Simplified Sage Mode!

"Ding! The system is drawing rewards, please wait..."

At this moment, Lihuo had completely forgotten the exhaustion of practicing the Rasengan. His joy was written all over his face, prompting Guy and Kakashi to tease him.

"Creating an A-rank ninjutsu on your own, that's truly impressive."

"I'll create an equally powerful A-rank ninjutsu in the future too."

Although there was a hint of jealousy in Kakashi's words, Lihuo believed absolutely in Kakashi's ability to create an A-rank ninjutsu—perhaps even more than Kakashi believed in himself.

"A powerful ninjutsu blooming from the fire of burning youth, it's truly exciting!"

Guy, that youth-obsessed freak, was as passionate as ever.

Lihuo told the two to continue their training, using the opportunity to send them away.

"Open the gift pack!"

As soon as the words left his lips, the cold system voice rang out.

"Congratulations to the host for successfully passing the novice period. The graduation reward is now being issued: Simplified Sage Mode."

Lihuo looked at the reward before him, feeling somewhat bewildered. As a veteran fan of the series, Lihuo naturally knew what Sage Mode was, but the system's so-called "Simplified Sage Mode" left him scratching his head.

Before Lihuo could think it over, a wave of intense pain swept through his abdomen.

The pain was so sharp, it felt as if a Rasengan had been pressed directly into his stomach!

"Why does every reward issuance have to be so painful!"

At first, Lihuo could still complain, but later on, he didn't even have the strength to speak.

When the pain finally began to recede, Lihuo could finally perceive the new changes in his body—or rather, the new changes in the outside world!

Now, Lihuo could clearly feel the energy floating in the environment.

"Looking at it in the context of Sage Mode, these floating energies must be natural energy."

"It's as if there was a thick barrier outside my body before, isolating me from natural energy."

"But now, I can absorb natural energy freely. In other words, I truly have the foundation to practice Sage Mode!"

Lihuo slowly recalled the training methods for Sage Mode.

"If chakra is the perfect combination of physical energy and spiritual energy, then senjutsu chakra is the addition of natural energy to those two, bringing them to a perfect 1:1:1 state."

"However, practicing Sage Mode requires a massive amount of chakra as a foundation; otherwise, rashly introducing natural energy will only lead to being devoured by it."

At this moment, the system voice, which had been silent for a short while, rang out again.

"This reward is: Simplified Sage Mode. It has the advantages of fast activation and minimal side effects. Correspondingly, its power is significantly reduced, and its duration is shorter than that of a true Sage Mode."

Upon hearing this, Lihuo understood that this "Simplified Sage Mode" was essentially a "harmless Cursed Seal," except that the Cursed Seal passively absorbed natural energy to enhance the user's abilities and was much harder to control.

After understanding the pros and cons of the system reward, Lihuo finally felt at ease.

"In the original story, Naruto used Sage Mode to shatter five of the Six Paths of Pain and pushed Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, into a desperate situation."

"I wonder how much this 'Simplified Sage Mode' will improve my strength."

Immediately, Lihuo sat cross-legged and skillfully began to absorb the natural energy from his surroundings.

Thanks to his Kage-level chakra control, achieving a 1:1:1 energy ratio was as easy as pie for Lihuo.

"I really don't regret touching the Third Hokage's head. This ability—whoever uses it knows how good it is."

Slowly, Lihuo felt the chakra within his body gradually merge with the natural energy, forming a new type of energy that was both highly compatible and incredibly destructive: senjutsu chakra!

To an outside observer, Lihuo had now completely merged with nature, and his presence could not be detected through sensory perception.

With a low shout from Lihuo, "Sage Mode, activate!"

The surrounding trees swayed without any wind, as if an invisible force had brushed past them.

Lihuo stood up and carefully felt the changes in his body.

"System, will eye shadow appear when entering Sage Mode?"

"The Simplified Sage Mode will not, but the host can set it manually. The full Sage Mode will definitely produce eye shadow, which the host cannot customize."

"Then no eye shadow. If eye shadow appears, anyone would know I've entered the second stage. Sneaking into a transformation without eye shadow is the way to go."

Lihuo clenched his fists.

"My physical fitness has improved by about 30% compared to before. Not only that, the addition of senjutsu chakra has greatly enhanced the power of my ninjutsu."

"Let me test my sensory abilities. In the original story, Naruto located Nagato a thousand miles away through black rods, which shows how much Sage Mode enhances sensory perception!"

Lihuo closed his eyes and activated the Yamanaka Secret Technique: Perception.

"Guy and Kakashi are training, and not only that, I can even clearly perceive every blade of grass and every tree around me!"

"Huh? What is this cold, sinister chakra?"

Suddenly, in Lihuo's sensory world, a pair of emotionless snake eyes appeared! The uniquely cold and sinister chakra made Lihuo tremble all over.

The next second, Lihuo was forced to deactivate Sage Mode and collapsed to the ground. In a daze, he saw a brownish-yellow python slithering away.

"Did I see that wrong?"

Before long, Guy and Kakashi hurried over.

"Lihuo, what happened to you? Weren't you practicing ninjutsu? What's going on!"

Lihuo did not reveal the whole truth; after all, sometimes the more one knows, the more dangerous it becomes.

Afterward, Guy and Kakashi accompanied Lihuo home. As they parted ways, Kakashi said to Lihuo, "I want to test the results of this month's training. Once you've recovered, shall we have a spar?"

"I'd be happy to oblige!"

Early the next morning, Lihuo was roused by Kakashi.

"What is it? It's so early..."

"Aren't we going to spar?"

"That doesn't mean we have to be up this early!"

"Hurry up. We still have to train after the spar. Uncle Dai finishes his mission today, so Guy might not be free this afternoon."

"Then where are we sparring?"

"At my place."

"Oh, wait! Your place! Is Uncle Sakumo there?"

"Of course my dad is at my house. Are you an idiot?"

Upon hearing that he was about to meet the legendary Konoha White Fang, Lihuo sprang from his bed in excitement, quickly dressing and washing up.

To leave a good impression on his senior, he even put on his black Uchiha training uniform, making him look exceptionally spirited and handsome (at least one-third as handsome as you, dear readers).

"Let's go!"

"You're going the wrong way!"

"I'm going to the ninja tool shop to buy blade oil for your uncle. It's our first meeting; how could I show up empty-handed?"

"That will be 100,000 yen! Please come again, little handsome!"

Amidst the enthusiastic farewell of the beautiful clerk, Lihuo walked out of the shop with a pained expression.

Although he had accumulated a considerable fortune by patting heads, this purchase was truly a massive hemorrhage for Lihuo.

"Actually, you didn't need to buy such an expensive gift."

"Ah, you don't understand. The blade oil I bought is high quality and comes in a large quantity. One bottle lasts three generations; the person might be gone, but the oil remains."

"So, I'm the one who doesn't understand blades."

The two of them bickered and joked until they arrived at the Hatake ancestral home. Perhaps due to the decline of their family, the Hatake clan did not have a luxurious compound like the Uchiha, but rather a single, elegant ancestral house.

Upon entering, Lihuo saw the legendary Konoha White Fang. When he had first transmigrated, Lihuo had seen White Fang and felt as if he were looking at a sheathed sword—he didn't understand why, but he knew it was formidable.

After more than a month of training, Lihuo understood the world's power system better and became increasingly aware of Sakumo's strength.

Lihuo knew that while he could still gauge Kakashi's strength, Sakumo's strength was unfathomable!

When you play a game and see an enemy whose level and health bar are both "???", you have to ask yourself if you're scared.

However, at this moment, Sakumo defied Lihuo's previous impression; he was wearing an apron and holding a spatula in one hand.

"Kakashi is back. Is this your good friend Lihuo? Come on in, I'll have the fish ready in a moment."

Lihuo, naturally, could not be impolite and quickly said, "Hello, Uncle. I am Kakashi's friend, Lihuo. I have long heard of your great strength, and seeing you now, you are truly extraordinary. This is a small gift I brought; I hope you will accept it."

Kakashi curled his lip. "Sycophant."

After some brief pleasantries, Lihuo could clearly feel that this elder had no airs at all and was, in fact, very kind. In the end, Sakumo accepted the blade oil and promised to guide Lihuo's training.

Afterward, Sakumo invited Lihuo to eat the fish he had cooked himself. The taste was incredibly delicious, drawing endless praise from Lihuo.

Feeling slightly full, Lihuo and Kakashi consciously put down their chopsticks; after all, being too full would not be conducive to their performance.

The two stood in the backyard of the Hatake residence, took their stances, and the battle was ready to erupt at any moment!