The passage of time was swift.
In the blink of an eye, it was the last day of December in Konoha year 55.
The sun blazed high in the sky.
In Sage Domain, atop the Sage Tree's canopy.
Sarutobi Asuma opened his eyes. The pupils of his once jet-black irises now held a faint golden core, captivating all who gazed upon them.
His body automatically floated upwards. The long hair at the back of his head sprung open with a poof, then rapidly grew until it reached his waist.
Following this, the immense Sage Power within him surged, enveloping his robes.
This pure white ceremonial robe, crafted from fibers of the Sage Tree's branches and woven by Tsunade and the other two women, also underwent a transformation.
On the cuffs and the hem of the robe, two crimson-gold divine dragons appeared.
The crimson-gold dragon imprints on the cuffs were intertwined at their tails below, with their heads converging above, both pairs of dragon eyes staring forward with majesty.
As for the two crimson-gold dragons at the robe's hem, they each began at the front corners of the robe, their tails and bodies extending towards the back, slanting upwards, forming a symmetrical design.
Finally, the heads of the two crimson-gold dragons were raised on either side of his back, their four eyes meeting. In the center, there was a "Sage" character written in a flamboyant calligraphy!
The dragon bodies and claws were accompanied by flame cloud patterns.
Sarutobi Asuma reached up to grab his hair tie. He bound his long hair at the back of his head, letting the rest cascade down freely. The hair at his temples also hung naturally, moving with the wind.
This black hair tie had been meticulously sewn by Shizune.
Instantly, Sarutobi Asuma's style of dress changed dramatically.
His appearance, which hadn't changed since he was fifteen or sixteen, remained the same.
His face was fair, yet square-jawed, possessing a rugged and imposing aura.
Sarutobi Asuma's face couldn't be described as delicate, but it was undeniably handsome.
Now, however, it was imbued with a more ethereal, sage-like quality, making his demeanor even more distinctive.
Standing atop the Sage Tree, Sarutobi Asuma looked down upon all of Konoha. "From this day forward, I am Sage!"
Up until this very moment.
His Sage Transformation had finally been completed.
At this very instant, Sarutobi Asuma didn't need to actively do anything; his entire body's cells naturally absorbed and digested Natural Energy.
When he inhaled, Natural Energy also entered his body, being digested by his internal organs.
However, the changes from completing the Sage Transformation were more than just this superficial aspect of switching from active to passive absorption of Natural Energy.
On a deeper level, his cells' energy storage capacity and digestion speed had increased by several tens of times.
And.
Sarutobi Asuma no longer had to worry about absorbing too much Natural Energy without being able to digest it in time, causing his physical body to be eroded by Natural Energy and mutate like Jugo.
Simultaneously, the distinction between normal Chakra and Sage Chakra no longer existed for him.
There was only Sage Power!
His power was now entirely imbued with the "Sage" nature!
"This feeling..."
Sarutobi Asuma lowered his gaze, carefully sensing.
"It's like... I'm also a part of Natural Energy?"
"Heaven and Man as One?"
"Humanoid Ten-Tails?"
Sarutobi Asuma's sensation was incredibly peculiar.
His body was still changing.
The connection between the electromagnetic field within him and Earth's electromagnetic field had become more intimate, overlapping, naturally absorbing the power of Earth's magnetic field to grow stronger.
The fields within his body had become even more potent.
This, in turn, made his physical body stronger, with his endurance, explosive power, recovery rate, damage resistance, metabolism, and growth potential all being enhanced.
In fact, if he hadn't mastered not-weak Space-Time Ninjutsu and techniques like "Size Manipulation," his body would have continued to grow and expand as he absorbed more Natural Energy.
Much like Gamamaru.
And the other two Great Sages!
"My lifespan..."
Sarutobi Asuma had a clear view of his body's internal state, as if observing the growth rings of a tree.
Lifespan: Eight hundred years!
And it was still rapidly increasing.
However, Sarutobi Asuma felt as if he had seen his own fate at this moment, sensing the limit of his lifespan.
3000 years!
Upon completing Sage Transformation, his lifespan could increase to 3000 years!
This was a limit.
Fortunately, the Kekkei Mōra's power still had an effect on him.
"I underestimated the difficulty of Sage Transformation before."
Sarutobi Asuma opened his eyes.
He had previously predicted that it would take at least 10 years for Tsunade and the others to complete Sage Transformation, which was too optimistic.
"Without my help, it would take at least 20 years. But, thankfully, I planted enough Sage Trees."
"They have my Sage Cursed Seal, so the power of the Sage Trees can be directly transmitted into their bodies."
Sarutobi Asuma no longer needed the Sage Trees to provide him with Sage Power to complete Sage Transformation.
His figure descended.
Sarutobi Asuma floated cross-legged in the air, three feet from the treetop, and opened his system, which he hadn't accessed in a long time.
Character: Sarutobi Asuma
Level: 46
Age: 22
Affiliation: Konohagakure, Land of Fire
Experience: 13,200/6,000,000
Achievements: [Sage][Super Kage][Ninja Demigod]...
Upon completing Sage Transformation, his character level had increased, and he had gained a new achievement, [Sage].
Sarutobi Asuma was very curious about the achievement rewards.
Upon opening it, he found a Skill Pack.
First, he allocated the Attribute Points to Constitution before opening the Skill Pack.
The ritual lasted only 2 seconds.
"Level 9 Natural Manipulation!"
Sarutobi Asuma showed a hint of surprise.
This was undoubtedly a Ninjutsu.
Sarutobi Asuma pondered deeply, then thought of Mount Myōboku's Frog Kumite, and then of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's Kekkei Mōra, [Nature Integration].
Mount Myōboku's Frog Kumite involved influencing and manipulating Natural Energy within a minute range using one's own Sage Chakra to achieve the goal of injuring the enemy from a distance.
The fist never made contact, but the damage was already done.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's [Nature Integration], on the other hand, involved becoming one with nature, or rather, integrating into nature, after which one could manipulate the natural environment to attack enemies.
Sarutobi Asuma's Natural Manipulation had similarities to both, yet was completely different.
He could influence and thereby control the Natural Energy within a certain range around him.
This influence was like an infection, imbuing the Natural Energy with Sarutobi Asuma's personal mark.
Thus, This portion of Natural Energy could be freely manipulated by Sarutobi Asuma, directly used to cast Ninjutsu, or directly transformed into his own Sage Power.
At the same time, he could also manipulate this portion of Natural Energy to influence the natural environment, thereby achieving an effect similar to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's manipulation of the natural environment.
He glanced at the sun.
Sarutobi Asuma's figure vanished, appearing under a Sage Tree in a western forbidden zone.
Then, his figure vanished again, reappearing on a barren mountaintop.
Lowering his gaze, Sarutobi Asuma began to infect and control the surrounding Natural Energy.
10 meters!
100 meters!
1000 meters!
The limit.
Opening his eyes, Sarutobi Asuma reached out and placed his hand on the mountain rock beneath his feet.
The next moment, the Natural Energy within a 1000-meter radius, which he had infiltrated and controlled, instantly contracted and recoiled, merging into the mountain rock beneath his feet in an instant.
-----------
Machine Translation by: beta.randomtranslator.com
Read 1400+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: www.randomtranslator.com