Chapter 234: The Perfect Sage!

Mount Myōboku, a place of legendary Significance, stands alongside Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest as one of the three great sage lands. Isolated from the shinobi world in a separate dimension, the only way to reach it is through summoning techniques or space-time ninjutsu.

After entrusting Hokage duties to Minato and Nara Shikaku, Uzumaki Raiden brought his two disciples, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, to the sacred land. As he put it, even the Hokage is entitled to a few months of "recuperation."

However, Raiden's true purpose was twofold—first, to resolve the persistent issue that had emerged with his Sage Mode, and second, to train his two genius disciples under the guidance of the two great sage toads, Fukasaku and Shima.

Leading Itachi and Shisui down the right path would greatly aid Raiden's long-term plans.

At the Sage Spring...

Beside the shimmering Sage Spring in Mount Myōboku, Raiden sat cross-legged, eyes closed, concentrating on absorbing natural energy. On his shoulder, Fukasaku held a black staff, observing him closely.

Crack...

Suddenly, a soft cracking sound echoed from Raiden's body. His jacket tore apart as his arms swelled and turned blue, beginning the dreaded transformation.

Thwack!

Fukasaku brought the staff down hard onto Raiden's back, instantly purging the excess natural energy. The frog-like transformation subsided, and Raiden slowly opened his eyes, a look of frustration crossing his face.

Despite repeated attempts over the past few days, every time he condensed senjutsu chakra, the natural energy in the environment surged uncontrollably into his body. The balance between his chakra and natural energy broke almost instantly, forcing him into partial transformation.

"Take a break for now, Raiden," Fukasaku suggested thoughtfully.

"The absorption process hasn't changed, but whenever I attempt to gather natural energy, it floods into me far beyond my control."

"If it weren't for my strong chakra reserves, I'd transform completely within seconds."

"This isn't practical for combat at all," Raiden muttered, frustrated. He tossed aside his torn jacket, revealing his well-defined muscles.

Stepping to the edge of the spring, he scooped a handful of sage oil and applied it to his palms. As soon as the oil touched his skin, natural energy rushed toward him like a tidal wave, rapidly initiating the transformation process again.

"Same result..." Raiden sighed as his body began changing once more. He tried to counterbalance the influx with his own chakra, but the overwhelming natural energy of Mount Myōboku easily overpowered him.

With a knowing shake of his head, Fukasaku struck Raiden's back once again, leaving a red welt.

The pain only caused Raiden to frown slightly.

"Blindly pushing forward won't get you anywhere," Fukasaku advised, crossing his arms.

"My suggestion? Give up on Sage Mode. For you, the risks far outweigh the benefits."

"With your current strength, there are few who can truly threaten you—even without senjutsu, you can handle most threats."

Fukasaku's words were rational. When a technique's risks outweigh its advantages, abandoning it is usually the most logical choice.

But not for Raiden.

"Any other jutsu, maybe. But I can't abandon senjutsu."

"When facing enemies like Madara or the Ōtsutsuki clan, Sage Mode and taijutsu are the only techniques that can truly match them."

Hearing Raiden's firm response, Fukasaku sighed. "I don't know what kind of enemy you're preparing for, but since you're this determined..."

"I have a theory about your situation."

"When you first learned Sage Mode, you showed remarkable talent—perhaps even too much."

"I believe your current problem lies within your body itself."

"As you've grown, the latent potential in your bloodline has fully awakened."

"Your affinity for natural energy is likely far beyond anything I imagined," Fukasaku mused, stroking his chin.

Raiden furrowed his brows. "Affinity? Talent? In the ninja world, those things don't mean much."

"If that's the case, then how do I fix it?"

Fukasaku nodded sagely. "The solution is simple in theory but difficult in practice."

"The frog transformation occurs because the natural energy you absorb exceeds your chakra, disrupting the balance."

"Humans have a natural limit to their chakra reserves, which restricts their ability to balance large amounts of natural energy."

"If your chakra pool is large enough to counterbalance the influx, you should be able to stabilize Sage Mode."

"You mentioned that you successfully entered Sage Mode during your battle with the Third Raikage, correct? You managed it after releasing your Yin Seal."

"When your chakra reserves were pushed to their limit, you could withstand the natural energy without transforming."

"But this is just my guess. If you're willing to try, I'll watch over you and intervene if anything goes wrong."

Fukasaku's words sparked an idea in Raiden's mind.

"So... if I successfully enter Sage Mode after releasing the Yin Seal, that would confirm your hypothesis."

"And if that's really the case, the key to controlling this will be fully unsealing my chakra, even the part suppressing the Nine-Tails."

Raiden's eyes lit up with newfound determination. Wasting no time, he sat down cross-legged and focused. He activated the Yin Seal, releasing an immense surge of stored chakra. Simultaneously, he began absorbing natural energy at an alarming rate.

Just as Fukasaku predicted, with the enhanced chakra reserves from the Yin Seal, Raiden managed to maintain balance. The overwhelming natural energy no longer pushed him into frog transformation.

After only two minutes of absorption, his body reached a perfect equilibrium. The transformation was complete, and there were no physical changes beyond the distinct Sage markings appearing on his face.

When Raiden opened his eyes, his golden irises gleamed with an otherworldly glow.

Fukasaku's eyes widened in amazement.

"You did it! A perfect Sage Mode!"

Raiden clenched his fists, feeling the immense power coursing through his body. "So this was the answer all along... now I just need to control it."

For the first time in a long while, he felt truly satisfied with his progress.

(End of this chapter)