Chapter 99: Sage Mode and the Eyes in the Shadows
Dana looked at the thumb-sized slug in his hand. It was quietly eating moss, looking rather cute.
If you ignored the fact that it had just split off from a mountain of flesh.
"Lady Katsuyu," he asked, "is this little guy's consciousness shared with yours?"
"It has an independent consciousness," she replied, "but I can receive its thoughts and vision at any time, and control it, even from a great distance."
"How long can it exist? Does it need to eat?"
"There is no time limit, but it needs food. It eats almost anything. If there is no food, a little chakra will do."
After learning a bit more about the little slug, Dana placed it in his collar. "I'll have to run some tests when I get back," he said.
"I look forward to it," she said, her giant antennae twitching.
With the matter of the prophecy settled, he moved on to another question.
"Lady Katsuyu," he asked, "can you teach me Sage Mode?"
She lowered her massive head. "You know of Sage Mode?" she said. "I can teach you, and provide some assistance, but I cannot guarantee you will learn it. I have not had many contractors, and of those, only a handful have learned Sage Mode. It is a very risky technique. You must be sure. I do not wish for the one in the prophecy to die so young."
He knew the risks. Those who failed would be consumed by natural energy, their bodies turning to stone, and they would develop animal-like features. But he had come all this way. He had to try.
Katsuyu began to explain what Sage Mode was.
"In the distant past," she said, "there was no chakra on this land. But any living creature had a chance, however small, to master natural energy. The chance was so small, it was less than one in a million. And only these very few lucky individuals could use this miraculous power and establish their own legacies or clans."
He thought of the Monkey King Enma's clan, the toads of Mount Myoboku, the island turtle. These creatures were completely different from the ordinary animals of the ninja world. Their existence could not be explained by evolution. It seemed that natural energy had played a part. In the distant past, it had been the dominant force on this land. But compared to chakra, it was much more difficult to master.
And ninja, or chakra, had only existed for about a thousand years.
"And then," she continued, "chakra appeared. This energy was much easier for living beings to master, and it gradually transformed this land. The number of creatures with special powers increased a hundredfold, a thousandfold. And some of them, the strongest among them, achieved a level of power that those who only used natural energy could not even imagine."
He guessed she was talking about the Sage of Six Paths and his contemporaries.
"Some of the old ones, who had lived for a long time, who had been here before the age of ninja, saw how powerful chakra was and wanted to combine it with natural energy to create something even more powerful. This is what you call Sage Mode. It did not have a name at first. It was given by the humans who learned it."
"The humans of today have been greatly changed by chakra. Their bodies are no longer sensitive to natural energy, but are very sensitive to chakra. So, I will have to cover you in a special acid. This acid will enhance your perception of natural energy."
"Acid?" he shivered.
"And you will need to mix your chakra and natural energy in a 2:1 ratio. That is, physical energy, spiritual energy, and natural energy in a 1:1:1 ratio. But it is dangerous. If the ratio is off, you will be consumed by the natural energy and turn to stone. The acid will sting your skin, a warning that you should stop. If you are lucky and do not die, you will gradually learn how to absorb natural energy and create sage chakra. Therefore, Sage Mode requires a very high level of chakra control."
Her explanation was clear and concise, without any of the usual cryptic nonsense. Combined with his memories from his previous life, he quickly understood how to learn Sage Mode in Shikkotsu Forest.
He thought for a moment, then asked one last question. "Lady Katsuyu, what do you think would happen if I used lightning-natured chakra instead of non-elemental chakra to learn Sage Mode?"
Konoha, Hokage Tower
It was already dark, but the Fourth Hokage, Sakumo Hatake, was still working.
As the ANBU commander, he had always found the daily paperwork to be a headache. Now, as Hokage, the workload had increased exponentially. He would rather be facing the Cloud's shields.
Especially since most of the work was so trivial.
The menu at the Ninja Academy, the repairs to the village gate, a squabble between a civilian and the Military Police Force—it was all giving him a headache. These were all part of a Hokage's duties, but when he was the ANBU commander, he had never seen the Third handle such trivial matters.
"Lord Hokage," one of his subordinates reported, "Elder Sarutobi requests your presence at the Senju compound."
"What is it about?" Sakumo asked, looking up.
"It seems it's about Lady Mito."
"The matter of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki," he realized.
But for such an important matter, he, the Hokage, was being summoned.
He gave a self-deprecating smile. Most of the power in Konoha was still in the hands of the council of elders, led by Hiruzen. But he had never been suited for the role of Hokage, and he had no desire to fight for power.
He stood up, put on his Hokage hat, and went to the old Senju compound.
When he arrived, the room was already filled with people. All four of Konoha's elders were there, along with the elite of the Sealing Corps.
Hiruzen nodded at him.
Mito Uzumaki was very old now, her frail body propped up against the headboard. She smiled at the people around her.
"Hiruzen," she said to him, "it's alright. I have a feeling that today is the best time. It's a shame little Tsunade isn't here."
When a Jinchuriki dies, the tailed beast also dies, its chakra dispersing, only to be reborn after a long time. So, to ensure a smooth transfer, the tailed beast had to be extracted while the Jinchuriki was still alive.
Mito Uzumaki was sacrificing the last of her life so that Konoha could create a new Jinchuriki.
A young, red-haired girl was brought in. The room was so full of people that she was very nervous.
Seeing the old Mito, she suddenly understood what was about to happen. Tears streamed down her face, and she threw herself on the bed.
"Grandma Mito!"
"Kushina-chan," Mito said with a smile, "you're a smart girl. You must have already understood. I'm sorry. This day had to come."
Kushina just shook her head.
"Kushina-chan," Mito said, "a Jinchuriki is a vessel for a tailed beast. But before that, you must find love to fill it. That way, even as the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, you can still find happiness."
That night, with the help of the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki, Konoha successfully sealed the Nine-Tails into Kushina Uzumaki, creating a new Jinchuriki.
And the eyes in the shadows were ready.
At the same time, Minato Namikaze was sitting on a rooftop, alone, gazing at the moon.
Kushina was taken away today, looking so sad, he thought. I hope she's alright.