Leaving aside the little tricks Obito was playing behind the scenes, Naruto now seemed to be facing a more pressing issue that needed to be prioritized.
"Na-Naruto, are you alright?" Jiraiya asked uncertainly.
This wasn't his fault. Anyone seeing Naruto's current appearance would have similar questions.
Unlike Shinno, who was possessed by the Zero-Tails and emanating black energy.
After swallowing the entire Zero-Tails' main body along with countless mixed resentments of Dark Chakra, Naruto's appearance had begun to manifest differently.
Those uncontrollable miniature hands extending from various parts of his body, that instinctively uncomfortable and repulsive ominous aura, and something they had never felt from Naruto before.
It was a temperament aggregated from countless malicious intents. Even though Naruto's face still had the same smile as before, anyone standing before him would feel this person meant them harm.
Vaguely, it seemed as if countless whispers were sounding in their ears.
Karin barely resisted that feeling by relying on the respect in her heart for Naruto.
But Sasuke, who could observe from another perspective, didn't have it so easy.
"Ngh…"
The power bestowed by Huodou, which allowed him to perceive disaster and misfortune, became a burden at this moment.
That seemingly substantial black aura incessantly stimulated Sasuke's nerves, and he almost couldn't resist transforming.
Seemingly aware of the unusualness of his current state, Naruto decisively acted and knocked Sasuke out.
His movements were so fast that even the Sharingan couldn't capture them.
Jiraiya and Karin only realized what happened afterward.
"Naruto, what are you-"
"My current state isn't suitable for close contact with Sasuke."
As Naruto spoke, he reached out and pinched off a small black hand that had 'grown' from his chin.
To be honest, he hadn't expected this situation after completely devouring the Zero-Tails.
After consuming the Zero-Tails and Shinno, the Baku Baku no Mi took effect. Naruto could feel he could perform a kind of 'recompilation' on this mixture.
Just like with other materials, separating the person and the Chakra into two parts.
Shinno's main body was useless to him and posed no threat, so he naturally 'expelled' it.
Shinno, having lost his Chakra, rapidly aged, reverting to his original appearance.
But the Zero-Tails, which had become 'pure' again, caused trouble.
In the judgment of the Baku Baku no Mi, the Zero-Tails in this state could be absorbed as an item, existing in forms like Mushoukou or the Kusanagi Sword.
This was different from the earlier Conqueror's Bomb.
The Zero-Tails was a materialized Chakra Aggregate with its own form and even consciousness.
Absorbing it wouldn't carry the risk of turning oneself into a 'chakra state'.
Therefore, Naruto, upholding the belief of 'since we're already here', tried it.
His Observation Haki also didn't detect any possibility of danger.
After absorbing the Zero-Tails, the whispers and malicious thoughts it carried were transferred into Naruto's mind.
If it were someone with a weak will, they would probably be driven mad by this incessant chatter.
But Naruto was different.
His powerful 'self', akin to Conqueror's Haki, reduced this negative influence to a level that was almost negligible.
But that was only for himself.
As the Zero-Tails, absorbing Chakra and twisting others with malice was a survival instinct.
Just like breathing, as soon as Naruto relaxed, that influence would seep through his body's surface and affect others.
It was a passive effect that Naruto had to consciously restrain to avoid.
Actually, Naruto could also choose to separate the Zero-Tails again, as the Baku Baku no Mi wasn't incapable of that.
But firstly, he never had the habit of spitting things out after eating them.
Secondly, without a vessel, the Zero-Tails would quickly become a mass of Dark Chakra difficult to recapture.
This Chakra would also affect ordinary people.
After all, its essence originated from malice, and it could be said to be an aggregation of malice accumulated over many years. If released all at once, this place would have to be renamed Gotham Town.
"I might need some time to balance this power."
After saying this, Naruto hoisted Sasuke onto his shoulder and walked ahead, decisively leaving the town's boundaries.
Fortunately, the residents were unconscious due to the earlier Conqueror's Haki impact, otherwise, they might have started killing each other by now.
"You rest here for a while. I'll come find you after I handle this."
Placing Sasuke onto the ink carriage, Naruto turned and spoke to Jiraiya.
Although his tone was the same as before-
The pitch-black pupils and the small hands constantly appearing and disappearing around him were still unsettling.
Even his ordinary words sounded like threats in Jiraiya's ears.
However, Jiraiya also understood this wasn't Naruto's intention.
Suddenly, he thought of something and reached out to stop Naruto, who was preparing to leave alone.
"Naruto, I have a method that might help you."
…
"Sage Mode?"
Naruto heard a familiar term from Jiraiya. In Orochimaru's memories, he had some understanding of it as well.
The other party had even researched the Cursed Seal of Heaven based on this.
"Yes, Sage Mode. Come on, let's go to Mount Myoboku first."
Jiraiya handed Sasuke over to Karin, then summoned a small toad, instructing it to perform a reverse summoning to bring the two of them to Mount Myoboku.
With a sense of weightlessness, Naruto experienced teleportation while conscious for the first time.
Vaguely, he seemed to grasp some key factor.
But for now, he needed to understand the Sage Mode matter first.
"Jiraiya-sensei, is the Sage Mode you're talking about the same as Orochimaru's?"
In Naruto's memory, the Ninjas implanted with Cursed Seal were all bizarre-looking creatures.
While he wasn't someone who cared much about appearance, he didn't want to lose his human form either.
"Orochimaru?"
Jiraiya thought for a moment but couldn't recall relevant memories.
"Perhaps. After all, he signed a contract with Ryuchi Cave."
"Actually, the three Holy Lands: Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and the Shikkotsu Forest, all have their own exclusive Sage Modes."
"It's just a method of imitating and learning from the Sage of Six Paths, introducing natural energy into the body."
"Did the Sage of Six Paths really exist?"
Naruto was aware of the legends of the Sage of Six Paths, but that was limited to books and stories.
"Of course! You should learn about that when you meet the Great Toad Sage."
Speaking of which, this was the first time he had brought Naruto to Mount Myoboku. Jiraiya had considered bringing him here before but was delayed by various matters.
"Getting back on track, your current state is likely due to an imbalance in the Chakra Attributes within your body."
This speculation was quite close to the truth.
Currently, Naruto possessed Chakra of six attributes: Wind, Water, Lightning, Fire, Earth, and Yang.
He had mastered several common Chakra Nature Transformations through his own exploration during his years in the One Piece world, but Wind and Yang were innate.
In other words, apart from Yin Attribute Chakra, Naruto basically had all attributes gathered within him.
Although the Zero-Tails was composed of Dark Chakra, its essence was still a mixture of many kinds of disordered Chakra.
Sage Mode should be able to reorganize this Chakra and combine it with natural energy to transform it into Senjutsu Chakra.
That was something far more efficient and destructive than ordinary Chakra.
More importantly, this way, Naruto could take this opportunity to fully regain control of his body.
Although this was all just Jiraiya's conjecture, trying it couldn't hurt… it was better than letting Naruto digest it alone.
Just as the two were strolling through the lush vegetation of Mount Myoboku, a giant toad suddenly descended from the sky, landing in front of them.
"So big!"
This was the first time Naruto had seen such a massive creature in the Ninja World.
He almost instinctively compared it to a Sea King.
'Hmm... still a bit smaller in size. I wonder how it tastes...'
A sudden chill made the large toad in front of him shudder. Its scarred eye then fixed on Naruto below.
"Hey! You weird-smelling brat! What are you thinking about!?"