After having been able to enter Sage Mode after just a few weeks of learning it, he felt brand new.
Nice, even—but now he had to speak to the Slug Sage. He wondered what she wanted to discuss. He was free. He could talk.
As he arrived in front of the Sage, the big bug began to speak.
"You are... unlike the Senju, yet you carry their echoes. Your body harmonized with our chakra faster than even Hashirama. Strange... unnerving. But also... miraculous."
Seijuro gave a slight bow, calm and humble.
"I'm a fast learner," he said with a grin, though even he wasn't quite sure how he'd adapted so quickly. Maybe it was the Five Senses Genkai. Maybe it was his body reacting to it, like it was a piece of himself.
For some odd reason, recently he'd been having dreams of being a god... and then getting his shit smacked by a little kid with silver hair.
No clue where that came from though.
"You are... dangerously balanced," the Sage murmured. "Most tip one way or another. But you—you're all elements in one... and none."
For three more weeks, Seijuro trained under the slugs.
He practiced the Oozing Reversion dozens of times until he could snuff out jutsu without flinching.
He used the Thousand Digestive Threads to melt through solid rock and chakra armors, draining mock enemies of their power.
He mastered the Mucosal Membrane, using it to slide through tight defenses, resist high-speed strikes, and even nullify most low-tier illusions entirely.
The Cellular Regeneration Field formed naturally around him—wherever he went, the ground healed, grass thickened, and the slugs called him The Living Grove.
The only technique he hadn't mastered was Slug Mitosis. He wasn't good enough with it yet, but he was getting the general gist of it—probably needed a few more days.
After all, he'd been in the Sage's place for the last three months or so.
No, the Slug sage said, his body was to weak, if he were to make a clone, they would both die, that was the reason he couldn't master this technique.{Remember this, it will be important for future chapter}
And with his clones, that was roughly 2 to 5 years' worth of training.
His clone count was roughly around thirty.
With ten clones, he would've gained about 2.5 to 3 years' worth of training. With thirty?
That was closer to 7.5 years of straight training in Sage Jutsu.
He was quite good with it now.
Seven years to becoming a perfect sage seemed decent enough. He didn't need the slugs to enter Sage Mode, though they did make it easier. He could get into Sage Mode without them.
He was, as they said—
A Perfect Sage.
Truly, he was like a god-given talent.
With this Sage Mode, alongside the slug's generous teaching of their water-style jutsu, he felt glad.
Hm. Nawaki should definitely learn from them.
Speaking of which—
"Thank you. For your time, your chakra, and your wisdom."
A chorus of slugs hummed in approval. The great Sage's voice rumbled once more:
"Do not fret. You are our summoner," the Slug Sage said politely.
"If I may ask, Lady Katsuyu... may I have a piece of slug? Due to its quantity of Yang Chakra, I wish to use it to help my friend awaken Wood Style." He was quite polite—he didn't have to state his intent, but he did.
The giant slug looked at him and then—
The next second, released a vial of green liquid that Seijuro caught and tucked away.
He bowed to the Sage before leaving. He would forever remember this.
Sure, he could now excrete that liquid himself, but his version wasn't as good. He much preferred getting it from the source.
—⸻—
POV Change – Hokage Tower, Konoha
Seijuro returned to Konoha under moonlight. No one noticed. Not even the sensory team.
When he got home, the first thing he received was a letter from the Hokage, telling him to report back upon return.
He sighed a bit. Fucking work.
He stepped into ANBU Headquarters, donned his black ops gear, placed his fox mask on, and vanished once more.
Within minutes, he appeared before Hiruzen—kneeling quietly in his shadow.
The Hokage looked up from a sealed scroll.
"You're back," Hiruzen said, watching him.
"Yes, Lord Third," he replied, still bowing his head.
Oh, the dick-riding was insane.
"I have a mission for your squad. SS-Rank. You're to enter Kirigakure territory and initiate chaos—disrupt their war front, assassinate their communication links, and if possible... plant false intelligence."
He tossed the sealed scroll forward. "You will have no backup. If you're caught, there is no retrieval."
This sounded like a goddamn suicide mission. Goddamn.
Seijuro picked it up and tucked it away without blinking.
"It will be done."
He didn't need to ask who else was coming. His team knew the rhythm already. The moment he left this office, they'd be waiting.
—⸻—
POV Shift – War Veteran Who Has Wet Dreams About Being Hokage
From the shadows of the tower, just beneath the Hokage's chamber, a single eye watched the meeting end through a chakra-glass mirror.
Danzo, hands folded under his cloak, said nothing at first.
"...Slug Sage..." he muttered. "He'll become a problem soon."
A Root ANBU agent stepped forward. "Orders?"
Danzo turned slowly.
"Prepare our sleeper in Seijuro's team. If he dies in Kiri, fine. If not..."
A chilling pause.
"...we make sure he does not return."
Seijuro had way too fucking much influence. He had to go. He just had to.
For fuck's sake, apart from Hiruzen, this boy was like the popular guy among ninja.
Especially the civilians.
And from the look of it, the Uchiha too.
Anyone associated with those damn Uchigers didn't deserve to be Hokage.
A/N...I do not condone any racism, however I do believe that how this old man would speak, as for Tobirama, its heh, he doesn't like Uchiha, but he doesn't hate them either.