Early the next morning, the laboratory was shrouded in a chilly silence.
Takuno entered alone; this time, he did not bring Jugo. Having reached this stage, the remaining exploration could only be completed by him alone.
His goal was very clear: to tame that violent power, Senjutsu chakra, in the absence of a talent like a Sage Body.
He was in no hurry to carve the pre-researched Cursed Seal for absorbing natural energy; instead, he sat cross-legged on the cold floor and took a deep breath.
With his eyelids slightly closed, his mind sank like a stone into the bottom of a quiet lake, discarding all distracting thoughts.
He attempted to "listen" to that formless, substanceless, yet omnipresent rhythm of life permeating the space: natural energy.
For months, as the primary participant residing within Jugo's body to coordinate Senjutsu chakra, his spirit had already, through imperceptible influence, branded a deep sense of familiarity with the unique "pulsation" of natural energy.
As a result, something that surprised Takuno happened.
In his past experiences, although he could perceive natural energy, it was extremely difficult, and the amount he could feel was not much.
But today, Takuno perceived those natural energies with unexpected smoothness.
Those natural forces were finally clearly "captured" by his mortal body!
Without a moment's hesitation, Takuno restrained his mind and guided this perceived energy, carefully incorporating it into his body.
Immediately afterward, using his own pure chakra as a foundation, he began to attempt to coordinate that legendary energy form: Senjutsu chakra.
This was a process that required extremely precise manipulation and control.
Gradually, a trace of deep black, like ink, bloomed at the edges of his sharp eyes, forming two cold and powerful-looking eye shadows.
He slowly opened his eyes; his pupils did not undergo the drastic transformation into toad eyes like Naruto's during training. The depths of his eyes still held that familiar divine light, only now surrounded by mysterious patterns, giving his usually calm face an extra touch of transcendent majesty.
His body had not been stained by the toad oil of Mount Myōboku, nor had it been tempered by the snake venom of Ryūchi Cave.
Therefore, the Sage Mode he achieved was also unique, entirely different from the forms of those two Sacred Lands.
However, this unique power was but a fleeting glimpse.
He had only absorbed a minute amount of natural energy to verify the path.
A moment later, the black shadows at the corners of his eyes quietly faded away as if they had never appeared.
Yet, in that brief instant as short as a breath, Takuno had already clearly touched the essence of the power—a "strength" sufficient to shake mountains and surpass common logic!
His physical fitness was far beyond what Jugo could compare to; the amplification that Sage Mode could trigger in him was a leap of geometric proportions!
This majestic force made him even more certain that every sacrifice made and every temporarily shelved plan for this was worth it!
Benefiting from three months of observation and learning within Jugo's body, coordinating Senjutsu chakra under normal conditions had become second nature to him.
The only obstruction lay solely in the absorption speed of natural energy.
Having lost Jugo's innate, terrifying affinity, the process of autonomous absorption had become relatively difficult and slow.
But this point was already within his plans—a price he had to bear.
Even with the Cursed Seal he painstakingly designed by drawing on Orochimaru's research results, its absorption efficiency was destined to be unable to reach the instinctive swiftness of the Sage Body, Jugo.
Takuno was well aware of this.
His gaze fell upon his palm, where a pre-prepared medicine bottle lay quietly; the dark, viscous liquid inside shimmered with an ominous, eerie light.
His fingertips tightened against the bone-chilling cold; this was the Cursed Seal entity he had developed.
Once injected, his life form would undergo an irreversible metamorphosis.
But...
Takuno's gaze suddenly sharpened; he had long since reached the point of no return.
Chime—the sound of a metal needle piercing flesh was exceptionally clear in the silent laboratory.
Without hesitation, he injected the entire dose of medicine precisely near his heart on the left side of his chest.
This was the most hidden location, branded with forbidden power, which could also minimize the risk of being detected.
The moment the cold liquid entered his body, a violent power, completely different from chakra, began to spread through his system!
Those modified cells seemed to gain life, releasing a searing stinging sensation and a powerful sense of rejection.
Takuno endured the upheaval within him, his hands swiftly forming seals in front of his chest.
Accompanied by the precise guidance of the chakra within his body, a complex sealing technique instantly took shape, branded onto the injection site.
The powerful binding force was like invisible shackles, firmly imprisoning and compressing this Cursed Seal power that was eager to explode.
Finally, a pitch-black three-tomoe pattern condensed at his heart, and between the three tomoe, several flowing black sealing symbols tightly entwined and locked it.
Having finished this, Takuno exhaled a long breath of turbid air, as if shedding a burden of ten thousand tons.
He focused his mind inward, carefully feeling every inch of change in his body, confirming he was in the "optimal state" currently achievable.
Immediately, he released the final thread of willpower binding the Cursed Seal.
Hum!
The black three-tomoe on his chest seemed to suddenly gain the luster of life and began to rotate slowly and eerily on its own!
As the tomoe turned, patches of complex, distorted black patterns—containing some kind of chaotic law—suddenly erupted from his chest like a forcibly spread spiderweb or splashed cursed ink!
They were no longer slowly spreading but were surging madly toward Takuno's limbs, bones, and every inch of skin in a near-total invasion!
Wherever they passed, the skin transmitted a heart-palpitating burning sensation.
Takuno gritted his teeth, allowing these patterns to wander and weave across his body; he did not forcibly suppress them but instead actively accepted this painful fusion.
In an instant, that deep black completely covered his entire body, airtight.
Following that, an even weirder change occurred: the black Cursed Seal patterns covering his body suddenly vanished!
In their place, his entire body seemed to be coated in a deep, near-dark hue; his muscle lines appeared to be recast, exuding a cold, hard, and resilient non-human texture.
This was precisely the visually striking characteristic skin color seen when Sasuke activated the Second Stage of the Cursed Seal in the original work!
The drastic change in skin color was within Takuno's expectations, and he didn't care.
At this moment, his entire spirit was fully invested in an even more arduous challenge.
At the critical moment when natural energy flooded his body madly through the Cursed Seal like a tide and began to instinctively erode him, he had to maintain that balance—as thin as ice—under the high-speed impact and coordinate the perfect Senjutsu chakra!
Thank goodness for those three months of arduous time spent personally experiencing the ratio of natural energy and chakra within Jugo's body!
It was that precious experience that showed its priceless value at this moment.
His current rate of absorbing natural energy through the Cursed Seal, though exceeding his normal state, was still far inferior to Jugo's "bottomless pit" absorption capacity.
This "relative" slowness actually gave him more space and breathing room to process it.
Under the high concentration of his will, the violent energy was gradually organized.
The core of the power condensed between his eyes; at the corners of his eyes, two purple-black eye shadows—far more intense and striking than the first time—flowed out!
Immediately after, these purple-black patterns were no longer satisfied with the eye area and began to spread across the dark-hued surface of his body in a completely irregular fashion, like living things!
This iconic change announced a fact: Takuno had successfully activated Sage Mode!
However, looking closely, these patterns were not perfect.
They were distorted and intermittent, like unfinished cursive calligraphy, exuding an indescribable instability.
How similar this was to the characteristics of Jiraiya when he entered Sage Mode in his memories—this was an "imperfect" Sage form.
Takuno clearly perceived the delicate balance between the surging power in his body and the edge of losing control.
Unexpectedly, what welled up in his heart was not annoyance, but a sense of relief and luck.
Though not perfect, this was indeed, indisputably, stepping into the realm of Sages!
More importantly, the birth of this "imperfect" state itself meant he had crossed that most dangerous and unpredictable death line.
One must know he did not have Mount Myōboku's "Dog-Beating Staff" to disperse out-of-control natural energy; without any external reliance, he had forced his way past that fatal stage that could cause a practitioner to petrify into a statue or instantly turn into withered bones.
It could be said that from the moment he stepped onto this path of exploration with his life as the bet, there was destined to be no turning back.
Fortunately, he succeeded!
Without any pause, Takuno formed seals with his hands.
Following his movements, countless dark-black sealing incantations flowed out like living water, rapidly covering every inch of his skin.
These incantations acted as the strictest protective barrier, completely cutting off the Cursed Seal's extraction of natural energy.
Completing this step was crucial, ensuring he would not be torn apart by a surge of violent natural energy again before his foundation was firm.
He opened both eyes.
In an instant, a pair of eerie purple pupils lit up in the gloom, like abyssal demon eyes.
Even more soul-stirring was that the parts that should have been the whites of the eyes had now completely turned into a pitch-blackness deep to the extreme!
Takuno cast his gaze toward the bronze mirror hanging opposite him; the reflection in the mirror showed a heart-palpitating metamorphosis: purple pupils on a black background, interlaced with irregular, mottled purple patterns.
Looking at these eyes alone, they possessed a bit of an eerie aura; unfortunately, those purple patterns climbing randomly ruthlessly destroyed the overall cold look, adding a bit of messiness.
However, this was not unchangeable.
Takuno firmly believed that these flaws were only necessary steps on the road to the final form.
As long as he continued to temper and perfect this Sage Mode exclusive to him, these irregular patterns would eventually fade.
When he truly mastered the perfect Sage Mode, the traces remaining in his normal state would likely only be a smear of eye shadow symbolizing power, right?
His gaze then swept over his arms and chest.
The change was not only on his face; the dark-hued skin covered his whole body, presenting a texture like solid rock.
What gave him a bit of comfort was that, at least, his form had not departed from the "humanoid" category; there were no cross-shaped Cursed Seal patterns like Sasuke's, nor had deformed fleshy wings grown from his back.
His current appearance was still within an acceptable range.
With a thought, the deep purple intent in Takuno's eyes suddenly receded, replaced by the more familiar crimson color; three pitch-black tomoe rotated leisurely at the bottom of the blood-colored pupils.
Immediately following, a majestic power, almost condensed into substance, exploded from his body!
The purple-black interlaced chakra was no longer just a lingering mist; it was highly compressed and refined, gathering behind him in the blink of an eye and suddenly stretching outward!
"Kujaku Myōhō: Wings!"
A low shout accompanied the formation of the power.
Completely different from the illusory chakra light-wings of the past that could be identified by the naked eye, what unfolded behind him now was a pair of incredibly real, clearly structured purple-black wings!
The giant wings unfolded, almost filling the small secret room; one could even clearly trace the intricate feather patterns on the wing membranes, with each feather seemingly able to move with the wind.
"It's not much trouble, after all." A slight curve hooked at the corner of Takuno's mouth.
With a slight move of his intent, the basic plume textures covering the wings changed instantly, becoming even more exquisite.
They were immediately covered with fine, neat flight feathers like those of a purebred crow, each one distinct, with a purple-black glow wandering between the gaps of the feathers.
He turned his head to gaze at himself in the mirror—sporting crow-feathered purple wings, purple pupils on a black background—and a rare bit of satisfaction surfaced in his heart.
The actual increase in power was important, of course, but being "cool" is a lifelong matter.
The path of a ninja is full of personality; Kakashi even carves dog heads when he performs Earth Style: Mud Wall!
Moreover, these changes did not result in any loss to his combat power.
After finishing his appreciation, the wings suddenly retracted, and the massive power went back into dormancy within his body.
Takuno's gaze refocused, looking at the purple patterns still vivid on his face.
"The top priority is to polish this Sage Mode to perfection as quickly as possible!"
These marks clearly pointed the way forward; he could not afford to linger.
This was not just a change in appearance; it concerned his actual combat power! Not a single bit of negligence could be allowed!
At the same time, this extremely dangerous success allowed him to have a more precise positioning of his own talent.
If a full score was one hundred, he was at a level of about eighty or more—more than excellent, but not quite a "genius."
If he hadn't spent a full three months dormant in Jugo's body, continuously perceiving, trying, and analyzing the characteristics of that violent natural energy and making ten thousand efforts for it...
The consequences of taking this key step today would be beyond doubt: he would have surely been crushed by the uncontrollable natural force, turning into stone or withered bone.
Fortunately, he had safely passed the most dangerous initial metamorphosis.
In the subsequent perfection process, as long as he remained cautious, there would be no more danger of sudden death.
"Then, let's continue!" A firmer flame of determination burned in Takuno's eyes.
The goal was anchored, the path was clear; he had not a single reason to stop.
Taking a deep breath, the agitated energy in the secret room gradually settled, but his footsteps in pursuit of the peak of the Sage Way had just taken their first substantive step.