Myōboku Mountain

"Oh, they're done for? How pathetic, tsk tsk tsk..."

After Kazahana Dōtō was utterly dead, Jiraiya, who had been sent flying by a single punch, strolled over as if nothing had happened.

After glancing at the mangled corpse at the bottom of the pit, Jiraiya patted Kazashiro on the shoulder; there was no sign that he had been knocked away.

"You really are completely unharmed."

Kazashiro seemed to have anticipated this, and pushed Jiraiya's hand away with a look of disgust.

"Haha, don't be so cold, Fifth Generation. I only did this because I believed you could handle the opponent. Besides, I wasn't just slacking off; I was still covering for your blind spots."

Jiraiya recounted his contributions with a smile.

Kazashiro understood the unspoken message: Jiraiya was worried that the Artificial Human with the bow would launch a sudden attack like last time.

Although he may seem carefree and unreliable, Jiraiya is always the most trustworthy teammate when it matters.

"Now that Kazahana Dōtō is dead, I will order a search for the Dawn Organization."

Seeing that Kazashiro didn't respond, Jiraiya turned around to plan the next move.

"Remember to bring Kazahana Koyuki along. She is, after all, the future queen of the Land of Snow. Let her see Kazahana Dōtō's corpse with her own eyes, so she won't suspect that we've done anything wrong."

Jiraiya hadn't gone far when Kazashiro called him back.

"By the way, I'm leaving the affairs of the Land of Snow to you. I'd like to take this opportunity to go to Mount Myōboku and meet the Toad who taught you Senjutsu."

The first problem is easy to solve; it's simply a matter of getting the Queen to meet her uncle. That's simple.

But the next question...

"Mount Myōboku, only those with the right destiny can go there..." Jiraiya turned around, not understanding why Kazashiro wanted to go there.

"Stop talking nonsense, just tell me if I can go or not." Kazashiro didn't want to hear about fate or not; he only knew that with Yuan, everything would be fine.

Jiraiya was amused by his nonchalant attitude, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness. "This is not something I can decide. After all, you already possess the secret techniques of Shikkotsu Forest. The Three Great Sage Locations are secluded places that ordinary ninjas cannot reach. I have never heard of anyone being able to visit two of them in a row..."

"Not two," Kazashiro interrupted Jiraiya's explanation. "There are three. I'm also going to Ryūchi Cave, but since you're here today, I'm letting you know and hoping you can help me get in. If you're not willing, I naturally have other ways to get in."

Seeing that Kazashiro's expression didn't seem fake, Jiraiya finally lost his joking mood. "What exactly do you want, Kazashiro?"

He started addressing Kazashiro by his given name.

"For the sake of the Shinobi World, I need to unravel the mysteries of Natural Energy."

Kazashiro's answer was very Danzo.

"Give me three days." Knowing Kazashiro's determination, Jiraiya finally gave a concrete answer.

"I'm really looking forward to it." Kazashiro smiled, a very happy smile.

It's unclear how Jiraiya reported to the Toad of Mount Myōboku, but on the third day, Jiraiya brought back a satisfactory answer.

The Great Toad Sage agreed to let Kazashiro go to the Holy Land, but Jiraiya did not give a definite answer as to whether he would be allowed to train there, only saying that he would decide after meeting the Great Toad Sage.

To prevent a direct conflict between Kazashiro and Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya handed over his troops to his lieutenant, Hizashi Hyuga, and accompanied Kazashiro to Mount Myōboku.

With the Reverse Summoning Technique over, Kazashiro was finally able to get a glimpse of the entire Mount Myōboku.

Compared to the gloom of Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myōboku is filled with the atmosphere of the mountains and forests, waterfalls, green plants, and giant Toad everywhere...

"Haha, welcome to Mount Myōboku, Kazashiro."

The one who greeted Kazashiro was none other than the Sage Fukasaku.

"This is Fukasaku, no, I mean, Sage Fukasaku, and that's Elder Shima."

Jiraiya quietly introduced the identities of the two immortals to Kazashiro.

"Hahaha, titles don't matter, they're just empty names." Fukasaku patted his belly and laughed twice, then familiarly jumped onto Jiraiya's shoulder.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since Jiraiya came to visit us at Mount Myōboku. Is he on another of your so-called research trips?"

"Hmph, why didn't you settle down sooner?" Elder Shima complained irritably as he led the way.

Seeing that the two immortals had no intention of talking to him, Kazashiro was happy to have some peace and quiet and followed behind them, occasionally glancing around at the surroundings.

At the same time, he was also feeling the Natural Energy surrounding Mount Myōboku.

This place truly lives up to its name as a sacred site; its Natural Energy is terrifyingly abundant. If someone who has never cultivated came here, they would probably be torn apart by this immense energy.

Compared to the method of directly entering the Shikkotsu Forest Slug Sage Forest to sense energy, the method of relying entirely on people to experience energy on their own in Mount Myōboku is equally dangerous.

The difference between the two is that one will be directly digested, while the other will be turned into a frog stone and left for exhibition.

I just don't know what the training methods are like at Ryūchi Cave.

Just as Kazashiro was absorbing the Natural Energy of Mount Myōboku, Sage Fukasaku, who had been talking with Jiraiya, suddenly turned around and glanced at Kazashiro. His frog-like eyes narrowed slightly, and after carefully examining him, he turned his head back.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she continued talking to Jiraiya.

What a perceptive Toad!

Kazashiro knew that the other party had noticed his actions but made no attempt to stop him. Therefore, not knowing when to stop, he continued to integrate with the Natural Energy here.

"Little Jiraiya, is your Sage Mode still the same as before?"

Sage Fukasaku suddenly became interested in Jiraiya's Senjutsu training.

"Haha, there's nothing I can do. My abilities are limited, and I can't enter Sage Mode without the help of your energy like Minato."

Jiraiya readily admitted his shortcomings.

"After all, geniuses are rare..." Sage Fukasaku muttered to himself, then looked at Elder Shima.

The Elder Shima was leading the way, nodded subtly, clearly understanding the meaning in Fukasaku's eyes.

Geniuses are rare, but it seems like there's always one like him following behind.

Although the other party was able to absorb the Natural Energy of Mount Myōboku so freely because they received the Shikkotsu Forest.

But upon first encountering this energy, he quickly integrated it into his own power, demonstrating his remarkable talent.

The last one this outstanding was Minato Namikaze.

However, while Minato's Sage Mode was superior to his teacher Jiraiya in form, it lacked endurance.

And the little guy behind him...