Rorin stood alone, looking up at the giant toad statue. He placed both hands on it and closed his eyes tightly.
Activating the natural energy generated from the Curse Mark source, he suddenly opened his eyes and exerted force upward.
The toad statue lifted slightly off the ground. Rorin frowned faintly, then released the strength in his hands, and the statue dropped back down.
Boom!
"Looks like it's still a bit too much?" Fukasaku shook his head slightly. "But it's clear—you really can control natural energy."
Rorin slowly shook his head and said, "Can I try one more time?"
Fukasaku paused, then replied calmly, "You can, but I still think you shouldn't rush. From what I saw just now, you're already doing quite well."
Rorin nodded slightly and began removing the weighted gear from his body.
Fukasaku shook his head again.
"Controlling natural energy isn't that simple. You have a foundation, but it's probably still just a very basic level of control…"
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Rorin casually lift the toad stone statue with ease.
Boom! Boom!
Rorin set the statue down and clapped his hands.
"Not bad. Once my body feels lighter, it's much easier," Rorin said casually.
Fukasaku hopped down to Rorin's feet, glanced at the weighted equipment on the ground, and tried lifting it.
"This is…" He was astonished. Turning to Rorin, a faint smile appeared on his face. "Seems I underestimated this kid."
"As expected of Rorin!" Naruto Uzumaki stepped forward and said with admiration.
"I just happened to get the hang of this power," Rorin said modestly.
"Being able to freely absorb and release natural energy is already extremely impressive," Fukasaku said with a smile.
"But I can only use natural energy in a basic way. I haven't learned how to convert it into senjutsu chakra yet. I still have a lot to learn from you," Rorin said softly as he looked at him.
Fukasaku nodded slowly. "The key is balance. You must already be proficient at balancing mental and physical energy when refining chakra. Then, by maintaining balance with the natural energy you absorb from outside, you can cultivate senjutsu chakra. That's the core."
Rorin nodded slightly. He understood that natural energy, mental energy, and physical energy needed to be cultivated equally to reach balance—but he hadn't yet tried how to actually do it.
"Rorin, you can move on to the next stage now. And because you have your own unique way of absorbing natural energy, the Sage Mode you develop will likely be unique to you," Fukasaku said slowly. Rorin lowered his head in thought.
After explaining things to Rorin, Fukasaku turned to Naruto Uzumaki.
"Rorin can already use natural energy, but Naruto, you haven't mastered it yet."
Naruto nodded slightly and stepped forward.
Due to the urgency of time, Naruto chose to use toad oil to sense natural energy. Fukasaku took out his stick, ready to knock out any excess natural energy from Naruto's body to prevent him from turning into a frog, assisting him in the process.
"Um, can I move on to the next stage of training on my own first?" Rorin asked from the side.
Fukasaku scratched the back of his head.
"But Naruto hasn't reached that stage yet. I can't split my attention."
"I see… that's a bit of a pity," Rorin said regretfully. There was no helping it—he'd have to wait.
Naruto felt a bit guilty and secretly vowed to master absorbing natural energy as soon as possible. Then he looked at Rorin with determination.
"Rorin, I'll definitely get it down quickly!"
Rorin smiled slightly and patted Naruto's shoulder.
"You've got this!"
"Well then, I'll head back to see Shima-sama first," Rorin said with a smile.
After saying goodbye, Rorin slipped back to Fukasaku's home and saw Shima tidying up the dishes.
When Shima saw him return, she was delighted.
"Rorin, you're back so soon? Finished training already? Can you teach me how to cook now?"
Rorin scratched the back of his head awkwardly and explained,
"Shima-sama, I haven't actually started formal training yet. Naruto and I are at different stages, so I came back first. Since I have time, I'll teach you some cooking."
Then Rorin began teaching cooking in the kitchen.
After some time of training, Naruto successfully mastered absorbing natural energy, and Shima also learned many cooking techniques from Rorin.
One day, Rorin and Naruto set out together, heading to the training ground for the second stage.
They looked up at the sharp mountain peak. Rorin thought to himself: So this is where meditation training happens.
Looking at the towering peak, a scene of a holy monk from the Eastern lands meditating in a contest surfaced in his mind.
"Oh? You've already reached this stage so quickly?" A bold voice echoed from the sky.
Standing atop a ninja eagle, Jiraiya looked down at the two of them and spoke calmly.
"You pervy old man!"
"Pervy Sage!"
Rorin and Naruto shouted at the same time as Jiraiya jumped down from the eagle.
"Yo! Looks like your training is going pretty well," Jiraiya said lightly.
Naruto squinted at him. "Pervy Sage, where did you go earlier?"
Jiraiya replied casually, "As a great writer, of course I went to gather material."
Rorin's eyes flickered slightly. He nodded with a knowing smile.
"Alright, let's officially begin the training. Jiraiya, you watch Naruto. I'll watch Rorin," Fukasaku said.
Jiraiya nodded. Rorin and Naruto exchanged a glance, then both formed hand seals.
Shadow Clone Technique!
Each of them summoned two shadow clones. The original bodies and their clones each carried a wooden board and rushed toward the mountain peak.
At first, Rorin couldn't find the right balance and frequently fell from the sharp peak.
After many failed attempts, he gradually grasped the trick.
One day, Rorin sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, merging himself with nature and searching for balance. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
Blue eye shadow appeared around his eyes. He temporarily removed the effect of his contact lenses, revealing pupils.
This was his own unique Sage Mode.
----------------
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (156 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)