At last, under the boost of Sage Chakra, Shinju slowly but surely lifted the stone toad that weighed over a hundred tons!
Jiraiya: (⊙o⊙)
WTF?
This kid's been training for only four hours, and he's already able to control Sage Chakra?!
When he himself had trained in Sage Arts at Mount Myōboku, it had taken him more than a week just to sense natural energy.
And lifting the stone toad had taken him one to two months!
That was considered fast, too!
But Shinju...
Damn it. Comparing yourself to others will only piss you off.
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
"The Great Toad Sage really didn't misjudge him. This kid's talent and comprehension are terrifying."
By his side, Fukasaku's eyes held a smile.
"Put it down. I'll take you to the next stage of training."
Fukasaku walked up to Shinju as he spoke.
Shinju nodded and slowly set the massive stone toad down on the ground.
These were all seniors who had failed Sage training—they deserved respect.
...
Meanwhile, back at the Sacred Oil Fountain, Naruto's body once again started to show signs of turning into a toad. Without hesitation, Jiraiya smacked him on the head with his staff!
Thud!
"Ow!"
Naruto yelped in pain.
Opening his eyes, he noticed Shinju, who had been sitting nearby, had disappeared.
"Where'd Shinju go? Off to take a leak or something?" Naruto asked curiously.
Jiraiya gave a helpless look.
"That kid already completed the first stage of training. Fukasaku-sama's taken him to begin advanced training. ┓( ´∀` )┏"
Naruto: (￣口￣)!!
What the—so fast?!
He had only just barely managed to feel a trace of natural energy!
Naruto opened his mouth to complain, but suddenly changed gears:
"No way, I can't let that guy leave me in the dust!"
He shut his eyes again and went back to training.
Jiraiya, watching from the side, wore a satisfied smile.
It seemed having an outstanding comrade really could drive someone forward.
Keep grinding, keep grinding!!
...
Elsewhere.
Fukasaku brought Shinju to a stone forest.
Looking ahead, Shinju saw the strange formations.
Jagged stones jutted upward—thin, tall, and sharp!
Just like polished spikes!
"This is the second stage training ground," Fukasaku explained. "What you need to do is, without using toad oil, sit on a plank balanced atop these stones and train."
"This tests your willpower and courage to the utmost. If you can control natural energy freely in this environment, you'll be able to maintain Sage Mode."
Cold sweat beaded on Shinju's forehead.
Balancing on those spires with just a plank… one slip, and he'd be skewered clean through!
"Don't worry. I'll be right there with you. If anything happens, I'll pull you back."
Understanding Shinju's concern, Fukasaku reassured him.
Shinju nodded.
Since he had decided to learn Sage Arts, there could be no retreat.
Just lifting the stone toad earlier had let him taste the power of Sage Arts.
Unlike ninjutsu, which left you more and more exhausted the longer you fought, Sage Arts replenished your chakra with natural energy. It was like the more you used it, the more energized you became...
For the next two hours, Shinju trained atop the jagged spires...
Before long, noon arrived.
Shinju leapt down from the stone peak, holding his plank. It was time for a meal.
In just half a day, he had already grasped the trick of balancing atop the spires, and he could now sense natural energy without relying on toad oil.
Next, all that remained was consolidating what he'd gained that morning.
"Finally, a break! Pervy Sage hits way too hard—my head still hurts!"
Naruto, head covered in lumps, walked up to Shinju's training ground grumbling.
Jiraiya followed close behind, replying bluntly,
"If I don't knock the natural energy out of you, you'll turn into a toad, kid."
Naruto fell silent.
"Fine."
"But how's Shinju doing? I can already sense natural energy now. I'll be catching up to you soon! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Naruto turned toward Shinju.
"At Shinju's current pace, he'll finish the entire set of training in about a week," Fukasaku said after glancing at the fired-up Naruto.
Naruto didn't really grasp what that timeframe meant, but Jiraiya looked like he'd just been struck by lightning.
ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
The full training… in just one week???
"Fukasaku-sama, y-you're serious?!"
Jiraiya's face was filled with disbelief.
He knew Shinju was a genius—
But this was absurd! Way too broken!!
"Is seven days considered fast?" Naruto scratched his head, confused.
"Let me put it this way," Jiraiya explained. "Even the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato—whose talent and comprehension were both extraordinary—took over a month to learn Sage Arts here at Mount Myōboku!!"
Naruto rubbed his head. "Oh, so that means my friend Shinju's even stronger than the Hokage! (´◊ω◊｀)"
Jiraiya didn't answer, instead glancing at Fukasaku-sama again.
"I wasn't exaggerating a bit. If anything, my estimate was conservative."
Fukasaku spread his webbed hands helplessly.
Hearing their exchange, Shinju now had a sense of his own speed.
So... he was actually kind of a big deal, huh?
Just then—
Guuuu~
Naruto's stomach growled.
Embarrassed, he asked, "Um… can we eat now, Fukasaku-sama?"
"Training all morning made me super hungry. Wonder what Shima-sama's bento will be like."
"Don't get your hopes up." Jiraiya chuckled.
Hearing that, a chilling thought crossed Shinju's mind.
If everyone in Mount Myōboku was a frog, then during his whole Sage training here… wouldn't all the meals be bugs?!
Last night, he had praised Shima-sama's bug dishes to the skies—
But that had only been for show.
No normal human could ever get used to the texture of insects!
Even just overcoming the mental hurdle was impossible!
After tricking Naruto into eating that meal, both he and Naruto had ended up puking in the bathroom…
Even now, just remembering that sticky texture gave Shinju goosebumps.
No way! He would absolutely not eat bugs again!
He made up his mind.
Even if it meant foraging wild vegetables... even if it meant drinking toad oil...
No matter what—Shinju would rather starve to death, collapse during training, or leap off the Sacred Oil Fountain—he would never eat bugs again!! ┏(｀ー´)┛
As he was steeling his resolve, Shima-sama hopped over in the distance, carrying a massive basket on her back.
"Dear, little Jiraiya, little Shinju, little Naruto—look what delicious food I've prepared for you today!"
She set the basket down, lifted the lid, and revealed a feast of bug dishes!
Beaming proudly, Shima-sama said, "This here is steamed leeches, your favorite."
"Dear, you'd better thank little Shinju and little Naruto. Leeches are so hard to catch! If they hadn't praised my cooking yesterday, I never would've gone to the trouble today…"
Shinju and Naruto: ∑(っ °Д °;)っ,Σ( ° △ °|||)︴