Chapter 103 (Patreon)

“Control natural energy directly?!”

The moment the Great Toad Sage said those words, Jiraiya and the surrounding toads stared at him in confusion.

“When we enter Sage Mode, we draw natural energy into our bodies and combine it with our physical and spiritual energies. Only after those three forces reach a perfect balance can we create senjutsu chakra.”

The Great Toad Sage’s expression became unusually solemn.

“Yujiro, however, did not merely absorb natural energy. He seized control of it directly.”

“In other words, from this moment onward, Yujiro can enter Sage Mode in a single second.”

“And the amount of time he can maintain it may be dozens of times longer than any of us.”

As he spoke, the Great Toad Sage’s clouded eyes remained fixed on Yujiro.

He seemed to be trying to see through the mysteries hidden within him.

However, whenever he attempted to peer into the strange power surrounding Yujiro, the young man’s existence became shrouded in mist.

No matter how deeply he looked, he could not see through him.

After hearing the explanation, Jiraiya and the surrounding toads fell silent.

Yujiro’s talent had already surpassed anything they could comprehend.

“That’s all?”

Yujiro could clearly sense the enormous amount of senjutsu chakra flowing through his body.

Even so, chakra was ultimately only one form of energy. Compared to the power granted by his Limiter, it was still far from impressive.

As long as his Limiter continued to advance, controlling different forms of energy would eventually become nothing more than an ordinary ability.

For a time, the entire area fell into a strange silence.

Jiraiya had brought Yujiro to Mount Myōboku so that the Great Toad Sage could determine whether he was the Child of Prophecy.

At the same time, he had intended to guide Yujiro through senjutsu training.

Yet Yujiro had arrived at Mount Myōboku and mastered Sage Mode without receiving a single lesson.

Worse still, the Sage Mode he had obtained appeared to be far superior to Jiraiya’s own.

Just how was he supposed to explain something like that?

“Yujiro is beyond comprehension.”

In the end, it was the Great Toad Sage who broke the silence.

“Jiraiya, Yujiro is not the Child of Prophecy.”

His aged voice echoed through the temple.

“He stands beyond the one spoken of in the prophecy. Even I cannot see the path that lies before him.”

“Huh?”

Jiraiya scratched his head, momentarily dumbfounded by the Great Toad Sage’s words.

So Yujiro truly was not the Child of Prophecy.

However, judging from what the Great Toad Sage had said, even he did not dare attempt to predict Yujiro’s future.

Yujiro smiled faintly and released Sage Mode.

“I told you from the beginning, Pervy Sage. I’m not the Child of Prophecy.”

Jiraiya could only give a bitter smile.

It appeared that the entire idea had been nothing more than his own wishful thinking.

“In that case, Great Toad Sage, we won’t disturb your rest any longer.”

Jiraiya turned toward the massive elder toad.

“Very well.”

The Great Toad Sage slowly nodded.

“Come on, Yujiro. Let’s go.”

Jiraiya walked over to him with a helpless smile.

“All right.”

Yujiro picked up his sword and headed toward the temple entrance.

Before leaving, however, he stopped in front of Gamabunta.

“Bunta, how about a spar?”

Gamabunta froze for a moment before answering.

“Fine. But I have one condition.”

He rested a hand on the hilt of the massive tantō at his side.

“Neither of us is allowed to use senjutsu chakra.”

Gamabunta had secretly watched from outside the temple when Yujiro entered Sage Mode in an instant.

“Agreed.”

Yujiro stood before the enormous toad with the black blade resting across his shoulder.

He slowly lowered his stance.

In that instant, his entire presence changed.

To Gamabunta, a vicious demon seemed to rise behind Yujiro, its fangs bared as it stared down at him from the depths of hell.

Even Gamabunta could not stop himself from becoming tense.

The corner of Yujiro’s mouth lifted slightly.

A violent surge of black energy suddenly erupted from his body.

It was sword energy—a power unique to Yujiro.

The black sword energy soared into the sky as a cold, overwhelming pressure swept across Mount Myōboku.

Jiraiya felt it.

Every toad watching the confrontation felt it as well.

“Toad Sword Beheading!”

Gamabunta kicked off the ground and charged straight toward Yujiro.

Yujiro raised his head.

A flash of red light passed through his eyes.

“One-Sword Style: Demonic Energy Slash!”

Dark sword energy engulfed Yujiro’s body.

In the next instant, his blade collided with Gamabunta’s enormous tantō.

Clang!

A deafening metallic crash rang across the mountain.

Boom!

The spectators only saw Gamabunta’s enormous body fly backward before crashing onto his back.

“Ow! Ow! That hurts!”

Gamabunta groaned loudly as he lay sprawled across the ground.

Yujiro calmly flicked his blade and returned it to its sheath, his expression completely indifferent.

At the final moment, he had withdrawn his sword energy.

Had he failed to do so, there was a genuine chance that he might have cut Gamabunta down.

That would have caused unnecessary trouble.

“Pervy Sage, let’s go.”

Yujiro walked over to Jiraiya and casually waved his hand.

“Huh?”

Jiraiya finally recovered from the shock of what he had just witnessed.

“Ahem. Right. We’ll be leaving now.”

He turned toward Elder Fukasaku and gave him a brief farewell before taking Yujiro away.

Afterward, Jiraiya used the Reverse Summoning Technique.

The two of them disappeared from Mount Myōboku.

Only then did Elder Fukasaku recover from the confrontation.

A moment later, he suddenly remembered something.

“Everyone, gather together! Don’t let your guard down!”

His expression changed as he hurriedly shouted to the surrounding toads.

“There is still an enemy somewhere on Mount Myōboku—an enemy whose presence was powerful enough to alarm the Great Toad Sage!”

The surrounding toads immediately assembled and prepared themselves for battle, waiting with complete vigilance for the supposed intruder to appear.

“There is no need.”

The Great Toad Sage’s voice emerged from within the temple.

“The aura I sensed…”

He paused briefly.

“It came from Yujiro.”

“What?!”

Every toad widened their eyes in shock.

The terrifying presence that had alarmed even the Great Toad Sage had come from Yujiro?

Just how frightening was that human?

“I fear the shinobi world will undergo tremendous changes within the next few years.”

Elder Fukasaku remained stunned for a long time before finally murmuring those words to himself.

And just like that, the supposed invasion of Mount Myōboku came to an end.

By this point, Yujiro had confirmed that the senjutsu practised in the Three Great Sage Regions could help him break through the Limiter.

That would make everything that followed much easier.

Poof!

Poof!

Two clouds of smoke appeared as Yujiro and Jiraiya returned to Konoha.

Their entire journey had lasted no more than an hour.

Yet within that single hour, Jiraiya had been shocked more times than he could count.

“Hm? What are the two of you doing here?”

A familiar voice suddenly came from nearby.

Yujiro and Jiraiya turned around and saw Tsunade and Shizune walking toward them.

Tsunade tilted her head and looked at Jiraiya.

“Didn’t you say you were taking Yujiro to Mount Myōboku to learn senjutsu?”

“Yeah. He already finished learning it, so we came back.”

Jiraiya answered absentmindedly.

Right now, all he wanted was to find somewhere quiet and relax.

Tsunade stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“You almost sounded convincing. For a second, I nearly believed you.”

Jiraiya glanced at her, his expression completely defeated.

“I don’t want to believe it either! But I saw it with my own eyes. What else am I supposed to do?”

After saying that, he slowly began recounting everything that had happened on Mount Myōboku during the past hour.