Myriad Spirit Longevity Art

In the Underworld, within a secluded mountain, sat a figure with two horns on his head, brown hair, and a white robe. On his chest was a pattern of six black magatama, and on his back, a red swirl emblem with nine magatama arranged in a grid below it. Nine Truth-Seeking Orb floated in a circle behind him. This was none other than the Sage of Six Paths, who was currently floating in the air, legs crossed.

After death, the Sage of Six Paths, like any other person, had his soul arrive in the Underworld. He found this quiet place to live while keeping watch over the ninja world.

The moment the Truth-Seeking Orb appeared behind Naruto Uzumaki, the Sage of Six Paths, who had been floating with his eyes closed, opened his three eyes. A look of confusion crossed his face, and he immediately began to investigate.

However, the Truth-Seeking Orb behind Naruto Uzumaki had only appeared for a fleeting moment before vanishing. After a brief search, the Sage of Six Paths found nothing and closed his eyes once more.

After Naruto Uzumaki fully activated Sage Fox Mode, a powerful aura erupted from his body. This energy lashed out, buffeting the surrounding space and whipping up hurricanes around him.

Nearby, when the eye shadows appeared around Naruto Uzumaki's eyes, Jiraiya sensed a familiar energy. "Is this natural energy? Sage Mode?"

With the seal on Kurama undone, and the two minds in perfect sync, Kurama's spiritual energy no longer carried negative emotions, but instead radiated a sense of warmth.

After sensing the changes in his body, Naruto Uzumaki opened his eyes. He felt incredibly strong now. How strong? For instance, in his previous battle with Kakuzu, if he had been able to use Sage Fox Mode back then, he likely wouldn't have needed a second move to take him down.

Once Naruto Uzumaki and Kurama were in sync, more information flooded into Naruto Uzumaki's mind, such as how to use the Tailed Beast Bomb.

Naruto Uzumaki raised his right hand. Red and blue orbs of spiritual energy appeared in the void, and under his control, they slowly merged, eventually forming a pitch-black sphere hovering in his palm.

The moment the Tailed Beast Bomb condensed in his hand, the ground beneath Naruto Uzumaki's feet cracked. As if struck by a heavy weight, the earth within a three-meter radius of his body sank about thirty centimeters.

He did not throw the Tailed Beast Bomb, but instead controlled it until it dissipated in his hand. He didn't continue testing other abilities either, choosing instead to exit Sage Fox Mode, as Jiraiya was still waiting nearby.

Seeing Naruto Uzumaki return to normal and open his eyes, Jiraiya stepped forward and asked, "Naruto Uzumaki, was that natural energy you just used? It felt very similar to Sage Mode."

"Yup, it's related to natural energy, but I call it spiritual energy," Naruto Uzumaki replied.

Under Jiraiya's puzzled gaze, Naruto Uzumaki continued to explain, "That was an ability I gained after Kurama broke his seal. You could think of it as the true, perfect Jinchuriki mode."

"As for Sage Mode, that's because I've unlocked a Sage Body. Plus, what I usually cultivate isn't chakra, but spiritual energy—which is what you call natural energy."

This explanation left Jiraiya even more confused. Having practiced Sage Mode himself, he knew how dangerous natural energy was. In Mount Myoboku, only Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima possessed a Sage Body, which was linked to the fact that they had lived in Mount Myoboku since birth and were constantly exposed to natural energy. Although Jiraiya was called the Toad Sage, he could not use natural energy at will; he had to condense Sage chakra in advance to enter Sage Mode, and to maintain it during battle, he had to summon the two Great Sages to assist him.

"Then how do you manage to cultivate using natural energy?" Jiraiya asked.

Having practiced Sage Mode, he knew the risks. Training in Mount Myoboku carried the danger of turning into a frog or a stone statue. When he first trained, Sage Fukasaku would watch over him, using a special wooden staff to beat the natural energy out of him whenever he started to frog-ify or lose control—a process that earned Jiraiya quite a few bruises from Sage Fukasaku.

It had taken him a full twelve years to practice Sage Mode, and he still hadn't reached the level of a perfect Sage. Even when he used it, signs of frog-ification would appear on his face. As for his disciple, Minato Namikaze, whom he considered the Child of Prophecy, it had taken him three months even with Jiraiya's guidance.

And that was with the abundant natural energy of Mount Myoboku. He had tried training in the outside world after learning to draw in natural energy without losing control, but the progress was slower than in Mount Myoboku because he found the external natural energy far less dense.

It was precisely because of this abundance that many toads in Mount Myoboku were so large. Jiraiya's own tall stature was also a result of spending his youth in Mount Myoboku. Furthermore, the toads there lived very long lives; the two Great Sages were over eight hundred years old, and the master of Mount Myoboku, the Great Toad Sage, had been alive since the era of the Sage of Six Paths and had even guided him in Sage Mode training.

"Pervy Sage, you should be very familiar with meridians and acupoints, right? I learned a type of technique that allows me to absorb spiritual energy into my body using a special method, condense it, and circulate it through my meridians and acupoints to strengthen myself," Naruto Uzumaki replied.

Jiraiya quickly asked, "Won't the spiritual energy absorbed into the body dissipate?"

Usually, when Jiraiya used Sage Mode, the Sage chakra he condensed would dissipate automatically if not used quickly.

"Not at all, because the technique allows me to condense a vortex within my body. When I'm not using it, the spiritual energy just circulates within that vortex," Naruto Uzumaki answered.

"And by practicing, I can make the vortex larger and the spiritual energy more refined. It can even transform my constitution into a spirit body. Actually, Pervy Sage, your Sage Mode is just a way of absorbing spiritual energy to temporarily possess a spirit body." Seeing Jiraiya lost in thought, Naruto Uzumaki added.

Hearing this explanation, Jiraiya suddenly had a realization and continued to ask, "Then your current constitution... it must be a spirit body, right?"

"Practicing the technique slowly changes your constitution. Once you reach a certain level, it transforms into a spirit body. Spirit bodies have different functions; mine doesn't boost my combat power much, but its main purpose is to increase my cultivation speed. I call it the Spirit-Absorbing Battle Body," Naruto Uzumaki replied.

Jiraiya remarked, "I see. No wonder you have such strength at your age."

At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki suddenly looked up, staring at Jiraiya with a solemn expression.

Caught off guard by the intense gaze, Jiraiya became serious.

Seeing Jiraiya's unnatural expression, Naruto Uzumaki said, "Pervy Sage, do you want to possess a spirit body and become a true Sage?"

Jiraiya, who had felt awkward under Naruto Uzumaki's stare, was stunned and asked, "Can I really?"

"Of course you can! Actually, I've already prepared the technique for you, and I have other interesting things ready as well," Naruto Uzumaki replied with a mischievous grin.

Seeing Naruto Uzumaki's slightly eerie smile, Jiraiya swallowed hard. Although he desperately wanted to become a true Sage, he wouldn't agree if Naruto Uzumaki asked him to do something against his principles, so he watched him cautiously.

The cautious look in Jiraiya's eyes made Naruto Uzumaki burst into laughter. "Haha, Pervy Sage, I'm just teasing you. I really did prepare something good for you."

He stood up, walked over to Jiraiya, and told him not to move before pressing his finger to Jiraiya's brow. Jiraiya closed his eyes.

The text of the techniques in Naruto Uzumaki's mind came from that other world.

Therefore, when selecting the technique, Naruto Uzumaki had converted the characters into the script currently used in the ninja world.

After a long while, Naruto Uzumaki lowered his finger. A book titled Myriad Spirit Longevity Art had appeared in Jiraiya's mind. It wasn't a technique for increasing cultivation, but rather one for healing or replenishing vitality.

Plants and trees in the world naturally emit a type of Wood Spirit Qi, which is full of life force. This is especially dense in lush, vegetated areas, which is why people feel refreshed when visiting places with beautiful scenery.

This Wood Spirit Qi is usually invisible and can only be sensed through special methods. Naruto Uzumaki had also practiced the Myriad Spirit Longevity Art, but since he didn't need to replenish his life force and hadn't been injured, he rarely used it.

When he had absorbed the chakra of Asura, he immediately awakened the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan and unlocked his spirit body, precisely because that strand of Asura's chakra was an incredibly refined and pure form of exotic spiritual energy.

Jiraiya was now over forty years old. For nearly forty years, he had used only chakra. Chakra is a product of the equal mixture of mental and physical energy, meaning every bit of chakra extracted consumes an equal amount of mental and physical energy—both of which are manifestations of life force.

In the world from Naruto Uzumaki's memories, the stronger a person's power, the longer their lifespan and the more youthful their appearance. Cultivation techniques not only increase strength but also extend life once a certain realm is reached. Jiraiya, while one of the top experts in the ninja world, was already showing wrinkles on his face despite his still-imposing physique.

Theoretically, cultivation is the process of absorbing spiritual energy to strengthen the cells that make up the human body, enhancing cell activity and increasing the number of cell divisions. Upon reaching a certain realm, the cells in the body no longer show signs of death; they divide slowly until they stop altogether. While the cells can still be injured, they do not die and can be restored by absorbing spiritual energy. At that point, one achieves true immortality, living as long as the heavens and earth, never dying as long as spiritual energy exists in the world.

Translated by Ti Ta