tilts his head and questioningly looked at Aiko,
"Mother! But your womb?" He points towards Aiko's stomach.
"Oh! That! We followed Tsunade-san's procedure, and your Aunt Fumiko agreed to be the adoptive mother of our child. She is two months pregnant now and soon you and Shisui will become a big brother."
"Wow! That's great. I can't wait for my sibling to be born. I want a cute little sister." Izuna smiles in happiness.
'So, Tsunade succeeded in the procedure. That's a genius for you. I have to thank her for her hard work. I will gift the expensive honey wine from the Land of Honey to her. I got it during one of my Anbu missions and I preserved it in one of my scrolls.'
"Where is father?" Izuna looks around and notices the absence of Akira.
"There is an important clan meeting held in the Naka Shrine. Your father is attending the meeting. I am not sure of the issue, but it is regarding the attitude of higher-ups of the village against the Uchiha clan.
This politics and all, I don't want to be a part of it. I will cook your favorite dish tonight." Aiko enters the kitchen.
"Guess I will check up on Shisui, Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto. I haven't seen their progress in a while."
Izuna closes his eyes and enters Semi-Sage Mode. He senses the Chakra of Shisui and the rest of them.
"There you are, Uchiha training ground 5. Big Brother will like to see your progress."
Izuna walks out of his house and flickers towards the training ground. He reaches inside the training ground within seconds.
Izuna hides his presence and eavesdrops on them. Shisui is training Naruto whereas Itachi is training Sasuke.
"Naruto-kun! You have large amounts of Chakra. I haven't seen such amounts of chakra in any shinobi except for Big-brother Izuna. His chakra reserves are vast, but for some unknown reasons, big-brother was always low on chakra. Maybe he was working on another of his new techniques, which consumed an enormous amount of Chakra.
Anyway, my point is you have terrible Chakra control because of your large reserves. I have taught you Shurikenjutsu, some simple wind jutsus, and basic taijutsu in this past year.
Now, it is time to train your chakra control. If you have a good chakra control, you will be able to use several jutsu using the same amount of Chakra."
Naruto tilts his head in confusion and questions Shisui,
"Big-Brother Shisui, That's quite complicated. I don't quite get it. I hate complicated stuff. Can you explain it in simple terms? Dattebyo!.."
Shisui thinks for a while before he replies,
"Naruto, consider your body as a bowl of ramen. Your Chakra is the broth of Ramen. Now your body has lots of broth… I mean chakra in it, which means your bowl is bigger than the rest of people."
"But isn't it a good thing? I have a larger bowl, then I will get to eat more Ramen. Dattebyo!" Naruto licks his tongue.
"It is a good thing, but there is a catch to it. Naruto imagines if your ramen has lots of broth, but there are fewer noodles in your bowl. Will you like your ramen?" Shisui questions Naruto.
"No… I want more noodles in my ramen. Dattebyo!" Naruto complains.
"Exactly, that extra broth in your body… I mean chakra is wasted. To fully enjoy the extra broth, you need extra noodles and toppings.
Such is the case with you, to make use of that extra chakra and to not waste it, you need more noodles… I mean more chakra control. Then, only will you be able to enjoy your ramen… I mean you will efficiently use your chakra." Shisui holds his breath and stares at Naruto.
"Do you understand, Naruto?"
"Yes, I understand a little. Next time, I will ask Old Man Teuchi to add more noodles in my ramen." Naruto nods to Shisui.
"Damn!" Shisui clutches his head.
Haha…
Izuna chuckles and shakes his head,
"This Naruto! He only cares about ramen. I have to step in. Shisui must be going insane in this past year. Standard training can't teach Naruto, he requires specialized training. Let me take a look at Sasuke's progress.
He is smarter among the duo. I don't think he would face any difficulty with the training."
Izuna turns towards Sasuke and Itachi.