Kaede realized just how much having Rin with him helped.
Inside Mount Myoboku, nearly all the creatures were insects, and unlike Bear Grylls, he wasn't at the top of the food chain. Those creepy crawlies really weren't appetizing. But with Rin around, every meal was basically normal human food.
And it didn't interfere with his training either. He could devote all his time to cultivation without wasting energy hunting or preparing food.
Five days of training.
With time acceleration, that was equivalent to twenty-five days.
It was much faster compared to training the Ryūchi Cave Sage Art. This was naturally because having experience with the Ryūchi Cave technique made learning the Myoboku Sage Art much easier.
After mastering the Myoboku Sage Art, Kaede didn't rush off to the Shikkotsu Forest. Instead, he began a rather reckless experiment.
First, he activated the Myoboku Sage Art.
Then, on top of that, he tried layering the Ryūchi Cave Sage Art.
The result was...
Bang!
Natural energy inside him violently clashed, nearly causing his body to explode.
Next, Kaede tried a second reckless approach, using half his body to hold the Myoboku Sage Art, and the other half to hold the Ryūchi Cave Sage Art. That attempt also failed.
His body nearly split apart at the center.
Though the Myoboku and Ryūchi Cave Sage Arts seemed like yin and yang, one soft, the other hard, simply forcing them together didn't create fusion.
For his last attempt, based on cell activation and using the Hundred Techniques as a container, he tried combining the two states again.
This time, he barely achieved a fragile balance.
He entered a strange state.
Two Sage Modes coexist, making his aura extremely heavy.
However, this state only lasted a few seconds before collapsing entirely.
Even if he used time reversal to maintain it longer, it was meaningless to Kaede, this dual Sage Mode didn't enhance his strength beyond the level of the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates Lightning Release.
In fact, it was weaker in both speed and power, only granting heightened perception.
That wasn't what he wanted.
What he sought was a perfect Sage body, one that could merge seamlessly with the Eight Gates technique.
"Let's go, Rin."
"We're heading to the Shikkotsu Forest."
Kaede didn't linger any longer and quickly left with Rin.
His departure finally eased the Great Toad Sage's worries, Kaede's stay had kept the old toad slightly on edge these days.
…..
Time flew by.
The 47th year in Konoha passed just like that.
So many things happened this year: Yellow Flashes shaking the ninja world, the return of the silver flash, the birth of the Fourth Hokage, the demise of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen...
Yet the year still passed.
Time didn't change with any event; it was like a river flowing endlessly forward.
Half a month after leaving Mount Myoboku, Kaede and Rin arrived at the Shikkotsu Forest.
Here, mastering the Sage Art was easier, and the slug spirits were far friendlier than the solemn Great Toad Sage or the sly White Snake Sage.
After obtaining the Shikkotsu Sage Art, Kaede began training right away. This time, it took only three days to master the art.
Of course, three days on the surface meant nearly half a month under time acceleration.
"The final piece of the puzzle is complete."
After mastering the Shikkotsu Sage Art and entering Sage Mode, Kaede opened his eyes.
His face bore the distinctive sage markings. His appearance hadn't changed much, but sticky white fluid continuously seeped from his body.
Splash!
At his command, his body dissolved into a puddle of slugs, then reformed back into his human shape in another direction.
As expected, the Myoboku Sage Art enhanced ninjutsu and taijutsu directly; the Ryūchi Cave Sage Art favored perception and softening the body; while the Myoboku Art increased division and vitality.
"Only the perfect form of Myoboku Sage Mode can accept this."
Kaede looked at himself and muttered.
Ignoring other factors, the three sacred places' Sage Arts made the Shikkotsu Sage Mode the least useful to him, since he had time reversal power and didn't need the fragmentation to boost vitality.
At best, this form served as a lubricant.
"Well then... the real training begins now!"
Kaede dispelled the Shikkotsu Sage Art, returned his body to normal, and used time reversal to clean his sticky clothes. Then he sat down again.
Based on cell activation,
Using the Hundred Techniques as a container,
And the three Sage Arts as the ingredients,
Kaede closed his eyes, and his chakra began circulating.
The natural energy in the Shikkotsu Forest surged toward him.
With precise control,
One-third of his chakra merged with Myoboku Sage Art,
One-third with Ryūchi Cave Sage Art,
And the last third with Shikkotsu Sage Art.
His chakra split into three distinct pools, each infused with a different Sage Art, spinning and merging continuously under the Hundred Techniques' guidance.
This time,
The fusion proceeded with barely a ripple.
Compared to previous attempts at merging Ryūchi Cave and Myoboku Arts, this was vastly simpler.
The Shikkotsu Sage Art truly acted as a lubricant,
Allowing the "dry" Ryūchi Cave and Myoboku Arts to combine almost perfectly without the previous conflicts.
Buzz!
Kaede suddenly opened his eyes.
A faint golden light burst from within him, the glow born of the three Sage Modes combined.
The light enveloped his clothes, forming a pale golden robe adorned with subtle Sage runes and patterns.
"This is... the perfect Sage Mode."
Kaede stood, feeling his new state, taking a deep breath.
He sensed that this form combined the full strengths of all three Sage Arts, their weaknesses cancelling each other out. His core was unaffected.
It transcended the three Sage Modes, a truly perfect Sage Mode!
No one had ever simultaneously mastered the Sage Arts of the three sacred places, nor dared to wield all three at once.
Only Kaede, with his time reversal power, had accomplished this, the only one in the ninja world to possess the perfect Sage Mode!
"As I expected."
Kaede whispered.
In this perfect Sage Mode, his chakra flowed dynamically, the three Sage Arts spinning and intertwining endlessly.
This flow forged his body, refining every cell.
He could feel the energy purifying and transforming his cells, reshaping his constitution.
This was indeed the path to becoming a true Sage Body!
==========
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