Although Manji had died, he had bitten into the Chakra Fruit just before his death.
It had only been one bite, but it contained an enormous amount of energy!
After being reborn, Manji could feel that the Chakra Fruit had indeed nourished his body. His chakra had become immense, and his physical body was several times stronger than before!
Current body configuration: Sage Body + Otsutsuki Body
Note: Manji's Sage Body is not the Sage Body from the original story. He cultivated it at Mount Myōboku, and it came naturally after years of practice.
The defining feature of Manji's Sage Body was that he could remain in Sage Mode at all times. Though "remain" wasn't quite the right word—Sage Mode was simply his natural state.
It was like how the toads of Mount Myōboku could use senjutsu without entering Sage Mode.
He could use senjutsu whenever he wanted, and the chakra he refined was automatically Senjutsu Chakra. He didn't even need to form Hand Seals.
Now, Manji took another bite of the Chakra Fruit.
His body improved once again!
Unfortunately, he still hadn't broken through to the Six Paths level.
He'd only taken a bite. If he ate the whole thing, he really could break through to the Six Paths level.
"Huh!?"
A lightbulb seemed to go off above White Ape King's head.
"I can tell your body really is extraordinary now. Does that mean you can try learning the senjutsu of my Monkey Demon Clan?!"
White Ape King looked delighted.
A glint flashed in Manji's eyes. Hey, maybe he really could.
He'd wanted to learn more senjutsu before, but his body hadn't been up to it. Sage Mode depended on balance, and learning too much could throw that balance off and cause problems.
But now that his body was extraordinary, maybe he could learn it after all?
"Alas, I have to admit, no one in my Monkey Demon Clan besides me has mastered our senjutsu. If I die, our art will be lost..."
White Ape King sighed, looking as though he couldn't bear to see his clan fall short.
Manji raised an eyebrow. So that was why Enma in the original story had no senjutsu.
The Third Hokage's summoning beast had been so powerful.
And Enma, whom Orochimaru had called the strongest summoning beast, had no senjutsu. Why?
So the art had been lost after White Ape King's time!
"Fine. To keep your clan's senjutsu from being lost, I'll give it a try!"
Manji spoke with righteous resolve.
He wore an expression that seemed to say, If I don't go to hell, who will?
White Ape King immediately led Manji to a stone tablet.
Manji studied the senjutsu inscribed on it, pondering for a moment before looking at White Ape King and nodding. "Show me how it's done first."
"Man, this senjutsu is dangerous. If you get it wrong, you could explode and die."
White Ape King cautioned him.
Manji waved a hand. "I'm not afraid!"
He could be reborn, after all. He really wasn't afraid of anything that carried a risk of death.
He had nothing to lose, so he might as well go for it.
At worst, he'd die, return to his starting point, and begin again!
White Ape King saw this and immediately sat down cross-legged, preparing to enter Sage Mode.
About three hours later, a powerful aura surged from White Ape King!
A distinctive Sage pattern appeared on his face!
"Sage Mode! Success!"
White Ape King clenched his fist and said, "Manji, my Sage Mode mainly enhances my physical strength. Once activated, it greatly boosts my body!"
With that, White Ape King swung a fierce punch at the tombstone bearing Manji's name.
"Bang! Boom!"
A sonic boom rang out!
The punch sent a shockwave like Daytime Tiger sweeping forward!
"Boom!"
Manji's tombstone in the distance was instantly smashed to pieces!
Not a scrap remained!
It had been completely flattened!
A massive crater from the force of the blast was left behind.
"Impressive! That punch made smoke rise from my old grave!" Manji couldn't help praising him.
He understood now. The Monkey Demon Clan's Sage Mode could be seen as an alternative to the Eight Inner Gates, but without the drawbacks.
"All right, my turn to learn!"
Manji imitated White Ape King and immediately began practicing the Monkey Demon Clan's senjutsu.
Manji drew on what he'd learned from the senjutsu of Mount Myōboku, then worked to combine it with the Enma Sage Art.
Before long, he felt he'd grasped the basics.
After only half an hour, he already felt proficient.
"Huh!?"
White Ape King was stunned!
"Y-you... You learned it faster than I can enter Sage Mode!?"
White Ape King stared at Manji as if he'd seen a ghost.
He'd been about to tell Manji not to lose heart if he failed the first time and to keep practicing. He'd even wanted to encourage him.
But Manji had learned it faster than White Ape King could enter Sage Mode!
White Ape King was on the verge of tears.
Manji said nothing. He was surprised by his own talent, too.
Could it be that his body had naturally adapted after his previous experience?
Was he born with a body made for mastering senjutsu?
Time passed, and Manji spent the entire week in Ape Demon Cave.
He also made a bold change: he combined the Enma Sage Art with the senjutsu of Mount Myōboku!
Manji had only meant to give it a try, but to his surprise, it worked.
He successfully fused the two arts, greatly increasing his strength.
Manji took a deep breath. He didn't form Hand Seals or even adopt a complicated starting stance. He simply raised his hand at ease.
His knuckles aimed at an ancient tree in the distance, so massive that it would take more than a dozen people to wrap their arms around it.
"Sage Art: Multiple Frog Kumite!"
The moment he spoke, his fist shot forward.
There was no earth-shattering buildup, only a hum from chakra compressed at high speed. A solid, amber-like sphere of compressed air burst from his fist!
It shot toward the tree with a shrill whistle, tearing through the air!
"Bang—!"
The instant the sphere struck the trunk, there was no drawn-out impact. The tree disintegrated into dust right where it was hit!
"Wonderful! That's powerful. But why is it called Frog Kumite?" White Ape King asked, puzzled.
Manji only smiled faintly.
Suddenly, senjutsu from Mount Myōboku surged within the area where the sphere had exploded!
It became an invisible shock wave that spread out from the destroyed tree, sweeping through everything within a hundred meters.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A succession of explosions shook the woods outside Ape Demon Cave. What had begun with the destruction of a single giant tree turned in the blink of an eye into a sweeping disaster of energy.
Dozens of towering ancient trees were crushed by an invisible giant hand. Their trunks snapped, branches flew, and their thick wood proved as fragile as paper before the combined power of the two senjutsu arts.
In just a few seconds, a broad, circular clearing had been blasted into the once-lush woodland. Broken trunks and flying splinters littered the ground, while waves of energy, like mountain mists, lingered in the air.
"My heavens! I get it! You actually combined the senjutsu of Mount Myōboku with that of the Monkey Demon Clan!?"
White Ape King stood rooted to the spot, the admiration still on his face replaced by utter shock.
He stared at the wrecked forest, then at Manji's fist, which hung casually at his side. His throat bobbed, and his voice trembled. "Th-this power has already surpassed the Enma Sage Art on its own!"
"Right."
Manji lowered his fist. Feeling the chakra still surging through him without the slightest resistance, he smiled with confidence.
The fusion of the two arts had worked even better than he'd expected. The energy control of the Mount Myōboku senjutsu gave his attack a precise, expanding area of effect.
Meanwhile, the physical enhancement of the Enma Sage Art raised its explosive power to a whole new level. The two arts complemented each other, producing the devastating effect of that punch.
Manji turned to White Ape King and explained with a smile, "I kept the name from the Mount Myōboku technique, but the art now includes the power of the Enma Sage Art. You could say it's an entirely new senjutsu."
As soon as he finished speaking, the energy waves in the distance, not yet fully dissipated, triggered another faint rumble.
A few tiny branches that had somehow escaped destruction drifted slowly to the ground, making the flattened forest seem even more awe-inspiring.
White Ape King gazed at Manji's back, his heart filled with emotion. Such talent was truly terrifying!
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