Chapter 15: Meeting Tsunade

The Shikkotsu Forest.

After divulging his itinerary to the external world, Ryu would allocate a designated duration each day within this location to proficiently acquire the skills of sage wood arts.

Senjutsu, commonly referred to as Sage Jutsu, encompasses the mastery of harnessing the ambient natural energy, amalgamating it harmoniously with one's physical and mental energies, and subsequently leveraging this formidable power to transcend the limitations of conventional chakra manipulation, thereby manifesting extraordinary strength.

The key to practicing sage wood art, besides achieving equilibrium among the three energies within the body, lies in the mastery of absorbing the natural energy from the world.

The practice of Sage Wood arts was first introduced at Mount Myōboku, one of the three sacred sites. It involved the application of toad oil onto the body, enabling practitioners to perceive and assimilate the natural energy that surrounds them.

The approach utilized in the Shikkotsu Forest exhibits notable differences. In this forest, the small slugs produce and release transparent mucus from their oral appendages, which harbors a copious reserve of natural energy.

In Ryu's pursuit of mastering sage wood arts, he chose to coat his body with this transparent mucus right from the start, enabling him to directly absorb the natural energy it holds.

Compared to Mount Myōboku, this approach proves much faster and more efficient.

However, this cultivation method also comes with notable drawbacks.

The transparent slime produced by the slugs themselves possesses highly corrosive properties. Once applied to the skin, practitioners must endure both physical corrosion and trauma while absorbing the natural energy.

Unless one possesses advanced medical ninjutsu or possesses a strong capacity for self-healing, maintaining this practice becomes challenging.

The aforementioned circumstances significantly increase chakra consumption. This, coupled with the need to absorb natural energy, puts the practitioner's ability to balance the three energies within their body to the test.

Even practitioners renowned for their physical resilience, such as the Senju clan or the Uzumaki Clan, find their self-healing abilities insufficient to counteract the corrosive effects of the slug slime.

Hence, cultivating sage arts in the Shikkotsu Forest poses a considerably higher degree of danger compared to Mount Myōboku

Notably, even a prodigious talent like Tsunade ultimately decided to give up after several attempts.

The First Hokage with its wood release stands as the sole exception to this pattern.

The factor behind their accomplishment stems from the intrinsic abundance of vitality within Hashirama. When the vitality intertwines with the physique of the Senju Clan, a remarkable synergy emerges, surpassing mere individual capabilities. Their exceptional aptitude for self-healing and recovery transcends conventional boundaries, granting them the ability to disregard the corrosive properties of the slime.

Now, Ryu, who also possesses Wood Release, naturally inherits this capability.

Therefore, Ryu possesses immense self-assurance when it comes to practicing the sage wood art Technique of the Shikkotsu Forest.

Unfortunately, his reputation points as the Hokage have been gradually accumulating during this period. This can be attributed not only to the close-knit community of Konoha Village but also to the absence of his esteemed client, the esteemed and influential Might Guy, who has been away on missions and has yet to return to the village for an extended period.

Unless Ryu accomplishes something extraordinary, his prestige points can only significantly increase within a short period.

Consequently, he has been diligently practicing sage art step by step during this period, knowing that a few words won't suffice.

Thankfully, if the completion of the sage arts is measured as a percentage, once he completes 10%, he can later exchange it in the system by paying only the remaining 90%, which is quite reasonable.

The pale and bare trees reached upward, stretching towards the sky.

Within a specially prepared open space, Ryu removed his shirt, allowing the small blue and white slugs to settle on the ground, their bodies secreting a translucent mucus filled with abundant natural energy that covered Ryu's complexion.

Occasionally, tendrils of white, corrosive smoke emanated from his skin. However, within a few breaths, a vibrant green life force rapidly sprouted from his body, swiftly mending any wounds.

This process is repeated numerous times. Although Ryu appeared to be in good condition, the upper part of his body's skin had been restored multiple times, and he couldn't shield himself from the occasional discomfort caused by the corrosive effects.

"Now, I genuinely suspect that Tsunade's lack of perseverance stems, in part, from her unwillingness to witness her body being ravaged in this manner," Ryu murmured.

Considering that woman, still pretending to be tender in her seventies and eighties...

What beauty-conscious woman would willingly endure the sight of her skin being devoured like a specter, particularly when her self-healing capacity is not as remarkable as his?

Even if the opponent is a great medical ninja, they can quickly recover using medical ninjutsu, but this will only increase the chakra consumption and make the balance of the three energies in the body more unstable, thereby increasing the possibility of failure in the practice of immortality.

"Master Ryu, today's training task is complete."

After a while, the gentle voice of the living slug sounded in Ryu's ear.

The cultivation of sage art is not achieved overnight but through a gradual process.

Under the guidance of this excellent master, Ryu can stop after completing the corresponding indicators every day.

After all, the body also has a limit on the amount of natural energy it can absorb daily.

The small slugs lying on the upper part of Ryu's body crawled one after another and twisted their way toward the nearby swamp forest.

As Ryu rose to his feet, preparing to attire himself, a familiar voice suddenly emanated from behind, breaking the silence. "Hey~~ Isn't this the renowned Fourth Hokage-sama? What brings you here in your birthday suit? It's rather indecorous!"

Pausing momentarily in his actions, Ryu calmly resumed his dressing, dismissing the comment with composure. "Firstly, I am not unclothed, and I would appreciate a more refined choice of language, replacing 'body' with the upper torso; secondly, this is the Shikkotsu Forest, devoid of any previous inhabitants, save for the addition of a single individual, Tsunade. She is no longer a young girl, hence there is no indecency involved; Third, Konoha has appointed Tsunade as a ninja, thus her prolonged absence is permissible. It is only fitting to display some respect towards a Hokage such as myself."

As Ryu turned around, he noticed Tsunade standing there with two pale golden ponytails tied behind her head. She was wearing her usual green outfit and a sleeveless gray blouse, her hands clasped together. Tsunade had a mocking smile on her face as she looked at Ryu.

They made eye contact, and Tsunade raised her eyebrows and said, "I was really angry when you became Hokage, Ryu. Remember how powerful my punches are?"

Ryu was taken aback, memories from their childhood when Tsunade used to chase and beat him flooded his mind. Unable to resist, a smile formed on Ryu's face as he confronted her, "So, do you remember how I had to borrow one promissory note after another, pressed against the table, just to get your money?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Tsunade's confident demeanor instantly faded away. He noticed her eyes darting around in panic. She let out a guilty yawn, trying to change the subject, "Um... yeah! By the way, Ryu, why did you choose the Shikkotsu Forest? When did that happen?"

Seeing Tsunade's careless attitude, Ryu, who was used to it, could only shrug helplessly and let it slide.