Speedrunning Naruto to the Top

"This stone—perhaps natural energy is only one of its properties."

While Izayoi was giving his assessment, the voice of his Wood Clone suddenly reached his ears.

He saw the Wood Clone lift a hand, clench it into a fist, and a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

Immediately, the information was relayed in real time to Izayoi's mind.

After digesting the information, Izayoi's eyes glinted. Then, by using the Tenseigan's chakra absorption, he drained the energy from the Gelel Stone in his hand—about the size of a billiard ball.

When the blue-green energy entered his body, Izayoi's outward appearance did not change; he remained in Sage Mode.

As for his aura, it didn't seem to grow stronger either.

However, Izayoi's eyes widened in surprise. He clicked his tongue and said, "What tremendous, pure life force…"

The real-time information transmitted by the Wood Clone concerned its own body—in precise terms, the sensation of Mokuton (Wood Release).

Although Izayoi had siphoned away its Senjutsu chakra, he could not absorb the life force contained in the Gelel Stone's energy.

The Gelel Stone is not something that forms naturally.

And that unnamed kingdom didn't simply use various 'stones' for combat. More importantly, they used the life force within them to create all sorts of things that brought convenience to life: developing technology, inventing many items that even this era doesn't possess, preventing aging, etc.

Both the Dragon Vein and the Gelel Stone's veins contain enough power to destroy a continent, but the Dragon Vein power has a time–space attribute, while the Gelel Stone's veins have a life attribute.

Earlier, when the Wood Clone absorbed a Gelel Stone about the size of a basketball, it was like Nagato donning Tobi's battle armor: the Wood Clone's Mokuton power had been enhanced.

Or put another way, had its Yang Release chakra grown stronger?

An increase in Yang Release chakra means an increase in physical energy, which also indicates that the cells have been affected by the life force.

At that moment, Izayoi seemed to realize how the people of that empire rapidly grew their clan overnight—how they created high-yield crops, perpetual water sources, and so on.

He also finally understood why Nagato would personally step in just to deal with a small fry like Haidou.

This life force is simply the perfect supplement for Wood Release.

As long as one can strip away or control the "unhealthy elements" of the Gelel Stone—namely its natural energy—then the life force is the "clearing bonus," a direct boost to chakra and Wood Release proficiency.

Moreover, that "unhealthy element" is only unhealthy for other people.

For Izayoi and Nagato, it's something that also increases their strength.

In other words, for Izayoi and Nagato, this thing has zero downsides—like an elixir that instantly powers them up.

"No wonder Nagato has been dragging this out with me for so long without giving up. He must have discovered this a while ago," Izayoi said in amazement.

The Wood Clone also looked at the Gelel Stone before him and sighed, "What a pity."

That lament referred to how the Wood Clone can't repeat what it did just now and help the main body absorb energy from the Gelel Stone, using the stone's natural energy to perceive natural energy in the environment and thereby cultivate a true Sage Mode.

Although natural energy can be absorbed, its life force can't be. Even if Izayoi were to reabsorb the Wood Clone, that portion of life force would no longer be pure; it wouldn't increase physical energy but would instead reinforce Wood Release chakra.

Because Izayoi isn't sure how many Gelel Stones the veins contain or how big a boost he can get from them, he doesn't want the Wood Clone wasting it. Only his real body can absorb the Gelel Stone's energy.

In that case, the number of Gelel Stones Izayoi can absorb each day is limited.

Because cultivating Sage Mode requires taking big risks: you must have huge reserves of chakra.

Only with massive chakra reserves can you withstand the feedback from natural energy and fuse it into Senjutsu chakra in the correct ratio.

If the natural energy absorbed goes beyond those proportions and can't be fully converted to Senjutsu chakra, there will be severe backlash.

In the mildest scenario, one might turn into a monster; in the worst, you could die outright.

A genuine Sage Mode can only be cultivated personally by Izayoi.

Also, before Izayoi absorbs another Gelel Stone, he has to expend all his Senjutsu chakra to avoid imbalance.

This part is simple enough: let the Wood Clone use Tenseigan's chakra absorption, while Izayoi focuses on recovering his own chakra. Once that's done, he can continue absorbing more Gelel Stone energy.

But that too would be a waste, squandering the Gelel Stone's natural energy.

"Is there a way to let the body itself absorb this natural energy, or at least put it to better use?"

Izayoi gestured for the Wood Clone to teleport away. He remained in front of the pile of Gelel Stones, sitting cross-legged, arms folded in thought, sifting through the vital pieces of intel he has revisited time and again since arriving in this world—data that even time can't render blurry.

In the original work, there's very little information about natural energy, yet it's extremely important.

For example, Gamamaru approached Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo in hopes that Hagoromo and his brother would destroy the Divine Tree.

Because ever since the Divine Tree took root, the world's natural energy decreased with each passing year.

Natural energy might be the planet's life force—or at least part of it.

Chakra Fruit also contains natural energy.

In theory, once Kaguya Ōtsutsuki ate the Chakra Fruit, she gained access to its Senjutsu component as well—but, having ascended to godhood in one step, she may have considered that beneath her. Or perhaps, given her unique and tangled combat history, she simply never bothered.

However, as her eldest son, the moment Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo first arrived at Mount Myōboku, he sensed natural energy.

Under Gamamaru's guidance, he instantly harnessed Senjutsu chakra.

Moreover…Hagoromo didn't have any sort of eye markings, nor did his pupils change.

In the original story, when Uchiha Madara absorbed Senjutsu chakra from Hashirama, he too had no eye markings—but the Hashirama face on his chest developed a pattern.

Except for Hagoromo, every other person who has mastered Sage Mode has some kind of colored eye marking, and their pupils change as well (including Hashirama).

Yet there is one more person who, at the very end, showed no eye markings—just like Hagoromo.

That is Uzumaki Naruto, in his Six Paths Sage Mode.

And Naruto just so happens to be the transmigration of Asura's chakra. He was born inheriting the body of a Sage, i.e., a true "Sage Physique."

"I see," Izayoi muttered, eyes glinting. "Ōtsutsuki bloodline, plus a Sage Physique."

Hagoromo, as Kaguya's son, was born with horns, a top-tier endowment that didn't require something like the 'Two Powers Unite as One' ritual to gain the ultimate dōjutsu.

His Ōtsutsuki lineage is certainly higher than just (Red).'

And his Sage Physique was developed after birth, but it could be inherited by his descendants. There's a good chance it's also higher than red.

That kind of Sage Physique is undoubtedly the result of his Ōtsutsuki lineage plus the Chakra Fruit.

Similar to how Izayoi acquired his (Red) Ōtsutsuki lineage and gradually unlocked various attributes. The first time he learned Medical Ninjutsu, he instantly unlocked "Medical Prodigy," and so on.

"I need to confirm something," Izayoi said, using the Tenseigan's farsight, shifting his viewpoint to a base on some remote island. He watched a young man with orange hair intently.

Bubbles of text surrounded the boy, and one purple bubble in particular caught Izayoi's eye:

[Sage Transformation (Purple)]

"It's not there," Izayoi said flatly. Then he switched perspectives again, now focused on Uchiha Sasuke, who was currently training hard. Bubbles appeared around Sasuke as well.

After transplanting Hashirama's cells for over half a year, Sasuke's strength already ranked among the top tiers.

The power in Hashirama's cells kept stimulating Sasuke's Indra chakra, and his chakra reserves grew by the day, granting him the qualifications to train in Senjutsu. He has even mastered Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode.

This boost in chakra also stems from the 'Two Powers Unite' ritual, allowing Sasuke, like Uchiha Madara, to accomplish things even Nagato couldn't, such as upgrading Mokuton.

When Sasuke first transplanted Hashirama's cells, his Mokuton was the same 'blue grade' as Nagato's. But now Sasuke's Mokuton has risen to (Purple), on par with Tenzo (Yamato) and Izayoi himself.

Of course, even though they are all purple grade, Sasuke's Mokuton is still worlds apart from Izayoi's.

Izayoi, with his red-grade Ōtsutsuki lineage, has Mokuton just like Hashirama's: it can absorb chakra.

Whenever certain conditions are met, Izayoi's Mokuton can be upgraded to gold grade.

Meanwhile, Sasuke's future potential might allow him to cast Advent of a World of Flowering Trees and the Wooden Dragon Technique like Edo Tensei Madara, and that would be his limit.

"It's not there," Izayoi repeated after checking Sasuke's entries.

He then switched to Jiraiya. "Still nothing," he said.

This "nothing" refers to the fact that none of them—whether it's Jūgo, who can 'Sage Transform,' Sasuke and Jiraiya, who have genuine Sage Modes—carry a "Sage Physique" entry.

By contrast, Naruto, who hasn't even begun formal Senjutsu training yet, does have the (Red) Sage Physique entry.

He's the only one who can have no eye markings upon receiving the Six Paths Sage Mode.

Because once he gains Hagoromo's powers, his Sage Physique temporarily becomes higher than red grade.

Unfortunately, his Ōtsutsuki lineage remains at (Blue). If he ever loses the Six Paths power, he'd revert to his old self.

After analyzing all this, Izayoi's lips curved upward in excitement. He murmured, "So perhaps…I can also cultivate a Sage Physique after the fact!"

Because his chakra likewise originates from the Chakra Fruit, and his Ōtsutsuki bloodline has reached red grade.

His setup (i.e., his 'stats') isn't as high as Hagoromo's, nor is his chakra as pure as that of the first person to inherit the Chakra Fruit.

But Izayoi doesn't need anything above a red-grade Sage Physique. Even if he can only unlock a (White) Sage Physique, that's good enough!

As soon as he unlocks a Sage Physique entry—no matter if it starts at white—he can use points to level it up to red and beyond.

With that possibility in mind, Izayoi didn't hold back with Mokuton any longer. He immediately tried it out:

He created another Wood Clone, letting it absorb his Senjutsu chakra. Then, his real body once again drew upon a Gelel Stone's energy.

Natural energy and life force surged into his body. The latter was quickly absorbed, while the former circulated within his chakra pathways—without fusing into Senjutsu chakra.

For other people—even someone like Kisame Hoshigaki, or Kakashi Hatake without the burden of the Sharingan—this amount of natural energy would be uncontrollable.

Only someone with the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, the Tenseigan, and mastery over Wood Release and Yang Release—like Izayoi—can subdue and control it.

Seated cross-legged, Izayoi formed a meditative hand seal, attempting to use the natural energy in his body to sense the natural energy in the environment.

Perhaps because the ambient natural energy was too thin, the Wood Clone brought him another basketball-sized Gelel Stone. Izayoi placed it on his lap and absorbed its energy completely.

As the natural energy in his body surged, Izayoi could no longer remain calm. His body swelled slightly, and his meridians began to ache.

If he continued, he'd soon develop beast-like traits.

With no other choice, he fused the natural energy into Senjutsu chakra, once again entering Sage Mode.

"This state might make it easier to sense natural energy," the Wood Clone remarked.

"But that'd just be Sage Mode, not a Sage Physique," Izayoi replied, shaking his head.

While in Sage Mode, Izayoi found his mind exceptionally clear. Plus, the Wood Clone had an even more independent consciousness, so dispersing it later wouldn't leave Izayoi fatigued. They began brainstorming together.

All of a sudden, the Wood Clone seemed to have an idea. Using their real-time mental link, it said, "The reason the Six Paths Sage managed to acquire a Sage Physique without any visible signs is that his Ōtsutsuki lineage was higher grade, and his chakra came directly from the Chakra Fruit—so perhaps it was rich in natural energy. Your own setup isn't as high as his, so you can't get a Sage Physique just by absorbing natural energy.

"However, your hypothesis is that a higher-level Ōtsutsuki lineage can eventually cultivate a Sage Physique. So why not do what you did with 'Two Powers Unite': first master a true Sage Mode, then use Wood Release plus Yin–Yang Release to convert all your chakra to Senjutsu chakra. That way, natural energy is constantly present in your body, and maybe that'll gradually change your cells.

"Given how the 'system' works, even the slightest change should unlock a new entry. Then you can spend points to upgrade it, right?"

Upon hearing this, Izayoi's eyes lit up. He looked at the Wood Clone in admiration. "Brilliant—no surprise, coming from me!"

Smugness crept across the Wood Clone's face.

"I was just in too much of a rush," Izayoi said with renewed determination. "There's no way to unlock such an entry so easily. Let's follow your method. First, master a true Sage Mode. Then, like how Goku and Gohan stayed in Super Saiyan form through all of the Cell Saga, maintain Sage Mode as my baseline state. Let Senjutsu chakra, with its 1:1:1 ratio of physical, spiritual, and natural energy, slowly affect my cells.

"If soaking in a hot spring can eventually make you faint from it, I refuse to believe these cells wouldn't be affected."

With his objective now clear, Izayoi felt elated. He got up and left the underground base to find Hinata and share his excitement—while also giving her a gift.

After all, the Gelel Stones aren't just his perfect supplements; they're also a boost to anyone with the Ōtsutsuki lineage.

~~~

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