Boom!
Gamamaru's explanation struck like a final clap of thunder, shattering every lingering doubt and confusion in Hagoromo's heart.
He stood frozen as though struck by lightning, the color draining from his face.
All of the questions that had plagued him—why his training had progressed flawlessly yet produced so little power, why he constantly felt resistance and stagnation within his body—finally had an answer.
"So that's it..."
His voice fell into a low murmur, filled with indescribable bitterness and newfound understanding.
"The foundation of my power—my Chakra—comes from Mother... from the God Tree."
"And the God Tree itself is an existence hostile to this world, one that steals its vitality."
"I inherited that original sin... yet I tried to wield the world's own primordial power."
"That's more than simply getting half the result for twice the effort..."
"...it's pursuing the impossible."
Having grasped the true root of the problem, overwhelming disappointment washed over him.
Did that mean his path of seeking greater strength through Senjutsu had been doomed from the very beginning?
Because of his birth...
Would he never be able to obtain a pure and powerful force capable of standing against his mother?
Seeing the light fade from Hagoromo's eyes, Gamamaru spoke again, this time with reassurance rather than solemnity.
"There is no need to despair, Hagoromo."
"Although Senjutsu cannot display its full power within you, the improvement it has brought is still real."
"It has already elevated you far beyond your former self."
The ancient sage straightened slightly as confidence entered his voice.
"You may never be able to merge Senjutsu perfectly with your Chakra and unleash the overwhelming might of pure Senjutsu..."
"But there is another path."
"Weaken the Senjutsu energy."
"Then deliberately force it into a carefully balanced fusion with the Chakra inside your body."
"The result will no longer be pure Senjutsu."
"Instead, it will become a state born from the fusion of Chakra and Natural Energy."
"You could call it..."
"...Sage Mode."
"Or, if you prefer..."
"...a lesser form of Senjutsu."
"It won't last indefinitely."
"Once the energy is exhausted, the state will end."
"But while you're in that state..."
"Your stamina."
"Your speed."
"Your strength."
"Your perception."
"Even the power of your Ninjutsu..."
"...will increase severalfold—perhaps even dozens of times over."
"It will transform you completely."
"It will grant you the qualification to challenge beings far stronger than yourself."
Gamamaru's words were like the first rays of dawn piercing through darkness.
The gloom clouding Hagoromo's heart vanished in an instant.
That's right.
Why cling to an unattainable ideal of purity?
If the two powers could never truly coexist...
Then he would force them together.
He would create a battle form that belonged to him alone.
"...Sage Mode..."
"...a lesser form of Senjutsu..."
Hagoromo quietly repeated the words.
The light that had faded from his eyes ignited once more, burning brighter than ever before.
He clenched his fist tightly.
Within him, the two opposing powers still resisted one another.
Yet they could now be guided.
For the first time, an unshakable fighting spirit surged through him.
"You're right, Great Toad Sage!"
Hagoromo raised his head.
Every trace of discouragement had disappeared, replaced by newfound confidence forged through adversity.
"Even if I can't wield the full power of Senjutsu..."
"After fusing these two forces together, I am already incomparably stronger than the person who once relied solely upon Chakra."
"This..."
"...is my own path."
"The path of a Sage born from the fusion of the power of the plunderer... and the power of this world."
Watching this unfold, the people of the shinobi world experienced mixed emotions.
They had just witnessed the birth of Sage Mode.
It was not the original form of Senjutsu.
Rather, it was a compromise—and an innovation—created because users of Chakra could not perfectly wield the world's primordial power.
That realization confirmed the earlier deductions made by Konohagakure's leadership.
The Sage Mode passed down through later generations had indeed evolved from ancient Senjutsu, becoming a hybrid system adapted to the existence of Chakra.
And its very origin stemmed from the irreconcilable conflict within Hagoromo himself—the original sin tied to the source of his power.
The truth of history was always more complicated than legend.
And far more bittersweet.
Hagoromo and Gamamaru continued experimenting together.
After countless attempts, they finally developed the version of Sage Mode best suited to Hagoromo.
Feeling the tremendous surge of power flowing through his body, Hagoromo's confidence naturally grew.
Yet the stronger he became...
The more clearly he perceived the seemingly bottomless abyss that separated him from his mother, Kaguya.
The gap remained unimaginably vast.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the instinctive fear born from that disparity.
Looking steadily at Gamamaru, he asked,
"Great Toad Sage..."
"You said there was a second power."
"Now that I've gained an initial mastery of Senjutsu..."
"...can I begin learning it?"
"I have a feeling..."
"...that even with the strength I possess now, it still isn't nearly enough to face Mother."
Gamamaru did not answer immediately.
His deep eyes quietly studied Hagoromo, as though judging whether he was truly prepared.
After a long pause, he slowly nodded.
His gaze burned with an intensity unlike before.
It was the solemn expression of someone witnessing destiny pass from one bearer to the next.
"Hagoromo..."
Gamamaru's voice carried an almost sacred gravity, as though recounting a promise that had endured across countless ages.
"When I first obtained the inheritance of these two powers through fate..."
"...I immediately sensed that they were never meant for me."
"Or rather..."
"They did not belong to any existing being in this world."
"They were like wandering seeds..."
"...waiting for the soil in which they were truly meant to take root."
"Perhaps..."
"...I was only their temporary keeper."
He paused.
When he looked at Hagoromo again, destiny itself seemed reflected in his eyes.
"I always believed that one day..."
"...I would meet the person chosen by fate."
"The one truly worthy of inheriting them."
"My role was simply to preserve them until the proper time..."
"...and then pass them on intact."
"Today..."
"Guided by destiny..."
"...I have finally met you."
"My premonition..."
"...has come true."
Relief could be heard in his voice.
"Even regarding the first of these powers—Senjutsu..."
"With my own talent and nature, despite countless years of effort, I only managed to grasp the barest surface."
"I merely stepped across the threshold."
"As for the second power..."
"It is so profound that it lies completely beyond my comprehension."
"I cannot even begin to understand it..."
"Much less master it."
"Today..."
"I shall follow destiny's guidance."
"I will entrust both of these complete inheritances—along with everything I have learned—to you."
"I hope that, in your hands..."
"...they will shine with the brilliance they were always meant to possess."
Hagoromo's heart trembled violently.
He had never imagined that Gamamaru viewed these two powers in such a way.
The Great Toad Sage was merely their guardian.
And he...
...was the one destined to inherit them.
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