Chapter 78: Mastering Sage Mode
[Jiraiya: Fate Value 30. Trust: 10%. Manifestation Points: 3.]
[Orochimaru: Fate Value 40. Trust: 20%. Manifestation Points: 8.]
[Hatake Kakashi: Fate Value 40. Trust: 30%. Manifestation Points: 12.]
[Manifestation Result: The chakra reserves of the unnamed Tailed Beast within you have increased to 12% of the Nine-Tails.]
[You have mastered Mount Myoboku Sage Mode. This mode can only be used within the Naruto world. You must remain completely still for five minutes before activation. Duration: 60 seconds.]
Almost instantly, Makoto felt the Tailed Beast chakra inside him increase by roughly five times.
He now possessed more than one hundred and fifty times Hatake Kakashi's chakra reserves.
The amount was so enormous that Makoto suddenly felt his current techniques were almost too limited to make full use of it.
In the Jujutsu Kaisen system, most techniques had a natural ceiling on their output aside from straightforward cursed-energy discharge.
An Innate Technique was essentially a formula engraved into the brain. A sorcerer supplied cursed energy, and the technique produced its result. There was only so much fine control one could exert over that process.
Of course, sorcerers could raise that ceiling by improving their mental processing ability and the efficiency with which they controlled cursed energy and techniques.
Ryomen Sukuna's slashes and the scale of his Domain Expansion were examples of what became possible when both total cursed energy and control efficiency reached extreme levels.
But among sorcerers, only a twenty-finger monster like Sukuna and Gojo Satoru with the Six Eyes could push those limits so far.
That was one of the fundamental reasons the two of them stood so far above everyone else.
Most sorcerers couldn't even overcome the burden placed on their brains, let alone reach their level of refinement.
Makoto's situation had changed.
Now that he possessed chakra, his physical body was no longer limited to that of an ordinary human. Chakra itself could continuously transform and strengthen him.
That meant the size, number, and range of his Spatial Slashes all needed further development.
The same applied to Reverse Cursed Technique and even the future development of Hollow Techniques.
As for the ninjutsu experience Makoto had acquired in the Naruto world, he didn't intend to invest much effort into ordinary five-nature transformations aside from genjutsu and taijutsu.
Being able to use them when necessary was enough.
He already possessed Senjutsu.
His next goals were the Rinnegan, Yin-Yang Release, Six Paths Power, and Six Paths Senjutsu.
Compared with those, ordinary ninjutsu no longer held much value for him.
There was only one annoying condition.
'Sage Mode can only be used in the Naruto world...'
Makoto suddenly paused.
'Does that condition mean I'd need Fate Burn if I wanted to force it to work elsewhere?'
Once they returned, he definitely needed to have a proper conversation with Yukinoshita about Fate Burn.
While Makoto considered all this, the others were still processing what he'd just said.
Yukinoshita remained calm.
The two of them had already become open with each other, so she simply listened quietly and allowed Makoto to use his mysterious Talent however he wished.
Jiraiya finally spoke.
"You really know Sage Mode? Did you learn it at Ryuchi Cave or Shikkotsu Forest?"
"As for the chakra creature inside you, I've heard stories during my travels about beings like Moryo. No wonder you're so powerful."
Jiraiya's expression became serious.
"But controlling something like that isn't easy. Young man, are you sure you can handle it?"
Although Jiraiya asked where Makoto had learned Sage Mode, he himself had effectively determined its origin.
Among the three people whose understanding had contributed to the manifestation, only Jiraiya actually knew Sage Mode.
Makoto was about to explain, or perhaps simply demonstrate it, when Orochimaru interrupted.
"Jiraiya, you talk too much."
"Kitano-kun offered his help out of goodwill, and you're already trying to dig into his secrets."
Orochimaru glanced toward the devastated village.
"If you have that much free time, go prepare to take over as Hokage. Otherwise, Konoha will remain in chaos."
Jiraiya stared at him in disbelief and pointed at himself.
"Me? Hokage? Absolutely not! I don't have what it takes."
"Orochimaru, you're obviously the more suitable choice!"
Orochimaru snorted.
"I killed Sarutobi Hiruzen. I can never become Hokage again."
"Unless everyone in Konoha dies and I build another village somewhere else before naming it Konoha."
He waved dismissively.
"Whether you're willing is none of my concern. Now get away from me. Don't interrupt my conversation with Kitano-kun."
Jiraiya could only sigh helplessly before turning away with Naruto still on his back.
He still had no intention of becoming Hokage.
But Orochimaru was right about one thing.
Right now, Jiraiya was the only person capable of taking control of the situation.
Makoto looked at Orochimaru.
"What else did you want to say?"
Orochimaru first glanced at Hatake Kakashi, who showed no intention of leaving.
"If I'm not mistaken, you will soon be leaving the shinobi world, won't you?"
Makoto's heart skipped.
"Why would you ask that?"
"You are one thing, but your companion doesn't use chakra. Neither did those five people who attacked Konoha."
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
"To be perfectly honest, while I was still a member of Akatsuki, people similar to you once tried to assassinate me."
"They all died to my poison."
"I originally intended to use their bodies for human experimentation, but unfortunately, every corpse disappeared."
Makoto's eyes widened slightly.
'As expected of Orochimaru.'
The reputation of the shinobi world's greatest scientist wasn't exaggerated.
He had already noticed the existence of Players.
Fortunately, Makoto hadn't been the one to reveal their existence.
Otherwise, the Main God Space might have punished him for it.
"Your observations are impressive. There's no harm in telling you this much."
"The shinobi world isn't the only place in existence that contains life."
Makoto continued, "For beings from distant places to cross the sea of stars and reach this world, they need some form of space-time ability."
He conveniently used the Otsutsuki Clan's background as an explanation.
On the surface, Orochimaru accepted it immediately.
"I see. That explains why both you and that black-robed man relied so heavily on Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Makoto could tell Orochimaru only believed him enough to avoid an argument.
That suited Makoto perfectly.
Otherwise, he might accidentally trigger Making Fake Become Real with a claim involving the Otsutsuki Clan.
Based on past experience, that manifestation would almost certainly fail anyway.
At this point in the timeline, Orochimaru had barely even seen what the Rinnegan looked like.
He didn't understand its true abilities, much less anything meaningful about the Otsutsuki Clan.
"Get to the point, Orochimaru. What exactly do you want from me?"
"Naturally, I'm asking about our agreement."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
"Three years from now, you will appear again, won't you?"
Makoto nodded.
"I can guarantee that."
[Ding! Making Fake Become Real has activated successfully...]
[Orochimaru: Fate Value 40. Trust: 30%. Manifestation Points: 12.]
[Hatake Kakashi: Fate Value 40. Trust: 40%. Manifestation Points: 16.]
[Yukinoshita Yukino: Fate Value 20. Trust: 100%. Manifestation Points: 20.]
[Manifestation Result: Once the Naruto world's timeline advances by three years, you will have a 48% chance of encountering a relevant opportunity that brings you back to the Naruto world.]
Makoto's smile immediately became more sincere.
His current trip to the Naruto world had been heavily restricted by his level cap and by the limits of everyone's understanding.
Many potential manifestations simply couldn't be completed.
The next time he came here, however, Makoto had no intention of holding back.
By then, there was a good chance he would find himself confronting Otsutsuki Kaguya or even other members of the Otsutsuki Clan.
"In that case, I won't disturb you two any longer."
Orochimaru calmly turned and left.
Makoto then looked toward Hatake Kakashi.
"What about you? Is there something else?"
Kakashi didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he bowed deeply.
"Kitano-sama, please help me bring Guy back to Konoha."
His voice lowered.
"Even if all you can find is his body."
Only then did Makoto remember.
'Might Guy is still trapped inside the Kamui Dimension.'
Makoto frowned and glanced at the countdown.
A little over five minutes remained.
"I'll try."
Makoto had always liked Might Guy.
If there was a way to save him, Makoto had no intention of letting him die there.
He created a Shadow Clone, poured a large amount of Tailed Beast chakra into it, and sent it into action.
The clone immediately made its entire body intangible.
Then it opened a Spatial Gate and entered the Kamui Dimension.
Although the Kamui Dimension was merely an alternate space generated through Uchiha Obito's Sharingan, it was vastly larger than Makoto's Storage Space.
Calling it endless to the naked eye wouldn't have been much of an exaggeration.
'How am I supposed to find Might Guy in a place this huge?'
Makoto didn't have much time.
Worse, this body was already a Shadow Clone, so he couldn't create additional clones to expand the search area.
Then Makoto noticed spatial lines shifting in the distance.
Only one person should have been capable of disturbing space inside this dimension.
Uchiha Obito.
Makoto rushed toward the disturbance without hesitation.
Before long, he heard a familiar shout.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Makoto used the Body Flicker Technique to close the remaining distance.
There, Might Guy was fighting Uchiha Obito.
Guy's mastery of taijutsu was far beyond Obito's, but against an opponent with intangibility, he had almost no chance of actually winning.
More importantly, Obito wasn't trying to defeat Guy directly.
His strategy was simply to exhaust Guy's stamina and chakra.
Once Guy ran out of strength, whatever hidden trump cards he possessed would no longer matter.
The strategy had clearly worked.
Might Guy was already breathing heavily, and his overall combat ability had fallen by more than half.
Fortunately, Makoto had arrived.
"You!"
The moment Uchiha Obito saw him, he rapidly retreated.
He didn't stop until more than fifty meters separated them, both hands already positioned to form seals at any moment.
Makoto didn't pursue him.
Obito had somehow acquired yet another Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
That meant he could use Izanagi again.
Even if Makoto's Shadow Clone defeated him, there wasn't enough time left to stand over his corpse and wait out an Izanagi lasting a full ten minutes.
As for Izanami, the technique specifically designed to counter Izanagi, Makoto hadn't inherited it from Uchiha Madara.
Apparently, neither Izanagi nor Izanami had been included in the 3% of Madara's strength he'd gained.
Still, Makoto didn't want to fight.
And Obito wanted to fight even less.
That was enough.
"I came here at Kakashi's request to bring Guy-san back."
Makoto looked directly at Obito.
"You don't object, do you?"
Might Guy's eyes practically erupted with light.
He looked one second away from shouting something about youth.
Obito's expression darkened.
He'd been planning to use Might Guy as leverage to exchange for Kakashi's Sharingan.
Now Makoto had ruined that plan too.
"You think I'll simply let you leave?"
Makoto tapped one finger.
A small ventilation opening appeared directly in front of Obito, carrying Makoto's voice through it.
"I don't need your permission to take him away, Uchiha Obito."
Makoto's tone remained calm.
"You should understand something."
"So far, I've only attacked you personally. I haven't interfered with your actual plan."
"You wouldn't want me going to Nagato and telling him that your true identity has absolutely nothing to do with Uchiha Madara, would you?"
Obito's pupil contracted sharply.
He already knew his identity had been exposed.
What he hadn't expected was for Makoto to know about his relationship with Nagato as well.
With the countdown running low, Makoto ignored Obito's increasingly ugly expression and walked over to Might Guy.
He placed one hand on Guy's shoulder.
Then Makoto opened his own Spatial Gate.
He and Might Guy vanished from the Kamui Dimension.
Throughout the entire process, Uchiha Obito never moved.
But his fingernails had already dug into his palms.
Drops of blood slowly rolled down the lines of his hands.
...
A moment later, Makoto's Shadow Clone and Might Guy returned to Konoha.
Guy immediately threw both arms into the air.
"I'm saved!"
"I'll never forget this debt! May I ask your honorable name?"
Makoto answered without hesitation.
"If you're really grateful, how about teaching me the Eight Gates?"
The Eight Gates still held considerable value for Makoto.
If he could open the Gate of Death, then for a short period he would possess the ability to effortlessly kill enemies far above his normal level.
As for the price of opening the Gate of Death, Makoto's Reverse Cursed Technique should be able to mitigate much of it.
For a jujutsu sorcerer, as long as the brain and cursed-energy core weren't destroyed, the rest of the body could theoretically be repaired with Reverse Cursed Technique.
Might Guy immediately looked awkward.
"It's not that I don't want to teach you."
"But my family's ninjutsu scroll was already handed over to Konoha. The relevant information is stored inside the Scroll of Seals."
"And if I personally taught you from the beginning, that's not something we could finish in a short time."
Makoto blinked.
"You almost made me forget."
"The Scroll of Seals should still be where it normally is, right?"
Before either Might Guy or Hatake Kakashi could react, Makoto vanished.
When he reappeared, a massive scroll was already in his hands.
It was the Scroll of Seals.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained the S-rank Item: Scroll of Seals.]
[It contains records of numerous ninjutsu and forbidden techniques.]
The color drained from both Kakashi and Guy's faces.
They opened their mouths, apparently intending to say something.
Makoto simply grabbed Yukinoshita by the wrist.
"That's enough. We're leaving."
"The next time we meet, I hope you're both still alive."
Makoto smiled.
"And stronger."
The moment his words ended, Kitano Makoto and Yukinoshita Yukino disappeared from in front of them.
Kakashi stared at the empty space for several seconds before pressing his lips together.
"Guy..."
"How about we pretend we never saw the Scroll of Seals disappear?"
Whatever answer Might Guy gave, Makoto and Yukinoshita would never hear it.
The two of them had already returned to the Main God Space.
And now, with obvious excitement, they began taking inventory of everything they'd gained from the mission.
…