"Since that's the case, I'll speak directly. My purpose here is to witness Sage Techniques. This one here wants to sign a summoning contract with Ryuchi Cave. I don't need to elaborate on his situation, do I?"
Daniel Davis wasn't too concerned about the toad sage, Gamatama Maru. First, his strength and abilities were sufficient for self-defense, and second, the sages of the three great lands, from what he observed, wouldn't typically get involved unless the situation threatened the destruction of the Shinobi world. At most, they would offer vague prophecies.
Gamatama Maru had once directly sought out Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, because Kaguya Otsutsuki's Divine Tree threatened the existence of the Shinobi world. The Divine Tree absorbed all life energy, including that of the planet itself. The Otsutsuki clan traveled across the stars searching for life-bearing planets to cultivate the Divine Tree.
One Divine Tree fruit could create a being on the level of the Sage of Six Paths, so destroying a planet in exchange for such power was insignificant to them.
To the Otsutsuki clan, who regarded themselves as gods, other life forms were merely lower beings. To contribute to their immortality was an honor. For the Otsutsuki, the Divine Tree was essentially a machine for refining chakra pills, much like a king who sacrifices an entire nation for eternal life, as in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist.
The Otsutsuki roamed the cosmos planting Divine Trees and harvesting chakra fruits. For the most part, this process went smoothly, but they finally met their downfall in the Shinobi world.
"No problem. Since you've passed the test, Sage Techniques can indeed be taught to you, but as for signing a contract with Ryuchi Cave, that will depend on his own abilities." The White Snake Sage glanced at Sasuke before continuing, "Ichikishima, take him to the snake cave."
The summoning contract of Ryuchi Cave was quite different from that of Mount Myoboku or Shikkotsu Forest. In Ryuchi Cave, one could only summon the specific creature they signed a contract with, unlike Mount Myoboku, where signing allowed access to summon any of the toads, even those that weren't suited for combat, like Gamakichi and Gamatatsu in their youth.
This versatility allowed for summoning different toads based on combat needs. The toads of Mount Myoboku came in many varieties—combat toads, scouting toads, and even ones with stealth capabilities. For instance, the Giant Rock Toad, summoned by Jiraiya during his battle with Itachi and Kisame, was said to be one of the largest toads in Mount Myoboku, rivaled only by the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest.
Jiraiya could summon just a portion of the toad's stomach, which had strong barrier effects. If Itachi hadn't used Amaterasu, the outcome of that battle would have been quite uncertain.
By comparison, Ryuchi Cave's summoned creatures were more limited. For example, Orochimaru could only summon Manda and not Aoda, Katsuyu, or the three Great Elders of Ryuchi Cave.
However, this restriction only applied to the intelligent serpents. Once the contract was signed, non-sentient snakes could be summoned freely, much like how Red Scaled could control a large number of snakes after consuming the inner core of the Red Scaled Snake, meticulously refined by the King of Poisons.
"Go ahead, but be careful. If it doesn't work out this time, you can always try again." After all, this was the real Shinobi world, not a game. Sasuke didn't seem to have the same luck as Boruto's group, who defeated Aoda with ease.
"Hmph." Sasuke, seemingly annoyed by Daniel's underestimation, snorted coldly and left with Ichikishima.
"As for Sage Techniques, you can ask Tachikaze about them. Also, the Old Toad Sage would like you to visit if you have time." With that, the White Snake Sage stood up and left.
"The three great sages are the true masterminds behind the Shinobi world, aren't they?" Watching the White Snake Sage depart, this thought suddenly crossed Daniel's mind. Direct involvement in battle seemed too low-level for them. Just look at how a few words from Gamatama Maru had set the Otsutsuki clan fighting amongst themselves.
"Meeting him? I might go sometime. I remember there are Sage Symbols in Mount Myoboku." Even though Daniel had numerous recovery methods by now, he wouldn't mind having more Sage Symbols if given the chance.
"The so-called Sage Techniques," Tachikaze began explaining after the White Snake Sage left, "involve Sage Chakra and how it's cultivated. You can't just decide to train in Sage Techniques without risk. Absorbing natural energy can be deadly if one isn't careful."
It was similar to why the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique was a forbidden jutsu. Many in Konoha had underestimated their own strength, recklessly using the technique, and suffered from severe chakra depletion, leading to injury, disability, or even death. After multiple such accidents, it was classified as a forbidden technique.
Naruto had an unusually vast amount of chakra, but had it not been for that, during his battle with Mizuki, he wouldn't have had the strength to fight. Excessive chakra consumption could have left him crippled.
"I see." As Tachikaze explained, Daniel gained a clearer understanding of Sage Techniques. Previously, his knowledge of Sage Techniques had been quite vague.
Sage Chakra is formed by absorbing natural energy in addition to one's own physical and mental energies. However, absorbing natural energy is difficult and requires someone to help open a channel within the body. This process could only be facilitated by the three great summoning lands.
Naturally, there were exceptions like Jugo, who had a unique genetic ability to automatically absorb natural energy. Such rare abilities might only appear once in a century.
The training process for Sage Techniques was extremely dangerous due to the immense difference between the natural energy of the world and the energy within a person's body. Comparing the two was like comparing the ocean to a glass of water.
Absorbing natural energy was like connecting the glass to the ocean. If not done carefully, the natural energy would overflow and shatter the glass.
For those who wished to train in Sage Techniques, there were two types of natural talent that made success more likely. One was possessing an enormous amount of chakra, like Naruto or Kisame. Such individuals were not "glasses" but "ponds," meaning they could withstand the flow of natural energy with less danger.
The other talent was having exceptional chakra control, allowing one to precisely manage every bit of chakra and shut off the flow of natural energy if danger arose. Examples of this were Sakura, Tsunade, and Kabuto.
Of course, having either of these talents didn't make the training entirely safe. Even with a large chakra reserve, the process was still risky, as seen when Naruto trained under Fukasaku, who kept a close watch, ready to interrupt the process at the first sign of trouble.
This kind of protection was only available in Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest, but not in Ryuchi Cave. There, the method of training was simply provided, along with help to open the connection to natural energy. Whether one succeeded or was consumed by the natural energy was entirely up to them.
Had Naruto trained in Ryuchi Cave, he likely would have been unable to complete his Sage training. In such cases, chakra control, the second type of talent, became all the more critical. This explained why Kabuto, after much effort, managed to master Sage Techniques.
"So this is Sage Chakra." Daniel possessed both types of talent. He had an enormous amount of chakra and also fine control over it. Once he opened the channel to absorb natural energy, he quickly completed his training in Sage Chakra. His conversations with Tachikaze deepened his understanding.
When discussing Sage Techniques, the topic naturally turned to Sage Mode, Six Paths Sage Mode, and the Sage Body. By training in Sage Chakra, Daniel understood the difference between Sage Mode and the Sage Body.
Sage Chakra is a consumable resource, unlike regular chakra, which is constantly replenished by the body. Sage Chakra, once used, is hard to regenerate, as the process of absorbing natural energy is extremely dangerous. During battle, it's nearly impossible to maintain the calm needed to absorb more.
Using Sage Chakra in battle is what constitutes Sage Mode. While Jiraiya's Sage Mode appeared imperfect, it actually had far greater endurance than Naruto's initial attempts at Sage Mode because he could rely on the toads on his shoulders to absorb natural energy for him.
However, even with this enhanced endurance, Sage Mode had its limits.
The truly powerful state was the Sage Body, which could continuously absorb natural energy without any time restrictions. This was the source of the First Hokage's immense strength, as he fought using Sage Chakra.
The Sage Body was extremely rare among humans. As of now, only the First Hokage and the Sage of Six Paths possessed it.
After absorbing the power of Wood Release, Madara Uchiha came close to having a Sage Body.
Jugo had the potential for a Sage Body due to his genetic trait, but since he couldn't control it, his case was considered a false Sage Body.
Although Sage Chakra could greatly enhance a person's strength, it didn't make one invincible. Even Kabuto, with his Sage Mode, was defeated by Sasuke and Itachi. Jugo, despite his abilities, was also bested by many.
Ultimately, it came down to individual strength. Despite Naruto's vast chakra reserves, he still struggled against many opponents early on.
"The Sage Body is quite similar to innate experts," Daniel mus
ed. "The Six Vaults Immortal Bandits, if they take it further and steal the energy of heaven and earth, might be akin to a Sage Body."
In the world of Qin's Moon, top figures like Beimingzi, Donghuang Taiyi, and Guiguzi were considered near-innate experts. These innate experts weren't common in novels, but in Qin's Moon, such figures were among the elite.
The so-called "near-innate" was actually similar to Sage Mode. Beimingzi, Donghuang Taiyi, and others pursued complete innate mastery, which could be likened to a Sage Body.
Of course, this was just Daniel's speculation, but a conversation with them would quickly clarify things.
Sage Chakra itself was indistinguishable across the three summoning lands. Whether it was Ryuchi Cave, Mount Myoboku, or Shikkotsu Forest, the end result was the same—just like how chakra trained by any shinobi was essentially identical.
The differences in Sage Techniques came from the varied applications of Sage Chakra, just like how different shinobi focused on different chakra attributes.
"The Sage Body shouldn't be too difficult to achieve, given the First Hokage's cells," Daniel thought. "After all, absorbing external energy isn't unfamiliar to me, considering the magic of Kamar-Taj is based on absorbing dimensional energy."
"Sasuke sure is taking his time." After spending three days in Ryuchi Cave and completing his Sage Chakra training, Daniel was ready to focus on becoming a Sage Body.
Ryuchi Cave wasn't exactly a fun place to hang around. If it weren't for waiting on Sasuke, Daniel would have left as soon as he'd learned the method for training Sage Chakra.
Sure, training in Ryuchi Cave offered twice the results in half the time due to the abundance of natural energy, but it also significantly increased the danger.
"White Snake Sage, is there any way to resolve someone's passive absorption of natural energy?" Daniel, noticing that Sasuke still hadn't returned, sought out the White Snake Sage to ask about Jugo's condition.
Jugo's natural ability made it impossible for him to approach the three great summoning lands. Outside, he might go berserk once every few months, but in one of the summoning lands, it would likely happen every few days.
"Someone like that exists?" The White Snake Sage was mildly surprised by Daniel's description.
"Yes. You never know what kind of abilities people will have, like the First Hokage's unique body."
"He could try training in Sage Techniques."
"That would be difficult for him." Having studied Jugo's condition, Daniel understood that Jugo was similar to Rock Lee—great at taijutsu but hopeless at using chakra, let alone natural energy.
"Then the only option is sealing."
"I've considered that, but it's not easy."
"That's not much of a problem." As a place with thousands of years of history, Ryuchi Cave possessed more than just Sage Techniques.
"Thank you."
"You're stealing a future apprentice's summoning beasts ahead of time, huh? That Sharingan is really something." After learning how to seal Jugo's body from the White Snake Sage, Sasuke finally returned. Although his clothes were tattered, his success was evident—he now had two summoning beasts, the green snake and the red snake, Aoda and Manda.
The Sharingan had played a significant role in Sasuke acquiring these two beasts.
"Rest for today. Tomorrow, we begin your Sage training." Now that they were in Ryuchi Cave, and Sage Techniques were so effective, there was no way they wouldn't train.
"Don't get distracted. Focus your mind." Daniel took it upon himself to personally teach Sasuke Sage Techniques, without relying on the three elders of Ryuchi Cave. Armed with the Green Bamboo Stick, Daniel struck Sasuke whenever he made a mistake—a perfect excuse to give Sasuke a hard time.
With Indra's chakra, Wood Release, and Sage Techniques, Sasuke could potentially unlock Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan. This would complete the prerequisites for awakening the Rinnegan, and not just one eye like in the original story, but both eyes—true dual Rinnegan.
The difference between one and two Sharingan was immense.
"Now we shouldn't see any more Uchiha body slams, right?"
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