Naruto, what kind of Hokage would you be if you didn't roll around!

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Naruto put his hands behind his head and chuckled awkwardly.

"You finally understand, Sasuke..."

"Yeah, you're way dumber than I thought!"

The three of them laughed together.

As the immortal Fukasaku watched this scene, he couldn't help but reveal a knowing smile.

Gamabunta and the other two didn't quite understand, so they exchanged glances and looked at each other blankly.

……

From then on, Naruto stayed at Mount Myōboku and officially began training in Sage Mode under the guidance of Fukasaku.

Sasuke, on the other hand, returned to Konoha Village with Jiraiya.

Jiraiya explained the situation to Tsunade. Although somewhat surprised, Tsunade understood Sasuke's determination and simply sighed without trying to stop him further.

She sought out Jugo and Kabuto, asking them for help in finding Ryuchi Cave in the name of the Hokage.

Jugo naturally had nothing to say, but Kabuto Yakushi's identity was very sensitive.

"You want me to help you find Ryuchi Cave?"

"Lord Hokage, aren't you afraid I'll take this opportunity to escape?"

Tsunade smiled slightly: "You think too highly of yourself."

"Even if Orochimaru praises you as being on par with Kakashi, it probably won't be easy for you to escape when facing Jiraiya, Sasuke, and Jugo."

Kabuto Yakushi also gave a bitter smile.

"That's right..."

He glanced at Sasuke: "But I didn't expect you to actually want to go to Ryuchi Cave. That's a forbidden place that even Orochimaru fears..."

Sasuke said calmly, "To kill that man, fear, or even life and death, are insignificant."

Yakushi Kabuto smiled.

"He's still as crazy as ever, Sasuke..."

"However, perhaps that's what Orochimaru admired about you back then."

"Although you are not as dazzling as Naruto, you have a hidden sense of self-destructive madness. To him, you are indeed a better vessel than Naruto because you do not resist death."

Sasuke interrupted him: "Let's not talk about those old stories anymore."

"Just tell me, do you need any help?"

Kabuto gave a wry smile: "Do you think I have a choice?"

Sasuke said, "Everyone has a choice. Don't make yourself sound so pitiful."

Kabuto frowned: "You seem to have changed, Sasuke..."

"Okay, I can help you, but I have my own conditions."

Tsunade asked, "What are the conditions?"

"Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. I hope that after helping Sasuke find Ryuchi Cave, you can forgive my past crimes so that I can work better at the orphanage."

"Orochimaru is dead, and I have already revealed all the information I know. The Akatsuki will not let me go either. I have no right to betray them now, so you should be able to trust me more."

I'm still a little worried about the silent mode.

But Tsunade waved her hand dismissively: "If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. Kabuto Yakushi, as long as you redeem yourself through meritorious service, I, in the name of the Hokage, guarantee you that I will give you what you want."

Kabuto smiled and said, "I believe in the Hokage."

"Okay, let's go."

Upon hearing Tsunade's assurance, he got up and left without hesitation.

Jiraiya, Sasuke, and Jugo followed closely behind.

Shizune watched their retreating figures, still feeling somewhat worried.

"Lady Tsunade, if Sasuke really dies in Ryuchi Cave, I'm afraid..."

Tsunade said, "Yes, I understand. Things are going to get complicated, but..."

Ultimately, this was his own choice.

"Furthermore, with Jiraiya there, Sasuke might fail, but he shouldn't be in any real danger."

Shizune chuckled, "Although he always bickers with Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama actually trusts him a lot..."

"Hmph, that guy may have been unreliable when he was young, but he's lived most of his life and at least looks somewhat decent now..."

Shizune covered her mouth and chuckled, while the little pig in her arms let out a soft whimper.

……

At this moment.

Naruto stared at the "food" in front of him with a long face.

Fukasaku was indeed a good person. While teaching Naruto Sage Mode, he also took good care of his health.

As soon as he got home, he immediately asked his wife, Shima Sento, to prepare a sumptuous dinner for the father and son.

only……

In Naruto's eyes, this could no longer be described as a culinary disaster.

This is absolutely hellish food!

The broth was black, purple, and green...

Wriggling fat worms, curled-up worms, bizarre worms covered in legs and long antennae...

This is simply not something a human could swallow!

But the immortal's face was full of kindness and gentleness.

"Naruto, don't be shy, make yourself at home."

"Eat, eat."

Naruto picked up the spoon, not daring to touch the insects, and only scooped up a small amount of soup. Looking at the dark purple color, he swallowed hard.

Master Shima also looked at him with anticipation.

"Little Naruto, this is a feast I prepared for you myself. You must eat and drink it all, otherwise I won't be satisfied..."

Naruto suddenly felt immense pressure, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Eat it, but I can't get past my own mental hurdle.

Let's not eat it...

The eager gazes of the two toad immortals were like two towering mountains pressing down on him.

In the end, he could not disappoint the two immortals, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth, close his eyes, and put the spoon in his mouth without thinking.

"Well--"

Suddenly, a demonic scent surged into the sky, inspiring me!

Then, it flowed down my throat and into my stomach!

This feeling was like a baptism in purgatory!

Fortunately, Naruto had experienced too many "lightning release baptisms" and, under the "urging" of the system, his body and mind were incredibly resilient and tough, so he managed to endure it.

"How is it? Delicious, Naruto?" Shima exclaimed excitedly.

Naruto's face was beaming with joy. He trembled as he gave a thumbs-up and forced a smile.

"Delicious!"

"That's great! I was worried you wouldn't like it. Both Jiraiya and Minato said it was hard to swallow, which made me start to doubt my cooking skills."

"As expected, Naruto has great taste. In that case, after you finish these, I'll prepare some more for you!"

Naruto frantically shook his head and waved his hands, like a rattle drum.

"No, no, no! That's enough! Grandma Shima, don't work so hard!"

"Hey, it's not hard work. It's rare for a human to appreciate my cooking skills, so I have to reward you properly before you woke up!"

"Besides, Naruto is still growing, and training in Sage Mode consumes a huge amount of chakra and stamina. How can he manage without eating more?"

"Honey, you eat with Naruto first, I'll go make some more."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, honey!"

Naruto:"……"

With no other option, Naruto could only try his best not to look at or think about it, and started eating with Fukasaku.

Ultimately, it's just a psychological issue.

Naruto, with sheer willpower, ate it all, bite by bite...

Fukasaku praised, "Little Naruto, your mother is very happy. What the cook wants most is for their food to be eaten properly."

Naruto's heart moved.

Although it was hard to eat for me, it was something that Grandma Fukasaku had made with love and care, and I should definitely finish it.

and……

It was a rare treat for Naruto to eat a meal cooked by his mother.

Even though the other party was just a toad, Naruto still felt a sense of warmth.

"Thank you, Grandpa Fukasaku and Grandma Shima, I'll eat it all!"

Naruto quickly wolfed down the rest of the "food," finishing it all.

She even reached out with the empty bowl and called out loudly, "Grandma Shima, another big bowl!"

Grandma Shima was overjoyed: "Little Naruto loves it so much? Good, good, I've already made some new ones!"

As Fukasaku gazed at this scene, he couldn't help but recall the past...

"Little Jiraiya, little Minato, little Naruto has far surpassed you in this respect alone..."

After finishing dinner, Naruto showed no intention of resting.

"Grandpa Immortal, let's continue our cultivation!"

"I'm fine with it, but Naruto, you..."

"Don't worry, after eating Grandma Shima's meal, I've regained my strength!"

"That's great, let's go."

The father and son returned to the training grounds of Mount Myōboku, where the sage Fukasaku once again explained the profound mysteries of sage techniques.

"The so-called Sage Techniques are powers that are different from the ninjutsu we usually use."

"Sage Chakra is the natural energy in the ninja world."

"Little Naruto, you should know very well that so-called ninjutsu chakra is the physical and mental energy extracted from the body through training. Sage chakra, on the other hand, requires the physical energy, mental energy, and absorbed natural energy to be mixed in an absolutely precise 1:1:1 ratio to maintain absolute balance!"

"If the amount of natural energy absorbed is too small, you simply cannot use the power of immortal arts."

"If you absorb too much natural energy, you will be assimilated by it, falling into a state of berserk and mutation..."

The immortal pointed to the dark stone frogs piled up like mountains in the night.

"Do you see these stone frogs?"

"Yes, got it."

"These are the humans who were devoured by natural energy after failing to cultivate the Immortal Mode."

Naruto was startled: "That means he's dead?!"

"That's right, once you're petrified into a frog, you're definitely dead."

Naruto hadn't expected that practicing Sage Mode would be so risky, especially since this was only Mount Myōboku, the most secure sacred site for its inheritance.

Fukasaku smiled and said, "Little Naruto, you don't need to worry."