Facing the possibility of turning into a frog, Naruto was not panicked at all. Since Jiraiya and Fukasaku had already agreed to let him train in Senjutsu chakra, there must be a way to deal with this situation.
Suddenly—!
Fukasaku smacked Naruto with his staff. The frog-like transformation on Naruto's body instantly faded, returning him to normal.
Fukasaku warned him sternly, "You must maintain balance. If you absorb only a small amount of natural energy, I can knock it back out with my staff. But if you absorb too much natural energy and fully turn into a frog, then there will be no way to reverse it!"
With a grave expression, Fukasaku pointed toward a large number of frog stone statues nearby.
"People who turn into frogs will further merge with nature. The final fate of those who failed their training… is becoming these stone statues!"
Naruto stared in shock at the countless frog statues. It was hard to imagine that they had once been human.
"But you can relax a little," Fukasaku continued. "As long as I'm with you, the moment you show signs of frog transformation, I'll knock the natural energy out of your body."
Jiraiya stepped forward and looked at Naruto seriously.
"Naruto, even I can't perfectly complete this training. When I train in Senjutsu chakra, I still partially turn into a frog. Even so, that already counts as doing quite well. So Naruto… are you sure you want to train in Senjutsu chakra right now?"
Naruto answered without hesitation, "I want to train!"
Inside the Nine-Tails' space—
Kurama's voice echoed in Naruto's ears.
"Don't worry, Naruto. Train as recklessly as you want. If anything goes wrong, I'll force the natural energy out of your body immediately."
Naruto smiled. "I know, Kurama."
Naruto officially began training in Senjutsu chakra at Mount Myōboku. Jiraiya, needing to oversee the situation at the front lines, departed first.
Two days passed.
Naruto was bruised and battered, all of the injuries coming from Fukasaku's beatings.
Even Fukasaku was astonished by Naruto's perseverance. For two straight days, Naruto never stopped training for a single moment. To prevent any accidents, Fukasaku and Shima took turns watching over him.
And thanks to Kurama, several times when Naruto was just a step away from complete frog transformation, the natural energy was forced out of his body in time.
On the third day—
Naruto sat in meditation as usual when he suddenly felt several strands of golden light continuously circling around him.
Carefully, Naruto guided the golden light into his body. One of his eyes changed, orange pigmentation appearing around it.
Feeling the unfamiliar power within him, Naruto was overwhelmed with excitement.
"So this is Senjutsu chakra…"
After repeated attempts, Naruto was now able to enter an imperfect Sage Mode using toad oil.
It was imperfect because when Naruto entered Sage Mode, parts of his body would still show frog-like characteristics, and he could only enter the state with the help of toad oil.
Under Fukasaku's guidance, Naruto quickly learned how to use the oil properly and was able to enter a complete Sage Mode.
"Looks like you've already mastered how to control the oil, little Naruto," Fukasaku said. "Next comes the training to control natural energy without using oil."
Naruto began trying to enter Sage Mode without oil, but the difficulty was absurdly high—it felt as if all his previous efforts had gone to waste.
Seeing Naruto completely stuck and his mindset deteriorating, Fukasaku interrupted the training.
"The more anxious you are, the worse the results. Come with me."
Fukasaku led Naruto to a stone forest.
"This will be your next training ground. At the peak of a sharp mountain, sit in meditation on a stone slab. The slightest lapse in concentration will disrupt your balance and send you rolling down the mountain."
Fukasaku picked up a stone slab and said, "Little Naruto, take one too and follow me."
One human and one toad began meditating atop the mountain.
Naruto focused his mind. At first, he managed to maintain his balance, but then a gust of wind blew past. His body swayed unconsciously, and he fell off.
Fortunately, Fukasaku immediately caught him with his tongue and placed him back in position.
"You must stop the flow of movement. Find the point of balance within yourself. Stay still. Harmonize with nature!"
Naruto took a deep breath and cleared all distractions from his mind.
With his thoughts completely empty, Naruto seemed to receive divine assistance. He found the balance point and sat firmly on the stone slab without moving at all.
As time passed, Naruto finally felt the surrounding natural energy.
He guided it into his body, allowing it to merge with his physical and spiritual energy.
Orange pigmentation once again appeared around Naruto's eyes, and his pupils transformed into horizontal slits.
Fukasaku was utterly astonished.
"The markings of a Sage have appeared… and there's no frog transformation at all. He's already surpassed little Jiraiya… Has he become a true Sage?"
"How does it feel?" Fukasaku asked.
Naruto clenched his fists, feeling the overwhelming power within him.
"It feels ridiculously good!"
"Then it's time for the final step of your training."
Naruto asked in confusion, "There's still more?"
"I will teach you how Sages use Senjutsu chakra in combat—the Frog Kata. Mastering Frog Kata will be extremely beneficial for controlling Senjutsu chakra."
Naruto thought for a moment. Four days had already passed, and he didn't know whether the battle between Konoha and Sunagakure had begun yet.
But since Jiraiya hadn't returned to Mount Myōboku, the fighting probably hadn't started.
Naruto decided to spend one more day learning Frog Kata. If he mastered it, great. Even if not, understanding the fundamentals would allow him to continue practicing elsewhere.
Naruto resumed training with Fukasaku.
—
At the border of the Land of Fire.
The Kazekage, Rasa, had arrived at the front line.
Seeing Rasa appear, Chiyo was deeply surprised.
"Rasa, why are you at the front lines?"
Given Chiyo's high prestige in the Land of Wind, Rasa treated her with respect.
"Advisor Chiyo, this war against Konoha must yield results. Otherwise, all of Sunagakure's previous sacrifices will have been in vain."
Chiyo did not pursue that topic further. Instead, she sharply questioned him:
"Rasa, explain to me—what exactly happened with Yashamaru?"
Rasa replied expressionlessly,
"She attempted to provoke conflict between Sunagakure and Kirigakure and joined a mysterious organization. She is now a rogue ninja."
Chiyo shouted angrily,
"Rasa! Do you really think I'm senile? Do you think I don't know what kind of person Pakura was?!"
Rasa's expression darkened.
"Advisor Chiyo, I am the Kazekage of Sunagakure! I said Pakura betrayed the village—she is a rogue ninja!"
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