The next morning, Fujimoto Tōma arrived at Mount Myōboku in a flash of Flying Thunder God.
Now that he had carved a teleportation seal at home, he no longer needed reverse summoning to come here.
Along the way, he exchanged greetings with familiar toads. With their guidance, he soon found Fukasaku Sage.
"Hm? Little Tōma?" Fukasaku looked surprised. "What brings you here today?"
"Things have settled down for now," Tōma replied with a smile. "So I thought I'd visit. And… learn senjutsu, if possible."
"Heh," Fukasaku chuckled. "You came for senjutsu, didn't you?"
Tōma scratched his head, grinning.
"Well then, come with me."
Fukasaku led him to a familiar pool and began explaining in earnest.
"Normally, the first step is learning to harmonize with nature. But you've already achieved that state. So we'll skip ahead to the second stage."
He gestured toward the pool.
"Toad Oil training."
Toad Oil, one of Mount Myōboku's treasures, naturally attracted ambient nature energy. When applied to the body, it drew that energy inside.
At that point, the practitioner had to balance three forces: physical energy, spiritual energy, and natural energy. The ratio had to be perfectly even.
Too little natural energy meant no change.
Too much, and the body would begin to turn into a toad. In severe cases, complete petrification.
Fukasaku pointed to a nearby stone toad.
"That's what happens when you absorb too much. So remember, never overdo it. Natural energy isn't stable. That's why you need enough chakra prepared in advance to keep things balanced."
"That's also why I didn't let you try absorbing it before."
Tōma listened carefully. He knew the theory, but this wasn't something he wanted to misremember.
"Only when all three energies are perfectly fused do you create true senjutsu chakra," Fukasaku continued. "And techniques powered by it far surpass ordinary ninjutsu."
After a moment's thought, Tōma spoke up.
"Gramps, I'd like to try without the Toad Oil first. I think I can actively draw in natural energy."
"Oh?" Fukasaku stroked his beard. "That's fine. The oil is just a shortcut anyway. Eventually, you have to manage without it."
He pointed to a spot by the pool.
"Sit here and try. If your body starts changing, I'll knock you out of the state immediately."
"Understood."
Tōma sat cross-legged and entered a deeper version of his usual meditative state.
The moment he did, the world shifted.
Natural energy, something he had sensed countless times before, became vividly clear. He had always known he could absorb it.
This time, he actually tried.
The response was immediate.
Natural energy surged toward him like a flood finding an open channel.
"—?!"
Fukasaku's eyes went wide.
Absorbing natural energy on your own was one thing. Absorbing this much, on your first attempt, was another entirely.
Something was wrong.
He reached for his staff to interrupt the process—
And realized it was gone.
Standing beside him was the Great Toad Sage himself.
"Great Sage—!" Fukasaku froze in shock.
The Great Toad Sage said nothing. He only stared at Tōma, his ancient eyes filled with disbelief.
At the same moment—
Deep within Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage opened its eyes.
Confusion flickered, followed by shock… and irritation.
A human like this exists?
And Mount Myōboku found him first?
With a hiss, the massive form vanished.
Far away in Shikkotsu Forest, the Slug Sage also opened its eyes. After a brief pause, it left most of its body behind and disappeared as well.
Back at Mount Myōboku's plaza, Fukasaku stood stiffly, staring at the enormous snake and slug that had appeared alongside the Great Toad Sage.
The White Snake Sage… and the Slug Sage?!
The Great Toad Sage, however, seemed unsurprised. All three sages gazed toward the same direction.
Fukasaku followed their line of sight—and saw nothing at all.
After a long moment, the three sages relaxed.
"Gamakichi… long time no see," the White Snake Sage said coolly. "Hand this human over to me."
"That decision isn't mine," the Great Toad Sage replied calmly. "He must choose for himself."
"Tch. Troublesome," the White Snake Sage muttered. "How long until he wakes?"
"Not soon," the Great Toad Sage said. "Fukasaku."
"Yes!"
"Send a messenger to Konoha. Tell his family he'll be staying here a few days. They shouldn't worry."
"Understood!"
Fukasaku glanced anxiously at Tōma and hurried off. This was far beyond anything he could manage.
As for Tōma himself, panic had already set in.
The natural energy pouring into him was far more than expected. Worse—it wouldn't stop.
I'm going to turn to stone at this rate, he thought desperately. Why isn't anyone stopping me?!
Then something strange happened.
The natural energy began to settle on its own, flowing through his body as if it belonged there.
That wasn't what Fukasaku had described. Not at all.
Before he could process it, an overwhelming presence descended upon him.
Just a gaze.
That was all.
Yet Tōma felt as if his life could be taken at any moment. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't resist. Even without malice, the sheer difference terrified him on a primal level.
Then the pressure vanished.
But the fear lingered.
Pain followed—sharp, pervasive, spreading through his entire body. It was bearable, but deeply unsettling.
He soon realized what was happening.
The natural energy was reconstructing him.
"Wait—reconstructing?" His thoughts spiraled. Is this frog transformation?
He tried to open his eyes. Tried to pull himself out.
He couldn't.
The state had locked him in.
Only then did it hit him. The natural energy he'd always thought of as gentle was anything but.
Soft outside. Fangs inside.
Still, something felt off.
If he couldn't escape from within, someone should have been able to pull him out from the outside. That was how Naruto trained.
So why hadn't it happened?
As the days passed, Tōma began to suspect the truth.
This wasn't going wrong.
It was just… different.
By the seventh day, his awareness sharpened.
The transformation was finishing.
And when it did, control returned all at once.
Tōma opened his eyes.
And froze.
Towering before him stood three colossal figures.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
The Great Toad Sage made sense.
The other two did not.
"The White Snake Sage… and the Slug Sage?" Tōma muttered.
This is Mount Myōboku, right?
...
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