Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

Sage Art: Goemon!

"Did that do it?" Jiraiya asked uncertainly, looking at the vast area now covered in burning oil, flowing like lava and consuming everything in its path.

"Not yet! Be careful!"

Fukasaku's brow furrowed deeply. In his perception, the natural energy within the fake Jiraiya stood out like a firefly in the darkness.

Splash!

A spiraling column of water burst stubbornly out from the scorching hot oil. Following it was a figure engulfed in flames.

Wrapped entirely in blackened hair, his body severely burned and charred, the replica of Jiraiya staggered onto the still-warm rocky ground nearby.

The flowing oil slowly trickled past his feet. Without chakra feeding it, the heat quickly began to fade.

"That was reckless!"

Tsunade, observing the fight from a distance and untouched by the attack, frowned as she felt the heat radiating through the ground.

Ugh!

Blegh!

The burnt figure of the fake Jiraiya suddenly doubled over, violently vomiting. From within the charred husk, a completely unharmed Jiraiya emerged, dripping with slime.

The real Jiraiya's eyes went wide when he saw it.

What kind of Orochimaru-style jutsu is this—Jiraiya version?

"Looks like that imposter can not only use your ninjutsu and Sage Arts, but even Orochimaru's techniques."

Facing this bizarre version of Orochimaru, even Fukasaku found its survival skills troublesome.

"Then let's take care of Orochimaru first..." Shima fixed her gaze on the real Orochimaru, who stood dozens of meters behind the fake Jiraiya. She aimed to eliminate the caster first.

"The kid's mom, Orochimaru is even harder to deal with," Fukasaku said quietly. The short fight earlier had left a deep impression on him—Orochimaru was extremely troublesome.

"Then what do you suggest? If we don't finish this soon, are you planning to skip dinner?" Shima snapped angrily. She twisted around from Jiraiya's right shoulder to glare at Fukasaku on the left.

"Then let's use a sealing technique," Fukasaku replied, turning his head with a troubled expression. He was starting to regret answering Jiraiya's summoning call this time.

"Then let's do it all in one go…"

Just as Jiraiya made up his mind, his expression suddenly changed. Shock appeared on both Fukasaku and Shima's faces as well.

Lumps began to push out from under Jiraiya's skin, squirming and shifting as if alive.

Jiraiya could feel the previously balanced Sage energy in his body suddenly spiral out of control. It was as if some unknown force was disrupting the ratio of his natural energy.

The body, the mind, and nature energy must be perfectly balanced to enter Sage Mode—that was the key to the Toad Sage training of Mount Myōboku.

But now, the chakra he had refined inside his body and the natural energy absorbed from the environment were completely out of balance.

Even Jiraiya was stunned. Fukasaku and Shima, with all their years of experience, had never seen anything like it.

Still, with their instincts and knowledge, the two elder toads immediately dispersed the natural energy inside Jiraiya's body, forcefully pulling him out of Sage Mode.

"What just happened?"

Fukasaku stared at Jiraiya. As far as he knew, once Sage Mode was mastered and the energy stabilized, there had never been an incident like this. At least, not in all his hundreds of years of life.

To see someone who had already mastered Sage Mode suddenly lose control like that—it was a first.

Sage Shima opened her mouth, and a tongue with a frog's head stretched out, sniffing the air.

"Did you notice it, dear? There's something in the air that's affecting natural energy, making it more active."

"Making natural energy more active?" Sage Fukasaku's expression changed subtly when he heard that.

Natural energy itself is wild and hard to control.

Anyone who wants to master Sage Mode not only needs talent but also has to spend a lot of time sensing and getting familiar with natural energy.

They must find the right balance while keeping their mind and emotions calm and stable, and carefully mix the natural energy absorbed into their body in a precise ratio.

This process is extremely difficult.

Even with the protection and guidance of Mount Myōboku's sages, the risk of danger remains high.

But as long as one can grasp the feeling through repeated trials, seize the right moment, and get closer to the ideal ratio, they will eventually succeed in entering Sage Mode.

Once someone successfully enters it for the first time, their body and mind will remember the process deeply.

From there, it's just a matter of practice—repeating it until it becomes second nature.

Usually, as long as you can maintain a stable mix of your chakra and natural energy, it's considered a successful Sage Mode.

However, the closer you get to the perfect ratio, the fewer side effects you'll have.

On the other hand, because the sage arts of Mount Myōboku are made to suit toads, if the ratio isn't perfect, some parts of your body may start turning frog-like.

For example, Jiraiya's eye markings and face paint, and his puffed-up nose.

Of course, when necessary, one can also deliberately activate partial frog features to gain some of a toad's powers.

But if the natural energy inside the body or in the surroundings changes, that stability is broken. The user has to retrain and adapt all over again.

This process might go smoothly, or it might go wrong. But no matter what, entering Sage Mode again takes time.

The troubling part is that the two Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, aren't sure whether something will go wrong again the next time Sage Mode is activated.

If this is connected to Orochimaru on the other side, then it's almost like he has a power specifically meant to counter Sage Mode!

If rescue doesn't come in time, a Sage Mode user whose balance is broken might end up digging their own grave—turning into stone as the uncontrolled natural energy floods their body.

"Look at that fake."

Fukasaku pointed to the frozen replica of Jiraiya across from them. His body had already started to show signs of turning to stone.

It was clear he was trying to use Snake Shedding Technique again to escape the danger, but the rampaging natural energy inside him made the technique fail.

His mouth split open unnaturally like a snake's fangs, a petrified hand reached out from it—and then his entire body quickly turned gray, becoming a stone statue that fused completely with the rocks below.

Seeing that, Jiraiya felt a chill in his heart. He clearly saw what could've happened to him if his own natural energy hadn't been dispersed in time.

****

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