Naruto : Konoha Light

Fukasaku watched the scene unfold, shaking his head. "External power can only serve as a reference. In the end, if it's not your own strength, it won't be enough to master Sage Mode."

Jiraiya quickly clarified, "They're not trying to learn Sage Mode. They just want to harness natural energy to complete a procedure."

"A procedure?" Fukasaku raised an eyebrow. "The ideas of young people get harder and harder to understand." Despite his skepticism, he asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"You just need to strike them with natural energy when they start showing signs of turning into frogs."

Fukasaku nodded. "That's easy enough."

Seeing that he had agreed, Jiraiya handed the two a small bottle of golden liquid. "This is frog oil from Mount Myoboku. It will help you sense natural energy."

Fukasaku cautioned from the side, "Frog oil evaporates quickly once it leaves Mount Myoboku. Even with my simulated environment, it won't last more than five minutes."

Both boys remained calm, which Fukasaku noted with approval before carefully applying the frog oil to them.

The others, however, had already heard horror stories about natural energy and watched with bated breath as the golden liquid dripped onto Shimizu's skin. Some of them unconsciously held their breath.

Ten seconds passed.

Twenty seconds.

A full minute… and still, nothing happened.

Even Mizuki was handling it well.

Jiraiya blinked in disbelief. He tilted the bottle, muttering, "No way… could the frog oil have expired?"

Just as he considered testing it himself, Fukasaku abruptly slammed his staff into the ground. "The younger one is starting to change."

"Two minutes and thirteen seconds!" Tsunade announced.

"Incredible! To last that long on a first attempt is rare." Fukasaku was clearly impressed. "But what's even more shocking is the other boy. He's completely calm."

Even in his eight hundred years of experience, he had rarely seen such talent.

Time ticked on. The frog oil's effects slowly faded.

Finally, Fukasaku's eyes widened. "He did it! He's sensing natural energy!"

"Four minutes and forty-seven seconds!" Jiraiya announced, still unable to believe what he was seeing.

As the effects wore off, Shimizu opened his eyes and murmured, "Only thirteen seconds?"

Jiraiya nearly choked. "Do you have any idea how insane that result is? I— cough —I mean, even I wasn't quite as fast as you!"

"I don't know," Shimizu replied honestly, his gaze firm. "But I do know that thirteen seconds isn't nearly enough to perform the procedure properly."

Jiraiya paused at his words, then let out a soft chuckle. "You're really thinking about your teammate at a time like this?" He patted Shimizu's shoulder, impressed. "Maybe that kind of mindset is why you're surpassing us."

Kushina sighed in relief. "Speaking of the procedure… Shimizu, how long will it take?"

"About ten minutes," Shimizu estimated. "But I'll need three minutes between attempts to recover my natural energy."

"In other words, you need to shorten the time it takes to sense natural energy to under two minutes," Tsunade-sensei noted, then turned to Mizuki. "And you need to withstand three minutes of natural energy exposure without being completely transformed. Otherwise, Fukasaku won't be able to dispel it in time during the operation."

Shimizu's expression grew serious. "That's still not enough. We should leave at least a thirty-second safety margin."

Mizuki clenched his fists. "This is supposed to be my burden. I should only need to endure Stage One exposure while you handle everything else. But now, Shimizu's taking an even greater risk by trying to reach Stage Two of sensing natural energy…" His gaze sharpened. "I'll do it. I won't fall behind!"

Jiraiya turned to Fukasaku. "Old master, these two might need a bit of extra guidance from you."

Fukasaku leaned on his staff, smiling. "It's rare to meet kids with this much potential. I don't mind playing with them a little."

Time passed. The sky dimmed.

Shimizu and Mizuki had entered the operating room.

Outside, Fukasaku watched the doors with a thoughtful expression. "It's incredible. They're just kids, yet they have such strong wills. If not for their chakra limitations, they'd probably already be training in Sage Mode."

Jiraiya perked up. "Does that mean that once their bodies mature, they'll have the qualifications to learn Sage Mode?"

Fukasaku nodded, then turned to Jiraiya. "What about that boy, Shimizu? Do you plan to teach him Sage Mode?"

Jiraiya awkwardly scratched his cheek. "He's not my student."

Fukasaku glanced at Tsunade before nodding in understanding. "Ah, I see. So, the Shikkotsu Forest got to him first."

Jiraiya hesitated. "What about Mizuki? His aptitude isn't as high as Shimizu's, but he should still qualify, right?"

Fukasaku fell silent.

After a long pause, Jiraiya sighed. "I saw something unsettling in that boy's eyes. If he were to learn Sage Mode… I don't know if that would be good or bad."

Fukasaku nodded in agreement. "Shimizu's inner stillness is calm and resolute. But Mizuki's is… hollow and unsettling. This kind of disposition is ill-suited for Mount Myoboku's training."

Jiraiya frowned. "Is that really a concern?"

Fukasaku shook his head. "Even putting that aside, his body isn't well-suited for Sage Mode. Compared to someone with true talent, his chakra refining speed is too slow. It could take him ten years just to meet the minimum requirements."

"That's unfortunate," Jiraiya murmured. But he wasn't one to dwell on things he couldn't change.

Just then, the doors of the operating room creaked open.

All eyes turned.

Shimizu and Mizuki stepped out, walking side by side.

Shimizu, for once, smirked teasingly. "Mizuki, don't you think the sun looks especially bright today?"

Mizuki blinked. He wiped the corner of his eye, where a single tear had formed.

Then, smiling, he replied, "Yeah… the sunlight is really warm today."