Chapter 182: The So-called Immortal
A battle that had yet to conclude was abruptly halted.
The commotion caused by Ryosuke and his team was so intense that it inevitably drew the attention of the village's Anbu.
However, because it involved Uzumaki Naruto, the Anbu didn't immediately mobilize for containment. Instead, they sought the opinion of the Fifth Hokage.
"It's normal for friends to get a little heated after not seeing each other for a while."
Inside the Hokage's office—
Jiraiya, wearing a mask of pain, hunched over his desk, lazily handling paperwork. Without even raising his head, he replied, "If the noise gets too loud, let them fight outside the village."
"If they want to wreck stuff inside Konoha, they'll have to pay for repairs up front."
He paused, then added flatly, "Double the repair fee."
"And if they insist on fighting outside, send a few teams to monitor them. Accidents can happen."
"Yes," the Anbu messenger nodded and departed swiftly with the orders.
In the now-quiet office, only the rustling of papers could be heard.
A long silence followed.
Then, a sigh—quiet, resigned, and heavy with pain—broke the stillness.
Jiraiya's face was pale, his expression strained. It was clear he was enduring something far beyond normal fatigue.
When will this torment finally end…?
---
The fight had ended under the watchful eyes of the arriving Anbu.
Realizing the destruction they'd caused in their own village, Ryosuke and the others finally agreed it was best to stop.
Sitting atop the Hokage Rock, Ryosuke looked down at the peaceful, bustling village below, feeling a wave of emotion wash over him.
It was still the same Konoha.
Even after being torn apart and rebuilt, it had somehow returned to its original form—full of life, full of memories.
"Hey… Ryosuke, can you come help?"
A disgruntled voice broke his thoughts.
"You injured me seriously, and now you want me to work too?"
"Serious injury? Don't play dumb. I can sense your chakra already healing your wounds."
Without turning his head, Ryosuke basked in the warmth of the early spring sun.
"If you'd waited a little longer before whining, your injuries might've healed completely."
Enjoying the rare peace, he muttered with a touch of annoyance, "Besides, you're the one who forced the fight. Cleaning up is your responsibility."
Behind him, the once lush mountain was now a mess of rubble and broken trees.
Among the debris, Uzumaki Naruto gritted his teeth, pushing aside splintered wood and filling in potholes of various sizes.
"But seriously… your strength has grown fast."
Ryosuke finally turned to look at Naruto, who was now covered in dust and sweat.
"That last technique you used—was that Sage Mode?"
When they last met, Naruto still had some rough edges. But now, most of those flaws had been ironed out.
With the guidance of a top-tier medical ninja and the experience he'd gained, Naruto's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Not only had he learned to control the Nine-Tails' power… he had even mastered Sage Mode.
And judging by its characteristics, it seemed to be the same Sage Mode passed down by the Shikkotsu Forest—used by none other than the First Hokage himself.
Naruto blinked, momentarily surprised, then smiled.
"You really know your stuff, Ryosuke. Yeah, that was Sage Mode."
In this world, natural energy floats invisibly in the air—impossible to perceive with the naked eye.
Even users of powerful eye techniques rarely sense it without special circumstances.
Sage Mode is the result of blending physical energy, spiritual energy, and natural energy in perfect harmony.
The resulting chakra—Sage Chakra—is more potent than standard chakra.
Once formed, the body enters an enhanced state, amplifying strength, perception, chakra reserves, and technique potency across the board.
But this power comes at a high cost.
Extracting Sage Chakra is incredibly dangerous. Even the slightest imbalance in fusion can result in death or petrification.
Without a proper method—or the right constitution—it's nearly impossible to discover the path alone.
That's why, despite knowing of Sage Mode's existence, Ryosuke had never attempted it.
He was powerful, yes—but not foolish enough to challenge nature without preparation.
Unlike Jugo, he lacked a unique body that naturally absorbed energy. And he didn't have access to toad oil, which helped others feel natural energy.
Even sensing it was impossible… until now.
Looking at Naruto beside him, Ryosuke asked with calm curiosity, "Naruto, can you try refining some Sage Chakra in front of me?"
He made it sound casual, but the meaning was clear—he wanted to learn.
Before their battle, Ryosuke hadn't realized Naruto had mastered Sage Mode. That oversight cost him a valuable chance to observe it closely.
But now, with Naruto present, he might be able to understand.
Ryosuke wasn't prideful about asking. He knew when to learn from those more experienced.
What he wasn't sure of was whether Naruto would—or even could—share the method. After all, the Sage Arts were a secret passed down from the Shikkotsu Forest.
To his relief, Naruto didn't hesitate. He smiled and sat down beside him.
Closing his eyes, he slipped into a meditative state, attuning himself to the natural energy around them.
Ryosuke's eyes, glowing faintly, watched every movement, every subtle change.
Inside and out, he observed with precision.
But to his frustration, not even his advanced Byakugan—bordering on Rinnegan-level—could see natural energy itself.
Still, he remembered something.
Natural energy couldn't be seen. It had to be sensed.
So he calmed himself… and focused.
And then—he felt it.
A faint, cool breeze.
Subtle. Gentle. Like the kiss of wind on a spring morning.
At first, Ryosuke dismissed it as part of the weather.
But when he noticed the breeze flowing toward Naruto, everything clicked.
That was it—natural energy.
Remember this feeling…
The thought echoed in Ryosuke's mind.
And then he saw it—Sage Chakra forming inside Naruto's body.
It was just like what he saw during their fight: a powerful, radiant chakra that flowed through the meridians.
And wherever it passed, other chakra moved aside as if in fear.
Sage Chakra…
Even if he couldn't see natural energy directly, he could clearly see the result—
The transformation.
The power.
"This… is Sage Mode."
Ink-like lines appeared on his face, and when Naruto opened his eyes, his aura shifted completely. This was a stark contrast from the transformation he underwent when borrowing the Nine-Tails' power. Back then, his chakra was wild—like an ancient beast, primal and overwhelming.
Now, in Sage Mode, his presence was restrained.
Standing there, he blended seamlessly into the surroundings, like a chameleon in the wilderness. Even the most refined perception techniques in the ninja world would struggle to detect him.
"The extraction of senjutsu chakra is extremely dangerous," Naruto warned, his tone serious as he looked at Ryosuke. "If you make a mistake, the natural energy will take over your body… and you'll turn into stone."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"It was only with the help of the Slug Sage that I learned how to sense and draw in natural energy, and how to refine it into senjutsu chakra."
"I failed a lot during that process. If the Slug Sage hadn't dispersed the natural energy in my body every time I messed up, I'd probably have turned into a statue by now."
Naruto looked Ryosuke in the eyes, his expression uncharacteristically sincere.
"Your talent is definitely higher than mine, Ryosuke, but this kind of training… if you fail even once, there's no going back."
He took a breath, the concern evident in his voice.
"If you really want to try learning Sage Mode, I think you should hold off for now. I can talk to my teacher and see if she'll let you sign the summoning contract with the Shikkotsu Forest."
It was rare for Naruto to drop his usual confident demeanor. He wasn't just sharing knowledge—he was genuinely worried.
Ryosuke smiled slightly, not rejecting Naruto's kindness but not accepting it outright either.
"Well, if Lady Tsunade is willing to give me that opportunity, I'd love to visit the Shikkotsu Forest," he said, his tone relaxed. Then, with a slight grin, he added, "But before that, Naruto… can you lend me a bit of your senjutsu chakra?"
Though he had no personal connection with Tsunade—only a few encounters at best—Ryosuke understood that even with the merits he'd earned from saving the village, it might not be enough to earn her trust.
So, he wasn't counting on just one path.
He never placed all his bets on a single option.
"…You want me to transfer sage chakra to you?" Naruto hesitated, visibly nervous. After a moment, he raised his hand and gently placed it on Ryosuke's arm.
"I'll transfer just a little… but if you feel even the slightest discomfort, you need to use all your chakra at once to push it out of your body. Understand?"
Cautious, but not stopping him—Naruto knew Ryosuke well enough. Despite his mysterious behavior, he understood that Ryosuke wasn't someone to rush blindly into danger.
He made decisions based on logic, on risk and reward.
And clearly, Ryosuke had already decided the risk was worth it.
"I understand."
Ryosuke nodded calmly. He had already prepared his entire chakra network—including the reserve stored in his Yin Seal. The moment anything felt off, he'd eject the foreign chakra without hesitation.
Naruto paused.
"…Then I'll start now."
As he spoke, the senjutsu chakra in Naruto's body began to move, flowing steadily through his meridians. It passed through his arms, reached his palms, and entered Ryosuke's body.
Immediately, Ryosuke felt it.
The chakra that belonged solely to him—chakra that had always been calm and obedient—began to stir restlessly.
Over the years, he had experienced receiving chakra from others, whether for healing or combat training. But never had his own chakra reacted like this.
This was something else entirely.
Natural energy-infused chakra—senjutsu chakra—was on another level.
He focused his Byakugan to its limit, tracking every thread of energy. His chakra boiled like heated water.
The foreign chakra, once introduced, surged like a wild torrent. It was powerful, corrosive, encompassing… yet also rejecting everything it touched. A paradox of energy.
It resisted his control, slipping from his grasp like a beast unleashed.
And yet, Ryosuke remained calm.
The chakra was still moving under his guidance, still obeying the direction he forced upon it. It wasn't fully out of control. Not yet.
More importantly, something within him shifted.
A sense of serenity emerged—the same feeling he had when trapped inside Chibaku Tensei, comprehending the Eighty Gods' Vaccum Attacks.
Peaceful. Natural. Unshaken.
Training requires patience. Impatience brings ruin.
On the other side, Naruto had already pulled his hand back the instant the chakra transferred—like he'd touched something scorching.
He didn't want to interfere, didn't want to affect Ryosuke's state.
Now, he sat silently, anxiously watching his friend.
He was ready.
If Ryosuke showed any signs of losing control, he would activate the reverse summoning technique, breaking every rule if necessary to bring him directly to the Slug Sage.
Silence filled the back hills.
Time passed slowly.
Naruto could feel how much effort Ryosuke was exerting just to remain stable.
Having walked this path himself, Naruto understood just how hard it was.
Even with Tsunade's guidance and training in precise chakra control, even after learning to handle the Nine-Tails' chakra, he had still failed repeatedly in the face of nature's power.
Senjutsu wasn't something to take lightly.
He muttered softly, gaze fixed on Ryosuke.
Even he couldn't rush through this…
He had already formed a hand seal, ready to inject chakra into the spiritual seal and open a reverse-summoning portal.
But before that thought could fully settle—
Naruto's eyes widened.
The senjutsu chakra inside Ryosuke's body suddenly vanished.
It didn't fade. It didn't drain.
It disappeared.
"Out of control?!"
The unease in Naruto's heart exploded into panic. He moved instantly to inject chakra into the seal, preparing to summon Ryosuke to safety—
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