Naruto: Starting with the Two Kamui

Mito remained noncommittal, deactivated Sage Mode, and said, "Uchiha Yu, right? Now that you've broken free of this Vajra Seal, I will keep my word. After you've rested, take me to see the slug."

"Phew." Hearing this, Orochimaru breathed a deep sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The exchange just now, even for him as a spectator, was a baptism of fire...

The defining characteristic of Hashirama's body is its exceptionally rapid chakra recovery.

In less than ten minutes, Lin Yu was unharmed. He stood up and said, "Let's go, Lady Mito."

Whoosh! Accompanied by the Kamui vortex, Lin Yu, Orochimaru, and Mito Uzumaki appeared in Shikkotsu Forest, in front of the Slug Sage.

The Slug Sage was about to launch an attack, but upon seeing Mito Uzumaki, he exclaimed in surprise, "Mito!"

Yes, whether Slug addresses Tsunade or Shizune, she always adds the honorific "sir" after their names. This honorific is related to Slug's quiet and gentle nature, but it also reflects a sense of distance.

She addressed Mito by his first name, which precisely demonstrates... that their relationship was extraordinary.

Mito looked up at the towering Slug Sage before her, a look of reminiscence in her eyes.

The slug was also her summoned beast, and it accompanied her for the second longest time in her life, second only to her husband Hashirama. The two developed a bond comparable to that of family.

"Slug, it's been a long time. Is it still possible to talk to your true form like this..."

“That happened 41 years ago, Mito,” Slug said first.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The slug's enormous body began to shrink, eventually transforming into a delicate, silver-haired girl dressed in a light, ethereal feather robe. She floated to Mito's side and embraced her tightly: "Mito, since you left, I've often missed you. Immortality isn't a happy thing, because it means loss..."

For the Slug Sage, Mito Uzumaki was the first human to whom she opened her heart.

"Slug, did Tsuna cause you any trouble?" Mito asked.

“No, your granddaughter inherited your strength and courage; she’s an outstanding ninja…” Slug said.

"That's good."

After a long hug, the two reluctantly parted.

Slug then glanced at Lin Yu and Orochimaru standing to the side, and then asked Mito, "Mito, they were the ones who resurrected you using the Impure World Reincarnation technique, weren't they?"

“Yes, actually, this is what happened…” Mito told the Slug Sage about Kushina’s impending childbirth and being targeted, and then she also told him about what happened in the time-space dimension.

When the slug heard that Lin Yu had mastered the Dragon Cave Immortal Technique and had broken free from the Vajra Lock that was powerful enough to suppress the complete Nine-Tailed Fox, it gave Lin Yu a deep look.

Mito said, "So, please, for my sake, teach him the Sage Techniques of Shikkotsu Forest..."

Slug said, "Okay, I'll explain to Tsunade."

Chapter 126 Cultivation in the Wet Bone Forest: A Shocking Secret!

The Slug Sage looked at Lin Yu and said, "Remember, this is entirely because of Mito. Also... you must fulfill your promise to her, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Lin Yu nodded and said, "I understand."

Whoosh! The slug immortal lifted its feet off the ground and placed its hands over Lin Yu's head.

Azure light surged into Lin Yu's crown chakra.

Lin Yu closed his eyes and focused on experiencing it: Unlike Ryuchi Cave, this Sage Mode chakra was clear and pure, allowing his heart to calm down unconsciously...

"Hmm?" The slug immortal thought: I clearly didn't remind him to clear his mind, yet his heart is so calm, without even the ecstatic joy of gaining power after experiencing life and death? Alright, let me see…

The Slug Sage immediately increased the amount of Sage Chakra he injected, hoping to cause Lin Yu's mind to fluctuate through the impact of the power.

But no matter how much she poured into him, Lin Yu's heart remained completely unmoved.

Ultimately, the Slug Sage came to a conclusion: he had merged with the Silent Sage Chakra and grasped its essence. Although he was very unlikable, it had to be admitted that his talent in Silent Sage was perhaps comparable to Mito's, and even stronger than Hashirama.

Thinking this, the Slug Sage instinctively felt a sense of appreciation for talent and poured his Sage Chakra into the technique until it was saturated.

After the infusion was finished, the slug sage wiped the acid seeping from his face and said, "Alright, I've given you everything I could. What you can do next is up to you..."

Lin Yu opened his eyes and immediately felt that his vision had become clearer: Sure enough... the immortal techniques of the Wet Bone Forest are of great benefit to my eyes!

Mito walked to the side and quietly asked the Slug Sage, "Slug, are you alright with such a large amount of liquid?"

“It’s alright, I’ll meditate for a while and I’ll recover. Besides… he’s a rare talent, worthy of this amount. Since I’ve decided to pass on my knowledge, I won’t hold back. The guidance on cultivating the mind is entrusted to you, Mito.”

"Yes, thank you..."

There's no need for thanks between us.

Within the Shikkutsu Forest lies a vast forest, where the trees possess a power to bewitch the mind.

The deeper one goes into the forest, the stronger the bewitching becomes. When a cultivator is completely bewitched, they will die on the spot, their flesh and blood turning into nutrients to nourish the soil, leaving only bare white bones covered in dew...

This is the origin of the name 'Shikkulin'.

The Shikkotsu Forest was only opened to teach immortal arts in the last hundred years, but it is said that... in the last hundred years, no fewer than 10,000 people have lost their lives in this forest.

Therefore, there is no such thing as a trial in the Sage Training of Shikkotsu Forest. The Slug Sage will explain the risks beforehand, allowing trainees to choose whether or not to train, and then infuse them with Sage Chakra before leading them into the forest.

Entering the forest is where the nightmare truly begins...

That was more brutal than any so-called trial.

The immortal techniques of the Wet Bone Forest have the lowest success rate among the three great immortal techniques, because cultivating the mind is far more difficult than cultivating the body...

Mito led Lin Yu and Orochimaru into the forest. Along the way, they saw wet, white bones, the remains of sage practitioners who had died on their journeys.

After walking a hundred meters into the forest, Orochimaru stopped. He shook his head, which was feeling dizzy, and said, "Yu-kun... I can't walk any further."

"Okay, you can step back and wait for me outside the forest." Lin Yu thought to himself: With Orochimaru's strength, he can't even hold his own at this close range?

Mito said, "Actually, how far one can go has nothing to do with strength. In the past, there were monks who had no strength but a transcendent state of mind and reached the deepest point, although in the end they were unable to leave..."

"I see." Lin Yu nodded.

Mito continued to lead the way. After a few hundred meters, the forest entrance could no longer be seen, and the number of skeletons had also become scarce. Clearly, most of the cultivators had died on the outskirts.

Gradually, Lin Yu felt a strange heaviness in his heart, as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat.

After walking another hundred meters, Lin Yu stopped. He felt that it would be dangerous to go any further.

Tap! Mito stopped, turned around and said, "You can walk this far right away? About the same distance as I did back then... Please sit down here."

Lin Yu sat down cross-legged, and there happened to be a skeleton beside him.

Looking at the skeleton, Mito recalled, "This skeleton was here back then. Slug told me that he was also a genius. He took three years to travel the distance Orochimaru just left, step by step, deeper and deeper into the forest, and finally fell here."

Lin Yu replied, "I won't take too long, because I have to keep my promise to you. I can't spend three years here..."

Mito smiled faintly: "Then let's begin. Clear your mind of all distractions. The Sage Techniques of Mount Myōboku require the stillness of the body, while the Sage Techniques of Shikkotsu Forest require the complete stillness of mind and body, even forgetting oneself. This may not be difficult in normal times, but in this oppressive forest, it is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Lin Yu closed his eyes.

The leaves rustled, filled with a dark, ominous black aura that seeped from the tree and flowed into Lin Yu's body.

"I hate you, it hurts so much, I want to kill you..."

"If only that guy weren't here, if only that guy weren't here!"

"Why did I collapse here? I was so close to fulfilling my wish..."

In his mind, countless distorted faces appeared, intertwined, like monsters.

Lin Yu's brows furrowed deeply, affected by negative emotions.

*Snap!* He suddenly opened his eyes, a look of realization dawning on his face: "So that's how it is. Controlling oneself from being affected by these distracting thoughts is cultivating the mind... Next time, I'll be fine."

Lin Yu closed his eyes again. Just as he entered meditation, his eyelids twitched a few times, but his expression quickly returned to calm...

Then, natural energy begins to enter the body...

Mito nodded to herself: There are only two possibilities for him to adapt so quickly. Either he is an optimist like Hashirama from birth, single-minded, or he has experienced inhuman setbacks and pain since childhood and is very easy to adapt to negative emotions. He is obviously the latter, just like me...

Half a day later, after absorbing enough natural energy, Lin Yu opened his bright eyes and said, "We can continue to go deeper..."

"Hmm." Mito continued to lead Lin Yu deeper into the forest.

This time, after walking about two hundred meters, that feeling of heaviness returned.

Before Mito could say anything, Lin Yu sat down and began meditating, overcoming his negative emotions.

And so, a month passed quietly in the Wet Bone Forest.

Lin Yu stayed in eight different locations in total. The most recent time, he meditated for a full seven days before opening his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, his body was already enveloped in a faint blue light, a sign that he was in the Silent Immortal Mode.

Mito said, "You have reached the state of mind as still as water, free and egoless. Hashirama stopped at this point back then, because even he could not achieve the next level of 'Nirvana and Tranquility'. Do you still want to continue?"

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening." Lin Yu said without hesitation.

Mito smiled and said, "Then, come with me."

Mito led Lin Yu onward, and along the way, they could no longer see any skeletons.

Mito stopped in front of a towering tree: "We've arrived. This is the core of Shikkotsu Forest."

"In the very core area, why don't I feel any discomfort?" Lin Yu asked.

"That's because your mindset is strong enough, but the final step is different from before. Do you see this tree in front of you...?"

"It is said that before the age of ninjas and chakra, the world experienced a devastating catastrophe. On the ravaged land, only the remains of a tree remained undecayed for a hundred years. The Slug Sage brought the remains of that tree to the sacred land and planted it there. Nourished by the natural energy of the sacred land, the remains of that tree were revitalized and grew to this size..."

Mito said solemnly, "Actually, it's not that the deeper you go into the forest, the more your mind will be disturbed. Rather, the closer you get to this tree, the more your mind will be disturbed. And the reason why those who are disturbed die is because their chakra is drained by it. Do you see that withered flower at the top of the tree?"

“If you stare at that flower for a long time, you will fall into an ideal dream, a dream with everything you want, and it is so real that you will forget that you are dreaming, and you will instinctively resist waking up.”

"If you can realize that you are dreaming and wake yourself up, you will reach Nirvana and tranquility, and you will achieve the most perfect state of tranquility..."

"But you only have three days. If you don't wake up within three days, you will never wake up again. You will be bound in bandages like a cocoon and hung on the tree forever..."

The dozen or so cocoons hanging on the tree canopy are the remains of practitioners who reached this point but ultimately failed!

Lin Yu had no time to care about that. He clenched his fists and stared intently at the withered flower at the top of the tree, his eyes bloodshot from staring so hard they were about to burst.

Nothing could contain the tremor in his heart.

Because he knew... what lay before him were the remains of the divine tree!

So this so-called ideal dream is... a degraded version of Infinite Tsukuyomi!

A burst of light, visible only to Lin Yu, emanated from the withered flowers at the treetop, illuminating the world in his eyes.

Boom!

With a thunderous thud, Lin Yu's eyes lost focus and slowly closed...