Chapter 83 (Patreon)

Zabuza's eyes sparkled at Yudao's words.

Are they really being given hidden powers, just like Ranmaru?

The others' eyes also shone.

But Ameyuri hesitated.

After all, Yudao once mentioned to her in the Mizukage’s office that this power could lead to changes in the body, which of course did not suit a young beautiful girl like her.

But if before she had never doubted it for a second, now her scales fluctuated between strength and appearance.

– Ranmaru gained strength with the help of the so-called Cursed Seal, which can not only strengthen the wearer’s body, but also give it unique features. However, I won’t go into details, you all already saw the transformation,” Yudao said calmly, and then continued more seriously, “but there is another way to gain power, called Sage Mode. It is significantly stronger than the Cursed Seal, but at the same time more complex and even dangerous to master.

Towards the end of his speech, his body trembled barely noticeably, and a small black circle appeared in the very center of his forehead.

At the same time, the very nature of the chakra and the aura surrounding Yudao’s figure changed dramatically.

A huge amount of pressure immediately fell on Zabuza and the others, and in just a matter of seconds, cold sweat soaked through them.

– Have you already decided what you will choose? – he soon came out of Sage Mode and asked Yudao with a straight face.

And only then did Zabuza and the rest of the Kiri shinobi, plunged into deep shock by this force, begin to slowly come to their senses.

Initially, they only guessed, but now they were told directly that they could not only gain power, but also choose from two options, which made even Choujuro feel poorly concealed excitement.

Sage Mode!

Everyone present without hesitation opted for the more powerful Sage Mode, despite the warning that it was more complex and even more dangerous than the Cursed Seal.

Yudao was not at all surprised by this choice. He was actually going to teach all the Swordsmen of the Mist Sage Mode if it weren't for Ranmaru's congenital disability.

But just the thought that the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist squad would consist of six Sage Mode users and one bearer of an enhanced Cursed Seal is capable of instilling real horror!

Then everything is extremely simple.

Yudao will simply inject them with some senjutsu chakra.

This method will not only help you feel the natural energy, but will also minimize the likelihood of an accident, which is usually so fraught with trying to master the Sage Mode.

Well, the rest will depend on their receptivity.

It is worth noting here that when mastering Sage Mode, the environment is no less, or perhaps more, important.

The three legendary Sage Regions are places where natural energy is concentrated, which makes them the most suitable for mastering Sage Mode.

Unfortunately, Yudao is not a summoner of slugs, toads or snakes, and therefore has no idea about the location of these sage regions.

And that’s where Isobu comes in!

First, Yudao fenced off the training site with Barrier Ninjutsu to prevent the outflow and dissipation of natural energy, and then simply filled it with senjutsu chakra, converted from the absorbed chakra of Isobu using the ability of the Black King.

Subsequently, it took Yudao more than two days to simply fill the space inside the barrier with natural energy. And even then this was only possible thanks to the inexhaustible chakra of the Three-Tails.

And even then, the environment inside the barrier did not reach the environment of the sage’s regions, but it was not formed to absorb natural energy.

Natural energy injected directly into the body will allow you to feel the rich natural energy in the atmosphere much faster and easier.

Well, as soon as they do this, it will be possible to move on to the natural accumulation of natural energy in the body and directly master the regime.

An attempt to master the Sage Mode of Hashirama Senju himself, which Yudao now owns, is fraught with irreversible lignification of the body.

But with the First Mizukage at your side, you don’t have to worry about this at all. If this suddenly happens, he will simply restore the appearance of the victim using his absorption ability.

The Swordsmen of the Mist and the others had nothing to worry about inside Barrier Ninjutsu under Yudao's constant supervision. So the development of Sage Mode progressed by leaps and bounds.

Having absorbed Yudao's senjutsu chakra, Zabuza and the rest of the Kiri shinobi gradually learned to sense and control natural energy.

And within two days, the first person appeared who had learned to absorb natural energy from the air without outside help, which greatly surprised not only the Swordsmen of the Mist and the others, but even Yudao.

Because this man's name was...

Chōjūrō!

Yes, it is Choujuro, the calmest and most peaceful of all.

From this we can conclude that interaction with natural energy may well depend not only on the environment or susceptibility, but also on the person’s personality.

After this, Yudao immediately kicked Chōjūrō out to train on the street on his own.

After all, the natural energy inside Barrier Ninjutsu was not intended to be absorbed, but simply to make it easier to feel.

It is worth noting here that the embarrassed and shy Chōjūrō served as a strong motivation for the rest of the training participants.

From that moment on, everyone began to train even harder, Zabuza especially tried not to lose face, because, after all, he was a veteran and the eldest of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

It was all right to lose to Ranmaru, because this child became stronger due to the Cursed Seal given to him by the First Mizukage.

But now that everyone had an equal opportunity to master even more impressive power, Zabuza was no longer going to yield to anyone.

Soon after Chōjūrō, Haku achieved success.

And then it seemed to burst.

Kimimaro was third, Ameyuri was fourth, and after them Zabuza and Suigetsu finished at about the same time.

Leaving Barrier Ninjutsu, the Demon kept throwing displeased glances at the jubilant Hozuki with the thought that he would have to somehow teach this boy a lesson so that he would not become too arrogant.

Now they could barely absorb some natural energy, let alone activate the mode, but the rest was just a matter of time and regular practice.

In addition, the training they completed gave Zabuza and the others a clear understanding that their previous strength paled against the background of the power of natural energy.

***

It is worth mentioning that during the training of the Swordsmen of the Mist and the others, Yudao received secret news from Orochimaru.

After reading the message, he smiled in anticipation and with a slight movement of his hand turned the leaf into ash, which smoothly scattered in the wind.

The Sannin acted faster than expected.

“It’s a pity, what a pity that the respected Kazekage was killed by a vile attack, and even Suna, apparently, simply abandoned the Race...” the First Mizukage shook his head and sighed heavily.