"Great Slug Sage, have all of your bodies been recalled?"
"There are still a few returning from the outskirts of Shikkotsu Forest. Do you need sothing?"
"I've only mastered senjutsu for a short ti. I want to experience how your senjutsu chakra differs from mine."
"The essence of natural energy is the sa everywhere," the Slug Sage replied calmly. "However, the Six Paths Senjutsu you wield is sowhat different from ours. Those two brothers were able to draw natural energy not only from the earth, air, and water—but also from sunlight itself."
Shikkotsu Forest.
Naruto stood inside a listone cavern. Beneath his feet was a circular platform roughly ten ters in diater—the true core of Shikkotsu Forest. The cave entrance ahead was completely sealed by a white wall, which was in fact the body of the Great Slug Sage itself.
At the sa ti, alerts from the Mirror World kept echoing in his mind, urging him to imdiately absorb newly discovered top-grade foreign energy.
Naruto stared thoughtfully at the platform beneath his feet. Ever since mastering senjutsu, he could clearly sense that this platform functioned as the central nexus of Shikkotsu Forest. Its material felt eerily similar to the throne of coiled white snakes in Ryūchi Cave, and the stone dais where the Great Toad Sage sat in Mount Myōboku.
But that wasn't his main purpose here.
He wanted to see whether he could finally collect usable data from the Great Slug Sage itself.
Based on Naruto's speculation, the reason he had failed before was likely because he had only ever interacted with the Slug Sage's divided bodies. So before leaving Earth, he decided to run one last experint.
"All my bodies have returned," the Slug Sage said from outside the cavern.
Naruto stepped off the platform and walked to the cave entrance, placing his hand against the Slug Sage's body.
Data collection in progress…
Update complete.
World Gate preparing to open.
Chakra Conversion Module upgrading…
Data Analysis Module permissions expanded.
Uzumaki Naruto — Level 9 World Authority confird.
Current data completion: 1%. Please continue data acquisition.
"So that's how it is."
Naruto withdrew his hand and pondered briefly. Then he smiled.
"Great Slug Sage—can you, or your divided bodies, learn ninjutsu? Genjutsu, for example?"
"I have no desire to learn," a slug the size of a soccer ball appeared atop Naruto's head, gently waving its antennae. "Do you need genjutsu for sothing? The White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage both use genjutsu. They should be able to help you."
Naruto nodded lightly. "Then how do you distinguish individual consciousnesses among yourselves? Over thousands of years, hasn't there ever been any backlash?"
"I am us, and we are ," the slug replied oddly. "Why would I devour myself?"
"Nothing," Naruto said with a faint smile. "Just curious."
He looked at the small slug. "Then I'll take my leave. Thank you for personally guiding Karin in mastering Sage Mode."
With that, he vanished.
When the scene shifted, Naruto was standing beside a pool of erald-green water. Next to him stood a silver-haired youth.
"Let's go, Toneri," Naruto said calmly. "It's ti to complete the evolution of the Tenseigan on the moon."
The boy was Ōtsutsuki Toneri, whom Naruto had previously resurrected. Unlike when he had first co to Earth, this body was a clone—aning Toneri now possessed his Byakugan once more.
Splash!
Naruto and Toneri leapt into the pool together.
Strangely, both continued breathing normally underwater. Beneath the surface, countless microorganisms drifted like falling snow, while flickering points of light pulsed on and off.
They swam deeper and deeper—until Naruto realized that, without noticing, their orientation had inverted. What had been downward motion was now upward.
Soon, a faint glow appeared above them, shimring like ripples on a water's surface. Yet when they reached it, darkness returned once more.
Splash!
They passed straight through the watery veil and dropped into a cylindrical passage enclosed by rock walls. The light was dim, and their sense of direction flipped again—Naruto felt himself plunging rapidly downward.
A few breaths later, light appeared once more.
Through it, Naruto saw a massive bubble, inside which countless smaller spheres drifted. On closer inspection, the spheres ca in two kinds: so glowed pale yellow, while others resembled balls of sand.
At that mont, Toneri ford several hand seals.
Pop!
They burst into the bubble.
Inside, the pale yellow spheres drifted to the sides, while the sand-like spheres aligned into a single chain. Following that chain downward, Naruto saw another body of water below.
Monts later, Naruto and Toneri stood at the edge of a cliff.
Below them stretched an endless ocean. Above hung a radiant sun blazing in the sky.
Naruto surveyed his surroundings. Just like the mories he had seen—no horizon in the distance, gravity completely inverted. Looking up, he could faintly see forests and lakes suspended in the "sky."
Turning his gaze toward the sun, Naruto spoke evenly.
"Go remove the seal on the Tenseigan yourself."
With that, he vanished into a spatial vortex.
Toneri's face twisted with hesitation—but he raised one hand and fired a sphere of chakra light. A black dot soon appeared in the sky.
Elsewhere, on a vast grassy plain, a breeze stirred.
Naruto stepped out of a vortex. In the next instant, Kurama's massive form appeared beside him.
"This really is more comfortable than being cooped up inside the barrier at Mount Myōboku," Kurama said, looking around with satisfaction.
"Ti to bring them over," Naruto replied.
He entered Sage Mode, rapidly ford hand seals, and slamd his palm onto the grass. A massive black summoning formula spread outward.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions of smoke erupted one after another as Shukaku, Isobu, Son Gokū, Mū, Saiken, and Chōi appeared around Naruto.
Naruto gave a slight nod. Summoning six tailed beasts to the moon in one go had consud nearly eighty percent of his chakra.
"What a wide view!"
"Forest again at last!"
"Feels like the old days~"
"Mm!"
The tailed beasts cheered excitedly. Naruto smiled, bade them farewell, and vanished in a flash.
When he reappeared, he was back beside Toneri.
"So this is the Giant Tenseigan…"
Naruto stared at the enormous sphere floating in midair. Two massive, overlapping cross-shaped shuriken patterns rotated at its core, radiating blinding light in eight directions. In Sage Mode, Naruto could sense an energy inside it—eerily similar to his own.
"How long will it take to awaken the Tenseigan?" Naruto asked.
Toneri answered dully, "The purer the Byakugan, the longer it takes. About ten days."
Naruto nodded calmly. He stepped forward and raised his hand toward the glowing sphere—
But just before his palm made contact, a towering humanoid projection erged from within.
Naruto rely smiled and let his hand fall.
Void-type foreign entity detected. Data analysis initiated.
"Oh?"
Hearing the Mirror World's alert, Naruto was mildly surprised.
By now, the humanoid projection had almost fully solidified.
Blue-white hair. Horns protruding from a brow without eyebrows. Pale eyes. A high-collared robe identical to Naruto's Six Paths attire, with three black magatama lining each side of the collar.
Toneri turned pale. "Ancestor Hamura Ōtsutsuki!"
It was indeed Hamura.
Unlike the aged form of the Sage of Six Paths, Hamura appeared to be no more than a young man in his early twenties.
Hamura glanced at Toneri and gently shook his head. Then he turned to Naruto with a mild smile.
"Young man… may we talk?"
"Of course," Naruto replied easily.
He felt none of the overwhelming pressure the Sage of Six Paths exuded. Hamura's deanor was far more agreeable.
Naruto smiled back. "But I think you should put away that kindly expression first—because that's not really your personality."
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