Chapter 127 - Flaws.

Hitsugaya looked back at the place where he had stayed for almost a month.

Slowly, he stepped towards the sea.

It was time to leave this place that had brought him such transformation!

The one-month limit was almost up, and he had to start preparing to return to Konoha.

Fortunately, this trip had fulfilled his long-held hopes, and he considered it a major success. Not only had he successfully mastered Sage Mode, but he had also found a relatively good summoning beast.

Although both had some flaws.

Take Sage Mode for instance—after nearly a month of arduous training, he could smoothly activate it in the outside world, but...

Every time he prepared to enter Sage Mode...

On this forgotten island, it was fine; with just a little adjustment, he could successfully enter Sage Mode in about five to ten minutes.

But once in the outside world, because of the different densities of natural energy, this time would extend to over half an hour.

Such a long preparation time almost nullified the power of this trump card in Hitsugaya's hands.

Even though he could mimic the future Naruto by using Shadow Clones to prepare Sage Mode, the preparation time was still too long, rendering it almost useless in actual combat.

Ninja battles rarely lasted that long. Generally, fights would last about ten minutes, which was already quite rare.

Due to ninjas' high burst, speed, strong attack, and frail nature, most ninja combat was defined by sudden, lethal surprise attacks lasting just a minute or two.

Only on large battlefields would there be back-and-forth skirmishes.

Not every ninja could fight like Madara and Hashirama for an entire day and night as if it was nothing.

But fortunately, Hitsugaya had considered this before training in Sage Mode.

He never expected Sage Mode to be of immediate use in combat, at least not in the short term.

His main reason for training in Sage Mode was to 'activate his body's potential.'

The next ten years would be a peak growth period for him, with rapid increases in height, stamina, chakra, and mental energy.

If he just followed routine training and relied on daily food or his body's own energy for 'body activation,' his future achievements would be very limited. At most, he would become a Kage-level ninja with the Mangekyō Sharingan, comparable to the future Fourth Raikage or Fifth Hokage.

Maybe slightly stronger due to the Mangekyō, but still with the risk of blindness unless he transplanted Hashirama cells. Even with those cells, he'd just be another Obito, with perhaps some different eye techniques but little difference overall in the grand scheme.

And what would be the point of that...

By the later stages of the Shippuden, such characters were just side roles.

Only Sage Mode!

It would provide Hitsugaya with unparalleled growth potential.

In the future, he might not fade into a supporting role.

And the most important point: "Immortality!"

From the future storyline, it was known that the great toad sage of Mount Myōboku, Gama Maru, lived from the era of Kaguya for almost a thousand years until after the Fourth Great Ninja War.

And if a relatively short-lived frog could live that long, surely a transmigrant like him had a shot at such longevity, surpassing cold-blooded animals like frogs and snakes?

Anything was possible...

In a sea area between the Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Hot Water, and the Land of Iron.

A bald eagle with a wingspan of nearly thirty meters and a length of twelve or thirteen meters was soaring a thousand meters above the ground.

The eagle could easily be called a vulture due to its size; calling it an eagle no longer seemed appropriate.

This massive bald eagle had a gigantic body with a head covered in white feathers, a huge, curved, sharp yellow beak, yellow irises, a white tail plumage, and its body and wings covered in black feathers.

Bald eagles generally fed on various fish, including salmon, herring, shad, and catfish. But they had a varied diet, preying on birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates (crabs, etc.), and mammals (rabbits and rodents).

They were also "opportunistic predators," preying on live animals, feeding on fresh meat or carrion, and often stealing or robbing prey caught by others.

Especially when they grew so enormous due to natural energy. They became even more unscrupulous.

On the forgotten island, anything they deemed beatable was on their menu. With their aerial advantage, they were almost invincible.

Until this eagle encountered Hitsugaya...

When it first saw Hitsugaya, driven by predatory instincts and its usual arrogance, it dived at him, not taking him seriously.

Caught off guard, it was dragged down from the air. As the saying goes, a phoenix falling to the ground is inferior to a chicken; it was no exception. A thorough beating later, Hitsugaya forcibly signed a summoning contract with it, thus stripping it of its freedom.

If it were anyone else signing the contract, it would be bearable. But this was a Uchiha with the Sharingan—one look, and it couldn't even resist if it wanted to...

Like now, soaring through the sky, it had completely lost control over its body...

Not taking the small boat he had brought, Hitsugaya stood on the back of the massive bald eagle, feeling the wind rushing past him.

He gazed at the endless sea and the clouds within reach.

"Ah..."

Uncontrollably, Hitsugaya gathered all his strength and let out a long, high-pitched cry.

The voice echoed over the sea, lingering for a long time...

(Chapter end)