CHAPTER 208: THE SLUG'S WISDOM
Land of Rain. Konoha temporary camp.
Ragnar's eyes fluttered open.
He lay in a strange tent—definitely not his usual quarters. The canvas above was unfamiliar, the cot beneath him unknown. Every attempt to move sent waves of soreness through his body. His limbs felt weak, drained, as if his very vitality had been severely wounded.
He had never felt like this before. It was as if something had hollowed him out from the inside, leaving only an empty shell behind.
What's wrong with me? He frowned internally. How did my condition become so bad?
At least he was alive. That counted for something.
Something soft stirred against his chest. The movement tickled.
The little slug emerged from his clothing, poking its head out. Around its tiny eyes, dark circles were visible—impressive on a creature with no visible face.
"What happened to you?" Ragnar asked.
The slug before him seemed as weak as he felt. Its formerly plump body had visibly shrunk. He remembered how, when absorbing his natural energy before, this little creature had puffed up into a fat, tight ball in a single breath.
Now it looked... depleted.
"Lord Ragnar..." The little slug's voice was feeble. Its head drooped limply, as if even holding it up required too much energy. "To treat you, I expended more energy than a slug should. Afterwards... you must make it up to me... somehow..."
"Treat me?" Ragnar was puzzled.
He hadn't been seriously injured—just collapsed from exhaustion. Why would that require such extreme measures?
Seeing his confusion, the little slug gathered itself to explain:
"Lord Ragnar, although I don't understand your abilities fully, slugs are leaders in the realm of life energy. You forcibly used your powers multiple times, consuming vast amounts of life source. There are limits to a person's physical capabilities. You are still young—your body is still developing! Such abuse of power places tremendous burden on your system. In the worst-case scenario... your body could collapse. All major systems paralyzed. Don't you understand?"
"Yeah." Ragnar's response was utterly unconcerned.
The little slug felt actual anger at his casual attitude. Didn't he care about his own body at all?!
"But fortunately," it added, "your body seems to possess self-healing abilities. Your life potential is far greater than ordinary humans. Among all the humans I've encountered, your physique ranks in the top three."
That caught Ragnar's attention. "Who are first and second?"
The little slug tilted its head, thinking carefully.
"The first... lived a very long time ago. You ninja call him the ancestor of the ninja world. Otsutsuki... the Sage. I can't quite remember the name—my memory isn't clear on that. As for second place... that would be your Hokage. Hashirama of Konoha."
Ragnar's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You know the First Hokage, little one? I heard Tsunade say you slugs are all clones of the legendary Slug Sage."
"Yes. The ability to divide is an extension of the slug's power. Division is also a measure of life energy strength—the length of life is related to the number of cell divisions possible."
The little slug's voice grew slightly stronger as it discussed its nature.
"The Slug Sage is one of the longest-living beings in this world. We are all clones of the Slug Sage—but we are also individuals with independent consciousness. We share the knowledge of the Slug Sage. Among slugs, all knowledge and information is shared."
It paused.
"The First Hokage once entered our sacred land—the Shikkotsu Forest. So I possess those memories as well."
Ragnar's mind raced.
The First Hokage entered Shikkotsu Forest? Could he have sought to learn Sage Mode? But no—Hashirama's Sage Mode didn't come from there...
Sage Mode was undoubtedly a massive evolution in human life energy. By utilizing nature's power, ninja could achieve strength comparable to the sages themselves.
The three great summoning holy lands—Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—each possessed Sage Mode inheritance. But practitioners from each place developed distinct characteristics.
Mount Myoboku's toad sage technique transformed users partially into toads. Jiraiya's imperfect Sage Mode had turned large portions of his body toad-like. Even Naruto—considered Mount Myoboku's most perfect practitioner—still displayed frog-like eyes.
Ryuchi Cave's snake sage technique transformed users similarly. Sage Kabuto had achieved what some called the most perfect Sage Mode, evolving from snake to dragon form—but still retaining serpentine characteristics.
By that logic, anyone practicing Shikkotsu Forest's sage mode would develop slug-like traits.
Hashirama had none.
And the abilities displayed by Sage Mode practitioners almost always related to their specific inheritance. Hashirama's Sage Mode still produced Wood Release—enhanced Wood Release, yes, but still Wood Release.
Perhaps Hashirama's Sage Mode came from his reincarnation as Asura? From his own chakra?
Ragnar recalled internet speculation from his previous life—theories about a fourth sacred land. Senluo Cave, some called it. Rumored to possess energy that even the White Snake Sage coveted. When she couldn't obtain it, the theory went, she destroyed Senluo Cave entirely—cutting off Hashirama's inheritance.
Ragnar had always dismissed such theories. If Senluo Cave truly existed and contained power rivaling the White Snake Sage, how could it be easily destroyed?
But the question remained: Did Shikkotsu Forest possess Sage Mode? Had it ever appeared?
In Ragnar's opinion—yes. It existed. It had appeared.
The Slug Sage, the White Snake Sage, and the Toad Sage stood as the three giants of the summoning world. The Slug Sage had lived longer than the other two combined, if legends held truth. All three were giants. If Shikkotsu Forest lacked Sage Mode, wouldn't that be... embarrassing?
In the original timeline, both Jiraiya and Orochimaru had known of Sage Mode's existence. Jiraiya had begun training early—but lacked the talent, producing only a half-finished version.
Orochimaru, upon discovering the White Snake Sage in Ryuchi Cave through Jugo, had prepared to accept sage power. Unfortunately, by then, the Third Hokage's Reaper Death Seal had already sealed his arms. His body couldn't bear the strain. He was forced to abandon senjutsu and focus on curse mark development instead.
And Tsunade? As one of the legendary Three Ninja, how could she not know of Sage Mode's existence?
From Ragnar's perspective, Tsunade's Byakugō technique—her Strength of a Hundred Seal—was actually a modified, limited version of Sage Mode.
The proof? The markings that spread across her body when she released it. Those patterns were unmistakably similar to sage transformations.
Tsunade herself simply didn't realize it.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Where you can read Extra Advance Chaters
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕