Deep within the Land of Snow, a training ground lay quietly amidst the thick white snow.
The cold wind, carrying ice crystals, whistled past but was blocked by towering rock barriers and reinforced barriers; instead, the interior of the grounds was filled with an atmosphere of focused tranquility.
The figures of Takuno, Jugo, and the quietly observing youth Haku were currently located within the barrier.
Since the various matters in Konoha had settled, Takuno's original body had quietly returned to the Land of Snow.
To him, the follow-up affairs in Konoha would be handled by a Wood Clone acting on his behalf; following the plan was sufficient.
His true focus was now entirely devoted to this: mastering Sage Mode.
This was a vital link in Takuno's plan; unless a major upheaval occurred in Konoha that required his personal presence to resolve, he would remain in seclusion here until he thoroughly understood the secrets of Senjutsu.
This power held extraordinary significance for him—it was far more than just a finishing touch.
It symbolized the final puzzle piece for Takuno to set foot in that "Super-Kage" realm; it was a comprehensive leap in ability that was truly without weaknesses.
Admittedly, with his current strength, he could already erupt with combat power at the Super-Kage level; however, in certain subtle areas, there were still slight flaws and deficiencies.
Once Sage Mode was perfected, these minor deficiencies would be completely bridged, and his power level would not stop at merely glimpsing the threshold of Super-Kage, nor would he merely be a so-called "Super-Kage Gatekeeper."
At the same time, he had already dispatched all his forces to find the solitary training grounds of the Four-Tails, Son Goku, as well as the wandering traces of the Six-Tails, Utakata, after he left Kirigakure.
Once his Sage Mode training was complete, if there was definite news, he would directly move to obtain those remaining portions of Tailed Beast chakra.
"My Lord, I am ready."
Jugo's voice broke the silence in the field. He looked at Takuno with burning eyes, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible solemnity and anticipation.
Three years of accumulation and polishing were all for this moment.
Takuno nodded slightly, a flicker of focus flashing in his deep eyes.
"Good." The moment the word fell, his hands had already finished the seals.
"Spirit Transformation Technique!"
Invisible spiritual waves rippled outward.
Takuno's body slowly reclined against a comfortable vine chair sprouted by Wood Style chakra, as if falling into a deep slumber.
Meanwhile, his vast and condensed spiritual will quietly left his physical shell, steadily connecting to and entering Jugo's body.
In the past, when performing the Spirit Transformation Technique, Takuno would usually take direct control of the other party's body.
But this time was completely different; the initiative was handed entirely to Jugo himself. He would use his own will to circulate chakra and guide the entire process of training in Sage Mode.
Takuno's spirit acted like the most focused observer and learner, closely linked to Jugo's five senses, deeply perceiving every wisp of chakra and natural energy attracting and merging with one another, as well as that delicate conversion process refined to the extreme.
Jugo took a deep breath, the biting air filling his lungs and dispelling the last trace of distracting thoughts, leaving only rock-like determination in his eyes.
Three years had passed in a flash, and he had finally turned this unstable talent into a controllable power.
As early as over a year ago, he was already able to draw natural energy into Sage Mode; however, the state at that time was too crude for him and for Lord Takuno.
Even if Lord Takuno had never stated it explicitly, Jugo himself could clearly perceive the hidden defects and hazards within that state.
He was unwilling to offer up this power—which carried his gratitude and conviction—in the form of a half-finished product.
To reach perfection and completely tame that violence, he had devoted all his efforts in the subsequent years to carving and perfecting it.
By today, he no longer even needed to rely on that special barrier to isolate the surging natural energy.
Even if that natural energy still flowed into his body uncontrollably, Jugo could calmly guide and harmonize it, condensing it into truly perfect Senjutsu chakra.
This degree of control was the most precious fruit of his three years of training.
However, the barrier isolating natural energy was still deployed today. It wasn't that Jugo was unwilling to teach the deeper levels of Sage Mode to Takuno, but rather that as a beginner, it was better for Takuno to first come into contact with and learn the simplest version.
Jugo's thoughts became even clearer the moment he perceived the arrival of Lord Takuno's spirit.
He understood that this was not just a display of power, but the passing of trust and responsibility.
He slowly mobilized that familiar power within his body originating from his special constitution, deliberately slowing down the speed to clearly "present" every subtle step to that invisible eye of observation within him.
He could feel Lord Takuno's spirit like the most precise probe, capturing every rhythm of his chakra, every fluctuation of natural energy, and the entire process generated when the two collided and merged.
Even though Jugo deliberately slowed down so Takuno could feel the process more clearly, the process did not last very long.
Black markings appeared on Jugo's face; at this moment, he formally entered Sage Mode!
This was the most unique aspect of the Sage Body. Although the original Naruto learned very quickly, every time he used it, he had to sense the natural energy himself, then absorb it, and then perform the allocation of Senjutsu chakra.
The entire process was indispensable, and the first two steps were where the real time was spent to activate Sage Mode.
As for the subsequent allocation of Senjutsu chakra, once the correct proportions were mastered, it spent the least amount of time.
"My Lord." As the pure Senjutsu chakra within his body formed perfectly, Jugo called out respectfully in his mind, signaling the completion of the demonstration.
Takuno's spiritual will sent back a positive response.
Immediately afterward, an indescribable and profound transition occurred as he smoothly took over control of Jugo's body.
Without any lag, Takuno immediately mobilized the chakra within Jugo's body and began to replicate that exquisite mixing process according to every detail deeply imprinted just now through Jugo's five senses.
Although Jugo's spirit retreated to a secondary position, he "watched" all of this with extreme clarity from a bystander's perspective.
The surprise in his heart was like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up layers of ripples.
The precision of the Lord's operation, the depth of his understanding of energy characteristics, and his grasp of the mixing timing were almost identical to the "perfect version" that he himself had spent three years polishing!
The fusion of chakra and natural energy was proceeding under the drive of the Lord's will.
Though this process was relatively slow, its strength lay in not having a single mistake!
He believed that as long as it was experienced a few more times, the speed of merging chakra and natural energy would naturally increase.
In Jugo's heart, there was only shock and admiration: "As expected of the Lord! To be able to master it to such a degree after only a single observation..."
He had originally wanted to observe Takuno's mistakes and remind him afterward, but now it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.
Takuno's mind was completely immersed in that marvelous rhythm of energy merging.
He clearly perceived the vast sense of power and harmony brought about by the birth and circulation of Senjutsu chakra within Jugo's body.
Takuno focused his senses on the surging new energy within Jugo, a trace of wonder flashing in his eyes: "Is this the power of Senjutsu chakra?"
He clearly experienced the comprehensive improvement Senjutsu chakra brought to Jugo, whether it was basic physical qualities like explosive muscle power and reaction speed, or the total amount of chakra in the body—all had obtained significant increases.
This was the essence of Sage Mode: perfectly merging ordinary chakra with the omnipresent natural energy to form a higher-tier Senjutsu chakra. The massive energy increment it contained largely originated from the powerful injection of natural energy.
"My Lord, shall we continue the attempt?" Jugo inquired.
"Continue," Takuno answered decisively, while taking a specially made "Military Rations Pill" from his robes and swallowing it without hesitation.
This was not an ordinary supply used by common ninjas, but a secret medicine meticulously developed by the genius Kabuto, incorporating the essence of the rare treasure "Hero's Water."
Its effect far surpassed regular Military Rations Pills; even for a ninja like Takuno who possessed a massive amount of chakra, it could restore a considerable amount of chakra in an instant.
More importantly, this improved version of the pill perfectly avoided the terrifying side effect of Hero's Water that made people pale at the mention of it: the violent overdrawing of vitality.
The birth of this miraculous medicine originated from the mission Takuno initially gave to Kabuto: using Hero's Water to develop a potion that could permanently increase total chakra levels.
Unfortunately, the goal of a permanent boost was not achieved, but this super Military Rations Pill with excellent and safe effects was an unexpected harvest.
Cracking the side effects of Hero's Water had once left Kabuto at a loss; the turning point appeared after Takuno handed over the "Stone of Gelel," which contained vast life energy, for him to study.
Using the vitality characteristics of the Stone of Gelel, he successfully neutralized the fatal flaw of Hero's Water consuming life force.
However, this was by no means achieved through simple physical mixing; Kabuto underwent countless rigorous and arduous experiments before finally overcoming the technical difficulties to successfully develop the finished product.
At the same time, this pill also overcame the side effects of ordinary Military Rations Pills. Its principle was no longer like ordinary pills that first supplement physical energy and then extract chakra, which could cause premature aging of the body if used long-term.
The source of this pill was different; it extracted the vitality of the Stone of Gelel and then used the characteristics of Hero's Water to create chakra. It had nothing to do with the user's own body, so naturally, there were no such aftereffects.
Although Takuno felt slightly regretful that he couldn't use Hero's Water to achieve a permanent leap in chakra volume, obtaining such a high-efficiency top-tier supplement without side effects was undoubtedly an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Even though his chakra volume was already very large and he wouldn't lack chakra for normal training and research, this pill was still useful.
Because the Strength of a Hundred Seal was finally useful; he could use the seal to collect the chakra created by this pill and release it when it was needed later.
The amount of chakra he sealed was not something that could be compared to the amount Tsunade created by eating ordinary meals; it could be considered a trump card that could be used.
At this moment, the pill quickly dissolved in his body, and a surging torrent of chakra instantly filled his limbs and bones.
Feeling this powerful energy support, Takuno's spirits rose, and he concentrated his will again, throwing himself into the fine-tuning practice of Senjutsu chakra.
He knew well that the first success in the Sage transformation state assisted by Jugo was merely the starting point.
What he currently mastered was only the process of allocating Senjutsu chakra with a fixed amount of natural energy.
The mark he had researched using Orochimaru's Cursed Seal could continuously absorb natural energy from the outside; its effect was much worse than Jugo's Sage Body, but it should be sufficient.
Therefore, after this, he still needed to undo the barrier isolating natural energy and begin the next phase.
He had to repeatedly temper this process until his "proficiency" in the allocation of Senjutsu chakra reached a level of perfection; only then would he feel safe using his own body as a vessel to officially begin the challenge of independent Sage Mode.
Night fell.
He knew that today's training had reached its limit.
Although Jugo didn't mind him continuing to use his body as a medium for research, Takuno had decided to take a break.
Eagerness for quick success was never the right path; this kind of subtle control required a long time to settle and become familiar.
"Let's go," Takuno's voice broke the silence of the night.
Jugo and Haku nodded silently, and the three figures merged into the night, returning together to the familiar orphanage.
Warm light shone through the windows, dispelling the chill of the night.
Just as they stepped into the open space in front of the house, Nonō's gentle voice drifted out: "You're back?"
She stood under the porch, a smile from the heart on her face.
Having gone through initial vigilance and worry, her perception of Takuno had long since changed; she had even grown accustomed to this life far from the Land of Fire.
Though longing for her homeland Konoha occasionally lingered in her heart—especially her concern for the children who once relied on her at the orphanage—she had also learned about Konoha's current state through various channels.
She knew that the Fourth Hokage Minato was diligent and wise, and even more, she knew that as long as she behaved herself, those children would certainly be able to live a peaceful life in Konoha, grow up safely, until they started their own families...
This certainty allowed her to stay here with peace of mind.
"We're back!" Haku and Jugo responded in unison, their tones reflecting their familiarity and closeness with Nonō.
"The meal is already prepared. Shall we eat now?" Nonō's gaze fell on Takuno for consultation; she always kept details in perfect order.
"Mhm," Takuno agreed briefly.
A day of training had exhausted his stamina, and the feeling of an empty stomach was indeed urgent.
Seeing him nod, the smile on Nonō's face deepened a bit more.
With the assistance of Jugo and Haku, soon, a small square table was laid out fully.
Just as everyone was about to take their seats, the door was pushed open, and Kabuto's figure appeared at the doorway.
Having just left the laboratory to return here, he saw Takuno at a glance and was clearly startled, immediately bowing respectfully: "My Lord, you are here as well."
"Kabuto, you've returned just in time," Nonō's eyes lit up even more upon seeing him. "Quick, wash your hands and let's eat together."
"Alright, Sister," Kabuto complied obediently, quickly handling his personal hygiene.
A moment later, the five of them sat around the table.
The small space felt exceptionally warm and harmonious due to the gathering.
Haku and Jugo shared trivial matters from the training ground, Nonō inquired about Kabuto's recent situation, and Takuno ate quietly.
The light fell on everyone, flowing with a kind of tranquility akin to a home.
If one ignored the cold mask covering half of Takuno's face, this scene strangely outlined a warm silhouette resembling a family of five.
After dinner, the children consciously began to clear the dishes and wipe the table.
Takuno did not choose to leave; instead, he went to Nonō's room to rest.
As the night grew deeper, an air of spring filled the room.