"It only took three days?"
Beside the Great Toad Sage, Shima said with an air of disbelief.
Although she had heard from her husband two days ago about how special this child Naruto was, she hadn't expected him to be this different.
Naruto, now standing in the Mount Myoboku's Temple, looked no different from when he first arrived.
That uncomfortable Chakra sensation had vanished, replaced by a natural feeling of blending seamlessly with the surroundings.
It was as if Naruto had become a stone, a blade of grass, a wildflower… if one didn't consciously observe him, one simply wouldn't detect any unusual aura.
"To still maintain Sage Mode even now? Uzumaki Naruto, you truly are a different existence."
The Great Toad Sage, remarkably lucid for the second time in such a short period, opened his somewhat blurry eyes and scrutinized Naruto carefully, saying something that shocked Fukasaku and Shima.
"This kid, is he in Sage Mode right now?"
"Truly a... astonishing."
Fukasaku originally wanted to say 'truly a monster', but he changed his tack at the last moment.
The longer one lives, the better one masters the essence of speech. Toads are no exception.
Only then did they notice that Naruto's pupils were still in that horizontal bar shape.
As for the distinctive eye markings characteristic of Sage Mode… those effects could simply be concealed.
"Yes, thank you for your care these past few days."
Naruto first smiled and expressed his gratitude to the Great Toad Sage and Fukasaku and Shima, then raised his hand to look at it.
"However... I always feel this current state is still somewhat incomplete."
Naruto could sense that the Senjutsu Chakra within his body indeed provided significant enhancements in destructive power, defensive power, and even regenerative abilities.
Genjutsu that could previously affect Naruto also became far less threatening in this mode.
But this didn't seem to be the endpoint.
Unlike Jiraiya, who could only maintain Sage Mode briefly, Naruto could even be said to have undergone an evolution in his 'life level'.
Precisely because of this, he could vaguely see a further staircase he could continue to climb.
This was the instinct of life seeking perfection.
Even Naruto was curious about its true form.
Moreover, he faintly sensed a certain indescribable power.
It was the power that allowed him to travel back and forth between two worlds.
'If I could take another step forward, perhaps I would be able to actively master the ability to travel between the two worlds.'
Speaking of which, with Naruto's current physical constitution, getting truly drunk was becoming increasingly difficult.
Next time he returned to the world of One Piece, Naruto didn't know how much alcohol he would need to prepare.
'...Perhaps asking Orochimaru to research some anesthetic drugs could also work?'
He had found similar products in the other party's memories,
but it was a pity his own education level was too low, so even with memories for reference, successfully replicating them was unlikely.
"Naruto, do you wish to change this world?"
The Great Toad Sage suddenly said.
Fukasaku, Shima, and Jiraiya all turned their eyes to Naruto. In fact, they were very curious about this too.
By now, most doubts had faded regarding Naruto being the [Child of the Prophecy] the Great Toad Sage had spoken of earlier.
Who else could it be?
Hearing the Great Toad Sage's sudden question, Naruto also fell into brief silence.
To be honest, initially, Naruto just felt that the 'Ninja' of this world was something that shouldn't exist.
They possess power, yet willingly allow themselves to be driven by rulers… they can manipulate natural elements, yet use them only to harm others.
This existence, which seems from its very inception to have been meant for battle, feels as if it was forcibly 'inserted' into the course of history by some external force.
But when it came to actually changing this world, Naruto didn't have a concrete idea.
Eliminate all Ninja? Then wipe out the rulers of the Five Great Nations and unify the world into a single entity?
It sounded somewhat brutal.
And he always felt there should be a better way.
It was a pity Naruto hadn't received a [Guide to Action in Another World], so everything was still just a vague embryonic idea.
Just like his subconscious act of gathering those without homes and having them rebuild Uzushiogakure.
These actions didn't have a specific purpose, and they were more like the instinctive righteous acts of a Great Hero.
"This world... shouldn't be like this."
If power is only used for destruction and killing, then no matter how far it develops, the entire civilization remains deformed.
Hearing Naruto's words, the Great Toad Sage nodded with satisfaction.
It seemed as if he had already foreseen this scene in his prophecies of the future.
"Then go and change it."
"You are the one who can thoroughly change this Ninja World."
Naruto was actually a little flattered by what he said.
He never thought he alone could become a savior.
A large white hand with a mouth extended from Naruto's shoulder and scratched his head for him.
This scene left the two Toad Sages in stunned silence.
"The 'completeness' you seek... perhaps clues can be found in the other two Sage Regions. Perhaps on the day you become 'complete', you will possess the ability to thoroughly change the Ninja World."
He said meaningfully.
With the Great Toad Sage's sudden act of throwing his fellow Sages under the bus, the White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave and the Katsuyu Sage of Shikkotsu Forest, both far away, sensed something and shuddered simultaneously.
"Ryuchi Cave... Shikkotsu Forest..."
Naruto knew about Ryuchi Cave, as Orochimaru had a contract with it, so he could just ask him about that.
But Shikkotsu Forest...
"Tsunade has a contract with the Sage of Shikkotsu Forest, Katsuyu. You can ask her about that."
Jiraiya, seemingly reading Naruto's thoughts, mentioned Tsunade's name without hesitation.
'Well, that settles it!'
'After I deal with the Akatsuki, I will set out to find these two Sage Regions.'
After finishing the serious business, Naruto prepared to take his leave from Mount Myoboku.
But just as he was about to exit the hall, the Great Toad Sage suddenly added another sentence.
"Naruto, no matter what happens next, you need not feel confused. Just follow your own path and act, destiny has long since-"
Naruto didn't even catch the last few words. He turned back to look at the Great Toad Sage, only to find the other party had already fallen asleep.
He and Jiraiya looked at each other, and neither of them quite understood what these vague words meant, so they simply decided not to dwell on it.
In the forest, Karin was sparring with Sasuke.
Unlike before, this time Karin wasn't using her transformation, but was honestly fighting with her fists and feet.
In this state, she was simply no match for Sasuke.
Sasuke on the other side only needed one hand to easily neutralize Karin's attacks.
Both their physical attributes had been greatly enhanced by the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits.
But unlike Sasuke, who had undergone long-term training originally, Karin relied more on the Garuda form's inherently tough steel body.
Once separated from that transformation, her true body was only about at the level of an average Chunin, and her combat awareness was even worse than some Genin.
And this was after the passive strengthening from the Devil Fruit.
Karin's shortcomings were still too obvious.
Therefore, these past few days, she had specifically asked Sasuke to train her.