Naruto: Five Lives, Five Times the Excitement

Chapter 226 Kyosuke Learns Immortal Arts

In the following time, Fukasaku began his explanation.

"You can think of the so-called Sage Techniques as a special kind of ninjutsu."

To make it easier for Kyosuke to understand, Fukasaku's explanation is rather simple and general.

"Ordinary ninjutsu consumes chakra, which is formed by the condensation of a ninja's physical and mental energy."

“Sage Techniques are different. They not only consume chakra, but also natural energy. Only when physical energy, mental energy, and natural energy are in balance can Sage Techniques be released. Otherwise, not only can Sage Techniques not be released, but it may also cause danger.”

At this point, Fukasaku stopped explaining.

"Cultivating immortal arts is not something you should be thinking about right now. You came here to see if you can sense and absorb natural energy. Only when you can do that will you be considered to have passed the test and be able to continue learning immortal arts."

Kyosuke listened very carefully, and now said seriously, "I'm ready."

Fukasaku, fearing Kyosuke would be nervous, added another sentence.

"Jiraiya said that your chakra is very abundant, which is good. The more chakra you have, the safer it is to absorb natural energy and the higher the success rate. If you have too little chakra, you may be easily swallowed up by natural energy."

Behind the deep forest lies a vast stone forest, dotted with various toad-shaped stone statues—a result of being swallowed by natural energy.

Kyosuke was only testing the waters and hadn't officially started training in Sage Mode, so neither Jiraiya nor Fukasaku mentioned it to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on him.

"Next, I will apply some toad oil to you to help you feel and absorb natural energy."

Fukasaku dipped some liquid from the pool beside him and smeared it on Kyosuke's arm, muttering a reminder as he did so.

"There might be some strange changes, but don't panic."

The liquid was applied to his right arm, feeling cool and refreshing, and Kyosuke felt a strange change in his senses.

It seemed that another way of perceiving the outside world had emerged; he vaguely sensed a new energy appearing around him.

This energy exists throughout the entire world and has always been right beside Kyosuke, but Kyosuke is only now realizing its presence.

What's amazing is that, despite it being his first time experiencing it, Kyosuke was very familiar with this energy and could use it at will, just like manipulating the chakra within his body.

With a slight sense and guidance, Kyosuke felt these natural energies enter his body, especially the areas where he had applied toad oil. It was as if the doors to his body had been opened, and a highway had been built, allowing the natural energy to flow in unimpeded.

For safety, Kyosuke absorbed a small amount of natural energy and then stopped absorbing it.

In this way, even if danger occurs, it can be dealt with promptly by the investigators.

It seems that the guy who claimed to be his future self might be telling the truth.

Even so, Kyosuke didn't completely trust that guy and wouldn't rashly accelerate his progress in cultivating immortal techniques. Instead, he planned to strictly follow Fukasaku's requirements and cultivate step by step.

In those few short seconds, Kyosuke's right pupil turned into a horizontal stripe, and the whites of his eyes turned yellow.

At the same time, his right arm began to change; the skin turned bluish and roughened, as if it were turning into toad skin.

Once Kyosuke severed the natural energy and neutralized the absorbed natural energy with his internal chakra, his right eye and right arm quickly returned to normal.

Upon seeing this, Fukasaku showed a surprised expression.

"Not bad, not only did you handle it calmly, but you were also able to decide whether to absorb or isolate natural energy. Kyosuke, your talent is quite impressive!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he grabbed Kyosuke's right hand and examined it, muttering to himself.

"That shouldn't be the case. Natural energy contains immense power and is very difficult to control. How could it be so gentle..."

Back when Jiraiya was learning Sage Mode, he went through layers of trials and tribulations, and even now he still can't use Sage Mode at will.

Even the first step, controlling the speed of absorbing natural energy, took him a lot of time and sometimes even led to danger. His body began to turn into a toad, and if it weren't for Fukasaku's help, he might have already turned into a toad statue.

Faced with this question, Kyosuke naturally wouldn't tell the truth, but fortunately, he was young and didn't have to answer directly.

Kyosuke, like a proud young man, put his left hand behind his head, tilted his head slightly, and laughed triumphantly, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"It's alright, hahaha, I feel a sense of familiarity with natural energy, hehehe, maybe I'm a genius."

"You little bastard."

Jiraiya chuckled and cursed, but he was secretly delighted.

I originally wanted to dissuade Kyosuke, but I didn't expect that Kyosuke really had the talent to cultivate immortal arts, which is naturally a good thing.

Kyosuke looked at Fukasaku expectantly: "Grandpa Fukasaku, I think I passed the test, right? Hurry up and teach me Sage Techniques, I can't wait."

Fukasaku snorted and lectured, "The most important thing in learning immortal arts is to have a calm mind. How can you cultivate if you are so agitated? Calm down first."

Before the assessment, Fukasaku had a good attitude towards Kyosuke.

After the assessment confirmed that Kyosuke possessed the talent to cultivate immortal arts, Fukasaku entered teaching mode, becoming even more serious.

"Oh! I'm calm! I'm calm!"

Kyosuke was very obedient and began to calm himself down.

At this moment, Jiraiya spoke up: "Lord Fukasaku, let this child stay here to train. I'll be leaving now."

As a frontline commander, Jiraiya could not leave the front lines for an extended period of time.

After Jiraiya left, Fukasaku began formal instruction.

First, Fukasaku provided an in-depth explanation of chakra, natural energy, and sage techniques, along with various precautions, establishing a new power system for Kyosuke.

Then, they began training Kyosuke's ability to manipulate natural energy, which was related to the speed at which he could enter Sage Mode, the duration of Sage Mode, the speed and power of Sage Techniques, and directly affected Kyosuke's own combat power.

Like ninjutsu, the power of sage techniques varies depending on the user.

Finally, Fukasaku will teach specific Sage Techniques, various techniques for releasing Sage Techniques, how Sage Techniques and Ninjutsu can be combined, and so on.

Kyosuke needs to study at Mount Myōboku for a while, but fortunately, Jiraiya has his backing, so there's no need to worry about being held accountable by Konoha.

"Finally, I've started learning immortal techniques!"

Mi Shou opened his eyes. It was still dark all around, with only the morning star shining brightly in the east.

Before dawn, Mi Shou continued on his journey.

Having stolen the chakra metal, he dared not linger in the Land of Fire.

After running for half a day, Mi stopped by the river at noon to eat and drink to recover his strength.

Gumbling.

He took a big gulp of water, swallowing the last of the food in his mouth, then put down the water jug ​​and picked up the long sword beside him.

"What a bunch of mad dogs."

A huge pink crystal appeared in the sky above Mishou.

Crystals are octahedral, with each face consisting of hundreds of octagonal crystal mirrors.

These mirrors can rotate freely and be adjusted to the appropriate angle to concentrate the sunlight onto the center of the crystal, forming a dazzling white pillar of light that directly envelops Mi Shou.

"The target has lost its sight, let's move in!"