Exploring Sage Mode

As if experiencing the difference between heaven and earth, Taiichi stood there for a long time before he could adjust.

The feeling of being full of energy is so wonderful, but this is my normal state now.

Taiyi found a Taiseki by the sea, sat down, and listened to the crashing waves Taiichi carefully reviewed his experience with Sage Mode.

It took about 5 minutes from the start of absorbing Natural Energy to entering Sage Mode. I still can't open it instantly, and I need to practice more in the future.

Sage Mode lasted for a total of 15 minutes, which is quite long compared to Naruto's initial 5 minutes.

However, this was under the condition of just testing the Ninjutsu; under normal circumstances, this time would probably be much longer.

Finally, after Sage Mode ended, there was no change in his body's stats on the panel, but Taiichi could feel that his physical abilities had improved.

The improvement may not be immediately noticeable, but compared to the slow, gradual improvement in physical fitness through exercise, this change is worlds apart.

This is also what troubles Taiichi. Since his Sage Mode can improve his physical fitness after it ends, why doesn't Jiraiya use it to train his physical fitness?

Not to mention Jiraiya, none of the future Sage Mode users have ever seen such an increase in physical abilities.

Taiichi finally came to the conclusion that the Sage Mode they had learned was not the Sage Mode of humans.

Jiraiya and Naruto's Sage Mode was learned from the Toad of Mount Myoboku, Kabuto's was from the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave, and most of Senju Hashirama were related to Shikkotsu Forest.

These Sage Mode learned from other species must cause some degree of damage to the body; otherwise, how could the Toad of Mount Myoboku live for hundreds or thousands of years, while none of the humans who learned them could live that long? However, Taiichi's Sage Mode is a unique Sage Mode that the panel specially developed for him based on his own situation.

It now appears that improving physical fitness is only one of its functions; whether it can extend lifespan is also something to look forward to.

Taiichi couldn't help but slurp his saliva as he thought about it; it sounded wonderful.

Who wouldn't want to live forever? Orochimaru even developed the unorthodox Ninjutsu, the Living Corpse Reincarnation, for the sake of immortality, which shows just how tempting it is.

Taiichi now has this opportunity for immortality, but whether it will be successful remains to be seen and requires further confirmation from him.

Once his Chakra had mostly recovered, Taiichi closed his eyes and focused again, attempting to absorb Natural Energy once more. He wanted to see if there were any limitations to his Sage Mode.

For example, how long can one maintain this state for a day? Are there any adverse effects on the body from maintaining it for an extended period?

He needs to try again and again to get the final answer.

Natural Energy reappeared in Taiichi's perception. Unlike last time, this time, because his body had already experienced it, he was able to absorb Natural Energy and integrate it into Senjutsu Chakra at the same time.

Once the Senjutsu Chakra has accumulated to a certain level, Sage Mode will be activated again.

However, this time, Taiichi made no move. He continued to absorb and fuse, wanting to see how long Sage Mode could be maintained with minimal consumption.

In a normal state, a person 'Chakra replenishment exceeds their consumption, which is why the Yin Seal can store Chakra; it absorbs this dissipated Chakra.

Sage Mode is different; it constantly strengthens Taiichi's body. Even if Taiichi does nothing and maintains minimal energy expenditure, the Senjutsu Chakra is still greater than that of fusion.

Fifteen minutes have passed, which is already longer than the duration of the previous Sage Mode.

Thirty minutes later, Taiichi could clearly feel that the fusion of Senjutsu Chakra was not keeping up with the rate of consumption.

It's not that the fusion process is slow, but rather that Taiichi's own Chakra recovery rate can't keep up with the rate of consumption.

Sixty minutes later, Taiichi's stored Chakra was almost depleted.

After 90 minutes, the golden light in Taiichi's pupils slowly faded, and he automatically exited Sage Mode.

He slowly opened his eyes, quite satisfied with what he had gained.

Sage Mode can be maintained for 90 minutes at the lowest energy consumption. Considering that the strengthening effect of Senjutsu Chakra is several times stronger than the same amount of physical training, this is yet another way to train one's physique.

To cope with unexpected situations, he can maintain Sage Mode for an hour each time, which can both strengthen his physique and improve his proficiency in Sage Mode.

Ultimately, however, it still depends on his own physical strength. If his Chakra recovery speed can keep up with the consumption speed of Senjutsu Chakra, then he can maintain Sage Mode in a normal state.

If he goes even further, and his Chakra recovery rate is several times faster than his consumption rate, then he can maintain Sage Mode even in battle.

Then it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is a true immortal.

Perhaps the three great immortals of the Three Great Sage Regions are all in this state, and this is Taiichi's goal.

Feeling his Chakra slowly recovering and gazing at the vast and magnificent ocean, Taiichi felt incredibly peaceful.

Looking back on the anxiety and unease I felt when I first transmigrated, compared to the leisurely and carefree feeling I have now, this is the confidence that comes with strength.

Once the Chakra within the body had fully recovered, another experiment began.

This time, Taiichi wants to see whether maintaining Sage Mode for an extended period of time will have any adverse effects on his body.

Time flew by and it was already evening. After a day of experimentation, Taiichi had reached a preliminary conclusion: his Sage Mode not only did not harm him, but maintaining it long-term also had surprisingly good training effects on his body.

At least today's workout was as effective as a week of hard training, and the best part is it wasn't particularly tiring.

It seems that the Sage Mode of the Three Great Sage Regions is indeed not suitable for humans. I'll go back and ask Teacher Tsunade what she knows about this.

Just as Taiichi was busy testing his Sage Mode, Tsunade's battle report also arrived back in Konoha.

The Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage looked at the battle report in his hand, a genuine look of joy on his face.

--

The news that Mist Village is attacking Sunagakure is great news for Konoha from any perspective.

Reaching out to hand the battle report to Utatane Koharu, who was closest to him in the next room, Hiruzen Sarutobi leisurely picked up his pipe, took out the premium tobacco he had just received that day from the drawer, carefully filled the bowl, lit a flame at his fingertips, and took a deep, pleasant inhale.

"Sizzle"

Even the sound of the tobacco burning slowly sounded pleasant at that moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a long puff of smoke, the wisps of blue smoke rising slowly and swirling above his head.

"Excellent, truly excellent! In this way, not only is the predicament on the East Front resolved, but the Southern Front can also be liberated."

Utatane Koharu cheered with delight, and her appearance immediately piqued Mitokado Homura's interest. He snatched the battle report from Utatane Koharu's hand and quickly scanned through all the contents.

"If the battle report is true, then we have finally escaped the quagmire of war."

Mitokado Homura's hands trembled as he held the battle report. Since taking over Root, he had been sleeping later than a dog and waking up earlier than a rooster every day.

The dispatch of spies, the deployment of assassinations, and the surveillance within the village.

All sorts of intelligence, from both inside and outside the village, were delivered to him, awaiting his decision.

Especially now, during wartime, intelligence from outside the village is even more important and needs to be responded to immediately.

This meant that even his rest time was fragmented. At this moment, he admired Danzo immensely, wondering what kind of energy it took to handle so many things at the same time.

Even though Root's power has been weakened once, he is still extremely busy. One can only imagine what Danzo was like at the height of Root's power.

However, he would absolutely refuse to return the power at the Root now.

Having experienced the thrill of having life and death in the Root, he had become deeply fascinated by this feeling of absolute power.

Now, he'd rather die in his position as head of the Head of Root.

"Yes, Tsunade fought a fantastic battle. Only when Mist Village is severely hurt, deeply hurt, will they give up their attack on us and turn their attention to Sunagakure to make up for their losses."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he stood up, strolled to the balcony, and looked down over the entire Konoha.

The weather in Konoha was exceptionally bright today, and the sunlight shone on his face, making it glow.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also came to the balcony. Looking down at the prosperous Konoha, they felt a sense of relief.

It has been more than a year since the war officially began last year. In all that time, they have never felt so relaxed and happy.

"Hiruzen, why don't we take this opportunity to force Sunagakure to surrender? They're already at their limit, and now they're fighting Mist Village. They definitely don't want to face an enemy like us again."

Utatane Koharu's mind worked quickly, and she soon found a point of leverage that would benefit Konoha in the battle between the Sand and Mist.

"Yes, Hiruzen, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sunagakure can no longer afford the costs of fighting on two fronts, so they have no choice but to accept our terms."

We can even use this to force the Mist Village to surrender to us!

Mitokado Homura became more and more excited as he spoke, completely oblivious to the strange looks he received from Hiruzen Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu.

Yan has been so tired lately. Look at his dark circles; I don't know how long he hasn't rested. Now he's even starting to talk nonsense.

These are their true thoughts at this moment.

Since Sunagakure is on the same continent, Konoha could directly attack them and force them to surrender.

As for Mist Village, forget about it. As an island nation, the sea is their natural barrier. To defeat Mist Village on the open sea would come at a price that Konoha is not willing to pay right now.

Mist Village is aware of this, so while Sunagakure might surrender, Mist Village will definitely grit their teeth and fight to the death.

"Yan, the environment in Konoha will be much better from now on. You should take this opportunity to rest more. The future of Konoha depends on your continued contribution."

Hiruzen Sarutobi forward, patted Mitokado Homura on the shoulder, and offered words of earnest advice.

Mitokado Homura wasn't really stupid; she was just too excited and blurted something out. Now that she realized it, she knew she had said the wrong thing.

Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words of concern, he readily agreed, displaying an attitude of unity and cooperation, which pleased Hiruzen Sarutobi.

It has to be Yan. Although his abilities are a bit lacking, he's obedient. If Danzo, he would definitely start arguing with him again.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was reminiscing about his old friend Danzo, Mitokado Homura's words rang out once more.

"Hiruzen, shouldn't we bring Taiichi back? We brought it up in the last meeting, but we've been putting it off until now. The situation is pretty much settled, and we can't delay any longer."

These words served as another Hiruzen Sarutobi, who, after a moment's thought, agreed with Mitokado Homura's opinion.

"You're right, we should bring Taiichi back and assign him to a more important position."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back down and looked at Mitokado Homura, continuing, "Alright, Homura, you'll draft the commendation letter for Tsunade's unit this time, and include Taiichi's transfer order in it as well."

Mitokado Homura was taken aback, but still readily accepted the task.

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away."

After saying goodbye to Utatane Koharu, he left the Hokage's Office.

Seeing this, Utatane Koharu shook her head imperceptibly and left the room one after the other.

The Hokage watched the two leave one after the other, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Although all the Sand Village Ninja in Linchuan City were killed by the Mist Village, the Sunagakure still learned of the Sunagakure's attack the very next day.

--

"Asshole!"

An angry roar echoed throughout the entire Sunagakure Building, and even passersby downstairs couldn't help but look up in the direction from which the sound came.

Upon realizing it was Kazekage's Office, they immediately lowered their heads, quickened their pace, and moved away from this place of trouble.

Inside the Kazekage's Office.

Rasa was panting heavily, trying to calm his raging emotions.

The attack on Linchuan City, especially since it was the attacking force behind it, was undoubtedly a blatant Mist Village in the face for him.

He paid a heavy price to form an alliance with Mist Village to attack Konoha, and even Pakura, who used the Scorch Release, died in the process.

But not long after that, Mist Village turned around and attacked Sunagakure.

This is telling the entire Sunagakure that Rasa's decisions are worthless, and that Mist Village doesn't take him seriously at all, even looking down on him.

"Have you found any trace of Mist Village?" Rasa asked the ninja who came to report, his fingers tapping rapidly on the table.

The ninja who was reporting nervously swallowed, the sound of his Adam's apple bobbing particularly jarring at that moment.

He quickly flipped through the documents in his hand, but after several searches, he couldn't find any reports on this topic. Cold sweat trickled down his temples.

"Time is too tight; we haven't received any news on this yet."

Rasa's temple throbbed with veins. The Mist Village had already fought their way into the Land of Wind, yet they didn't even know where the enemy was.

"Are the Eastern Front Forces all useless? This is how they defend the Coastline? The enemy is already at their doorstep and they still don't know it."

The ninja reporting was sweating even more, but he dared not wipe it away, and could only grit his teeth and continue, "Since Lord Pakura's death, no new Commander has been appointed on the Eastern Front. They are still in chaos internally and are completely useless."

Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, Rasa immediately calmed down. In the end, it was all his own doing, and he had to bear the bitterness himself.

"You can go now. Order your men to find this Mist Village unit as soon as possible. With so many of them, they can't hide their tracks."

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."