And at last, we have made it, the last update for the year of 2023. It was fun, writing all this stuff, but I do needed the break. Not helped by the fact it's hotter than normal which makes writing more of a chore than a fun hobby.

Chapter 10: Power of Sage

If this was anything else, Izuku was sure he would have lost count of the days a long time ago, but when every second of training felt like it was an hour of brutal conditioning, you managed to keep track if only to help preserve your sanity through the madness. It was because of that that he knew he had been at this for a little under 4 months. Waking up, he was surprised to find that…he had been allowed to sleep in, as when he looked out the window of his little hut, he saw that the sun was already in the sky, and might have been that way for perhaps an hour. Normally Shizune forced him out of bed an hour before the sun was up.

Not looking this gift horse in the mouth, he thanked the heavens for the fact he was able to get 2 hours extra sleep before he left his hut, having slept in his worn-out pair of shorts and nothing else as he wandered over to the river to freshen up. Moving down the beaten path, he could appreciate the beauty of this place and the fact its weather pattern wasn't erratic as there were some clouds, and a good breeze but that was it. Such a thing was rare on this otherworldly mountain as he could recall how the weather could change without warning or reason.

Some days it would be unbearably hot, leaving him sweating even as he did the simplest tasks, other days it would be the exact opposite as he'd wake up to find the place covered in a thick blanket and snow with freezing winds blowing through the place, leaving him shivering even if he wore as many layers he could manage while still being able to train. Other times it'll be nothing but pouring rain from dawn to dusk. He had tried to ask Shizune about it, but they would always laugh in his face and tell him that 'they had secrets that they didn't feel like telling the little human.' The last time he asked had been a month ago while it was snowing like a Russian Winter, after that reply, she strapped another 30kg worth of deadweight to him and told him to get back to running.

Making it to the river, he knelt to wash his face to fully wake up and drink up the fresh mountain water. Seeing his reflection in it, he couldn't help but give it a nostalgic smile as he saw just how different he looked from what he had appeared when he first arrived. His hair, which had always been far too fuzzy and wild to be properly combed or styled had somehow become even wilder, greener in it than black. It was also longer, nearly reaching his shoulders much like the mane of a lion, combing a hand through it, he could pick out small twigs and leaves that he hadn't been able to get rid of before he collapsed onto his bed last night and passed out.

His hands drew his attention next as he pulled his hand free of his hair, inspecting it and seeing that despite the fact he washed his hands every morning, his nails were still dark with grime and soil, which along with the fact they were longer than he had ever let them by, made him look as wild as a caveman. As he washed them in the river to try and clear the dirt away, he observed his body in the rippling water, seeing how his torso and arms were covered in scars from the intensive training Shizune was putting him through. Training that normally lasted from before the sun rose to after it set, as had been his schedule for nearly 4 months now, was nothing but grueling, punishing training with little time for rest or meals.

Meals that he had to get himself as he learned the hard way during his first week when he waited for them to get him something a tiring 20km run, only for Shizune to reappear, act surprised that he decided not to eat during his break and forcing him to continue with wall climbing up a small waterfall. Safe to say that he made sure to always keep an eye out for fruit trees and berry bushes after that so that he could use as much time as he could actually eat during his breaks.

But he'll take the physical training over the sensory training any day of the week, as Shizune and he had spoken about how tenet could increase one's perception of their surroundings, but under them, he was put through sensory deprivation training. He'll go hours without sight, smell or hearing blocked and be forced to either fight against the various wild cats that called the mountain their home or escape through obstacle courses that he never knew how they found the time to set up. For every inch of progress he made, they'll add another mile worth of challenge for him as if they didn't want him to feel like he was making any progress, even if he knew that he had to be…right?

Finishing up, he left and went to look for his master, finding them in their usual spot which was lounging in what looked to be an old shrine, why they liked it? When was it built? Who built it? He didn't know the answers to those questions. Looking up at his arrival, they gave him a lazy wave.

"Look who's finally awake, was going to get you myself if you slept in any longer." Shizune smiled at him as he came and sat close to them.

"Most people would assume I work up at the normal time." He replied, thinking that it couldn't be any later than 8 am.

"You're too crazy to count as most people, little boy." They waved that off, anyone that could touch it out for as long as he wasn't sane in their books. "But we have other things to work on today."

Midoriya straightened up, ready for whatever they could throw at him. "What would that be? Are you going to strap a boulder to my back and make him jump from tree to tree? Climb up a raging water with one hand tied behind my back? Plunge my hands into heated sand? Wrestle a Lion?"

"You've done all that. if I try and take it a step further, I'll probably break you." Shizune waved that off, though they were impressed with his performance as out of the 8 that came before him, only 3 had made it this far, the rest dying at some point before, or just losing the will to continue. Frankly, they liked that about him as no matter what she put him through, how far she pushed him, he kept coming back for more.

"Then what?"

"Sage." That one word froze him for a moment, before a smile broke out across his face, his joy reaching the stars as he couldn't help but cheer, jumping to his feet as he had made it, he had cleared through whatever testing process Shizune had and made it!

"Yes, we're finally moving into it." Shizune let him have his moment, he had earned that much anyway and if the 3 were any indication, it'd be the last happy moment he had. "Remember what we talked about when you first came here, on what sage was?" They asked, bringing his attention back to the meat of the discussion.

Midoriya nodded, taking his seat once more. "Yes, it's essentially a boast to everything I've already learned by pulling in tenet from my environment to use."

"Correct, but there is another use of it. It's an offshoot of Toratsume and Feline Purr," He knew of those two techniques, though he only practiced the one and not the latter. "Which allows one to affect and alter the physical world through the use of their tenet." He blinked at that, having never heard of a use like that…wait, no he had. But such techniques could never be used in any situation requiring speed.

Shizune saw his confusion and explained it. "Now, normally this is a slow and draining thing, requiring multiple uses to get anything substantial done, which is why it's best for tasks that normally take a long time to begin with such as farming as spending a couple weeks growing something might seem long, but when that plant would normally take a couple months to grow, it's a smart play, it also cuts down on the work-force needed as now a fraction of the people are needed."

That was why they could grow so many crops in such a small amount of time, everything from fruits to literal trees for lumber, but it was as she said, long and tiring, requiring teams of people working in shifts to get sustained growth of any worth.

"Are you saying that Sage power amplifies this?" Midoriya asked, to which Shizune got up, stretching their supernaturally long body before they walked over to a small pond.

"It does," They started as they reached one of her claws towards the water, gently tapping the surface of it to his amazement, as they pulled their claw back, the water followed like a string. "And when properly used it can do whatever one wishes of it." Shizune twirled her claw around, the water, which remained attached to her via the little water cord, formed into a swirling top, then a ball before she flicked it at him, which he easily dodged despite the speed and surprise of the move. When he heard the water smack into a rock, it wasn't much of a wet slap he heard, but a thud followed by rock cracking.

Turning his head, his eyes shot wide open as he saw that the rock, half the size of a car, now had a circle shape indent in it, one which had at least a dozen cracks forming. The water she threw did that? What would have happened if it struck him?

"I…" He gulped down some sweat when he saw them smile at him, he knew that smile way too well and was getting ready to run if he had to. "I didn't know you had a quirk."

"That wasn't a quirk, little boy, that," Shizune replied, their smile showing far more teeth than should be capable of fitting in a mouth. "Was what sage power could do when used by a master."

Seeing his confusion, they enjoyed it for a second, but they still had to explain it to him. "What I did, was impart some of my tenet into the water so that I could control it, but since one can't control tenet once it's left the body, I kept the cord of water attached."

"But how would the water have done that? I heard that when you apply enough pressure, it can cut through steel but that was just a ball of it." Midoriya asked if they had formed the water into a thin line, or a blade and swung that at the rock, maybe there would have been some damage but they didn't. they went with a blunt attack that by all accounts, was far too slow to do even half as much damage.

"Tenet doesn't just vanish once it's out of your control, so I just imparted some into it to make it so that the water could crack the rock," Shizune explained, getting him to nod as he thought of ways they could used in a practical sense, even outside combat as depending on how long it could last, he could see it being great for rescue work.

"So, when will I be able to do that?" He asked them, getting a chuckle from the youkai.

"So eager, Sage training is done in 2 phases. The first allows one, in this case me, to project their will onto the physical world but keep in mind it works best on the basic elements of nature." Okay, he was following there, even if he'll have to ask about the elements thing.

"The second is the most dangerous as it's where one forces their tenet reserves to drastically grow in a short period to cope with this excess of tenet flowing into them." That part confused him. He understood why it was dangerous, and why it would be needed but there was something off about it.

"Wasn't that what I had been training for all this time?" He asked them.

"Yes and no," They giggled. "That training barely impacted your tenet, rather I was training up your body to become a suitable vessel, forcing it to adapt so that when you got sage power, it didn't rip you apart from the inside out." That…was certainly a mental image, but that at least explained why he barely felt any different with his tenet despite all his training. Was he just at the level where he couldn't provide any more physical power to add no matter how much he trained? Did he need more experience to add to the spiritual side of it? Was it some combination of the two or something else entirely?

Shizune smacked him over the head with their tail to get him back in the game. "But the real question is this:" He blinked, seeing that they had closed the distance, now surrounding him with their body, twisting and swirling like a viper made from black water. "Are you willing to die for power? Willing to take the risk now that you've reached the cliff?" Shizune whispered to him, being so close to his ear that he could feel their breath.

Despite how much time he had spent with them, how much he thought he had grown comfortable around them, that question, the images it brought up in his head made him shiver, his heart skipping a beat as he was reminded that this…this wasn't something he could beat, he didn't think anyone could beat them. "How far will you go for your dreams?" They asked him, this time in his other ear as he tried to gain some air in his lungs to speak.

"To the ends of the earth, even further…" He was shaking, his heart and mind screaming for him to run, but he remained still, locking his legs the best he could to ensure he didn't flee or buckle, not when he had come so far. "I've come too far, trained too hard to just give up now. That would be crazy." He managed a give them a shaky smile, a flimsy thing that couldn't stand up to much, but it was enough to please them as they laughed, their laughter booming through the area like the roars of a dozen lions.

"Oh, I like you, human! But you're not the first to say that to me, and it didn't save the others from an agonizing death that followed." They reminded him, though he hadn't forgotten, not when they had shown him their graves in his second week as a means to 'keep him humble.'

"But like with them, I'll honor your wish, it might be your last one anyway." Before he could ask what that meant, flashed him a smile made up of nothing but teeth before striking, biting down on his neck faster than he could react, flooding his body with their essence before just as quickly retreating and stepping away from him, leaving him stumbling and confused as he reached for his bloody neck wound, pulling back his hand with a hiss as he looked at his bloodied hand.

Before he could question them on them, or even how they managed to hurt him when he had his Yukitora active, pain like nothing he had never felt set in, crashing into him like a towering wave that washed him away in it. He tried to resist it, biting his tongue to not scream but it was futile as the massive injection of supernatural tenet entering his body overwhelmed him as he fell to his knees, gasping for breath as he finally screamed in pain, feeling like every part of him was on fire as his pain receptors were all firing.

He couldn't even remain on his knees as he fell onto his side, rolling about as if to try and put out the fire his body was sure was engulfing him as he continued to scream and plead for it to end, all while Shizune dispassionately watched his suffering. He didn't notice, he couldn't notice anything as it felt like his body was burning on the outside and was starting to implode on the inside, giving him so sense of relief or rest. If Mōfu is like a warm blanket, this was a lava bath as it felt like it was seeping in every pour, stretching it out to allow even more into him.

He tried to get up, to run for the pond, but all he could manage was crawl to it, every movement felt like hell as his skin felt like it was melting off him while his muscles were tearing and his bones imploded as all 261 tenet point on his body were rupturing, shrinking and growing randomly and extremely painfully. Soon blood started to flow as his body's catastrophic failures and regeneration were taking their toll, leaving him blind and deaf as liquid that kept him alive flowed out his ears, and eyes while all he could taste and smell was copper thanks to similar effects happening with his nose and mouth.

"It burns!" He managed to get out over his screams, moans and pleas as he collapsed once more, the strength of his limbs falling him after he had only managed to crawl a couple of meters, nowhere close to the pond which wouldn't have offered him any help even if he had managed to will his body to crawl close enough to try anything.

Izuku blinked, taking in the sight and smell of his surroundings. With a groan, he slowly got up, rubbing his head as he felt the lingering effects of a major headache. Looking around, he saw that he was…in a cave? When did he get here, wait-did…did he pass out? Feeling the breeze higher up his leg than normal, he looked and saw that he was in nothing but his boxers.

Reaching for his face, he groaned into his hands as he wondered just what the hell happened to him, but his fingers caught his attention. They looked different. His fingernails had been longer than normal, sure but now they looked even longer, sharper and had a green tint to them, as he tried to make sense of that whole thing, he noted that there wasn't any sunlight entering the cave, nor were they any lit candles but despite that, he could see just fine. Looking around, he saw that it wasn't just because his hands were close to his face but he could make out details on the walls, from groves and cracks as if it was daytime.

It wasn't just his eyes that seemed to have changed, but his sense of hearing and smell as well as he could hear much more clearly how the air coming in from the entrance was moving down the cave, how there was a couple drop of water leaking from the top of the cave a little deeper in as they splashed down into two puddles that had formed. He could hear some small forest critters scampering about, looking for cover for the night despite the fact he couldn't see them but he could smell them, with the scent of a couple of rats clueing him into what they were, along with the smell of moss growing on the walls.

Deciding he needed answers and some clothes, he got up from the slab of rock he had been left on and walked towards the entrance, noting that his sense of touch was also greater than normal as his bare feet told him a lot of the environment that he otherwise wouldn't have been able to tell. As he reached the entrance, he paused as he wondered if this was sage power, if that was what the master had. If that was true…did that mean he made it? What else could it be? He had taken the bite and lived to speak of it, that was an absolute win!

Giddy with joy, he all but danced out of the cave into the open, the moonlight sky illuminating the clearing, along with the thousands of stars that dotted the sky, constellations he didn't recognise in this alien world but still beautiful in their wonder. He never had time to star gaze before, always too exhausted from training but now? Now he wanted to just sit on a tree stomp with a telescope and a map and plot out the stars, take in their wonder. Hell, he didn't think he needed a telescope, such as how happy he was with his newfound sight, leaving him to wonder how he ever managed before as it felt like he had gone his whole life wearing someone else prescription glasses.

The smells of the forest drew him next, the drew on the leaves, the scent of dozens of plants and flowers he'll never find on earth, the rich soil and thick plentiful shrubs, all inhabited by cats, bugs and fish that he wished to explore, to study, to hunt. His body yearned for it, for all of it. It was all…almost overwhelming.

"You know," His head shot to the side, looking towards the pond where Shizune lay on their back, moon-bathing with their head turned to face him like an owl's. "The little girl had the same reaction. Even ran off into the woods and didn't come back for two whole days while she explored to her heart's content." He blinked, not so much at the comment that his master went on the Tarzan for a while, but at the fact he could make out their shape far more clearly than before.

"This…this is…it?" He whispered, praying that this wasn't some fervor dream as Shizune gave him a soft, amused smile.

"Yes, you have tapped into sage mode, which is why you're basically running on feline time right now to which you should be grateful as you could have been bitten by something unpleasant, like a dog." They waved that part off as if she would allow a student of her student to ever make a contract with another youkai, they had standards!

"So, how do you feel?" They asked him, with Izuku feeling himself, noting that his body even felt different, or maybe his hands were just more sensitive.

"I feel…good, better than ever really." Taking a deep breath, he felt like he could fight 10 of those damn tigers Shizune has around, and come out on top.

Shizune chuckled at that, unsurprised at his response, though they had been pleasantly surprised by the fact he had woken up at all. "That's because you have far more tenet in you, which is allowing you to augment your base senses. But you'll need to learn how to suppress them unless you want even minor stimuli to be enough to screw with you."

"Oh, and to help with the tenet exhaustion as right now you'll burning through far more than normal." They added, giving him a downside to this which he had to contend with, people with animal quirks or just boosted senses often complained about such things, like how if you had a dog's sense of smell, most public places could be unbearable.

"Noted," Closing his eyes and concentrating, he could certainly feel that he was tapping into his tenet, but he also could feel that the pool he normally tapped was far larger than normal, a lake inside of him. "As for the rest, is this normal?" Flexing, he felt like his muscles and bones were made from steel, a couple of shadow boxes only confirmed that.

"Yes, much like the little girl, you've found yourself upgraded to the deluxe human body thanks to sage mode. So, I hope you don't mind how you'll look for a while since once you hit your prime, you're staying there." God, he hoped so, he wasn't exactly the tallest guy in his age group, and he had seen enough of his Inko's high school photos to know he shared an unfortunate resemblance to her. He wouldn't mind if he could age up a little more, and gain a couple more inches in height before hitting his peak.

"Still, there is one difference between the two of you; how long you were asleep for." He looked towards her, wondering as to what was so special about that.

"Wait, it's not the same day?" He asked, as with the moon up and the unpredictable weather and climate of this place, he couldn't even be sure that the moon and stars followed a similar pattern to Earth.

"Of course not, silly human. You've been unconscious for the last week." He blinked at that, it taking a second for it to sink in.

"A week!?"

"Quiet down, it's not that big of a deal." Shizune liked it better when he was quiet and asleep.

"You and I have a very different definition of what counts as a 'big deal.'" Midoriya had so many questions. How was it possible to sleep that long? Was it because of that damned bite they gave him? How was he still in tip-top shape when he hadn't eaten or drank anything in days? Did they force-feed him? What about the bathroom situation?

"I wouldn't say so, you beat your master's time." The master, she went through that experience as well? What was he thinking? Of course, she did.

"How long was she out for?" He imagined that she was out for a couple more days, maybe an extra week if Shizune hadn't yet perfected whatever process she did to him decades ago.

"2 months." They gave him a smile that made them look like they belonged in Alice in Wonderland, even as they gave him such a ludicrous number. That was impossible! She was the strongest person he knew, the best at using tenet, how the heck did she remain out cold and he was up and running?

Shizune raised an eyebrow at him. "Or did you think I just decided that 4 months was enough for you? That's the benchmark."

"2 months…Heavens that's a long time…" He groaned into his hands before he asked one of his other questions, namely the one related to his state of dress. "Wait, is that why I'm in my underwear? Wait, did you change my underwear during the week?"

"Yes, it's long but she was the only one before you to survive. Yes, I changed you. Yes, don't worry about it, I'm as interested in you as you would be in your housecat." He didn't take much comfort in that as a supernatural being or no, he wasn't in the business of letting just anyone see him in the buff. His only mercy was that no one else would know about it and if asked, he'll deny it without hesitation.

"I'll just have to lock that away in the 'Don't think about it box.'" There were a few memories in there, but as the name implied, he didn't think about them. his motto being that unless he needed therapy in the future, that section of his mind would remain unexplored, a place to banish shit like this.

"To each their own, onto other matters. This presents us with a unique opportunity." Shizune finally got up and approached him.

"Such as?"

"The plan was to wait for you to wake up and send you back to the human world, but since you work up so early. I can help you with your training in sage mode as right now, you're as green as the grass you sit on." They explained to him, and his eyes widened even as a small part of his brain realized that she planned to dump him back without any real training and maybe some advice.

"Really? That's amazing!"

Shizune fanned herself, soaking in his praise and letting their pride grow even larger. "Yes, yes, and I'm a merciful and benevolent master but you can praise me more later," He gave them an unimpressed look at that. "Right now we need to figure out your nature affinity."

"Does this have something to do with the nature elements we talked about…last week?" Damn, that would take some getting used to.

"Yes. Your affinity as the world implies, is the natural element you connect with the most. You'll find using that one both the easiest for you and the one you have the best chance of taking the limits and beyond. Now you could learn another, but you'll burn through far more tenet to do something that another with an affinity with said element would." They started.

"Also, since it's not your element, you'll find it far harder to even learn how to use it. Much like how those with quirks would need to put in far more time and effort training to match what you could achieve in a fraction of the time as a quirkless person." He supposed that made sense, like if you were good at one track event, that meant you were athletic, but that didn't mean you could do another one as easily.

"Okay, makes sense. I'm guessing your element is water?" He recalled that little water stunt that may or may not be enough to knock him on his ass at best or kill him at worst.

"Yes, and little Tei's is rock but she managed to specialize further, or did you think she just found all that jade in her office?" Shizune smiled as his jaw dropped at that revelation.

"She made it?!"

"Every last piece." They were quite proud of their student, and her habit of just making jade whenever she was bored by molding earth into it. "Give me a second to gather everything, if you want to go mad for a bit, I won't stop you."

10 minutes later, he sat across from a collection of things. Those items are a: pot with a fire in it; a jug of water; a wooden log; an iron ring the size of a type; and a rock. "Reach out to each of them then and see which one feels the best."

"Okay." He nodded as he looked them over, wondering which to start with before he reached for the fire, reasoning that perhaps he'd have an affinity to it thanks to his father. Reaching his tenet out to the flames but found he could barely do anything with them, they kept on dancing without any input from him. When he reached for the metal, it proved to be a stubborn element, giving him even less than the fire as it didn't so much as move. With the rock, there was…something, a connection there but it was weak as the best he could do was tether his tenet to it and make it slightly wobbly. Same with the water as when he tried to do the same trick that Shizune did, all that happened was that it tipped the jug and spilt the stuff all over the soil.

With just one element left, he placed his hand on the wooden log and imagined it growing as he pumped some of his tenet into it, at first there was nothing but then the wood slowly started to react as from the seemingly dead piece of wood, a tree branch started to form, forming smaller branches which grew leaves on it. When he removed his hand, he found that the log had turned into a small bush. "Whoa."

"Seems like we found it," Shizune stated, surprised that he managed to connect with wood to such an extent, it had been a while since they had met anyone that used that element, even if they considered other youkai. Midoriya didn't reply as he reached for a piece of the shrub, a tiny branch which he moved to break off, but stopped himself and instead, tried something else. It took a moment, and some effort on his part but the branch broke itself as if an invisible force had shattered it from the inside out. With that new piece of wood, he stood up and walked a little ways away, with Shizune silently watching him as he worked.

Coming to a stop, he poured more of his tenet into the piece of wood in his hand but tried to control it. His efforts were lackluster at best, but impressive to Shizune as she hadn't met a human that could do such right out the gate the branch in hand grew in size and length, becoming a staff while the top portion became a tree, with dozens of small branches, each with leaves growing. Once the bottom touched the ground, it didn't stop and continued to grow, forming roots which dug into the earth, allowing Izuku to perceive even beneath the soil thanks to his tenet flowing through the entire three/staff.

His roots found other roots which upon contact, increased that field of vision, as well as his reach as his tenet started to flow into more plants, from the trees to the flowers and even the grass, influencing all of them and causing them all to rapidly grow and expand.

Blinking, he came back to reality, feeling exhausted as he nearly fell over, having to lean on the tree that he was standing next to, wait…where did that tree come from? Turning to it, he realized that it had been that tiny twig he had picked up, only he had turbocharged its growth into a tree easily 5 times his height. Around him, the grass had grown an extra 3 inches, while the flowers that once covered the edges of the place were far larger, more vibrant and plentiful. Without realizing it, he had added to the local environment.

'I don't know where she found this one but,' Shizune thought to themselves, amazed by the display as they reached for a flower that had sprouted next to them. Their eye turned to him and they couldn't help but feel giddy at the prospect this boy would bring. 'He'll be an interesting human to watch. I haven't seen a display like this in…centuries.'

This chapter was late, far later than normal but hopefully, with the break, I'll be able to re-organize my posting schedule as some of the issues came from the fact I had to post two stories on the same day, which really clogs up my writing time. Again, thanks for reading and I hope you to see you all, and more of you, in the new year.(This note is both from last year and not as this was meant to come out yesterday(Jan 13th) but family obligations kept be occupied)

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