Konoha Notes

Chapter 10 The Path of Cultivation
The next morning, as the sun rose, Grandma Taohua, who was an early riser, had already prepared breakfast: glistening white rice, golden-brown and crispy fried saury, pickled radishes cut into crescent shapes, and a bowl of steaming soup.

With no assigned tasks, Xiu Si stretched his muscles briefly in the woods next to his house before starting to formulate a training plan.

He knew the script of this world. Akatsuki, Madara, the Divine Tree, the Otsutsuki... these names hung like swords over his head. Even a mortal like himself understood that in this world, becoming stronger was a prerequisite for enjoying life.

The path to becoming stronger for a ninja is actually quite clear at its core.

Temper your body, unleash your potential, and hone your physical skills.

Hone your skills, master ninja tools, and be prepared for any eventuality.

Study ninjutsu, expand your methods, and adapt to the environment.

Among them, ninjutsu is the most effective, but its fundamental effect lies in physical strength.

The process of tempering the body is the process of developing physical energy. Every painful breakthrough to the limit tempers the will. Physical energy and mental will complement each other, jointly driving the growth of chakra until both reach the peak of their current physical potential.

Only after that can ninjas focus their energy on ninjutsu.

From this perspective, aside from the existence of chakra and the astonishing potential granted by the 130 trillion cells of humans in this world, which far surpasses that of humans on Earth, the essential logic of becoming stronger is no different from that on Earth.

As a descendant of the Senju clan, he naturally possesses more abundant chakra and a stronger physical energy foundation. Now, having perfectly fused with Hashirama's cells, his future potential far surpasses that of ordinary ninjas.

However, this is far from enough. The power of the Kage level is only enough to deal with the Akatsuki. Beyond that, only those who surpass the Kage level and reach the Six Paths Sage level are qualified to participate or survive disasters of that level.

To reach that level, based on the original work, there are two paths to consider.

The Otsutsuki system and the Sage system.

The Otsutsuki, the source of chakra, are a race that plunders life energy from the stars and transforms it into chakra to strengthen themselves.

Theoretically, the Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Hyuga clans all clearly originate from the Otsutsuki bloodline. They can strengthen themselves by continuously plundering chakra, thus purifying and reverting to their ancestral form.

In the original work, one of the paths for the Uchiha to revert to their ancestral form was to fuse with Hashirama's cells, obtain powerful Yang-attribute chakra, combine it with their own Yin-attribute chakra, awaken the Rinnegan, become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, advance to the Bloodline Limit, and transform into the Otsutsuki.

As for the Senju, it is not explicitly stated in the original work, but the path may be similar: to obtain a powerful Sharingan?
However, a crucial point is often overlooked. Madara Uchiha, who obtained the Rinnegan through this method, was the reincarnation of Indra, the son of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the founder of Ninshu. Hashirama Senju, on the other hand, was the reincarnation of Ashura, another son of Hagoromo. Both inherited the chakra characteristics of Hagoromo, who was once the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails. This means that the stringent conditions for awakening the Rinnegan are likely not only the fusion of Yin and Yang chakra, but also the inheritance of some kind of power essence originating from the Ten-Tails.

This path is shrouded in mystery for the current Xiu Si, so it will be put on hold for now.

So, what about the Sage Mode system? The original work shows its upper limit is higher than that of ordinary ninjas, but lower than that of a fully-formed Otsutsuki. The strongest known Sage Mode practitioner is Hagoromo Otsutsuki himself, followed by Hashirama Senju—a being who stands at the pinnacle below the Sage of Six Paths.

As a native power system of the ninja world, Sage Mode, compared to the ninja chakra system, is closer to the cultivation logic of traditional "xianxia" (fantasy martial arts) novels. The first, and most difficult, step is to cultivate "ki sense"—to perceive the existence of natural energy. Only after that does one absorb natural energy and merge it with one's own physical and spiritual energy to form Sage Chakra.

For ordinary ninjas, the "barrier of perception" is a huge hurdle: they must first know the existence of natural energy in order to intentionally perceive, absorb, and transform it. Shuji, however, does not have this problem. Therefore, the next step is perception itself.

Natural energy is everywhere. Shuji even speculated that the giant creatures in the ninja world and the superhuman physiques of humans, which far surpass those of their Earth counterparts, are precisely due to the long-term nourishment of natural energy.

He had attempted to sense natural energy during his initial familiarization with his body, but to no avail. Returning from this mission, he re-examined his approach. There were two main known lineages of sage techniques: the Frog Sage Technique of Mount Myōboku and the Snake Sage Technique of Ryūchi Cave.

The Frog Immortal Technique is a gradual process: applying a secret toad oil helps one perceive natural energy. Upon entering Immortal Mode, the practitioner will develop frog-shaped pupils and eyeshadow.

The Snake Immortal Technique is brutal and direct: it is infused with natural energy by the White Snake Immortal; if one survives, one succeeds; if one cannot withstand it, one dies.

The essence of both methods is to allow practitioners to directly contact with and adapt to pure natural energy.

Are there any other ways? Yes—the Divine Tree.

The Otsutsuki clan, in order to plunder the energy of planets, would plant a Divine Tree on the target planet, transforming its life essence into chakra fruits. The ninja world was once planted with a Divine Tree, and it has already borne fruit once. The Divine Tree must possess the ability to absorb and digest natural energy.

Wood Release, a secret technique created by Hashirama Senju, possesses the ability to absorb chakra. Shuji speculates that Hashirama, through his own bloodline and Ashura chakra, traced and imitated some of the characteristics of the Divine Tree, thus gaining a natural ability to suppress the chakra of tailed beasts. Therefore, what he should do might not be simply to cultivate Wood Release ninjutsu, but rather to deeply explore the original power of the Wood Release bloodline limit.

"Wood Release: Revitalization Technique!"

With a low shout, the ground beneath Shuuji's feet trembled slightly. A tender green sapling broke through the soil, growing rapidly at a visible pace. Sunlight danced on the bark, and the branches and leaves rustled softly as they unfurled. When the tree reached his shoulder height, he deliberately slowed his chakra output, maintaining only a faint energy connection.

"Let it grow," he whispered, his gaze focused.

Shuji connected his perception, like invisible tentacles, intimately with the spiritual world of the trees. The saplings displayed extraordinary sensitivity—their roots expanded underground, searching for energy like thirsty hunters. The ground rose unnaturally, and the soil churned.

Even more alarming was the change in the branches. The once tender branches twisted and hardened under the sunlight. They danced in the air, then suddenly froze, all pointing in Xiu Si's direction!

Shuji could clearly feel the primal desire emanating from the trees—an almost insane thirst for chakra! A stinging sensation instantly crept onto his skin. Sweat trickled down his temples.

"Calm down..." he muttered to himself, his fingers swiftly forming the Si (巳) hand seal. The jagged branch abruptly stopped an inch from him, twisting in resentment. Shuji desperately guided the tree's senses toward that omnipresent yet elusive power.

He could sense the tree's "emotions" shift from rage to confusion. Then, it seemed to catch something—that natural energy permeating the world that Shuji himself had never been able to clearly perceive!

Just when Shuji thought he was about to make a breakthrough, a sudden change occurred.

The once short tree grew taller again, its trunk creaking ominously. However, after growing only ten centimeters, its shape became drastically distorted. The branches twisted and gnarled at angles that defied the laws of nature, and strange, seemingly flowing dark patterns appeared on the surface of the bark.

Shuji instinctively took a step back.

In that instant, a deathly grayness rapidly spread from the roots of the tree! Like the invisible hand of death sweeping across, wherever the grayness touched, all life vanished. In less than three seconds, the entire tree transformed into a lifelike stone sculpture. Even the smallest leaves froze in their trembling motion in the breeze, forever frozen in time.

Shuji stood rooted to the spot, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. He had failed. And failed so thoroughly, so... dangerously. The trees created by Wood Release were not strong enough, lacking sufficient foundation to resist the erosion of natural energy. Even with his chakra support, these ninjutsu creations were like sandcastles, utterly vulnerable to the onslaught of natural energy, crumbling instantly.

But he didn't gain nothing. The moment Wood Release attempted to absorb natural energy, subtle fluctuations would occur in the surrounding air. Like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating almost imperceptible ripples. It was this subtle change that allowed him, someone who was originally completely unaware of natural energy, to gradually touch upon a faint "aura."

In the forest, Xiu Si closed his eyes and concentrated, repeatedly replaying that fluctuation in his mind.

(End of this chapter)