I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 436 S-Rank Technique [Sage Mode - Wet Bone Forest]!

Hashirama Senju's Sage Mode was extremely unique, and it also involved the Fire Temple, which possessed an ancient ninja tradition.

Nara Rinka is currently in Shikkotsu Forest and is unable to travel to the Fire Temple to seek advice on this matter.

Fortunately, Master Chukaku of the Fire Temple had previously extended a similar invitation to Nara Rangsei through his connection with the old clan chief of Nara Kano.

Master Chungaku once stated that if Nara Ranke had any questions about studying Sage Mode ninjutsu such as the "Welcoming Thousand Hands Kill," he could seek guidance from the Fire Temple. (Chapter 195)

But at that time, Nara Rangsei had only recently come into contact with natural energy.

He quickly learned and mastered several Sage Techniques and Ninjutsu, such as [Welcome - Thousand Hand Kill], but he hadn't encountered any crucial problems that required him to consult the Fire Temple.

In addition, the war situation was tense at the time.

Nara Rinka's plan to go to the Fire Temple has been delayed again and again until now.

By now.

Nara Rinka has mastered many immortal techniques and is also researching a "Sage Mode" that is unique to him and to humanity.

It's about time to go to the Fire Temple...

Nara Rinkei quietly added the plan to "go to the Temple of Fire" to his schedule and instead focused on listening to the teachings of the Living Slug Sage.

He possessed extremely powerful perception abilities, allowing him to clearly sense the natural energy present in the Shikkut Forest.

In addition, there's the foundation laid by [Sage Mode - Mount Myoboku].

The teaching course taught by the Living Slug Sage is progressing very smoothly.

Not long after, a brand new message popped up on Nara Langui's panel.

[S-Rank Technique: Sage Mode - Wet Bone Forest]

At this point, Nara Rinka has mastered the unique "Sage Mode" of the two sacred sites.

The only place he missed was Ryuchi Cave, where he "learned" quite a few Sage Techniques from Orochimaru, such as Inorganic Reincarnation and Sky Blade.

Of the three sacred sites, only Ryuchi Cave lacks the "Immortal Mode."

"But to cultivate the [Sage Mode] of Ryuchi Cave, one must face the White Serpent Sage directly, and even get bitten by it for no reason..."

"Being bitten by a giant white snake that has cultivated for thousands of years... I'm not some burly, grass-snake-like man like Xu Xian; I couldn't accept that bite."

Let's leave Ryuchi Cave's "Sage Mode" for now...

Nara Rinkazu was distracted for a while, thinking about the last missing skill: the Sacred Land Sage Mode.

Immediately afterwards, he immersed himself in the vast content of [Immortal Mode - Wet Bone Forest].

"The Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myōboku is essentially the same: it absorbs natural energy from the outside world and fuses it with one's own chakra to create a more powerful Sage Chakra."

"The most crucial difference between the two, aside from the distinction between a slug and a toad, lies in the different sources of natural energy that the two 'Sage Modes' can draw upon!"

"The Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku absorbs natural energy from the earth and atmosphere, while the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest draws natural energy from the atmosphere and sea!"

"If we had to emphasize one aspect, [Sage Mode - Mt. Myoboku] primarily targets the natural energy in the atmosphere, while [Sage Mode - Shikkotsu Forest] primarily targets the natural energy in the sea!"

"Following this logic, the only skill I haven't learned yet, [Sage Mode - Ryuchi Cave], must be drawing upon the natural energy of the earth..."

Nara Rinkei clearly understood the three main sources of natural energy: the atmosphere, the earth, and the ocean.

Aside from the "Immortal Mode" of the two holy sites.

Nara Rangsuke has also mastered many "specialized" high-end immortal techniques.

For example, the [Kirin] is a destructive ninjutsu that utilizes the natural energy in the atmosphere to unleash natural disasters.

【Desolate Sea Spray】, on the other hand, uses the natural energy in the seawater to unleash a powerful high-pressure water cannon.

Additionally, Nara Rinka's [Inorganic Reincarnation] can also manipulate the natural energy in the earth, but its power level is somewhat inferior to the previous two.

However, the [Qilin] and [Wilderness Sea Spray] are mainly "pseudo" immortal arts released by manipulating natural energy.

However, the Inorganic Reincarnation is a genuine Sage Art that is maintained by Sage Chakra.

In this respect, [Inorganic Rebirth] is still superior to [Qilin] and [Wilderness Sea Spray].

"Of course, it would be best to master an S-rank immortal technique that truly controls the natural energy of the earth."

"The Sage Mode is an ancient and sophisticated art; among the Five Great Ninja Villages, only Konoha possesses it."

Based on previous speculation, besides Ryuchi Cave, the only other beings in the ninja world who might possess Earth Sage Mode are probably the Tailed Beasts...

"However, among the nine tailed beasts, there doesn't seem to be one with a single attribute like the Three-Tailed Isobu..."

"The Nine-Tails has no special attribute. The Eight-Tails is ink, the Seven-Tails is scale powder, the Six-Tails, Five-Tails, Four-Tails, and Two-Tails are bloodline limits, the Three-Tails is water release, and only the One-Tails remains, which masters wind release and sealing techniques."

"Is he planning to develop an S-rank immortal technique himself?"

We must not neglect the essentials for the trivial!

"Seeking a wider range of natural energy sources is merely expanding the scope of 'Sage Mode.'"

"What I need is to increase the depth of [Sage Mode], that is, to make [Sage Mode] a regular feature..."

One thought after another flashed through Nara Rin's mind. Finally, he calmed down completely and began to absorb the natural energy in Shikkotsu Forest and integrate it into his body to maintain a balance with the amount of chakra in his body.

The Living Slug Sage watched this scene quietly.

It knew that the new psychic contractor in front of it was using the [Sage Mode] of the Wet Bone Forest!

The Living Slug Fairy should be on high alert.

Sage Mode is not an ability that is easy to master.

Even though Nara Rangsei has the "Sage Mode" of Mount Myōboku as its foundation.

He might not be able to successfully unleash Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode in one go!

The Living Slug Sage is ready to provide assistance at any time.

But at that moment, in the perception of the Living Slug Sage, Nara Rangatsu had stopped absorbing natural energy from the outside world, and the aura emanating from his body gradually became stable.

It seems that the cultivation has been successful...

The Living Slug Sage watched Nara Rinka's every move closely, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

Nara Ranka's skin suddenly became much whiter, and the surface of his skin shone with a layer of glossy luster. When he opened his eyes, his dark pupils occupied most of his eyeballs, like a pair of obsidian stones set in his eye sockets.

"The Living Slug Immortal?"

"It seems you have succeeded in your training, Lord Nara."

When the Living Slug Sage saw Nara Rinka speak calmly, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Because of me, humans will also experience certain physical mutations when practicing the [Sage Mode] in Shikkotsu Forest."

"Lord Nara's level of alienation is relatively low..."

"Skin turns white, eyes turn black, oh!"

"Lord Nara, it seems you've grown a few more rows of sharp little teeth."

It doesn't sound bad?

This is much better than that garlic toad I encountered when entering [Sage Mode - Mount Myōboku]!

Nara Rinka formed hand seals and created a Sage Shadow Clone using the Sage Chakra within his body.

"It does seem like there's nothing seriously wrong!"

Nara Rinka saw the shadow clone, which was basically in human form but had skin that looked like it was coated with oil, and felt much more at ease.

No round face, no toad spots, and no bulbous nose!

Putting aside other things.

This [Immortal Mode - Wet Bone Forest] is at least usable now!

These teeth do look somewhat like the shark teeth that are the signature feature of the Hidden Mist ninja...

But slugs have a lot of teeth.

This minor deviation is not within Nara Rinka's scope of concern.

"Living Slug Immortal, thank you for your guidance!"

"It's alright, Lord Nara."

"The Living Slug Immortal said softly."

"If you have any other problems in the future, feel free to come to me."

(End of this chapter)