"This is my student, Hinata!"
"She will definitely be able to master the Senjutsu unique to Shikkotsu Forest!"
Katsuyu's clone looked surprised.
"Really?"
"If that's true, then that's wonderful!"
Although Tsunade had repeatedly encouraged Hinata to be more confident, she still couldn't help blushing slightly.
"Lady Katsuyu, please guide me."
Katsuyu smiled gently.
"Of course. I'll do my best to guide you, Hinata."
Tsunade suddenly raised her voice.
"Then let's start immediately! We absolutely cannot lose to Naruto and Sasuke, and especially not to that troublesome Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya looked at her helplessly.
"Begin immediately? Tsunade, what exactly are you planning?"
"It's simple!"
Tsunade crossed her arms confidently.
"We'll have Hinata sign a Summoning Contract with Katsuyu and then use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to send her directly to Shikkotsu Forest!"
Jiraiya couldn't help frowning.
"My goodness, Tsunade. Are you really in such a hurry?"
"Of course!"
Tsunade didn't hesitate.
Jiraiya sighed.
"Fine. In that case, we shouldn't delay either."
He turned toward Naruto and Sasuke.
"Let's go."
Naruto and Sasuke nodded.
"But how are we going to get to Mount Myōboku?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya explained, "Konoha has a communication frog that maintains contact with Mount Myōboku. Thanks to a special connection involving the well water there, messages can be transmitted between the two locations quickly."
"I'll have it inform the Great Toad Sage. Once they receive the message, the toads at Mount Myōboku can use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to bring us there."
Tsunade glanced back at her master and her two students.
A faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
Shizune smiled as well.
"Lady Tsunade, you've put in so much effort to help Naruto and Hinata grow this quickly."
"Have I?"
Tsunade shook her head.
"Whatever I've done isn't nearly enough. Most of their progress comes from their own hard work."
"Let's go."
"Yes."
---
Following Jiraiya's arrangements, the frogs at Mount Myōboku received the message very quickly.
Not long afterward—
A few faint sounds echoed through the area.
Jiraiya, Naruto, and Sasuke disappeared from their respective locations almost simultaneously.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a strange and magnificent place.
Mountains stretched endlessly into the distance.
The scenery was breathtaking, filled with an abundance of natural energy that gave the entire region an ethereal atmosphere.
Birds chirped among the trees, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers.
The mountains themselves were not particularly high, but they were covered with enormous trees, strange plants, and lush vegetation.
Everything was unbelievably green.
The giant branches and leaves spread in every direction, creating a landscape that seemed almost unreal.
Clear droplets of water, resembling rain or morning dew, continuously fell from the enormous trees.
The entire place looked like a fairy-tale land hidden away from the rest of the world.
"Wow..."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Is this Mount Myōboku?"
"It really lives up to its reputation as one of the Three Great Sage Regions!"
Sasuke was also impressed by the scenery, although he didn't show his emotions as openly as Naruto.
Just then, several enormous shadows appeared overhead.
"Yes, this is Jiraiya."
"Are these Naruto and Sasuke?"
Several enormous frogs approached them.
Their huge bodies blocked the sunlight as they came closer.
Naruto immediately became excited.
"Chief Gamabunta!"
"And Gamahiro and Gamaken!"
The newcomers were none other than the three great toad generals of Mount Myōboku.
Gamabunta.
Gamahiro.
And Gamaken.
Naruto happily greeted them.
But suddenly, an elderly voice came from above.
"Hey! Can't you see that I'm here too?"
Naruto raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight and looked upward.
Only then did he notice a tiny, elderly frog sitting on top of Gamabunta's head.
"Huh?"
Naruto tilted his head.
"Another frog?"
"Who are you?"
Jiraiya quickly stepped in.
"Don't worry, Naruto."
He pointed toward the tiny frog.
"This is Lord Fukasaku, one of the Toad Sages of Mount Myōboku."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"He knows Kurama?"
Then he looked at Fukasaku carefully.
"He looks so old... and he's so small!"
Jiraiya immediately rubbed his forehead.
This was going to be troublesome.
Fukasaku, however, didn't seem offended at all.
Instead, he chuckled.
"So this is the Naruto you've been talking about, Little Jiraiya?"
He carefully examined Naruto.
"Just as you described, he's quite straightforward."
Jiraiya smiled awkwardly.
"Lord Fukasaku, you could also say that he's a little too straightforward."
"Little Jiraiya?"
Naruto suddenly looked toward Jiraiya.
"Why does he keep calling you Little Jiraiya?"
Fukasaku crossed his arms.
"To me, Little Jiraiya is still just a child."
"Even among children, you're still considered a child."
"So naturally, I don't see any reason to stop calling you that."
Jiraiya sighed.
"Naruto, Lord Fukasaku will be your teacher for Senjutsu training."
"What?!"
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up.
Fukasaku smiled slightly.
Then, without warning, he jumped down from Gamabunta's head.
Naruto and Sasuke watched in surprise as the tiny old frog landed lightly on the ground.
Fukasaku clasped his hands behind his back and carefully examined the two young men from head to toe.
"Hmm..."
"Both of them are extremely talented young people."
He glanced at Jiraiya.
"Little Jiraiya, either of these two has talent far greater than yours."
"And yet, when you first came here, you were still the weakest among your peers."
Jiraiya rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"Please don't bring up my embarrassing past, Lord Fukasaku."
"I'm already one of the legendary Sannin of the Ninja World."
He gestured toward Naruto and Sasuke.
"And I'm also the teacher of these two."
Fukasaku smiled.
"Indeed. Just as the Great Toad Sage predicted, you've finally become a powerful shinobi capable of standing on your own."
"Not only that, you've also managed to train several excellent students."
Jiraiya's expression became slightly serious.
"Unfortunately, I still haven't found the Child of Prophecy."
Fukasaku's eyes moved toward Naruto and Sasuke.
"Perhaps the Child of Prophecy is one of these two."
Jiraiya's expression immediately relaxed.
"I've thought the same thing."
Fukasaku nodded.
"Alright. Enough with the small talk."
"Since Little Jiraiya said the situation is urgent, there's no reason to waste any more time."
"Let's begin the training immediately!"
Naruto clenched his fists excitedly.
"Yes, Lord Fukasaku!"
Fukasaku's expression twitched.
"Didn't you just call me an old, tiny frog?"
"But the moment you heard that I was going to teach you how to train, I suddenly became Lord Fukasaku?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"You're quite cunning, boy."
Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward laugh.
"Hehehe..."
Sasuke couldn't help feeling excited as well.
The opportunity to learn Senjutsu was something he had been looking forward to.
Fukasaku stepped forward.
He placed one hand on Naruto's arm and carefully injected a small amount of his own chakra into Naruto's body.
After sensing Naruto's chakra reserves, Fukasaku's eyes lit up.
"His chakra reserves are enormous."
He looked toward Jiraiya.
"Compared with Little Jiraiya and even Little Minato, this Little Naruto may possess even greater talent for Senjutsu training."
Jiraiya smiled and nodded quietly.
He had already expected something similar.
Fukasaku then turned toward Sasuke.
He approached him and injected a small amount of Senjutsu chakra into his body.
At first, Fukasaku's expression remained calm.
But suddenly—
His eyebrows furrowed.
Jiraiya and Naruto immediately noticed the change in his expression.
Sasuke's heart tightened.
"What's wrong?"
Fukasaku didn't answer immediately.
He carefully examined Sasuke's chakra once more.
Then he finally spoke.
"Your talent is no weaker than Little Naruto's."
"But..."
His expression became serious.
"Why do I sense such a powerful aura from Ryūchi Cave within your body?"
"Ryūchi Cave?!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Jiraiya were all shocked.
Jiraiya's expression suddenly changed.
"Could it be..."
He stared at Sasuke.
"The Cursed Seal?"
"Cursed Seal?"
Naruto looked confused.
Jiraiya explained, "It's a secret technique developed by Orochimaru."
"The Cursed Seal allows a person to draw out their hidden potential and temporarily gain power beyond their normal limits."
"However, it also carries the risk of losing control."
Fukasaku nodded slowly.
"This power certainly resembles Senjutsu."
"But it's an incomplete and distorted form of Senjutsu."
Jiraiya's expression became thoughtful.
"Yes. I remember reading about the origin of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal in his secret records."
"There was a village where a man named Jūgo lived. The people of that village were born with a strange ability that allowed their bodies to absorb natural energy."
"However, when their emotions became unstable, that power would cause them to become violent."
"At the same time, their physical strength would increase tremendously."
Jiraiya continued.
"Orochimaru eventually speculated that Jūgo's abilities were related to his village's proximity to Ryūchi Cave, one of the Three Great Sage Regions."
"The natural energy surrounding Ryūchi Cave had gradually affected the people living nearby."
Fukasaku's expression became serious.
"Then there is no mistake."
He looked at Sasuke.
"The power contained within this Cursed Seal is essentially a weakened version of Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu."
Sasuke's expression darkened.
"So..."
He clenched his fists.
"What does that mean?"
Fukasaku sighed.
"I'm sorry, Little Sasuke."
"You can no longer train in the Senjutsu of Mount Myōboku."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
For a moment, it felt as though something inside him had shattered like glass.
Naruto immediately became agitated.
"Why?!"
"Why can't Sasuke learn Senjutsu?"
Fukasaku calmly explained.
"Isn't the reason obvious?"
"Sasuke has already trained in a weakened form of Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu."
"The natural energy he has already adapted to is fundamentally different from the Senjutsu practiced at Mount Myōboku."
Naruto immediately remembered something.
"But Orochimaru also placed a Cursed Seal on me!"
"Why can't I learn Senjutsu from Mount Myōboku?"
Jiraiya sighed.
"Naruto, your situation is completely different from Sasuke's."
"Yes, Orochimaru placed a Cursed Seal on you as well."
"But in your case, the seal never truly awakened. It merely acted as a catalyst for your chakra and physical abilities."
He looked toward Sasuke.
"Sasuke is different."
"Not only did he obtain the Seishin-gan, but through countless battles and training sessions, he gradually unlocked the power of the Cursed Seal."
"He repeatedly used that power in battle, refined it, and eventually became deeply accustomed to it."
"That means the Senjutsu energy inside his body has already formed a specific foundation."
Jiraiya looked toward Fukasaku.
"Lord Fukasaku is right."
"Sasuke can no longer train in the Senjutsu of Mount Myōboku."
The surroundings became quiet.
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.
His nails dug into his palms.
For a moment, frustration and unwillingness flashed across his face.
He had come all the way to Mount Myōboku believing that he would finally be able to acquire the power he needed.
He had expected difficult training.
He had expected pain.
He had even been prepared for failure.
But he had never imagined that he would be told that he couldn't even begin.
Sasuke slowly loosened his fists.
His expression gradually returned to normal.
"Then..."
He looked directly at Fukasaku.
"Is there another way?"
Fukasaku stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Perhaps."
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Although you cannot practice Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu in the normal way, that doesn't necessarily mean you have reached the end of your path."
Jiraiya also looked at Sasuke with renewed interest.
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
Fukasaku smiled faintly.
"Whether there is another method will depend on what you're willing to endure."
Sasuke's gaze became sharp.
"I'm willing to do whatever is necessary."
The determination in his voice made Jiraiya smile.
Perhaps this unexpected setback would not be the end of Sasuke's journey.
It might instead become the beginning of an entirely different path to power.
________________________________________
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