Training Begins

"Kids' dad, is this the little brat you said wouldn't be devoured by Nature Energy?" Yamanaka Tohru, who had been curiously looking around at Mount Myōboku's scenery, was startled by the sudden voice.

"That's right. Kids' mom, didn't I tell you? Tohru-chan has a special state called Ice Release. Once he enters that state, he becomes an ice man composed of the wind and water attributes within Nature Energy." Sage Fukasaku explained to Sage Shima, who had appeared in the distance.

"You told me, but I've never seen it myself. Brat, use your special state and let me have a look." Sage Shima carried a basket of vegetables with several insects inside and hopped over to Yamanaka Tohru.

Yamanaka Tohru nodded and entered Ice Release! Like Sage Fukasaku when he had first seen Yamanaka Tohru, Sage Shima closed her eyes and used the perception of Sage Mode to examine him.

"It really is like that! Within the perception of Sage Mode, this brat is just a block of ice. Incredible!" Sage Shima marveled.

"All right, kids' mom! Tohru-chan is here for the first time. Shouldn't you prepare him a sumptuous breakfast?" Sage Fukasaku said.

"Sorry for the trouble, Sage Shima. I brought some dry rations with me." Thinking of the insect feast from the original story, Yamanaka Tohru hurriedly refused.

"Oh, don't be so polite! Don't let kids' mom's fierce appearance fool you—her cooking is excellent."

Sage Fukasaku acted as though Tohru were already at home and should make himself comfortable, so Yamanaka Tohru could only smile bitterly and agree.

Yamanaka Tohru followed the two Toads back to their home. When he had summoned Sage Fukasaku earlier, the two of them had been searching for food in the forest.

"Tohru-chan, don't be shy. Sit wherever you like. She'll have breakfast ready soon." Sage Fukasaku poured Yamanaka Tohru a cup of tea. The tea at Mount Myōboku was perfectly normal.

Before long, Sage Shima brought out plate after plate of insect dishes, filling the entire table.

"Come, come, Tohru-chan, don't be shy. Eat!" The two enthusiastic Toads gazed at Yamanaka Tohru expectantly.

Yamanaka Tohru closed his eyes, poured the insect ramen into his mouth, and swallowed it.

"Tohru-chan, how does it taste?" Sage Fukasaku asked.

"It's delicious!" Yamanaka Tohru fought back the urge to vomit and gave Sage Shima's insect ramen a thumbs-up.

Sage Shima smiled when she heard Yamanaka Tohru's evaluation.

After breakfast, Sage Fukasaku led Yamanaka Tohru to the side of a pond.

"Tohru-chan, the first thing you need to do to practice Sage Mode is sense and gather Nature Energy. You must allow Nature Energy to freely enter and leave your body. In other words, you must become one with nature."

"But Sage Fukasaku, I can't sense the existence of Nature Energy!"

Yamanaka Tohru interrupted Sage Fukasaku. According to what Sage Fukasaku had said, he needed to sense Nature Energy before he could become one with nature, yet he could not sense Nature Energy at all.

"Tohru-chan, don't be impatient! Let me finish. You've never learned Sage Mode. Even if you can use Nature Energy, you might not necessarily understand what Nature Energy is."

"Do you mean that I only need to understand what Nature Energy is?"

"Only by understanding what Nature Energy is can you clearly distinguish between physical energy and spiritual energy," Sage Fukasaku explained.

Yamanaka Tohru still did not understand Sage Fukasaku's words. He remembered that in the original story, Naruto's first step in practicing Sage Mode had been to remain still and sense the existence of Nature Energy, yet Sage Fukasaku was asking him to first understand what Nature Energy was.

"Tohru-chan, come here!" Sage Fukasaku hopped to the edge of a pond. Having read the original story, Yamanaka Tohru naturally knew that the pond contained Toad Oil.

Just like in the original story, Sage Fukasaku rubbed Toad Oil onto Yamanaka Tohru's arm. Strangely, however, Yamanaka Tohru did not sense Nature Energy.

When Naruto had been smeared with Toad Oil, he had clearly sensed Nature Energy flowing into him, and his arm had begun to transform into a Toad's. Yamanaka Tohru did not feel Nature Energy flowing into him, but his arm had nevertheless transformed just like Naruto's.

"Sage Fukasaku, why is this happening?" Yamanaka Tohru was puzzled. It was obvious that Nature Energy had flowed into his body, yet he himself was completely unaware of it.

"This is the first step of your training: understanding the difference between Nature Energy and your physical and spiritual energy." After saying this, Sage Fukasaku used his staff to knock the Nature Energy out of Yamanaka Tohru's arm.

"Tohru-chan, you don't need to worry about being devoured by Nature Energy, so you can use Toad Oil as much as you like. Once you enter Ice Release, it means your training has failed. Then simply try again until you can distinguish these three energies."

At that moment, Yamanaka Tohru understood what the first step of his training was.

Ever since Yamanaka Tohru had begun refining Chakra, he had absorbed a large amount of Nature Energy because of Ice Release. Most of that Nature Energy had become the foundation for his use of Ice Release.

The remaining Nature Energy had combined with his body in his normal state. As a result, the first Chakra he had refined had been Chakra formed from Nature Energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy combined. However, the ratio had not reached 1:1:1, so it was not Senjutsu Chakra.

This was why Yamanaka Tohru had possessed a Chunin's amount of Chakra from the very beginning of refining Chakra. It was the baptism of Nature Energy Sage Fukasaku had mentioned.

Furthermore, because Nature Energy had existed within him from the moment he began refining Chakra, Yamanaka Tohru simply could not distinguish between physical energy, spiritual energy, and Nature Energy.

After determining the direction of his training, Yamanaka Tohru applied Toad Oil to his arm and opened his Sharingan to observe the flow of Chakra within his body.

Before long, more than half of Yamanaka Tohru's body was transformed into a Toad's appearance by the violently surging Nature Energy. He remained unmoved, quietly sensing the flow of Chakra within his body.

"Hm?" Just as Yamanaka Tohru was about to transform completely into a frog, the flow of Chakra inside his body abruptly stopped, and his cells began changing toward an icy molecular structure.

Once Ice Release began, Yamanaka Tohru discovered that the massive amount of energy accumulated within his body started flowing into the cells transformed by Ice Release.

Yamanaka Tohru knew that physical and spiritual energy would not be absorbed by cells transformed by Ice Release. The only energy they could absorb was Nature Energy. For the first time, Yamanaka Tohru directly experienced this energy.

After dispelling Ice Release, Yamanaka Tohru continued applying Toad Oil.

Once, twice...

Yamanaka Tohru had no idea how long he repeated the process. His hard work eventually paid off. On one attempt, Yamanaka Tohru finally sensed Nature Energy.

Unlike physical and spiritual energy, Nature Energy possessed a trace of unusual vitality, as though it were alive.

Yamanaka Tohru struck while the iron was hot. After entering Ice Release several more times, he finally succeeded in identifying Nature Energy within his body.

Once he could distinguish Nature Energy, Yamanaka Tohru closed his eyes and sensed the Chakra inside his body.

Only then did Yamanaka Tohru discover that although his Chakra did not contain Nature Energy, a mass of Nature Energy existed within his body. Once he used Ice Release, this mass of Nature Energy would instantly be released, completing the transformation of his cells.

Moreover, this mass of Nature Energy possessed a strange attraction toward the Nature Energy outside his body. Instinct told Yamanaka Tohru that this mass of Nature Energy was the culprit preventing him from entering Sage Mode.

That's all for today's three updates. I'll be changing the update schedule from now on: one chapter before 10 a.m., one at noon, and one before 7 p.m.