Chapter 203: Sage Mode is Finally Achieved
"It can be considered a natural outcome..."
Joy, excitement, happiness...
The irrepressible emotions spilled into his voice.
In the Hyuga clan's territory, inside a quiet room completely isolated from the outside world, Ryosuke sat cross-legged on a thick, warm animal-skin blanket. He wore a loose white robe, and inky black lines twisted across his face.
These markings—the sign that he had entered Sage Mode.
At this moment, Ryosuke's expression was twisted, not from pain or madness, but from overwhelming joy. He knew this face, this distortion—he wasn't forcing the expression. He simply couldn't suppress it.
Ryosuke was happy.
Truly, deeply happy.
It was like someone suffering decades of chronic pain suddenly waking up in their youthful body again. That sense of freedom, of renewal—indescribable relief flooded through him.
The natural energy floating in the air no longer felt dangerous or intimidating.
He no longer felt like a drowning man trapped in the deep sea, facing a vast, suffocating ocean.
These natural energies had transformed with the final step of his Sage Mode training. Now, they weren't hostile invaders—they were comrades.
Once, from the moment he first sensed the existence of natural energy, Ryosuke had felt an unexplainable rejection.
As if the world—or perhaps the very planet—was trying to push him out.
But the rejection wasn't because he was a time traveler. It stemmed from his newfound ability to perceive the natural energy. From that awareness came unconscious attention.
Even when he tried to ignore the sensation, the energy remained in his perception, suffocating him like waves that refused to recede. No matter how strong his self-control, he would inevitably "touch" them. It was unavoidable.
That attention—however unintentional—seemed to disturb the natural energies. Like a cat teased too long, they'd sometimes be docile around Ryosuke, sometimes chaotic and wild.
But now, the problem had been solved—naturally, even beautifully.
With Naruto's help, Ryosuke had achieved the final result: Senjutsu Chakra.
Through analysis of the Senjutsu Chakra, he could clearly perceive natural energy. When it condensed, he understood the precise ratio of physical, spiritual, and natural energies.
He had never attempted it before.
What he lacked wasn't power—but that last bit of confidence. That elusive "feeling."
So he spent time studying the battle records of Senju Hashirama's life. Through illusion constructs, he simulated becoming Hashirama, fighting through every major battle.
Much like how they had once reconstructed Hyuga Neji's graduation exam through verbal retelling, Ryosuke built each scene. Yet it was only text, and without firsthand correction, progress was painstakingly slow.
It took a long time, but he eventually captured a faint trace of Hashirama's "feeling."
"Is this... Sage Mode?"
Ryosuke stood from the blanket and floated gently into the air.
He could feel it—his body fully attuned to the natural world. Not just blending with nature, but belonging to it.
Natural energy was everywhere. Even in this enclosed, silence-wrapped chamber built specifically for meditation, the energy still flowed freely.
"Using the power of heaven and earth… the power of the planet itself… can this truly elevate one's life?"
He whispered the thought as he clenched his fists, sensing the changes in his body.
Sage Chakra was a higher-tier substance than ordinary chakra.
Normal chakra already strengthened the body as it flowed—improving resilience, speed, and power.
Sage Chakra did the same—but far better.
More than that, the natural energy stimulated the very cells of his body, prompting subtle transformations. His physical constitution was being improved—not suddenly, but gently, comfortably. Not like the painful spikes of his mental progress bar.
In fact, he could still tell: the transformations induced by the progress bar were more direct, more aggressive. But this? This was smooth, natural change.
His spiritual perception had expanded as well—wider and clearer.
While not as sharp as his Byakugan's detailed view, the improvement was there.
Yet the most important change of all was the breakthrough in his chakra limit.
That was the true goal behind his pursuit of Sage Chakra.
Ryosuke's natural chakra reserves were already formidable—rivaling the Uzumaki and Senju clans, renowned for their vitality and deep reserves.
But to draw out his full strength, even that wasn't enough.
He needed more.
Though his chakra limit could improve every three years as his mind and body matured, Ryosuke wasn't the type to sit and wait patiently.
He didn't rely on some novel-like system that handed out rewards just for checking in.
Every gain had to be earned.
And so, he sought alternatives—any method to expand his chakra limit.
Right now, Sage Mode was his best option.
"...It's about three minutes."
As he monitored the changes, Ryosuke quietly calculated the time.
Exactly three minutes after entering Sage Mode, he felt the natural energy begin to leave his body, along with the Senjutsu Chakra.
It wasn't due to overload, or because his body couldn't handle it.
No—it felt like the energy itself grew "tired" of lingering within him. As though his body and the natural energy were still not fully compatible, unable to coexist for long.
But even as the energy left and the black facial markings faded, something remained.
The transformation endured.
His body had been subtly—but permanently—altered.
His strength, his chakra capacity… all of it had improved.
"Yes... change is good. These adjustments to my body are more noticeable than I expected."
Ryosuke nodded in satisfaction.
They were minor, yes—but clear and undeniable.
As he grew stronger, visible breakthroughs became rarer. Power crept forward in tiny increments. But now, for once, he had tangible progress.
And he could see it—feel it.
With time, as his mastery of Sage Mode grew, so too would its duration. One day, like Naruto, he'd wield it for far longer than a mere three minutes.
At that time, the natural energies would be able to continuously temper and transform his body through Sage Mode, enhancing his physical functions—not just triggering temporary changes stimulated by Sage Chakra.
"Then… I hope there's another surprise."
The training for Sage Mode was now complete, and Ryosuke stepped out of the room in a cheerful mood.
Earlier, while testing the enhancements brought by Sage Mode, he had already sensed someone waiting for him outside.
When he opened the door, a familiar figure greeted him.
Under the warm winter sun, Hinata stood quietly in the courtyard with her hands behind her back, patiently waiting.
Her long, haze-blue hair was tied back with a slim rubber band, giving her a mature and capable appearance that seemed beyond her years.
"It's so cold today. Why didn't you wait for me inside?"
With a gentle step forward, Ryosuke casually removed his white robe and draped it over her shoulders.
This quiet room had been temporarily built within the Hyuga main estate to help him better perceive natural energy. Technically, he was still at home and hadn't left the clan's grounds.
"I just received the news and thought I'd come over right away to wait for you."
Hinata handed him two letters, then pulled her robes tighter. "One's from Captain Hoshicai, and the other is from Captain Iroha. After my father received them from the Intelligence Department, he asked me to deliver them to you immediately."
Ryosuke nodded, accepting the letters without opening them.
"Come on. Let's head inside first."
He placed an arm around Hinata's shoulders and guided her toward the inner courtyard.
Ryosuke had already sensed the letters' presence earlier—there was no urgent need to read them on the spot. Judging by their appearance, they were likely routine reports, not calls for immediate action.
The two entered the inner courtyard and sat down on a bench lined with expensive leather cushions.
As they sipped hot tea, Ryosuke slowly opened the first letter.
"Captain Hoshicai's report contains basic intel on the outsider."
Beside him, Hinata eagerly added, "It's now circulating in the Land of Fire that the identity of this powerful warrior has been confirmed as an alien. He's described as having a missing arm, red hair, and an exceptional talent in swordsmanship."
"Sounds familiar."
Ryosuke looked momentarily surprised but then smiled. "I think I know who this person is. I've seen information about him before."
"Oh?"
Hinata blinked, intrigued. "Is it from the technological world that ventures into space, or... the one filled with pirates and treasure?"
So far, those were the only two known parallel worlds they had gathered information on.
Staring at the letter, Ryosuke read a little more before softly muttering, "Pirate."
Red-Haired Shanks—one of the Four Emperors in the pirate world of One Piece.
The title "Emperor" carried significant weight in any world, and the same applied in the pirate realm.
Hinata asked, "Should I send out a letter with updated mission instructions?"
"No need."
Ryosuke shook his head. "I'm going myself. If it's Shanks, then Hoshicai and the others won't be able to keep up with him."
"Once they make contact, they probably won't even get the chance to track him—he'll notice them instantly."
Judging combat strength across different worlds and power systems was never simple.
Take Blueno, for example—a warrior Ryosuke had encountered before from the One Piece world. Back there, Blueno's level was likely mid-to-low tier.
After arriving in this world, Blueno had merged with a White Zetsu, granting him resistance to genjutsu and additional support in battle. That, combined with his mastery of the Navy's Six Styles, elevated him to the strength of a Elite Jonin.
But remove the White Zetsu—
Then Blueno, with only his physical abilities and rudimentary mastery of the Gate-Gate Fruit, would be no more than Chunin level.
If he had to face illusion-proficient Chunins, he might not even get the chance to fight before going down.
This highlights the difficulty of comparing across systems.
Blueno's taijutsu was undeniably at a Jonin's level—perhaps even beyond some Jonin. But lacking versatility and support, his overall combat power was fragile. Much like Old Cat's situation now.
But…
Shanks was on a different scale entirely.
Blueno was fodder in the One Piece world. Mention his name, and Ryosuke would be met with blank stares from fellow pirates.
After all, Blueno had no fame.
But Shanks?
Shanks stood at the pinnacle of the Pirate World Power Rankings as one of the Four Emperors.
Mention his name to anyone from the pirate world, and you wouldn't get blank stares—you'd see wide-eyed awe, clenched fists of hatred, or trembling respect.
He was well-known. What differed was how each person reacted to his name, based on their experiences and allegiances.
"I told you before," Ryosuke said, "that in the pirate world, aside from secret treasures and physical like Devil Fruits, kendo, and the Navy's Six Styles, there's something called Haki."
He paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing.
"Armament Haki is like a form of chakra—an energy substance. It can harden the body, boosting defense and attack power. At higher levels, it can even be used for ranged attacks, like an enhanced Eight Trigrams Palm."
"Observation Haki is similar to a Mind's Eye technique. With enough training, you can predict your opponent's movements mid-battle."
"The last one is Conqueror's Haki—a form of mental suppression so strong it can directly affect the will of others."
He paused again, this time with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
"And Shanks excels in all three forms. He's also a master of kendo and taijutsu. He's a complete warrior—in body and mind, he's fully adapted to his world's system."
"If we go up against him, the illusion-based techniques we originally planned to use on outsiders might prove useless."
Ryosuke's expression turned serious.
"I'm almost certain that his Conqueror's Haki can resist genjutsu. I just don't know what tier of illusions it can defend against."
<><><><><><>
Read Advanced Chapters on:
~ [email protected]/FanficLord03
~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the story in the rankings using your
[Power Stones]
~ https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9