After Sailing with the Pirate King, I Returned to Konoha - 182

Chapter 182: My Sage Mode Seems to Have Some Problems

Jiraiya had thought Naruto was a genius.

But he had never imagined that someone's talent could be this strong.

Originally, in Jiraiya's estimation, Naruto learning Sage Mode should take two to three months. Even just getting started and being able to suppress that Dark Chakra should take ten to twenty days.

Three days.

In just three days, Naruto had successfully demonstrated Sage Mode for the first time.

Orange eye shadow appeared at the corners of his eyes, and the center of his pupils became cross-shaped—this was definitely Mount Myōboku's unique Sage Mode.

"Naruto, how do you feel?"

Jiraiya stood a full twenty meters away from Naruto as he asked.

It wasn't that he didn't want to get closer to Naruto. Rather, the current Naruto simply couldn't be approached—the previously black mini hands of Zero-Tails chakra had, after combining with natural energy, transformed into disorderly waving large arms.

Each arm had a mouth growing on it—some constantly opening and closing as if chewing something, others whispering softly like murmurs. In any case, they looked quite disturbing.

But they no longer had Zero-Tails' inherent darkness and ominous feeling—it was just that their appearance was somewhat hard to accept.

Naruto didn't answer immediately.

His eyes were slightly closed as he used his Observation Haki to sense his surroundings to the maximum extent.

When he first applied toad oil, everything around him had changed.

Air, stones, water flow, even light—everything seemed to become clusters of energy bodies of different colors.

When the "tentacles" representing Naruto's mental consciousness contacted these things, that energy began instinctively flowing into his body.

From the outside, it looked like "toadification" phenomena began appearing on Naruto's body surface.

If toadification reached a certain degree, it meant natural energy was imbalanced with the chakra and life energy in Naruto's body. Fukasaku Sage, holding black rods, was ready to rush up and interrupt this absorption state with a strike.

Absorbing natural energy required remaining motionless, drawing enough natural energy into the body, and combining it with the other two to produce senjutsu chakra.

This was the normal situation.

But with Naruto, there was a slight difference.

If ordinary people using their spirit to absorb natural energy was like letting natural energy automatically "flow into" their bodies through conduits, then Naruto was actively "devouring" the surrounding natural energy like a whale.

Even Fukasaku Sage could faintly sense something flowing toward Naruto's direction.

He seemed to have become the center of a whirlpool.

Munch-Munch Fruit.

The Devil Fruit representing the concept of "devouring" granted its user the power to actively swallow things that normally couldn't be consumed.

It could also ignore their original attribute conflicts and forcibly break them down and recombine them, "compiling" them into new fusion products.

Doesn't that sound similar to the process of producing senjutsu chakra?

On the first day, Naruto still used the method taught by the Toad Sages, methodically absorbing natural energy.

But the amount of chakra in his body was simply too enormous.

Part of it was human chakra accumulated over decades in the pirate world that, even after shrinking somewhat upon returning to the ninja world, remained impressive.

Part of it was Nine-Tails chakra leaking from the seal and the Zero-Tails chakra he had just swallowed.

After absorbing an equivalent amount of natural energy, balancing these several forces became difficult.

Even with Naruto's mental strength, he made several errors.

Fortunately, Fukasaku Sage was quick-eyed and interrupted him in time.

Afterward, Naruto thought of directly using the Munch-Munch Fruit's power to actively "mix" senjutsu chakra.

Chakra and natural energy were manageable—both could be swallowed into his stomach—but how should the life energy representing the self be incorporated?

After a second day of deep contemplation, on the third day, Naruto finally performed an action that left Jiraiya stunned.

He swallowed himself.

His mouth opened, then like an ouroboros, he swallowed his lower body, upper body, until only a mouth remained.

Actually, the original Munch-Munch Fruit user, Wapol, had developed the exact same technique—he could use this move to alter his muscle and fat structure, achieving instant weight loss.

It made countless girls envious.

Unfortunately, he died too hastily and never had a chance to demonstrate this fruit's advanced usage before Naruto; otherwise, Naruto wouldn't have wasted so many days.

Facts proved that using "devouring oneself" to balance internal forces was the correct way to use the Munch-Munch Fruit.

If original Sage Mode training was like balancing three basins of water—one on each hand and one on your head—carefully ensuring each basin maintained the same amount without spilling, then the Munch-Munch Fruit's balancing method was like directly pouring everything into a machine and letting it automatically divide into three equal parts.

More efficient while not requiring Naruto to carefully maintain balance.

But—

"Still missing something."

Naruto opened his eyes, and the surrounding large hands seemed to finally receive commands, stopping their disorderly writhing and turning to "look" straight ahead in unison.

This made Jiraiya feel somewhat uncomfortable being stared at.

"Naruto, how long can you maintain this state now?"

Jiraiya carefully approached Naruto, occasionally glancing warily at those large hands with his peripheral vision, wondering why everything became abnormal when it came to this kid.

"Theoretically, I can maintain it indefinitely."

Naruto's words left Jiraiya silent.

Yes, this was the biggest difference between using the Munch-Munch Fruit to balance chakra and natural energy.

This transformation could be maintained continuously.

As if Naruto had always been this way from birth.

The Munch-Munch Fruit's fusion creations wouldn't disappear when the user canceled their ability—this could be seen from Wapol Metal that Wapol created in the original timeline.

As long as he continuously devoured natural energy to replenish it, Naruto could keep this mode active twenty-four hours a day.

Even eating and relieving himself could be handled by the large hands extended from Sage Mode.

People comparing themselves to others was deadly.

Jiraiya couldn't do this.

Even after training for so many years, he needed the assistance of the two sages, Fukasaku and Shima, to maintain Sage Mode combat for extended periods.

"Let's go. Since we've solved Zero-Tails' trouble, let's go say goodbye to the Great Toad Sage."

Saying this, Naruto turned around on his own.

"Don't keep Sasuke and the others waiting too long."

Sasuke wasn't a Mount Myōboku contractor, so he couldn't be reverse-summoned here.

Karin was a contractor, but she still needed to watch over Sasuke, whom Naruto had knocked unconscious, and tell him what happened, so she hadn't come along either.

"Well, Naruto... are you planning to go like this?"

Jiraiya twitched the corner of his mouth and pointed at Naruto with his finger.

"Hmm?"

Naruto turned back somewhat puzzled, while a large hand also extended over to help him scratch the back of his head.

He felt that the current Naruto didn't look any better than before—in fact, he seemed even more indescribable.