The Great Toad Sage had only spoken halfway before pausing, so Fukasaku had to piece together the rest from context.
"So… you want to teach little Senju Haruto Sage Mode as well?"
Fukasaku turned his gaze toward Haruto.
Many people had signed contracts with the toads of Mount Myōboku, but not everyone had the privilege of actually coming here—let alone learning Sage Mode.
To Fukasaku, this was an unprecedented opportunity for anyone.
And since even the Great Toad Sage himself had said so, they had no choice but to agree.
"In that case, come with me."
Fukasaku and Shima once again climbed onto their toad mounts, taking the lead.
"Let's go," Jiraiya called, urging Haruto and Naruto to follow in Lord Fukasaku's footsteps.
If they had decided to learn Sage Mode and gain control over the Nine-Tails, then they would have to give it their all.
Before long, Haruto followed Fukasaku and Shima to one of Mount Myōboku's most famous places—the Oil Falls.
"Honey, I'll leave things here to you. I'm going to prepare some food," Shima said to Fukasaku after glancing at the waterfall.
To her, Fukasaku alone was more than enough to teach the two boys.
Learning Sage Mode was not only difficult, but also physically exhausting.
After training, they would need a large meal to recover.
As Mount Myōboku's number one chef, she would take it upon herself to prepare a feast.
"Oh, alright. Thanks for the hard work, dear," Fukasaku said quickly with a nod. "When my wife herself is cooking, little Jiraiya, you two are in for a treat."
At the word "treat," Jiraiya felt an unpleasant memory stir inside him.
Still, Fukasaku was his teacher.
Even as one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya wouldn't dare talk back.
Meanwhile, quite a few toads of Mount Myōboku began to gather around to watch.
After all, it had been a long time since humans had come here—especially one they knew as well as Jiraiya.
Even Gamabunta suddenly descended from the sky.
BOOM!
The ground shook violently as Gamabunta landed, nearly throwing Naruto off his feet.
Fortunately, Haruto reacted quickly, grabbing Naruto's arm before he could fall face-first into the dirt.
Naruto's attention, however, was immediately drawn to the colossal toad before him.
To say Gamabunta was the size of a mountain was no exaggeration.
Naruto had never seen anything so massive in his life.
But Gamabunta didn't seem to be in a good mood.
Even the way he called out to Jiraiya sounded like he was gritting his teeth.
Probably something Jiraiya did to make him mad again, Haruto thought, unable to stop himself from making a mental jab.
Gamabunta might have been Jiraiya's summoning, but his temper had always been explosive.
Even when Naruto summoned him, he had to call him "boss."
"Oh?"
Gamabunta soon noticed Haruto and Naruto standing beside Fukasaku.
"Lord Fukasaku," he said—though even Gamabunta had to show respect when addressing him.
"And who are these two brats?"
"This is little Haruto, and this is little Naruto. Starting today, they'll be training here to learn Sage Mode," Fukasaku explained.
"What?!"
Gamabunta's eyes went wide in disbelief—but almost immediately afterward, he broke out into loud, booming laughter.
"Hey, what's so funny?!" Naruto shouted, shaking his small fists at him.
"I'm laughing because it's ridiculous, of course! You two brats think you can learn Sage Mode? Hah!"
Gamabunta laughed even harder.
Even for the toads of Mount Myōboku, learning Sage Mode required immense hardship and came with serious risks.
One wrong move, and you would turn into stone.
The reason the Oil Falls was surrounded by so many frog statues wasn't for decoration or symbolism.
Every single one of them had once been a person—or toad—who failed.
Such a powerful force could easily drag someone into a bottomless abyss.
Even Gamabunta himself had never mastered Sage Mode.
And now these two little kids thought they could do it?
To Gamabunta, it wasn't just naïve—it was a death wish.
"Hey, little Jiraiya, you didn't put such a stupid idea in their heads, did you?"
After laughing, Gamabunta still found time to take a jab at Jiraiya.
Fukasaku, however, wasn't surprised.
As one of Mount Myōboku's strongest toads, Gamabunta had always been proud and blunt.
Even toward Jiraiya, who had mastered Sage Mode, he never felt the need to give face.
Naruto, on the other hand, was far simpler in thought.
Faced with Gamabunta's mockery, he immediately shouted back, "I will learn Sage Mode!"
"Oh?"
Gamabunta snorted coldly and glanced at the stone statues near the waterfall.
"Kid, do you know where these statues came from?"
Naruto looked around—he had noticed them when they first approached but thought they were just ornaments.
"They're all ones who failed to learn Sage Mode," Gamabunta said with another cold snort. "If too much natural energy enters your body, you'll turn into stone just like them."
"My advice—drop this idea and leave this place while you can.
If you ever get into real trouble in the future, it'd be better to rely on us toads to save you."
He didn't even pause before delivering this blow to Naruto's confidence.
In truth, he had nothing against Naruto personally.
It was simply Gamabunta's blunt nature—and the fact he didn't like what he was seeing.
"Even if this is the decision of the Great Toad Sage himself?"
Haruto hadn't planned to join the argument, but with a giant toad bellowing beside him, it was starting to get annoying.
"What?!"
Now it was Gamabunta's turn to freeze—he hadn't expected Haruto to invoke the Great Toad Sage's name.
"Maybe Sage Mode is dangerous and hard to master in your eyes.
But to me… Sage Mode isn't such a big deal."
Haruto met Gamabunta's gaze head-on, his voice firm and unyielding.
Gamabunta might be a fine toad, but Haruto didn't care for his attitude.
He knew full well—constant retreat would only make Gamabunta look down on him more.
Only strength and a strong will could make the big toad change his tune.