Chapter 224: Sage Mode
Slug Valley
"How are you feeling, Sakura?"
Mist swirled through the air, thick with corrosive acidic vapor.
The pink-haired girl sat submerged in the spring water, completely bare, brow furrowed tight.
Perched atop her head, a slug the size of a palm.
"Emm... feels like... I can hold out a bit longer than last time."
Sakura answered the Slug Sage with visible strain.
This deceptively clear, ordinary-looking pool nestled within Slug Valley was the Sage Pool — a sacred site the Slug Sage had spent a thousand years crafting.
Unlike Mount Myōboku or the Dragon Coil Cave, Slug Valley's approach to Sage Mode was the most brutal and direct of the three.
Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode looked dangerous, but was actually the safest of the Three Great Sage Regions. Practitioners had access to Toad Oil, making it easier to sense natural energy, and specially prepared staffs charged with natural energy, ready to strike a practitioner back to consciousness the instant they showed signs of turning into a toad — interrupting their absorption process before it went too far.
Practically a full-service nanny for aspiring Sages.
Dragon Coil Cave took a different approach: the White Snake Sage bit directly into the practitioner, injecting pure natural energy straight into their body.
If they survived the influx, they'd achieve Sage Mode naturally.
If they didn't survive it — they simply became another snake within the cave.
And if one of the cave's three divine princesses happened to take a liking to you...
Well. Taken quite literally, that could mean you'd get eaten.
As for Slug Valley...
This was the method Sakura was currently training under: leap into this pool of pure acid.
Survive the relentless corrosion, let the body cycle endlessly through destruction and repair, and success would follow naturally.
Talent for Sage Mode wasn't the deciding factor here. Endurance was everything.
But how many could actually withstand that acid?
Over the past thousand years, the Slug Sage hadn't only formed contracts with Sakura and Tsunade — countless other formidable shinobi had signed as well. Many of them had chosen to pursue Sage Mode this same way, leaping into this very pool.
Without exception, none of them had ever come back out.
Fully submerged in the acid, Sakura watched her own body being relentlessly torn apart by the corrosion — only for a shimmering golden light to rapidly repair the damage moments later.
Destruction. Repair. Destruction. Repair.
Every inch of her body screamed with agony — worse than boiling water poured straight over bare skin.
If she had to describe it: imagine that boiling water, then add a layer of chili oil on top, then have thousands of tiny needles stabbing you relentlessly.
Hmm, that description was starting to sound a lot like marinating meat.
But that was more or less the gist of it.
Even under this level of torment, Sakura still found the presence of mind to crack jokes at her own expense.
Her inner will was unbreakable. Nothing could shake it.
She was her own devotee, her own believer, the most steadfast, most unshakeable disciple of her own faith — and simultaneously, her own deity.
If mere fear of pain could break her, she'd have already lost the moment Orochimaru's sword pierced her chest in that very first fight, years ago.
Within moments, Sakura could watch her own pale skin dissolve completely under the acid, exposing raw, red muscle and blood vessels beneath — only for her surging Yang Release to rapidly restore it all over again.
At the same time, she could feel the concentrated, near-tangible natural energy in the surrounding water flooding into her body like a tidal wave.
And it wasn't only her skin — her vision flickered light and dark by turns. Her eyes, too, were clearly not immune to the surrounding acid's effects.
Sensing the rapid depletion of both her Yang Release chakra and the chakra stored within her forehead's Yin Seal, a thought suddenly occurred to Sakura.
If the chakra in the Yin Seal ran out entirely — could it be replaced directly with surrounding natural energy?
The pink-haired girl, curled up tight and enduring what could only be described as hellish suffering, still let her mind wander with its usual restlessness.
After a moment's consideration, Sakura decided the idea was worth testing.
Yin Seal — Strength of a Hundred.
The purple diamond mark on her forehead pulsed with a faint violet glow beneath the clear water, black lines spreading outward from the seal across her entire body.
As the chakra within the seal continued draining, Sakura carefully began drawing a trickle of natural energy directly into her forehead.
The natural energy entering the seal merged with her previously stored chakra, transforming into a small quantity of Sage chakra.
Her blood-flushed emerald eyes flickered slightly. Sakura understood immediately what was happening.
Sage chakra was, by definition, the fusion of natural energy and a practitioner's own chakra.
If she emptied the chakra stored in her forehead entirely and replaced it with absorbed natural energy — if she then encountered an enemy in combat, she'd still need to blend her own chakra with that stored natural energy on the spot.
But if she pre-blended Sage chakra beforehand and stored that directly in the Yin Seal instead — she could simply draw on it whenever needed.
In other words — instant Sage Mode activation!
With her Yang Release and Yin Seal chakra both severely depleted, Sakura had no choice but to climb out of the Sage Pool.
Pale, jade-smooth feet — now marred with horrifying scars — stepped onto the stone at the pool's edge. Not just her feet — her entire body was covered, head to toe, in gruesome wounds.
Utterly unconcerned with modesty, Sakura sat down on a rock, completely bare, breathing hard.
The massive, sudden depletion of chakra left her genuinely exhausted.
As she pulled herself from the Sage Pool, the last remaining traces of her Yang Release began slowly knitting her wounds back together.
Within the time it took to finish a cup of tea, every horrifying scar had vanished — hardened into scabs that flaked away and fell to the ground, revealing smooth, jade-pale skin beneath once more.
But by this point, every last drop of Sakura's Yang Release had been completely wrung dry.
"Well done, Sakura."
The Slug Sage, having watched over her this whole time, dragged out a set of stored clothing from a nearby corner and brought it to her.
Even after witnessing this several times now, the Slug Sage never failed to be amazed by the girl before her.
Sage Mode.
This girl had already achieved it, fully.
A single dive into the Sage Pool was theoretically enough — the omnipresent, concentrated natural energy would permeate the practitioner's body through the endless cycle of corrosion and repair. Even an ordinary person, given a single successful dive, would technically achieve Sage Mode, provided they came out alive.
But a single dive rarely produced a perfected Sage Mode.
Perhaps the natural energy accumulation would take excessive time. Perhaps the activated state would only last briefly.
Only through repeated dives, again and again, could a practitioner gradually refine their Sage Mode toward true perfection.
And in the Slug Sage's estimation, Sakura's Sage Mode had already reached a remarkably refined state.
Continuing to dive further offered diminishing returns entirely disproportionate to the suffering involved.
Sufficiently rested, Sakura rose to her feet, stretching languidly without a hint of self-consciousness, letting out a satisfied groan as she felt her body's lingering soreness.
"Lady Slug — where exactly did Hashirama Senju train his Sage Mode?"
Loose pink hair cascaded down like a waterfall as the girl moved, veiling her modestly rising chest.
Sakura dressed while asking the question.
"That First Hokage... he was different from everyone else."
The Slug Sage shook her head.
"That particular secret is still a bit beyond you right now, Sakura. Better you not know, for the time being."
"Ah, I don't mean to belittle you — truthfully, if Hashirama Senju had been an ordinary shinobi, he might not even have surpassed you."
The Slug Sage seemed to realize she'd spoken too bluntly and hastily backpedaled, trying to reassure Sakura.
A secret...
Sakura's lips curved slightly.
The reincarnation of Asura, is it?
"Relax, Lady Slug. I'm not exactly the type to be discouraged that easily."
Fully dressed now, Sakura crouched down with a smile and poked the Slug Sage on the head.
"Well, that's a relief to hear."
The Slug Sage didn't mind Sakura's casual disrespect in the slightest — quite the opposite, in fact. She genuinely appreciated a contractor with this kind of temperament.
"Alright, that's it for now. I'll head out."
"I'll be back in a few days."
As the girl's voice trailed off, a puff of white smoke dispersed before the Slug Sage.
Sakura had, quite clearly, already left.
The Slug Sage gazed at the now-empty spot, lost in thought.
When she'd first met Pinky, she'd assumed the girl would be soft, delicate, adorable — a fragile little thing.
Never had she imagined that beneath that seemingly gentle exterior lay both terrifying violence and an absolutely unbreakable will.
Her eyes drifted, briefly, toward the placid, unassuming Sage Pool.
She herself had crafted this place with her own hands. She knew, better than anyone, the peril and agony that awaited within.
Countless contractors had died in that water. Countless others had entered once and never wanted to return.
And this child...
No — correction.
This Hokage had somehow, through sheer force of will, come to treat the ordeal like a casual bath, dropping by every few days for a soak.
Truly remarkable.
Konoha
Hokage Building, Hokage's Office
Fresh from her return from Slug Valley, Sakura's eyes carried a distinctly amused glint.
Weak?
My dear Slug Sage.
Have you ever even seen what I can do at full strength...
"Whoa!"
Her foot caught on something slippery underfoot, and Pinky nearly stumbled to the floor.
"Sis!"
"Huh? TWO sisters?!"
A little figure came running from the corner — Mirai, her face smeared red with fruit juice, looking distinctly like a small spotted kitten.
Sakura looked down at the half-eaten dragon fruit beneath her foot, then at Mirai's stained face, then finally at the Shadow Clone sitting in the Hokage's chair.
"THIS is how you're taking care of Mirai?"
Sakura glared at the clone with obvious displeasure.
The clone simply spread her hands helplessly.
"Mirai wanted to eat it. Not much I could do."
With that, before Sakura could react, the clone vanished with a poof of white smoke.
Are you KIDDING me...
Why do other people's Shadow Clones actually DO what they're told?
Mine is just asking for a beating!
Sakura ground her teeth, glaring at the empty spot where the clone had just vanished.
"...Now there's just one sister left."
Little Mirai looked at the spot where the clone had disappeared, visibly disappointed.
"You little troublemaker~~~"
Sakura sighed, looking at the fruit-smeared face before her.
"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."
She scooped Mirai into her arms and headed toward the restroom.
Dragging her still-sore, weary body forward, Sakura reached to turn the office door handle — but the handle turned on its own.
"Sakura, this is the recent response from—"
Tobirama walked in, document in hand, mid-sentence — but his eyes shifted the moment he saw her.
"What's wrong with you?"
Her chakra's unusually weak.
Before opening the door, he'd assumed only the clone and Sakura's little sister would be inside. But looking at her now, this had to be the original.
After all, the clone tended to be somewhat insufferable...
The instant he saw Sakura, Tobirama recognized her as the genuine article.
"Nothing. Just got back from Slug Valley."
Sakura waved a hand dismissively, unsurprised that Tobirama had noticed something off.
She'd returned from Sage Mode training before without running into anyone — or at least, no one with sensory abilities as sharp as Tobirama's.
This time, she'd simply had bad timing.
"Uncle Tobirama!"
Mirai recognized him too, and greeted him with a sweet chirp.
Looking at the document in Tobirama's hand and connecting it to what he'd just started saying, Sakura guessed it was Iwagakure's reply.
"Yūgao."
Sakura called out.
At her word, Uzuki Yūgao materialized before them.
"Take Mirai to get cleaned up, then bring her around the neighborhood for a bit."
Sakura sounded genuinely tired.
Chakra was the fusion of physical and spiritual energy. Having depleted so much of it, exhaustion was only natural.
"Yes, Lady Hokage."
Yūgao obediently took Mirai from Sakura's arms.
"Be good and listen to Yūgao, okay~~~"
Sakura gently pinched Mirai's juice-stained little nose.
"Mm-hm!"
Mirai, uncharacteristically well-behaved, simply nestled quietly into Yūgao's arms.
Watching Yūgao carry her little sister away, Sakura finally sank onto the sofa and spoke.
"So what's Iwagakure saying?"
Tobirama glanced at the girl before him — notably less energetic than usual — sat down beside her, and poured a glass of water, sliding it toward her.
"Iwagakure will send someone in three days to discuss the matter of Deidara."
Sakura yawned at this, picked up the glass, took a sip, and replied:
"Three days it is, then."
Tobirama looked at Sakura, a flicker of genuine concern crossing his eyes.
"Why don't you go home and rest? I can hold things down here for now."
"You said it — not me. See you later!"
Before Tobirama had even finished speaking, Sakura had already yanked off her Hokage robes and, with practiced ease, vaulted straight out the window.
A cold draft swept in through the open window, and Tobirama's mouth twitched.
This woman...
Forget it.
The man sighed, then walked over to the Hokage's desk and picked up the topmost document.
Regarding the Chakra Armor Mass Production Plan
Reading the title, Tobirama's eyes narrowed slightly.
He knew about Doto Kazahana's chakra armor technology — Sakura had brought the man back from the Land of Snow personally. Even Tobirama had to admit the technology was genuinely impressive.
A tool capable of dramatically enhancing an ordinary shinobi's combat capability.
With the Land of Fire's resources now behind it, formal mass production could officially begin.
But since certain specialized minerals could only be mined in the Land of Snow, even "mass production" would yield merely a thousand suits of armor for now.
Still — a thousand suits of chakra armor was more than sufficient.
Reading further, Tobirama fell into thought.
If chakra armor could enhance a shinobi's abilities like this, could ninjutsu itself be pre-stored in some kind of device, ready for instant deployment whenever needed?
Something like his own Thunder God Sword...
Hm?
Wait — the Thunder God Sword!
Tobirama settled into the Hokage's seat, eyes brightening.
"Someone — fetch the head of the Research Bureau."
Tobirama spoke, document still in hand.
But—
No response.
Yūgao had already taken Mirai off to play, and Sakura herself had fled the premises.
Naturally, no one answered.
"Tch."
Tobirama clicked his tongue in irritation, then rose and headed downstairs toward the staff bustling away at their desks.
"Someone — go fetch the head of the Research Bureau for me."
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