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Seeing the obvious frog transformation on Hiruzen's body, Fukasaku's mood suddenly improved a lot. This is... what it should look like when absorbing natural energy for the first time! In his excitement, Fukasaku kicked his hind legs, leaped up from the ground, and swung the black rod in his hand, striking Hiruzen hard to expel all the natural energy from his body.
Hiruzen felt a sharp pain and sat on the ground with a thud. His eyes widened; just now, while absorbing natural energy, he almost thought he was doomed. It was really... too dangerous. Hiruzen swallowed nervously, his throat rolling. Even now, his brain was still filled with lingering fear.
Danzo, Koharu, and En were all drawn to Hiruzen's reaction.
"What happened, Hiruzen..." Danzo couldn't help but ask. All along, he had considered Hiruzen his rival. It could be said that Danzo was the one who understood Hiruzen the best among these people. He never expected that just experiencing natural energy would make him show such an expression. Could it be... is Sage Art really that terrifying?
Thinking of this, Danzo glanced up at Kazekaze. Clearly, Kazekaze handled this matter with ease.
"Are you alright, Hiruzen?" Koharu and En quickly stepped forward, helping Hiruzen up from the ground, concerned about his condition.
"Just now..." Hiruzen took a deep breath. Although he couldn't control chakra as precisely as the Senju clan, he was considered one of the best among the younger generation in the village. He also had the ability to sense chakra. Even if he couldn't be as at ease as Kazekaze. At least he should be stronger than the average person. Hiruzen even suspected that humans and toads viewed chakra from different perspectives. But... when he absorbed natural energy, he found that the parts smeared with toad oil were like a breach in a dam. The natural energy around him surged into that breach like a flood, entering his body. No matter how he resisted, he couldn't expel the thing called natural energy from his body.
"The natural energy kept increasing... It made me feel desperate for a moment." Only after experiencing it firsthand did Hiruzen realize how terrifying natural energy was. If it weren't for Lord Fukasaku's timely intervention, using the black rod to expel the natural energy from his body, "I might have turned into a statue." The thought of this possibility made Hiruzen feel a lingering fear.
"This is the terrifying aspect of Sage Art," Fukasaku said, his mood calming down. This is what normal people encounter when learning Sage Art!
"I... I want to try," Koharu gritted her teeth, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped forward. Knowing there was a black rod, she wasn't too worried. However, since Koharu was a girl, she naturally didn't take off all her clothes, only exposing her fair forearm to apply toad oil. She began to absorb natural energy. The result was predictable...
Bang! Fukasaku jumped up and swung the black rod, knocking Koharu down. Then... En. Danzo. All tried it. The result was the same. When they sensed the natural energy, it crazily invaded their bodies, trying to make them part of nature. If it weren't for Fukasaku, they might all have been wiped out here.
"Natural energy is truly terrifying..." However, they quickly realized something even more terrifying. Just natural energy alone was this terrifying. Then... Kazekaze, who easily mastered Sage Art, how terrifying must he be? Even natural forces were easily mastered by him. This is too outrageous.
For a moment, Hiruzen didn't know what to say. Just... couldn't find any words to describe this feeling. Kazekaze, this guy. Is he really human? Why can he be so outrageous? It's just ninjutsu, taijutsu, and such. Explaining it as a prodigy is one thing. But how is he also so extraordinary in Sage Art? In other words, does Kazekaze really have any shortcomings? No. No shortcomings. Even in terms of height. Kazekaze is taller than his peers. Appearance? He excellently inherited the advantages of Hashirama and Mito. At such a young age, you can already see his features. Unless Kazekaze starts binge eating in the future and becomes a 200-pound fat guy. Otherwise, his looks will undoubtedly make him one of the most handsome guys in Konoha!
"With Kazekaze's devilish training methods... Don't even mention getting fat, when he grows up, he might have an eight-pack and bronze skin..." Just thinking about the adult Kazekaze made Koharu a bit frantic inside. Why was I born so many years before Kazekaze? Damn it! So damn it!
As Hiruzen and the others' gazes all focused on Kazekaze, Fukasaku couldn't help but turn his head and look at this monster again.
"I have to admit, among the people I've met, your talent is the most terrifying... At such a young age, and in such a short time, you've mastered Sage Art. I fear for hundreds, even thousands of years, there won't be a genius as terrifying as you." Fukasaku praised Kazekaze. At this point, he had to believe the facts before him. Kazekaze. Is a genius. And a genius like no other before or after.
"However..." However, Fukasaku suddenly changed his tone. At this point, feelings of discouragement and worry were all swept away by Kazekaze's displayed talent. The only thing Fukasaku wanted to do now was to teach Kazekaze the true Sage Art.
"However, what?" Kazekaze tilted his head, asking with interest.
"The reason you were able to enter Sage Mode just now was because you relied on the substance known as toad oil. But... toad oil is a specialty of Mount Myoboku. Once you leave here, you won't be able to get the oil from here. In other words, this Sage Mode that relies on toad oil can only be considered a semi-finished product." Fukasaku explained to Kazekaze. Only by entering Sage Mode without relying on external forces like toad oil can one be considered to have truly learned Sage Art.
However... if you don't rely on the power of toad oil to sense natural energy, you must merge with nature. This also means that Kazekaze will have to undergo immobility training.
"And as a living being, achieving immobility is actually a very difficult thing. But don't worry, Kazekaze, I will always supervise you. Do you have anything else to say?" Finally, Fukasaku added.
Kazekaze and Fukasaku locked eyes, and Kazekaze said something that made Fukasaku's heart go crazy, "If I said I could enter Sage Mode without toad oil, would you believe me?"
Fukasaku: "???"
Are you kidding me!