Mount Myōboku.
Ever since Kumogakure and Iwagakure stopped attacking Konohagakure, Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya came to Mount Myōboku to train in Sage Art under the guidance of Lord Fukasaku.
During this process, Minato Namikaze displayed a talent so astonishing that even the toad Fukasaku was left speechless. While Jiraiya had trained for over a decade without fully mastering Sage Mode, Minato managed to completely master it in less than two weeks.
This made Fukasaku exclaim that it was unbelievable. However, even though Minato had now mastered Sage Mode and could clearly sense its incredible power, he did not feel happy. On the contrary, he was rather troubled. That was because he realized that Sage Mode didn't really suit his style of combat.
Unlike his teacher Jiraiya, who was an offensive-type ninja specializing in ninjutsu, Minato's fighting style was different.
First, Sage Art's boost to ninjutsu power didn't significantly benefit Minato.
Second, Minato's main combat style revolved around using the Flying Thunder God Technique, combined with the Rasengan and ninja tools, to instantly assassinate enemies like a true assassin.
Yet Sage Mode required time to gather natural energy, and its active duration lasted only five minutes.
One emphasized speed, the other emphasized patience.
In the time it took to gather natural energy, Minato could have already cleared an entire battlefield using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In this sense, Sage Mode seemed almost useless to him. Even so, Minato could not simply abandon Sage Mode.
When he shared his concerns with Lord Fukasaku, the elder toad said something that Minato would never forget.
"Minato, only Sage Arts can counter Sage Arts."
Understanding what Fukasaku meant, Minato decided to continue his Sage Mode training. However, this time, he focused his Sage Mode training specifically on developing the Rasengan.
Ever since he created the Rasengan, Minato had realized that what he developed was merely its most basic form. There were far more complex variations — namely, by infusing chakra nature transformations into it.
Minato had tried before, but due to certain side effects, he had temporarily given up.
For instance, he once tried to infuse Wind Release chakra nature into the Rasengan. However, because of Wind chakra's instability, it caused terrifying damage to his arm. If not for Kushina's help, he would have almost lost the use of his entire arm.
However, after beginning to master Sage Art, Minato found that his control over chakra had become significantly more stable. Thus, he once again shifted his focus back to developing the nature transformation of the Rasengan.
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Dragon Oasis.
In the desert at the outskirts.
As one of Sunagakure's two top combat forces, Pakura was also training in Sage Art here.
Because her secret technique, Scorch Release, was far too special — the intense heat would destroy the forest she had painstakingly nurtured and the small courtyard she had built — she had no choice but to come to the desert to train.
After more than half a month of practice, Pakura had now independently completed the ability to sense, absorb, and control Sage Art energy.
Next, it was time to develop techniques — to integrate Sage Art energy into her jutsu.
As the secret technique that Pakura took great pride in, Scorch Release naturally became the main focus of her development.
Unlike Minato, whose combat style didn't really align with Sage energy, Pakura's Scorch Release and Sage energy could be said to complement each other perfectly.
First of all, the presence of Sage energy greatly extended the amount of time Pakura could maintain her Scorch Release techniques.
Especially her strongest move: Scorch Release Chakra Mode.
Back when she first developed it, she could only maintain it for five minutes at most before her chakra reserves started running dry. After all, she wasn't a tailed beast. To have developed a Scorch Release Chakra Mode similar to a Tailed Beast Cloak, she had to rely on the power of her former Star Release chakra and push her body's potential to the extreme. But now, with Sage energy, when she used Scorch Release Chakra Mode, her original chakra consumption was reduced by a third.
The reason was simple: Pakura still couldn't use Sage energy independently. Like the Sage Arts of the Three Great Sacred Grounds, she could only mix Sage energy with chakra. Through her own experimentation and guidance from Tagitsuhime, she achieved a perfect blend at a 2:1 ratio.
Simply put, where she once needed three portions of chakra to power her Scorch Release Chakra Mode, now she needed only two portions of chakra, with one portion replaced by Sage energy. Moreover, the gentle nature of Sage energy greatly improved her control over Scorch Release and reduced unnecessary waste.
Now, Pakura could maintain Scorch Release Chakra Mode for three times longer than before. From five minutes, it had extended to fifteen minutes.
At first glance, fifteen minutes might still seem short, but looked at from another angle, it revealed just how tremendous her progress was.
Because now, Pakura was three times stronger than she had been before. And that was a conservative estimate.
Thanks to the properties of Sage energy, Pakura's defense in Scorch Release Chakra Mode had also been enhanced, especially her resistance to ninjutsu attacks, reaching a level where she was partly immune.
Additionally, the vitality brought by Sage energy improved her overall life force, healing the hidden damage her body had accumulated over time and greatly strengthening her physique.
Most noticeably, as a woman, Pakura could clearly tell that her skin had become more radiant and flawless.
Lastly, Pakura also learned a Sage Art from Tagitsuhime, a technique from Ryūchi Cave: Inorganic Reincarnation.
This was absolutely the perfect Sage Art for Pakura. She could imbue the flames she controlled with life, allowing them to transform into various shapes and attack autonomously.
This compensated for the once limited variety in Pakura's offensive methods. Using this, she developed a range of new techniques, transforming her flames into all kinds of creatures, greatly enhancing the destructive power and versatility of her Scorch Release.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Dragon Oasis.
Michikawa, the other top combat force of Sunagakure alongside Pakura, had also successfully mastered Sage energy and seen a tremendous boost in his strength.
Naturally, his focus was on developing his Bloodline Limit: Magnet Release.
Just like Pakura, after mastering Sage energy, Michikawa gained similar capabilities.
His Magnet Release's power was greatly enhanced. Not only had his control over the range and mass of Iron Sand increased, but thanks to Sage energy's chakra-absorbing properties, the defensive power of the Iron Sand had also risen significantly.
Moreover, the vitality brought by Sage energy made the thirty-something-year-old Michikawa feel as if he had returned to his twenties.
He, too, learned a Sage Art from Tagitsuhime.
However, unlike Pakura, Michikawa chose the technique of Object Transmutation.
This ability freed him from the dependency on having Iron Sand nearby. Even in environments with little to no Iron Sand, he could use Object Transmutation to directly create Iron Sand from chakra.
Lastly, unlike the proud and reserved Pakura, who couldn't bring herself to ask Rasa for advice, Michikawa had no such reservations. He openly consulted Rasa and, through their discussions on Magnet Release and Sage energy, gained a lot of new inspiration.
At that moment, Kumogakure and Iwagakure finally dropped all pretenses and began mobilizing their ninja forces, launching a rapid assault toward the Land of Wind.
The reason for such urgency from Kumogakure and Iwagakure was that Sunagakure's secret cooperation with the Land of Demons and the Akatsuki had been exposed.