"No sensation at all…"
After entering Sage Mode, Senju Haruto tried once more to awaken the Rinnegan.
According to the records in the Naruto world, Uchiha Madara had only unlocked the Rinnegan after transplanting cells from Senju Hashirama.
However…
Haruto failed to awaken it.
"Could it be… my Sharingan hasn't reached its final form yet?"
He thought to himself. Though he possessed the Sharingan, his eyes were still only the standard three-tomoe form.
When Madara awakened the Rinnegan, he already had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Even Sasuke had only obtained the Rinnegan by evolving from the Eternal Mangekyō.
So in Haruto's view, this was probably the reason he hadn't yet awakened the Rinnegan.
Of course, that was only one of his many theories.
Whether it was Madara or Sasuke, they both shared another common trait:
They were reincarnations of Indra, son of the Sage of Six Paths.
In other words, Madara and Sasuke carried Indra's chakra, while Hashirama and Naruto carried Asura's chakra.
"But in the end… this is all just speculation."
Haruto exhaled deeply and decided not to dwell on it.
His power didn't come from years of training or from manipulating his bloodline, nor from doing what Orochimaru or Kabuto had done — injecting random, dangerous things into their bodies.
His true trump card would always be the rewards from the Sign-In System.
And judging by what he'd received so far, those rewards didn't just include abilities from this world, but artifacts and powers from entirely different worlds as well.
"If the Sign-In System can give me perfect Sage Mode, then getting the Rinnegan someday isn't far-fetched at all."
Haruto quickly regained his composure, then released Sage Mode and returned to normal.
The frog oil used to aid in absorbing natural energy slowly evaporated.
"Haruto," Fukasaku said with a serious expression, "enter Sage Mode again."
"Hm?"
Catching Fukasaku's gaze, Haruto understood immediately.
The first time he had entered Sage Mode, he'd done it with the aid of the frog oil — or at least, that's how it had appeared to both Fukasaku and Jiraiya.
Now, Fukasaku clearly wanted to see if Haruto could do it without that assistance.
Without hesitation, Haruto clapped his hands together and began drawing in the natural energy around him, transforming once again into the flawless Sage Mode.
This time, both Fukasaku and Jiraiya were completely shaken.
"In all my life," Fukasaku murmured in awe, "I've never seen anything like this… I think I finally understand why the Great Toad Sage told me to teach you Sage Arts."
In his eyes, this wasn't just a whim of the Great Toad Sage — the Sage had likely seen Haruto's future in a dream.
In other words, Haruto might very well be the prophesied Child of Destiny.
Jiraiya's expression was equally complicated.
Somewhere along the way, without anyone realizing it, Haruto had already become the most powerful shinobi in the ninja world.
In fact…
Right now, Haruto was like a living incarnation of the Sage of Six Paths.
"Haruto…"
Even Naruto stared at him in disbelief. He didn't fully understand what "perfect Sage Mode" meant or how much power it held…
But from the looks on Fukasaku's, Jiraiya's, and the other toads' faces, it wasn't hard to tell just how incredible this was.
In that moment, Naruto's eyes were filled with pure admiration.
"Well then," Haruto said with a faint smile, "that just leaves Naruto to train in Sage Arts."
He released Sage Mode once more.
"Indeed," Fukasaku sighed, "even I have nothing left to teach you. Your Sage Mode… is the most perfect I've ever seen."
"What about the Fusion Technique?" Jiraiya asked instinctively.
When he had learned Sage Mode, Fukasaku and Shima had also taught him the Fusion Technique — not only to extend Sage Mode's duration but also to increase combat power.
However…
To Jiraiya's surprise, Fukasaku shook his head, as if to say, Jiraiya, you haven't noticed yet, have you?
"Even without the Fusion Technique, with the scale of Haruto's sage chakra, there is no one in the shinobi world who could rival him."
He hesitated before adding, "And to be honest, Jiraiya… you might not believe this, but Shima and I probably couldn't even handle his chakra."
If too much natural energy was taken in, the user would instantly turn into stone — even Fukasaku and Shima weren't exceptions.
And with the sheer amount of sage chakra Haruto possessed, the natural energy he commanded was far beyond what they could withstand.
"What?!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened, and he sucked in a sharp breath.
Most people wouldn't understand the weight of that statement — but as someone who could enter Sage Mode himself, Jiraiya knew exactly how terrifying this meant Haruto's strength truly was.
"Alright, let's stop talking about me," Haruto said, not wanting Fukasaku and Jiraiya to spiral into endless shock. He turned the focus toward Naruto.
"Before we start your training, Jiraiya…" Haruto looked at him seriously. "I'd like you to teach Naruto a certain jutsu."
"A jutsu?"
Naruto's eyes lit up. Anything Haruto suggested had to be amazing.
"What jutsu?" Jiraiya asked curiously. For a moment, he wondered if Haruto meant the Rasengan.
It would make sense — it was a technique invented by the Fourth Hokage, difficult to master, and even now still considered incomplete.
Jiraiya had planned to teach it to Naruto anyway.
But in his mind, Sage Arts training should come first.
"No," Haruto shook his head. "I want you to teach Naruto the Shadow Clone Technique."
"What?!"
Both Jiraiya and Fukasaku froze.
"Why me? You know that jutsu too, don't you?" Jiraiya asked.
The Shadow Clone Technique wasn't especially advanced — a B-rank jutsu created by the Second Hokage for reconnaissance purposes.
"Ah, I don't know it," Haruto said casually.
"You don't?!" Jiraiya blinked in surprise. As a descendant of Senju Tobirama, Haruto not knowing the Shadow Clone Technique was unthinkable.
"Mm," Haruto nodded. "Whether in quality or effectiveness, Shadow Clones are far inferior to Wood Clones. So…"
He shrugged. "I never bothered wasting time on such a useless jutsu."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
🚀 Stay ahead of the story with early access to 100 chapters and bonus exclusive content—only on Patreon.
👉 patreon.com/Rawink00