21 Chapter 21: Where Did the First Hokage Learn His Sage mode?

Chapter 21: Where Did the First Hokage Learn His Sage mode?

There was a silent agreement.

Kenichi scratched his head, suddenly understanding why Tsunade had left the Hidden Leaf Village. After all, her lover and brother had died, and then her teacher was desecrating the remains of their ancestors, which was truly disappointing.

If it weren't for the Third Hokage's death, coupled with Naruto's presence, Tsunade probably wouldn't have returned to become the Fifth Hokage.

After taking Kenichi to the training ground for a while, Orochimaru left. However, before leaving, Orochimaru warned Kenichi to be careful, as the Third Hokage seemed to have some suspicions about Orochimaru.

Kenichi wasn't surprised to hear this. With the decrease in expendable soldiers, the Foundation would definitely extend its reach to the nearby villages. When the disappearances increased, the Anbu would surely take notice.

Exposure was only a matter of time.

"Your test subject, the one whose ribs you removed, has died. The medical team sent a message that the lungs have completely failed," Orochimaru mentioned to Kenichi before leaving.

Hearing this, Kenichi became excited. It seemed that cancer was still a terrifying thing for the shinobi of the ninja world, as long as the general medical team couldn't handle it.

It appeared that the development and perfection of the cancer-inducing technique needed to be accelerated. However, Kenichi had some other ideas about how to enhance his own strength.

"I remember, the First Hokage should still be in the Pure Land, right? With my current strength, can I summon him using the Impure World Reincarnation?" Kenichi pondered.

He wanted to enhance his strength, and Sage Mode was a good option, but Kenichi didn't really want to learn Sage Mode from his teacher.

In Kenichi's view, the Sage Modes of Mount Myoboku and the Slug Sage were better than those of the Ryuchi Cave. However, Mount Myoboku required finding Jiraiya, and the Slug Sage required finding Tsunade.

But now, both Jiraiya and Tsunade were not easy to find, so Kenichi naturally looked towards another target, the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, whose sage mode were also very powerful.

However, Kenichi didn't know where the First Hokage had learned his sage mode. He had heard that it might have been from the Shikkotsu Forest, but some said it was self-taught.

"Summoning the First Hokage using Impure World Reincarnation and then having him teach me sage mode, I wonder if that's feasible?" Kenichi hesitated, as his teacher Orochimaru did not possess sage mode.

Unless he asked his teacher to send him to the Ryuchi Cave to face the White Snake Sage's trials, the best way to learn sage mode was still from the First Hokage.

After all, the First Hokage was known for his straightforwardness, much like an alternative version of Naruto. Such a person should not have any harsh thoughts towards a junior from the Hidden Leaf, right?

If it were the Second Hokage, Kenichi would not dare to summon him; without sufficient strength, it was very easy for things to go wrong. But Kenichi indeed coveted the First Hokage's Sage Mode.

So after some thought, Kenichi decided it was worth a try. However, the sacrificial vessel used for the Impure World Reincarnation couldn't be too powerful, as the strength of the living vessel would affect the deceased.

Simply put, the stronger the vessel, the closer the deceased could perform to their living strength. If the vessel was weak, then naturally, they wouldn't be as strong.

For example, using an ordinary Genin to reincarnate the First Hokage would definitely not allow him to exhibit his full strength; a significant reduction was certain.

However, Kenichi didn't plan to use the First Hokage for combat; he just wanted to learn sage mode from him. After all, having inherited the First Hokage's sage body, it would be a loss not to learn sage mode.

So, over the next month, Kenichi was busy preparing the materials for the Impure World Reincarnation, while also enhancing his own strength and further developing his ninjutsu.

"Kenichi, I heard that Kushina Uzumaki is pregnant," Orochimaru said while conducting an experiment. Recently, Orochimaru had acquired a very precious test subject from outside, a member of the Kaguya clan.

The Kaguya clan was not Kaguya Ōtsutsuki but the current Shikotsumyaku Kaguya, which made Kenichi salivate, given the clan's formidable combat abilities.

But since the research on the Sharingan was still progressing slowly, he couldn't study the Shikotsumyaku for now and only kept a sample for future use.

"Really? There seems to be no news of this in the village," Kenichi was taken aback. Although he knew that this was the time when Naruto would appear in Kushina's womb, there was indeed no news in the village.

But on second thought, there was no issue. After all, Kushina Uzumaki was not only the Fourth Hokage's wife but also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of the Hidden Leaf. The due date of a Jinchuriki was top secret, and Kenichi, as a Chunin, naturally wouldn't know.

Yes, during this time, Kenichi had also officially become a Chunin. He didn't go through any Chunin exams but was promoted after a battle with a veteran Chunin, recommended by Orochimaru.

If it were wartime, becoming a Chunin would be even simpler, and promotions to Jonin would be very fast. But now that the war was over, things had returned to a more normal state.

However, it would still take some time before the Chunin exams would make a comeback. The relationships between the villages were not very good.

Not to mention holding Chunin exams together, if they did, it might lead to serious conflicts. And with so many Chunin in the village, it wasn't possible to wait for the exams every time.

So, in reality, the Chunin exams were just another way to showcase the strength of one's village, held only at specific times.

"Of course, there's no news. A Jinchuriki is very vulnerable during childbirth. If the Nine-Tails were to break free, hehe," Orochimaru sneered.

The teacher probably wouldn't die, right? Although the teacher seemed to be living a quiet life of late retirement, Orochimaru could tell that he was not content.

Yes, those accustomed to holding power, who know the pleasures of power, how many can let go willingly? The saying 'out of sight, out of mind' is not without reason.

So if there really was a problem, what choice would the beloved teacher make?

"Nine-Tails, can I take a piece for research?" Kenichi got excited. That was the Nine-Tails, the strongest tailed beast in the ninja world (for now).

(End of chapter)