Hoshiyomi scratched his head sheepishly after being scolded by the Slug Sage. Fortunately, she was a good-natured sage. After giving him a knock and some words of admonishment, her tone softened:
"Though you were a bit reckless, it's not entirely a bad thing. With this lesson, you probably won't let greed get the better of you again. Still, in the way of Senjutsu, you do have some talent. To achieve serenity so quickly, and even draw in natural energy ahead of schedule… that was beyond my expectations. In a sense, you've already accomplished what you set out to do — sensing and developing Sage Mode independently, without relying on the holy lands' aids.
That said… I really am curious. What exactly is that method of yours that makes you disappear?"
Hoshiyomi answered honestly:
"This is my Gekko clan's kekkei genkai. It's called Transparent Release. By combining my unique physique with a specific chakra circulation route, I can render myself invisible."
The Slug Sage fell into a rare silence. After a long pause, she finally spoke:
"If that's the case… your clan must have an exceptionally ancient lineage."
"Huh?" Hoshiyomi perked up, his interest caught. "Slug Sage, do you know something about my clan?"
The Slug Sage shook her head gently:
"Not exactly. After all, I've lived in the Shikkotsu Forest all my life. Among the three great holy lands, ours is the most isolated from the outside world. A thousand years ago, I wasn't as strong as I am now — you could even say I avoided leaving here because I had natural enemies to fear.
But even though I seldom ventured out, I still heard bits and pieces over the centuries. In the distant past, before humans had even mastered chakra, there existed certain people who possessed unique abilities.
If we explained it in modern terms, they were likely born with a natural affinity for nature energy. Because of this, they wielded strange powers. These abilities weren't as formidable as the current chakra system, but in that era, such individuals were revered as heroes — almost legendary figures.
I always thought they had vanished in the long river of history, especially once the chakra system spread across the world. But seeing you now reminds me of those beings. It seems those people didn't disappear after all — rather, they merged with the chakra system and passed down their powers through ninja clans.
I suspect your ancestors were one of those ancient tribes especially attuned to nature energy. Your clan inherited that affinity, and once combined with chakra, it evolved into what you now call Transparent Release."
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi couldn't help but let his imagination run wild. He had once wondered the same thing back when he read the manga.
If the complete chakra system all originated from the Ōtsutsuki clan, then theoretically every bloodline should trace back to either the Sage's Body or the Sage's Eyes.
Yet in the original story, there were clearly abilities outside that framework — not part of the chakra system at all. For instance, the Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique, the Iburi clan's Smoke Release, or the Jūgo's clan's nature energy absorption. None of these had any connection to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's powers.
Some of these kekkei genkai weren't even exclusive to shinobi; even ordinary civilians could use them (like Ranmaru in the filler arcs).
Now, after hearing the Slug Sage's explanation, Hoshiyomi finally felt he'd found the answer. These clans likely awakened such strange abilities precisely because of their affinity with natural energy.
If those clans had also mastered Senjutsu… that would have been true synergy, making their training half the effort for twice the results.
And fortunately, Hoshiyomi's body itself originated from one of those clans with a natural affinity for these unique energies.
However, this wasn't entirely a blessing. Possessing such a bloodline only meant that one was better at sensing natural energy. Whether or not one could truly master it depended on their effort in training Senjutsu and their own intelligence. Otherwise, just like Jūgo's clan, they could just as easily lose control and turn into monsters.
Based on this theory, Hoshiyomi gained a deeper understanding of Senjutsu. In his mind, he divided Sage potential into two categories: sensing talent and usage talent.
Sensing talent determined the upper limit of Senjutsu.
Usage talent determined the lower limit.
For example, in the original story, Jiraiya was a case of lacking sensing talent. As everyone knows, Jiraiya's Sage Mode, with its obvious toad-like features, was an imperfect Sage Mode.
This "imperfection" didn't mean he failed to balance chakra and natural energy at a one-to-one ratio. Rather, it meant that Jiraiya's ability to sense natural energy had already reached its peak. Beyond that, he could neither perceive nor absorb any more. That was why his Sage Mode remained stuck at that level.
On the other hand, Minato Namikaze was the opposite — he lacked usage talent. In terms of sensing and absorbing natural energy, he was actually more gifted than Naruto. Minato only needed to close and open his eyes to enter Sage Mode. Yet his usage talent was unexpectedly poor.
For him, harmonizing natural energy with chakra seemed unusually difficult — it was hard for him to control it perfectly. Though he could absorb natural energy quickly, he struggled to convert it into Sage Chakra within a short time. That was why Minato himself admitted he wasn't good at Senjutsu.
As for Hoshiyomi, his sensing talent was already proven to be excellent. That meant his upper limit in Sage Mode would not be low. The only question left was how strong his usage talent would be.
With these thoughts clear in his mind, Hoshiyomi turned to the Slug Sage, his eyes bright with anticipation:
"Slug Sage, how can I learn to absorb natural energy into my body like you do?"
The Slug Sage replied directly:
"Since you're already capable of drawing natural energy to you, the next step is simple. I'll inject natural energy into your body, and you'll try to communicate with it once it enters.
Don't worry about it running wild — I'll be here to expel any rampaging natural energy from you. My assistance won't affect your Sage Mode at all. You haven't entered my body, so my fluids or chakra won't interfere with you. All I'll be doing is leaving a starting point.
As long as you can succeed in merging with the first wisp of natural energy on your own, what comes after will no longer require my help."