Chapter 187: Sage Mode

Since his return, Naruto had been delving into the mysteries of "natural energy." The legacy of the First Hokage only solidified his belief that there was no need to follow the conventional path of a "ninja."

The elements within this energy, known to drive others mad, had little effect on Naruto. Moreover, he was channeling the power of "Ashura" to activate this mode, making the energy even more potent.

Natural energy gathered around him, merging seamlessly into his body.

Sage Mode.

But unlike Jiraiya's or Sasuke's versions, this external power didn't dramatically alter Naruto's physical form. His eyebrows and eyelashes shifted from dark orange to a brilliant gold. A golden rhombus-shaped mark appeared at the center of his forehead.

The most striking change was in his attire. The chakra cloaks of "Ashura" and "Nine-Tails" became more tangible, intertwining with the natural energy and merging into his spiritual pressure, visually blending with his Shinigami uniform and captain's haori.

In his Shikai state, Naruto was already shrouded in a golden chakra cloak. But this time, after entering Sage Mode, the gold on his body no longer held the vibrant, lively hue it once did. It was now sacred, radiant, and pure.

From head to waist, the color was divine and luminous, while below the waist, it became translucent, refracting a faint rainbow-like glow.

His spiritual pressure surged higher than ever.

The stormy winds from the battle immediately calmed when Naruto shifted into Sage Mode. The world fell silent, and all sounds ceased. The area around him seemed isolated from the rest of existence.

Nine-Tails, perched on Naruto's shoulder, observed him curiously. This was a new form it had never seen before.

"He's breathtakingly beautiful," Asuma marveled, finally managing to light a cigarette.

"Like a rainbow," Might Guy added honestly, using the simplest words.

Jiraiya's heart raced. At this moment, his barrier technique was no longer disrupted. However, despite his ability to see Naruto using "natural energy" and entering "Sage Mode," he couldn't feel anything when observing.

There stood a person in the air, his presence as unremarkable as that of an ordinary person. Yet, this gave Jiraiya a sense of beauty and fragility.

Naruto raised "Ashura," gathering power at the blade, where it twisted and spun within a small, fist-sized space. The air currents formed into threads, whipping and twisting in a tangible way.

He waved his other hand, and golden chains, the same color as Naruto, surged forth. They plunged into the ground, binding the lurking power of the Six Paths. It struggled, snapping several chains, but others held on tightly.

Naruto lightly swung his blade. A slash—golden light erupted, crashing into the "gene spiral" structure of the Truth-Seeking Ball weapon. The once indestructible weapon began to shatter at the tip of the blade. This tiny breach set off a chain reaction, as one by one, the "genes" disintegrated, chakra scattered, and the power of the Six Paths dissipated.

The weapon dissolved, yet Naruto's slash did not stop. It continued toward the force that had wielded the weapon. The ground trembled and cracked. The invisible "power of the Six Paths" collapsed, and in the moment of its annihilation, a slight tremor added to the aftershocks of the slash.

Those watching struggled to maintain their balance amid the violent shaking, barely managing to stay on their feet. They looked up in disbelief. Jiraiya was the most disheveled. His Sage Mode had been disrupted by external interference, making it difficult to maintain. The natural energy retreated, and the two toads on his shoulders, unable to hold on, slipped and nearly fell.

"What kind of power is this?" Asuma exclaimed in awe.

Shikaku shook his head, glancing at Jiraiya. The white-haired man propped himself up from the ground, brushing the dust off his clothes.

"This should be Sage Mode," Jiraiya said, his voice tinged with awe and confusion. "But it seems Naruto has made some changes to this technique, far beyond my understanding."

Jiraiya's eyes were full of mixed emotions. He had once thought that Minato Namikaze was the most talented of all his disciples and that Nagato, with the Rinnegan, would be the "Child of Prophecy" foretold by the Great Toad Sage. But now, Naruto Uzumaki had surpassed both of them. He must be the "Child of Prophecy."

High above, Naruto still held his blade, scanning the ground. He had destroyed the program. Its creator should reveal themselves now.

Suddenly, he raised his head, turning left and right to scan the sky. A sense of being watched suddenly came from all directions.

"Sage of Six Paths?" he murmured softly, uttering the name.

There was no response.

"Can you come out and meet me?" Naruto continued to ask.

The sense of being watched intensified. But still, nothing appeared.

"Is it that you don't want to see me?" Naruto turned, frowning. Each of the watchful feelings gave him the same impression, making it impossible to discern the true direction.

Was it a technique?

"Or are there reasons preventing you from coming out to meet me?" he continued speaking.

The sky and earth remained empty.

Naruto sighed, "Whether it's because you don't want to or because you can't, I will find you."

"As for this time, the souls marked by me from now on will be under my jurisdiction. If you disagree, then we can fight again."

He flipped his wrist, and spiritual pressure surged. Jiraiya and the others turned pale, retreating once more. The sense of being watched flickered and then receded, disappearing entirely.

The Sage of Six Paths did not appear, but his actions spoke volumes. He tacitly agreed with Naruto's claim.

Naruto expanded his senses. After confirming that the sense of being watched had indeed vanished, he furrowed his brows. Golden light gently swirled around him, and Sage Mode dissipated.

This mode was also taxing on his body. Although his spiritual pressure continued to rise, becoming even stronger, the external energy, forcibly controlled and compressed into his spiritual pressure, was a temporary and unavoidable drawback. In this state, he could maintain it for only about half an hour at most.

What concerned him was the Sage of Six Paths's decision. He had truly backed down. Was he lacking confidence in defeating Naruto in this state? That didn't seem likely. The pressure felt from the sense of being watched was not to be underestimated. Even a program had given Naruto quite a bit of trouble. The original would undoubtedly be stronger.

So, as Naruto had speculated earlier, it wasn't that the Sage didn't want to show himself but that he couldn't? Was he bound by the Pure Land, or was there another reason?

Naruto looked up at the sky, now a clear, bright blue. Eyes like the Sharingan that could alter reality, a Sage of Six Paths who seemed unable to manifest, and chakra, an inexplicable energy—this world held no shortage of secrets.

He gently landed and used Shunpo to appear beside Jiraiya and the others.

"Naruto," Shikaku said gravely.

Naruto grinned at him, "Sorry for causing Konoha so much trouble. Fighting an enemy of that level while trying to restrain my power to avoid environmental damage is indeed difficult."

Looking back, he saw that much of the village had been left in ruins from the brief clash.

"Please, Shikaku, take charge of assessing the damage," Naruto continued. "Have the toads of Mount Myōboku deliver it to me later. I'll cover all the costs."

Shikaku opened his mouth. He really wanted to waive the debt and gain favor. But Konoha was poor. And now, with Danzo dead, both village reconstruction and the reorganization of the upper echelons would require a large sum of money. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire would likely be reluctant to approve such funding.

"Thank you," Shikaku finally nodded, agreeing.

Jiraiya asked, "Naruto, was that Sage Mode you used earlier?"

Naruto thought for a moment, "You could say that."

Although it could indeed be called "Sage Mode," given the outcome, the technique wasn't limited to just "natural energy"; it also encompassed "external energy." In other words, this technique should still be usable when he returned to the Soul Society. At that point, it would likely function similarly to the Quincy ability to manipulate external spirit particles.

"That's truly..." Jiraiya couldn't find the right words to describe something simultaneously "beautiful" and "powerful."

Naruto smiled, "I won't leave Danzo's soul with you. I still have a use for it."

They nodded, having no objections and not daring to have any.

Naruto was about to leave when Asuma couldn't resist asking, "Naruto, was that really the Sage of Six Paths you fought earlier?"

Naruto nodded, "It wasn't exactly the Sage himself, just a portion of his power."

"Why were you fighting him?" Asuma asked further.

Shikaku quietly interjected, "Naruto-sama, is it true that you intend to become a 'god who controls life and death'?"

That was what Danzo had claimed initially. It weighed heavily on him.

"He could only understand it to that extent," Naruto shook his head, laughing. "It's just that the order of life and death in this world is far from perfect, and under the management of the Sage of Six Paths, there are many loopholes. I'm not interested in the order of the living world, nor do I want to change it. So, I'll just make the afterlife a little more perfect."

Shikaku nodded thoughtfully. Seeing they had no further questions, Naruto reminded Shikaku once again to send him the bill, then used Shunpo to leave.

He was very curious. Which of Orochimaru's subordinates had secretly informed Obito Uchiha, leaking his plans to form the Soul Society? They should have known his abilities quite well.

In the Land of Fire, at the Daimyo's mansion, the intelligence report from Konoha was submitted. After all, given the commotion, they had to provide a reasonable explanation to the lord of the land.

The overweight Daimyo unrolled the scroll, reading the name aloud: "Naruto Uzumaki... Executed Konoha's rogue ninja, Danzo Shimura."

"Oh my, when did Danzo Shimura become a rogue ninja? I remember he was very loyal to the Land of Fire."

A cheerful voice chimed in beside him, "Daimyo-sama, did you really believe Konoha's report?"

"I've told you before. These ninjas, one by one, are all afraid to offend Naruto Uzumaki."

~~~

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