Anya was completely immersed in refining Sage Art energy. With Hashirama's power supporting her, she didn't need to worry about physical damage—the pain from injuries had long become something she was accustomed to.
Observing Anya closely, Hashirama couldn't help but nod appreciatively. He turned toward the slug on his shoulder and said, "Hey, Sage Slug, long time no see! Honestly, I never expected we'd meet again."
Sage Slug replied, "Me neither. It's really good seeing you again."
Hashirama's gaze shifted curiously as he asked, "He's wearing the necklace I left behind, but he doesn't look familiar—doesn't seem to be from our clan. It feels more like..."
Before he could finish, Sage Slug interjected, "He's from the Uchiha Clan. As for the necklace, Tsunade gave it to him—their relationship is quite special."
"Oh, haha, that explains it!" Hashirama laughed heartily. "Seems like my granddaughter has grown up. This must be someone she truly cares for."
Though sometimes seeming a bit naive, Hashirama had actually guessed correctly this time.
After finishing his laugh, he curiously asked, "By the way, how is the village doing now? Do you know?"
Letting out a sigh, Sage Slug responded, "The village is holding up alright. But ever since you left, large-scale wars have kept breaking out every few years—they called it the Great Ninja World War. The Third Great Ninja World War just ended recently."
Rubbing his forehead helplessly, Hashirama muttered, "Ah… No matter which era it is, war seems unavoidable."
After pausing briefly, Hashirama redirected his attention toward Anya: "This young man's physical condition is seriously problematic—he's beyond even what I can heal. Strange indeed."
Although the body revived through Edo Tensei wasn't at its prime, it clearly contained his own cells, giving it amazing regenerative powers. Even so, Anya's health remained troubling—it was no ordinary wound.
"Reportedly, it's caused by some kind of seal," answered Sage Slug.
"I see," Hashirama mused while observing Anya's tightly closed eyes thoughtfully.
Long ago, Madara Uchiha had also gone blind—nearly crippled—but later transplanted Mangekyo Sharingan eyes from his younger brother Izuna Uchiha, achieving Eternity. Regaining sight and gaining immense power, Madara became unmatched across the ninja world except against himself.
Looking at this young man, he seemed to have encountered the same trouble Madara once faced. Most likely, risking his life learning Sage Art techniques was all meant to break through this seal.
As natural energy from Shikkotsu Forest began flowing into her body, Anya carefully started refining it, keeping firmly in mind the limit of one-third mentioned by Sage Slug.
Natural energy was extremely dangerous—if mishandled during refinement, internal organs could be instantly corroded beyond salvation, even Hashirama would struggle to save her then.
Focusing inward, Anya meticulously refined the energies bit by bit, just as precise as when practicing sword techniques.
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed, under fine control of spiritual strength, confident that all three components were perfectly balanced, she gritted her teeth and entered the final step—fusion.
Physical energy, spiritual energy, and natural energy blended together harmoniously, giving birth to an entirely new form of chakra within her body. At the same time, patterns slowly began emerging across her face.
Dark markings appeared on Anya's handsome face as the Sage Chakra coursed through his body. Once the energy fully circulated, Sage Mode was officially activated. His cells eagerly absorbed natural energy, but within minutes, the facial markings had already faded, signaling chakra depletion and an automatic exit from the mode.
Before he could even feel joy, a strong sense of disappointment washed over him. Was it success or failure? Anya seemed lost for a moment.
"Kid, not bad at all. You've mastered Sage Mode in just one month—almost as good as me," a praising voice reached his ears.
Snapping out of it, Anya felt a powerful chakra guarding his body. Without it, after a month beneath this acid rain, he probably wouldn't have been left with more than bones.
Jumping down from the stone platform, Anya sincerely said, "Thank you, First Hokage, for saving me."
"Haha." Hashirama stepped forward and patted Anya's shoulder. "As a member of Konoha village, you're family now. No need for thanks."
Just from that one sentence, Anya could feel the sincerity and charisma of this great man. No wonder everyone had supported him when Konoha was first established.
"Did I successfully master Sage Mode?"
With such a powerful figure here and so approachable, Anya naturally wouldn't let go of this perfect opportunity.
"Of course you succeeded," Hashirama first affirmed Anya's training before pausing momentarily to add, "However, there's an issue with your body—not only the Seal within your blood but something else as well."
"Something else?" Anya's heart clenched. Just one Seal had nearly killed him. Adding another problem—could it really be Heaven's will to end him?
"Don't panic," Hashirama reassured him. "Didn't you notice? After learning Sage Mode, the Seal inside you has weakened considerably."
Anya immediately sensed his body and found it true. Since he'd lost his sight, a heavy weight had always pressed on his chest, making his body feel sluggish and growing worse each day.
But today was different. His body inexplicably felt lighter, and his Sage Chakra, recently drained, quickly replenished itself, as if a crack had formed in some kind of restraint upon his body.
"It actually worked. Looks like I'll survive." The long shadow of death lifted slightly from Anya. Survival was naturally the best outcome, saving him from considering any alternative plans.
"Just keep in mind—Sage Mode can only prolong your life. A full cure is still impossible." Hashirama's honest words quickly brought Anya back down to earth.
Anya frowned, "So does that mean I'm trapped here in Shikkotsu Forest forever?"
What's the point of living like that anyway?
Hashirama thought hard for a while, offering no immediate suggestions.
Anya then asked, "First Hokage, what did you mean earlier by 'something else'?"
"Oh, that. I discovered something truly incredible about you."
"Hashirama blurted out in shock, 'That means your physical body and soul are highly uncoordinated. Generally speaking, everyone's body and spirit are in balance, or even the soul is weaker than the physical body. But you're different. Your soul power far exceeds your physical body. You can even manipulate your body freely, just like your Sage Mode, which was achieved with the help of soul power.'"
Fortunately, Anya was already blind, otherwise his gaze at this moment would have been quite terrifying, because Hashirama had let slip Anya's biggest secret— he was a transmigrator, and his soul originally didn't belong to this physical body.
Anya quickly calmed himself and asked, "What effects does this have?"
Hashirama thought for a moment and said, "It's like a cup trying to hold way too much water. It's very easy to..."
[Boom!]
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