— — — — — —
"What?!"
Tsunade and Minato were both visibly stunned.
Minato stared at Renzo, still trying to wrap his head around what he'd just heard. "Wait—hold on. You're saying it's actually possible to replace your body's chakra entirely with Sage Chakra? That doesn't even sound remotely possible!"
"You do realize how unstable and wild sage chakra is, right?" he continued, doubtful. "Forget about using it as a replacement for regular chakra—just storing it in your body for too long puts a massive strain on you! How is something like that even possible?"
Even now, after obtaining the Uzumaki clan's Sage Body, Minato could only maintain Sage Mode for about 15 minutes at most. After that, his body needed a break to recover from the intense load.
"Why not?" Renzo replied casually, arms crossed and smiling. "The three Great Sages from the sacred summoning realms all manage it just fine, don't they?"
And he was right.
Whether it was the Slug Sage, Snake Sage, or the Toad Sage, they had all originally used pure natural energy—not chakra. Chakra hadn't even existed back when they began their training.
But after chakra became a thing, they realized its usefulness. Plus, with the God Tree absorbing so much natural energy from the world, the ambient energy levels dropped dramatically. That's when they began incorporating chakra into their own practices.
Over time, they not only succeeded in blending chakra into their own systems but also passed it down to their species and disciples.
All of this, Renzo had learned from the Snake Sage.
That's how the Three Great Sacred Lands and the Three Great Sages came to be.
Nowadays, the Sages' bodies are refined entirely by the sage chakra. Through this constant tempering, their bodies evolved into advanced Sage Physiques—far beyond the Uzumaki clan's basic version.
That's how they're able to contain so much senjutsu chakra without suffering any real backlash.
In fact, their long lifespans? That's part of the secret.
Even the Uzumaki's beginner-level Sage Physique could extend life. So imagine what full-on Sage Physiques like those three could do.
"Wait, wait, wait..." Minato blinked in disbelief. "You're telling me the Great Toad Sage and the others started out by developing senjutsu chakra directly? But... what about Fukasaku and Shima? They don't seem like that at all."
Renzo rolled his eyes. "Fukasaku and Shima? Please. At best, they're on the same level as the Three Snake Princesses from Ryuchi Cave. They're nowhere near the real Toad Sage, Gamamaru."
"Calling themselves 'Sages' is just them giving themselves fancy titles."
Tsunade nodded. "Yeah... what you're saying actually makes sense. Slug Sage told me something similar. Still, I haven't been able to master the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest even after all this time. Honestly... I've nearly given up."
Training in Sage Mode requires a deep calm of mind—a complete oneness with nature.
But Tsunade carried too much emotional weight. She could never quite reach that inner stillness.
Physically, she had everything: strong body, massive chakra reserves, incredible chakra control. Honestly, she was better off than Jiraiya in all of those areas. Yet Jiraiya managed to learn Sage Mode, and she didn't.
It all came down to state of mind.
Renzo even suspected Orochimaru failed for the same reason.
The guy was too smart for his own good—his mind was always racing. Way too much clutter in his thoughts. He couldn't meditate, couldn't empty himself, couldn't blend with nature.
And after switching bodies multiple times using the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, his soul took a hit. That made it even less likely for him to ever master Sage Mode.
"So… wait a sec," Renzo muttered to himself. "Does this mean that being a stubborn, single-minded idiot is actually beneficial for learning Sage Mode?"
Jiraiya… and Naruto later on… weren't they both kind of that type?
Minato, although not dumb, had a straightforward personality—very little negativity or darkness weighing him down.
And Renzo? Well, he didn't consider himself simple-minded by any means.
No, he believed the reason he could master it so easily was thanks to his absurdly high talent—and insane mental strength.
"You're definitely thinking something rude right now," Minato said, narrowing his eyes as he caught Renzo's weird expression.
"Hahaha! Not at all!" Renzo laughed, trying to wave it off. "I just figured out why Tsunade and Orochimaru could never learn Sage Mode!"
"Oh?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms and giving him a skeptical look. "Then go ahead. Let's hear it."
To be fair, she already knew the answer. The Slug Sage had explained it to her long ago.
She just could never get past that bottleneck.
"It's because your mental state just isn't there yet. You can't calm your mind enough to truly sense natural energy, can you?"
Renzo laid it out plainly, his voice calm and confident.
"Huh?" Minato blinked, surprised. "Wait—that's the main reason? Not physique, chakra reserves, or chakra control?"
He had struggled with all those requirements himself. But now that he thought about Tsunade and Orochimaru… yeah, they were clearly way ahead of him in those departments.
"You actually figured it out, huh?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, a bit impressed. "You're right. Both Orochimaru and I hit a wall there. Couldn't get past it no matter how hard we tried."
"Sage Mode requires deep attunement to nature. You have to fully merge with it, let it flow through you. But Orochimaru and I just… couldn't do it. So, of course, we failed."
"But Jiraiya? That single-minded idiot managed it just fine."
She crossed her arms and gave a wry smile. "Back then, Orochimaru and I used to tease him all the time. Said only a blockhead like Jiraiya could learn Sage Mode. Anyone with actual brains? No chance."
She paused, then glanced between Minato and Renzo. "Minato, I can see it. You've always had a straightforward kind of thinking, not much inner turmoil, not too many thoughts. That's probably why you managed it."
"But you, Renzo... you're not exactly what I'd call a 'simple' guy. So how did you pull it off? Come on, share some tips. Maybe I can finally get it too!"
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and hope.
After all, Sage Mode wasn't just about a power-up.
From what she'd learned from the Slug Sage, sage chakra could actually strengthen the body's constitution—especially for someone like her, a descendant of the Senju Clan with an incomplete Sage Body. If she could activate that hidden potential, she might be able to complete her transformation.
And more than that—it could drastically boost her chakra reserves and her vitality. In other words, it might help her live longer.
If she could even reach a tenth of the Slug Sage's level, her lifespan and youth would skyrocket.
Yes—youth. No woman would say no to the chance of staying young forever.
Power boosts and battlefield advantages were nice, sure. But Tsunade's real motivation? Eternal beauty and longevity.
Even Orochimaru, with all his madness, was obsessed with extending his life—wasn't that proof enough?
(...Wait a sec. Could that be why Orochimaru eventually turned into 'Snake Auntie'?)
(Maybe deep down, Orochimaru had always been a bit of a girl at heart? Snake Auntie's true goal was the eternal beauty?)
(cough cough—okay, just kidding! Just a joke!)
...
Back to the moment—faced with Tsunade's eager expression, Renzo rubbed his chin in thought.
"Actually... I might have a way to help you enter that meditative state."
A method popped into his head—something from the Pokémon world: a psychic meditation technique.
It was designed to help one quiet the mind, strengthen mental focus, and train spiritual energy. It might be just what Tsunade—or even Orochimaru—needed.
"Maybe that's how I managed it, too," Renzo muttered under his breath.
"What is it?"
Tsunade suddenly grabbed his shoulders, eyes locked on him like a hawk. "Tell me!"
"I've got a meditation technique that might work," Renzo said, totally unfazed by her close proximity—even with that faint floral scent lingering around her.
He raised a finger, staying cool. "But here's the thing—this technique doesn't just help with meditation. It also strengthens the mind, and with enough training, it can awaken some pretty amazing mental abilities. So…"
"What's the catch?"
Tsunade cut him off with a sharp look.
"Ahem... well." Renzo glanced at her face—so close—and cleared his throat. "Let's talk about that later, okay? This really isn't the right time."
He was tempted to say he'd only teach it to his future wife…
But yeah. Not now. Best to shelve that for later.
"Right now, we've got more important stuff to deal with—like the frontlines, and those pending negotiations. Let's go handle that first."
"Fine," Tsunade sighed, letting go of him and stepping back. "But don't think you're off the hook."
Her heart was pounding a little.
She'd definitely noticed that intense, almost predatory glint in Renzo's eyes just now. She'd been half-worried he'd demand something totally outrageous in front of everyone.
If he had… how would she ever show her face again?
.
.
.