With the stick to the sucker he'd eaten in the Raikage's office still at his lips, Kuro began to make his way into the trees and forest. He'd never been in woods like these. The sounds of wild animals were all around, and the further he went in, the more thick the bush became. The trees seemed to stretch on forever upwards. Once he got so far in, it was pitch dark, save for special glowing plants and crystals that gave off patches of light here and there. The wildlife within the deepest parts of this forest seemed more sinister than that of the animals he'd encountered on the way here, but he kept his distance, and so did they...for now.

Once in so deep, Kuro couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. He didn't need to, with his fully mastered sensory techniques. In the distance he began to make out statues of Gorillas. There were many of them, so many that he had to climb over and around several. There were many different sizes, ranging from as small as a pet puppy, to massive king kong size. When he climbed inside of what looked to be a large arena, sensory told him that some of the Gorillas were real, and alive. One of them attacked Kuro and scored a direct hit with a kick to the chest, causing him to use his Body Replacement Jutsu, trading places with a nearby log.

"Interesting," spoke the Gorilla, making the nearby Kuro, in a tree, raise an eyebrow. "Who are you, child? Why are you here, amongst the domain of the Great Sage Apes?"

"...Rumor has it you lend your strength to those who prove themselves worthy," Kuro responded, making the 3 Gorillas below look up in his direction. "...I'm here to prove."

"You...you do not use your body primarily to fight. You use trickery and shadows to aid you, you must be of Clan Nara...The Great Apes are not for you...but perhaps, the Shadow Crows above will be willing to lend you their aid, if you dare make the climb...and if you have the patience to pass their tests. Be warned, the Crows are stubborn, and turn back most all who venture to the tops of the trees."

The 3 Gorillas seemed to merge back with the statues and disappear from sight. So gaining the favor of the Apes was out, because he didn't know Taijutsu. But the Apes weren't so rude as to send Kuro away empty handed, and told him of Shadow Crows that lived in the tops of the trees. The climb to the top of the tall trees began then and there. He could have flown, but he decided to save his chakra for the tests that the Gorilla spoke of. The higher he rose off of the forest floor, the more light began to break through the ceiling of trees and growth. He could hear the caws of birds and the flapping of their wings.

A flock of large black birds with red eyes attempted to knock Kuro out of the trees. He was able to hold on for long moments but was knocked out of the branches, and forced to use his Flight Technique to avoid a nasty fall. Continuing with the climb, the birds next began to caw loudly and scatter their feathers in an attempt to confuse and disorient him. Again, they were nearly successful, but Kuro managed to endure the confusion and continue climbing. It was then that an identical doppleganger of himself appeared and tried landing on him from above. A Shadow Punch knocked the copycat aside and allowed Kuro the time needed to climb the rest of the way to the tops of the trees, where strangely there was space to stand. Located on many branches all around were crows. Some of them were real, and some of them were statues.

The doppleganger appeared again, looking just like Kuro, except it had red eyes and was wearing a long jacket. Kuro didn't look surprised, and besides raising an eyebrow, showed no reaction. It did some of the same moves that the crows did, and it could even use the Shadow Imitation Technique, which Kuro was successful in avoiding. The battle between the Kuros' went on for many minutes, and as it seemed that the actual Kuro was gaining the upper hand on the copycat, the battle was halted at the appearance of a much larger crow that was grey in color, indicating it's old age. Landing upon a perch, it cawed loudly at Kuro, who still showed no reaction.

"...The first to withstand the barrage of the Shadow Crows in centuries," it said in plain english. "Who are you, human?...Why are you here?"

"...Kuro Nara," he replied. "I wanted to gain the approval of the Gorillas below, but since I don't know Taijutsu they said it was impossible. They directed me here, to you all."

"...A Nara...which explains why you were able to last as long as any other who came before you. It is not easy to gain our favor...But you have succeeded. I am the Elder Sage Crow. I have waited a long time for someone worthy enough to be inducted into our ranks."

"I have your permission to take your tests?"

"You have already passed them." The doppleganger transformed into another crow. It was large, but not as large as the Elder. It too gave a loud caw toward Kuro while flapping its massive wings. "I have not seen Boss Crow so excited in decades...You gave an excellent showing against our strongest. I'm sure he will be happy to have you in our flock...I will teach you the secret of the sages, and allow you into our fold..."

A large scroll appeared. Boss Crow opened it, revealing it to be a contract. The signatures of the previous individuals able to gain the favor of the Sage Crows were signed within in blood. Presented with a blank space, Kuro used a Kunai to prick each of his fingers to leave a hand print, and to sign his name. He would now be able to summon Sage Crows to him where ever he may be in the world.

Next came the training to harness nature energy, which took days. When Kuro got tired, he slept. When he got hungry, he ate. When he had to go...well, he went. Most of his time was devoted to mastering what he was taught. He was told that if he happened to make any major mistakes, that he would start to transform into a Crow, and then into a stone statue, and that all of the statues around him were those who failed. That didn't deter Kuro, and though the Elder Sage Crow as well as Boss Crow had to slap him out of the crow state with a wing several times, Kuro eventually passed the test and gained the ability to access Sage Mode; during which his green eyes changed into a red color, giving him a better sense of clarity that allowed him to see better than he could normally, and a long black stylish jacket appeared over his normal clothes.

It took Kuro 3 complete days to get the hang of Sage Mode, but it was worth it. When there was nothing left to teach, the time came for Kuro to head home. The Elder Sage Crow further explained the pros and cons of Sage Mode, going on to tell him that not only could he summon several of the lesser crows, he could also summon Boss Crow, who was the chief bird of the Sages. The Elder Sage Crow also told Kuro that there was still the chance that he could turn into a statue, and to be careful, only using it when absolutely necessary. Before leaving Kuro promised to use his new abilities responsibly, and was sure to thank them for accepting him into their fold.

Afterwards, it didn't take Kuro long to make his way back down to the Warp Zone and head back to The Land of Clouds....