[NOTE:- This story takes place in an alternate universe so there are some changes from canon events: like a person can train in sage mode if he has talent and chunin-level chakra, and will be able to use this in battle when he has jounin-level chakra]
"Ah ha ha ha, I suddenly remembered Gamabunta called me over for a drink. I'll go first. When it's time to go back, I'll trouble Sage Fukasaku to send this kid back."
Jiraiya chuckled, quickly walked to the door, pushed it open, and fled.
Ren was left alone, staring wide-eyed at the two frogs.
"Hiss! My stomach hurts so much. Where's the restroom, please?"
Ren suddenly clutched his stomach, looking at Sage Fukasaku with a pained expression.
"Out the door, turn left."
Upon receiving the answer, Ren also dashed out the door. A drop of cold sweat trickled down his neck. Luckily, he escaped quickly; otherwise, after eating that meal today, he'd have nightmares tonight.
"These children, they don't cherish such delicious food. Alas."
Sage Shima looked at the two who had left, shook her head, and then turned her gaze to Sage Fukasaku.
"Husband, eat more. This is all your favourite."
"Got it, wife."
Hearing the voices from inside the house, Ren's mouth twitched. As he looked around the room, Ren's eyes moved, and he jumped onto a large rock nearby. Looking down, a hint of surprise filled his heart.
Several meters below, a spring continuously gushed out yellow water. The sticky-looking water formed a waterfall, plunging straight down and creating a large lake below.
In front of the lake was a frog statue, tens of meters tall, with its mouth slightly ajar. From its mouth, a smaller waterfall flowed down, eventually merging back into the lake.
In front of the lake were earth-yellow steps, half a meter off the ground, extending downwards from the lake's edge.
Below the steps was a large expanse of plain earth-yellow ground, seemingly unremarkable, but scattered around were various frog statues. Some statues were several meters tall, while others were smaller than Ren, but without exception, they were all once living beings!
"So, you're here, little Ren."
Sage Fukasaku's gentle voice came from behind.
"Ah, Lord Fukasaku, you've finished eating. After I finished, I passed by this rock, and out of curiosity, I came up to look. What a magnificent waterfall, and these statues…"
Ren turned to look at Fukasaku, who had approached, his eyes lighting up, and then he asked knowingly.
Sage Fukasaku was indeed drawn to the topic. He took two steps forward, also looking down at the frog statues below, and said in a low voice.
"The waterfall in front of you is frog oil used for training Sage Mode. If someone who isn't proficient in controlling natural energy uses it, they will turn into a frog. Those who turn into frogs will then become part of nature. The fate of those who failed to train Sage Mode before is those statues!"
"Sage Mode? Natural energy? What are these? They sound amazing."
Ren listened to Sage Fukasaku's answer, stroking his chin while staring at Sage Fukasaku with a strong desire for knowledge.
"Sage Mode? It's a special technique. Ordinary Chakra is formed by the balanced fusion of physical energy and spiritual energy. A Ninja can release Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu by consuming an appropriate amount of Chakra. The Chakra formed by Sage Mode is created by absorbing natural energy from the surroundings into the body, combining it with one's own physical energy and spiritual energy to achieve balance. This fused Chakra is called Sage Mode Chakra. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu activated using Sage Mode Chakra are referred to as Sage Mode."
Ren nodded while listening, and after hearing Sage Fukasaku's introduction to Sage Mode, his eyes instantly lit up.
"Then can I train Sage Mode, Sage Fukasaku?"
"Oh? Little Ren, you want to train Sage Mode? It's not impossible, but the process is quite difficult and painful. If you can persevere, of course, you can."
Sage Fukasaku heard Ren's words, thought for a moment, and then happily agreed.
This child is someone little Jiraiya contracted with, and little Jiraiya can still be trusted.
"Of course, I will definitely succeed."
Ren appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was ecstatic. After pretending to be confused for a long time, he finally had a legitimate opportunity to learn Sage Mode.
As a transmigrator, Ren understood that the enhancement Sage Mode provided to one's strength was far beyond what Sage Fukasaku had described. The Three Great Sage Regions each had their own unique Sage Mode training systems, and various secret techniques developed over hundreds of years in these regions, specifically designed to complement Sage Mode, were what truly maximised its power!
The representative of Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode is Jiraiya, Ryuchi Cave's Sage Mode representative is Yakushi Kabuto, and Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode representative is Senju Hashirama. Each of their Sage Modes comes with Ninjutsu that incorporates the characteristics of frogs, snakes, or Slugs, respectively.
Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode was greatly developed by Naruto. With his immense Chakra reserves, he fully utilised the frog-attribute Sage Mode: Frog Kata, Frog Strike, enhanced sensory perception, and greatly improved physical abilities.
Ryuchi Cave's Sage Mode is ever-changing and has strong explosive power, primarily focusing on Genjutsu. Yakushi Kabuto, with his Ryuchi Cave secret techniques, once suppressed the combined efforts of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke. Although he eventually lost to Izanami, he was considered the pinnacle of Ninjas without a bloodline limit.
Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode, in addition to enhancing power, also possesses powerful regenerative abilities. Combined with Wood Release and Senju Hashirama's Sage Body, it allows for wound recovery without hand signs, granting powerful sustained combat capability.
After entering Sage Mode, the body undergoes a Sage transformation, and different changes occur depending on the nature of the absorbed natural energy. Generally, achieving perfect Sage Mode is difficult. For instance, Jiraiya's Sage Mode is imperfect, taking a long time to use and causing frog-like features on his face. Naruto's, however, is a perfect Sage Mode, with no animalistic changes, and the Sage eye shadow that only appears in perfect Sage Mode at the corners of his eyes.
The clash of Sage Mode and Storm Release, hehehe, it's truly something to look forward to!
...
"Well, that's it for today. See you next time, little Ren."
As Sage Fukasaku activated the Reverse Summoning Technique, Ren felt his vision go dark again. When light returned, before he could react, Ren fell to the ground.
"Hiss"
Why did he land on his back of all places? The impact collided with the wound on his back, causing Ren to gasp sharply.
It was indeed painful. This guy, Sage Fukasaku, was too heavy-handed. He didn't even need to touch it; his back must be covered in bruises.
Originally, Ren was full of ambition, but after the first training session, Ren had already experienced the fear of being dominated by Sage Mode: the body turning into a frog with a slight mistake, and Sage Fukasaku's dog-beating stick. Under Sage Fukasaku's control, this stick wouldn't cause serious injuries, but the pain attribute was maxed out.
After four hours of intense training, he hadn't made any significant progress. Ren wasn't discouraged, after all, Naruto took over half a month to learn Sage Mode. He wouldn't compare himself to the protagonist; he'd compare himself to Yakushi Kabuto. Yakushi Kabuto learned Sage Mode in about half a year. After Sage Fukasaku's earlier observation, he frankly stated that Ren's natural affinity was much higher than Jiraiya's. Without talking about quick success, Sage Fukasaku estimated that if Ren persevered like this for half a year, he would be able to learn Sage Mode.
Ren slowly stood up and walked out of the training ground. By now, the streetlights had just come on, and only a few streetlights provided a faint white glow on this road. When Ren returned home, the little guy in his hand stood up, watching Ren flick his snake tongue.
"Alright, alright, I get it."
Ren smiled helplessly, changed into his slippers, and went to the kitchen to find the food he bought for noob. He then placed it aside and let it eat on its own.
Ren, after washing up, threw himself heavily onto the bed, of course, with his back facing up.
Time is running out.
Ren's eyes flickered. With the addition of various training plans, daily time became increasingly tight. Now, most of his time was spent at school, and he still had many training sessions that he couldn't openly conduct at school.
Perhaps, he needed to change his plan…