Chapter 379: Divine Technique Applications
"...The body actually... autonomously expelled excess natural energy?! And just now, that blue..."
Fukasaku Sage instantly understood everything occurring before it. Immediately after, it noticed Naruto wiping his face from the oil pool—his right eye was that deep black-base golden pupil, but at this moment, above his left eye appeared an extremely faint orange eye shadow!
Senjutsu chakra control—entry achieved?!
Fukasaku Sage's heart raised towering waves. This wasn't simply sensing natural energy, but already preliminarily achieving the mark of harmonizing natural energy introduced into the body with one's own chakra, controlling and utilizing it!
Though still far from "Sage Mode," this entry speed... simply inconceivable!
One must know, when Jiraiya reached this step, he'd solidly stayed at Mount Myoboku for several months! During that period, Fukasaku Sage's daily work was holding the black rod, repeatedly "hammering" Jiraiya—who kept frog-transforming from uncontrolled natural energy, beaten black and blue—helping him expel excess energy.
The process was thoroughly brutal. Jiraiya suffered, Fukasaku Sage was also exhausted enough.
But this child before it? From applying toad oil until now, at most only ten-some minutes!
Naruto was currently immersed in the wonderful feeling transmitted from his body. A brand new control sensation—feeling like an additional stock of originally dormant, now gradually awakening, vast yet gentle power within his body.
Manipulating this natural energy stock theoretically proved extremely difficult, like trying to use chopsticks to pick up loaches nimbly slipping through water, requiring finesse and patience.
But strangely, for Naruto, though he could feel this process's "difficulty," actual operation carried some inexplicable "smoothness."
His body perhaps lacked relevant memory, but somewhere deep down, his soul seemingly possessed incomparably familiar "muscle memory" of natural energy.
Merely attempting slight guidance achieved water-flowing-to-channel success in stepping through the threshold.
There was another matter... Naruto's thoughts turned slightly. This was his ability's doing—[Seigetsushin Senri].
When Urashiki used this ability, it was for evading fatal attacks or rapid repositioning, like a slippery loach. But Naruto felt this ocular technique's potential far exceeded just this.
He'd previously made some attempts, discovering that though he could easily "energize" himself into blue paper cranes, obvious limitations existed—he couldn't energize other living beings, people, or animals.
Simultaneously couldn't directly transform lifeless solid matter like kunai, shuriken, rocks into harmless energy paper cranes.
Meaning, he couldn't like some fantasy abilities, casually wave and "decompose" enemy attacks.
However, today's Sage Technique training gave him a brand new inspiration.
Since living entities and fixed matter couldn't be energized, then... what about non-solid, purely energy-composed forms?
Natural energy—wasn't this precisely such formless, massless yet genuinely existing massive energy pervading heaven and earth?
This thought flashed through his mind.
Naruto concentrated his spirit. [Star Eye] suddenly brightened, emitting strange radiance carrying certain rule fluctuations.
Under Fukasaku Sage and Satsuki's observation, before Naruto, invisible brushstrokes seemed to begin sketching in the air.
Bit by bit, piece by piece...
Azure paper cranes emitting gentle radiance surprisingly began condensing, manifesting from thin air!
They didn't fly out from within Naruto's body, but directly transformed from some invisible "existence" in surrounding space, flapping illusory wings, silently circling and dancing above the oil pool.
Naruto succeeded. Through [Star Eye]'s [Seigetsushin Senri], he truly captured and "energized" surrounding pervading, invisible natural energy, manifesting them as visible blue paper crane forms!
Fukasaku Sage stared at blue paper cranes once again condensing from thin air, dancing gracefully. It extended its webbed foot, catching one.
The paper crane the instant it touched its skin transformed into a warm, pure energy flow, merging into its body.
"This, this is... actually truly manifested invisible, massless natural energy and stably maintained it?!"
Fukasaku Sage carefully sensed that familiar, belonging-to-natural-energy gentle pulsation.
Nearby Uchiha Satsuki was also attracted by these paper cranes emitting dreamlike azure radiance. Deep within her heart involuntarily rose a trace of "so beautiful" admiration. She subconsciously extended her hand, wanting to gently touch one light crane drifting past before her.
"Wait! Stop immediately, young Satsuki! You can't directly absorb!"
Fukasaku Sage's peripheral vision glimpsed Satsuki's motion, hurriedly speaking to stop her. "The natural energy condensed inside is too much for your current body! Direct absorption will cause problems!"
However, the warning was still a beat slow. Satsuki's fingertip already touched one paper crane's edge. That light crane instantly vanished into her body.
"Ngh...!"
Satsuki's complexion immediately changed. She clearly felt a massive, unfamiliar gentle energy violently flooding meridians, incompatible with her own chakra. The two energy stocks didn't smoothly fuse, but rather like oil and water mixed together, making her chakra circulation become sluggish. Her body interior transmitted waves of swelling pain and abnormal sensation.
Fukasaku Sage immediately grabbed the nearby black rod, prepared to help Satsuki "beat out" excess natural energy. Satsuki also felt certain body parts seemingly beginning to produce slight, unsettling pulling sensations, as if uncontrollable changes might occur anytime...
But the next moment.
That azure paper crane originally merged into Satsuki's body surprisingly from her chest position slowly "separated," recovering complete crane form, then lightly drifted away from her body.
As the paper crane departed, that chaotic swelling pain and chakra sluggishness within Satsuki's body instantly vanished without trace. Her body also returned to normal.
Naruto had already climbed out from the oil pool, body still dripping viscous toad oil, but his eyes were filled with excitement and discovering-new-continent-like joy.
"Looks like this is [Seigetsushin Senri]'s another usage!"
He murmured, heart suddenly enlightened. "Not merely self-energization... it can also transform external, non-solid energy forms into 'paper cranes' under my control!"
"Young Naruto..." Fukasaku Sage tightly stared at Naruto's heterochromatic right eye. "This incredible power—is it granted by your special eye?"
"Mm." Naruto nodded. "I call it [Star Eye]... Though this name was decided by everyone voting together. The ability was also something I later... well, count as 'accidentally' obtained."
"[Star Eye]... I see. A Kekkei Genkai similar to Byakugan and Sharingan."
"With this eye's power, you can not only freely manipulate natural energy, but even stably materialize and manifest it. This way, Sage Technique training's most troublesome 'energy overload causing frog transformation' side effect practically doesn't exist for you. What comes next merely requires accumulating experience, tempering control—perseverance and patience."
It looked at the black rod in hand, somewhat sentimental. "Though with me watching, originally there wasn't much major risk, but getting hit by this rod to scatter energy still quite hurts."
"If young Jiraiya during training back then had your technique, he could've suffered much less." It put away the black rod, pointing toward another enormous—estimated exceeding ten meters tall, weighing probably several tons—giant stone frog statue nearby. "Then, first try the feeling of preliminarily mastering Senjutsu chakra. Sense the harmonized power."
Naruto followed instructions, walking before that giant stone frog, lowering waist and settling stance, both hands bracing the statue's base. He didn't mobilize Nine-Tails chakra, merely utilizing that preliminarily harmonized, still unstable Senjutsu chakra within his body.
Both arms exerted force. Only hearing a rumbling sound, that massive thing surprisingly truly was slowly lifted off the ground by him.
Though this stone frog—if Naruto used Kurama's power, forget lifting, directly throwing it to the atmosphere would work—but perfect Sage Mode could stack with Nine-Tails' power.
"So... so amazing!" Satsuki couldn't help softly exclaiming. She saw Naruto hadn't become that golden-glowing appearance, merely utilizing just-entry-level Sage Techniques, yet could achieve this level. This made her also develop anticipation toward whether she could learn Sage Techniques.
She'd also understood Fukasaku Sage's earlier words. If she could borrow Naruto [Star Eye]'s capability, during training she also needn't worry about frog transformation risks, needn't soak in that uncomfortable toad oil. Natural energy could be safely manifested, controllably introduced. This was simply revolutionary in training methods!
Fukasaku Sage had completely relaxed. It hopped onto a higher rock, issuing new instructions. "Then, I'll just watch you practice here. Even toad oil is superfluous assistance for you."
"Though this old one has never seen eyes like yours, being able to apply unique personal power to training—this itself is a shortcut."
---
The following Sage Technique training gave Naruto a peculiar familiar feeling. Like... practicing some refined instrument.
Right, like in another world, as a hobby he'd contacted piano. Required repeated practice until the body formed solid "muscle memory."
Once grasping that "knack" of harmonizing natural energy with one's own chakra like blending, what remained was persistent repetition, letting every body cell remember this feeling.
He was also very happy to help Satsuki. Thinking she needn't be forced soaking in viscous oil pools, or possibly sporting frog-like skin and bulging eyes... Naruto felt much more comfortable inside... This kind of mood... was it perhaps overprotectiveness, or possessiveness too strong?
Time flew rapidly in focused training. One immersed in the profound experience of initially guiding natural energy, the other continuously attempting using [Star Eye] to more finely control and transform surrounding endless energy.
Until the sun climbed from eastern treetops to sky's center.
"Alright! You two did extremely well this morning! You can temporarily stop, rest a bit!"
Fukasaku Sage jumped down from the rock, saying to both. "Before beginning afternoon training, first fill stomachs to replenish stamina. Follow me. The kid's mother should already have lunch prepared."
"Eating?" Naruto heard this, pausing. He'd previously already had one Shadow Clone use Flying Thunder God to return once to Konoha, bringing back clean change of clothes.
Satsuki had no reaction to this. After Naruto followed Fukasaku Sage, she also quietly walked behind him.
Mount Myoboku's cuisine... seemed like?! Naruto thought of some unpleasant memories.
---
They arrived at Shima Sage's—a female toad sage possessing purple hair, skin showing white-purple intermixing—"dining table" area.
"Come come come, don't be polite! Eat more! Today I specially showed off my skills, made so many specialty dishes!"
Shima Sage enthusiastically greeted them. Immediately after, plate after plate of "delicacies" were brought up.
Naruto's body completely froze, smile on his face congealing into extremely forced stiffness.
While Uchiha Satsuki's beautiful black eyes lost all luster, within them written undisguised resistance preferring starving to swallowing.
Presented before them was Mount Myoboku's most "characteristic" hospitality. A certain wilderness survival beauty.
Directly boiled in plain water, preserving complete form, each as long as an adult's palm—plump insects.
Plus some appearing fresher, even still slightly writhing, simply skewered or piled on leaves, suitable for "raw eating"—equally considerable-sized insect ingredients.
Rich "high-protein primitive flavor" odor, mixed with vegetation and earth's fresh fragrance—perhaps to toads smelling like enticing aroma assaulted them.