Orochimaru had once tried to understand [Sage Art], but he never gained recognition from the White Snake Sage, let alone received any teachings. His knowledge remained superficial.
Moreover, even that reckless Jiraiya hadn't created a significant power gap between them despite mastering Sage Mode.
Thus, Orochimaru gradually abandoned such thoughts, shifting his focus elsewhere, even attempting to develop an alternative to Sage Mode.
"Tsunade learned it too, and Jiraiya as well. Have I fallen behind?" he murmured, then shook his head slightly with regret and melancholy.
"No, it's Jiraiya who truly fell behind—permanently—while I will pursue the very essence of chakra..."
"Jiraiya, once I achieve what I seek, perhaps you could return to this world—just like before..."
Thinking about what he still preserved, an unusual gleam flickered in his eyes.
Receiving the order, Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his glasses and quietly stepped out, having already committed the book's contents to memory.
Minato still hadn't returned; the signs when he left strongly suggested summoning.
The only ones capable of summoning him were Orochimaru himself and the frogs of Mount Myōboku.
Quickly connecting the dots, Orochimaru deduced Minato must be at Mount Myōboku since he wasn't present in the Ninja World.
Kabuto didn't know where Mount Myōboku was, but among the frogs in the Ninja World, some were native and mindless, while others were intentionally left behind by the Gamabunta Clan for monitoring purposes.
Thanks to the friendly agreement Orochimaru previously had with Jiraiya, although these frogs wouldn't trust or assist Orochimaru directly, they wouldn't mind passing along messages occasionally.
Since Orochimaru now fully trusted Kabuto, he had naturally taught him how to find and recognize those frogs.
As Kabuto stated, this material was intended for Minato's eyes, so the messenger frog sent it straight to him upon returning to Mount Myōboku.
Honest Minato immediately passed it along to Fukasaku after reading through it.
After flipping through it himself, Fukasaku was startled. "Is this thing really spreading on such a large scale?"
Minato nodded solemnly.
Without a word, Fukasaku hurriedly rushed into the Great Toad Sage's temple.
Long ago, Gamamaru had guided both Hagoromo and Hamura because the growth of the God Tree required drawing energy from this world, which inevitably reduced Natural Energy levels and affected their cultivation and survival.
Although Tsunade's current actions weren't as overtly aggressive as Kaguya's, they would still bring similar consequences.
There's only so much to go around—if one takes more, another will have less.
Energy doesn't disappear; it simply relocates.
Ultimately, humans have become too numerous, reproducing at an intense rate.
Fukasaku hurriedly relayed the disturbing news to Gamamaru.
Gamamaru stayed silent for so long that it seemed he'd truly dozed off, leaving everyone unsure if he'd even paid attention.
After waiting a while, Fukasaku began showing impatience before Gamamaru finally spoke up slowly. "This seems like a trend destined to unfold..."
"Elder, could this be a prophecy?" Fukasaku cautiously guessed.
Gamamaru offered no explanation for his earlier words and continued speaking slowly, "The major ninja villages have always been in competition with each other. If Tsunade spreads something within Konoha, the other villages will certainly do everything they can to keep up."
"Are you suggesting we just let this happen?" Fukasaku became even more anxious.
"No." Gamamaru shook his head after a moment of silence. "Fukasaku, you should compile the complete [Training Method] and give it to Minato, letting him pass it on to his collaborators."
"How could that be acceptable! This is a cultivation technique our clan painstakingly perfected together—how can we casually hand it over to those humans?" Fukasaku was greatly puzzled and spoke loudly.
"Fukasaku, you're misunderstanding me. Not everyone can become like Jiraiya or Tsunade," Gamamaru said indifferently, his voice slightly cold.
Upon hearing these words, Fukasaku froze slightly.
After calming down and thinking carefully, he seemed to understand part of the meaning.
Even if those people obtained the [Training Method], without their assistance, the final fate of these humans would still end up like those frogs turned to stone.
One wrong move — and death was inevitable.
The more people died, the calmer and more fearful the ninja would become.
Just like those sealed [Kinjutsu], these [Sage Art] cultivation methods would also come to be regarded as taboos, eventually ceasing to spread.
Even if some rare genius did successfully cultivate this method, because of its unique nature and the physical frog-like transformation involved, these humans would gradually value and respect The Gamabunta Clan more and more.
Understanding all this, Fukasaku finally eased his inner conflict.
After he left, Gamamaru suddenly sighed softly.
That woman truly seems to have changed...
She actually instructed Tsunade to enhance human power?
But no matter how she changes, humans are still creatures to be tamed in her eyes. The chakra they now possess was never truly theirs from the start — it has always belonged solely to the toads.
As for... the hatred between her and The Gamabunta Clan, it cannot ever be completely resolved.
Fukasaku gave the compiled [Training Method] to Minato and reminded him about Gamamaru's instructions.
"Minato, give this [Training Method] to your allies and enhance the strength of these ninja..."
"Elder Fukasaku, isn't this too dangerous?" Minato remained cautious.
He had already mastered Sage Mode, though not completely, and rarely used it. He fully understood its inherent dangers.
"Because Tsunade is also teaching these techniques to Konoha's ninja, there currently isn't anyone capable of directly defeating those individuals. If ordinary ninja also fall behind, then we'll truly be finished."
Fukasaku spoke seriously, causing Minato's mood to turn heavier.
Besides," Fukasaku continued, "if the ninja join forces, those side effects should be solvable."
In reality, he knew it wasn't possible at all. The Gamabunta Clan cared more about their own kin, were more united, and better understood natural energy — yet they themselves hadn't solved these issues. How could these humans, who've only just begun to touch these arts, possibly succeed?
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Minato completely believed what he said, wearing a solemn expression.
"Then, Elder Fukasaku, Naruto is in your care!"
"Hmm." Fukasaku responded calmly.
Following that, Minato returned to the Ninja World once again.
In Iwa, a streak of golden light flashed, and Minato suddenly reappeared at a street corner.
Remembering what had happened last time, the hidden ninjas watching from the shadows didn't reveal themselves immediately. Instead, they kept a close watch while sending someone to report to the Tsuchikage's office.
Minato, calm and composed, made his way directly toward the Tsuchikage Tower.
He came to visit Onoki because among Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwa, Iwa was by far the strongest.
Although signs of succession issues were emerging, compared to the continuously declining Sunagakure and the internally chaotic Kiri, Iwa remained significantly stronger.
If things went well, he might be able to communicate his ideas to the other villages through Onoki himself, saving valuable time.
Before even stepping inside the tower, two ninja guards standing at the entrance exchanged glances and stepped aside to let him pass.
Inside the Tsuchikage's office, Onoki was already waiting for him.
"Fourth Hokage, what brings you here?" Onoki dismissed the other ninjas present in the room, stroking his beard with a teasing tone.
Minato had no intention of engaging in small talk. He got straight to the point, pulling out the complete version of the Sage Art training manual compiled by Elder Fukasaku, placing it on the Tsuchikage's desk, and casually flipping to one page.
"Tsuchikage, this is a training method capable of enhancing a ninja's power..."
Onoki glanced at it briefly.
The open page showed the line: *"Follow the breathing method of the Frog Clan..."*
He cut Minato off mid-sentence, "You call this training? Why should we imitate frogs?"
"This is the Sage Art—a way of using natural energy—which has been practiced by the Frog Clan for generations."
Onoki found it ridiculous and gave a sudden laugh, "Are you saying we should learn from frogs? We're humans!"
Minato inhaled deeply, steadying himself, then pressed on, "Tsuchikage, surely you know of my teacher Jiraiya? He called himself the Toad Sage precisely because he mastered the Frog Clan's Sage Art—Sage Mode."
Recalling his past encounters with Jiraiya, Onoki vaguely remembered the strange facial markings sometimes seen on Jiraiya's face—they did resemble those of a frog...
As Onoki remained silent, Minato continued, "Tsuchikage, given your age, you cannot possibly be unaware of this. The Great Toad Sage was the one who first established the Sage Art training system."
This sarcastic remark instantly angered Onoki. He snorted coldly:
"There's no such thing as a Sage in this world. Even if there were, they died out long ago! And Jiraiya claiming to be one—just because he says so doesn't make it true."
Insulted before the memory of his late teacher, Minato was both angry and frustrated, unsure how to get through to this stubborn, arrogant old man.
At that moment, he realized Onoki didn't even consider him an equal.
His tone grew colder, and he gave up trying to warn them about the danger ahead. Remaining calm, he said:
"Right now in Konoha, Sage Art training is spreading widely—it was Tsunade who passed it on to others."
"However, theirs is an incomplete version, while I hold the complete edition. If the Tsuchikage doesn't believe me, waiting a few more days should bring confirming news..."
Before Onoki could respond, Minato immediately left the place.
After his figure disappeared, a long time passed before Onoki murmured to himself:
"Just *this* so-called Sage Art? It hardly seems enough to defeat Tsunade. Otherwise, how could he end up weaker than Tsunade, who only had access to the incomplete method?"
In the following days, both Sunagakure and Kirigakure received gifts from Minato.
When several villages communicated with each other, they discovered everyone had obtained copies. While relieved that everyone had it, they also felt disappointment.
In Kirigakure,
As the village's unofficial number two, Terumi Mei easily gained access to view this complete Sage Art cultivation method.
Taking out the small booklet Hiroki had given her, she started comparing the two versions.
"For the most part, the beginning sections are nearly identical..." Terumi Mei whispered.
Until the section about Perceiving and Resonating with Natural Energy, their contents were basically similar.
As for what came after, Hiroki's copy ended right there.
The Frog Sage version contained another half thickness of material, making it difficult to judge whether it contained added personal interpretations.
"Should I give it a try?"
Mei felt torn — she really wanted to run this by Hiroki and ask what she should do next.
It was at this moment she realized—they didn't even have any way to contact each other.
This realization made her quite angry.
"That guy must be playing me! Cooperation? Hah! What kind of cooperation leaves you completely unreachable?"
After discussing with Genshi and other village elites, they reached a decision.
They still planned to learn the technique, but first they needed some volunteers for testing.
Naturally, this fell to prisoners in the jail—criminals not valuable enough to release back into society yet dangerous enough to disrupt internal order if freed.
Because the book constantly emphasized avoiding external distractions, the leadership took direct control of these prisoners, forcing them into a state of stillness — as if their minds were still water — manipulating their thoughts and behaviors to follow each step described in the book...
There were four stages in total.
Stage One: Perception and Resonance — the exact content Tsunade popularized at Konoha Ninja Academy.
Stage Two: Guidance and Balance — introducing natural energy into one's body and achieving stable equilibrium between it and existing chakra.
Stage Three: Practical Application — replacing regular chakra with "Sage Chakra" to successfully execute jutsu.
Stage Four: Sustained maintenance of Stage Two and Three simultaneously, achieving effortless control over activation and deactivation.
Tsunade had completed the first three stages and now focused on the fourth.
Terumi Mei and others planned to decide their next move after observing results.
Rasa and Onoki, who didn't fully trust Minato, took similar approaches.
Time slipped away like flowing light, yet everything moved steadily forward — whether it was popularizing the technique between Konoha and Kumogakure, or conducting experiments in villages like Kiri.
On this day, at a pavilion inside the Palace of the Country of Hot Springs, where stone tables and four stone stools sat,
Kaguya and Hiroki sat facing each other here.
White Zetsu suddenly emerged before Kaguya's eyes, bringing Yugito with him as he appeared.
Kaguya, who had originally been leaning forward, turned her head with a slightly cold expression and scolded White Zetsu, "Why are you listening to her so much? Who is truly your master, her or me?"
During these days, Yugito had appeared once daily, exactly as she had claimed.
Each time Yugito showed up, she would deliberately provoke Kaguya, intending to fight her.
Although Kaguya defeated Yugito thoroughly every time, she still felt quite annoyed.
No one would feel pleasant when disturbed constantly.
She even felt like she was turning into Yugito's sparring partner.
Even the Matatabi and Gyuki sealed within Yugito seemed to grow less fearful of Kaguya day by day.
White Zetsu scratched his head and said nothing, silently moving to the side.
Sometimes they observed Kaguya and Hiroki exhibiting strange behaviors.
Describing it in human terms, it might be called teasing each other.
Whenever that happened, their expressions looked subtly odd — proud yet reserved.
Kaguya cast her faintly displeased gaze back on Yugito.
Yugito calmly stated, "I came here today for an important matter. Someone's reached the level you were talking about. I want to ask, what should we do next..."
So saying, she looked at Hiroki, who was glancing outside.
[Sage Art Basics] already? That fast? Who is it?" Hiroki turned around, somewhat surprised.
Yugito nodded. A golden figure with an alluring physique flashed through her mind as she answered, "A guy always keeping his cool, once favored by the Fourth."
Hiroki thought about how to proceed next. It was time to offer guidance and support. The only person capable was Tsunade, but dealing with Konoha affairs alone was already troubling enough...
"Why don't you train?" Kaguya suddenly asked Yugito coldly while thinking to herself: Does she know I could help her master it instantly?
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