Chapter 152: Ice Dragon

That tone almost made it sound like he was here to challenge someone.

Money talks, and Penguin Mani fully understood and acknowledged this.

"I'll pay in advance and come back after I finish my business. I've got a lot going on right now, so I'll train in Senjutsu when I'm done."

Carrying too much money around made Tōshirō uneasy, so he decided to spend some of it first. Based on Mount Myoboku's training methods, he instinctively assumed that learning Senjutsu would be complicated.

However, Penguin Mani gave an unexpected response: "No need to go through all that trouble. Senjutsu training is quick."

Tōshirō was stunned. "How quick?"

"As quick as you want it to be."

Tōshirō grew even more suspicious.

Penguin Mani flapped its wing at Tōshirō, signaling him to come closer.

Tōshirō obediently followed instructions and, as requested, raised his right arm, rolling up his sleeve to expose his fair skin.

Tōshirō had quite a pale complexion.

Penguin Mani patted Tōshirō's thin arm with its wing and clicked its tongue in admiration. "Look at this, so soft and tender."

That didn't sound reassuring at all.

Before Tōshirō could react, Penguin Mani moved first. It opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth that looked absolutely terrifying.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?!"

Without a word, Penguin Mani sank its teeth into Tōshirō's arm. Blood gushed out instantly.

Tōshirō was about to curse, but before he could, a sharp pain shot through his arm. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the icy ground, gripping his wounded arm. The pain spread from his arm throughout his entire body, making him feel like he was in the final stages of a terminal illness. He let out a muffled groan.

The excruciating pain lasted for a full minute before gradually subsiding. Tōshirō, now drenched in sweat, glared at Penguin Mani, absolutely furious. If he had the strength to fight back, he would've torn that damn bird apart.

"I know what you're thinking, but before you say anything, take a look at your arm first."

Tōshirō hesitated, then lifted his arm, only to find mysterious black markings now covering it. Two black diamond-shaped rings encircled his wrist, and above them was a pattern resembling the horns of a one-eyed demon.

(PS: Think of the markings that Gray from Fairy Tail has when using Devil Slayer Magic.)

"This is…"

Tōshirō's anger dissipated as he stared in shock at the dark markings now wrapped around his arm.

Penguin Mani smirked. "Surprised? Didn't see that coming, did you?"

Tōshirō: …

"I just injected Senjutsu chakra into your body with my teeth, triggering a transformation. The black markings on your arm are proof of that. When you use Senjutsu, these marks will spread across your body."

Hearing this explanation, Tōshirō was reminded of how Orochimaru used his bite to implant cursed seals in others. The Ryuchi Cave's Senjutsu training also seemed to follow a similar method.

Realizing he had successfully withstood the Senjutsu infusion, Tōshirō grew excited. "So does this mean I've passed the trial?"

Penguin Mani, still maintaining an air of superiority, responded, "This was just the first round. Why are you so happy about enduring one phase?"

"Uh…" Tōshirō caught onto the key phrase. "So there are multiple rounds?"

Penguin Mani nodded. "Based on my observations, you should be able to handle the first two rounds without much trouble. But as for the third…"

"What happens in the third?"

Penguin Mani flapped its wings and gestured for money.

Damn it!

Tōshirō gritted his teeth and reluctantly took out a stack of cash from his briefcase, shoving it toward Penguin Mani. "There, happy now?"

"That, I can't say for sure…"

Tōshirō: ???

Even a calm person has their limits. His patience snapped. "Are you messing with me?!"

"Calm down, calm down! I really don't know!"

Since Tōshirō was the 'golden goose,' Penguin Mani couldn't afford to offend him too much and quickly tried to pacify him. "Let me explain the three stages of Senjutsu training."

Tōshirō's anger subsided slightly. "Now we're talking."

Penguin Mani took a moment to gather its thoughts. "The first stage is what you just went through—I inject Senjutsu chakra into your body. If you can endure the first infusion, you'll be able to use the first stage of Sage Mode.

If the first infusion is just an introduction, then the second stage is an enhancement of that foundation… In other words, I'll bite your arm again."

Tōshirō: …

"As for the third stage, that's where things get tricky. This is where a qualitative transformation occurs. To reach the third stage, you need both talent and…"

Penguin Mani deliberately paused, waiting for Tōshirō to take the bait.

Tōshirō, already hooked, leaned in eagerly. "And what?"

Penguin Mani gave Tōshirō a deep look before pausing and speaking in a heavy tone: "Abandon your human identity…"

Tōshirō's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean?"

Penguin Mani remained silent, flapped its wings, and repeated its usual gesture.

The meaning was clear—more money was needed.

Tōshirō froze.

He understood. And he was furious.

He really wanted to argue with the penguin, but since the intellectual property rights were in its hands, he had no choice but to keep forking over cash for information.

Seeing how "respectful" Tōshirō was being, Penguin Mani decided to go easy on him. "To complete the third stage of transformation, the first two stages are just the foundation. If you pass the first two trials, I will then teach you a Senjutsu technique. Once activated, your body will be engulfed in a massive chakra cocoon, forming a shell around you—an unbreakable egg that no external attack can penetrate. Over a long period of gestation, a transformation from quantity to quality will occur, and in the end, you will hatch from the shell."

Hearing this, Tōshirō swallowed nervously. "And what happens when I break out of the shell?"

"Your body will undergo a transformation, developing animal traits. At that point, there are two possible outcomes: the first is that your body can't withstand the transformation and you explode. The second… is that you complete your final metamorphosis."

"You said animal traits—what exactly does that mean?"

"There are various possibilities. Some take on the characteristics of penguins, birds, or bears. It depends on what's deep inside your subconscious—it reflects the image of your soul."

The image of the soul?

Tōshirō thought about what he might turn into.

A descendant of dragons?

An ice dragon?

Wait…

That might look cool, but what's the point?

If he turned into something like that, how would he ever get close to Tsunade again?

A dragon knight?

No thanks, he definitely didn't want to be the one getting ridden.

Feeling like he had just realized something, Tōshirō asked, "Let me ask you this—when you said there are three stages to Sage Mode, you wouldn't happen to have separate prices for each stage, would you?"

Penguin Mani blinked. "Of course! You're pretty sharp!"

As expected…

Tōshirō groaned. "How much for the second stage?"

Due to the uncertainty and side effects of the third stage, Tōshirō only planned to learn up to the second stage of Sage Mode.

He had already spent 30 million on the first stage, including the master's fee. The second stage shouldn't cost more than a few hundred million at most.

After all, he had already found his way to riches—robbery. Well, the unlawful kind.

"Not expensive, just 5 billion."

"Cough!" Tōshirō choked, then shouted, "Why don't you just go rob someone instead?!"

"The second stage comes bundled with the third stage."

"Oh, that makes sense… MY ASS! What kind of scam is that?!" Tōshirō bellowed. "Bundled pricing?! Are you serious?!"

"Never heard of package deals?" Penguin Mani put on an innocent face.

"I only want the second stage. I don't want to learn the third stage."

To him, using the third stage of Senjutsu was no different from asking to die. Even if he somehow survived it, he wouldn't be human anymore—what was the point?

"That's not an option."

"Why?"

"If I don't bundle the third stage with it, how else am I supposed to sell it?"

Penguin Mani knew what it was doing.

Tōshirō cursed, "You damn scammer!"

Penguin Mani remained unfazed. "Scammer? Now, that's just unfair. You get what you pay for. Besides, my prices are transparent and fair!"

Tōshirō knew that quality came at a price—where else could he even learn Sage Mode for just 5 billion?

The problem was, the third stage was completely useless to him!

"Alright, alright, no need to get so worked up. Why don't you try out the first stage of Sage Mode before judging the price?"

Oh, so you know you're overcharging… Tōshirō glanced at the black markings on his arm. "How do I activate the first stage of Sage Mode?"

(PS: Just to clarify, the "summoning beast" concept didn't get a great response, but since it's already written, I can't just scrap it, so I'll stick with it. Just think of it as a 'system' that grants the protagonist Sage Arts. That should make it easier to accept (lol). Overall, I guess my abilities are limited.)

(End of Chapter)

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