Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 196

Nine-Tailed Fox gave an awkward reply and closed its enormous beastly eyes again.

But that slightly swaying, massive tail, like a mountain range.

This seems to indicate that it is not truly asleep, but rather like the most vigilant guardian.

He incorporated Naruto's core consciousness, along with the sleeping black phantom, into the range of his chakra perception.

A crimson ocean of chakra flowed slowly, while the sealing iron gate stood silently.

Minato sat quietly atop Kurama's head, like a watchman on a lighthouse.

His gaze, gentle yet unwavering, watched over his sleeping son and the ancient soul who, too, had fallen into slumber but had once fought with all his might to protect them.

In this silent inner world, a silent covenant of protection is quietly formed.

All that remains is for Naruto, in the outside world, to write his own new chapter on his journey.

The first part is completely over, and the next one is Shippuden!

Chapter 220 Three years have passed, Hashirama's revelation

Time flies, white horses pass by.

Three years passed quietly amidst the ninjas' training and the undercurrents of the world.

Somewhere in the ninja world lies a sacred place shrouded in strange natural energy—Mount Myoboku.

Giant mushroom-shaped rock columns stand tall.

The air was filled with a rich, almost liquefied natural energy, and strange plants emitted a soft glow.

This is the residence of the Toad Sage, and also the sacred place where Jiraiya's lineage cultivates sage techniques.

At the top of two of the tallest, almost piercing-the-sky, conical stone pillars.

Two figures were sitting quietly cross-legged.

They are tall and straight, and have long since shed the childishness of three years ago.

The age of sixteen has given them a more solid outline and a more composed temperament.

Naruto Uzumaki, his golden hair fluttering gently in the breeze of natural energy, wore a calmness beyond his years.

His eyes were closed, his breathing long and deep, as if he were one with the pulse of the entire Mount Myoboku.

Two bright orange eyeshadows were clearly drawn at the corners of his eyes.

Like the patterns of burning flames—this is the mark of perfectly mastering the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku!

On the stone pillar opposite him, Uchiha Sasuke was also sitting cross-legged.

Beneath his black, tousled hair, his once sharp, hawk-like eyes were now tightly closed, but the aura emanating from him was more restrained and profound.

The corners of his eyes were also marked with orange-yellow fairy eyeshadow.

What's even more striking is when he slowly opened his eyes.

His originally jet-black pupils had turned into horizontal rectangles, resembling those of a toad.

This is a symbol of the deep immersion of Sage Chakra, signifying that his understanding and mastery of Sage Mode has reached perfection!

The two sat quietly atop the stone pillar, as if they had turned into stone statues, completely still.

Abundant natural energy, like rivers flowing into the sea, continuously surged into their bodies, perfectly harmonizing with their own chakra.

To form a more powerful and purer Sage Chakra.

Not far below, there was a small toad with emerald green skin and a white beard on its chin—Fukasaku the Hermit.

As he stroked his not-so-long beard, the old man looked with satisfaction at the two people atop the stone pillar.

"Jiraiya-kun,"

Fukasaku the Hermit said to the white-haired man next to him, who was still wearing his signature red coat and sitting on a rock with his legs crossed, "Your two disciples are truly gifted!"

"In just three years, he not only absorbed and harmonized the Sage Chakra of Mount Myōboku to perfection."

"Moreover, being able to maintain perfect 'stillness' atop the most precipitous stone pillar under the impact of this 'Toad Oil Waterfall' allows one to enter such a stable immortal mode..."

"Such talent and temperament are rare even in my long life!"

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya immediately burst into smug laughter, his wrinkles smoothing out.

With undisguised pride, he said, "Hahahaha! Of course! Don't they know whose disciples they are!"

"How could the disciples I personally selected be anything less than excellent?"

"This is the group of disciples who were the last disciples of Jiraiya, the Toad Sage! The future leaders of the ninja world!"

He patted his chest, his tail practically wagging in the air.

Fukasaku shook his head helplessly, too lazy to pay attention to this self-aggrandizing fellow.

His gaze returned to the two young figures high above.

At the top of the stone pillar, Naruto slowly opened his eyes.

Those orange-yellow eyes, accentuated by the fairy-like eyeshadow, lost some of their usual liveliness.

He possesses a deeper wisdom and an indescribable sense of maturity.

He looked at Sasuke opposite him, his voice steady and clear: "How are you, Sasuke? How do you feel?"

Sasuke also opened his peculiar toad-like eyes.

He felt the Sage Chakra flowing endlessly within his body, seemingly containing boundless power.

And that strange perception of being intimately connected with all things in nature.

A hint of amazement flashed in his eyes: "As expected of Sage Mode."

"A leap forward in all aspects: strength, speed, perception, the quality and quantity of chakra."

"No wonder Uncle Hashirama once said that once you enter this realm, your strength will undergo a qualitative transformation."

His tone also carried a sense of calm that comes with experience.

Deep within Sasuke's consciousness resides the phantom of Hashirama Senju's soul.

He was carefully sensing the Sage Mode energy from Mount Myōboku that was being transmitted through Sasuke's body.

"Is this the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku? It is indeed exquisite, although the path is different from what I comprehended back then."

"But in essence, they all involve drawing upon the power of heaven and earth for one's own use. They arrive at the same goal through different paths. It feels... quite impressive!"

Hashirama's voice was filled with pure appreciation and admiration.

Sasuke thought to himself, "Uncle, what's the difference between your Sage Mode and the one from Mount Myōboku?"

“Our ancestors once mentioned that you seem to be able to enter instantly, without needing to sit in meditation for a long time like we do.”

Upon hearing this, Hashirama burst into laughter: "Haha, the difference... if you really want to say, there's no fundamental difference at the core."

"All immortal modes, in essence, involve introducing natural energy into the body."

"To achieve a higher level of balance by perfectly harmonizing with one's own physical and mental energy, thereby gaining a tremendous boost in all aspects."

Hashirama patiently explained, "As for entering instantly..."

Hashirama paused, his tone tinged with reminiscence and candor: "That was actually a small misunderstanding. I can't truly enter perfect Sage Mode 'instantly'."

Hashirama raised his head, as if a scene from the past was appearing before his eyes: "Back then, in the battle at the Valley of the End, Madara attacked Konoha with the Nine-Tails controlled by the Sharingan."

"The situation is extremely critical, how can I have time to sit quietly and absorb natural energy?"

The phantom of Hashirama seemed to be smiling: "I was just taking advantage of the brief, almost negligible gaps between us, during our confrontation and conversation, and even before he launched his attack."

"It simply absorbs the surrounding natural energy into its body at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people."

Hashirama chuckled twice: "Because I have a huge amount of chakra and a special physique."

"It also has an extremely high affinity for natural energy, so it can complete the initial harmonization in a very short time and reach a relatively usable immortal state."

"However, this speed is too fast, so fast that it gave Madara the illusion of 'entering instantly'."

"If he hadn't spoken to me at all, I probably wouldn't have been able to enter Sage Mode."

Hashirama revealed the truth of what happened back then.

Sasuke suddenly realized, "I see."

He felt even greater admiration for Hashirama's inhuman control and absorption of chakra.

Meanwhile, inside Naruto's sealed space, a completely different scene unfolded.

Madara Uchiha's phantom soul floated in the air, arms crossed, watching Naruto outside, who had perfectly mastered Sage Mode.

He gave a cold snort: "Hmph! It took three whole years to fully master and solidify it. It barely qualifies as a passing grade."

His tone was full of disdain.

Minato Namikaze's ghostly figure stood to the side, offering a helpless, bitter smile: "Mr. Madara, please don't compare Naruto to your... inhuman talent!"

He knew all too well how terrifying Ban's learning ability was.

Even the enormous Nine-Tails, unusually, did not argue at this moment.

The enormous beastly eyes glanced at Madara and said in a deep voice, "Minato is right."

"Old man, your talent is simply monstrous! I've lived for over a thousand years and I've never seen another person like you!"

"Back then in Tanbata Street, you were only making your first contact with immortal energy, and you managed to harmonize it perfectly. That's terrifying, isn't it?"

Nine-Tails' tone carried a hint of barely perceptible apprehension and... admiration.

It had personally witnessed Ban's unreasonable learning ability.

Ban seemed to have some memories stirred up, but he still stubbornly insisted: "These are all excuses you make for your mediocrity."

He closed his eyes and ignored it.

Chapter 221 A New Mission! Return to Konoha!

Outsiders, Naruto was already used to the "daily debates" about his inner space.