"Jiraiya-sama, are you really leaving?"
Jūgo asked in a low voice.
Kabuto Yakushi smiled.
"Why don't you stay?"
Jūgo was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
The three of them left Ryūchi Cave together. They didn't go far, instead settling down temporarily in a nearby area to wait for Sasuke to finish his training.
Jiraiya finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sasuke... Is that really you? I never expected you to actually succeed."
Kabuto was also filled with emotion.
"Indeed. This is a power that even Orochimaru desired but could never obtain..."
Jiraiya smiled and looked up at the distant sky.
"I wonder how Naruto's training is going..."
...
Naruto's training was naturally progressing much more smoothly than Sasuke's.
The Sage heritage of Mount Myōboku was completely different from the life-or-death training at Ryūchi Cave.
Not only were there readily available training methods, but Fukasaku was always there to protect Naruto.
Furthermore, Naruto possessed an enormous amount of chakra, and his ability to develop Sage Mode was extraordinary.
There was only one major problem.
For Naruto, the most difficult part of the training was learning how to combine stillness and movement.
When cultivating Sage Mode, one had to focus on a single objective and concentrate on absorbing natural energy.
This wasn't particularly difficult for Naruto, as he had undergone similar training before.
However, cultivating Sage Mode required more than simply concentrating on one thing.
He needed to absorb natural energy while perfectly balancing natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy in a precise 1:1:1 ratio.
The slightest mistake could cause the natural energy to run wild, potentially turning him into a stone frog!
In the beginning, Naruto also had to use special frog oil to increase the efficiency of natural energy absorption, making it even more difficult to maintain such a precise chakra balance.
Fortunately, Naruto had passed countless trials and possessed an excellent ability to multitask.
In other words, he could devote one part of his consciousness to absorbing natural energy while using another to maintain the perfect balance between his different types of chakra.
Once he solved this problem, Naruto's training began progressing rapidly.
It took Naruto only two days to calm his mind, absorb natural energy, and achieve an extremely precise chakra balance.
And then—
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
A powerful energy suddenly surged through Naruto's body.
It was several times stronger than before!
At the same time, Naruto's appearance began to change.
Dark markings appeared around his eyes, resembling dark eye shadow, while the whisker-like marks on his cheeks became slightly darker.
Then Naruto opened his eyes.
His pupils had transformed into those of a frog.
The Sage Eyes!
Fukasaku couldn't help but feel emotional.
"Little Naruto, neither Little Jiraiya nor Little Minato can compare with you when it comes to learning Sage Mode..."
"Little Minato was incredibly intelligent, but he wasn't particularly talented in Sage Mode. It took him a very long time to enter Sage Mode, and he could only maintain it for a short period of time. That's why he could only use it as an auxiliary technique."
"As for Little Jiraiya, although he completed his training, his Sage Mode was not perfect. Even now, whenever he enters Sage Mode, his body still undergoes a certain degree of frog transformation."
Fukasaku paused.
"Of course, Jiraiya was also lazy and undisciplined, and he always wanted to avoid excessive training. Though, to be fair, he was constantly busy fulfilling his responsibilities and protecting the village."
"But no matter what..."
"Little Naruto, you've grasped the secrets of Sage Mode so quickly and can enter it with almost no frog transformation. You're truly far more talented than those two!"
Naruto couldn't help feeling proud and excited.
Perhaps his talent in other areas couldn't compare to Jiraiya or Minato.
But when it came to Sage Mode, he really did seem to possess an exceptional talent.
For the first time, Naruto understood what it meant to have something you were truly good at.
"All right, Little Naruto. Let's move on to the next stage."
Fukasaku immediately began guiding Naruto through the next part of his training.
This stage focused on remaining completely still and maintaining perfect balance under extreme conditions.
The method was simple, but extremely difficult.
Naruto had to stand on a wooden board placed atop one of the tall, thin stone pillars of Mount Myōboku while continuing to absorb and refine natural energy.
If he could maintain his balance and successfully cultivate Sage Mode under such difficult conditions, then maintaining his balance under normal circumstances would naturally be much easier.
In the original timeline, this was a major challenge for Naruto.
But the Naruto of the present was different.
Maintaining his balance was no longer a problem.
He completed this part of his training in only two days, leaving Fukasaku astonished once again.
"Little Naruto, you've almost completed your entire training."
"From here, what you need to learn is how to coordinate the Two-Sage Technique."
"The Two-Sage Technique? What's that?"
Fukasaku smiled.
"You should understand the principles by now, right?"
"Sage Mode actually consists of two different stages."
"The first is remaining still, absorbing natural energy, adjusting the chakra ratio, and accumulating enough power to successfully enter Sage Mode."
"Then comes the second stage—fighting while in Sage Mode."
"In other words, movement."
"The problem is that these two things naturally conflict with each other."
Naruto nodded.
"That's obvious. You can't remain completely still while fighting!"
"Exactly. So there are only two solutions."
Fukasaku raised two fingers.
"First, you can prepare and enter Sage Mode before beginning the battle."
"This is certainly a reliable method. However, you won't always have the opportunity to prepare beforehand. And even if you do, Sage Mode has a limited duration."
"In the beginning, you can only maintain it for about five minutes."
Naruto immediately asked:
"Then what's the second method?"
"The second method is the Two-Sage Technique I mentioned earlier."
"It's the technique Little Jiraiya used."
"That means allowing me and my wife to fuse with Little Jiraiya. While Little Jiraiya fights, the two of us remain still and continue absorbing natural energy."
"Through this kind of coordination, the user can maintain Sage Mode for a much longer period of time."
"Fusion?!"
Naruto's imagination immediately ran wild.
He pictured himself transforming into some bizarre half-human, half-frog creature.
"Ahhhhh!"
"No!"
Naruto grabbed his head and desperately shook it.
Fukasaku became angry.
"Don't exaggerate! It's nothing like that! We simply merge with the user's shoulders!"
"...Oh."
Naruto finally relaxed.
In the original story, this fusion had been disrupted by the Nine-Tailed Fox inside Naruto, preventing the technique from being successfully used.
But things were different now.
Kurama had already promised not to cause trouble for Naruto, so learning the Two-Sage Technique wouldn't be particularly difficult.
However, Fukasaku still reminded him of something important.
"Little Naruto, although the Two-Sage Technique solves the problem of combining movement and stillness, it's only a temporary solution."
"A truly perfect Sage Mode must ultimately be achieved by the user themselves."
"Little Jiraiya only trained to this level. But you can't be satisfied with merely reaching his level."
"As his student, you should surpass him."
Naruto nodded.
A Sage Mode that could only be maintained by relying on two Sage Toads wasn't what he truly wanted.
After all, every time he entered Sage Mode, he would have to summon and rely on the two Sage Toads.
Naruto had never liked depending too heavily on outside assistance.
So naturally, he wasn't satisfied with this method.
"Then what should I do?"
Fukasaku smiled slightly.
"It's simple."
"Continue improving your Sage Mode until your efficiency at absorbing natural energy while remaining still reaches its peak."
"At the same time, you need to extend the amount of time you can maintain Sage Mode while moving and fighting."
"When you can accomplish both, you'll no longer need the Two-Sage Technique."
"Take the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, for example."
"He could activate Sage Mode almost instantly and maintain it throughout nearly an entire battle."
Naruto couldn't help feeling envious.
"If that's possible, then I don't want to rely on the Two-Sage Technique either, Fukasaku-sama!"
"I want to cultivate my Sage Mode until I reach the level of the First Hokage-sama—or even surpass him!"
Fukasaku smiled.
"That's certainly an ambitious goal."
"But it's incredibly difficult. You're comparing yourself to the God of Shinobi, after all."
Naruto clenched his fists.
"My goal is to surpass all the previous Hokage!"
"So even if the person I'm trying to surpass is the God of Shinobi, I'll definitely surpass him!"
"That's the spirit!"
Naruto's Sage Mode training continued at full speed.
And his progress was astonishingly fast.
...
Today.
A messenger frog suddenly came hopping over.
"Fukasaku-sama! The Great Toad Sage has asked us to bring Uzumaki Naruto to him. He said he had a dream last night!"
Fukasaku's heart trembled.
"Really? Another dream?"
"Could it be related to Little Naruto?!"
Naruto scratched his head in confusion.
"The Great Toad Sage? Is he the boss of Mount Myōboku?"
"He just had a dream. Why are you so nervous?"
Fukasaku's expression immediately became serious.
"Don't be disrespectful, Little Naruto!"
"Let's talk while we walk."
"Okay."
As they hurried along, Fukasaku explained:
"The Great Toad Sage is a legendary existence who has lived since the era of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Because of his enormous chakra and incredible longevity, he possesses the ability to glimpse the future."
"Those visions often appear to him in the form of dreams."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"So the Great Toad Sage has seen a prophecy about me?!"
"Exactly!"
Naruto became both excited and nervous.
"What could it be?"
"Could it be about me becoming Hokage?"
"Or maybe I'll save the entire Ninja World and become a great hero whom everyone knows and admires!"
"Ha ha ha!"
Fukasaku's expression became awkward.
"...Don't get ahead of yourself, Little Naruto."
"A prophecy is just a prophecy. It doesn't necessarily mean something good!"
Naruto fell silent.
"..."
Eventually, they arrived at the Great Toad Sage's residence.
Naruto entered and looked up.
Sitting lazily atop a gigantic cushion was an enormous, ancient toad.
His eyes were half-closed, as if he had already fallen asleep.
Naruto stared at him.
"That sleeping old toad is the Great Toad Sage?"
"...Little Naruto, be quiet!"
Fukasaku hurriedly lowered his voice.
"The Great Toad Sage is meditating!"
The messenger frog announced:
"Great Toad Sage, Fukasaku-sama and Uzumaki Naruto have arrived."
"The Great Toad Sage?"
"Snore... snore..."
Naruto could no longer hold himself back.
He shouted:
"...He's actually asleep!"
The Great Toad Sage was startled awake by Naruto's voice.
"Hmm?"
He rubbed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
Naruto stared at him in disbelief.
"...Didn't you ask me to come here? Have you already forgotten?"
The frog beside the Great Toad Sage quickly reminded him:
"Great Toad Sage, this is Uzumaki Naruto..."
________________________________________
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