Naruto: Starting With Creating A Genius Persona

’Oh?’

Shinichi lowered his gaze at this unusual hospitality, and inwardly raised an eyebrow. Naturally, he had no intention of eating those leaves. It was not because he disliked the sage’s saliva upon them, but because he had never imagined that one of the two objectives of his trip to Shikkotsu Forest would be accomplished so effortlessly.

Saliva was, after all, also part of one’s genetic material.

"What’s wrong, little Shinichi? Why aren’t you eating? Is it not to your taste?"

Seeing that Shinichi had no intention of eating, the Damp Slug Sage raised her head again and asked in a puzzled tone, as though wondering why this little fellow was hesitating over such a delicious meal.

"Sage, tree leaves... Aren’t part of our human diet. I’m afraid I’ve caused you unnecessary trouble."

Shinichi declined as tactfully as he could.

"What a pity. These leaves are delicious; they’re so tender and crisp."

The Damp Slug Sage gently shook her antennae, her tone filled with regret.

"However, sage, I’ve never seen such a gigantic tree before. Would it be alright if I took these leaves back to conduct some research on them?"

Shinichi asked casually, without revealing his true intentions.

"Do as you like. I already gave them to you anyway."

The Damp Slug Sage answered without the slightest hesitation, as though the matter was too insignificant to warrant even a moment’s thought.

"Thank you, sage."

Hearing that, Shinichi inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

His trip to Shikkotsu Forest had two objectives: one was to cultivate Sage Jutsu, and the other was to obtain the Damp Slug Sage’s genetic material. Before coming, he had considered numerous plans and expected both tasks to require considerable effort. He had never imagined that the second objective would be accomplished so easily.

He carefully stored away the leaves before raising his head. His gaze settled upon the colossal tree that towered over the heavens as he continued, "Speaking of which, sage, I’ve never seen such a magnificent ancient tree before. I wonder how many years it has been growing?

And what exactly is its origin?"

"Let me think."

The Damp Slug Sage stopped chewing, her two antennae swaying gently, and after a moment, she spoke again.

"I can’t remember. All I know is that ever since I can remember, this tree has always been here. Back then I was very, very small, even smaller than the little slug you met before. Every day I would lie on this tree, eat its leaves, and sleep on its branches. After all these years, it doesn’t seem to have changed much. It’s still this big, and it’s still just as delicious."

"I see."

Shinichi nodded, but inwardly he thought, so that’s how it is.

An ordinary person looking at this ancient tree would probably marvel only at its immense size and grandeur, but to Shinichi, who could now clearly perceive Nature Energy, the significance of this tree went far beyond that.

At a single glance, he perceived the immense Nature Energy circulating throughout the ancient tree, a boundless current of energy resonating in perfect harmony with all of Shikkotsu Forest.

Every leaf and branch silently inhaled and exhaled the essence of heaven and earth.

Just how enormous was that energy?

So enormous that Shinichi had a faint intuition.

Even if only a tiny fraction of the Nature Energy contained within this tree were converted into a gentle form that could be easily absorbed, he probably wouldn’t survive more than a few seconds before his body exploded.

Shinichi couldn’t help but think that the Damp Slug Sage’s status as one of the three great sages of this planet was due not only to her extraordinary talent, but also inseparable from this ancient tree.

This tree was likely the opportunity that had changed her fate.

She had grown up on this tree from childhood, day after day, year after year, feeding upon leaves rich in Nature Energy. After thousands of years, she had grown from a hatchling into an adult, from a little slug into a sage.

"Oh, right, little Shinichi. What did you come to Shikkotsu Forest for?"

The Damp Slug Sage’s antennae swayed slightly, as though she had only just remembered the main topic.

"Sage, I’ve come to cultivate Sage Jutsu."

Shinichi replied.

"Oh, right. You mentioned that to my clone before."

The Damp Slug Sage nodded with her antennae.

"Then let’s begin now. I had wanted to chat with you a little longer, but I still need to continue eating, and besides, it isn’t good for you to stay here too long."

As she spoke, a palm-sized slug split off from her body and slowly crawled down along the branches of the colossal tree before steadily landing on Shinichi’s shoulder.

"Well then, little Shinichi. From here on, I’ll be the one guiding your training."

The little slug’s voice was noticeably crisper and more energetic than that of the Damp Slug Sage.

"I’ll be in your care, big sister slug."

Shinichi nodded.

Although every slug was essentially a split body of the Damp Slug Sage, these split bodies each seemed to possess their own distinct personalities.

Some were gentle, some lively, while others were quiet.

Shinichi himself had no idea what caused these differences. Based only on his experience interacting with them, he addressed each one differently.

"Sage Jutsu is a method of utilizing power completely different from the chakra your ninja have used until now..."

Starting with the basics, the little Slug patiently explained the principles of Sage Jutsu, the characteristics of Nature Energy, and the various dangers that had to be avoided during cultivation.

Although Shinichi possessed a certain understanding of Sage Jutsu and Nature Energy in both his previous life and this one, it had always been like viewing flowers through a veil. Only now was he receiving a truly systematic education.

"Hm?"

Halfway through her explanation, the little slug resting on Shinichi’s shoulder suddenly stopped. Her antennae lightly touched the side of his neck, as though she had discovered something. A moment later, she let out a surprised sound.

"Little Shinichi, your physique is exceptionally well suited for training Sage Jutsu, and among all the contractors I’ve seen come to Shikkotsu Forest to cultivate Sage Jutsu over the years, your talent ranks among the very best."

Even as she said those words, however, the little slug felt somewhat puzzled. When she had rested on little Shinichi’s shoulder before, she had also sensed the condition of his body. At that time, he did possess some talent for learning Sage Jutsu, but only a little. (Master talent)

He could cultivate it, but no one knew how long it would take him just to get started, let alone master it.

Yet the current Shinichi seemed to have undergone a complete transformation overnight, becoming a true genius perfectly suited for learning Sage Jutsu.

However, after pondering the matter for only a brief moment, the little slug tossed the question to the back of her mind. Although she was somewhat livelier than the original body, she had inherited the same laid-back temperament. She had never liked wasting mental effort trying to figure out things that required too much thought.

Since his talent had improved, she would simply teach him according to his new aptitude. Thus, she resumed her explanation from where she had left off, while Shinichi listened quietly. Only after she had finished explaining the basic concepts of Sage Jutsu did he ask, "So then, big sister slug, where do we begin?"

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