Orochimaru's office door burst open, slamming against the wall with a crash that made the shelves full of scrolls and mysterious jars tremble. A woman with long blonde hair stormed into the office, her face flushed with fury.
"Orochimaru!"
"What is it, Tsunade?"
"What the hell have you been teaching Nawaki?!" she roared, fists clenched, veins bulging on her forehead.
Orochimaru blinked in genuine confusion before tilting his head slightly.
"Huh?"
Tsunade took a deep breath before explaining the situation. When she finished, Orochimaru's expression darkened. Without wasting time, he performed a series of hand seals with surgical precision and slammed his open palm against the floor.
"Summoning Jutsu."
With a burst of smoke, a small, gleaming white snake appeared before them.
"Shoga, has anything significant happened in Ryūchi Cave during this time?"
The snake lazily coiled around itself before lifting its head and hissing in a slow voice.
"A human… arrived at Ryūchi Cave… and is learning Senjutsu."
The air in the office seemed to freeze. Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanged grave looks. They both understood the weight of those words. The art of Senjutsu was not something just anyone could master.
Senju Hashirama and Jiraiya had also learned Senjutsu, but they had done so at Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest, where the learning process was relatively safe.
Even so, attempting to master it still carried a significant risk to one's life, let alone for a small child like Nawaki. Even an adult like Orochimaru would hesitate to learn Senjutsu.
Before the two could ask any more questions, the small snake vanished in another puff of smoke.
Far from the village, deep within a dark, damp cave, an elderly woman who had been sweeping the floor absentmindedly suddenly stopped. Her lips curled into a twisted smile.
With a "puff," her human form disappeared into a cloud of smoke, and in her place, a colossal, majestic white snake appeared, its body coiled around a stone throne. Her eyes, two pools of unfathomable wisdom, settled on the small child standing before her.
"Congratulations, child. You have passed the trials of Ryūchi Cave. You are now worthy of learning Senjutsu."
This trial would never have begun if the Snake Sage had not sensed the ambition and hunger for power within Noah. Otherwise, she would have expelled him from the place immediately.
Now that he had passed the test, it proved he was worthy of learning Senjutsu.
The great snake, known as the Snake Sage, let out a mocking hiss.
"I hope you're ready... If your body cannot withstand the transformation, I will devour you without hesitation."
Before he could respond, the gigantic snake lunged at him. In the blink of an eye, her form shrank to the size of a normal snake, and her fangs sank into Noah's neck, injecting natural energy directly into his bloodstream.
Noah's body reacted immediately. A scorching heat surged through his veins like liquid fire. He felt his skin shudder and his flesh twist. It was as if every cell in his body was resisting an inevitable transformation.
"Do not resist. Flow with the energy. Balance it."
The Snake Sage's words echoed in his mind as he struggled to sit cross-legged and close his eyes. His breathing was erratic, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest.
Scales began to emerge on his skin, only to vanish and reappear in an irregular cycle. His body was struggling to find balance between the natural energy, his spiritual energy, and his vitality.
Days passed.
Noah remained in that state of meditation and suffering for three whole days. His skin changed color, ephemeral horns sprouted and disappeared on his head, his tongue split like a snake's only to return to normal.
But finally, when the third day ended, his transformation stabilized. His once emerald-green eyes were now a deep amber with slit pupils. A thin red line adorned the edges of his eyelids, a distinctive mark of having perfectly mastered Sage Mode, just like Naruto.
Noah exhaled heavily.
Sitting cross-legged with difficulty, he closed his eyes while following the Snake Sage's instructions.
Snake scales began to appear and disappear on his body as he gradually balanced the natural energy with his vital and spiritual energy.
Following the Snake Sage's guidance, Noah finally managed to master Sage Mode after three consecutive days.
His pinkish skin returned to its original color, with no signs of paleness or scales.
The random horns that had grown on his head disappeared, and his fangs and tongue, which had elongated like a snake's, also returned to their original state.
A red eyeliner adorned the edges of his eyes, whose irises had changed from their original emerald green to an amber color with vertical slits, characteristic of the Ryūchi Cave snakes.
"I did it… Although my body can only withstand it for a minute."
Noah's body was still too immature to use Senjutsu without risking contamination from natural energy.
The Snake Sage tilted her massive head and hissed in satisfaction.
"Well done, child. You have saved yourself from being my dinner. Now leave."
But instead of retreating, Noah lifted his gaze and spoke.
"I want to make a summoning contract."
The snake seemed to ponder his words before whispering a name.
"Garaga."
From the entrance of the cave, a slender, dark-red snake appeared and slithered up to the throne, bowing its head in respect.
"Sign the contract with this boy. He is talented."
Noah and Garaga exchanged glances, and in an instant, a bond was sealed.
Looking at the docile and obedient Garaga before him—who still had both eyes—Noah reflected.
"It seems Garaga has not yet met that summoner who would betray him in the future… Who would have thought that Boruto's summoning beast would become my own?"
The Snake Sage grew impatient and exhaled a puff of smoke that enveloped Noah, sending him back home.
"Hehehe… I look forward to seeing what havoc you will wreak upon the shinobi world, descendant of Hashirama."
When Noah returned home thanks to the Snake Sage's reverse summoning jutsu, Mito sensed it immediately and quickly appeared before him.
Half an hour of scolding later, Tsunade arrived, and a new round of reprimands followed.
"Show me your Sage Mode," Mito finally ordered.
Noah took a deep breath and activated his transformation, using the small amount of Sage Chakra he had left. His amber eyes glowed, and the red markings stood out against his pale skin.
Mito narrowed her eyes.
"It seems that your talent in Senjutsu… surpasses even that of your grandfather."
She recalled the transformation of Hashirama Senju, her husband. Unlike Jiraiya, who acquired toad-like features when entering Sage Mode, Hashirama only displayed subtle facial markings. The less one's appearance changed, the greater their control over natural energy.
After proving to his grandmother that he was fine, Noah quickly explained everything to his master.
Orochimaru showed momentary interest in Senjutsu, but upon hearing Noah's experience, he dismissed the idea for the time being.
Noah had a naturally strong and resilient physique, and since he was still in his growth phase, his adaptability to Senjutsu was higher than that of older individuals.
Aside from this incident, nothing else of note occurred until Noah turned eight.
Time at the Senju residence passed peacefully, but in the outside world, a storm was brewing.
A month ago, the Uzumaki Clan massacre shook the shinobi continent. Under the pretense of a skirmish between great villages, the clan's powerful Fuinjutsu became the cause of its destruction. The Red Whirlpool was wiped off the map.
Uzushiogakure's allies did nothing.
Konoha, the village that was supposed to protect them, sent shinobi not to reinforce them, but with the sole mission of plundering the clan's secrets.
The betrayal was the final nail in the coffin.
Among the few survivors was Uzumaki Kushina, the little princess of the clan. She was taken to Konoha, where Uzumaki Mito welcomed her into the Senju family.
Thus, Kushina became the fourth member of the family, joining Mito, Tsunade, and Noah.
The first days were difficult. The once lively and energetic girl was now devastated. But the warmth of the Senju household did its work.
After a month, Kushina began to smile again. She grew accustomed to Mito's kindness, Noah's patience, and Tsunade's strong yet comforting presence.
However, stability would not last.
Mito, aware that her time in this world was coming to an end, made a decision: Kushina would become the new Jinchuriki of the Kyūbi.
This decision immediately provoked a reaction in the Hokage's office.
The high-ranking officials of Konoha, known as the Konoha F4, decided to closely monitor Kushina's every move. Her freedom was severely restricted, and before long, the Senju residence became a gilded cage.
Mito would not tolerate this.
Furious, she stormed into the Hokage's office and demanded that this control come to an end. Hiruzen Sarutobi, caught between the respect he owed the legendary kunoichi and political pressures, tried to ease the situation.
But Danzo Shimura was firmly opposed.
"I do not agree!" he exclaimed in his usual authoritative tone.
"It is essential for the village's security to closely monitor Kushina's activities. We cannot allow a Jinchuriki to have too much contact with too many people."
Danzo, though he had yet to gain the power he would have in the future after founding Root, already displayed his obsession with control and extreme measures.
Hiruzen sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"This is an order from Mito-sama. If you have any concerns, you can address them to her in person."
Danzo immediately fell silent.
He might have been ambitious, but even he knew that confronting Uzumaki Mito directly was madness.
Thus, Mito's request was granted, and Kushina regained her freedom.