"Heave-ho!"
To give the two young people, who were new to Sage Mode, a direct impression, the Sage Fukasaku decided to give a small demonstration first.
It stood still and formed a mudra in front of its chest.
The next moment, an invisible flow of energy began to converge on its small body. However, no Chakra Cloak- like light appeared on Sage Fukasaku's body.
Then it came to a frog statue that was over six meters tall and carved from a single piece of rock.
The Sage Fukasaku stretched out his two small forelimbs and placed them against the base of the stone statue.
With a soft shout, the solid stone frog statue, weighing at least three or four tons, was lifted off the ground and raised above its head by its body, which was no bigger than an adult's head and weighed no more than twenty pounds!
The Sage Fukasaku quickly put it down, but he himself was also panting heavily, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
This scene even surprised Uchiha Satsuki, who had been calmly observing from the sidelines.
It's important to understand that Sage Fukasaku is not the type of Ninja like Might Guy or Rock Lee who specialize in Taijutsu and are known for their strength; in fact, his true form is just a small Summoning Beast.
The physical amplification from merely mobilizing Nature Energy is already so terrifying? And this is just a simple demonstration of power; imagine if it were used in ninjutsu...
"This is one of the enhancements one can gain after becoming one with nature." Sage Fukasaku took a breath and wiped the sweat from his brow with his webbed feet. "Then, let's start with the most basic thing: sensing the Nature Energy. Although using Toad Oil directly might be a bit of a 'forced learning' for beginners, Little Naruto, since you were able to unexpectedly summon the Great Sage, this shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"
"You flatter me," Naruto said, his attitude remaining humble, but a glint of eagerness shone in his eyes. "However, I'd like to try it right away."
"Hmm, come here." Sage Fukasaku turned around, hopped to the waterfall flowing with a brownish, viscous liquid, and dipped his fingertip in it.
"This is the ancestral Toad Oil from Mount Myōboku," it explained. "It has the special effect of attracting Nature Energy. Simply apply it to your body, and you can attract external Nature Energy to your body."
"However, there may be some 'side effects' from using it, so don't get too excited or impatient. If it is introduced into the body and there is too much uncontrollable Nature Energy, the body may exhibit some frog-like characteristics."
"But don't worry, once these signs appear, I will immediately intervene to help you expel the excess Nature Energy. Repeat this process until your body gradually adapts and learns to control it."
When Satsuki, who was standing behind, heard the words "features of a frog," the surprise on her face was instantly replaced by a hint of panic.
She wasn't afraid of hardship or the difficulties of cultivation, but the idea of "turning into a frog" was quite a shock to a young girl in the prime of her youth who wasn't entirely indifferent to her appearance.
She subconsciously took half a step forward, as if wanting to speak up to stop her, her eyes filled with worry about the potential risks.
Naruto noticed her unease, turned around, and gave her a reassuring look.
Naruto did as instructed and walked up to Sage Fukasaku, extending his right hand. Sage Fukasaku carefully applied a layer of Toad Oil to the back of Naruto's hand using his webbed toes.
The texture is somewhat peculiar; it's cool and slightly sticky.
A slight, tingling sensation, like a micro-current, immediately spread through the area where the cream was applied. Naruto could clearly feel that the skin on the back of his hand seemed to "come alive," becoming exceptionally sensitive to some invisible force in the outside world—that must be the " Nature Energy " that Sage Fukasaku.
Then, he held his breath and waited for the impact that might follow, as his body was flooded with Nature Energy.
Ten seconds have passed...
Twenty seconds have passed...
A minute has passed...
Aside from the persistent, gentle tingling sensation and a clearer perception of the flow of external energy, there were no other changes on the back of my hand.
There was no expected surge of energy, and the body showed no signs of "frogification."
Naruto felt a little awkward and looked up at Sage Fukasaku, who also looked confused. "Um... Sage Fukasaku, what should I do next? I don't seem to have any particular feeling?"
"What?!"
The Sage Fukasaku frog's face was filled with disbelief. Normally, after applying Toad Oil, a beginner's body would immediately absorb Nature Energy like a sponge, quickly developing obvious frog-like characteristics due to energy overload. Then, the toad-like frog would need to intervene to "detoxify," and this process of repeated refinement of control would continue. But now...?
Could it be that his constitution is special, making him completely unable to absorb Nature Energy? Sage Fukasaku's heart sank. If that were the case, it would mean that Naruto was completely cut off from Sage Mode.
It immediately extended its webbed feet, grabbed Naruto's arm, closed its eyes, and used all its Sage Mode sensory abilities to probe into Naruto's body.
You wouldn't know unless you investigated, and once you did, even the entire frog Sage Fukasaku, was stunned!
In its perception, Naruto's body was not empty, but rather filled with a vast, heart-pounding, lake-like viscous energy—a highly concentrated form of Nature Energy!
Moreover, this energy is not static; it is continuously absorbed from the outside world through the skin and respiration with a stable and astonishing efficiency!
It's not that it can't absorb it! On the contrary, the efficiency and upper limit of its absorption and capacity are incredibly high!
The small amount of Nature Energy introduced after applying the Toad Oil was like a drop of water in a vast ocean to Naruto's body, which was already "soaked" in a massive amount of Nature Energy and was constantly and efficiently replenishing itself. It couldn't even cause a ripple, let alone trigger any "side effects" of energy overload!
Sage Fukasaku slowly retracted his webbed toes, opened his eyes, and looked at Naruto with a completely different expression, filled with extreme shock and excitement.
It was ultimately younger than the Great Toad Sage and had never seen the Sage of Six Paths in person. But the golden-haired boy before it displayed a terrifying talent that was almost "naturally compatible" with Nature Energy, and his body seemed born to bear Sage Mode techniques... It had never heard of such a thing in all its long life!
It wasn't that there was a problem with the cultivation process, but rather that it encountered a true "genius" who is probably unprecedented in the history of Sage Mode cultivation!
"I see... Honestly, that little Jiraiya guy, I need to give him a good talking to when we get back. Isn't this a delay? He's way too late!"
The Sage Fukasaku muttered to himself, it seemed that gentle guidance was not working at all on this gifted child; he had to resort to some "strong medicine".
It turned to face the waterfall that continuously flowed with brown Toad Oil, and the pool of oil that gathered below.
" Little Naruto, let's try a different method." Sage Fukasaku's voice was somewhat serious. "Jump in directly and immerse your entire body in this Toad Oil pool. Perhaps... this is the way that suits you best and can truly unleash your potential."
"What?! Completely submerged?! Isn't that dangerous?!"
Before Naruto could respond, Uchiha Satsuki, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but gasp in surprise, his face filled with worry.
If it's just topical application, the risks might be manageable, but soaking the whole body... what if Naruto really turns into a frog instantly?
Satsuki's thoughts began to race uncontrollably—she needed to prepare a sufficiently comfortable and exquisite cage beforehand...
"Little Satsuki, don't worry too much." Sage Fukasaku turned to look at her. "I'll stay here and watch over him. If Little Naruto shows even the slightest uncontrollable sign of frogification, I will immediately disperse all the excess Nature Energy in his body. I promise."
Hearing Sage Fukasaku's assurance, Naruto took a deep breath. Although a hint of trepidation lingered in his heart, he suppressed it. He took a few steps forward, reached the edge of the oil pool, and then—
"Thump!"
With a muffled thud, he leaped into the viscous pool of Toad Oil.
Instantly, an indescribable feeling enveloped his entire body. The cold, sticky sensation quickly seeped through his clothes and permeated his skin. Soon, the oil-soaked clothes clung heavily to his body, and Naruto thought that these clothes were probably completely ruined.
Even more intense is the tingling sensation. If applying it to the back of my hand before was just like being gently licked by a cat's tongue, with a slight itch and stimulation.
So now, the feeling of being completely immersed... although that's a bit eerie to describe, it's like being stuffed into a room made of countless tiger tongues that keeps writhing!
The pervasive tingling, itching, and the strange sensation of some kind of energy trying to penetrate his pores caused all the muscles in his body to tense up involuntarily.
Sage Fukasaku stared intently at Naruto in the oil pool, his expression grave. Normally, if an ordinary person jumped into a pool of Toad Oil, they would probably be completely turned into a frog within three seconds due to the frenzied influx of Nature Energy.
At this moment, apart from Naruto expression being slightly stiff due to discomfort, Naruto's body remained unchanged, not even his skin color.
Time passed by, second by second.
... About ten minutes passed.
Naruto was trying his best to adapt to and endure the increasingly intense strange sensations throughout his body. The initial tingling gradually turned into numbness, and his senses were dulled by the viscous energy.
But at that moment, a subtle change finally appeared—he felt his fingers, as if uncontrollably wanting to bend and unfold slightly, and a slight pulling sensation came from his knuckles.
Finally, like a lake that was already close to overflowing, after all the floodgates were opened and a torrent of Nature Energy poured in, Naruto's " Nature Energy reserve pool" reached a critical point for the first time—it was full.
The body's self-protection mechanisms are triggered instantly.
Deep within Naruto's consciousness, a certain instinct was activated.
Then, without him even fully realizing it, a faint, Nature Energy light began to emanate from his right eye.
On the shore, Sage Fukasaku and Satsuki, who had been focused intently on their work, simultaneously noticed this subtle change. Sage Fukasaku immediately raised the specially made black rod that he had always kept by his side, ready to "detoxify" at any moment.
However, the anticipated accelerated frogification did not occur.
The barely perceptible, frog-like skin-like texture and bulging eyes that had just begun to appear on Naruto's face quickly disappeared, and he returned to normal.
The next moment, under the astonished gazes of Sage Fukasaku and Satsuki, a bright blue energy origami crane "emerged" from somewhere beneath Naruto's body, which was submerged in the oil pool, and slowly floated into the air before turning into specks of light and disappearing without a trace.