Tsunade: Who are you, you stinky brat?

Several days of travel.

Naruto had been continuously practicing ninjutsu.

He used multiple shadow clones to rest and train simultaneously, day and night.

His goal was to uncover the secret of Sage Mode.

Where was the problem?

Naruto pondered if humans, regardless of which Sage Mode they learned, would exhibit varying degrees and characteristics of senjutsu transformation.

Then why was the Sage of Six Paths able to undergo transformation without issue, and even preserve his chakra in the natural world after death?

Was Sage Mode considered perfect when it reached Naruto's current level, where he no longer grew toad-like warts?

Powerful!

The Sage of Six Paths was indeed powerful, capable of converting natural energy into senjutsu chakra anytime, anywhere.

He didn't need to painstakingly convert natural energy like others; absolute power was everything.

It was like how the Strength of a Hundred Seal, developed step by step, led to the creation of the Strength of a Hundred Technique.

For ordinary people, it was a marvelous secret ninjutsu.

But for Hashirama, it was entirely passive, and he didn't even need to store chakra for normal use.

Chakra Enhanced Strength and Painful Sky Leg were, in the end, just applications of chakra, a way of Taijutsu combat!

The most remarkable aspect of the Strength of a Hundred Seal was its ability to actively store chakra.

And Hashirama's innate advantage was his Sage Body!

The essence!

Naruto suddenly understood.

"Perverted Sage!"

"I've got it! I understand! Sage Mode is actually an unfinished product. Because the Sage of Six Paths was too powerful and could use it permanently anytime, anywhere, all one needed to learn was how to convert natural energy into senjutsu chakra."

"But we don't have his power, so this first step becomes a stumbling block, and it's also seen as the ultimate of Sage Mode! In reality, it's just the very beginning!"

Naruto's laughter startled Jiraiya awake from his sleep.

"Idiot Naruto! It's the middle of the night, what are you muttering about in your sleep!"

Creak!

Under the moonlight.

Naruto was still ecstatic, and crows flew overhead.

It was an exceptionally quiet night.

Naruto began to absorb the extremely sparse natural energy around him.

Simultaneously, he attempted to train!

Once the senjutsu chakra had accumulated, Naruto started trying to use it with the methods of Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

One must know.

The power of the Lightning Armor lay in its ability to strengthen the human body.

Like the Raikage and Killer Bee of past generations who wielded the Lightning Armor.

Their inherent speed, strength, and defense were already beyond the reach of ordinary people.

This was all because they used Lightning Release Chakra to temper and stimulate their physique.

Naruto was now using senjutsu chakra to temper his body.

Before long.

Naruto's skin began to emit a faint white light.

This was a state never before seen in previous Sage Mode transformations.

Boom!

He attempted a normal punch.

A dead tree immediately exploded into fragments.

In fact, normal Sage Mode could achieve this as well.

But after Naruto tempered his body with senjutsu chakra, the previous strike only consumed one-tenth of his normal chakra!

Less consumption, equivalent power!

"Naruto!"

"This time next year, we'll be mourning you!"

Jiraiya could no longer stand it; sleep was impossible tonight!

Smashing trees in the middle of the night!

Hm?

Jiraiya sensed an unusual aura the moment he approached Naruto.

He saw Naruto's body radiating a white light, appearing even paler and colder under the moonlight.

Yet, a faint white mist emanated from his skin, flickering in and out of existence.

"It is Sage chakra tempering my body, making my physique as light and powerful as the Sage chakra itself."

"In this state, my flesh, internal organs, and bones can temporarily transform into the gaseous state of Sage chakra."

"It boosts my strength, speed, defense, and healing rate once more. I call this Sage Mode Double!"

Naruto's golden hair grew and drifted wildly, just like the vaporized Sage chakra.

How miraculous!

It was a method Jiraiya had never even imagined!

"The most critical point is that the longer I maintain it, the stronger the tempering of my body becomes."

"One day, I will reach a state of one hundred percent completion, achieving direct vaporization of Sage chakra!"

"Any limb can be healed at any time using Sage chakra; I can regrow severed limbs. I will be a true Sage who is one with natural energy!"

Naruto's gathered Sage chakra was now exhausted.

The white light vanished, and the mist dissipated.

But he had truly been strengthened from the inside out!

"Where did you get this inspiration?"

"You're a genius, Naruto! This way, not only can you maintain Sage Mode longer without worrying about turning into a frog, but you can also keep getting stronger!"

Jiraiya was ecstatic.

Then, a second thought struck him, and he felt something was off.

Why did this feel a bit like that kid, Minato Namikaze?

The more they studied and trained, the faster and stronger the student became compared to the master?

"I learned it from reading manga. Actually, I like playing games, reading manga and novels, and I really love anime conventions. I've always wanted to get a decent camera to take photos there."

Naruto couldn't help but recall that world filled with games, videos, and anime.

"Anime conventions? What are those?"

Jiraiya was unknowingly led astray.

"It's a place full of people dressed as characters from various novels, manga, and games! You can take photos together! There's singing, dancing, and all sorts of cringey skits!"

Naruto spoke with great enthusiasm.

So that's how it is!

"Anime conventions sound absolutely amazing!"

Jiraiya, moved by the idea, already imagined scenery that surpassed the hot springs.

"Perverted Sage, what are you grinning about?"

Naruto felt that Jiraiya was ten out of ten percent suspicious!

"Uh, I'm obviously worried about your training progress. By the way, how did you manage that just now?"

Jiraiya gave a dry cough. "Although I've known how to do it for a long time, I didn't expect you to be self-taught. Tell me about your insights quickly!"

Tch!

Could Naruto not tell?

He just wanted to learn but was too embarrassed to ask!

In the Sealing Space.

The Nine-Tails was also somewhat surprised.

So there was a Sage Mode Double? Why hadn't he ever seen the Sage of Six Paths use it?

Forget it.

In the Nine-Tails' memory.

If the Sage of Six Paths made a move, even a simple Fireball Jutsu would turn into a technique capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas.

Ninjas were truly getting worse and worse.

The Nine-Tails thought to himself, feeling a bit bitter.

Hmph!

What's so great about Sage chakra? Can it compare to my Nine-Tails chakra!

It takes too long to gather, you have to be careful not to let it take over your body, and it drains too quickly.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

The Nine-Tails simply curled into a ball and fell fast asleep.

The next day.

Naruto followed Jiraiya to a small town.

Tanzaku Town.

A place where the entertainment industry was extremely developed, especially famous for its gambling.

As a ninja, one was supposed to have sharp eyes, quick hands, and keen hearing.

The fact that Tsunade managed to lose every single bet was truly a disgrace to all ninjas.

"She must be on this street."

Jiraiya found a tavern and walked in as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It was as if he knew all of Tsunade's habits just by walking through the place.

Where she would gamble, where she would run off to, and which restaurant she would eat at.

He was far too familiar with her.

So much so that many scenes in his memories featured an ageless old hag who was obsessed with gambling.

"Why did I lose again! Is my luck just bad lately? Damn it!"

Tsunade, having had a few drinks, slammed the table while clutching her little pig.

She turned her head and saw Jiraiya standing beside her, accompanied by a familiar-looking blond kid.

Before the two of them could even say a word.

Naruto had already raised his hand to flag down a waiter.

"Hello, I'd like one roast suckling pig."

Ah!

The little pig was so startled that its pearl necklace nearly flew off.

"It misunderstood me. In that case, I'll just have a pork cutlet bowl."

Naruto sat down next to Shizune as if nothing had happened, calmly pouring tea and waiting for his meal.

"Hey!"

Tsunade slammed the table.

She leaned in until her forehead was pressed directly against Naruto's.

"Who is this brat! You bastard!"