Under Makiya's guidance, the group followed a mountain path toward the base entrance.
On the way, Kabuto Yakushi, wearing his thick, round-framed glasses, continuously scanned his surroundings. Observing the place where he would be living for a long time, he suddenly asked, "Lord Makiya, does this mountain or this base have a name?"
Yugito chimed in, "It's called Meow Meow."
"Cough, cough, cough!" Makiya coughed heavily. "This place is... it's... the Seireitei! Yes, this is the Seireitei."
Nono's eyes curved into a smile. It was obvious that Lord Makiya had come up with the name on the spot, but 'Seireitei' had a certain flair to it. It sounded quite nice.
"The Seireitei..." Kabuto repeated the name. It felt as though it hid a great deal of information, giving off an inexplicably solemn and divine impression.
Upon entering the base, Makiya had Yugito lead Kabuto to familiarize him with the facility, while he took Nono back to his office.
"I know you're full of questions. While I'm in a good mood, ask whatever you want to know," Makiya said as he walked behind his desk and sat comfortably in his chair.
"Lord Makiya, what is your objective? And what specifically do we need to do?"
"My objective, huh?" Makiya's gaze drifted toward the ceiling. "If I had to say, it would be to make the ninja world operate according to my will. As for the specifics... let me think. In the short term, we'll collect talented orphans, train personnel, and seek out Sage Jutsu. Later on, I'll likely kill most of the nobles and daimyo. Let's start with that..."
He wasn't afraid of these words leaking out. Aside from the various security measures in place, even if the word did spread, no one would believe it because it was simply too outrageous.
Despite his calm delivery, the statement was world-shaking. Nono's chest heaved as her heart pounded wildly, as if she could see mountains of corpses and rivers of blood before her.
A moment later, Nono Yakushi regained her composure and chuckled softly behind her hand. "I feel as though you're going to become a demon king who destroys every nation."
Makiya squinted at Nono. "What, do you regret following me?"
"No." Nono shook her head, her eyes gleaming with a mysterious light. "Lord Makiya... I'm actually quite excited."
'Quite excited? What the hell? Are you some kind of sadist?'
Makiya was puzzled. In the original story, wasn't Nono a gentle, sisterly medic type? Why did she get excited at the mention of him causing a massive upheaval?
Shaking his head, Makiya walked over to Nono and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm leaving a Flying Raijin mark on you. That way, if you run into danger while you're out, just channel chakra into the mark, and I'll be able to sense it and come to save you."
"Thank you, Lord Makiya." Nono stood obediently.
"By the way, where do you want the mark? You can choose the location yourself."
"I can choose?" Nono was surprised. She thought for a moment before looking down and saying demurely, "Then please leave the mark on my chest. It's the most sensitive spot, so I can channel chakra into it the moment I encounter danger."
'Is there really such a logic?'
Though Makiya was skeptical, he followed her suggestion and left the mark [Righteousness] on the location Nono specified.
"You and Kabuto keep an eye on these places." Makiya sat back behind his desk and spread out a map covered in his handwritten notes and circles. "Some of the children marked here are about to be born, and some have already been born. Investigate the areas circled on the map for information."
Makiya's expression grew serious. "Remember, your own safety is the priority. If you encounter a strong enemy, summon me immediately."
"Yes, Lord Makiya." Nono picked up the map and began to scan it, murmuring to herself, "Jugo, suspected to be from the Land of Rice Fields. Features: Male, orange hair... Guren, from the Land of Rice Fields. Features: Blue-gray hair, possesses Crystal Style Kekkei Genkai..."
"
There were many people marked on the map, and Nono was wise enough not to ask how Makiya knew such things.
As one of the top powerhouses in the ninja world, Lord Makiya naturally had his own unique intelligence network. This base was likely just the tip of the iceberg of his vast influence.
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became. Nono stopped her speculation, bowed, and slowly withdrew.
Recruiting talent was a long-term task. For now, Nono and Kabuto's immediate priority was the construction of the base. Many pieces of precious equipment were still gathering dust in corners and needed to be put to use.
After doing a round of the base—no, a round of the Seireitei—Makiya returned to his office satisfied, leaving several clones behind to prevent any accidents.
He lightly sliced his finger, using the blood to draw a summoning formula, and then channeled his chakra according to the scroll's instructions.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"
No summoning beast answered. Instead, Makiya's chakra connected to a massive space. An inexplicable, primordial aura washed over him, and as time and space distorted, Makiya's figure vanished from the office.
Makiya felt like he had been thrown into a tumble dryer set to full power. His vision spun so fast he couldn't tell up from down. Everywhere he looked was filled with colorful, fantastical sights until his vision suddenly went black. When it brightened again, he had arrived in a mysterious space.
If nothing went wrong, he should have arrived at Shikkotsu Forest, one of the three legendary Sage regions and the home of the Slug Sage, Katsuyu.
Unlike the other two Sage regions, Shikkotsu Forest was inhabited by only one lifeform that wielded Sage Jutsu: the Slug Sage, Katsuyu.
Dizzy, Makiya fell heavily onto the soft grass. He stood up and looked around, finding the air filled with a faint, lingering mist. It swirled like light gauze, adding a dreamlike, ethereal quality to this sacred land.
The surrounding terrain was complex and diverse. Lush, ancient vegetation and massive trees blotted out the sun, their branches and leaves intertwining. The air was moist and fresh, and the ground beneath his feet was soft and elastic, as if formed by countless years of accumulated decaying leaves and wet soil. Every step felt like treading on the sediments of time.
In this forest, the power of nature seemed condensed and amplified. The ancient aura blended with a vigorous vitality, showcasing its unique charm and mysterious heritage as one of the three Sage regions.
Shikkotsu Forest, hidden deep within the ninja world, was like a mysterious realm forgotten by time.
"Lord Makiya, you've finally come!"
A sweet, mature voice echoed through the ancient forest. The sheer volume of it caused the entire woods to vibrate slightly. The source of the voice was directly above Makiya. Slugs couldn't fly; it was simply because her size was so immense that it sounded like the voice was coming from the sky.
Makiya looked up and saw a colossal figure, like a mountain range, standing between heaven and earth. If she hadn't been wriggling slightly, Makiya might have mistaken her for an actual mountain. It wasn't until the sunlight pierced through the mist to illuminate her blue-and-white body that he could truly see her full scale.
By his estimation, Katsuyu's height was at least four hundred meters, perhaps even taller. In the original story, when Tsunade and Sakura Haruno combined their summoning, they had only managed to summon a tenth of her body.
"Katsuyu, you're really huge!" Makiya marveled. Unlike the flaming skeleton giants he created with Ninjutsu, her physical body was naturally that tall. It was hard to imagine how long she had lived.
"Everyone who meets me says that." Despite her terrifying size, Katsuyu's voice was very pleasant, like a spring breeze.
With a ripple of movement, Katsuyu split off a car-sized mini-slug from her massive body. It crawled toward Makiya to formally establish a summoning contract. The next time Makiya used the Summoning Jutsu, he would be able to summon a part of her body directly.
To reduce the frequency of being disturbed, Katsuyu had entrusted Tsunade with a strict screening process. Since Makiya had passed Tsunade's test and signed the contract, it meant his Medical Ninjutsu had met the requirements. Katsuyu trusted Tsunade and didn't ask for another test.
Having completed his first goal, Makiya openly stated his intention. "Katsuyu, I want to learn Sage Mode. Are there any conditions?"
"Sage Mode?" Katsuyu was a bit surprised. However, as she sensed the vigorous vitality and massive chakra within Makiya, she felt it made sense. The last ninja who had given her this feeling was Hashirama Senju.
"There are no conditions. I can teach you right now," Katsuyu said with a nod. "However, learning Sage Mode requires a special talent to sense natural energy. Otherwise, you cannot cultivate it. Furthermore, practicing Sage Mode is extremely dangerous. One slip-up and you'll die as your entire body turns to stone."
Katsuyu's clone led Makiya to a lake at the center of Shikkotsu Forest. Standing by the lake were several statues of monsters that had been completely petrified.
The monsters generally retained human structures, but their features and limbs had transformed into something resembling soft-bodied creatures like Katsuyu. Their expressions were distorted in pain, showing how agonizing the petrification had been.
Shikkotsu Forest was different from Mount Myoboku. Katsuyu's contracts were also relatively more strict, which meant fewer ninjas came here to train. There were only a dozen or so statues of those who had died during cultivation.
"The consequences are indeed severe, but I'll be careful. Big Sis Katsuyu, when can we start?" Makiya asked impatiently.
For him, cultivating the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest was only the first step. Afterward, he intended to further develop and optimize it based on the cultivation methods of the Liao Zhai world to create something entirely new.
"Please sit cross-legged, Lord Makiya. We shall begin now," Katsuyu said immediately, splitting off countless clones to envelop Makiya.
Makiya couldn't tell if it was a delusion, but he felt Katsuyu's tone was... excited?
'Do all mature medic-type ladies have this vibe?'
While Makiya was training in Sage Mode, at that same time, in another of the three sacred lands, Mount Myoboku.
The mountain temple was quiet and far-reaching. At the center of the temple sat a massive toad with wrinkled skin and an extremely aged appearance.
He was the founder of Mount Myoboku who had lived since the era of Kaguya: Gamamaru, revered as the Great Toad Sage.
Gamamaru's body was orange, his eyes a bright yellow. Around his neck was a string of prayer beads with a lavender cat's-eye stone at the center engraved with the character for 'Oil'. Wearing a professor's hat, he was currently sleeping soundly.
The reason Gamamaru was called the Great Toad Sage was tied directly to his incredibly accurate prophetic abilities. In his dream, Gamamaru suddenly frowned, his body tensing up and trembling as if he were having a nightmare.
A moment later, the Great Toad Sage suddenly woke up. His wrinkled skin quickly contracted and expanded as he gasped for breath. Once he finally calmed down, he shouted out, calling for his guard: Sage Fukasaku.
A green toad less than half a meter tall appeared. He had white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard. He too was a long-lived species, roughly eight hundred years old.
"Great Toad Sage, what's wrong?" Fukasaku jumped to Gamamaru's side, his expression grave. He had a bad feeling. Every time the Great Toad Sage acted like this, it was always bad news.
"I saw it..." The Great Toad Sage opened his clouded eyes, staring at the sky. "War, a sea of blood, death, a ninja shrouded in blue light... no, he doesn't seem to be a ninja... Disaster is about to descend, and death will spread across the ninja world. Go find Little Jiraiya and bring him here. I saw... the Evil Child!"
"Yes! I'll go call Little Jiraiya right away." Fukasaku was shocked. The Great Toad Sage's description made him feel as though doom was at the door. His heart sank as he couldn't help but ask, "Great Toad Sage, did you see the Evil Child's appearance?"
If he had seen it, he should say so immediately. While the Evil Child hadn't grown up yet, they could kill him in advance!
The rise and fall of the toad clan was at stake, and Fukasaku dared not be careless.
The Great Toad Sage was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "Black hair, red eyes, wielding a long sword, and capable of driving natural energy."
"Can you be any more detailed?"
The Great Toad Sage shook his head. Prophecies were always difficult to see clearly, providing only partial fragments of vital information. If one could see the future perfectly, it wouldn't be a prophecy; it would be traveling across timelines.
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