Chapter 89: natural energy
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At this moment, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku was dozing off, but even in his sleep, he muttered something ominous:
"I sense danger approaching..."
"He is the embodiment of evil, destined to destroy the ninja world..."
"Beware of being consumed by him..."
"He has eyes as red as blood..."
Each prophecy was tied to the fate of the entire ninja world, a reflection of the Holy Land's extraordinary ability to see beyond time and space. Most troubling of all, every prediction the Great Sage had ever made had come true.
After muttering these words, the old toad fell back into deep slumber. The mention of "blood-red eyes" instantly brought the Uchiha clan to mind. Could an evil force be rising from within the Uchiha? Their clan already carried the burden of a dark history.
"We must inform Jiraiya at once," one of the smaller toads said. "He must prepare."
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was facing a frustrating situation of his own.
"Orochimaru, that bastard, dumped this responsibility on me!"
During this critical time, Orochimaru had left Muzan, his young apprentice, in Jiraiya's care, claiming he was too busy for proper training. Jiraiya, renowned for his mastery of senjutsu, had agreed reluctantly. If he couldn't train Muzan, no one could.
Noticing the indifferent look in Muzan's eyes, Jiraiya cleared his throat, hoping to assert his authority.
"You've heard of the Yellow Flash, right? He's my student. You should feel honored to be training under me!"
Senjutsu training could be done in many places, but the Three Great Sage Regions were known for producing the best results.
There were two ways to reach Mount Myoboku: being summoned or walking, which would take at least a month. To speed things up, Jiraiya had Muzan sign the summoning contract and brought him to Mount Myoboku instantly, though his mood showed clear annoyance. To test Muzan's abilities, Jiraiya had set up a trial.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Suddenly, Muzan found himself engulfed in thick smoke. The smell stung his nose, and Jiraiya had vanished without a trace.
"Hmm?"
Gamabunta, having just puffed out a large cloud of smoke, noticed something unusual on his head. His eyes locked on Muzan, who stood defiantly in a black cloak.
"How dare you stand on my head, you little pest!"
"Boom!"
Without giving Muzan a chance to explain, Gamabunta violently shook his massive body.
Muzan, caught off guard, was launched into the air, only then realizing he had been standing atop a gigantic toad rather than solid ground.
Gamabunta, one of the great toad bosses of Mount Myoboku, was known for his fiery temper.
Hidden in the nearby grass, Jiraiya grinned as he watched the chaos unfold. He had slipped away quickly to avoid getting caught in the fight.
"Let's see if this kid can hold his own. This is his test."
Muzan wasn't worried about the fall, but the sensation of plummeting through the air caused his muscles to tense. He noticed two enormous blades below.
"Clang!"
Muzan narrowly avoided falling between the blades by landing on the back of one sword, using his strength to launch himself forward.
Even though it was daylight and his abilities were slightly restrained, Muzan's speed and power were still impressive.
"Boom!"
Gamabunta leaped to avoid Muzan's punch, and the ground beneath shattered from the impact. Dust and debris swirled around, leaving a dark silhouette in the midst of the destruction.
"I was going to let you apologize, but now you've forced me to teach you a real lesson," Gamabunta growled, his deep voice filled with menace. As one of Mount Myoboku's strongest, his power was comparable to that of a tailed beast.
Gamabunta's massive frame belied his surprising agility. Each leap covered a vast distance, far beyond the reach of a typical shinobi.
As Gamabunta wielded his twin swords with expert precision, Muzan, being much smaller, weaved through the gaps effortlessly.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
While dodging Gamabunta's attacks, Muzan formed hand seals and unleashed a fireball toward the giant toad.
However, Muzan's Great Fireball Jutsu was far stronger than a typical shinobi's, and the flames roared toward Gamabunta, threatening to engulf him.
"Whoosh!"
"Water Style: Water Cannonball!"
Gamabunta was no amateur. His mastery of Water Style was impressive, and with his immense size, even basic water jutsu had devastating power.
Muzan found himself in danger.
Still midair, he couldn't immediately transform, and there was nothing nearby for a Substitution Jutsu.
"I'll have to take the hit head-on."
Quickly forming hand seals, Muzan completed his next jutsu just as Gamabunta's Water Cannonball was unleashed.
"Fire Style: Fire Release Jutsu!"
The clash of fire and water created an enormous cloud of steam, enveloping the area in a thick mist. Muzan used the steam to conceal himself, similar to the Hidden Mist Technique of Kirigakure.
Gamabunta, despite his size, now struggled to locate Muzan in the dense fog.
Landing quietly, Muzan used Wind Style to soften his fall, making no sound as he disappeared into the mist.
"Once I deal with Gamabunta, I'll have a word with Jiraiya."
Muzan wasn't foolish. He knew Jiraiya was watching and manipulating the situation. Gamabunta was Jiraiya's summoned creature, after all.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Three fiery dragons spiraled toward Gamabunta, aiming to catch him off guard and end the battle.
"Boom!"
Any ordinary shinobi would have been incinerated by the attack, but Gamabunta, though singed, stood firm.
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Nearby, a shallow lake served as a sanctuary for the toads of Mount Myoboku. Gamabunta leaped into the water, extinguishing the flames on his body.
Emerging from the lake, soaked and irritated, Gamabunta was ready to continue, seeking to restore his pride after being caught off guard.
However, the splash from his massive form flooded the surrounding area, exposing Jiraiya, who had been watching from the trees.
"You're dead, Jiraiya!"
Boom!
Gamabunta, now furious, caused the lake water to surge in Jiraiya's direction, submerging him under the waves.
Climbing out of the water, Jiraiya noted that Gamabunta had calmed down slightly. He knew the toad's temperament well.
Initially, Jiraiya had summoned Gamabunta to teach Muzan a lesson. But things hadn't gone as expected—Muzan had not only resisted Gamabunta's pressure but even gained the upper hand at times.
Gamabunta wasn't an ordinary toad. His strength was formidable, even for a Jonin. No shinobi could easily stand against a toad that knew ninjutsu.
From his vantage point, Jiraiya observed everything clearly. Muzan's speed in forming seals and his vast chakra reserves were far beyond what he had anticipated. And that strange, powerful punch...
"Tsunade must've taught him her super strength technique," Jiraiya mused.
But Jiraiya wasn't overly concerned. Muzan was no ordinary shinobi, and he carried the hopes of both Orochimaru and Tsunade.
Since Muzan wanted to learn senjutsu, Jiraiya decided to teach him properly.
"First, you need to understand the difference between regular chakra and senjutsu chakra," Jiraiya explained. "Sage Jutsu involves absorbing natural energy from the environment into your body. But be warned, this is a dangerous process."
Muzan listened carefully, absorbing every word. Jiraiya's deep understanding of senjutsu was clear, and Muzan felt as though a new world had opened up before him.
Gamabunta, after venting his frustration on Jiraiya, stayed out of the training. From Muzan's appearance and Jiraiya's attitude, Gamabunta could guess who Muzan was.
"Could he be another Namikaze Minato?" Gamabunta wondered, recalling his summoner with deep respect.
Gamabunta glanced at the burn marks on his body. If not for the nearby lake, things would've been much worse.
"This kid doesn't hold back," Gamabunta muttered.
Training in senjutsu couldn't be rushed. Jiraiya told Muzan how to practice but didn't let him start immediately. He needed to prepare first.
Just as Jiraiya was about to fetch some toad oil, a toad called him over.
The toad spoke of a prophecy made by the Great Toad Sage, mentioning blood-red eyes as a key detail. The person with those eyes would bring destruction to the ninja world.
"The Uchiha clan..."
Jiraiya and the other Sannin hadn't experienced the battle between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, but the description of blood-red eyes unmistakably pointed to the Uchiha.
"It seems I'll need to return to the village soon," Jiraiya thought. He trusted the Great Toad Sage's prophecies since every one had come true.
As for Muzan, though he too had red eyes, his low-key demeanor made people often overlook him. Even Jiraiya didn't consider him a potential threat.
Muzan stood under a waterfall. Jiraiya had been called away and hadn't returned yet.
"Mount Myoboku is truly a strange place," Muzan thought.
Even without Jiraiya's presence, Muzan could sense the natural energy abundant around him. It was an elusive force but essential for mastering senjutsu. Just like chakra, it could be harnessed for Sage Jutsu.
Since Jiraiya had explained the training method but hadn't yet given him the toad oil, Muzan wondered if the oil was even necessary for his training.
He sat cross-legged and focused his mind.
Soon, he felt the surrounding energy and began trying to absorb it. Suddenly, he stood up as his fingers began to petrify.
Without hesitation, he shattered the petrified areas. For most people, this would have resulted in severe injury, but Muzan's powerful regenerative abilities allowed him to regrow his fingers almost instantly.
He continued to gradually absorb natural energy this way.
As he did, he could feel his body transforming.
Compared to the transformations experienced by demons, however, this change didn't satisfy Muzan.
"Not enough," he muttered.
For him, the healing ability granted by senjutsu was insignificant.
What Muzan was truly after was sensory ability and, more importantly, a way to overcome his weakness to sunlight through Sage Jutsu.
Through his experiments, he had confirmed that sunlight was one of the few things that could kill demons. But there was one unresolved issue: moonlight.
If sunlight could kill, then surely its reflection—moonlight—could also harm him.
Upon analyzing sunlight, Muzan determined that ultraviolet rays were what caused him discomfort and burns.
But Sage Jutsu drew upon natural energy, which might hold the key to overcoming this weakness.
This was Muzan's primary reason for wanting to master senjutsu.
Gamabunta, still soaking in the lake to soothe his burns, noticed the surge of natural energy around Muzan. He was slightly surprised by the boy's rapid progress.
"Kid, I wouldn't recommend training recklessly."
As one of the highest-ranking toads of Mount Myoboku, Gamabunta knew well the dangers of failing to master senjutsu.
Seeing that Muzan was already attempting to gather natural energy, Gamabunta interrupted again:
"If no one helps you, you'll end up like those statues over there."
Not far away stood several toad-like stone figures. These were once people who had failed in their senjutsu training and were forever trapped in stone.
"Understood," Muzan nodded.
He stopped his attempts and instead took out a notebook from his robes. The pages were filled with notes on sunlight and blood.
At the top, a new title was written: "The Difference Between Natural Energy and Sunlight."
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