Sage mode, Training of a Lifetime

Appearing in a cloud of smoke, I stood there on a grassy ground with the wind blowing gently through the area. Taking a glance around I could hear the croaking of frogs and the water running everywhere. This place seemed untouched by time, sitting in one place for all eternity. Just then one of the frogs from before appeared before me.

"Ah, Koga. Glad you are here. Even though it has been many years since I have left this place it was nice to see the Hidden Leaf once again." Lord Fukasaku paused for a moment before he continued to speak. This was time to start explaining. "I guess you are wondering why your lead Jonin would have you summon me very suddenly. I guess it is time we had this talk. We are to make you a sage just like Naruto boy and many others before you. You do give off a very similar precense much like Naruto boy as well as having the Nine tails on your side as well. This makes you perfect for this training." The frog coughed a little before catching his breath once again.

While the elderly frog was catching his breath, I couldn't help but think of some questions of my own. This was all very sudden with the Hidden Mist and everything happening. "Sorry if I come off as rude here, but why are you so insistent on me learning Sage jutsu right now? With the Hidden Mist joining with the outsiders wouldn't it make more sense for me to be with my team and train together?" I could only scratch my head with these questions as I then sat down on a nearby rock. Lord Fukasaku could tell that I was full of questions and only laughed slightly.

"You see that is the point. We are having your team step back as you lead the main forces. This was decided when young Nara decided to follow you." The elderly frog then leaped up onto the rock in front of me and looked right at me. "You are to take the helm of the Hidden Leaf forces while other nations move to push out the invaders from the Land of Water. Your team will be in the back covering where you cannot be. However even with Sage mode and your Senji wood style, we doubt you would be able to take on big names on your own. That is when Homura gave us something." The small toad then reaching into his cloak and pulled out a vile. The toad seemed hesitant in explaining it but did so anyway. "This vile within holds the DNA of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke Uchiha. Don't ask how it was achieved, however with this DNA within you it could push you to gain use of the Sharingan granting you the ability to protect the Hidden Leaf and the Shinobi world."

I just sat there and got a shocked look on my face. The DNA of Sasuke Uchiha, gaining the Sharingan, what was I to do with this. This was something that I obviously could not pass up. However what if it failed and I didn't gain the Sharingan? What would become of the DNA then? A failed experiment with good intentions indeed. "When will we do it? I shall accept the DNA of Sasuke Uchiha. Uniting the two clans of our founding fathers of the Hidden Leaf to protect the entire world."

Lord Fukasaku just got a smile on his face and placed the vile back where he got it from in his cloak then got a grin on his face. "We shall do the transplant after you gain use of Sage mode. Sure Sasuke had use of the Rinnegan in one eye but he did not have Sage jutsu. This will make you even stronger than Sasuke and possibly even Naruto boy as well. So with that all aside let's get started on the Sage training." The frog then hopped down from the rock he was on and headed over to some oddly colored water fall with a toad statue in the middle. He then signaled for me to come over there so I did so without wasting any time to allow him to explain. "Now this is a pond of special oil that can only exist in Mount Myoboku. If you take it out from here it will just evaporate into the air. So now with that in mind you are probably wondering what its purpose is. Well let me tell you, it is an oil that once in contact with the body will naturally draw in Nature chakra into your body. This is to train your body on how to pull in the chakra on your own."

He then held out his hand and pulled my arm in as he then rubbed some of it on my arm and I began to feel a surge of power going through me. It was a very powerful chakra even beyond that of Kurama's chakra. Was this the Nature Chakra he just mentioned. I then began to feel my face begin to puff up as I then feel a hard smack on my head and I fall to the ground.

"As you can see until you learn how to control the chakra it runs the risk of turning you into a Toad and then into a statue for all eternity." Lord Fukasaku then pointed around the pond. In my own shock and horror there were hundreds if not thousands of statues around the area. These were all humans that trained to use Sage mode but failed. "I know what you are thinking. However it is not impossible to pass. Now shall we start?"

I only nod as I then lift my shirt off of myself and place it on a rock then walk over to the pond and sit down with my back facing it. It was now time to start my training to become a Toad Sage.

wc 1,045
Sage mode: 1,045/5,000

Lord Fukasaku began to splash some of the oil onto my back as I then began to feel the natural energy begin to crawl within my body. It began to gather more and more as the moments went on. After a short minute, my body began to bloat into the shape of a frog. Fukasaku then saw this and hit me in the head swiftly to knock the Natural Energy out of me. Feeling pain from the strike I could only feel frustration. Not being able to gather on the control of this new chakra was frustrating. I however had to maintain focus at all times.

"Remember you have to remain focused at all times, ensure you do not intake too much Nature chakra." Fukasaku said this with a very stern voice as I only held my hand on my head where the stick hit me. "Master Jiraiya and Lord Seventh mastered this technique, both within masterful levels of their own." This began to make things stir within my own mind. If two masters within the Hidden Leaf was able to master this ability so could I. However using the oil was the only way I could intake this chakra right now. Quickly realizing this I put my hand into the pond of oil and Nature chakra began to flow around me I pulled my hand out and began to try to control it.

Sitting down on the platform in front of the pond, I began to meditate to control the power. Energy began to build up around me as I pulled in more and more. Building a stable amount I then closed off the flow of chakra and opened my eyes. Sadly my face had gotten swollen almost with few warts on them with my eyes colored like a toad. However the power that I felt was real. So this was the incomplete power of the sage. Perhaps with access to this power I could learn to use it with full potential.

"Oh good it looks like you have learned how to enter the first half of sage mode. Good work." Fukasaku then hopped over to me and sat on the ground. He only stared at me with a smile. "Now you have mastered the ability to gather natural energy with the oil. However you are no where near as ready as you need to be." This statement shocked me as I could feel strong power around me and this was the closest I could get for now. Clenching my fists I began to finally understand the depth of this power and how far it could go. "So even in this state I am still imperfect. I must continue this training and reach for higher points." Closing my eyes I could sense many chakras around me and those that were at a distance away. A quick presence came over me and it was Risa. This presence faded as soon as Sage mode faded from my body and I began to feel as if I was out of breath. "So I see you finally get the after effects of the Sage Mode. It may grant great power to those who can maintain it, however it has the drawback of extreme exhaustion." He was not wrong, I was completely out of gas from using the incomplete stage. This sage mode stuff was no joke. Perhaps there was a way I could train to use it with little effort and bypass the after effects.

Finally catching my breath after some time passing, all I could think about was how I could bypass this fallback. My questioning began to even reach Kurama who was resting. However Kurama kept quiet on this subject as he knew that the power of the sage mode needed to be mastered before he could begin to teach Koga the techniques of his chakra. Kurama only closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Fukasaku then looked me over and nodded as he then began to hop away. "Come, follow me young Koga. You make too many movements and must learn to become one with nature so you can master the next step of the Sage Mode." I then began to follow the frog with little thought about it. Perhaps at this point I gave up trying to find short cuts and wanted to figure out this new power. In the end all I could question was how far the Hidden Leaf really was from here. To be able to sense Risa from this distance might be amazing on its own. If I could harness this power I would be able to infiltrate the Hidden Mist and be able to take out the enemy with little to no effort as well. Maybe this was the plan between the frogs and the Elder. For me to lead the forces into enemy territory with the Sage mode to guide us all. It's not a far fetched plan however the question on where the DNA of Sasuke Uchiha came into play here. Was it for the power of his sage power or the Rinnegan. It could even be something smaller like the Sharingan. All these things needed to be factored in on how they would work in the long run. All of these factors that were left unknown were going to make the mission itself near impossible to predict. If there were more of those Marines there, we would all be in more trouble than ever. Especially if I am not at full power. Then there was that strange girl who showed up during the last encounter. Her power was so vast that I could barely keep up and since then I haven't sensed her presence nor the person who showed up to pick her up. Those two couldn't be counted on to show up the next time and I am alone this time to protect my lands. This reached beyond the Hidden Leaf and almost encountered the entire world. The biggest question came up, What is stopping them from reappearing to take back the Hidden Mist and more later on? The answer was nothing but myself. The question of attacking them at their home base. However, without knowledge on their location was making that action impossible. We shinobi needed someone from the outside to join us and help us fight against these people. The biggest question was who could we trust? This was still left unanswered.

After walking for what seemed an hour, we both reached a sharp mountain range and below it at the bottom seemed to be a pile of blocks. The all seemed to be cut out into what looked like tiles. They were large enough to fit a person on them however their strength was up for questions. Most were covered in moss and looked like they had not been moved since they were created and placed there by who ever. Fukasaku only hopped on top of the pile and lifted a smaller tile for himself and then pointed up in the air at the mountain peaks. "Now with this part of the training you must balance yourself on the mountain peak using these tiles. You must remain perfectly still or else you will fall. Not to worry though, I will make sure to catch you when you fall. However do try not to fall." He then leaped into the air and climbed up the mountain. I was not too sure of this and I hesitated for a short while. This was sorta out of the ordinary for me but in the end I grabbed a tile and began to climb up the mountain right behind Fukasaku. It was time to start my next training.

wc 1288
Sage mode: 2,333/5,000

Making my way to the top of the mountain, I placed the thin block on top of a peak and stood there in front of Fukasaku awaiting his instructions. However the toad only sat there quietly on top of his block. This puzzled me for a moment before thinking back to what Fukasaku said.

"You make too many movements and must learn to become one with nature so you can master the next step of the Sage Mode."

"Too much movement, huh." I quickly sat down on the block and began to gather chakra. This must be the type of training that help isolate movement down to only essential. I could feel the block wobble under me but only slightly that it wasn't enough to knock me off. This had to be what the toad was talking about. The movement causing the block to shake under me was the reason I couldn't perfect the Sage mode without the oil. With too much movement I cannot pull in the Nature chakra to activate Sage mode. So perfect still mind was what I needed.

The block went from slightly shacking to near still as I began to clear my mind. Nothing, not even the village was flowing through my mind in this moment. Fukasaku only looked on with a curious look on his face. "Perhaps this boy is a bit more advance than the previous students. This is remarkable. Regardless if he has the Nine tails in him too like Naruto boy. This kid is advanced even compared to Naruto." Birds began to chirp and flock around Fukasaku and myself as if we were not even there. The toad was heavily impressed at my ability to become one with nature so easily. Perhaps it was my wood style that helped with this matter but all that can be said for certain was that I had become one with nature at last.

Opening my eyes they began to take on a toad like appearance while a orange like outline began to appear around my eyes. Upon seeing this Fukasaku had little trouble understanding the fact that I had mastered the ability to pull in Natural Energy on my own. With only a slight grin on his face he then knew that it was time to start wrapping up this training so that I could return to the Village. However there was still the issue of mastering the sage art techniques and receiving that Uchiha DNA so that I might integrate it into my body.

"So, I can see you have finally mastered the ability to take in the Natural Energy. How do you feel using the power of Nature?" I just look down at my hands and only slightly look over at the toad with a quick answer in mind. "To be honest with you, I don't feel much different. I can however sense the beings around me, ranging from insects to toads. That is the main thing that feels different so far." The toad only got a smile on his face as he then began to lower himself from the peaks down to the ground below. I quickly followed behind him by using my wood style to slowly lower myself down. The peaks were very high off the ground, it would kill an average person if they were to fall from this height. Once on the ground I then noticed something about my Wood style that seemed a bit off. Taking a closer look at the chakra used to make the jutsu it seemed very little compared to how it usually was. This puzzled me for a second before realizing it. The Wood style used the Natural Energy chakra first before even using my own. This was a completely different power scale compared to my own regular chakra. Fukasaku only sat there with a smile on his face as he stood there looking right at me. "So you finally experienced it, the use of the Natural Energy chakra is on a far higher level than your own regular chakra. It is true that when you use jutsu in Sage Mode, you will use the Natural Energy first then your own chakra. Once the Natural Energy runs out however you will lose your Sage Mode. So use your jutsu very carefully." It was all clear to me now. Using this Natural Energy was a power boost if anything but came at a huge drawback if used up. This was now to be used as a secret weapon in emergencies than just thrown around like candy. That meant I needed to perfect not only Sage Mode for those desperate moments but also refine myself to become stronger than before. It was time to train some more.

"So does that mean that with training eventually my body will be able to handle more Natural Energy than what I can currently take in?" The frog quickly leaped up onto a rock and sat down in front of me. He kept his stare right on me as I waited for his answer. "It is true that you can extend how much you can take in with training over time. However you must do it slowly. Take it too fast and you will die." The risk of death seemed to be a common issue with any technique that I trained with. At this point it was starting to sound like a broken record. However that did not downplay the risks that were involved. That meant perhaps just mastering it for use would be a better idea for now and train other things so Sage mode wouldn't be needed too much.

As i turned to walk away, the Sage Mode began to fade as well as my strength as well. It felt like my entire body was drained within a matter of seconds as I knelled to the ground out of breath. Now the drawback was obvious. If this was to happen during a battle this would spell the end very quickly. Perhaps having teammates out there as well would cure this drawback, even a medical ninja as well. All things had to be taken into consideration as the effects began to fade and I regained some of my strength.

Inside of my mind a familiar voice appeared after not hearing from him for some time, Kurama was awake again."You are lucky I woke up when I did. That sage mode crap is very draining for someone who just learned how to use it. Be careful next time you idiot." So it was due to Kurama that my strength returned so fast after losing Sage mode. It is true I am lucky he woke up when he did, or if I was in battle I would be done like dinner. Only looking at Kurama with a smile I only had one thing to say. "Good morning Kurama, hope you slept well. No need to worry though, I am just training right now. No physical danger in sight." The fox only huffed at me while sitting up and stretching. It has been a month since Kurama was sealed inside of me and he was only awake for a short week of that time. This is the first time he has been awake in a while and hopefully he stayed awake for now while the downtime was here so we could train together. "Hey before you go back to training with those creatures again. Once we return to the Leaf we need to train on our combo attacks and strategy. Using Sage Mode is fine and dandy but with my chakra mixed together you will be able to match Naruto from the time he fought in the Great War against Madara." I got a confused look on my face with how Kurama was acting so haste for once. Perhaps there was something going on behind the scenes that I couldn't sense yet. However I did take note of what he said as I began to return to the physical world. "Sure, we can get started on that soon. Thanks, Kurama." As I went to return to the physical world Kurama only scoffed at me. "Yeah, yeah. Now go finish your training. I wanna finish waking up here." Only grinning at Kurama, I reopened my eyes in the physical world and stood up straight and tall. It was time to complete this phase of training before undertaking the Uchiha DNA.

"Ok Lord Fukasaku, let's finish this Sage Mode training so I might get a move on with my other training. I am excited to finally finish and get back to the Hidden Leaf." The toad could only look at me with a shocked look on his face. He was not aware of Kurama being sealed within me quite yet as Kurama has been inactive for some time but would be surprised either way. "My, My you are full of energy aren't you. Well I guess we can continue when you are ready. However it is just basic mastery at this point now. It shouldn't take too much longer."

With excitement in my blood I began to prepare for the final tasks of learning Sage mode at last. This wouldn't mark the end of training completely with Sage mode but only the beginning.

wc 1,511
Sage mode: 3,844/5,000