On the screen, the three giant toads—Gamabunta, Gamaken, and Gamahiro—engaged Animal Path Pain's summoned beasts in battle.
Gamabunta swung his short sword, cleaving the head off a giant centipede in one stroke. Gamaken raised his iron fork, bracing against a charging rhinoceros. And Gamahiro used his massive body to block the path of a multi-legged crawler.
The three toads clashed with the summons amidst the ruins, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.
Naruto paid no attention to the giant beasts' brawl, his gaze was locked on the Six Paths of Pain.
The power of Sage Mode flowed through his body. Empowered by natural energy, every movement was explosive and fast; his speed several times greater than usual, his body light as he leaped across the battlefield.
Tendo Pain stood at the bottom of the crater. And aside from Asura Path Pain, which had already been destroyed, the other Pains spread out around him.
Tendo Pain's Rinnegan tracked Naruto, purple pupils reflecting the golden figure, his expression remained calm. He knew Shinra Tensei was still on cooldown, but the Six Paths had more than enough means to buy time.
Meanwhile, Naruto used Shadow Clone Jutsu—poof—and two more of him appeared at once. One of them raised his right hand, and a rapidly spinning Rasenshuriken formed in his palm.
The shuriken let out a sharp, piercing hum, and a white light exploded from Naruto's palm, stirring the surrounding air into a faint current.
Across from him, Tendo Pain, still on cooldown, remained composed, even taking a moment to taunt Naruto: "Your death will lead to peace."
"I told you... to shut the hell up!" Naruto's voice carried restrained fury, thinking of the ruined village and the countless wounded.
He hurled the Rasenshuriken in anger—the blade of light spun through the air with a deafening buzz, trailing a blue arc as it shot straight toward the Six Paths of Pain.
The four Pains quickly scattered, Animal Path, Human Path, Preta Path, and Tendo Pain all leaping away at once. But Human Path Pain was a beat too slow; still mid-air, it was struck head-on by the Rasenshuriken.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Rasenshuriken detonated, and countless tiny wind blades shot in all directions from the blast center like a blooming blue flower.
Human Path Pain's body twisted, shredded, and disintegrated in the storm of wind.
Tendo Pain glanced at Human Path Pain's remains, his Rinnegan showing not the slightest ripple. After all, the Six Paths of Pain were only puppets. As long as Naraka Path Pain remained intact, they could be repaired or replaced.
Soon after, Preta Path Pain was also taken down by Naruto's Rasengan.
But by then, Naruto's Sage Mode had run out. The orange markings around his eyes gradually faded, growing lighter until they disappeared entirely. Even the natural energy dissipated from his body, and his eyes returned from horizontal pupils to ordinary blue.
Sensing this, Tendo Pain closed in quickly—one step, and he was right in front of Naruto. With his abilities still on cooldown, Tendo Pain couldn't use Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in, so he engaged Naruto directly in close combat.
The two traded blows amid the ruins, fists and feet flying fast. Tendo Pain's Taijutsu wasn't weak, and the Rinnegan's dynamic vision tracked every move Naruto made.
But Naruto, now without Sage Mode's enhancement, had lost much of his speed and power, clearly at a disadvantage.
However, Naruto quickly steadied himself. He took a deep breath, unfastened the scroll from his back, and hurled it backward. The scroll arced through the air and landed squarely in front of Sage Fukasaku.
Sage Fukasaku caught the scroll, his aged fingers quickly forming the hand seals.
Reverse Summoning Jutsu—activate!
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke appeared, and a Shadow Clone sat atop the scroll—it was none other than the "power bank" Shadow Clone that Naruto had left at Mount Myōboku to absorb natural energy.
This clone had sat motionless for who knows how long, storing up a full reserve of natural energy.
With another Poof!, the Shadow Clone vanished, and in that instant, natural energy surged like a tidal wave from the clone into Naruto's real body. His whole body tensed, the orange eye shadow reappearing around his eyes.
His pupils shifted once more into golden horizontal slits, reflecting Tendo Pain's figure.
Naruto had instantly reactivated Sage Mode!
The process was almost unbelievably fast; from deactivation to reactivation, it took less than a second.
Tendo Pain's Rinnegan narrowed slightly. He had never seen anything like this before, using a Shadow Clone to store natural energy in advance, then re-entering Sage Mode instantly through contact.
This required enormous chakra reserves, as for an ordinary shinobi, even maintaining a single Shadow Clone was a struggle, let alone keeping one in a constant state of absorbing natural energy.
But Naruto was different. He was a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, with the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, his chakra reserves far exceeded those of ordinary people.
In the blink of an eye, Naruto closed the distance.
Before Tendo Pain could react, Naruto's fist had already crashed down—breaking the black rod in Tendo Pain's hand with a sharp crack.
Next, Naruto kicked him in the ribs, causing Tendo Pain to stagger, nearly falling. Then a sharp elbow strike landed on his shoulder, pushing him back even further; followed by another spinning kick that struck him square in the chest.
With a flurry of blows, Naruto sent Tendo Pain flying dozens of meters back.
Tendo Pain's feet carved two deep trenches in the ground, debris scattering, before he finally dropped to one knee to steady himself.
Kneeling on the ground, Tendo Pain's Rinnegan finally showed a flicker of disbelief.
He looked up at Naruto. This boy broke his expectations every single time.
[Sage Mode is defined as using natural energy to create chakra and enhance one's abilities, and it can be combined with Ninjutsu. Although it's categorized as "Ninjutsu," it functions more like a buff.]
[Though mastering Sage Mode is no easy task; it depends partly on talent, and partly on the user's physical condition. For example, the three Sannin each inherited Sage Mode traditions from Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest, but in the end, only Jiraiya succeeded. And the more naturally gifted Orochimaru and Tsunade never managed to learn it.]
[There are two methods of entering Sage Mode: first, by having someone else channel chakra to you; second, by absorbing natural energy directly with your own body, which is also called as the "Perfect Sage Mode." However, very few shinobis have ever achieved this.]
[At least, Naruto during the Pain fight couldn't do it. But that didn't stop him, by using a Shadow Clone bug to instantly activate Sage Mode, he bypassed the need for fusion step, and with preparation, it was a solid workaround. Of course, only someone with chakra reserves as vast as Naruto could afford to pull this off. And this method also has a clear flaw: it's extremely difficult to create new Shadow Clones in the middle of combat for this.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Waves]
Jiraiya sat cross-legged at the edge of the forest, hands resting on his knees, staring at the screen with bright eyes.
The "instant Sage Mode" trick on the screen left him stunned, then he slapped his thigh and jumped up, even dropping his pipe.
"Instant Sage Mode activation—what a brilliant idea! I have to say, future Naruto really gave me a big surprise!"
He had practiced Sage Mode for years, each time requiring a long period of meditation to absorb natural energy, plus the help of Toad Sages for fusion. And once it ended in battle, it took a while to re-enter, leaving him to rely on his normal state in the meantime.
So the advantage of instant Sage Mode activation was self-explanatory, it was practically a cheat tailored for combat. And there was no reason that Naruto could use this method and he couldn't. His chakra reserves weren't small either—not as vast as Naruto's, sure, but still far above the average shinobi. He could even let Sasuke learn this; the Uchiha also had plenty of chakra.
Jiraiya's mind was already sketching out training plans: first, teach Naruto normal Sage Mode, then show him how to store natural energy using Shadow Clones. As for Sasuke, that kid had talent; he should be able to learn it too.
And if he could really activate Sage Mode instantly, the only one he would be wary of would be a Super-Kage like Nagato; ordinary Kage-level opponents would absolutely be no match.
A smile curled at the corners of Jiraiya's mouth, as if he could already see himself on the battlefield, activating Sage Mode in an instant and punching enemies out with one blow.
---
Meanwhile, over at Tazuna's house, Sakura's face fell. She rested her chin on her hand, her mouth drooping in frustration.
Jiraiya-sama said that her teacher (Tsunade) could teach her Sage Mode, but the Sky Screen just said that Tsunade couldn't even use it! So how was she supposed to learn?
She thought of Tsunade's terrifying strength and precise medical Ninjutsu, but Sage Mode was something she had never seen Tsunade use.
And the Sky Screen had clearly said that of the three Sannin, only Jiraiya had mastered it; Orochimaru and Tsunade never did.
So that was it?
If she wanted to learn, who could teach her?
Sakura sighed and slumped onto the table, her chin resting on her folded hands. It wasn't just Sasuke who was envious, she also wanted Sage Mode.
Master it, and you'd be Kage-level, maybe even beyond, capable of going toe-to-toe with Super-Kage level fighters!
Looking at Naruto's Sage Mode on the Sky Screen, his speed, strength, and perception were all comprehensively improved, and he could even combine it with Rasenshuriken; it was simply all-encompassing.
Sakura's mind already began drifting into fantasies of herself mastering Sage Mode, and punching through Asura Path Pain with one blow.
Maybe Tsunade's Sage Mode inheritance wasn't an issue after all? Maybe Shikkotsu Forest had its own unique method... But then why couldn't her teacher use it?
Sakura was conflicted again.
Perhaps Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode was different from Mount Myōboku's?
Maybe Lady Tsunade simply chose not to learn it, rather than being unable?
Sakura decided that after the mission was complete, she would ask Tsunade when she got back to Konoha. If that didn't work, she'd swallow her pride and ask Jiraiya directly.
---
[Konoha, Year One. Outside the Village on the Cliffside]
Hashirama stood with his hands on his hips, laughing heartily, his voice echoing through the valley.
"Hahaha... Naruto's not quite there yet, he still needs that trick to enter Sage Mode."
"Actually, entering Sage Mode is very simple; just sense the natural energy and gather it into your body. No need to go through all that trouble."
Hashirama then turned to Madara with a smug look that said, I'm really amazing, aren't I?
"Still, coming up with a way to use Shadow Clones as a battery during battle—that's pretty clever."
Madara ignored Hashirama's rambling. He stood with arms crossed, brow slightly furrowed, thinking to himself.
It seemed aside from Majestic Attire: Susano'o, Sage Mode was another way to boost combat power.
'Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest, huh?
'Which one would suit me the best?'
Hashirama used Shikkotsu Forest, so he couldn't be bothered to learn that. Instead, he would just go and ask the toads of Mount Myōboku or the snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
As for whether they agreed or not, that was not within his scope of consideration.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Madara's mouth as he imagined himself in Sage Mode, combined with his Complete Body Susano'o; the image was certainly impressive.
Tobirama stood not far off, casting a sidelong glance at Madara's thoughtful expression, and couldn't help but speak: "You're not thinking of taking it by force, are you?"
Madara shot him a look. "That's none of your business."
With that, he turned his gaze back to the screen and ignored Tobirama entirely.
[Looking back at the history of the Shinobi World, it was the Sage of Six Paths who was the first to master perfect Sage Mode. Back then, Gamamaru, dissatisfied with Kaguya's tyranny, secretly passed Sage Mode down to him to aid in the fight against her.]
[The Sage of Six Paths could not only enter Sage Mode instantly, but also undergo no visible change in appearance; making him the most complete Sage Mode user in history. If his Sage Mode is second, no one else would dare claim first.]
An image of the Sage of Six Paths briefly appeared on the screen—seated in mid-air, with Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind him. No markings of Sage Mode were visible on his body, yet the sheer aura he exuded was enough to make one instinctively want to bow.
Across the Shinobi World, the people were stunned: 'So that's what the Sage of Six Paths looked like?!'
[Another relatively perfect user is Senju Hashirama. His Sage Mode greatly enhances his healing abilities, perception, agility, and more, so it is likely learned at Shikkotsu Forest. And in Sage Mode, aside from markings appearing between his brows and around his eyes, Hashirama's appearance remains largely unchanged, making his fusion with Sage Mode also relatively complete.]
The scene shifted to Hashirama, black patterns appearing on his forehead, eye shadow forming around his eyes, but overall, his appearance had changed little.
[In addition, apart from Naruto, Yakushi Kabuto's Sage Mode is also quite impressive. Although he retained a fair number of serpentine features—and the snake growing from his abdomen looked somewhat superfluous—Kabuto's strength was by no means weak.]
---
[Somewhere in the Shinobi World, Underground Base]
Orochimaru looked at the screen's description of Kabuto's Sage Mode, a glint of intrigue flickering in his eyes.
"Kabuto… so you were able to learn Sage Mode, were you?"
He turned to look at Kabuto standing behind him, his pupils reflecting the round-lens glasses on Kabuto's face.
Kabuto stood there, calm and composed, neither elated nor disturbed.
"Orochimaru-sama, if the Sky Screen says so, then it was likely due to some fortunate circumstances in the future."
His tone held no arrogance, no pride, not even a trace of emotion, as if speaking of something entirely unrelated to himself.
Orochimaru chuckled softly and licked his lips: "Don't be nervous, this is a good thing. Since you have the talent, why not let me recommend you to Ryūchi Cave?"
His tone carried a hint of sincerity.
The stronger Kabuto grew, the more useful he'd be. An assistant who could use Sage Mode—just thinking about it felt worthwhile.
Kabuto lowered his head, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc: "Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
His voice remained steady, but his fingers tightened slightly beneath his sleeves.
Sage Mode… that was something he had never thought of.
And if what the screen said was true, then his future might be far broader than he'd ever expected.
---
[Konoha, Year One. On the Cliffside]
Madara grew even more determined to learn Sage Mode.
No kidding, even the Sage of Six Paths had used it. That alone spoke volumes about its potential!
Learn, he absolutely had to learn it.
Madara's lips curled into a smirk of confidence. Whether it was Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave, he would get his hands on a Sage Mode inheritance one way or another.
Hashirama looked at him and smiled: "So you're also interested in Sage Mode? I could teach you, you know."
Hearing that, Madara snorted: "Who isn't interested in getting stronger? And I'm not like you—born with all this stuff. But no, I don't need you to teach me. I'll go find them myself and learn from them directly."
Hashirama scratched his head with an innocent look: "...What did I do?"
---
[Konoha Year 48, Hokage Office]
Minato watched the screen's explanation of Sage Mode, lost in thought.
The Sage of Six Paths, the First Hokage, Naruto... The legacy of Sage Mode ran deep.
He then recalled his own attempt at learning Sage Mode, it hadn't gone well, and he'd eventually given up.
Now, watching Naruto on the screen using Sage Mode so fluidly and even instantly reactivating it, he couldn't help but feel a pang of admiration—the time was advancing, and his son had surpassed him.
Kushina leaned against his shoulder, her red hair brushing against his cheek, her voice carrying a hint of anticipation:
"Minato, do you think Naruto will be able to learn perfect Sage Mode?"
"He's already improving. Being able to activate Sage Mode instantly already puts him ahead of Jiraiya-sensei."
Hearing that, Kushina's eyes curved into crescent moons: "Of course! Just look at whose son he is."
She spoke while gently placing a hand on her belly.
"It's just that I'm not good at Sage Mode myself, otherwise I could teach him too." Minato also smiled, wrapped an arm around Kushina's shoulder, and pulled her a little closer.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Hokage Office]
Tsunade watched the screen's commentary on Sage Mode, her brow deeply furrowed.
It was true, neither Orochimaru nor she had ever mastered Sage Mode. Jiraiya was the only one of the three Sannin to succeed.
Her lips twitched at the memory of training at Shikkotsu Forest all those years ago. She had trained for years, and ended up with nothing to show for it.
Was there really some special barrier to the Shikkotsu Forest inheritance?
"Old man," Tsunade spoke up.
Hiruzen turned to look at her, twirling his pipe in his hand: "Hm?"
"Do you think I'm just not cut out for Sage Mode?" Tsunade's voice carried an unusual hint of self-doubt.
Hiruzen smiled: "Your talents lie in Medical Ninjutsu and the Strength of a Hundred Seal. Not everyone is suited for Sage Mode."
Tsunade sighed and leaned back in her chair: "But my student wants to learn it. That child, she's been looking forward to it, saying she wants to learn Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode and fight alongside Naruto and Sasuke."
Hiruzen thought for a moment and suggested: "You could let her try going to Shikkotsu Forest herself. Fate works in strange ways. Maybe Sakura is more suited to it than you."
Tsunade nodded: "I suppose so."
*****
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