Chapter 93: Dan'go the Sage
Because the sealing barrier around his house was rich in natural energy, Ishiro's first instinct was that Dan'go had connected with natural energy. Without hesitation, he activated his sensory ninjutsu—and sure enough, that serene, tranquil energy was flowing into Dan'go's body at a slow and steady pace.
That energy was, without a doubt, natural energy—the force that permeated the ninja world. Under Ishiro's perception, the energy entering Dan'go's body wasn't mixing with its chakra but merging into its physical body, giving Dan'go an aura that felt faintly transcendent. That explained the strange feeling Ishiro had earlier.
It was really working. Ishiro was stunned. He didn't dare disturb Dan'go, unsure whether this state was a rare coincidence or something that had been happening for a while.
He quietly exited the room without making a sound and left the range of the sealing barrier. Then, using his full speed, he rushed straight for the village center.
Since it wasn't far, Ishiro arrived quickly and headed straight to the Tsuchikage's office.
It was already evening. Seeing the lights still on in the Tsuchikage's building, Ishiro breathed a sigh of relief and approached—only to suddenly halt just before the entrance.
In that instant, a fully armed Anbu squad appeared in front of him.
Ishiro didn't waste time. He performed a series of hand signs, a coded set only Anbu captains could recognize.
The opposing Anbu squad leader responded in kind and asked, "Name?"
"Ishiro. I have urgent business with the Tsuchikage."
The Anbu captain nodded, whispered to a subordinate, and sent them into the building. The rest of the squad remained facing Ishiro cautiously.
Ishiro didn't mind and waited patiently.
Moments later, the Anbu returned and quietly reported to the captain.
The squad leader nodded and stepped aside. "The Tsuchikage will see you."
Without delay, Ishiro entered the building and went straight to Ōnoki's office.
Upon entering, he skipped all formalities: "Tsuchikage-sama, I have news—there's progress with natural energy."
Ōnoki's body jolted. He had already been informed of Ishiro's return and had assumed the boy would report the next morning. He hadn't expected Ishiro to come rushing in at night.
He thought Ishiro was going to talk about the supply station or the Rain Country, but natural energy?
Iwagakure had been researching natural energy for years. But the energy was too wild and overwhelming. So far, they had made no real progress.
And now, Ishiro returned with this?
Ōnoki asked urgently, "You've managed to absorb natural energy?"
Ishiro shook his head awkwardly. "Not me. A ninja cat—Dan'go, the partner of my former Team 18 comrade, Shironeko."
"Dan'go is currently at my home, absorbing natural energy."
Ōnoki recalled that Team 18 had left a strong impression—especially with Shiden, recently promoted to elite jōnin. He vaguely remembered a member named Shironeko, who had a ninja cat.
Ōnoki turned to the empty air in the room and said, "Summon the senior advisors to Natural Energy Containment Site No. 1." Iwagakure had multiple natural energy containment zones. Ishiro's house was the first—Site No. 1.
"Yes," came the response from the shadows—Anbu had already hidden themselves.
Ōnoki then left the office with his shadow guards and Ishiro, heading to Ishiro's residence.
When they arrived, Ishiro stepped inside softly. Ōnoki, in contrast, floated in silently without disturbing a single speck of dust.
Ishiro had needed sensory ninjutsu to detect the flow of natural energy. But Ōnoki, with his Kage-level chakra and Kekkei Tōta, could feel it directly—natural energy was slowly flowing into Dan'go's body.
Suppressing his excitement, Ōnoki and Ishiro left the house, and Ōnoki asked about Dan'go's background.
Ishiro shared everything he knew. Ōnoki nodded and ordered the Anbu, "Contact Owl. Have him find Shironeko and bring her here."
Ōnoki had records on all Anbu members, but he didn't carry them at all times, nor did he remember everyone's address. So he passed the task to Owl, the Anbu Commander.
Just as he finished giving orders, the senior advisors began to arrive.
At Ōnoki's signal, Ishiro repeated the situation in detail.
Among them, the elderly female advisor entered Ishiro's house, used sensory ninjutsu, and came out visibly thrilled. The other three advisors lacked sensory skills and couldn't feel the energy, so they waited outside.
The group then gathered in a quiet spot.
Ōnoki said, "I've already sent for Shironeko. Tomorrow, when Dan'go wakes up, we'll check for any anomalies in its body."
The advisors nodded. Natural energy had a prestigious legacy. Senju Hashirama once used it to defeat Uchiha Madara and reshape the ninja world. Now, Iwagakure finally had someone—even if a ninja cat—who could connect to it.
Everyone was still overwhelmed with emotion.
Ishiro suggested, "Tsuchikage-sama, Dan'go might be a rare case, but just in case—should we check others tonight, while it's still dark?"
Ōnoki agreed. "Good idea. Ishiro, this task is yours." He turned to a shadow guard. "Zero, take Ishiro to visit all the other sites."
"Understood."
Ishiro activated his sensory jutsu and scanned everyone in Site No. 1—over fifty residents, handpicked as elite talents. In addition, there were four or five ninja beasts like Dan'go.
Some were on missions. Among those present, 32 people and three ninja beasts remained. Ishiro scanned them all carefully—especially the beasts—but found nothing.
He shook his head at the waiting officials, then followed Zero to the next site.
Site No. 2 yielded nothing.
So did Sites 3, 4, 5, and 6.
But at Site No. 7, something unusual appeared.
This site was different from the others. It functioned more like a rehabilitation facility or medical ward, housing injured shinobi. The village had long intended it as a place to recover light injuries.
In one of the rooms, Ishiro detected a significantly higher concentration of natural energy. But strangely, it wasn't being absorbed by the person—an injured jōnin.
After verifying, Ishiro realized the energy was concentrating around a weapon, not the jōnin himself.
He and Zero peeked through the window. As they suspected, the natural energy was pooling around the jōnin's weapon.
Ishiro relayed this to Zero, and they left for the next site.
They checked all the remaining containment sites. By the time Ishiro returned home, several hours had passed. There, he found Shironeko had arrived.
She stood at the door to his house, wearing a look of excitement and nervousness.
Ishiro nodded at her, then turned to Ōnoki. "Tsuchikage-sama, I've finished the inspections. No one else appears able to absorb natural energy. However, in Site 7, I discovered a weapon attracting it."
Ōnoki blinked. "A weapon?"
He turned to Zero. "Whose weapon?"
Zero replied, "Jōnin Kajiki's."
"Ah, Kajiki. He does have a powerful chakra blade. I've heard it can boost his Wind Release to near-A-rank power," said advisor Saka, the middle-aged male.
Ōnoki nodded. "I've heard of that blade too. Once Kajiki recovers, arrange a demonstration."
Saka agreed.
At that point, the night's work was done. Now, all that remained was to wait for Dan'go to wake up.
Ishiro approached Shironeko. "Has Dan'go shown any strange behavior recently?"
Shironeko shook her head. "Not that I noticed."
The higher-ups had already asked her detailed questions earlier, so she didn't need to repeat anything.
Seeing Ishiro's puzzled look, Shironeko asked jokingly, "Ei, do you think Dan'go's learning Sage Mode? Should we start calling him Dan'go the Sage?"
Ishiro rolled his eyes. Even Mount Myōboku—the sacred land of the toads—only had three sages after centuries of effort. Dan'go was barely grown and had just started absorbing natural energy. If it were that easy, Sage Mode would be worthless.
Still, knowing Shironeko had been hoping for this for a long time, Ishiro didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm.
He replied, "Even if Dan'go does become a sage one day, it won't happen overnight. But I agree—being able to absorb natural energy is definitely a good thing. Especially at this slow pace. It probably won't have any side effects."
Natural energy was overwhelming. If it mixed with chakra immediately, it became difficult to control—that's why Sage Mode was so hard to master.
But natural energy was undoubtedly beneficial to the body. In large enough quantities, it could enhance life itself, extending lifespan and unlocking powers that touched on universal laws.
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