Chapter 5: The six stages of the spider sage
Kakashi groaned as he stirred awake, his head pounding and body feeling oddly heavy. The faint sound of skittering legs reached his ears, and his vision slowly focused on the Spider Sage looming over him.
"Oh, you're finally awake," the sage said casually, its voice tinged with humor. "You've been out for a whole month."
Kakashi blinked, his grogginess giving way to confusion. "A month?" he repeated, sitting up with effort. "What happened?"
Instead of answering, the Spider Sage extended a hand, and a tiny spider scuttled onto its palm. "Let me introduce you to my little friend," it said, its tone a mixture of pride and amusement. "The Modifier Spider. Also known as... the thing that put you in a month-long coma."
Kakashi's expression remained blank, though his mind was spinning. He waited, knowing an explanation would follow soon enough.
The sage began pacing, gesturing animatedly with its free hand. "You see, a thousand years ago, humans wanting to learn the Spider Sage Art faced one big problem. Our sage art requires compatibility with a unique form of natural energy—Spider Nature Energy. This energy subtly modifies your body, making it suitable for the art. But the catch? Achieving compatibility through meditation took years, sometimes decades! Not the most appealing deal for humans, you know."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "So you found a shortcut?"
"Exactly!" the sage exclaimed, its many eyes twinkling with pride. "After I was sealed and left with nothing but time, I developed this little marvel." It gestured to the tiny spider on its palm. "The Modifier Spider injects a venom that acts like condensed Spider Nature Energy. It modifies your body much faster—but, well, more violently."
Kakashi's gaze sharpened. "And this... venom worked?"
The sage clapped its hands together. "Oh, absolutely! You're walking proof. It took me countless trials and errors to perfect it, but it seems you've come out just fine."
Kakashi frowned, his instincts tingling. "Wait," he said slowly, "you said, 'it worked.' So, you weren't sure?"
The sage hesitated, rubbing the back of its head. "Well, I was 90% sure—"
"Really?" Kakashi interjected, suspicion lacing his tone.
"Okay, okay, you caught me. It was more like... 50-50," the sage admitted with a sheepish laugh. "But hey, don't tell the next human who walks in here, alright?"
Kakashi's expression darkened. "So it was either my body modified or... I die?"
The Spider Sage flailed its arms defensively. "No, no! Not death, per se. Just... um... excruciating pain until each one of your organs shut down." It mimed a slicing motion across its neck, pausing to give Kakashi an encouraging smile. "But look on the bright side! You're alive and kicking, aren't you? And you don't feel any pain, do you?"
Kakashi glared at the sage, his voice rising. "Not thanks to you, you crazy sage!"
"Crazy? That's no way to talk to your teacher," the sage replied with mock offense.
Kakashi groaned, rubbing his temples. "I should've stayed in Konoha," he muttered.
"Don't be mad," the Spider Sage said, its tone shifting to something almost sincere. "I meant it when I said to look on the bright side. Come on, let me show you."
Curiosity got the better of Kakashi, and he followed the sage deeper into the cavern.
Kakashi soon discovered the first surprising change. With a light tap on a nearby boulder, it cracked and crumbled. "Super strength," the sage explained nonchalantly, "just a little below that slug girl, Tsunade."
"What?" Kakashi muttered, staring at his hands in disbelief.
"Oh, and try walking on the wall. No chakra this time," the sage added.
Skeptical but intrigued, Kakashi obeyed. His feet adhered effortlessly to the cavern's surface, defying gravity without even a flicker of chakra. "What the—"
"And there," the sage said, pointing at Kakashi's hand.
A small, legless spider symbol appeared on Kakashi's palm. The sage's tone turned proud. "That's a measuring technique I created. The Spider Sage Art has six levels. Each time you reach a new level, a leg will appear. Right now, you're at level one."
Kakashi stared at the marking, feeling the faint hum of power coursing through him. Even without starting the actual training, he was already faster and stronger than ever.
"You see?" the sage said smugly. "Told you to look on the bright side."
Kakashi remained silent, processing everything.
The sage continued, explaining the abilities tied to each level. "At level one, you'll unlock the Spider Sense. It's like a mix of your Sharingan and the Byakugan, letting you sense and predict danger—even from outside your field of vision. At level two, you can shoot webs stronger than steel from your wrists. Creepy, I know, but useful."
Kakashi's face twitched. "Very creepy."
"Level three boosts all your physical and sensory abilities," the sage continued, ignoring the comment. "And level four... oh, that's the Eternal Sage Body. Only one person in history had something similar, and you humans call him Hashirama."
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, but the sage held up a hand. "Don't get too excited yet. Levels five and six? You'll have to unlock the Eternal Sage Body first before I tell you. Gotta leave some surprises, right?"
Kakashi scowled. "Of course."
The sage laughed heartily. "Relax, kid. For now, focus on mastering the first two stages. Then you're free to leave if you want."
Despite his initial anger, Kakashi couldn't deny the results. Strength, speed, and power—all without even scratching the surface of the Spider Sage Art. Maybe, just maybe, this crazy sage had been right.
Here's a rewritten version of the Spider Sage introducing Kakashi's intense training schedule:
"Alright, let's get you a proper training schedule," the Spider Sage said, its tone all business now.
Kakashi sighed internally. He wasn't surprised—the sage seemed eager to start right away.
"How much do you usually sleep?" the sage asked, tilting its head.
"Four hours," Kakashi replied casually. "Though I can manage on three if you want to intensify the training."
The sage let out an incredulous laugh. "Three hours? That's adorable. No, no, no. Double it. You're going to sleep for eight hours every day."
Kakashi blinked, taken aback. "But—"
"No buts!" the sage interrupted sharply. "In fact, eight hours will be your only rest. Every single minute outside of those eight hours will be spent training, so trust me, you'll need it."
The gravity of the sage's words settled in, and Kakashi sighed in defeat. "Fine," he muttered.
"Good," the sage said with a grin. "Now, let me break it down for you. When you wake up, the first hour will be cardio. Get the blood flowing, shake off the cobwebs—pun intended."
Kakashi groaned at the pun but stayed silent.
"After that, four hours of physical training," the sage continued. "Strength, endurance, agility—the whole package. Then we move to sparring for three hours. And finally, we cap it off with seven hours of meditation."
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. "Seven hours? That's nearly as long as I'll be sleeping."
"Exactly," the sage said, a glint in its many eyes. "Meditation is crucial for attuning your body to Spider Nature Energy. It's what makes or breaks your progress in the Spider Sage Art. You'll learn to endure it."
Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. The schedule sounded brutal, even by his standards. "And this is every day?"
"Every single day," the sage confirmed. "No exceptions."
Kakashi sighed again, mentally preparing himself. This wasn't going to be easy—but then again, nothing worth mastering ever was.