New Powers, Kinda (2/3).

Ichigo had another realization, after his clothing one, that he had just released a lot of power very close to what was home to extremely paranoid... well, assassins basically. They were going to be even more cautious with him. He just hoped that they didn't do something stupid. For now he focused on Hierro and Blut Vene. He knew how to do them separately, but if he could combine them, they would make his durability completely overpowered.

Hierro was condensed spiritual power acting as a second skin and Blut Vene worked by making spiritual power flow directly through your blood vessels. With his extreme control over his chakra, he could probably do both at the same time. He knew someone would come for him soon enough so he fell back to the ground and landed rather gently considering his height.

Making his chakra coat his body was easy enough and it only took him a few seconds to compress it thin enough to make it invisible. Now to make his chakra flow through his blood vessels. He only tried on his right arm first. That was also surprisingly easy. He had similar blue lines running through his arm. He tried doing it on his whole body. Once again it proved to be an easy task.

As he was trying to do both at the same time, the white haired kid showed up again. Now that he was more familiar with chakra, he could feel it more easily. He could feel the chakra of the boy in front of him. He could also feel that the chakra flowing around them was different than what they had.

"Kurosaki-san, the Hokage would like to meet you."

"Let's go." Ichigo replied with a sigh.

Kakashi went back at his fastest speed and Ichigo was able to easily keep up with him. They reached the office quickly and Ichigo was motioned to enter.

"Ichigo, how are you doing." Minato asked with a smile.

"As good as I can be." replied Ichigo.

"Let's get right to the point, Ichigo. You being here is ruffling some feathers. I don't mean any offence but, many of the elders here don't like an unknown yet extremely powerful variable amidst us and what just happened will only reinforce that." Minato said with a solemn expression.

"None taken. I came here to collect the piece of Zangetsu. I've already done that. I was hoping to receive the advice of another Master Swordsman on where I could improve and gain some supplies before leaving and finding the other pieces." Ichigo replied with a slight frown.

"And what just happened was new to me as well."

"Ichigo-kun, if I may know, why are you looking to complete what is most definitely a powerful weapon." Hiruzen asked, wanting to find an end goal.

"I don't know if you will believe me but I want it because it's the only thing left that connects me to my home." Technically the truth.

"So your home was..." Minato said with a small voice.

"Destroyed during the end of the war." Just a different war in a different world.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ichigo."

"Don't be. I killed the guy who came after us, but he self-destructed at the end. I don't know how I'm still alive to be honest. I just want to complete Zangetsu and travel. I'm strong enough that no one can push me around." replied Ichigo with some anger.

"How about this Ichigo, Jiraiya-sensei here will leave the village in a week. You can follow him for some time. He is one of our best in chakra department and is willing to answer your questions and Sandaime will have a spar with you everyday until you leave and give you any advice he can. While it's not enough but it's the least I can do to thank you for helping the village and saving me and my family." said Minato with some cheer in his voice, like he found the best solution to a problem.

"Then I won't hold back, but I didn't save you or your family. Saving you was a coincidence and saving your family just happened because I wanted something from the Kyuubi." Ichigo said.

"That may be true but in the end because of you, me and my family are still alive and together." Minato replied with a small laugh.

"Suit yourself. Can I ask some questions about chakra right now?"

"Go ahead."

"What's the difference between chakra flowing in us and the one flowing through the ground, the air and especially the forest?" Ichigo asked with his hand on his chin.

He raised his eyebrow when he noticed that they all looked surprised.

"Ichigo, you can sense the natural energy around us?" Minato asked with an incredulous expression.

"I didn't know what it was, only that is was different from our own chakra." Ichigo replied easily.

"Ichigo, you have to understand that just sensing natural energy takes months if not years of meditation!" Minato replied with a bit of jealousy. He had to meditate for months under the guidance of the toads from Mount Myoboku, being hit on the head over and over again. Minato was now supporting a dark cloud over his head as he kept repeating..... something.

"So, what's it used for?" Ichigo replied after looking at the dark cloud for a while.

Hiruzen and Jiraiya were seeing this back and forth with some sort of amused detachment. Jiraiya was lamenting this meeting between two natural geniuses.

"Well you basically mix equal amount of natural energy and your chakra to become a sage and enter something called the Sage Mode. It reinforces nearly everything, from your body and senses to your chakra. But you have to learn how to do it in one of the three great sage mountain." Minato said that with some pride. He was after all a perfect Sage. Not even his sensei could achieve that.

"Minato, he's not listening." Jiraiya said with a laugh.

When they looked at Ichigo, he had his eyes closed. Minato and Jiraiya could feel natural energy quickly gather inside him. Minato was shocked for a moment before shouting,

"Sensei!! He is gathering natural energy at an alarming pace!! We have to stop him!"

Just as Minato and Jiraiya summoned Fukasaku and Shima, Ichigo opened his eyes.

Now those who enter Sage Mode gain some feature from where they learn it from. Minato's eyes turn to that of a toad and he gains an orange pigment around them. His perception, reflexes, physique, ninjutsu, genjutsu, everything was empowered.

Hashirama was known as someone who learned Senjutsu by himself and he didn't have any change happen to his body, other than gaining some marks on his face. It deepened his connection with nature which increased his already massive reserves and empowered his Wood Release so much that he could overpower the bijuu in his Sage Mode.

That is what happened to those of this world. Ichigo was not a native of this world. His world didn't have chakra, as far as he knew, let alone Senjutsu. What happens when someone like that enters Sage Mode?

Well, first of all, he did connect to nature so he could feel all living beings around him. Secondly and more importantly, he had a deeper connection with himself. The only thing that changed were his eyes. His previously brown eyes had turned golden.

He felt calm. He had been restless ever since all of this started, he had just forced himself to focus on finding all the pieces of Zangetsu so he didn't have to think about his family and friends that were most likely dead. But now he was so... centered, in a sense, he could feel all the emotions that he had been repressing and he started crying. It wasn't loud wailing or hiccuping but silent tears of loss and anguish. He would never be able to see his sisters again.

His father, Chad, Inoue, Rukia, Renji, Ishida, Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki, Toshiro, Ikkaku, the Shinigamis, the Visords, all of them dead. He had tried to keep the his hopes up that at least Orihime survived, but he saw, just before losing consciousness, he saw her body crumbling with the world, using her powers to save him. His tears grew in volume as he stared blankly ahead.

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The shinobi, on the other hand, didn't know what was happening so they turned to the only ones who could tell them what was going on. They all looked towards the two great Sage Toads and were answered by a questioning stare. Minato proceeded to explain to them what happened, about why they were called, about Ichigo, him just learning about and then quickly entering the Sage Mode and him crying. After hearing it, Fukasaku answered,

"Well you might not know this because you are not a perfect Sage, Jiraiya-chan, but, Minato-chan, when you first entered the Sage Mode, how did it feel?"

"It felt good. I had more control over my body, my senses and my chakra but most importantly I had a deeper connection to myself and my emotions. I felt happy." Minato replied after some thinking.

"That's it. At that time you were happy. You kept saying that she accepted and you had also surpassed your teacher in a technique he introduced to you." Fukasaku said.

"A-ah, that was when Kushina agreed to marry me, so I was... very happy." Minato replied with a smile.

"What does that have to do with what is currently happening?" Jiraiya asked.

"I was getting there Jiraiya-chan. When you enter Sage Mode, you gain a deeper connection with yourself and your emotions. If you are feeling happy or satisfied, those feeling are magnified and brought to the surface. Similarly, if you are feeling sad or angry, those feeling are also magnified and brought to the surface and if you are feeling determined, your determination is strengthened." Fukasaku answered.

"To put it simply, Senjutsu empowers everything, including emotions. The boy there was feeling sad, entering Sage Mode brought that sadness out." Shima summarized.

"So, what do we do?" Minato asked.

"Nothing. Leave him alone to work it out. The first time you enter Sage Mode and connect to yourself is special. It's when you truly start to understand yourself. Isn't that right Minato-chan?" Fukasaku answered.

"Yes. I learned about myself. I learned that to protect this village, I was willing to do anything." Minato said with determination.

"That's why I want to help Ichigo. Whether he wanted to or not, he saved my life after I had literally signed it away."

"That's why I'm also thankful to him. You can do a lot of good for this village Minato." Hiruzen replied with a small smile.

Jiraiya at that moment realized that his student had not only passed him in strength but also in maturity.

"Let's wait for Ichigo to come out of that state."

"It can take a few hours." saying that, Fukasaku and Shima returned in a puff of smoke. The Great Respected Geezer was spouting some nonsense again.

The Shinobis busied themselves in different tasks for a few hours, Minato with paperwork, Hiruzen with smoking and Jiraiya had gone out to peep.