Time flies, and before Naruto knew it, his days of training at Mount Myoboku had passed in the blink of an eye.
Now, only three months remained until Uzumaki Naruto turned sixteen.
After years of rigorous training, he had fully mastered the sage arts of Mount Myoboku. In Sage Mode, his recovery ability, chakra reserves, speed, strength, and overall combat power had all undergone a dramatic transformation.
Naruto roughly estimated...
At full power, his Sage Mode was far superior to his usual Wind Style: Blood Violence Technique.
As for how much stronger?
He figured that a single Senjutsu-infused Tailed Beast Bomb combined with Fox-style Qigong would be at least five times more destructive than Pain's infamous attack on Konoha.
But that wasn't all—he had also developed new techniques alongside Kurama's Immortal Emperor Arts.
According to a certain smug fox...
Unlike traditional Sage Mode, which relied on absorbing natural energy from the environment, Kurama's method stored natural energy within the body, refining it continuously.
The only downside?
At the early stages, the energy refined was minuscule, requiring extensive practice to build up strength.
But the best part?
This technique could be improved and evolved over time!
And the most shocking revelation?
Kurama had divided this martial art into nine levels, and every time a practitioner advanced, their lifespan would increase significantly.
In theory, if someone mastered all nine levels, they might actually achieve immortality.
…Of course, that was just a hypothesis.
Even Kurama himself wasn't sure.
After all, he hadn't reached the final level yet.
When Naruto heard this, his jaw practically hit the ground.
"Wait a minute... isn't this basically cultivating immortality?!"
Excited by the discovery, Naruto and Kurama spent an entire week discussing potential refinements. Eventually, they settled on a name for this groundbreaking technique—Nine Revolutions Profound Art.
---
Jiraiya, who had been meditating nearby, suddenly opened his eyes with a look of deep skepticism.
"Hey, Naruto... what kind of 'profound art' are you even trying to teach me?"
"Are you sure this isn't just some nonsense you came up with?"
Jiraiya had known this kid for too long to trust his words blindly.
After all, Naruto had a history of wild ideas.
Just a few days ago, while they were both using the bathroom, Naruto had randomly blurted out, "Ero-sennin! I've got this super powerful Sage technique, you wanna learn it?"
At the time, Jiraiya had been too stunned to respond.
What kind of madman developed a new technique while taking a dump?!
And now, Naruto was actually insisting that he try it out?!
Jiraiya was seriously questioning his life choices.
More importantly...
Why was he, the master, being taught ninjutsu by his own student?!
The last time this happened was when Minato had taught him the Rasengan, and that was decades ago!
"...Could it be that this brat is actually some kind of hidden martial arts grandmaster?"
Naruto, oblivious to Jiraiya's inner monologue, waved his black training staff like a strict instructor.
"Ero-sennin, shut up!"
"Just practice properly!"
"If you don't make any progress today, you're skipping dinner!"
At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki had completely transformed into an overbearing high school teacher scolding his lazy student.
Then, as if to drive the point home, he pointed dramatically at Hinata, who was standing nearby.
"Look at Hinata!"
"Now look at yourself!"
"She's already starting to get the hang of it!"
"And you? You can't even absorb natural energy properly!"
Naruto's tone was filled with disappointment as he praised his wife while ruthlessly criticizing his former mentor.
Jiraiya, sitting there feeling personally attacked, suddenly had a flashback to his childhood—back when he was tied to a training post and scolded by his own teacher.
…This was not how he had imagined his later years would go.
---
Just then, Hinata, who had been quietly practicing, suddenly opened her eyes.
"N-Naruto-kun... I-I think I did it!"
Before Naruto could even react, Hinata pounced on him—her face just two centimeters from his own.
Her warm breath tickled his ear as she spoke softly.
For a moment, Naruto's mind went completely blank.
After two years of proper nutrition and training, Hinata had shed her innocent, little-girl image. Now, every time Naruto looked at her for too long, his face would turn red.
"H-Hinata... y-you're t-too close!"
Naruto instinctively arched his back in panic.
He wasn't sure if he had pushed too far in the past, but Hinata had become way too bold lately.
And judging by her playful smirk...
She definitely knew the kind of effect she had on him.
"Hmm? Really?"
Hinata tilted her head innocently, but the mischievous glint in her eyes was unmistakable.
Jiraiya, watching this shameless display, felt like he had just swallowed a bucket of dog food.
"HEY!!"
"Can you two PLEASE be more considerate of my feelings?!"
Jiraiya looked like he had just eaten dog crap, his soul visibly leaving his body.
He wasn't sure what hurt more—watching his own apprentice flirt right in front of him, or realizing that this brat wasn't single like he was.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata ignored him completely, lost in their own little world.
Jiraiya clenched his fists in frustration.
"THAT'S IT!!"
"I'm done training here!"
"I'M GOING BACK TO KONOHA!!"
Jiraiya, fuming, stomped away like a child throwing a tantrum.
Naruto watched him leave with a smirk.
In all honesty, he had tried to help Jiraiya over the years—he really had!
But every time Ero-sennin worked up the courage to confess to Tsunade, he would suddenly turn into a shy little schoolboy at the last second.
Just last week, he had approached Tsunade with full confidence—only to instantly regress into a stuttering mess the moment she looked at him.
Of course, Tsunade had zero patience for his nonsense and beat him to a pulp on the spot.
If Naruto hadn't healed him, he probably would've gone straight to the afterlife.
"...Alright, fine, let's go back."
Naruto sighed, pulling Hinata up.
After two and a half years of training, it was finally time to return to Konoha.
Plus, tomorrow was Sasuke's birthday, and Naruto was planning a big surprise party for their favorite brooding avenger.
But before leaving, he made sure to nag Jiraiya one last time.
"Oi, Lao Deng!"
"Don't slack off when we get back! Keep practicing the Nine Revolutions Profound Art!"
Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
"Why do you sound more like an old man than I do now?"
Despite his grumbling, his gaze softened as he looked at Naruto.
This kid...
He was really growing up.
Just as Jiraiya was getting sentimental—
"Hurry up, old man! Don't fall behind!"
Jiraiya: "..."
...Never mind.
"UZUMAKI NARUTO!!!"
"I CHALLENGE YOU!!"
And just like that, the master and student bickered all the way back home.
---
Somewhere in the Ninja World…
Inside a dimly lit cave, Black Zetsu silently approached Obito, carrying a bowl of medicine.
"Obito, it's time to take your medicine."
Lying on the ground, Obito let out a weak cough before replying, his voice hoarse.
"Just leave it there... I'll drink it later."
Years ago, he had fought against that white-eyed man on the moon for three days and three nights.
The battle had ended in mutual devastation.
Obito had no idea what kind of mysterious jutsu his opponent had used, but it had severely damaged his bloodline—so much so that even Black Zetsu couldn't heal him completely.
That said, he had managed to exhaust all of his enemy's energy, preventing him from unleashing destruction upon the world.
At least for now.
But their situation wasn't looking good.
"Obito..."
Black Zetsu's voice carried a rare hint of urgency.
"You need to retrieve Kakashi's eye."
"Only then can you regain your former strength."
Obito's face darkened immediately.
"That's not necessary!" he snapped.
"I can recover once I become a Jinchūriki of the Tailed Beasts!"
Black Zetsu sighed.
He knew Obito's stubbornness all too well.
But the reality was—there was another threat looming on the moon.
The descendant of Hamura was still alive, waiting for his chance.
If Obito didn't recover quickly, and that man regained his full strength first...
It would spell disaster for them all.
"…Very well," Black Zetsu muttered after a long silence.
"I'll inform Ah Fei."
"I'll have him push Nagato to speed up the capture of the Tailed Beasts."
A chilling wind swept through the cave.
The gears of fate were already turning.
The final battle was drawing near.
﹌﹌﹌
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