"Ugh!" Shihouin Naraku spat out another mouthful of blood as his body convulsed from the internal damage.
The Senjutsu chakra produced by Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode and the Wet Bone Forest's Sage Mode clashed violently within his body, inflicting severe trauma to his internal organs.
Fortunately, Naraku's regenerative abilities had reached extraordinary levels through his recent transformation. Even with such serious internal damage, his organs would return to perfect condition within moments.
"It seems I was being overly ambitious," Naraku admitted with a rueful sigh.
He settled into a cross-legged meditation position and began carefully dispersing the conflicting natural energy and Senjutsu chakra from his system, allowing his body to return to a state of peaceful equilibrium.
"I originally thought that by combining the two different Sage Modes of Ryūchi Cave and the Wet Bone Forest, I might be able to create an even more powerful form of Senjutsu chakra. However, I completely overlooked the fundamental contradictions between them."
The Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode had been acquired by Naraku through the system's lottery function, while the Wet Bone Forest Sage Mode had just been learned directly from the Slug Sage herself.
In Naraku's theoretical calculations, if these two powerful Sage Modes could somehow be integrated into a single unified technique, the resulting benefits would be exponentially greater than either mode individually.
Unfortunately, right from the initial attempt, the two Sage Modes had delivered him a harsh lesson in their incompatibility.
If he could eventually resolve the conflict between them, temporary injuries would be a small price to pay for such power.
However, Naraku currently couldn't envision any method for resolving the fundamental discord between the two Sage Modes within his body, so he decided to abandon this particular approach for the time being.
"I can't shake the feeling that although the conflict between these two energies is severe, complete fusion isn't necessarily impossible," he mused thoughtfully. "There must be some crucial element that I'm missing."
"But what could it be?"
Naraku remained seated cross-legged on the grass, resting his chin contemplatively on one hand as he pondered this puzzle.
Suddenly, a realization struck him. He had only mastered two of the three great sage locations' techniques—there was still one that remained beyond his reach.
Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode!
Perhaps the massive conflict occurred precisely because he lacked Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode to complete the trinity.
If he could successfully master all three Sage Modes, he might be able to achieve perfect integration of the three distinct energies and reach an unprecedented level of power.
Unfortunately, this presented a significant complication.
Naraku had no legitimate reason to journey to Mount Myōboku for Sage Mode training. He had never signed a summoning contract with the Toad Clan, and even if he managed to reach their sacred mountain, it seemed highly unlikely that they would agree to teach him their techniques.
This left only one viable option at present—obtaining Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode through the system's lottery function. This would certainly be the most convenient approach.
The problem was that lottery rewards were completely random in nature.
Although the system claimed that rewards were selected according to his desires and needs, Naraku remained somewhat skeptical of this assertion. While a few rewards had indeed been perfectly suited to his wishes, many prizes had proven difficult to evaluate or even completely useless.
Items like expired Ichiraku Ramen discount coupons and limited edition copies of Icha Icha Paradise were things Naraku had never even dreamed of wanting.
However, at present, the lottery system represented his only realistic path to learning Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode.
Therefore, Naraku could only hope that the next lottery would include the Mount Myōboku Sage Mode he desperately sought among its potential prizes.
A gentle breeze suddenly swept through the secluded valley, causing the flowers, plants, and trees to sway gracefully while growing with remarkable vigor.
When Naraku had dispersed the Senjutsu chakra and natural energy moments earlier, the surrounding vegetation had benefited tremendously, absorbing the released natural energy and experiencing rapid growth.
The valley that had been relatively barren just minutes ago had transformed into a lush, green sanctuary filled with thriving plant life.
Once again, Naraku found himself amazed by the miraculous properties of natural energy.
"Well, my experimentation is finished for now. It's time to return to the village," he decided. "I've been away for far too long, and I'm genuinely craving human food again."
During his extended Sage Mode training in the Wet Bone Forest, Shihouin Naraku had completely exhausted the food supplies he had originally brought with him.
To avoid interrupting his crucial practice sessions, Naraku had been forced to rely on the Slug Sage to provide his meals.
Thankfully, the Slug Sage wasn't as harsh as the toads of Mount Myōboku were rumored to be. She understood that humans didn't share her dietary preferences and had made genuine efforts to prepare food suitable for human consumption.
This consideration was certainly appreciated.
However, the fundamental problem remained that these meals had been prepared by an ancient slug sage, which resulted in flavors that were... questionable at best. Naraku found the food barely tolerable, regardless of the Slug Sage's good intentions.
If not for his unwavering dedication to completing his training, he never would have consumed food that appeared acceptable on the surface but was actually quite problematic in practice.
There had been no alternative—everything had been for the sake of his development.
Now that his training had concluded successfully, Naraku couldn't help but salivate at the thought of proper human cuisine.
BOOM!
Shihouin Naraku launched himself skyward with explosive force, rising like a rocket before streaking toward Konoha's direction.
His figure transformed into a white blur that flashed across the heavens at tremendous speed.
What should have required several days of conventional travel took Naraku less than ten minutes to complete.
"My speed has increased dramatically once again," he observed with satisfaction. "This improvement reflects my constantly advancing strength and the enhancement of all my physical capabilities."
As Konoha Village appeared in the distance, growing larger with each passing moment, Naraku didn't slow his approach. Instead, he passed directly through the village's sensory barrier and entered the settlement proper.
Since he possessed complete knowledge of the barrier's entry and exit protocols, and his chakra signature was already registered in the village's security database, he appeared near the Hokage building without triggering any alarms or alerting the security forces.
"Lord Naraku!" called out one of the nearby ninja.
"It's been far too long, Lord Naraku! Would you like to grab drinks later this evening?" another offered enthusiastically.
"Good afternoon, Lord Naraku!" came a third cheerful greeting.
Naraku's sudden appearance initially startled the ninja stationed near the Hokage building.
After recognizing the familiar figure, however, everyone relaxed considerably and began offering warm, enthusiastic greetings.
Naraku acknowledged each greeting with polite nods.
The reception was pleasant—enthusiastic without being as overwhelming as it had been in the past.
Before departing for the Wet Bone Forest to pursue Sage Mode training, Naraku had received an almost unbearable level of public attention and adoration. Unable to tolerate such constant scrutiny, he had deliberately vanished from public view to allow his popularity to cool down naturally.
So far, this strategy appeared to have been quite effective.
After their extended separation, the initial wave of excitement had subsided considerably. Although Konoha's shinobi and civilians still held Shihouin Naraku in tremendous respect and admiration, their behavior was gradually returning to more manageable levels.
This development brought Naraku considerable relief.
After exchanging casual pleasantries, Naraku climbed the steps and entered the Hokage building.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Tsunade, who was diligently working on administrative documents in her office, didn't bother looking up from her paperwork. "Come in," she called out automatically.
"Sensei!" Naraku announced cheerfully as he opened the door and stepped inside.
Tsunade raised her head upon recognizing his voice, her expression shifting to one of mild surprise mixed with relief. "You've finally returned. You said you were going to the Wet Bone Forest for training, but you were gone much longer than I expected."
Naraku spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "I couldn't help it, Sensei. You know better than anyone how incredibly difficult it is to master the Wet Bone Forest's Sage Mode."
"Yes, I'm well aware of the challenges," Tsunade replied with understanding. "Since you weren't able to learn it, you should have returned sooner. There are many other methods for increasing your strength besides Sage Mode."
"Besides, so many accomplished ninja have failed at that training over the years. There would be absolutely nothing shameful about you being unable to master it either."
A knowing smile flickered in Naraku's eyes as he recognized Tsunade's genuine concern for his wellbeing. She was clearly worried that he might have become obsessed with an impossible goal and driven himself to dangerous extremes.
After all, Tsunade believed that while Naraku's natural talent was certainly impressive, it wasn't necessarily sufficient to surpass all the legendary ninja who had attempted and failed at the Wet Bone Forest's training throughout history. Since no one had ever succeeded, it wouldn't be surprising if Naraku had also failed in his attempts.
After offering what she intended as gentle consolation, Tsunade was about to transition to discussing other village matters when she noticed something unexpected. Rather than displaying any signs of disappointment or frustration, Naraku's expression seemed to carry a hint of...
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