"No need, Ayaka. Even drinking your blood won't heal me," Hyuga Mirai said calmly. Before the Sage Chakra in his arm could spread, he severed his right arm and used Shikotsumyaku and Yang Sage regeneration to slowly regrow it.
As for Koji, its body lay in two halves, barely clinging to life.
Mirai ignored its dying words and used a black staff formed from the Talisman Orbs to pin Koji to the ground. Once it was completely lifeless, he stored its body in a nano-space capsule.
"Those damn toads! So infuriating!" Ayaka Uzumaki exclaimed, distressed at seeing Mirai injured. She raised her arm and asked, "Lord Mirai, do you want to drink my blood? It can speed healing and restore Chakra."
"I'm fine, Ayaka."
Mirai gently patted her red hair, calming her down.
The Onmyoji's Power. Mirai was intrigued by Koji's earlier words about the diverse abilities that existed before the ninja era. His curiosity was piqued, but now wasn't the time—Mount Myoboku had to be dealt with first.
The battle continued. Once the toads numbered in the thousands, killing them all quickly would be nearly impossible. Compared to the limbless Ryūchi Cave snakes, Mount Myoboku's toads could generally use one-handed Ninjutsu fused with Sage Chakra.
"Ayaka, help finish this quickly," Mirai instructed. He didn't want to waste time; with Ayaka, a powerful Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, few toads could resist her.
"Understood, Lord Mirai."
Once Mirai's arm nearly healed, Ayaka joined the battlefield. She used Nine-Tails Chakra to create dozens of shadow clones, then, guided by her Kagura Mind's Eye, attacked powerful toads in scattered positions.
With Ayaka's involvement, the stalemate began to tip.
One of Ayaka's clones located Naruto and the others. Together, they avoided the Ryūchi Cave snakes led by the three serpent sisters and infiltrated Mount Myoboku from another direction.
They stayed together. Even Gaara couldn't guarantee safety here without controlling Shukaku, whose Chakra Mirai had recently seized.
Although Naruto and Sasuke had bloodline weapons, Kushina and Mikoto had warned them not to rely on them unless absolutely necessary. Only if they became Jonin by their own effort could they freely use these abilities.
Under the combined Fire and Wind techniques of Naruto, Sasuke, and Temari, a ten-meter-tall toad was severely injured. It tried to counter with Water Release, but Gaara and Kankuro restrained its limbs with sand and puppets. Then it suffered acid attacks from slugs and strangulation by Ryūchi Cave snakes.
Within half an hour, the five-man team achieved notable results.
Even a Genin like Temari had never faced such a feat. By power standards, the toad had Jonin-level destructive capability.
"Success! Our team coordination was amazing. Let's find the next target—over ten meters this time!" Naruto exclaimed, thrilled. Killing such a massive toad without adult or bloodline support made him feel more like a true ninja.
"Naruto, don't get cocky," Temari scolded. "If it weren't for the summoned beast ambush, taking this toad down wouldn't have been so easy."
Hunting ten-meter-tall toads was reckless; a single mistake could have caused serious injury.
"Better listen to my sister…" Gaara warned softly. He also thought their actions were too aggressive; the textbooks forbade it. At home, Temari cared for him and Kankuro, so he had no choice but to follow her instructions.
"Alright."
Naruto reluctantly agreed, realizing he couldn't face the toads alone.
The team proceeded cautiously, using Gaara's sand eyes and Kankuro's puppet scouting to detect toads in advance. Temari increased her pace slightly to ensure they secured good hunting results before other snakes devoured the prey.
Near Koji's temple, Mirai found numerous historical scrolls, including contracts dating from the Warring States to a few centuries ago, chronicling Mount Myoboku's understanding of ninja history.
"These are ordinary records, but useful for Ninja Academy history lessons," he noted. After dissolving over a hundred shadow clones, he quickly reviewed their memories. Ancient secrets mentioned by Koji were likely with the three escaped toads, two of which were intercepted by Tenki weapons.
"Also the Natural Eye…"
Using Byakugan's long-range vision, Mirai identified the source of Mount Myoboku's natural energy: the spring at the bottom of the toad oil, continuously emitting dense natural energy. Koji had modified it with special toad-produced substances to make it optimal for toad absorption.
Humans absorbing this energy uncontrollably would develop toad-like traits.
"This toad oil too…"
Mirai immersed his hand, feeling extreme sensitivity as natural energy surged into his body. The absorbed energy was slightly different, appearing tamed, likely requiring specialized training methods.
"This method is worth studying. I'll take some back to develop a holy site near a dragon vein. Besides physical enhancement, this Sage Mode cultivation could train talented students."
Using organ modifications for energy absorption like the serpent sisters was too complex, and Mirai wouldn't bother unless necessary. Once a holy site existed, Sage Mode could be promoted in the Sand Federation, but only elite Jonin could train in it. Jonin with both Sage Mode and bloodline weapons could rival the Five Kage.
Mirai packaged the Mount Myoboku Sage Mode materials, all scrolls, and Koji's crystal ball that monitored the ninja world. Unlike satellites, which could be blocked, the crystal ball allowed tracking anywhere.
"Bring this back for study," he said, driven by curiosity.
Outside, the battles subsided. Few toads could resist Ayaka's clones, and with the three serpent sisters' efforts, most toads were killed or eaten. Excess corpses were stacked for sealing scroll storage.
Unlike ordinary animals, Mount Myoboku's toad corpses contained Sage Chakra. Digested, they could enhance Ryūchi Cave snakes, possibly granting higher intelligence and speech.
Mecha puppets controlled by Unit 18 slowly encircled Mount Myoboku, using heavy firepower to eliminate encountered toads.
Koji and Iwashuku's fight ended; Iwashuku was torn apart by Koji, who used compressed breath to cut it despite its tough hide.
"Lord Mirai, aside from protected areas, the remaining toads are cleared."
Ayaka, the three serpent sisters, and Naruto entered. The Ryūchi Cave snakes had returned to their natural forms, and White Snake Sage would soon learn Mount Myoboku's outcome.
"Uncle Mirai, we achieved great results!" Naruto laughed proudly.
"Well done. Your results exceeded expectations. But Naruto, you still can't surpass Gaara. His academic skills surpass yours and Sasuke's. A few years from now, Gaara will likely be the top graduate," Mirai said.
Gaara lowered his head, realizing his top position wasn't secure. Naruto and Sasuke, unwilling to be outdone, also felt the drive; being the top graduate carried honor and a bloodline weapon.
"Once the cleanup is done, we'll return. Tsumitsuhime, you'll take over Mount Myoboku's Natural Eye later."
Once the natural energy was analyzed, it would be redundant; dragon vein energy, once optimized, could rival Mount Myoboku's energy. Trees and crops would be transplanted to the Sand Federation, as snakes wouldn't eat them.
After a final check, nothing was left behind, including natural energy rods.
"Let's return. Unit 18 will take over here."
(End of Chapter)