"You're very brave and hardworking! Even Hashirama Senju would struggle to compare to you! The final step is dangerous, but it's also your greatest opportunity. You must seize it!"

Who was Hashirama Senju? The man who ended the Warring States Period, the founder of the Hidden Leaf Village, and one of Konoha's two legendary shinobi. Such high praise coming from the Slug Sage was anything but casual.

"Kaito Sama, are we proceeding to the third step?" the slug resting on his shoulder asked with a hint of excitement.

"That's right, it's finally time!" Kaito let out a long breath, excitement flashing in his eyes.

His approach for this last step was simple — and passive. Passive, meaning subconscious absorption of natural energy, whether eating, drinking, sleeping, or training.

Without hesitation, Kaito created three hundred shadow clones, ordering them to relentlessly train in passive natural energy absorption.

Yes, three hundred. After two years of intense training, his mental strength could already handle the spiritual backlash of dispelling that many clones.

For two months, those clones practiced nonstop, honing the skill of passive natural energy absorption. Meanwhile, Kaito focused on mastering the combat techniques of the Shikkotsu Forest. Since the third mode carried significant risk, it made sense to let his clones handle it.

Speaking of the Shikkotsu Forest's fighting style — it wasn't so different from the Toad Sage Arts of Mount Myōboku. Both harnessed natural energy to enhance combat.

Half a year later, Kaito had thoroughly mastered those techniques. That morning, as usual, he listlessly ate breakfast prepared by the slugs. Then, he created another three hundred clones to continue their training while he himself switched to physical combat drills.

Ever since his last bout of intense body training, his physical resilience had reached extraordinary levels, and his chakra reserves had grown significantly without him even realizing it.

Where he used to suffer injuries daily, now minor wounds healed overnight, leaving him refreshed, as though fatigue itself no longer existed.

At that moment, Kaito suddenly slapped his forehead. "How did I forget about this damn system?"

"System, show me my character attributes!"

[Character Attributes]

Name: Ayanami Kaito

Age: 14

Bloodline: Senju Clan

Bloodline Limit: Thunder Fruit (Awakened)

Taijutsu: Peak Kage-level

Chakra: Super Kage-level

Ninjutsu: Clone Technique, Fireball Jutsu, Chidori…

Overall Strength: Peak Super Kage-level

He skipped the Ninjutsu and Genjutsu sections and went straight to check his bloodline.

When he saw 'Senju Clan' listed, Kaito nodded internally. Just as I thought.

He'd suspected this for a while now. All the signs had pointed to it — incredible recovery, vast chakra reserves, and an affinity for natural energy. Seeing it confirmed still sent a thrill through his heart.

In the world of shinobi, bloodlines decided everything.

Just then, a memory fragment surfaced in his mind — one of his clones had successfully mastered the method of passive natural energy absorption!

His eyes lit up instantly. His heart pounded. Without hesitation, Kaito absorbed the memory and created another batch of clones to help him practice this technique personally.

It wasn't overly complicated. It involved multitasking, something Kaito's mental strength excelled at. His strategy was to use the clones to work out the dangerous parts.

As he walked back and forth through the forest, he continuously exercised his body while practicing passive absorption. Anyone watching him would notice the faint glow of natural energy gradually enveloping his figure.

Even though the rate of absorption and consumption wasn't yet balanced, Kaito showed no disappointment. Instead, excitement burned in his chest because he knew he was on the right path.

Six more months passed like this.

By now, Kaito had spent nearly three years in the Shikkotsu Forest. He was fifteen years old.

No longer a boy, Kaito stood at 1.8 meters, his striking features sharper and more mature. With his gentle smile, neat short hair, and solid physique, his mere presence in Konoha would draw a crowd of admirers.

Even Sasuke Uchiha would fall slightly short in comparison.

In these last six months — combined with the five years spent training in the system's time-space — Kaito had finally achieved a perfect balance between absorption and consumption. His passive absorption now perfectly matched the natural energy expended in battle.

Meaning, from this point forward, Kaito could remain in Sage Mode indefinitely.

The moment this equilibrium was reached, a transformation occurred in Kaito's body.

His vitality skyrocketed, his recovery speed became astonishing, and it felt as though invisible shackles had been removed. His previously tanned skin lightened slightly, and his resilience became something near-miraculous.

Curious, Kaito conducted an experiment. He asked a slug to leave a shallow wound on his arm. The cut healed before his eyes, restoring the skin to flawless smoothness in moments.

His recovery rate now rivaled Naruto Uzumaki's while empowered by Kurama.

But there was more. Natural energy no longer needed to be passively absorbed — it was actively rushing toward him, as if he'd become a beacon, greedily devoured by his body without effort.

Amazed, Kaito quickly summoned his system panel.

[Character Attributes]

Name: Ayanami Kaito

Age: 15

Bloodline: Senju Clan (Immortal Body)

Bloodline Limit: Thunder Fruit (Awakened)

Taijutsu: Super Kage-level

Chakra: Super Kage-level

Ninjutsu: Clone Technique, Fireball Jutsu, Chidori…

Overall Strength: Peak Super Kage-level

Sage Body.

(Well apparently, The powerscaling goes like this: KAGE →PEAK →SUPER)

The moment he saw those words, Kaito's heart skipped a beat. He could hardly calm himself.

He hadn't expected to unlock the Sage Body — something thought to be purely innate in this world. The words of the Slug Sage about this opportunity now made perfect sense.

And yet, a question nagged at him. Wasn't the Sage Body an inherent trait? How had he cultivated one through training?

Kaito frowned, puzzled. No matter how long he pondered, no satisfactory explanation came to mind.

"Forget it," he sighed at last, shaking his head. It's enough that I have it, no need to overthink it.

What Kaito didn't realize was that, without the latent Senju bloodline in his veins, he never would've awakened the Sage Body no matter how intense his training.

From the original lore, the Sage of Six Paths had two sons — Indra, who inherited his eyes, and Asura, who inherited his body.

Over generations, these bloodlines diluted and evolved. The Uchiha clan descended from Indra, and the Senju and Uzumaki clan from Asura.

Because Kaito possessed even a faint trace of this bloodline, and because he endured the second training method while awakening his clan's physique, his fate diverged from the ordinary.

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I'd be changing Immortal body to Sage Body.

I've tried to re edit parts where 'Immortal' was mentioned. Not sure if I got all tho.