Chapter 719: The Sage Techniques of the Great Toad Sage
Chapter 719: The Sage Techniques of the Great Toad Sage
In the western port town of the Lightning Country, an unassuming office building stood.
If anyone were to enter the top-floor meeting room, they would likely be shocked by what they saw.
In the highest echelon of the Ninja World, the "Shadows" of the five great ninja villages, three of them were gathered in this very room.
Inside the spacious conference room sat three individuals: the Third Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, and the Fourth Kazekage.
Behind each of the Kage stood a personal guard.
"Your words are not appropriate, Raikage," the Third Raikage said in his coarse voice. "No matter which of us suffers a loss, it will affect the alliance. We should find a way to stop them."
After a series of overt and covert collaborations, the three villages had established a certain level of trust, which was why Daimonku and Ra Sha had personally come to the Lightning Country for this meeting.
This was their first three-way summit since forming the alliance.
In the past, they had always sent trusted subordinates or high-ranking officials from their respective villages to attend meetings.
"You're right. If we continue to let the Shinshu grow stronger, it won't just affect the surrounding countries," Ra Sha quickly added.
If the River Country were to fall into the hands of the Shinshu, the Sand Village would undoubtedly suffer the most.
The Sand Village had significant interests in the River Country.
"I understand that, which is why I'm here. But you two are closer to the River Country and have a better understanding of the situation there," the Third Raikage explained.
If possible, he would prefer to see the Shinshu's growth halted, as it would only harm the Cloud Village in the long run.
"We can spread negative propaganda about the Shinshu in the River Country and send elite ninjas to disrupt their operations there," Ra Sha suggested after some thought.
While Ra Sha didn't have the courage to directly attack the Shinshu's homeland in the Rain Country, he felt that cutting off the Shinshu's influence in the River Country was worth a try.
They couldn't just stand by and do nothing; if they did, the Sand Village would eventually suffer dire consequences.
If Son Ryouka were to attack the Sand Village over this, they would all face dire consequences.
Could the Sand Village not handle a single ninja force when they couldn't defeat the God of Ninjas?
As long as Son Ryouka cared about the Shinshu, the Sand Village could deter them.
Of course, mutual destruction with the Shinshu was a last resort, the worst of the worst options. Ra Sha's ideal solution would be for the three great ninja villages to join forces and curb the Shinshu's development.
At that point, the Shinshu would have to expend significant effort just on investigations, and upon learning the truth, they would likely hesitate to take direct action.
After all, these three great ninja villages represented half the power of the Ninja World.
"That's not a good idea. Our conflict with the Shinshu will quickly become public knowledge," Daimonku shook his head, finding Ra Sha's suggestion too radical.
"Once the conflict escalates, Son Ryouka's personal strength will become an unmanageable problem."
To address the Shinshu issue, the three villages had each deployed their elite forces to form a specialized assassination unit with the sole purpose of assassinating Son Ryouka.
This endeavor had consumed considerable resources from the three villages, but no matter how they strategized, the success rate of the assassination remained extremely low.
If it weren't for the gains they had made in other areas and the changing situation in the Ninja World, this alliance would have fallen apart long ago.
"So, are we just going to watch the Shinshu continue its rapid development? Right now, we can still use our influence to deter them, but what if they continue to grow for another eight to ten years?
By then, the Shinshu might not just establish a branch in a small country like the River Country, but in major countries like the Wind Country, Earth Country, and Lightning Country," Ra Sha emphasized the severity of the problem.
The Shinshu's development model was one of the main reasons for Ra Sha's apprehension.
It was a unique approach, distinct from the traditional ninja village model, and highly aggressive.
For a moment, the conference room fell silent as Daimonku and the Third Raikage pondered Ra Sha's words.
They couldn't possibly misunderstand what Ra Sha was saying, but this was indeed a decision that couldn't be made lightly.
"Perhaps we should try to contact the Leaf Village," Daimonku suddenly suggested.
"The Leaf Village?"
Ra Sha and the Third Raikage looked at Daimonku with confusion.
"The Leaf Village also borders the Rain Country and the River Country. They've had conflicts with the Shinshu in the past and would certainly not want to see them grow stronger.
"Daimoku explained, 'Although Konoha has recently engaged in some minor collaborations with Shinshu, it's clear that these are driven by mutual interests. From a geopolitical perspective, the threat Shinshu poses to Konoha is comparable to that of Sunagakure. Konoha is probably the least afraid of Shinshu. If Yu Sheng Mu Yue continues to grow, he might even surpass Son Ryouka in the future.'" The Third Raikage was not convinced.
With the initiative in their hands, Konoha could simply sit back and watch Shinshu struggle against other major ninja villages, quietly developing themselves. After all, in terms of potential, Konoha was not inferior to Shinshu.
"But if we can eliminate Shinshu in advance, there won't be another ninja force on par with Konoha for decades. This is a very attractive prospect for Konoha," Daimoku added.
He believed that the Konoha high council would most likely not let go of this opportunity to become the strongest.
If they allowed Shinshu to develop, in the future, Konoha and Shinshu might become the two dominant forces in the ninja world.
By eliminating Shinshu, Konoha would undoubtedly be the strongest for at least a few decades.
If the Rain Country wasn't bordering the Earth Country, Daimoku might have been content to see Shinshu become another powerful force to rival Konoha.
But with such close proximity, it wouldn't be fun. The Fire Country is already not far from the Earth Country, and if the Rain Country became another powerful force, Iwagakure's development would be hindered.
The alliance was merely a temporary strategy; Daimoku had not given up on Iwagakure's dominance.
"No matter what, we must take action!" Ra Sha exclaimed.
Whether it was allying with Konoha or something else, Ra Sha just wanted to take action quickly. If they let Shinshu continue to expand, even the Wind Country would be surrounded by Shinshu.
In the end, Daimoku convinced Ra Sha and the Third Raikage to first try communicating with Konoha.
...
After waiting for a while, Yu Sheng Mu Yue was approached by Fukasaku Sage one day at noon.
"Yu Sheng Mu Yue, do you have time now? Great Lord Sage is willing to teach you sage techniques. If you're available, let's go to Mount Myoboku right now," Fukasaku Sage said excitedly.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue first thanked Fukasaku Sage and then nodded to indicate that he was ready to leave.
With the help of Kamari Sage on Mount Myoboku, the two of them quickly teleported to Mount Myoboku.
Fukasaku Sage and Kamari Sage then escorted Yu Sheng Mu Yue to a secluded temple deep within Mount Myoboku.
Unlike Fukasaku Sage and Kamari Sage, Gama Bunta Sage had an enormous body.
As soon as Yu Sheng Mu Yue entered, he saw Gama Bunta Sage sitting on a platform engraved with the word 'Sage.'
Gama Bunta Sage's skin was orange, probably due to his advanced age. His skin looked loose and full of wrinkles.
Of course, this was just what the naked eye could see.
When Yu Sheng Mu Yue activated his Byakugan, he saw the dense vitality within Gama Bunta Sage's body.
The loose skin and wrinkles were just a facade; this old toad had a powerful life force and might even live for another thousand years.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue quickly performed an Appraisal Technique on Gama Bunta Sage.
【Name: Gama Bunta】
【Chakra: 99,230,000】
【Skills: Sage Techniques (Perfect Grade: 36,000/80,000)...】
Now Yu Sheng Mu Yue was certain that he could gain a lot from Gama Bunta Sage. This was the highest proficiency skill he had ever seen.
Even with his cheating abilities, the highest proficiency Perfect Grade skill he had was only around 4,000 points.
However, Yu Sheng Mu Yue remained calm. Aside from the exaggerated Sage Techniques skill, Gama Bunta Sage's other attributes were relatively normal. There was no possibility of any unexpected incidents occurring.
Sensing someone's arrival, Gama Bunta Sage slightly opened his eyes, revealing his somewhat cloudy gaze.
"Great Lord, this is Yu Sheng Mu Yue. He is the ninja with the most exceptional talent for Sage Techniques that I've ever seen," Fukasaku Sage proudly introduced Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
Gama Bunta Sage remained silent, focusing his gaze on Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
At that moment, Yu Sheng Mu Yue was also observing Gama Bunta Sage, and their eyes met.
After about twenty seconds, Gama Bunta Sage withdrew his gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly as he chuckled, "Indeed, a rare talent for Sage Techniques. Also, your cooking is the most delicious food in the ninja world."
Yu Sheng Mu Yue smiled warmly, grateful for Gama Bunta Sage's praise.
Seeing Yu Sheng Mu Yue and Gama Bunta Sage getting along so well, Fukasaku Sage also smiled.
As they had nothing else to do, Fukasaku Sage and Kamari Sage soon left the temple.
"Yu Sheng Mu Yue, do you know that seeing you reminds me of an old acquaintance from a thousand years ago?" Gama Bunta Sage suddenly said.
"Oh?
"I'd like to hear more about him," Yu Sheng Mu Yue said, his expression calm, but his mind was filled with curiosity.
"He was known as the Progenitor of Ninjas," the Great Toad Sage began, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "To those he saved, he was a divine creator who brought peace to the world. To his enemies, he was a demon from hell. He was rarely seen as a mere mortal, often regarded as a mythical figure."
"I usually refer to him as Feathered Robe, but he has a title you're quite familiar with—the Six Paths Sage."
Yu Sheng Mu Yue nodded, for the title of 'Progenitor of Ninjas' was as good as a seal of confirmation.
It was no wonder that people a thousand years ago considered the Six Paths Sage as a divine being. After all, with his appearance, which was far from ordinary, who wouldn't think of him as a god? Especially with horns on his head and the ability to fly.
Compared to the people of the Ninja World, the Six Paths Sage seemed more like an Otsutsuki.
"Feathered Robe also came to Mount Myoboku to learn Sage Techniques, and like you, he demonstrated exceptional talent in Sage Mode," the Great Toad Sage continued.
"How long did it take for the Six Paths Sage to master Sage Mode?" Yu Sheng Mu Yue asked curiously.
If Naruto and Sasuke were considered powerhouses, then the Six Paths Sage was a powerhouse among powerhouses. Yu Sheng Mu Yue remembered that in the manga, the Six Paths Sage was born with the Rinnegan.
"He learned it after I finished teaching him," the Great Toad Sage replied.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue wasn't surprised; after all, this was the Six Paths Sage they were talking about.
Even someone as powerful as Kaguya, who had consumed the Divine Tree Fruit, was defeated in a head-on battle by the Six Paths Sage and sealed away by him.
Moreover, even after his death, the Six Paths Sage left behind a means to ensure his chakra remained in the world, preventing Kaguya's resurrection.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue estimated that the Six Paths Sage had a perfect-level skill set, and his proficiency in them was likely not low.
As for whether he had skills beyond the perfect level, Yu Sheng Mu Yue couldn't say for sure.
Even the Great Toad Sage, who had lived for thousands of years, found the perfect level of Sage Mode to be a distant goal. The probability of the Six Paths Sage having skills beyond perfect was incredibly low.
The leap from Proficiency to Perfect was already a qualitative change, and Yu Sheng Mu Yue struggled to imagine the power of skills beyond the perfect level, given the scale of this transformation.
After briefly recounting some of the Six Paths Sage's past, the Great Toad Sage began to formally teach Yu Sheng Mu Yue about Sage Mode.
Having a teacher made a significant difference, and Yu Sheng Mu Yue's proficiency in Sage Mode increased rapidly once again.
After two days of enlightenment, Yu Sheng Mu Yue, as usual, left Mount Myoboku and returned to Konoha.
"It's strange that I didn't gain any information about such a person with my ability..."
Watching the figure in the crystal ball disappear, the Great Toad Sage closed his eyes.
Upon returning to Konoha, Yu Sheng Mu Yue's first stop was the Hokage's office, where he dismissed the Shadow Clone he had left behind to handle political affairs in his absence.
As his memories flowed back into his mind, Yu Sheng Mu Yue exhaled softly. These ninja villages couldn't resist any longer.
"Inform Fuyuki, the Third Hokage, and the two advisors to gather in the High Council Chamber for a meeting," Yu Sheng Mu Yue ordered the Anbu.
"Yes, Fourth Hokage-sama!" The Anbu nodded and quickly left the Hokage's office.
Yu Sheng Mu Yue then proceeded directly to the High Council Chamber, reserved for high-level meetings, and waited for the other leaders to arrive.
"Yu Sheng Mu Yue, is there an urgent matter that requires our attention?" Fuyuki Kamizono was the first to arrive at the High Council Chamber.
Usually, an urgent meeting meant that something significant had occurred.
"Strictly speaking, it's not that urgent. Please take a seat, Fuyuki," Yu Sheng Mu Yue smiled.
Fuyuki Kamizono trusted Yu Sheng Mu Yue, and his heart relaxed as he took a seat next to him.
Enma was the second to arrive, but unlike Fuyuki Kamizono, he didn't rush to ask about the matter at hand. Instead, he greeted Yu Sheng Mu Yue with a calm demeanor.
Enma seemed to understand the nature of the situation; it was likely important but not urgent.
So, Enma smiled and responded to Yu Sheng Mu Yue and Fuyuki Kamizono, then took a seat next to them.
The two advisors arrived together, and without questioning Yu Sheng Mu Yue, they also sat down next to Enma.
With everyone present, Yu Sheng Mu Yue didn't keep them waiting any longer. He shared the information and requests from the Stone Hidden Village with the gathered high-level officials.
PS:
The portrayal of the Six Paths Sage differs between the manga and the anime. In the manga, he is born with the Rinnegan and is blessed by Kaguya, while in the anime, he is born from Kaguya and a human, and his Rinnegan is an upgraded ability.
I'll try to adopt a setting that leans towards a more dignified direction. The idea of Kaguya falling in love with a native of the Ninja World feels a bit...
(End of Chapter)
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