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The Naruto universe has witnessed firsthand how powerful Hashirama Senju’s Sage Mode can be, but not much is known about it. Many fans have theorized that the Uzumaki lifeforce, coupled with Naruto’s prosthetic arm containing Hashirama’s DNA, should grant him the ability to perform Wood Release and learn Hashirama’s Sage Mode.
While it is unknown if a shinobi can become a Sage in the techniques of more than one Summoning animal, the theory raises a bigger question: What is the source of Hashirama’s Sage Mode? This article analyzes the Naruto manga to theorize how Hashirama himself learned Sage Mode.
Disclaimer: This article is influenced by the author’s interpretations and contains spoilers for the Naruto manga and anime. All external media in this article are the property of their respective owners.
How did Hashirama Senju learn Sage Mode in Naruto?
Wood Release Kekkei Genkai
The Naruto manga revealed that Hashirama had already achieved Sage Mode during the Warring era when the Senju clan repeatedly clashed against the Uchiha. Hashirama was proficient in all five Nature Release techniques, as well as in Yin and Yang Release. But more importantly, he possessed the unique ability to use Wood Release, a combination of Earth and Water Release.
Wood Release was widely known to be a Kekkei Genkai exclusive to Hashirama, with none of his family members or descendants inheriting it. Wood Release allowed Hashirama to convert chakra into lifeforce, which is essentially natural energy. The only other person capable of using Wood Release was Yamato, who was genetically Hashirama’s clone. But his control over the ability seemed amateurish when compared to Hashirama.
When Naruto achieved Nine-Tails Chakra mode for the first time, the wooden columns Yamato had created to prevent him from losing control automatically began sprouting branches and leaves due to his overflowing nature energy.
Wood Release may have done something similar for Hashirama, allowing him to automatically access nature energy once he mastered his Kekkei Genkai. This would also explain how he was able to achieve Sage Mode instantaneously and continue using it for extended amounts of time, something no other Sage Mode user is capable of.
Hashirama’s Otsutsuki heritage
Besides Hashirama, the only other Wood Release user documented in the Naruto series was Ashura Otsutsuki. Since Hashirama was Ashura’s descendant, it would not be too far-fetched to theorize that he inherited the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai from his Otsutsuki ancestors. Ashura also gained Sage of Six Paths from Hagoromo, which might have been the source of Hashirama’s Sage Mode.
The chakra fruit produced by the Otsutsuki’s God Tree sucked out the natural energy and life force of the planet where it was planted, turning it into chakra. Since Kaguya ate the chakra fruit before giving birth to Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki, they were both born with chakra. Similarly, chakra manifested in Hagoromo’s sons, Indra and Ashura, making them capable of performing ninjutsu.
This theory is further propagated in Boruto anime, where an artificial God Tree was created by combining the remains of the God Tree from the Fourth Shinobi War with Hashirama’s cell and those who were implanted by the First Hokage’s cells. This theory would also explain why Hashirama could single-handedly control the Tailed Beasts, something only Hagoromo Otsutsuki could perform using his Sage of Six Paths abilities.
Sage Mode through Summoning jutsu
Another less popular conjecture suggests that Hashirama may have learned Sage Mode from Shikkotsu Forest, one of the three sage regions, the other two being Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave. The Naruto series showed Jiraiya, Naruto, and Minato learning Sage Mode from the toads of Mount Myoboku, while Kabuto became a Sage at Ryuchi Cave.
While both Tsunade and Sakura could summon Katsuyu, a resident of Shikkotsu Forest, neither achieved Sage Mode. Hashirama’s startling proficiency in medical ninjutsu, his vast chakra reserves, and his innate affinity towards nature energy would make him an ideal candidate for being trained as a Slug Sage.
Furthermore, Hashirama’s Sage Mode markings are very different from the ones appearing on Toad Sages and Snake Sages, suggesting that he hadn’t been trained in either of those regions. With Shikkotsu Forest being the only other known sage region in the Naruto universe, there is a possibility that Hashirama may have mastered Sage Mode at the abode of the slugs.
Final thoughts
There is a large gap in the record of Hashirama Senju’s lifetime, with the timeline jumping directly from his childhood to his days as a warrior engaging in battles to protect his clan. While each of the theories mentioned in this article have its pros and cons, nothing is confirmed in the manga regarding how Hashirama truly mastered Sage Mode.
What fans do know with absolute certainty is that he was called the “God of Shinobi,” not without reason. Not even the Nine Tails jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, could achieve the same level of skill that the First Hokage possessed.
