Land of Hot Water.
One of the two small buffer states between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
"Yu" (汤) means hot water, hot springs, or bathhouses. With "Yu" as its country name, the Land of Hot Water's hot spring resources needed no further description.
Of course, what also attracted nobles and wealthy merchants from various countries were its equally developed gambling and red-light industries.
Inside a two-story wooden house, a Flying Thunder God kunai was embedded upside down in a crossbeam.
Naruto, having just concluded his battle in the Land of Lightning, appeared in this room. Glancing at the familiar furnishings, he slowly unwrapped the bandages from his shoulder.
Although his right shoulder was still a mangled mess of flesh and blood, it had recovered significantly compared to when he left the Land of Lightning. This was thanks to Kurama's chakra and the powerful regenerative abilities of the Uzumaki clan.
"The job's done. Get some good rest for a while," Kurama's voice sounded in his mind.
"I know," Naruto replied, currently cleaning his wound.
"You were too reckless this time," Kurama complained. "Shukaku and Isobu might be a bit weaker, but at least they could have helped you absorb some of the damage."
"In that last fight, if they had been there to tie down Gyuki and his Jinchuriki, how could you have gotten so badly injured?"
"Their strength is too weak, especially Gaara's. The Feigning Sleep Technique has too great a vulnerability," Naruto shook his head. "Either the Fourth Raikage or Killer Bee could easily take him out."
"If he became a hostage, Isobu and I would have been in a difficult position."
Gaara is still too young. If he had a few more years, even without entering a full Tailed Beast state, just with Shukaku's chakra support, he could rely on his own sand manipulation abilities to interfere in Kage-level battles.
But not now. Perhaps among his peers, his strength is already enough to look down on the masses.
However, both the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, are veteran Kage-level powerhouses. There's simply no room for him to operate.
As for Isobu?
Naruto, possessing the Flying Thunder God Technique and entering his Tailed Beast Mode, was nearly crippled…
If Isobu had appeared on that battlefield, the outcome would have been predictable.
"Er…" Kurama paused, and upon careful consideration, realized it was indeed the case.
"I probably won't be able to fight for this entire month," Naruto said helplessly, rebandaging the wound.
The flesh wounds were manageable; the trouble was the shattered scapula.
As the saying goes, an injury to sinews and bones takes a hundred days to heal.
If not for his body's powerful regenerative capabilities, even a hundred days would have been questionable for his injuries.
"By the way, Kurama, do you know how to cultivate Sage Mode?" Naruto asked.
He had pushed Kurama's power to its limits. If he wanted to increase his strength, he would have to explore other avenues.
From what he knew, Sage Mode was one of the few secret arts that could greatly enhance his power.
The memories gifted by his father also contained descriptions of Sage Mode, but unfortunately, it was only the training method, not the 'training memory' itself.
It was like the Flying Thunder God Technique: the template was there, but he needed to 'load' the contents himself.
However, Sage Mode differed from the Flying Thunder God Technique in that its cultivation required external assistance.
As for why external assistance was needed, that delved into the principles of Sage Mode.
The human body possessed spiritual energy and physical energy. The world itself also contained a type of energy—natural energy. Unlike the limited energy within the human body, the energy contained in nature was nearly limitless.
The principle of Sage Mode was to absorb the energy contained in nature and combine it with the body's spiritual and physical energies to create 'Senjutsu Chakra.'
Under the enhancement of 'Senjutsu Chakra,' the user's attack, defense, and perception would all be greatly improved.
The principle of Sage Mode was simple, but learning it was fraught with difficulty. Even his father, Konoha's Fourth Hokage, had spent a considerable amount of time learning it before mastering Sage Mode.
Step one: sense natural energy. Simple, right?
After all, natural energy was ubiquitous; it could be sensed anywhere. But what was the reality?
Naruto had tried, but apart from sensing a blank void, there was nothing.
Both Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, and his father, Minato Namikaze, had only managed to sense natural energy by using toad oil from Mount Myoboku as a medium.
"Sage Mode?" Kurama scoffed. "The old Sage of Six Paths offered to teach me back then, but I was too lazy to learn."
Naruto: "…"
"Looks like I'll have to try my luck with the Three Great Sage Regions."
"The Three Great Sage Regions run deep," Kurama said. "Even the old Sage's Sage Mode was taught to him by those so-called sages from Mount Myoboku."
"Even if you really plan to go to the Three Great Sage Regions, at least let your injuries heal first."
"Don't end up getting into a fight and dying without even knowing how."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Why would there be a fight?"
"Why would you think that if I go to the Three Great Sage Regions, there would definitely be a fight?"
Kurama just stared at him silently, as if to say: What kind of troublemaker are you? Don't you have any self-awareness?
The Five Great Ninja Villages, and you've managed to offend four of them all by yourself?
What immense confidence makes you think you're a peaceable, law-abiding person?
"…Alright, alright, I'll focus on healing first," Naruto, having caught on, said with a sheepish smile.
Konoha – Village Hidden by Leaves.
Inside the Hokage Tower.
"Lady Fifth, you summoned me?" Kakashi pushed open the office door, looking at Lady Tsunade seated within, along with the two advisors. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine.
"Kakashi, sit." Tsunade gestured with her chin towards the armchair in the center.
Kakashi glanced at each of the three. Lady Fifth was fine; it was mainly the two advisors who made him a bit nervous.
Having been around Konoha for so many years, he had heard a thing or two about the deeds of these two old-timers.
"Kakashi, have you ever considered sealing your left Sharingan eye?" Tsunade asked after a moment of deliberation.
Kakashi instinctively touched his left eye. He didn't answer directly but waited for the Fifth's explanation.
He believed the Fifth Hokage understood the significance of this eye.
"Not a permanent seal," Tsunade clarified. "Rather, it's to help you install a lock, with the 'switch' controlled by you."
"You should be aware of how much of a burden using the Sharingan is for you, not having Uchiha blood."
"…" Kakashi remained silent.
The Sharingan, which he couldn't deactivate, was constantly draining his chakra.
The Hatake clan wasn't known for large chakra reserves to begin with. The constant consumption exacerbated his already limited chakra supply, making it even worse.
Every battle, every jutsu he used, he had to meticulously calculate his chakra levels.
During the Chunin Exams, Sasuke Uchiha, a mere genin, could use Chidori three times. Yet he, a renowned jounin, wasn't even sure if he could manage Chidori three times in a single battle.
This clearly illustrated the extent of the Sharingan's drain on him.
"Why?" Kakashi asked. Understanding was one thing; willingness was another entirely.
This Sharingan was a memento left to him by a friend. The chakra drain… was his penance…