After answering loudly, Naruto sat down cross-legged and began preparing to draw in natural energy.
Fujimoto Tōma watched him and couldn't help drifting into memory. When he was younger, he'd sat the same way more than once. Back then, his chakra reserves were too small, and without someone like Fukasaku watching over him, even sensing natural energy had felt dangerous. Absorbing it had been out of the question.
Time really did fly.
When Tōma first arrived in this world, his thinking had been simple. If he couldn't become strong on his own, he'd just hide behind the protagonists and survive quietly. Looking back now, that idea felt laughable. His strength wouldn't allow it anymore.
Tracing his own growth, every step was clear and deliberate. Still, reaching this level at his age was, by any standard, absurd. Even he had to admit it felt like cheating.
His thoughts settled as Naruto completed the initial sensing phase and began absorbing natural energy. The speed was slow, but steady. Gradually, golden markings appeared around Naruto's eyes.
Within Tōma's perception, Naruto changed completely.
This was nothing like Jiraiya's or Sasuke's imperfect Sage Mode. The difference was unmistakable.
Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Tōma. His eyes were still human, but his pupils had narrowed into horizontal slits like a toad's, their color shifting from blue to gold.
For the first time, Naruto truly saw Tōma.
The depth of natural energy around him was unfathomable. Even now, in Sage Mode, Naruto felt a clear sense of danger. A quiet certainty settled in his chest. He still wasn't sure he could win.
Tōma, meanwhile, was thinking something else entirely. If Naruto mastered a perfected Rasenshuriken, his theoretical offensive ceiling would surpass Tōma's, at least on paper.
"Don't resist," Tōma said.
Naruto nodded. He understood. Tōma was about to use that technique again.
This time, though, Naruto felt… excited. Maybe now, for once, he was the one helping Tōma.
He relaxed completely.
And then Tōma frowned.
His Soul Transformation technique was blocked.
Naruto wasn't resisting. That meant the interference came from Sage Mode itself.
"Uh… Tōma, I think it's not working," Naruto said nervously. "Something tried to get in, but it was pushed out."
"I see," Tōma replied calmly.
He sat down as well and, for the first time, activated Soul Transformation in dual-soul mode.
His body immediately resembled Ino using Mind Transfer. Head lowered, motionless, as if asleep.
This time, the technique pierced through Sage Mode's natural resistance and entered Naruto's inner world.
Inside, Naruto willingly relinquished control. His body sat still, hands resting on his knees, as if continuing to meditate.
Fukasaku watched from the side, glancing between the two of them. He didn't fully understand what was happening, but he could tell this was a critical moment.
Tōma didn't test any jutsu. There was no need. He was only here to observe one thing.
Perfect senjutsu chakra.
As it flowed through Naruto's body, every detail laid bare before Tōma. Its structure, its balance, its rhythm. Nothing escaped him.
When Sage Mode finally ended, Tōma returned to his own body, reluctantly pulling back.
"Well?" Naruto asked eagerly. "Did you see what you needed?"
Tōma nodded, then smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. "Huge help."
"Heh!" Naruto grinned, genuinely pleased. For once, he felt like he'd truly helped Tōma.
"So… what just happened?" Fukasaku asked, scratching his head.
Tōma explained Soul Transformation and how he'd used it to directly observe true senjutsu chakra.
"I see," Fukasaku said slowly, then fixed Tōma with a sharp look. "Did you gain anything from it?"
"Give me a moment."
Tōma sat down again.
As time passed, a faint mark appeared on his forehead, then vanished just as quickly. Fukasaku froze, staring.
Then Tōma opened his eyes.
His pupils had turned gold. Everything else remained the same. Human eyes. Human form.
Only the color had changed.
Tōma felt his body carefully, then smiled.
This wasn't superficial.
This was Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode.
He had successfully converted natural energy into toad-style senjutsu chakra.
"Sage Mode?" Fukasaku asked, his voice shaking. "That's… Sage Mode, isn't it?"
"Yes," Tōma said, then looked at Naruto before turning back to Fukasaku. "I've always known I could convert natural energy into chakra. In theory, converting it into senjutsu chakra should also be possible."
"But every attempt failed. I thought it was impossible. Turns out, I just wasn't at the required level yet."
"Even now, I technically still don't meet the conditions," Tōma continued calmly. "I cheated. By entering Naruto's body and experiencing perfect senjutsu chakra directly, I skipped countless steps."
"Once I truly understood it, conversion became possible."
He looked back at Naruto, completely serious.
"That's why I said you helped a lot. You saved me an enormous amount of time."