Blurry Figure

"Reverse... Sage Mode?" Naruto asked, surprised and confused.

He had never heard of such a thing before.

Minato smiled and explained, "Of course, this isn't the same as Sage Mode... It's more like, how should I put it, a kind of conceptual conversion."

"..." Naruto was still bewildered.

"To be specific... Naruto, when you were training Sage Mode, did Fukasaku tell you what you needed to do first?" Minato prompted.

Naruto replied without hesitation, "Stay still. But..."

"Yes, that's right, stay still," Minato nodded happily and continued, "The ultimate goal of Sage Mode is to absorb natural chakra from the environment into your body... To achieve this, the ancient sages summarized the method as immobility, turning yourself into a part of nature... I described this state as 'stone'."

"And when I was learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, I realized... I couldn't become 'stone'. Spacetime doesn't pay attention to a random stone on the roadside. I needed to become a 'fireball'... So the trick is to release your chakra into nature, spread it into every inch of space around you, feel the fluctuations of nature, the traces of spacetime, and then the power of spacetime will compel you to write your own Flying Thunder God mark!"

"That's a Flying Thunder God mark that belongs only to you, because spacetime is different for everyone."

Minato shared everything he knew.

Naruto was deeply shaken.

In an instant, everything became clear. The fog and mist that had been obscuring his vision for days vanished completely.

He finally understood what the obstacle in front of him was.

It was himself; he had locked himself away.

Sage Mode was his success, but also his downfall. Because of that memory, he had mastered the feeling of entering Sage Mode too early, which unconsciously led him to develop a habit of breath concealment and calmness. In this way, he had always been on the passive side in his interactions with nature.

How could he feel the presence of spacetime around him... and how could he draw his own mark?

No wonder his dad said he wasn't used to using Sage Mode in battle, because his sharpest weapon in battle was the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Reverse Sage Mode... So that's how it is.

You truly are a terrifying genius... the Nine-Tails remarked, casting a deep glance at the golden man who had sealed him.

"I get it!" Naruto's eyes regained their determination, filled with confidence.

Minato reminded him, "Of course, this isn't the only way to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. This is just a method I personally figured out – I'm not even sure how Tobirama originally created this technique... Moreover, releasing chakra to sense spacetime is a slow process; it takes at least over a month to see initial results..."

"I don't have that much time..." Naruto clenched his fist. He had bet Tsunade he could learn the Flying Thunder God Technique within a week.

Outside, Naruto opened his bright blue eyes and formed a cross-hand seal.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang...

Moments later, balls of fire began to burn on the grassy plains outside the village.

Their flames did not flicker with the wind, but chased the footsteps of spacetime.

Three days passed.

In the trees outside the village, Tsunade and Jiraiya sat on branches, looking at the group of Narutos meditating cross-legged in the open space.

"Didn't he say he was going to train the Flying Thunder God Technique? What has this kid been doing for the past three days?" Tsunade asked, confused. Was this what the brat was betting on with himself?

Jiraiya shook his head, his tone also tinged with doubt. "I wasn't entirely clear on the specific process when Minato was learning this technique... Could this be the secret trick Naruto learned from his father?"

Neither of them were sensory-type ninjas. Unless Naruto unleashed his powerful Nine-Tails chakra, it was difficult for them to detect the chakra that Naruto and his shadow clones were constantly releasing into their surroundings.

Naruto and his clones diligently practiced, releasing all their chakra into the surrounding space with all their might, using their entire focus to sense the information and tactile sensations transmitted through the chakra... but unfortunately, nothing came of it except for fleeting illusions.

However, Naruto did not lose heart.

When he got tired, he would dissolve all his shadow clones, and then an overwhelming fatigue would descend upon his single body. Naruto gritted his teeth and endured, resting in place while quickly digesting the training experience of all his shadow clones, summarizing his progress bit by bit.

How to release chakra more efficiently, how to release it more deeply, how to sense it more keenly...

Never give up, press forward.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

The fourth day.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Hundreds of Narutos sat on the grass, just as they had for the past three days, calmly and patiently releasing their chakra, turning themselves into fireballs of chakra, burning the spacetime around them, attempting to burn out their own mark.

But today, they failed again.

"I think this kid isn't going to make it..." Tsunade said from the tree, shaking her head and casually taking a sip of sake.

Jiraiya leaned against the opposite tree, closed his eyes, and smiled with his head bowed. "Don't underestimate this kid, Tsunade... I still believe Naruto is the Child of Prophecy... So you should just prepare to return to Konoha with us."

Tsunade glared at him in displeasure. "Why are you acting like I actually agreed to this bet? You know I always lose bets, so what if I bet he succeeds?"

"No, no, no..." Jiraiya was startled. He knew Tsunade's luck in gambling too well; it was capable of making the impossible possible, something more miraculous than a miracle.

"Hmph..."

Day Seven.

The final day.

Evening.

Naruto dismissed all his shadow clones and rested for a while.

After recovering some stamina, Naruto refined more chakra, gathered it in his right palm, and pressed it against the ground.

Remember that feeling, that's the feeling...

Even though it was covered by his palm, Naruto could feel a unique mark slowly appearing beneath it...

He removed his hand.

A half-finished mark, only half a step away from completion.

The last stroke had been used up.

"Argh..." Naruto lay on the ground in frustration, tugging at his hair.

Entering his body.

"Naruto, don't give up. I believe you can do it..." Minato smiled. Compared to seven days ago, his form was much fainter.

"Dad..." Naruto fought back tears, knowing the time for their parting was drawing near.

The Nine-Tails was nearby, lying down idly.

Feeling a pang of sadness, Naruto suddenly turned his head!

"Who's there!?"

Minato and the Nine-Tails looked in the direction he was staring, surprised. There... a blurry figure was taking shape.

"You are!?"

The crimson sunset glow spilled onto the tatami floor of the small inn.

Tsunade and Jiraiya sat opposite each other across a tea table, quietly sipping tea. Shizune knelt beside them, pouring tea, while the little pig Tonton happily ran around the room.

Crack.

The window shattered, and a kunai flew in.

Tsunade didn't even turn her head. With one hand, she caught the kunai that had attacked them. She looked at it expressionlessly, her eyes widening. The kunai bore a... black mark resembling foxfire.

Could it be?!

"You've been out for quite a while, isn't it time to return to the village... Fifth Grandmother?" Naruto's voice suddenly sounded behind Tsunade.