Wait a minute—directly sensing natural energy without relying on external aids?
Hoshiyomi remembered that in the original story, it was said the three Great Holy Lands had such abundant natural energy, which was why they were the best places for training in senjutsu.
If that's the case, then couldn't he, instead of relying on the three Great Sages, just use the overwhelming natural energy of the Sacred Lands themselves to awaken a Sage Mode unique to himself?
Hoshiyomi shared his idea with the Great Slug Sage. After listening, the Sage twitched her antennae, hesitating:
"To be honest, I don't think that's a good approach. Even with the help of the mediums from the three Holy Lands, training in senjutsu is a one-in-a-million chance. To attempt it without them would be like chasing a fantasy. My advice is not to aim too high.
If you truly wish to learn senjutsu, whether with my help or through your own study, you must always begin with the most basic step—quieting the mind.
Rather than worrying about distant, vague possibilities, why not start with the very first step? Don't you agree?"
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi nodded silently. She was right—he hadn't even mastered the most basic part, yet he was already thinking about the later steps. That was indeed overthinking.
"So what should I do?" Hoshiyomi asked, half-expecting the Great Slug Sage to assign him something like a meditation platform, the way Fukasaku did with Naruto.
The Great Slug tilted her head:
"What do you mean, 'what should you do'? Quieting the mind simply means immersing your thoughts, reaching true emptiness, achieving a spiritual state where you are one with heaven, earth, and nature. Why would that need instructions?"
Hoshiyomi scratched his head awkwardly. She was right—he was overcomplicating it. The high platform Fukasaku used was only to help Naruto reach that state more quickly.
Alright then, let's start.
With that thought, Hoshiyomi sat cross-legged in a lotus position, trying to relax as much as possible and to sense this so-called union with all of creation.
But as soon as he sat down, distracting thoughts surged in. What if I fail at learning senjutsu?
With such a mediocre body, can I really sense natural energy without the system?
If I don't have Sage Mode, how will I ever deal with Six Paths Madara and Kaguya later on?
"No, no, stop," Hoshiyomi shook his head rapidly, trying to fling away the intrusive thoughts—but it didn't help.
Hmm, kind of hungry. Should I eat something first?
My shoes feel a bit tight, not comfortable at all.
"Aaaahhh!" Hoshiyomi groaned in frustration, snapping his eyes open. He felt too full of energy right now to sense nature.
He got up, told the Great Slug Sage he'd step aside for a while, and began running laps around Shikkotsu Forest aimlessly. In his previous life, he often ran when he felt irritable—it helped him sweat out messy thoughts.
Two laps around the vast Shikkotsu Forest took more than four hours. Hoshiyomi collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat, and tried once more to empty his mind.
As he felt the sweat dripping down his body, his thoughts seemed to slowly scatter… just then, smack! A slug clone the size of a person whipped its tail at him.
Snapped back to reality, complained in annoyance:
"Great Slug Sage, what was that for? I think I was just about to reach a calm state!"
The Sage shook her head with a helpless tone:
"Calmness and drowsiness are not the same thing. What you had just now was called nodding off, not quieting the mind. They may look similar, but they're completely different."
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi scratched his head sheepishly. She was right—what he had just now couldn't be called calmness at all.
He got back up, sat down again, and tried once more to empty himself. This time, there were fewer distracting thoughts, but he still hadn't entered that state of complete stillness.
Suddenly, a breeze swept through, carrying a faint rustling sound. Hoshiyomi instinctively tilted his head to listen, but then realized—once again, without noticing, his mind had wandered, distracted by the sound of the wind.
Being a shinobi meant maintaining constant vigilance, twenty-four hours a day. Although Hoshiyomi wasn't exactly a full-fledged shinobi, his many years of missions had deeply affected him. He was no longer the shut-in who could so easily drift off in thought. And of course, distraction and quieting the mind were two completely different states. Ironically, the very alertness that shinobi relied on was now obstructing him.
After several failed attempts, a whole day slipped by. Hoshiyomi still hadn't made any progress. Fortunately, he wasn't in any rush—Konoha was stable and peaceful for now, and there would be no issue with him staying in Shikkotsu Forest for a long while.
The next morning, instead of immediately trying again, Hoshiyomi asked the Great Slug Sage:
"Isn't there really any trick to achieving a calm mind?"
The Great Slug glanced at him and said:
"Don't be impatient, little Hoshiyomi. I've already told you all the secrets of quieting the mind."
With that, she ignored him and simply flopped onto the ground, motionless.
"All the secrets already?" Hoshiyomi scratched his head in confusion, replaying what the Great Slug had told him yesterday.
Didn't she just say: merge with heaven and earth, with nature itself? That counts as a secret?
Wait… merge with nature itself!
Hoshiyomi suddenly slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten that?
Without thinking further about sitting cross-legged or lying down, he moved into the stance most familiar to him. Knees bent slightly, lowering his center of gravity—left hand gripping the scabbard, right hand resting on the hilt. It was the stance of Iaido.
Iaido emphasized remaining still as a mountain, yet striking with the fire of an all-out assault: first responding to all changes with stillness, then defeating the enemy in a single, lightning-fast blow. Wasn't that very similar to the essence of quieting the mind?
Besides, Hoshiyomi had his own little trick.
As he assumed the stance of Iaido, his chakra began flowing naturally, circulating along a strange and unique path. Following this circulation, his body gradually became transparent—until finally, it vanished entirely.
Becoming one with nature—literally!
He chuckled to himself. He really shouldn't have forgotten this yesterday. Transparent Release was his very own kekkei genkai.
Though Transparent Release wasn't exactly a powerful bloodline ability, it did have one crucial feature: when entering that state, his body shifted in sync with the surrounding environment.
While using Transparent Release, Hoshiyomi would unconsciously adjust his heartbeat and body temperature in harmony with his surroundings. In a sense, these adjustments were even more advanced than simply quieting the mind.
This was true closeness to nature.