Developing Sage Mode

"Sir, Nohara Rin has accepted your invitation, but she wants to speak with you personally."

Hyuga Mirai, who was calculating applications for Sage Chakra, suddenly received a message from Android 18.

"She made her decision that quickly?"

Hyuga Mirai checked the time. Only a little over ten days had passed. He had originally thought that, given Nohara Rin’s feelings for Konoha, she would need at least a few months of imprisonment before she could no longer endure it and make a decision.

"Then transfer the feed over, Android 18."

Soon, Nohara Rin’s face appeared on the other side of the video. Her complexion looked quite good. It seemed she had not become listless from dwelling on her inner turmoil.

"Mirai-kun, is everything you said true? The ten years… and your goal."

"Of course. I have no reason to deceive you. In fact, aside from the Three-Tails that can be extracted from you at any time, there is nothing else about you worth my attention. And in every respect, Uzumaki Ayaka beside you is more outstanding than you. If there is anything you do not understand, you can ask her."

Upon hearing that, Uzumaki Ayaka revealed a smug smile and unconsciously thrust out the part of her body that was more ample than Nohara Rin’s.

"I meant Medical Ninjutsu and Chakra."

With a single sentence, Hyuga Mirai knocked the smug Uzumaki Ayaka back to reality.

Nohara Rin sighed softly, then said solemnly, "Then I accept your conditions, Mirai-kun. I hope you will not deceive me."

"Trust me. You will not regret it."

After saying that to Nohara Rin, Hyuga Mirai turned to Uzumaki Ayaka beside him. "Ayaka, redo the seal on her body. Use the Four Symbols Seal as the foundation and allow one-third of the Tailed Beast Chakra to leak out. Add a Five Elements Seal on top of that as a safeguard."

Better a villain before a gentleman. He could not trust Nohara Rin the way he trusted Uzumaki Ayaka, but her Medical Ninjutsu and constitution capable of sealing the Three-Tails could still be put to use.

If the Tailed Beast Chakra leakage exceeded that limit, the Five Elements Seal would activate and form a Parity Sealing Combination with the Four Symbols Seal, leaving Nohara Rin unable to use even a trace of Chakra.

Beyond that, Hyuga Mirai intended to add another layer of insurance to Nohara Rin.

The most fatal thing on her body was still that unsolvable micro-bomb. Its power could blast every living thing made of flesh and blood within fifty meters into pieces. The bomb’s sensor was linked to Nohara Rin’s flesh, and its detonation speed was extremely fast. No one in the Ninja World could remove this micro-bomb.

"Understood, leave it to me, Lord Mirai!"

Uzumaki Ayaka puffed out her chest and assured Hyuga Mirai with great enthusiasm. After gradually becoming proficient with the Adamantine Sealing Chains, even if the Three-Tails within Nohara Rin erupted again, she could subdue it in an extremely short time.

That was the suppressive power of the Adamantine Sealing Chains against Tailed Beasts. Even the strongest Nine-Tails would find it difficult to resist a Uzumaki Clan Member at their peak who had mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains.

After arranging matters for Nohara Rin, Hyuga Mirai ended the video call, leaving Uzumaki Ayaka on the other end rather unwilling.

Hyuga Mirai then lay back on the bed, connected to the monitoring data, and continued researching the feasibility of using Sage Chakra to permanently enhance bodily organs.

Even ordinary summoning beasts could greatly increase their lifespan after absorbing Natural Energy. Toads and snakes normally only lived for a few decades, but after absorbing Natural Energy, unless an accident occurred, their lifespans increased severalfold or even dozens of times.

"The rate has slowed somewhat, but Natural Energy is still dissipating. Original body, without a reference sample, it is difficult for me to make progress."

After conducting some research, the Shadow Clone spoke. Without using Sealing Technique, permanently storing Sage Chakra within the body was very difficult.

But if Sealing Technique was used, Sage Chakra would be unable to affect Hyuga Mirai’s body.

Natural Energy and Chakra were fundamentally different. Any foreign energy invading the body would trigger the body’s instinctive rejection. Sage Mode involved controlling Natural Energy and bringing the three types of energy in the body into balance. Otherwise, if the scales tilted even slightly, one side would retaliate.

"I understand. I’ll find a sample."

After thinking it over, Hyuga Mirai decided to summon a Snake Princess. Since the White Snake Sage had shown goodwill toward him, it would be a waste not to make proper use of it.

Summoning Technique!

Hyuga Mirai formed hand seals and instantly expended a large amount of Chakra. The Three Snake Princesses of Ryūchi Cave could originally be summoned through the summoning contract, but after they had cultivated a higher level of Sage Mode, they removed their marks from the Summoning Scroll.

It was not until the White Snake Sage spoke last time that the three of them left Sage Chakra on Hyuga Mirai’s body, allowing him to summon them from Ryūchi Cave whenever he wished.

Boom!

A cloud of smoke appeared, and then a figure floated out from within it—a girl with blue hair, a simple crown, and a white robe.

"You can transform into human form outside as well? If I had known, I would not have needed to come out and summon you again."

Hyuga Mirai spoke to the young-looking girl. The one he had summoned this time was Ichikishimahime of the Three Snake Princesses.

"Maintaining human form is because of Sage Chakra, not the environment of Ryūchi Cave."

Ichikishimahime turned her head and looked around, but there were no enemies in any direction. She immediately drooped her head in disappointment.

"So there are no enemies. I thought I would get a good meal."

"Sorry to disappoint you with the lack of enemies. I summoned you this time because I need your help. Come in with me."

Hyuga Mirai headed toward the underground base. Since Ichikishimahime could maintain human form, he did not need to move the experimental equipment to the surface.

"Do you really like eating people? The next time I summon you, I will prepare more food for you."

"It does not necessarily have to be humans. Any Chakra-based lifeform that is about to die will do. Toads would be even better. Humans have plenty of Chakra, but those toads from Mount Myoboku suit my tastes more."

Ichikishimahime floated beside Hyuga Mirai as she spoke in a light, ethereal voice.

"I understand. Xiao Zi told you about eating the toads of Mount Myoboku, did she not? Do not come so close. If there is a chance next time, I will summon you."

Hyuga Mirai reached out to push away Ichikishimahime, who was nearly leaning against his neck, but his hand passed straight through her face without touching anything.

At the same time, Ichikishimahime’s figure appeared in front of Hyuga Mirai.

"An Illusion Technique?"

Hyuga Mirai suddenly became interested. It had deceived his senses. Although he had not activated the Byakugan, there were not many Illusion Techniques capable of fooling him.

Sage Mode!

Byakugan!

Hyuga Mirai instantly activated both abilities, but the Byakugan only saw Chakra like a thick mist and could not locate Ichikishimahime’s true body. Only while in Sage Mode could he barely sense her position.

"It barely counts as an Illusion Technique. It is a snake’s instinct. By using bodily fluids secreted through the skin and mixing them with Sage Chakra, it creates a hallucinatory sensation. Even an Eye Technique cannot see through it. Only someone who has cultivated Sage Mode can barely sense my existence."

As Ichikishimahime spoke, she withdrew the Sage Chakra around them. With a trace of surprise on her face, she said to Hyuga Mirai, "The White Snake Sage said that you had cultivated Sage Mode. I did not expect it to be in the most perfect state. No wonder you only wanted to learn Sage Art. So, did you summon me this time to learn the Sage Art of Ryūchi Cave?"

Hyuga Mirai continued walking as he said, "That is not urgent. I need to study your body. Later, lie down obediently and give me some blood and flesh. That will be enough."

"What, just that?" After hearing that, Ichikishimahime obediently followed him.

After bringing Ichikishimahime to the laboratory, he began studying her bodily structure.

The underground research space was not small, and Ichikishimahime’s true body was not particularly large, so even after she returned to the form of a giant snake, it caused no problems.

After a series of monitoring scans, and after Hyuga Mirai had Ichikishimahime use Sage Art more than a dozen times, three days passed before he finally developed a method of using Natural Energy to permanently enhance physical functions.

The method was to add certain traits of Ichikishimahime’s internal organs to some of his own visceral functions. That way, after Hyuga Mirai absorbed Natural Energy, he could use his body’s digestive ability to "filter" the Natural Energy once, allowing the rest of his body to adapt to the "filtered" Natural Energy as well.

As for bodily modification, Hyuga Mirai had already thought of several plans when he obtained the results.

"Thank you, Ichikishimahime. That will be all for this time. The next time I encounter toads, I will definitely summon you."

"Well, it does not have to be during battle. If you go to the human world, you can summon me there too. It has been several hundred years since I last visited the human world. Looking at it now, even my clothes are a little outdated."

"I understand. Next time, definitely."

Boom!

Hyuga Mirai had other matters to attend to, so he directly interrupted Ichikishimahime and agreed to her request. He then released the Summoning Technique and sent her back.

"Modifying my internal organs requires greater caution. Those plans just now were still too radical. I should think them over again."

Perhaps because he had inherited Dr. Genus’s memories, Hyuga Mirai’s ideas regarding Human Experimentation were rather radical. But since the final test subject would be himself, Hyuga Mirai discarded many of those aggressive ideas.

"Android 18, send me some experimental subjects. They must be physically strong, have a foundation in Chakra, and preferably have large appetites."

"Understood, sir." Android 18’s calm, ethereal voice echoed through the empty laboratory.

The final requirement sounded somewhat strange, but among the organs to be modified, the stomach held great importance.

According to Hyuga Mirai’s plan, once he modified his internal organs so that they could adapt to digesting Natural Energy, he would be able to absorb Natural Energy at every moment, convert it through his digestive organs into Natural Energy harmless to the body, and then absorb and digest it.

Hyuga Mirai suddenly realized something. "Eh, why does this feel like a familiar cultivation technique?"

Chapter 1