The Wet Bone Forest

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At the rear mountain of the Tenbin Clan, Akio led Hashirama in search of something.

"Found it! This spot has the highest concentration of natural energy," Akio shouted. "Rasengan!"

Akio formed a Rasengan and struck the mountain wall, revealing a deep, dark cave.

The two exchanged glances before stepping inside.

After advancing roughly fifty or sixty meters, the space suddenly opened up, unveiling a massive underground palace.

Five colossal doors stood upright within the palace, their engravings exuding an aura of death.

"Could this be... the Rashomon?" Akio murmured. Sure enough, after searching the palace, the two found a contract scroll tucked away in a corner.

"Great-Uncle, you should sign the contract," Hashirama suggested. After some thought, he decided his Wood Release was sufficient for defense, making such a summoning technique unnecessary.

"Hashirama, take a closer look... This isn't just an ordinary defensive jutsu. Feel the strength of these doors. Even if we summon them, we may only be able to bring forth their spectral forms. Moreover, I doubt I could summon all five gates at once. It would be far more practical for you to form the contract," Akio explained.

Hashirama examined the structure carefully before nodding and signing his name on the contract scroll without further objection.

A familiar row of Kanji flashed before Akio's eyes: "Witness and participate in a side story of the Naruto world – Fivefold Rashomon. Earn 2 Witness Points."

Though pleased with this discovery, Akio remained unsatisfied. This was not the true objective of his journey.

"We've searched the entire palace and found nothing else, Great-Uncle. Should we..." Hashirama began.

"No, there's still one place we haven't checked," Akio interrupted. He expanded his sensory perception to its fullest, soon detecting an anomaly at the central gate.

"Hashirama, use the Summoning Jutsu to move that central gate."

Hashirama hesitated for a moment but then channeled a significant amount of chakra, barely managing to shift the massive door.

"I didn't expect the Rashomon's physical form to be so difficult to summon... Even in his prime, summoning five real gates simultaneously would likely be impossible for Hashirama," Akio thought. But his attention quickly turned to the revealed pathway beneath the gate.

"So there really is more to this place. Let's go down, Hashirama," Akio said.

Hashirama nodded and took the lead. The tunnel was unremarkable but stretched several hundred meters. When they finally emerged, it felt as though they had entered an entirely different world.

"The natural energy here is so dense..." Akio took a deep breath and muttered, "If my guess is correct, this must be... Shikkotsu Forest."

Shikkotsu Forest, along with Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave, was one of the Three Great Sage Lands. In the legends of Konoha, Jiraiya trained at Mount Myoboku under the Great Toad Sage, while Orochimaru and later Kabuto trained at Ryuchi Cave under the White Snake Sage. Tsunade's summoning beast hailed from Shikkotsu Forest, strongly suggesting that she had a connection to its Sage training.

In Akio's past life, Naruto never explicitly confirmed if anyone trained in Sage Mode here, but based on existing clues, it was highly probable that the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, learned Sage Mode in Shikkotsu Forest. The regenerative abilities of slugs closely resembled the Senju clan's vitality, and Hashirama's transformed Sage Mode features differed entirely from those of Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave. All signs pointed to Shikkotsu Forest as his place of training.

"So Hashirama really did learn Sage Mode here… I wonder if I have a chance to learn it too," Akio pondered, suddenly feeling like he had forgotten something.

Shikkotsu Forest wasn't a lush paradise filled with chirping birds and fragrant flowers. Instead, it was damp, cold, and covered in mud.

"Well, it is a place where slugs live, after all," Akio muttered. When he looked up, he saw an enormous slug staring directly at them.

Akio felt awkward. "Slugs can't read minds... right?"

Fortunately, his concerns were unfounded. The Great Slug Sage merely glanced at him before shifting its full attention to Hashirama.

"Asura! What brings you to Shikkotsu Forest?" the Great Slug Sage asked.

Hashirama looked around in confusion, thinking it was speaking to someone else.

"You're talking to me? My name is Senju Hashirama..." Hashirama trailed off as he realized the Great Slug Sage's gaze was locked onto him.

"Wow, that's a giant slug! And it can talk?" Hashirama finally reacted, while Akio, watching from the side, felt secondhand embarrassment for the sage.

"I see..." The Great Slug Sage murmured. "It makes sense. Centuries have passed, and Asura is long gone. But your chakra and personality… A reincarnation?"

"So, travelers, why have you come to Shikkotsu Forest?" the Great Slug Sage asked.

"What is this place?" Akio inquired, though he already knew the answer.

"This is Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sage Lands. I am the Great Slug Sage," the slug explained.

"A Sage? Does that mean you can teach us Sage Jutsu?" Hashirama asked excitedly upon hearing the title.

"Sage Jutsu?" The Great Slug Sage pondered for a moment. "Teaching you is not a problem. You two are the first visitors in centuries. However..." It examined Akio carefully before shaking its head slightly.

Akio felt his heart sink. "Why can't I learn Sage Jutsu?"

"It's not that I won't teach you. You may train alongside Hashirama, but you lack Yang-natured chakra. Without it, mastering Sage Jutsu will be extremely difficult, and even if you do, using it effectively will be another challenge," the Great Slug Sage explained.

"That's fine. I still want to try learning Sage Jutsu," Akio insisted. He thought of Jiraiya, who had pushed Sage Jutsu to impressive heights. If he could reach even a fraction of that level, he would be satisfied.

"As for Yang-natured chakra... I'll find a way to acquire it eventually," Akio resolved.

"Very well. I will teach you both Sage Jutsu," the Great Slug Sage declared.

"Chakra is formed by mixing one's physical and spiritual energy. Sage Jutsu builds upon this by absorbing natural energy and blending all three in perfect harmony. Your first step is to perceive natural energy..."

As the Great Slug Sage explained, Akio gradually grasped the intricacies of Sage Mode training.

Just then, another row of familiar Kanji flashed in his mind: "Witness and slightly alter a major event in the Naruto world – Senju Hashirama's acquisition of Sage Jutsu. Earn 10 (*2) Witness Points."

"Slightly alter? What did I change?"

Akio thought for a long time before realizing—Hashirama had obtained Sage Mode far too early.

"Madara won't achieve his Eternal Mangekyo for at least another decade... Does that mean Hashirama can just utterly overpower him?"

What now? Would Hashirama establish Konoha earlier just by sheer strength?

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