Konoha's Mission Master

Masako Mori paused slightly.

"That girl who went on the mission with Yakumo..."

Who is it?

Yakumo was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised.

How could she have known?!

"A member of the Whirlpool Clan whom I picked up on the road."

Yakumo answered immediately.

Masako Mori quickly turned and disappeared into the night, scaling the wall and jumping into her house. It turns out that proper ninjas never use the door.

PS: Requesting monthly votes.

Chapter 142 Learning Sage Mode

May 2nd, early morning.

After washing up and brushing her teeth, Yakumo enjoyed the breakfast prepared by her tool-like shadow clone. She opened the mission interface and saw that the monthly and quarterly missions had been updated just yesterday.

Limited edition for the month.

"A debt of gratitude must be repaid."

Task requirement: Guide Kakashi through ten training sessions.

Task Rewards: Two attribute points, 2000 gold coins.

Bonus reward: Master-level Breakthrough Scroll.

Quarterly Rewards

Mission objective: Help Sakumo Hatake make up his mind.

Mission prompt: The determination to become the Fourth Hokage.

Task Rewards: Six attribute points, 20000 gold coins.

Bonus reward: Grandmaster Breakthrough Scroll.

Yakumo waved his hand to put away the mission panel and began to quickly finish his breakfast. Kakashi was currently in class, so he planned to visit Hatake Sakumo later that evening.

During the day... you should learn Sage Mode.

Because Yakumo intervened in time that night to save Yahiko and the others, Jiraiya promised Yakumo that he would persuade Fukasaku to bypass the signing process and learn the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku.

"set off!"

Yakumo wiped the milk stains from the corner of her mouth and then pushed open the door.

The task of clearing away the dishes was left to the shadow clone.

What puzzled Yakumo during his return to the village was that Hiruzen Sarutobi never summoned him, as if he had forgotten about this spy.

"Perhaps it has already been exposed?"

Yakumo thought to himself as he walked.

Mori Masako quickly caught up with Yakumo from behind, gently patted her on the shoulder, and the two walked side by side down the street. Yakumo turned to look at Mori Masako; the morning sunlight shone on Mori Masako from afar, making the fine downy hairs on her face seem to glow with a rosy light.

The two walked quietly and parted ways at the crossroads. Yakumo's destination was the Senju Academy's training ground, while Mori Masako was heading to learn ninja. On the way, Mori Masako didn't ask any more questions about Uzumaki Rina, and Yakumo didn't offer any further explanation.

Half an hour later, Yakumo passed through the smoke-filled alley and climbed over into the training ground behind the Senju compound. It was still early, and Jiraiya had not yet arrived. Yakumo drew his ninja sword and began to train.

The Secret Manual of Hatake... over and over again...

Jiraiya finally arrived late, his back beaded with sweat, and reeking of alcohol. Yakumo guessed that Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi must have had a bad fight, which led Jiraiya to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

"Let's go," Jiraiya said.

The two clasped hands tightly.

With a bang, it turned into white smoke and disappeared.

Mount Myoboku is one of the three sacred sites.

When Yakumo opened his eyes, he found himself halfway up a mountain, surrounded by horn-shaped peaks and gigantic plants, with the continuous, crisp croaking of frogs.

"Hello, Jiraiya, Yakumo."

The immortal, Fukasaku, greeted him warmly.

"Hello, Fukasaku the Sage," Jiraiya said.

“Hello, Fukasaku the Hermit,” Yakumo replied.

"You two haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Would you like to try some of the specialties from Mount Myoboku?"

"Never mind, never mind..." Jiraiya quickly shook his head.

“I already ate breakfast,” Yakumo said.

"OK then."

Shima, standing at the back, looked somewhat disappointed.

Led by Fukasaku, Yakumo arrived at the Toad Oil Waterfall on Mount Myōboku, where a huge stone toad lay still in a pool surrounded by rocks, spewing out very viscous toad oil.

"Ahem." Fukasaku the Immortal took out his black staff.

"Sage Mode consists of three steps."

"First, perceive natural energy."

"Second, absorb natural energy."

"Third, fuse and create Sage Chakra."

"Natural energy is the magical energy that fills the natural world. It exists in almost every part of the ninja world, but the concentration varies. The three holy lands are the areas with the most concentrated natural energy. It is easier to sense the existence of natural energy in the holy lands. Absorption is the act of absorbing natural energy into the body."

"This step is very dangerous. The natural energy that enters the body will be extremely aggressive. If it gets out of control, the natural energy will erode the human body, and eventually the structure of the human body will be completely changed, just like the surrounding... toad stone sculptures."

Fukasaku the Hermit continued speaking.

"Of course... only the Black Rod, a treasure passed down from Mount Myoboku, can disperse the natural energy within the body and prevent the process of human transformation into a frog."

"So amazing..." Yakumo exclaimed.

"Of course, and the toad oil unique to Mount Myoboku can enhance sensitivity to natural energy, and even soothe natural energy, making it more controllable."

Yakumo nodded; he understood that.

"The first step...to sense natural energy."

Under the guidance of the hermit Fukasaku, Yakumo took off his shirt and trousers and entered the stone pool, letting the toad oil be poured over his body.

"Cross your legs and concentrate," said the immortal.

Upon hearing this, Yakumo began to clear his mind.

"Perceive...the surrounding environment".

When the viscous toad oil was poured on his body, Yakumo felt a slight stinging sensation on his skin, accompanied by a cooling sensation... as if an unknown passage had appeared inside his body, leading to the outside world... as if the toad oil had opened many holes in his skin.

In a blur, Yakumo sensed dense green specks of light moving up and down in the surrounding air, as if they were enticing him.

"Hey grandpa, come have some fun!"

"Hey grandpa, come have some fun!"

Yakumo discovered that his spirit seemed to transform into an invisible hand, capturing natural energy and drawing it into his body.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

The natural energy continued to surge and swirl, unmoved. Yakumo gradually increased the intensity of his mental output, gradually narrowing the scope of the influence…

Five seconds... ten seconds...

Three minutes later... Yakumo opened his eyes.

"Did you sense it? How does it feel?"

Jiraiya quickly stepped forward and immediately asked.

“I can sense natural energy… but I have no way to activate it,” Yakumo replied, bowing his head.

"Oh no, you don't have the special ability."

Jiraiya spoke softly, his voice filled with sadness or mourning, but Yakumo keenly sensed that he was gloating.

It's like... a top student suddenly getting a zero on a test.

The underachiever burst into maniacal laughter.

"Hahaha, you've finally met your match."

Yakumo stood up and stepped out of the pool. The toad oil on his body evaporated at an extremely fast speed, and his skin became dry in just a few breaths.

"I feel like Jiraiya seems happy?"

"How could that be... Of course not, hahahaha."

Jiraiya tried his best to suppress his laughter but failed. His laughter gradually became more unrestrained and eventually turned into a neurotic, maniacal laugh.

Yakumo watched Jiraiya go crazy in silence. It has to be said that Jiraiya really doesn't care about others, which is why he used such an awkward way to change the subject.

"...What are your traits?"

Yakumo asked a question when Jiraiya stopped smiling.

"The aptitude of a sage represents the qualifications necessary to learn the Sage Mode. Specifically, it means being able to sense and absorb natural energy. Lacking either one means you do not have the qualifications to learn the Sage Mode," the sage Fukasaku explained, his voice tinged with regret.

"Can I... try practicing on my own?"

Yakumo asked, somewhat unwillingly.

The body left behind by the original owner really had very poor talent, which is an unchangeable fact. Fortunately, he still had a unique talent that belonged to him alone.

"Of course... just don't force it."

"Imperial Sage Fukasaku said, then turned and jumped away quickly from Yakumo's sight. After all, there was no need for him to stay here. He couldn't even absorb natural energy into his body, so how could he turn into a frog?"

"How realistic..." Yakumo thought to himself.