Looking up at the massive Great Slug Sage before him, Hoshiyomi gave a slight bow as a gesture of respect, then came straight to the point:
"It's like this. I'm very interested in the legendary senjutsu, so I came here to witness the senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest."
"Witness?" The Great Slug Sage twitched its antennae, its voice carrying a trace of curiosity.
"Do you simply wish to see the power of Senjutsu, or do you seek to learn the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest from me?"
Hoshiyomi glanced at the Great Slug Sage and chose not to conceal anything. He honestly explained his plan to observe the Senjutsu of all three Great Holy Lands, hoping to learn upon their strengths and eventually develop a senjutsu unique to himself.
One reason for his honesty was Tsunade—because of her special connection, he could be certain the Great Slug Sage wouldn't harm him.
Another reason was that, like the Great Toad Sage, the Great Slug Sage was a being who had lived for over a thousand years. Even if she had spent most of that time in Shikkotsu Forest, the centuries of experience had turned her into a being as shrewd and wise as any old monster.
There was no benefit in lying to her. If she caught him lying, it would only offend a great sage. Hoshiyomi would never do something so foolish.
After hearing Hoshiyomi's explanation, the Great Slug Sage fell silent for a moment before speaking:
"That is indeed an interesting idea. It's been a very long time since I've met a young person who likes to think in such a way."
Hearing this praise, Hoshiyomi felt much more at ease. He had been half-worried the Great Slug Sage would take offense or refuse him outright.
The Great Slug Sage's antennae twitched again:
"Then tell me—how much do you understand about natural energy?"
Hoshiyomi briefly recounted the theories Orochimaru had validated. After hearing them, the Slug Sage nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems you've done your homework quite well. In that case, let me see whether you truly have the talent to learn Senjutsu."
As she spoke, one of the Great Slug Sage's massive antennae slowly lowered. The antenna was as thick as Hoshiyomi's entire body, and as it descended, he felt an overwhelming pressure, as if it might crush him at any second.
Suppressing the urge to dodge, Hoshiyomi braced himself as the soft, slimy, sticky antenna pressed against the top of his head. Goosebumps prickled all over his skin—the sensation was anything but pleasant.
The moment the antenna touched his head, Hoshiyomi felt an overwhelming chakra surge into him—a vast, oceanic force, almost terrifying in scale. This amount of chakra was no less than that of the Tailed Beasts.
As Hoshiyomi's thoughts raced,, the Great Slug Sage's antenna lingered on his head for a while before she suddenly let out a surprised hum. She lifted the antenna, then lowered it again, as if to confirm what she had sensed earlier.
"This shouldn't be… this shouldn't be possible."
Lifting her antennae, the Great Slug Sage looked down at Hoshiyomi with amazement:
"You, child—you are the most… unusual person I've encountered in a thousand years. Even Hashirama…"
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi's heart leapt with excitement. Did this mean he had some sort of extraordinary, innate talent for Senjutsu?
He hurriedly asked:
"Is there something special about my body? And… Lord Hashirama, did he also learn Senjutsu from you, Great Slug Sage?"
The Slug Sage did not immediately answer his first question, but instead replied to the second:
"In truth, that child Hashirama did not learn my senjutsu either. How should I put it… he was an exception, an anomaly. Perhaps the only way to describe him is as the 'chosen one.'"
Perhaps noticing Hoshiyomi's curiosity, the Great Slug Sage continued:
"As for Hashirama… how should I put it? He unintentionally achieved what you're trying to do. Originally, he came to me to learn the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest, but my method didn't work for him.
The method of training senjutsu here in Shikkotsu Forest isn't anything too mysterious. It simply involves my clones swallowing the learner, allowing them to sense natural energy inside my body.
Because my perception of natural energy is exceptionally keen, I can immediately sense changes in a human's body. As long as they don't recklessly absorb too much natural energy and cause it to go berserk, I can pull it back into myself in time.
But… it's not without risks. The greatest danger lies in the fact that entering my body isn't something just anyone can do. Inside me is a special corrosive mucus that automatically dissolves substances it perceives as harmful. This biological instinct is something even I can barely control. At most, I can suppress the secretion of the acid for about ten minutes.
If in those ten minutes the learner hasn't sensed natural energy, they must come out, and they can only try again after about a day. This strict time limit is the reason why so very few have ever succeeded in mastering Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu—after all, sensing natural energy within only ten minutes is extremely difficult."
Hearing this method, Hoshiyomi couldn't help twitching his lips. No wonder Tsunade had worn such a strange expression when he first mentioned wanting to learn Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu.
Just thinking about being swallowed into the slug's slimy, sticky insides to sense natural energy—with only ten minutes per attempt, a full 24-hour cooldown, and the risk of being corroded into sludge if something went wrong—made Hoshiyomi's scalp go numb. No wonder there were no recorded successes from Shikkotsu Forest; the conditions were far too harsh.
But the Great Slug Sage's words only made Hoshiyomi more curious. With such strict conditions, why did she say Hashirama hadn't succeeded?
As if realizing she had gone off-topic, the Great Slug Sage circled back:
"Hashirama's body was blessed with a great natural gift. He possessed a body capable of absorbing natural energy. So, I intended to teach him senjutsu using my method.
But who could have expected… he seemed to have a strong reaction to my mucus. Each time I swallowed him, he couldn't help but use Wood Release to resist."
At this point, the Great Slug Sage's gentle voice carried a faint note of exasperation—it was clear even she found the situation somewhat ridiculous.
Hoshiyomi secretly nodded in agreement. Being swallowed into a slimy, sticky space like that, of course anyone would instinctively resist.
But before he could speak, the Great Slug Sage revealed something that left Hoshiyomi completely speechless:
"Hashirama stabbed three of my clones with his Wood Release… and then… his Sage Mode awakened."
"????"
Hoshiyomi's face went blank with disbelief. After a long moment, he tentatively guessed:
"Do you mean… his Wood Release itself learned Senjutsu?"
The Great Slug Sage nodded, clearly just as speechless about the matter:
"Indeed. Hashirama's Wood Release absorbed the natural energy within my split bodies. In that process, it automatically memorized the method of absorbing natural energy. In other words, Hashirama never formally learned senjutsu at all—his Senjutsu were something his Wood Release instinctively learned and then fed back to him."