Veigar, maintaining his Sage Mode, kept his eyes wide open and remained motionless.
Just as Fukasaku and Shima were deeply stirred, his will was roaring.
"Get..."
"Back!!!"
The last fragment of Phenomenal Evil Power within Veigar desperately tried to merge with Sage Mode and then with Veigar himself.
But Veigar, with firm willpower, refused to let it have its way, binding it within his mind.
Finally, the moment Veigar's Sage Mode dissipated, the fragment reined in its radiating light and returned to the depths of Veigar's consciousness.
It vanished from sight.
"Phew..."
Seeing the Phenomenal Evil Power fragment retreat, Veigar let out a heavy breath.
At the same time, he assessed his current state.
Above his lower abdomen, the natural energy absorbed from the outside had dissipated, leaving only his own chakra.
This was also the main reason the Phenomenal Evil Power fragment had re-concealed itself; it couldn't merge if Veigar wasn't in Sage Mode.
Fukasaku and Shima, unaware of what Veigar had just experienced, couldn't deny it, despite their initial skepticism. Veigar was indeed that one-in-a-million prodigy in Sage Mode training.
Besides Veigar, who else could achieve perfect form on their very first attempt at merging natural energy?
Such talent was truly unmatched.
"Could it be that Veigar's training method is the correct way to master Sage Mode?"
Fukasaku found himself plunged into deep self-doubt at that moment.
For anyone, having their long-held beliefs and methods overturned can be difficult to accept.
However, Fukasaku's mental fortitude was strong, and he quickly quelled his doubts.
"Veigar, how do you feel now?"
Shima approached Veigar, gazing into his eyes as she asked.
"I feel better than ever."
Veigar replied to Shima with a smile.
Fukasaku, standing nearby, also praised him:
"Your talent has truly astonished us."
"Just now, you actually achieved perfect Sage Mode, also known as Frog Sage Mode."
"Perhaps your method of spending five months adapting your body to natural energy is the most correct way to train."
Fukasaku's praise and his open admission that his previous statements were wrong made Veigar feel incredibly awkward.
It had only been an excuse he'd made up.
He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat.
Because he realized that, regarding Sage Mode training, his explanation had been...
...completely flawless!
"You're too kind."
Veigar responded with a smile.
Fukasaku looked at Veigar very seriously for a while, then said:
"Since you can now perfectly use Sage Mode,"
"We can proceed to the final step."
At this moment, Shima raised the lunch box in her hand, interrupting Fukasaku and Veigar's conversation, and said:
"Alright, it's time to eat."
"We can talk about training matters after lunch."
During lunch, Fukasaku and Shima kept a distance from Veigar.
They quietly chatted amongst themselves.
Veigar, who was focused on the delicious food, didn't pay attention to what the two Sages were discussing. Instead, he was planning his future training regimen.
By now, he had been at Mount Myōboku for half a year, and his Sage Mode training was nearing completion. With just a little more time, Veigar believed he could fully master Sage Mode.
As long as the Phenomenal Evil Power fragments didn't cause trouble.
Veigar hadn't expected the Phenomenal Evil Power fragments to cause mischief when he used Sage Mode.
As for mastering Sage Mode, he could then begin his next ninjutsu training plan, as well as his final fusion plan.
After lunch, under Fukasaku's supervision, Veigar resumed his Sage Mode training.
Next, Veigar needed to adapt to absorbing natural energy without using toad oil.
Fukasaku directly reduced the amount of toad oil applied to Veigar by half.
After a while, Veigar once again entered perfect Sage Mode, the Frog Sage Mode.
At the same time, Veigar, who had been worried that the Phenomenal Evil Power fragment would cause trouble again, breathed a sigh of relief when he found it didn't appear this time.
Although he didn't know the specific reason, it was still a good thing.
So, Veigar didn't delve deeper into it.
In the blink of an eye, more than two months passed.
By this point, Veigar had basically overcome the need to use toad oil to enter Sage Mode.
Veigar sat cross-legged on the ground, Fukasaku watching nervously from the side. Success or failure, it all came down to this time.
This was Veigar's first attempt to absorb natural energy without using toad oil, so for Fukasaku not to be nervous would surely be a lie.
In Fukasaku's anxious wait, nearly ten minutes passed before Fukasaku finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.
His heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled.
He did it!
Veigar, without using toad oil, exhibited the characteristics of Frog Sage Mode before Fukasaku.
Another minute passed, and after Veigar had completely stabilized his Sage Mode, he opened his eyes.
Before Fukasaku, he exhaled deeply.
The next second, Veigar vanished.
When Veigar's figure reappeared, he stood before a massive rock, then gently threw a punch.
Bang!
The nearly twenty-meter-tall rock, under Veigar's single punch, shattered into many pieces and instantly collapsed.
"Such immense power."
Looking at his fist, Veigar exclaimed with genuine emotion.
It's important to note that Veigar hadn't used much power in this punch, nor had he used any other ninjutsu; it was purely the amplification brought by Senjutsu Chakra.
He had suppressed his desire to test the might of Sage Mode for so long, and this was his first time using it.
The power, indeed, did not disappoint him.
Fukasaku instantly appeared before Veigar, looking at his profile and saying:
"Veigar, congratulations on completing your Sage Mode training, and it's even perfect Sage Mode."
Veigar's Sage Mode dissipated, and he looked down at Fukasaku, saying:
"Thank you for all your trouble during this time."
"Thank you!"
Fukasaku waved his hand, saying:
"It's no trouble. You're Mount Myōboku's contractor; teaching you to master Sage Mode is my responsibility."
Veigar nodded at Fukasaku, no longer dwelling on the matter.
Looking at Veigar's face, Fukasaku asked with a hint of reluctance:
"So, are you planning to leave now?"
"You've been at Mount Myōboku for eight months. A war has been breaking out in the outside world, and given Konoha's current situation, they must surely need your strength."
Although Fukasaku had always stayed on Mount Myōboku, he was still aware of the major events happening in the ninja world.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]