After testing the power of his last strike, Jie was already satisfied.
Frog Kata was now his, and Fukasaku and Shima no longer had anything else worth learning from. The only thing left was the real reason he had come to Mount Myōboku.
Gamamaru.
Once he settled things with that old toad, this trip would be complete.
Jie looked down at the two elder toads and said calmly, "If this is the strength of Mount Myōboku's sages, then your title is doing a lot of work."
Shima's eyes sharpened, and her anger flared again. She looked ready to rush at him, but Fukasaku stopped her.
He understood the situation better than she did.
From the beginning, Jie had never fought seriously. His battle with Shima had been closer to a test, or perhaps a lesson he had taken by force.
If Jie had truly intended to kill her, she might not have lasted more than a few exchanges. Even if the two of them fought together, the result would not change much.
Since Jie was finally willing to stop and meet the Great Toad Sage, that was already the best outcome they could hope for.
Fukasaku still believed that no matter how powerful Jie was, he would at least show some restraint before Gamamaru. The Great Toad Sage had lived since the era of the Sage of Six Paths. His age alone made his powers impossible to measure.
If anyone in Mount Myōboku could handle Jie, it could only be him.
Fukasaku forced down the pain in his body and coughed lightly. "Follow me. The Great Toad Sage is waiting."
He pressed one forelimb against his chest and began leading the way into the depths of Mount Myōboku.
Fukasaku led the way unsteadily, one forelimb pressed to his chest. Shima stayed close beside him, glancing back at Jie every few steps with obvious wariness.
Jie found it almost amusing.
If he truly wanted to strike, Shima would not even have time to react. Her caution was only there to comfort herself.
Still, he said nothing and followed them deeper into the mountain.
The farther they went, the denser the natural energy became. The forest around them also began to change. Toad statues appeared beside the path, hidden among trees, or half-buried in the earth. Some were small, while others were massive, but all of them looked strangely lifelike.
Jie only needed one glance to understand what they were.
They were not ordinary statues.
They were toads who had failed to master Sage Mode, their bodies overwhelmed by natural energy until they petrified where they stood.
The deeper they walked, the more statues appeared. After passing several enormous ones, a temple finally came into view.
Jie raised an eyebrow.
So this was where Gamamaru had been staying all this time.
The temple looked plain and old at first glance, but its size became clearer as they approached. Fukasaku was already small, but standing before the great doors, he looked almost tiny. Even the metal studs on the door seemed larger than him.
But Jie's attention was not on the building.
It was on the chakra inside.
Behind the doors, a vast presence sat in silence, ancient and heavy with natural energy. Its life force was astonishingly dense, and in terms of chakra alone, even the Nine-Tails could not compare.
No wonder he had lived for over a thousand years.
Gamamaru had lived from the era of the Sage of Six Paths until now. Even Hagoromo himself was long gone, yet this old toad still remained. The weight of a thousand years was not something ordinary beings could measure.
After that much time, even an ordinary creature would become extraordinary, let alone Gamamaru.
Jie's eyes narrowed slightly. From this presence alone, the White Snake Sage might not be his equal.
But surprise did not mean fear.
No matter how deep Gamamaru's power ran, it was not enough to make Jie step back.
With his perfected Sage Body, Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and the many techniques he had mastered, he already stood at the peak below the Six Paths level.
Fukasaku pushed the temple doors open with some difficulty.
The moment they opened, dense natural energy rolled out from within. It was heavy enough that an ordinary ninja might have stumbled on the spot, but Jie did not slow down.
He stepped through the doorway without hesitation.
The temple interior was silent and ancient, with a massive stone seat standing at the far end. Jie walked straight toward it and looked up at the enormous figure resting above him.
"Gamamaru," he said calmly. "You really made me work to see you."
Up to 40 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Vristikk