Chapter 565: Sage Mode
Kenichi posted an extremely strange bounty.
The request contained only one condition:
"Find a ninjutsu capable of resurrecting Might Guy."
To anyone else, the request would seem completely nonsensical.
But Kenichi knew Amado would understand what it meant.
As long as Amado saw the bounty and came looking for him, Kenichi would have a way to solve the problem.
He knew Amado would eventually become involved with Kara in the future.
However, Naruto was still young, and Team 7 had only recently completed its mission. There was still quite some time before the Chunin Exams officially began.
Kenichi suspected that Amado had not yet joined Kara at this point in the timeline.
As long as he could find Amado first, Kenichi was confident that he could persuade the man to work for him using Kishō Tensei as leverage.
"Big brother!"
Naruto's cheerful voice interrupted Kenichi's thoughts.
Kenichi looked up and saw Naruto waving excitedly at him.
Sasuke stood nearby.
The moment he saw Kenichi, a faint smile also appeared on his face, though his expression soon became somewhat complicated.
Anyone who woke up one day and discovered that they suddenly had an ancestor would probably look just as bewildered.
Sasuke had already learned Hikari's identity from Hikari herself.
He now knew that this girl, who appeared to be around the same age as him, was essentially an ancient member of the Uchiha Clan who had lived during the Warring States Period.
That was an era before Konoha even existed, when the Shinobi World was divided among countless clans.
Since Hikari was also an Uchiha, Sasuke technically needed to treat her as an elder.
He was clearly still struggling to adapt to that fact.
But deep down, Sasuke was happy.
Hikari was a member of the Uchiha Clan.
For the first time since the massacre, Sasuke was no longer the only Uchiha left around him.
"Naruto, have you been keeping up with your training?"
Kenichi smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair.
At the same time, he sensed a faint wave of fear coming from within Naruto's body.
The corner of Kenichi's mouth lifted slightly.
He knew exactly who that fear belonged to.
Kurama.
Although the Nine-Tails was still sealed inside Naruto, Kenichi's previous "help" had made it possible for Kurama to perceive more of what was happening around its Jinchuriki.
The fox had clearly sensed Kenichi's presence just now.
That was why fear had surfaced.
Kenichi did not particularly care.
There had been a time when he considered Kurama an overwhelming existence.
Now?
Not so much.
To the current Kenichi, Kurama was little more than an unusually large pet.
Yes.
A pet.
With the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and Sage Art Wood Release, Kenichi could already treat Kurama much like someone might treat an oversized cat.
"I have!"
Naruto grinned proudly.
"Big brother, I'm way stronger now! I can even lift those water buckets you made before!"
Kenichi smiled.
Those buckets were not ordinary containers.
He had specially designed them to be extremely heavy, using the training load of a jonin level taijutsu specialist as a reference.
If Naruto could lift them now, then his physical fitness had genuinely improved by a considerable amount.
Kenichi was very satisfied.
Naruto's growth would accelerate tremendously in the future, especially after meeting Jiraiya.
But thanks to Kenichi's intervention, Naruto was already far ahead of where he should have been at this age.
Kenichi had another plan as well.
He intended to teach Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata Sage Mode and see whether any of them could master it.
As for the danger of petrification caused by improperly absorbing natural energy, Kenichi had already prepared for that.
He could absorb natural energy himself, store it inside his own body, and then convert it into senjutsu chakra.
That meant he could control the process and greatly reduce the danger of his students turning to stone.
"Big brother, Kakashi-sensei said the Chunin Exams are starting soon!"
Naruto rubbed his hands together excitedly.
He had been training extremely hard recently.
Aside from his daily physical conditioning, he had also mastered a powerful ninjutsu called the Rasengan.
The technique looked rather simple.
But its destructive power was anything but simple.
"Hmph."
Sasuke snorted.
"If you can't pass the Chunin Exams after learning our teacher's Rasengan, Naruto, you might as well smash your head against a block of tofu."
A Rasengan formed in Sasuke's palm.
However, lightning flickered across its surface.
Kenichi raised an eyebrow.
As expected of Sasuke.
Kenichi had only taught him the basic method of forming the Rasengan.
He had never taught Sasuke how to add elemental nature transformation.
Yet the brat had already figured it out by himself.
And judging from the stability of the lightning infused Rasengan in his palm, he had made impressive progress.
Hikari poked her head out from behind Kenichi.
She glanced at the Rasengan in Sasuke's hand and gave an approving nod.
The moment Sasuke noticed her, his expression became even more complicated.
Then he saw the teasing look in Hikari's eyes.
"Sister."
Sasuke obediently greeted her.
Kenichi turned and gave Hikari a strange look.
Hikari, who had been perfectly happy a moment earlier, suddenly became shy beneath his gaze.
She reached up and smoothed her long hair.
"It would be too strange if I made him call me Grandma."
Hikari covered her face in embarrassment.
Kenichi nodded.
That was true.
Strictly speaking, Hikari belonged to an ancestral generation compared with Sasuke.
But mentally and physically, she was still a young girl.
Being called "Grandma" would naturally feel ridiculous to her.
"Sister" was much more appropriate.
Kenichi did not find it particularly strange.
"The Chunin Exams, huh..."
Kenichi rubbed his chin.
In the original Naruto storyline, the Chunin Exams had been one of the most important early arcs.
Orochimaru's appearance.
The Cursed Seal.
The foreshadowing of Sasuke's eventual defection.
The introduction of the terrifying power of the Tailed Beasts.
And many other major developments.
But Kenichi no longer cared much about those events.
His greatest priority was still the time machine.
He needed to understand it and find a way back to his own timeline.
So far, he had discovered very little.
And because of the machine's importance, Kenichi did not dare experiment recklessly.
For now, the safest option was to refine and compress his chakra as quickly as possible.
Once he mastered Six Paths Mode, perhaps he would finally possess the necessary conditions to activate the time machine.
After all, the machine belonged to the Otsutsuki Clan.
It would not be surprising if activation required an Otsutsuki bloodline.
Once Kenichi mastered Six Paths Mode, the changes within his body would further purify his genetics.
In a sense, he would become a new member of the Otsutsuki Clan.
But Kenichi had no intention of following the same path as them.
He would become an Otsutsuki.
Then he would surpass the Otsutsuki.
Only then could he truly walk a path belonging entirely to himself.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata."
Kenichi smiled and beckoned them closer.
"You don't need to take any missions for a while."
Naruto and Sasuke immediately came over.
Hinata timidly followed behind them.
"I'm going to teach you something."
What Kenichi intended to teach them was Sage Mode.
Sage Mode was powerful.
Extremely powerful.
Although most users needed time to gather and prepare senjutsu chakra before entering the state, there was no denying the enormous increase in strength that Sage Mode provided.
Without Sage Mode, Jiraiya would never have so easily reached the level of a Kage class ninja.
Naturally, learning Sage Mode carried considerable danger.
But with Kenichi personally supervising them, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata did not need to worry too much.
Kenichi suddenly glanced toward Hikari.
She was watching him curiously.
Kenichi smiled.
Then he gestured for her to join them as well.
Hikari blinked before walking over.
In the future, these four might become the pillars supporting this world.
Before Kenichi returned to his own timeline, he planned to tell Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Hikari the truth about this world.
As for what the four brats chose to think or do afterward...
That would no longer be Kenichi's concern.
He was merely giving the ball a push.
Where it eventually rolled was impossible to predict.
"What I'm going to teach you today is an extremely powerful technique called Sage Mode."
Kenichi spoke calmly.
"Once you master it, your strength will rise by far more than a single level."
Kenichi's Sage Mode had nothing to do with the Three Great Sage Regions.
It was a unique form of Sage Art that he had developed himself.
Its method was incompatible with the Sage Arts of the Three Great Sage Regions.
But from this day onward, this Sage Mode would have its own inheritance.
"Sage Mode!"
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up.
Just the name sounded amazing.
Sasuke's expression became serious.
As long as something could make him stronger, Sasuke was willing to pay almost any price.
Hinata and Hikari also focused intently, already preparing to memorize everything Kenichi said.
Kenichi smiled.
Then he began explaining the mysteries of Sage Mode.
At the same time, he taught Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Hikari how to begin sensing and extracting natural energy.
For this purpose, Kenichi even occupied the entire Forest of Death and turned it into their private training ground.
Days passed one after another.
By the time outsiders were finally allowed back into the Forest of Death, the Chunin Exams had already arrived.
"Naruto, your progress still needs improvement."
Kenichi looked at Naruto.
He was finally sending Naruto and the others out of the Forest of Death because they needed to participate in the Chunin Exams.
Kenichi's own chakra refinement had also advanced considerably during this period.
The process of filling and transforming the cells throughout his body had now reached ninety-five percent.
Only five percent remained.
Once that final portion was completed, his entire system should be fully saturated.
At that point, Kenichi expected to finally master Six Paths Mode.
"Big brother, I'll keep working hard!"
Naruto was full of energy.
Kenichi smiled and ruffled his hair.
Naruto's physical condition was already excellent.
However, he still had not truly mastered Sage Mode.
Naruto could now sense and extract natural energy, but his success rate remained unstable.
Sometimes he succeeded.
Sometimes he failed.
Because of that, Kenichi still refused to allow Naruto to gather natural energy without supervision.
Sasuke stood nearby with a slightly gloomy expression.
Kenichi smiled and comforted him.
Sasuke had not succeeded either.
His progress was almost identical to Naruto's.
Kenichi was not particularly surprised.
Sage Mode was the kind of technique where the greatest difficulty lay at the very beginning.
For an ordinary person, merely learning how to properly sense and control natural energy was extremely difficult.
Then Kenichi looked toward Hinata.
She stood nearby with her head lowered shyly.
Kenichi fell silent for a moment.
He genuinely had not expected this.
Hinata Hyuga, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, possessed astonishing talent for Sage Mode.
Her control had already surpassed both Naruto and Sasuke.
All four of them had started learning on the same day.
They had begun practicing at the same time.
Yet now...
Kenichi stared at the lightning shaped markings spreading densely around the corners of Hinata's eyes.
His mouth twitched.
"Hinata..."
He paused briefly.
"You've done extremely well."
Hinata nervously raised her head.
"You may have a unique talent for Sage Mode. I have high expectations for you."
"Thank you, Kenichi-sensei."
Hinata lowered her head again, her cheeks turning red.
Then she shyly glanced toward Naruto.
Naruto immediately grinned.
"Hinata, that's amazing!"
He happily patted her on the shoulder in congratulations.
Hinata nearly fainted on the spot.
Sasuke remained expressionless.
He could easily see that Hinata liked Naruto.
Unfortunately, the idiot himself still had no idea.
Kenichi scratched his head.
Hinata really had mastered Sage Mode.
And her activation speed was not slow either.
If properly trained in the future, she might genuinely reach the same broad tier of strength as Naruto and Sasuke.
In the original story, Team 7 had sometimes been compared to a new generation of the Legendary Sannin.
Their teachers even corresponded neatly to Konoha's original trio of Yellow, Gambling, and Poison.
Jiraiya trained Naruto.
Orochimaru trained Sasuke.
Tsunade trained Sakura.
But in Kenichi's opinion, if they compared strength levels after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sakura had largely been included to complete the trio.
Sakura might eventually reach Tsunade's level.
But catching up to Naruto and Sasuke was impossible.
Hinata, however...
Mastering Sage Mode at such a young age completely changed her potential.
Her future was genuinely promising.
Still, Kenichi felt that he probably needed another "heart-to-heart conversation" with the Hyuga Clan.
It would not do for someone with Hinata's potential to continue being mistreated within her own clan.
And so, after smiling and sending the four brats on their way, Kenichi turned around.
The smile vanished from his face.
He headed directly toward the Hyuga Clan compound.
"Hokage-sama!"
An Anbu ninja hurriedly entered Hiruzen's office.
"Lord Kenichi has gone to the Hyuga Clan compound."
"And?"
Hiruzen curiously lowered the documents in his hands.
The Kazekage was preparing to arrive in Konoha.
The Chunin Exams were about to begin.
Still, Hiruzen could not help being curious about why the mysterious powerhouse had suddenly gone to visit the Hyuga Clan.
"Our informant reports that when Lord Kenichi came back out, the Hyuga Clan Head personally accompanied him."
The Anbu hesitated.
"And the clan head's expression was... extremely accommodating."
Hiruzen nodded.
He did not seem particularly concerned.
There was no point worrying about it.
He could not control Kenichi anyway.
That man's strength had already exceeded normal standards by far too much.
"Understood."
Hiruzen waved his hand.
"For now, our priority remains the Chunin Exams. Focus on the examination venues and all related preparations."
He had no intention of interfering with Kenichi's dealings with the Hyuga Clan.
His first priority was successfully organizing the Chunin Exams.
This was an excellent opportunity to display Konoha's foundation and strength.
There were no large scale wars in the Shinobi World at the moment.
However, minor conflicts between villages never truly stopped.
Showing off the talent of Konoha's new generation was another way to strengthen the village's reputation and influence.
The Land of Wind might be barren, but it was still one of the Five Great Nations.
Konoha naturally needed to deter it.
Only by doing so could the village firmly maintain its position as the strongest power in the Shinobi World.
....
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