That afternoon, they returned to the same training ground as yesterday. This time, all of the Konoha 11 had arrived in neat formation—not one was missing!
"Good! Looks like you've all prepared yourselves mentally!"
Daren Yi looked at them and wasted no time. He took eleven fruits from his ninja tool pouch and tossed them over, clean and decisive as he gave them a reminder. "Just eat them. Then I'll guide you into Shamate Sage Mode for the first time."
The Konoha 11 did not hesitate. Even the girls, including Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka, wore firm, resolute expressions as they caught the fruits and put them straight into their mouths.
Over the course of the day, they had consulted every source they could find and questioned their parents and elders. They had already come to understand just how precious this opportunity was.
As far as they knew, only three people in the entire Shinobi World had mastered Sage Mode: the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju; one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya; and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—three figures standing at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World.
And now, such an opportunity lay before them. How could they possibly allow themselves to hesitate?
As for the risks it might bring?
From the day they enrolled in the Ninja Academy and became aspiring shinobi, they and their families had already mentally prepared themselves.
How could there be no risks in becoming a shinobi? Facing life and death head-on was the first step toward becoming one!
The crimson, cherry-like fruits melted the instant they entered their mouths, turning into a warm current that flooded through their bodies. It was like drought-stricken fields that had thirsted for a thousand years suddenly receiving heavenly rain.
A profound emotion born from the instinct of life itself,