The Devil of Konoha: Starting as a Medical Ninja

"I don't know. Anyway, even if he comes up with something else, it's something we can't understand. Just like the resurrection technique, more than three years have passed and we still have no clue."

Kudo Yuya wouldn't even consider this matter. The scroll that Hiroji had created so simply had been studied for three years by the top medical ninjas of the entire Konoha Hospital, but they still couldn't decipher its core contents.

In this situation, instead of thinking about what else he can come up with, it would be better to think about how to get Hongzhi to take on a disciple.

Thus, he completely inherited what he considered to be simple medical ninjutsu. Of course, it would be even better to find a female ninja who could capture his heart and directly obtain the bloodline limit, Holy Healing.

As time passed, by the time the clan had fully expanded, the medical level of Konoha was at least fifty years ahead of the ninja world.

"That's true."

Tsunade nodded helplessly. She used to think that mastering all medical ninjutsu was the pinnacle of being a medical ninja, but now it seemed that was just the beginning.

But now that I'm this old, it's probably not possible to keep thinking about those things. I should just focus on doing what I can do!

Back in his room, Hiroji didn't immediately use all his chakra to summon the Slug Sage, since there was no need to be so alarming on their first meeting.

It's better to build a good relationship first. If we can get into the Wet Bone Forest, then discussing learning immortal techniques with the Slug Immortal would be the best solution.

With the use of the summoning beast, a small slug appeared in Hongzhi's predicament.

It was only about the size of a palm, but Hongzhi could clearly feel that its life force was quite strong.

"Lord Hongzhi, is there anything I can do to help?"

The slug's way of addressing Hongzhi surprised him. Logically speaking, the slug was a split from the Slug Immortal, who had lived for at least several thousand years.

After all, that dead toad appeared as early as the time of the Sage of Six Paths. As the founder of one of the three great holy lands, the difference shouldn't be too great.

"There's no need to be so polite. I need to go to the Wet Bone Forest. Can you help me?"

Hongzhi asked tentatively, "Compared to the toads of Mount Myōboku and the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, the slugs are quite polite."

"Going to Shikkotsu Forest? The environment there isn't particularly friendly to you, but if Lord Hiroji wants to go, I can help."

Just when Hongzhi thought he would be rejected, the slug agreed without any hesitation.

This surprised Hongzhi!

Chapter 252 should end here.

After the slug agreed, it immediately turned into a cloud of smoke, clearly heading back.

Hongzhi was not surprised at all. Are all slugs so easy to talk to?

Or was it because of Tsunade that the slug was so polite to him?

This is possible; Tsunade and the slug have a very good relationship.

The summoning beasts of the Legendary Sannin came from the three sacred lands. Jiraiya essentially found himself a partner with a bad temper, Orochimaru was even more outrageous, essentially finding himself a domineering boss, while Tsunade seemed to have found herself a little fangirl.

Without a doubt, Tsunade has the best relationship with the summoning beasts, so it makes some sense for the slug to treat Hiroji this way out of respect for Tsunade.

Soon after, a sense of summoning came. Hongzhi could easily block this summoning, but it wasn't really necessary.

His goal was Shikkotsu Forest, and regardless of the Slug Sage's attitude, getting to Shikkotsu Forest was the most important thing for Hiroji.

After a dizzying spin, Hongzhi found himself in a purple forest, which was more like a swamp than a forest.

Purple trees grew haphazardly in the swamp, and Hongzhi needed to constantly maintain a surge of chakra in order to stand steadily above the swamp.

"You are the second human to be able to stand here steadily."

As Hongzhi was still looking around, the slug's voice came from above. Compared to the slug's previous humility, the voice now carried a hint of appreciation.

Hongzhi subconsciously looked up and a giant slug came into view. Just like the one he had vaguely seen before, its body was much taller than the trees next to it, but even so, only its head was exposed in the swamp.

“You don’t seem surprised.”

The slug fairy's voice continued to come, clearly showing some curiosity about Hongzhi's reaction.

"There is a reason why he can be called an immortal."

As Hongzhi spoke casually, he was more surprised by something else than the slug.

As soon as he entered, a massive amount of natural energy gathered around Hongzhi, several times more concentrated than in the ninja world.

"So what brings you here? It shouldn't just be to see me, whom outsiders call an immortal, right?"

The slug's attitude was indeed excellent; it could clearly sense that the surrounding natural energy was flowing towards Hongzhi.

The last time I saw something like this was a long time ago, when a man named Hashirama Senju accidentally came here.

"It is rumored that the three holy lands all possess methods that can transform people into immortals. I, being unworthy, would like to try and see if I am qualified!"

Hongzhi said calmly, "The Slug Immortal has already asked, so continuing to deceive him is not just deceiving others, but deceiving himself."

Since that's the case, it's better to just say it outright, since there's no reason for the Slug Immortal not to agree.

Both Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave welcome people to learn Sage Mode, except that most people on Mount Myoboku turn into stone toads.

As for Ryuchi Cave, it was all eaten by those poisonous snakes.

Compared to the blatant malice of Ryuchi Cave, the hypocrisy of Mt. Myoboku is even more repulsive.

"Sage Mode is a name you humans have given it; to us, it's simply a way to harness natural energy."

The slug fairy's calm voice slowly drifted over, and then it dived directly into the swamp. Not long after, Hongzhi found it standing at his feet.

Hongzhi did not stop him at all, but let the slug fairy carry him around.

“Learning the so-called Sage Mode is very difficult. If something goes wrong, I may not be able to save you in time. Moreover, this was originally a method for us to use natural energy. If it gets out of control, it may turn you directly into a slug.”

As they moved forward, the Slug Sage explained. Hongzhi had anticipated this, since the only Sage Mode without side effects at Mount Myōboku was Naruto Uzumaki's overpowered version.

Besides, Jiraiya would also become somewhat like a toad, while Minato Namikaze's Sage Mode only flashed by, and even the natural energy was absorbed by the Nine-Tails.

As for Kabuto Yakushi of Ryuchi Cave, he was practically a deformed species.

"You don't need to save me. If I die like this, it will prove that my journey should end here."

Hongzhi said calmly, "Sage Mode is indeed difficult, but if Hongzhi has absolute confidence in himself, as long as his chakra control is sufficient, then there will be no chakra outburst in the Sage Mode, and naturally he will not fail."

"Good luck."

As the slug sage spoke casually, Hongzhi felt the surrounding air gradually change.

A faint stinging sensation spread through my skin, as if the air here was filled with a lot of acid.

"This is where you can learn Sage Mode. As for the training method, it involves sensing natural energy, absorbing it into your body, and fusing it with your original chakra in a certain proportion..."

The Slug Sage's voice followed, catching Hongzhi somewhat off guard. After listening to the training of Sage Mode, Hongzhi realized that it was very similar to when Naruto Uzumaki trained in Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku in the original work.

But if that's really the case, then why are the immortal modes of the three holy lands somewhat different?

Hongzhi did not ask such a question. There was no need to think about this for the time being. After he had mastered all three families' Sage Modes, he would naturally be able to find their differences and similarities.

Then by making changes, we can find entirely new solutions.

"The key to cultivation is this: although the acid here will corrode your body, it will also help you absorb natural energy more effectively..."

After the slug sage finished speaking, he put Hongzhi down. As soon as the acid touched his feet, Hongzhi's shoes disappeared without a trace.

A series of stinging pains came from his feet, and Hongzhi could clearly feel his skin being corroded. However, as his body's healing abilities were activated, he could clearly feel that his repaired skin had become smoother.

Furthermore, the natural energy within the body has undergone some changes after passing through that place, and this changed natural energy is now able to fuse with the chakra within the body.

After discovering this, Hongzhi roughly understood why the Sage Mode was different: the converter in the natural energy was different, so the natural energy obtained was naturally different.

Different natural energies result in different Sage Chakra, leading to different manifestations of the same Sage Mode.

The difficulty in cultivating Immortal Mode lies in balancing the converter. If too much natural energy is converted, the body will undergo changes.

Chapter 253 Wet Bone Forest Immortal Mode

For example, Jiraiya and Kabuto are clear examples of excessive transformations.

Although I successfully learned Sage Mode, the converter is a one-time thing that cannot be adjusted after learning it.

Kabuto's words might not be because he didn't want to, but because the White Snake Sage was behind it all from the beginning.

But as for Jiraiya, perhaps it was because he had too much contact with those two toads.

With this in mind, Hongzhi focused all his attention on controlling the changes in his body, at least to ensure that it did not go too far.

Slowly, Hongzhi sank into the acid, his clothes were dissolved, and he felt waves of pain all over his body.

The body begins to recover automatically; the skin in the areas corroded by the acid will become smooth and delicate, just like after a skincare treatment.

Hongzhi had no time to deal with these matters; he devoted all his time to controlling the newly formed skin, within which the converter was located.

Hongzhi already understood the importance of the converter, so he naturally wouldn't be careless and cause problems.

Although Hongzhi had more than one chance, it was still better to succeed once.

With his regenerative healing abilities, Hongzhi had ample opportunity to experiment and improve his physical strength. He only needed to use the Black Storm Chakra Mode to temper his body while circulating the secret technique.

However, time is still very limited. After learning Sage Mode, one must conduct research. Only after successfully completing the research can the converter inside the body be removed, allowing one to learn another Sage Mode.

After all, the converters from the three companies are bound to conflict. Mount Myōboku needs to apply toad oil, which must contain something similar to the acid solution from Shikkotsu Forest.

This should be the special energy specifically used to condense the converter. Perhaps the ancestors of the three holy lands discovered such a place by chance, and then, after a long period of evolution, they became the races they are today.

Hongzhi's current goal is to create a converter that belongs to humans, or you could say, a method for operating the energy. Once this is solved, all the problems will be resolved.

As for the transformation of strength, which takes time, Hongzhi is not worried at all. As long as he finds a way, he can return to his peak state in the shortest time, or even surpass his current peak.

At that time, the so-called Otsutsuki bloodline was just an ornament, and losing it wouldn't have much of an impact.

Whether it will be successful or not remains to be seen.

At the edge of the acidic area, the slug fairy silently stared at the spot where Hongzhi had disappeared, ready to save him immediately should the situation turn against him.

Many people try to learn Sage Mode, but only one person succeeds in the end. Moreover, after that person learns it, he doesn't use the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest, but rather a Sage Mode that he changes according to his own constitution.

Although the man said there was no need to save him, the Slug Sage still didn't want anyone to die here. It wouldn't be pleasant for anyone who had made a pact to die here.

Hongzhi quietly sensed the changes around him. With the support of his chakra control ability, Hongzhi did not encounter any accidents for the time being. A converter covering his entire body gradually formed during the erosion and recovery process.

It's like having an extra layer of membrane inside your skin; the feeling is quite magical. Natural energy that originally required special methods to absorb becomes incredibly gentle.

The next step is to fuse this natural energy with chakra, and you will be able to successfully learn Sage Mode.

Because the converter is from Shikkotsu Forest, the Sage Mode is also from Shikkotsu Forest, and Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode should focus on recovery and endurance.