"The Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave is quite different in nature from the other two Great Sage Regions."
"Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu leans toward force, Shikkotsu Forest's leans toward gentleness, while Ryūchi Cave combines both."
After beginning his training in Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu, Seiryū quickly reached this conclusion.
Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu emphasized force.
This was most obvious in its offensive capabilities and the significant increase it provided to the power of Ninjutsu.
Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu emphasized gentleness and leaned more toward support.
Although it could also increase the power of Ninjutsu, it was only highly compatible with certain techniques.
Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu combined both force and gentleness.
It possessed characteristics of the other two, and although it did not surpass either of them in their respective specialties, it was much more balanced overall.
"There is no strongest Senjutsu. There is only the Senjutsu most suitable for the user."
"The differences between the three can even be seen from what happens when someone fails their training."
Failure in Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu training caused the practitioner to turn to stone.
Failure in Shikkotsu Forest caused them to dissolve into slime.
Failure in Ryūchi Cave caused them to turn into mud.
"However, Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu has another unique characteristic. There doesn't seem to be such a thing as a completely perfect Sage Mode."
"As long as you enter Sage Mode, some degree of physical mutation will appear."
Seiryū pondered the matter carefully.
Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu was unusual, and naturally, its Sage Mode was as well.
Its physical changes were not limited to markings around the eyes.
Visible alterations could also appear across the body.
The last time Orochimaru used Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode, several changes had appeared on him.
His skin became even paler, and a single horn grew from his head.
It looked somewhat like the horn of a snake beginning to transform into a dragon.
"Still, I can't enter Sage Mode."
"The problem isn't the Senjutsu itself. It's my body."
With the Shadow Clone Jutsu and Seiryū already possessing experience with Senjutsu, he had mastered Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu in less than half a day.
However, just like with the Senjutsu of the other two Great Sage Regions, Seiryū still could not enter Sage Mode.
"Mount Myōboku represents force, Shikkotsu Forest represents gentleness, and Ryūchi Cave combines the two."
"I need to merge the characteristics of all three and treat them like three Chakra natures being combined into a Kekkei Tōta."
The characteristics of Senjutsu were somewhat similar to the nature transformations of Chakra.
Three different Chakra natures could be combined to create a Kekkei Tōta.
By the same logic, perhaps the distinct properties of the three forms of Senjutsu could also be fused to produce some kind of transformation.
As long as Seiryū could find the correct method.
There was only one major problem.
Whether Seiryū could actually maintain Sage Mode remained uncertain.
"You mastered Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu in less than half a day."
The White Snake Sage, currently transformed into an elderly woman, slowly approached.
"Even considering that you already learned the Senjutsu of the other two Great Sage Regions, your speed still surprises me."
"Your talent exceeds anything I have seen before."
Seiryū smiled.
"You flatter me. Without your guidance, White Snake Sage, it would probably have taken me longer."
"Even without my guidance, you would have mastered it within a day."
"Hmm. That's probably true."
"How is it? Can you enter Sage Mode?"
"It failed."
"That is indeed strange."
"White Snake Sage, you've lived for a very long time. See whether you can identify the problem."
Seiryū then demonstrated Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode in front of her.
However, the Senjutsu Chakra simply could not remain within his body.
It dispersed almost immediately.
The White Snake Sage carefully sensed the changes within Seiryū and frowned.
"You can use Senjutsu, yet you cannot retain Senjutsu Chakra inside your body."
"Logically, that should not happen."
She shook her head.
"I cannot determine the reason."
It was the first time she had encountered such a strange condition.
"Is that so?"
Seiryū was not disappointed.
The Great Toad Sage and Katsuyu had also failed to identify the problem.
Although the White Snake Sage had gone slightly further in Senjutsu than the other two, their overall understanding was still comparable.
The abnormality within Seiryū's body was related to the system.
It was not surprising that none of them could understand it.
The White Snake Sage asked, "Have you tried activating all three forms of Senjutsu at the same time?"
Seiryū shook his head.
"Not yet. I was about to try."
He genuinely had not had the opportunity.
The White Snake Sage had arrived immediately after he finished mastering Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu.
The White Snake Sage nodded slightly.
"May I observe?"
Seiryū smiled.
"I was about to call you over anyway. I won't go back on my promise."
"Then let me watch."
"I have travelled farther along the path of Senjutsu than the other two. Perhaps I can offer some useful advice."
"Sure."
Seiryū nodded and began his attempt.
He was already extremely skilled at dividing his attention, so performing three forms of Senjutsu simultaneously was not beyond him.
'Hum.'
A massive amount of natural energy from the surrounding area was drawn into Seiryū's body.
It flowed through his chakra pathways along three different routes.
Different circulation patterns of natural energy produced different forms of Senjutsu Chakra.
It was similar to Ninjutsu.
Even if the hand seals were correct, a deviation in how Chakra circulated through the body could cause a technique to fail.
Some new Ninjutsu had even been created by accident because Chakra had circulated incorrectly.
Of course, there were also risks.
Mistakes could damage the chakra pathways.
That was why Chakra control was one of the fundamental subjects taught at the Ninja Academy.
If the circulation pattern was severely disrupted, it could even become life-threatening.
Naturally, the circulation routes used by the Senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Regions were completely different.
Trying to use all three simultaneously caused severe conflicts.
Fortunately, Seiryū's chakra pathways were extremely resilient.
If anyone else attempted something this reckless, they might rupture their chakra pathways and suffer serious injuries.
Although Seiryū was unharmed, the Senjutsu Chakra condensed within his body dispersed almost immediately.
No matter how much Senjutsu Chakra he created, it vanished in the next moment and refused to remain inside him.
The White Snake Sage observed the entire process through her perception and looked increasingly puzzled.
"Your body is like a container with a hole in the bottom."
"You cannot retain Senjutsu Chakra, yet you can still perform Senjutsu."
"This truly is strange."
Seiryū sighed.
"This is exactly where I've been stuck."
If even this method failed, how was he supposed to complete the system mission?
This had already been the most promising approach Seiryū could think of.
"Because my body structure differs from that of the toads and slugs, I also cannot practice the Senjutsu of the other Great Sage Regions."
"You may be facing something similar."
"My body."
Seiryū paused.
"There is indeed something unusual about it."
"The three of us were once unable to absorb natural energy because of the structure of our bodies."
The White Snake Sage offered a suggestion.
"However, over time, prolonged exposure to natural energy gradually changed our bodies."
"Only after those changes occurred were we able to contain natural energy, eventually giving rise to the Three Great Sage Regions as they exist today."
"If you can alter the structure of your own body, perhaps you will also be able to retain Senjutsu Chakra."
"The reason I can assume a human form is because of experiments I conducted long ago."
"Alter my body structure?"
Seiryū froze for a moment before his eyes lit up.
"Transformation Jutsu?"
The White Snake Sage nodded.
"Transformation Jutsu can alter the structure of the body."
"If the reason you cannot retain Senjutsu Chakra lies in something unusual about your body, then this approach might work."
"That actually makes sense."
Seiryū's eyes brightened.
"How did I not think of that?"
Transformation Jutsu could turn someone into almost anything, even an inanimate object.
Changing the internal structure of the body should therefore be possible in principle.
Perhaps it really would work.
There was no harm in trying.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
Seiryū immediately formed the technique and transformed into Tsunade.
He then attempted to condense Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu Chakra.
It failed.
The White Snake Sage fell silent.
"Although the appearance is flawless, aside from the changes to your chest, the structure of your body is still fundamentally the same."
"You only changed your outward appearance."
"Uh."
Seiryū thought about it and realized she was right.
He was extremely familiar with Tsunade's appearance.
He knew her height, proportions, and measurements very well.
However, he did not know the exact structure of her internal organs or chakra pathways.
After all, who would normally have a reason to study that?
"In order to assume human form, I dissected many humans."
The White Snake Sage calmly shared her experience.
"Only after learning the structure of every organ, muscle, pathway, and bone was I able to develop a Senjutsu technique that allowed me to transform fully into a human."
"It was not something that could be accomplished quickly."
Seiryū fell silent.
As expected, her gentle appearance really was only superficial.
Ryūchi Cave was indeed much more brutal than the other two Great Sage Regions.
"Thank you for the guidance, White Snake Sage."
"You've given me an idea."
"I'd like to return and test it, so I'll take my leave for now."
After hearing the White Snake Sage's explanation, Seiryū could not wait to try the method.
This might truly be the breakthrough he needed.
The White Snake Sage gave him a gentle smile.
"If it works, and you successfully combine the Senjutsu of all three Great Sage Regions, would you allow me to observe when the time comes?"
"Of course."
Seiryū did not refuse.
Then he gave her a polite bow.
"I'll take my leave."
With a thought, Seiryū activated the Flying Raijin Jutsu and disappeared from Ryūchi Cave.
The White Snake Sage watched the spot where he had vanished and murmured quietly.
"If it truly works, perhaps I should put aside my pride and speak with the other two as well."
"Transforming into a dragon."
"That has been my lifelong dream."
With the Flying Raijin Jutsu, Seiryū returned directly to Konoha.
He immediately headed toward Tsunade's location in the Hokage Office.
The moment he saw her, Seiryū spoke.
"Troublesome woman, let me examine your body. I need to study it!"
"?"
Tsunade froze.
Then her expression darkened instantly.
"What kind of nonsense are you saying?"
"How old are you now, and you already want me to do something like that?"
"Have you even grown up yet?"
Had this brat lost his mind?
He actually dared to say something like that to her now?
Seiryū immediately realized how ambiguous his words had sounded and gave an awkward smile.
"Uh. That isn't what I meant."
Tsunade stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"Then what did you mean?"
"What? Has puberty finally arrived? Have you suddenly become interested in women's bodies?"
"And what exactly do you take me for?"
"Calm down. I spoke without thinking."
"I really didn't mean it that way."
Seiryū felt helpless.
He truly had not meant anything indecent.
He had simply been eager to test the White Snake Sage's idea.
And because he was already so familiar with Tsunade, he had spoken too casually.
He quickly explained the situation.
"That's basically what happened."
"Are you sure this will work?"
After hearing his explanation, Tsunade still looked suspicious.
Then she raised an eyebrow and stared directly at Seiryū.
"Or is this just some excuse you invented because you want to do something to me?"
"Don't tell me you expect me to stand naked in front of you and cooperate while you make me pose in all kinds of indecent ways."
Seiryū froze at her blunt words.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
"Do I really seem that sleazy to you?"
Tsunade snorted.
"Who knows?"
Seiryū fell silent.
Since this was a serious matter, Tsunade quickly returned to the subject.
"How do you plan to do it?"
"Appearance is easy enough, but internal organs and chakra pathways can't be seen with the naked eye unless you perform a dissection."
"Since you brought this up, I assume you already have a solution?"
"I have Vollständig: Heavenly Eye."
"It can produce an effect similar to the Byakugan's vision. Did you forget?"
Tsunade paused.
"I didn't think of that."
"You've developed so many techniques that I can't possibly remember all of them."
Seiryū sighed dramatically.
"You really don't care about me enough. I'm deeply disappointed in you, troublesome woman."
Tsunade glanced at him and could not be bothered arguing.
"I still have a lot of work to finish."
"Tell me what you need quickly."
"You keep working."
"I won't interfere."
"Vollständig: Heavenly Eye isn't some inconvenient technique. I don't need you to cooperate. I only need to study your internal structure."
"The way you phrase things really makes me want to hit you."
Tsunade's expression darkened again.
"And this vision from Vollständig: Heavenly Eye doesn't have any indecent effects, does it?"
"How could it?"
"I am a gentleman. Naturally, I would never develop such an evil technique."
"It's similar to the Byakugan. I can see Chakra flow, chakra pathways, and the approximate location of tenketsu."
"Heh. Then what about Kaidō?"
Seiryū fell silent.
"If we don't bring that up, we can still be friends."
"I didn't choose for Kaidō to work that way. What was I supposed to do?"
"Fine. Don't bother me while I work."
Tsunade only asked because the thought had crossed her mind.
If Vollständig: Heavenly Eye really possessed such a function, there was little point worrying about it now.
"Okay!"
Seiryū immediately activated Vollständig: Heavenly Eye.
Its special vision locked onto Tsunade and allowed him to examine her internal structure in detail.
"Huh. The distribution of your chakra pathways and tenketsu really is quite different from mine."
"Maybe the reason I can't retain Senjutsu Chakra truly lies in my body structure."
"Just look. Don't touch."
"I'm only squeezing your hand."
"That way I can compare the differences more directly."
After examining her carefully for more than ten minutes, Seiryū had completely memorized Tsunade's internal structure thanks to his perfect memory.
Then he formed a hand seal and activated the Transformation Jutsu.
'Poof!'
Another Tsunade appeared in the office.
She parted her lips and murmured, "Now let's see whether this works."
"Huh?"
"Why does my voice sound like this?"
Seiryū, currently transformed into Tsunade, froze.
Although it was unmistakably Tsunade's voice, it sounded different from her usual strong and confident tone.
Instead, it was softer and more mature.
And surprisingly pleasant.
Seiryū looked at Tsunade in shock while still speaking in that mature feminine voice.
"Hey, troublesome woman. Is this actually your natural voice?"
"Do you normally force your voice lower when you talk?"
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)