Sage Fukasaku

Yamanaka Tohru used the Summoning Technique, and a cloud of white smoke appeared—not too big, not too small. In theory, the larger the area covered by the smoke, the larger the toad summoned. Yamanaka Tohru figured he'd most likely summoned Iron Arm Toad or Gama-Tada.

"Jiraiya-chan! You can summon the old man now? Your Sage Mode has improved a lot!" Before the smoke had even cleared, an elderly voice came from within.

"Boss!" Jiraiya jumped at the voice coming from the smoke.

"Hm? Jiraiya-chan, you haven't entered Sage Mode?"

As the smoke cleared, a green toad the size of a palm appeared before them.

"Sage Fukasaku! What brings you here?" Namikaze Minato had visited Mount Myōboku, too, so he knew its two elders well.

"Minato, that toad doesn't even look as big as Gamabunta! Why are you all being so respectful?" Kushina asked.

"Mount Myōboku is one of the Three Great Sage Lands, home to the Shinobi World's summoning beasts. The Great Toad Sage is the clan leader, and below him are the two elders. Gamabunta and the others come after them. This is Sage Fukasaku, one of the two elders. He's also the father of the three Gama Bunta brothers," Namikaze Minato explained quietly to Kushina.

"Minato-chan! You don't have to whisper." After years of training in Sage Mode, Sage Fukasaku's senses had been greatly enhanced. He could hear Minato even if he spoke softly.

Namikaze Minato scratched his head sheepishly.

"Then who's the other elder, Minato?" Seeing that Sage Fukasaku wasn't upset, Kushina continued asking.

"His wife, Sage Shima."

Sage Fukasaku had a much better temper than Sage Shima. It was lucky that Yamanaka Tohru had summoned Sage Fukasaku. If Sage Shima had heard Kushina discussing her like that, she would surely have thrown a fit.

"So, Jiraiya-chan! From what you're saying, you weren't the one who summoned me?" Sage Fukasaku had naturally heard their conversation.

"That's right, Boss! This kid summoned you!" Jiraiya pointed to Yamanaka Tohru behind Sage Fukasaku.

"What!" Sage Fukasaku had complete confidence in his senses, yet he hadn't noticed anyone behind him.

Sage Fukasaku turned to look at Yamanaka Tohru, then closed his eyes and sent out his mental energy toward the spot where Tohru stood. The result left him stunned.

He sensed that the spot where Yamanaka Tohru stood was actually a block of ice!

"What's going on, Jiraiya-chan? Who is this kid?"

Jiraiya had never seen Sage Fukasaku so surprised. "Boss, this kid's name is Yamanaka Tohru. He's a new contractor."

"Yamanaka Tohru?" Sage Fukasaku gave him a thoughtful look.

"That's right, Boss! I was going to visit Mount Myōboku and tell you about him."

"Oh? What is it, Jiraiya-chan?" Sage Fukasaku asked.

"Well, I discovered that when this kid uses Water Release Ninjutsu, he can freeze the techniques—and he does it using Nature Energy!"

"How can that be? Tohru-chan, could you use a technique for me?" Sage Fukasaku asked after hearing Jiraiya's explanation.

Yamanaka Tohru nodded and used Ice Sealed Water Wave.

When Yamanaka Tohru froze the Water Ripple, Sage Fukasaku sensed that he wasn't using a technique at all—he was becoming one with nature.

Even Sage Mode only absorbed Nature Energy and fused it with physical energy and mental energy in a one-to-three ratio. But when Yamanaka Tohru froze a technique, there were nothing but fluctuations of Nature Energy. There wasn't the slightest trace of Chakra.

"Jiraiya-chan, where did you find this contractor? He can use Nature Energy perfectly!"

"Boss, are you saying this kid doesn't use any Chakra at all when he freezes a Water Release technique?"

"Exactly," Sage Fukasaku replied with absolute certainty.

"Um, Sage Fukasaku, my Chakra gets used up very quickly whenever I use Ice Release," Yamanaka Tohru said.

"Tohru-chan, are there any conditions for using your Ice Release?" Sage Fukasaku asked after thinking for a moment.

"Yes! I have to enter a certain special mode. The one I'm in now."

Sage Fukasaku nodded, then continued, "Tohru-chan, do you need Chakra to maintain this mode?"

"No. If I'm only maintaining Elementalization, it doesn't consume Chakra. It's only when I freeze Water Release techniques that my Chakra consumption becomes enormous."

"I see! Tohru-chan, this state of yours is perfect. You're the one who isn't."

"Sage Fukasaku, is there something wrong with the way I use it?"

Ice Release was Yamanaka Tohru's greatest trump card. If he could solve the problem of its enormous Chakra cost, he'd be confident of fighting Kushina even in her One-Tail Tailed Beast Cloak state, rather than being completely crushed.

"It's not your method. You simply don't understand the nature of Nature Energy well enough. Nature Energy is energy that circulates throughout the world. Your mode is part of Nature Energy, and you take part in its circulation, too. That's why you can maintain this mode without expending anything."

"Then, Sage Fukasaku, why does using Ice Release techniques consume so much Chakra?" Yamanaka Tohru asked.

"It's simple, Tohru-chan! When you use Ice Release techniques, the Nature Energy inside you draws on Nature Energy in the world around you to complete the technique. Your internal Nature Energy gets used up without being replenished. To maintain your state, your Chakra keeps being drawn upon to replenish that Nature Energy inside you."

As Sage Fukasaku explained, Yamanaka Tohru suddenly understood.

When he used Ice Elementalization, he was like a full pool with four pipes. When he didn't use Ice Release techniques, the water flowed in through pipe one and out through pipe two at the same rate, so the pool stayed full. That was the circulation of Nature Energy Sage Fukasaku had just described, allowing him to maintain it.

But as soon as he used an Ice Release technique, it was as if the valve on pipe three shut tight and the valve on pipe four opened wide. Water rushed out of the pool. The natural flow through pipes one and two couldn't keep the pool full, so the valve on pipe three had to be opened by force. The water flowing through it was the reserve supply—in other words, his own Chakra.

Even with the Nine-Tails inside him, he couldn't afford to use his Chakra to replenish his depleted Nature Energy like that.

"Then, Sage Fukasaku, is there any way to solve this problem?" Yamanaka Tohru asked.

"Yes. The best way is to learn how to replenish the Nature Energy you use from the circulating supply."

"Boss, you mean he should learn Sage Mode?" Jiraiya asked.

"Uncle Jiraiya, don't interrupt!" Yamanaka Tohru glared at Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-chan is right. You should indeed learn Sage Mode. But unlike us, you don't need to worry about being swallowed by Nature Energy, because ice is also a form of Nature Energy. It's just..."

Sage Fukasaku glanced at Yamanaka Tohru and hesitated before continuing. "You'll never be able to enter Sage Mode!"