Inside the forest, a thick fog began to rise.
"Swish ! Swish ! Swish !"
Wan Ci weaved through the trees, his senses sweeping the surroundings.
Mount Myoboku's sage arts were illuminated in daylight.
Ryuchi Cave's arts thrived in darkness and shadow.
Shigu Forest, however, was shrouded in a dense fog, like stepping into a liminal backroom of reality.
"Strange. My senses indicate it should be nearby… why can't I see it?"
Wan Ci furrowed his brow in puzzlement.
The original text made it clear:
The slug summoned by Tsunade and Sakura represented only a tiny fragment of the Slug Sage's body.
In other words, the Slug Sage had to be enormous.
So enormous, in fact, that he should have been visible at a glance.
Yet Wan Ci searched for a long time without catching a glimpse of him.
And yet his senses confirmed that he was indeed very close.
Wan Ci thought for a moment. "Impossible… a sage's perception doesn't fail… could it be…"
Then realization dawned, and his eyes widened in awe as he looked down beneath him.
"Sage… you've been here all along?"
At that moment, the entire ground of Shigu Forest began to tremble.
The once-solid earth and trees transformed into slugs!
It was all part of the Slug Sage's body!
Leaping into the air, Wan Ci's eyes gleamed with astonishment.
"So that's it… truly enormous, just as expected…"
From the instant he entered Shigu Forest, Wan Ci had already located the Slug Sage.
The Slug Sage was the land beneath his feet.
"Hehe… you found me quickly. You are the first human to set foot in my forest. White-Eyebrow and Black Serpent told me about you. Since you wish to learn, I will grant it."
The Slug Sage spoke softly.
The next moment, a scroll appeared in front of Wan Ci.
At the same time, a small slug settled on his shoulder.
"I will assist you in learning the sage arts from now on, Master Wan Ci," the tiny slug said gently.
Wan Ci blinked in surprise. The Slug Sage was remarkably cooperative.
Just as the original text had described, the voice was pleasant to hear.
"Thank you, Sage!"
Wan Ci said, as always, "I will take no offense."
He immediately began his training.
Nearly a month passed.
Striking sage markings appeared on Wan Ci's face, similar to those of Hashirama Senju.
(Note: In the original work, Hashirama's sage arts were not said to originate from Shigu Forest. In this story, however, we establish that they do.)
"As expected, these are quite similar to Hashirama's," Wan Ci said with a faint smile, using his sage arts to form a water mirror, observing himself within.
The markings on his face now mirrored those of Hashirama almost perfectly.
"But, the sage arts of Shigu Forest react the same way as Ryuchi Cave's," Wan Ci realized.
He sensed that the sage arts could not be used simultaneously.
Just like Ryuchi Cave.
If he wished to activate one set of sage arts, the others had to be temporarily shut down.
"This is a problem. I need to find a way to fuse these arts together."
Wan Ci stroked his chin thoughtfully.
It was hard to imagine the power that could arise from fusing the three great sage arts along with the Ape Clan techniques.
"Patience. After months of learning so many arts, it's wise to take time to digest them all."
Soon after, Wan Ci signed a contract with Shigu Forest and bid farewell to the Slug Sage.
Returning to Mount Myoboku, he encountered a crying frog.
"Waaah… Great White-Eyebrow Sage, please, take this frog in. He has no home and both parents are gone…"
A scarred frog knelt before the White-Eyebrow Sage, pleading.
"What's the matter?"
Wan Ci approached, curious about the scene.
"Oh, Wan Ci has returned. It's nothing just an orphaned frog. Quite common," the White-Eyebrow Sage said with a deep sigh.
Wan Ci raised an eyebrow, gazing at the pitiful little frog. He crouched down and asked, "Little frog, what is your name?"
The scarred frog quickly nudged the small frog. "Hurry and answer! This is Master Wan Ci!"
The little frog hurriedly replied, "Greetings, Master Wan Ci. My name is Gamamaru."
"Gamamaru? Oh… hmm?"
Wan Ci nodded at first, then a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
Gamamaru… that name sounded familiar.
Wait the future head frog of Mount Myoboku was named Gamamaru, wasn't he?
Realizing this, Wan Ci looked at the little frog with mild astonishment, feeling the need to confirm.
"Gamamaru, tell me do you dream at night?"
Wan Ci asked casually.
Gamamaru's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly nodded. "Master Wan Ci, you are truly unfathomable. I do dream and every dream I've had comes true!"
Wan Ci smiled faintly. "What do you dream about?"
"I dream that one day I will become the leader of Mount Myoboku," Gamamaru answered truthfully.
At once, the scarred frog's face darkened. He scolded sharply, "Gamamaru, do not speak nonsense and play tricks before these sages!"
"I… I was wrong. Forgive me, masters!"
Gamamaru realized his mistake and bowed in apology.
Wan Ci glanced at the White-Eyebrow Sage with a faint smile. "Grandfather White-Eyebrow, what do you think?"
"Just the mischief of a playful child. Hardly worth taking seriously. Though it is strange for a frog to dream," White-Eyebrow replied with a gentle laugh.
Wan Ci studied Gamamaru briefly before speaking. "Gamamaru, since you have no parents, would you like to sign a contract with me?"
Gamamaru froze in surprise.
Not only Gamamaru, but even the White-Eyebrow Sage and the scarred frog seemed to question their ears.
Wan Ci was now the second most powerful figure in Mount Myoboku. Outside of the White-Eyebrow Sage, he was essentially in charge.
And he had only contracted with one frog before White-Eyebrow himself.
His previous contracts had been with prominent figures: the White Snake Sage, the White Ape King, and the White-Eyebrow Sage.
And now… Gamamaru? A simple, daydreaming little frog, a roadside nobody?
"You intend… to sign a contract with this frog?"
The scarred frog stammered, thinking it a joke.
Gamamaru dared not speak but his eyes shone with hope.
He believed deeply that his dreams would come true if only others believed.
Perhaps Master Wan Ci had seen potential in him.
"Of course. Come on, Gamamaru," Wan Ci said with a faint smile, producing a scroll.
And so, Gamamaru signed the contract, bewildered yet thrilled.
"From now on, move next to me. Live with me," Wan Ci instructed.
"Shouldn't you thank Master Wan Ci first?" the scarred frog reminded him.
Only then did Gamamaru snap out of his daze, bowing respectfully.
After Gamamaru left, White-Eyebrow Sage looked at Wan Ci with amusement. "Wan Ci, why sign a contract with this little frog?"
Wan Ci smiled faintly. "I found him interesting."
White-Eyebrow Sage chuckled knowingly. "It seems, Wan Ci, that you have also noticed something special about this frog…"
Wan Ci raised an eyebrow and his expression darkened. "Grandfather White-Eyebrow… you hadn't already taken note of Gamamaru, had you?"
White-Eyebrow Sage only smiled, remaining silent.