Tsunade fell silent.
She could actually make a voice that gave people goosebumps?
"If you dare speak in that voice again, I'll beat you to death!"
"This is your most natural vocal range. I replicated the structure of your throat perfectly, so there's absolutely no deviation. You normally force your voice lower, don't you?"
"Shut up and hurry up with your experiment!"
"This voice sounds nice. I like it. You should use it from now on!"
Tsunade fell silent again.
After bantering with her for a while, Seiryū began his experiment.
He condensed Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu Chakra and attempted to store it within his body.
Perhaps the problem truly had been his physical structure.
Using Tsunade's body as a template, Seiryū successfully retained the Senjutsu Chakra and entered Sage Mode!
"It actually worked?"
Feeling the changes throughout his body, Seiryū clenched his fist in surprise.
To be honest, this had only been an experiment.
He had not expected much from it.
Yet it had actually succeeded.
Hearing her own softer, more mature voice coming from Seiryū, Tsunade's mouth twitched.
She still was not used to it, but she was far more concerned about the fact that his experiment had succeeded.
"Are you sure it worked? Where are the Sage Mode markings around your eyes?"
Seiryū thought for a moment.
"The most perfect Sage Mode probably shouldn't have any facial markings at all. That would represent complete control over Senjutsu Chakra."
"So our Sage Modes aren't perfect?"
"It should be similar to using Tailed Beast Chakra. When compatibility and control reach a high enough level, the resulting transformation changes."
"Sage Mode should work the same way."
"Aren't you copying my body perfectly? If you can do it with my body, shouldn't I be able to do it too? I still get facial markings when I enter Sage Mode."
"Even with identical bodies, there's still a difference in talent."
Seiryū looked at her.
"You don't actually think your talent is better than mine, do you? There are many factors involved. If even one is missing, you can't achieve the same result."
"I know you're talented, okay?"
"Don't interrupt me. Let me see whether your body can also handle the Sage Modes of the other two Great Sage Regions."
Seiryū dispersed Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode and began testing the other two.
Mount Myōboku Sage Mode also worked.
No markings appeared around his eyes.
Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode succeeded as well, but physical mutations appeared across his body.
Seiryū began to speculate.
The more obvious mutations produced by Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode were probably connected to the White Snake Sage's past attempts to transform from a snake into a dragon.
Ryūchi Cave and the White Snake Sage were deeply connected.
As a result, Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu seemed to carry more of the White Snake Sage's influence.
That was why physical mutations occurred.
Fundamentally, however, none of the Senjutsu systems of the Three Great Sage Regions was inherently stronger than another.
Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu simply required an additional physical adaptation.
Looking at Seiryū, whose skin had turned pale and who now had a single horn growing from his head, Tsunade stroked her chin.
"This does resemble your Hollowification somewhat."
"Could Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu be closer to Tailed Beast Transformation?"
"Because Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu is more deeply connected to the White Snake Sage, entering its Sage Mode causes the user's body to develop snake-like traits."
Seiryū explained, "You could say that the user temporarily carries part of the White Snake Sage's influence."
"So comparing it to Tailed Beast Transformation isn't completely wrong."
"But describing it as a special type of Kekkei Genkai would probably be more accurate."
"Only a body that has undergone the necessary changes can properly use Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu."
The phenomenon was indeed similar to Tailed Beast Transformation.
However, the underlying principle was still different.
A special Kekkei Genkai was a more accurate comparison.
Tsunade raised another question.
"If you can use the Sage Modes of the other Great Sage Regions while using my body as a template, doesn't that mean I could also learn their Senjutsu?"
"In theory, yes."
Seiryū nodded.
"But there wouldn't be much point for you. Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu is already the most compatible with you."
"Unless you also want to combine the Senjutsu of all three Great Sage Regions like I do."
"Oh? And you're confident you can actually do that?"
"I have an idea."
A thought suddenly occurred to Seiryū.
"Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode causes physical changes."
"So what if those changes can be controlled?"
"Could I deliberately adjust the body until it becomes compatible with all three Sage Modes?"
The physical transformation caused by Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu was a necessary condition for using it.
Without those changes, Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu could not function properly.
Then could those changes be artificially directed?
Seiryū's goal was to combine the Senjutsu of all three Great Sage Regions and use them to nurture a Sage Body possessing Yang Power.
He had not yet tried activating all three Sage Modes simultaneously, but he already suspected that even Tsunade's body would fail.
The three Sage Modes conflicted with one another.
That was the conclusion he had reached after testing them individually.
It was far more complicated than he had originally imagined.
The conflict was even more severe than combining multiple Chakra natures into a Kekkei Genkai or Kekkei Tōta.
Combining Chakra natures was merely an application of Chakra.
It was difficult, but not necessarily fatal.
Combining Sage Modes meant altering what happened inside the body itself.
One mistake could rupture chakra pathways and kill the user.
The reason was physical.
Sage Mode was closely connected to Yang Release, and Yang Release was directly related to the body.
Even a perfect Sage Mode caused subtle physical changes.
Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest simply produced far less dramatic changes than Ryūchi Cave.
If the mutations caused by Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu could be deliberately adjusted, perhaps Seiryū could reshape his body in a direction compatible with all three Sage Modes.
Then he might be able to use all three forms of Senjutsu simultaneously and realize his original idea.
This was different from simply using the Transformation Jutsu.
He wanted his actual body to adapt to all three Sage Modes.
In simple terms, he wanted to imitate what had happened to the original inhabitants of the Three Great Sage Regions.
After prolonged exposure to natural energy, their bodies had gradually changed until they could contain it.
Only afterward had they developed Senjutsu.
Seiryū wanted his body to undergo a similar adaptation, except he wanted it to become compatible with all three forms of Senjutsu and all three Sage Modes at once.
This theory had only occurred to him after speaking with the White Snake Sage.
Tsunade rubbed her brow.
"Why does that sound even more questionable than simply modifying your body?"
"Are you really planning to stop being human?"
"What are you talking about? I call this evolution."
Seiryū raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just artificially controlling the speed and direction of it!"
"Becoming a Sage is already a transformation in the level of life itself. Strength, lifespan, and even the nature of the body become different from those of ordinary people."
"Then would there be reproductive incompatibility?"
Tsunade asked.
"If your life form becomes fundamentally different from an ordinary human, wouldn't you technically become a different species?"
"Oh my, you're already thinking that far ahead?"
Seiryū looked amused.
"You haven't even started thinking of names for our children, have you? Aren't you getting a little impatient?"
Tsunade fell silent.
"But don't worry. Even that old man, the Sage of Six Paths, had sons. There's no reason to worry about that!"
Seiryū patted his chest and felt something soft beneath his hand.
Then he froze.
He had forgotten he was still transformed into Tsunade.
Seiryū looked down.
He could not see his feet.
Only two prominent curves blocked his view.
He gave an awkward smile.
"Uh. I didn't mean to do that."
Tsunade's expression darkened.
"Remember this. Don't use my body to do anything strange."
"You know exactly what I mean!"
"I'm not a pervert."
Seiryū curled his lips and moved his shoulders experimentally.
"But to be fair, carrying this much weight around all day must get tiring."
"You really work hard."
Tsunade fell silent.
"Forget it. I'm not discussing this with you anymore."
Seiryū returned his attention to the experiment.
"I'll use your body as a reference first and see whether the idea works."
He had to test it.
There was no other way to confirm the theory.
Although conflicting Senjutsu could severely damage the body and rupture the chakra pathways, that danger mainly applied to ordinary people.
For Seiryū, it was far less serious.
As long as he proceeded carefully and used Medical Ninjutsu beforehand, he should survive.
The most dangerous possibility was suffering enough damage to his chakra pathways that he could no longer circulate Chakra and activate Medical Ninjutsu.
That would be troublesome.
'Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.'
After returning to his normal appearance, Seiryū activated Senjutsu again.
He split his focus into three and simultaneously attempted to use the Sage Modes of all Three Great Sage Regions.
Just as expected, the Chakra immediately went out of control.
First, his chakra pathways began tearing.
Then his internal organs were damaged.
Finally, his muscles ruptured.
Blood poured from the wounds like fountains.
In the blink of an eye, Seiryū was covered in blood.
"Worse than I expected."
His injuries were already healing at a visible rate, but Seiryū frowned.
"The Senjutsu Chakra lost control immediately. There was no way to maintain it."
"If I hadn't prepared Medical Ninjutsu beforehand, I'd probably have been bedridden for half a year."
Absorbing three different forms of natural energy created conflict, but Seiryū's chakra pathways were tough enough to withstand it.
The true problem was the rampaging Senjutsu Chakra.
That was far more dangerous.
In fact, the intensity was even greater than when Dragon Vein Chakra had once gone out of control.
It almost approached the destructive force generated by opening the Eight Inner Gates Formation.
The Eight Inner Gates Formation could at least be controlled to some degree.
Its greatest problem was that Seiryū could not properly deactivate it.
The three conflicting forms of Senjutsu Chakra were different.
Once they lost balance, they erupted without reason, like a lit explosive tag.
The only reason Seiryū's body had not been torn apart was because it was strong enough to endure the damage.
He had also opened his tenketsu and released most of the rampaging Senjutsu Chakra before it could accumulate further.
Tsunade looked at Seiryū's blood-covered body and sighed helplessly.
"It's a good thing I'm no longer afraid of blood."
"Otherwise, seeing you like this would probably make my knees go weak."
"Especially after watching you use my appearance earlier. Seeing a version of myself reduced to that state is unsettling."
"I already activated Medical Ninjutsu beforehand."
Seiryū waved dismissively.
"It looks serious, but the injuries are almost completely healed."
"This experiment is extremely dangerous."
"I never expected it to be easy."
Seiryū nodded.
"I still need to study the problem and find a breakthrough."
"Just be careful."
Tsunade warned him.
"If you seriously injure yourself now, we'll have trouble. Urashiki or Madara could appear again at any moment."
"I know, I know. I'll be careful."
Seiryū looked at her.
"For now, let me keep borrowing your body as a reference."
"Stop phrasing it like that!"
"And stop using that ridiculous voice. Hearing my own voice sound like that is uncomfortable!"
"It sounds good, though."
Seiryū muttered quietly.
However, his thoughts had already moved elsewhere.
The system's standards for determining mission completion were not particularly strict.
If this mission truly involved Senjutsu, then perhaps he did not need to permanently master all three Sage Modes.
Maybe maintaining them simultaneously for even a brief moment would be enough for the system to recognize success.
It would essentially be exploiting a loophole.
Once the mission was completed and Seiryū obtained the reward, Quincy Vollständig, his strength should increase again.
In Bleach, Vollständig represented the completed form of Quincy power.
It allowed a Quincy to forcibly absorb Reishi from the surrounding environment, convert it into their own power, and concentrate it within themselves.
How similar was that to Sage Mode absorbing natural energy and converting it into Senjutsu Chakra?
From Seiryū's perspective, obtaining Quincy Vollständig should make it much easier to combine the Senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Regions.
Did that sound backwards?
Was the order wrong?
Perhaps.
But if the system could be exploited, why not exploit it?
Its standards were already extremely flexible.
It treated Tailed Beast Transformation as Hollowification.
Kekkei Genkai as Fullbring.
Ninjutsu as Hadō.
Sealing Jutsu as Bakudō.
Medical Ninjutsu as Kaidō.
And Senjutsu as Quincy power.
Since Senjutsu already shared similarities with Quincy power, obtaining Vollständig might allow Seiryū to fully master it through the system's interpretation.
After all, every ability rewarded by the system manifested itself in this world through some seemingly reasonable explanation.
Vollständig should be no different.
Instead of struggling to solve everything himself, it was better to exploit the system and obtain a shortcut.
That might allow him to develop Yang Power and a Sage Body far sooner.
Over the next several days, Seiryū continuously attempted to maintain multiple Sage Modes simultaneously.
Because he already had a clear theory and deliberately guided the direction of his body's adaptation, he made genuine progress.
At the very least, he could now maintain two Sage Modes at the same time for a short period.
Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest.
Or Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku.
Because Ryūchi Cave combined both force and gentleness, its Senjutsu could temporarily accommodate one of the other two.
However, it could not be maintained for long.
Eventually, the Senjutsu Chakra would lose its balance and begin running out of control.
Fortunately, as long as Seiryū stopped within a controllable period, it would not injure him.
Balance and stability remained the key.
The essence of Sage Mode was maintaining a balance between spiritual energy, physical energy, and natural energy.
Using three Sage Modes simultaneously followed the same principle.
It was simply far more difficult because many more variables were involved.
Whenever Seiryū attempted to activate all three Sage Modes at once, the resulting instability became far more severe.
Losing control caused tremendous damage to his body.
Seiryū could prevent natural energy from transforming him uncontrollably, but he could not completely avoid injury.
This was where his powerful Medical Ninjutsu became invaluable.
Seiryū was practically impossible to kill.
And because of that repeated damage and recovery, his body gradually began adapting to the three different Sage Modes.
Subtle changes had already started appearing within it.
That was progress.
At that moment, inside the Forest of Death, Seiryū took a deep breath.
"I should be able to do it today."
"As long as I can maintain all three for a short period and produce even a trace of Yang Power, that should count as success."
"System, don't disappoint me."
He once again used the Transformation Jutsu to replicate Tsunade's internal structure.
Then he activated Medical Ninjutsu in advance as a precaution.
Afterward, Seiryū formed a one-handed seal.
"Sage Mode, activate!"
'Hum.'
Natural energy from the surrounding area surged violently toward Seiryū.
It entered his body along three different circulation paths, producing three distinct forms of Senjutsu Chakra.
All three gathered near his abdomen.
Then the balance collapsed.
The Senjutsu Chakra immediately ran wild and began damaging his body.
Within moments, Seiryū was once again covered in blood.
However, this time, he did not stop.
He endured the pain and forcibly maintained all three forms of rampaging Senjutsu Chakra.
"Dragon Vein!"
Seiryū called softly while simultaneously releasing the Yin Seal.
"Mrrr~"
The self-aware Dragon Vein immediately responded.
It controlled its Chakra and sent it rushing through Seiryū's body.
Then the Dragon Vein Chakra surged toward the three unstable forms of Senjutsu Chakra and forcibly suppressed them.
Sealing Jutsu locked all three in place, preventing them from immediately dispersing or running completely out of control.
Seiryū was using brute force.
He did not need to maintain the three Sage Modes for long.
He only needed them to coexist briefly.
That momentary success would give him a chance to complete the mission.
As long as the mission was completed, everything afterward would become much easier.
Of course, without the preparation of the previous several days, Seiryū would never have dared attempt such a reckless method.
Now, however, he had enough confidence to try.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Time passed slowly.
The three sealed forms of Senjutsu Chakra began reacting with Seiryū's body, which had already undergone partial adaptation.
Then something changed.
A new power was born.
It was still extremely faint, but Seiryū could clearly sense it.
This was Yang Power!
And the instant that Yang Power appeared and began affecting his body, a mechanical notification sounded inside Seiryū's mind.
[Ding! Mission completed. Reward is being distributed.]
(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.)