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After dinner, Shin finally managed to placate Kushina, only to shoot a frustrated glare at Tsunade, who’d been enjoying the show from the sidelines.
“Shin-nii, do you prefer gentle girls?” Konan tugged on Shin’s sleeve, asking curiously.
“Not exactly,” he replied with a wry grin, ruffling her hair. “I like pretty girls. Though if someone’s a bad-tempered ‘old lady,’ not even beauty can save her in my eyes.”
He shot a teasing look at Tsunade, who froze in place.
“Shin, if you’ve got the guts, don’t run! I’m gonna pummel you!”
“Hey, hold on, I didn’t say it was you,” Shin protested, hurriedly blocking Tsunade’s punch. “Unless you’re admitting to being a cranky grandma?”
Tsunade glowered, torn between punching him and thus confirming his joke, or letting it slide. Sensing her predicament, Shin quickly backtracked:
“Okay, okay, I was just messing around. Look at you—radiant, youthful, absolutely stunning!”
After a string of sweet-talking, Tsunade finally cooled off, though she remained visibly annoyed.
….
The following morning, Shin intended to resume training. Kushina wanted to map out further plans for her “Greatest Shinobi Village,”
This time, Konan didn’t accompany Kushina—she found an excuse to stay behind and practice on her own.
At that point, Tsunade stopped Shin in his tracks.
“Shin,” Tsunade called out. “Teach me Sage Mode.”
“Me?” He blinked. “Couldn’t you learn it from the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest?”
After all, each of the Three Great Sage Regions (Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest) had their own methods for teaching Senjutsu. Some even speculated that Hashirama Senju learned from Shikkotsu Forest. Others suspected he’d developed his own approach, much like Shin.
“I don’t want the slugs teaching me—I want you,” Tsunade retorted, crossing her arms. “Got a problem with that?”
“Nope, no problem,” Shin said with mock surrender. “I wouldn’t dare.”
He didn’t mind at all. Still, he felt compelled to warn her:
“But remember, learning Sage Mode isn’t easy. Kushina took a long while to master it, so you’ll have to be patient.”
He recalled that in canon, Tsunade never displayed Sage Mode, but Shin figured she should be capable enough—especially given her own formidable constitution.
“I’d expect it to be hard,” Tsunade said.
At that moment, Mikoto stepped forward.
“Shin, I’d like to learn too,” she said.
She had attempted it years before, but with lower chakra reserves, it had proven too difficult. Now, as an Uchiha with a more developed chakra pool, she was ready to try again.
Shin nodded easily.
“Sure, teaching one or two doesn’t make a difference.”
If the two women had known he was mentally comparing them to “sheep,” they might have clobbered him on the spot. Mikoto, being gentle, might have let it slide. Tsunade, on the other hand, would’ve tested her monster strength on him.
….
He led them to a specially-built training field in their settlement. Konan joined them, though only to train on her own. Kushina was off, preoccupied with her “village” plans.
“Alright, listen up.” Shin began.
“Sage Mode is formed by blending Three Energies:
① Natural Energy (from the environment)
② Physical Energy (your body’s stamina)
③ Spiritual Energy (your mental focus)”
“Together, these three create Senjutsu chakra, which massively enhances your Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu.“
Mikoto already knew some of this, but she listened again carefully.
“The tricky part is maintaining an exact balance—each of the three energies has to be about one-third of the mix. If natural energy dominates beyond that ratio, you get swallowed up by nature. If it’s less than a third, Sage Mode fails to activate.”
“If someone’s overwhelmed by Natural Energy, what happens?” Tsunade asked, her tone subdued.
Shin’s expression turned serious.
“You literally become part of the environment. Turned into stone, integrated with nature—take your pick. The point is, you vanish as a human.”
Tsunade grimaced at the thought. Shin went on:
“Anyway, first step is sensing natural energy. Absorbing it.”
He added a stern warning:
“Don’t attempt any fusion while I’m not around. You do not want to risk being devoured by nature.”
“Got it,” Tsunade said, nodding. “I’m not itching to become a tree or something.”
With that, Shin motioned for them to begin. Tsunade and Mikoto each sat, eyes closed, trying to feel the faint presence of nature around them.
“Uh… Shin?” Tsunade called, raising a brow. “Is that really all? You’re just telling us to sense it?”
“Yes,” Shin replied. “Calming your mind is key. Don’t hold on to distracting thoughts.”
He paused, remembering something:
“But I can help. Let me gather nature energy here to speed things up.”
Stepping back, Shin activated Sage Mode, pulling in an intense concentration of natural energy from miles around.
Tsunade and Mikoto instantly felt the world around them saturate with elemental power.
“This draws in the surrounding nature chakra. Right now, the ambient Natural Energy is hundreds of times denser. If you can’t sense it now, you never will.”
They each shut their eyes, clearing their minds, focusing on the currents swirling in the air. Shin stood guard, making sure they remained safe and stable while they took their first step.
He also mentally acknowledged that for Tsunade, it might be simpler due to her unique Senju body, whereas Mikoto lacked a direct clan-based perk like that. Still, they both had formidable chakra pools.
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