Sage Mode

Gamaton swam through the water, skillfully evading every fish in his path. His skin became one with the water, and he lessened his presence, eventually sticking out his head from the surface. There, Gamaton saw a peculiar scene.

That scrawny man that saved him previously was taking low steps forward with his eyes closed, whilst holding his hands in a lotus position. On the other hand, Fukasaku was walking beside Zeus with a huge scowl on his face.

Not understanding what they were doing, Gamaton swam a bit nearer, finally in the distance to hear what they were talking about.

"Zeus, you should try to learn how to balance the natural energy within you first before trying to gather it in motion." Fukasaku placed his hand against his forehead, having grown tired of constantly walking beside the man. "Besides, I still don't believe that is possible, so we are simply wasting our precious time."

"It's possible. I have almost got it." Zeus answered without hesitation, continuing to take small steps with his eyes closed. However, besides Zeus's bizarre walking style, nothing out of extinction happened. They have been here for an hour already, with Zeus failing to gather even the slightest amount of natural energy.

'Maybe I should really learn how to balance it first?' Zeus thought but immediately discarded this idea. If he was set on learning how to enter senjutsu mode while walking, then shaping that energy within his system should also work differently than while not moving.

Zeus could feel the natural energy around him very clearly, but even the slightest of his movements forced everything to go awry. Nature didn't recognize Zeus as a part of it yet, and he had to change that. He had to both think and act like nature, becoming one with the very essence of this habitat.

'Is he trying to learn senjutsu like that?' Gamaton furrowed his brows, not knowing whether to laugh or be in awe of the man. Gamaton knew the principles of learning senjutsu because he had watched how Fukasaku taught Jiraiya. However, it was completely different from what Zeus was going now.

Fascinated, Gamaton swam even nearer, finally alerting Fukasaku, who promptly turned around. Upon seeing Gamaton, who got really startled and was about to dip back into the water, Fukasaku opened his mouth. "Gamaton, are you just going to keep running away whether you see me?"

This forced Gamaton to stop unconsciously. A sigh could be heard coming out of the water, followed by a few bubbles rushing to the surface. Eventually, Gamaton's head appeared from the water. "Aren't you angry at me?"

"Honestly, I feel like I should be angry." Fukasaku sighed, gesturing Gamaton to come out of the water. "Come on, Gamaton, let's talk about it while Zeus is still in his trance."

Gamaton walked out of the water with some hesitation, taking a seat right next to Fukasaku as he glanced at Zeus from close up. "What is he trying to do?"

"He is just doing something stupid, don't even look at him," Fukasaku said, instead turning to face Gamaton. "Gamaton, do you still desire to go out and explore the world, even after witnessing how dangerous it is?"

Gamaton hesitated again but still nodded. "Are you going to try and stop me?"

"No, Gamaton," Fukasaku answered. "After you have run away, I have been thinking about the way I treated you. I understood that I was truly negligent and ignorant about your dreams. I... was selfish. Sorry."

Gamaton raised his eyebrows, not even knowing how to respond. Fukasaku was a man with a complicated and stubborn personality, so it was unnatural for him to be apologizing. However, that's why it meant a lot more than an apology from others.

"You shouldn't be sorry, Fukasaku... I have also acted on impulse and got myself into some unnecessary troubles." Gamaton put a hand on Fukasaku's shoulder, which was much bigger than the old frog's head. "I am sorry as well."

Fukasaku smiled in response. "I am going to talk with Gamamaru and find ways how you could explore more of the outside world, while still being in relative safety."

Gamaton nodded, feeling better than ever after coming. He had thought that Fukasaku was extremely mad at him for running away, whilst Fukasaku thought otherwise. Good thing they talked like adults instead of prolonging this brawl any further.

However, the smiles disappeared from their faces when they suddenly felt danger attacking them from each direction. They couldn't understand what that oppressing feeling was, but they both turned towards Zeus immediately. There, they saw a godly scene.

Zeus was taking little steps forward, his eyes opened wide. His eyes were encircled with light blue color that excluded an ancient and divine feeling. Both Gamaton and Fukasaku took a few steps back. Instead of Zeus's figure, they saw something bigger. Something much more frightening.

Goosebumps formed on their thick skin...and then it all stopped. The blue color disappeared from Zeus's face and bubbles started forming on his skin, noting Fukasaku of his initial transformation stages.

Pushing away all the doubts, Fukasaku appeared in front of Zeus, striking him on the forehead, thus causing him to return to normal. However, Zeus barely registered the pain, instead having a huge creepy smile on his face.

Staring at Fukasaku, Zeus said in an erratic tone. "I did it, right?"

"You..." Fukasaku was caught off guard by Zeus's demeanor and he was unable to contain his shock any longer. This kid had really done it. Not only did Zeus gather energy while walking, but he also momentarily achieved a state of perfect senjutsu form.

"You have done it." Gamaton was the one step up, his eyes shining with stars when he looked at Zeus. "I have seen Jiraiya enter this state before, but it was barely as frightening as what you did. Also, why were the circles around your eyes light blue?"

"It's because when gathering the natural energy, Zeus managed to somehow make it abundant with lightning exuberance," Fukasaku answered robotically, his eyes shaking slightly as he looked at the ground. It was clear that he had still not recovered from the shock. "It's enough for today, Zeus... I have to visit the Old Sage for some pointers."

***

Gif: Monster

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