Kakashi felt a chill, and then subtle changes began within his body.
His spiritual energy and physical energy gradually surrounded the natural energy drawn from the environment, and the three forces began to slowly integrate.
Suddenly!
Kakashi's eyes snapped open, and within them appeared the distinct horizontal pupils of a toad—Sage Mode's preliminary sign.
Immediately afterward, Kakashi's right hand swelled grotesquely.
He was undergoing a partial "frog transformation!"
At that moment, Immortal Fukasaku's black staff struck down with precision, slapping Kakashi firmly on the head.
Smack!
With a crisp sound, Kakashi felt the surge of chaotic natural energy get forcefully expelled from his body.
He collapsed forward, sweating profusely, hands on the ground as he gasped for breath.
"That… was close. I almost turned into stone."
Kakashi murmured with lingering dread.
For an instant, he truly thought he would be petrified like the failed Sage Mode trainees before him.
"Little Kakashi, this was your first time absorbing natural energy. Remember—you must never take in too much at once. Even I wouldn't be able to draw it out in time. You'd end up like those stone statues."
"Yes, Master Fukasaku. I understand."
"Good. Then let's continue."
Kakashi gave a firm nod, crossed his legs, and resumed channeling his focus toward sensing natural energy.
Fukasaku observed him with surprise flickering in his amphibian eyes.
Before Kakashi lost control, the facial pigmentation that briefly appeared had been unusually symmetrical—far more refined than either Jiraiya's or Minato's during their early stages.
He was just beginning and already showed this level of affinity?
If this progress continued, Kakashi might well master a Sage Mode more stable than both the Toad Sage and the Fourth Hokage.
"No wonder the Great Toad Sage foresaw something special in him… his talent is truly exceptional."
Fukasaku muttered under his breath, his expression grave yet hopeful.
Now, Kakashi's transformation slowed noticeably—he was clearly adapting.
And more rapidly than even Fukasaku had anticipated.
Natural energy circulated more harmoniously through Kakashi's body, but a different discomfort began to surface.
The cursed mark at his neck began to glow faintly, emitting residual heat.
The dark seal pattern took on a reddish hue, indicating unusual activity.
Kakashi's brow furrowed from the discomfort. The sensation was irritating, almost burning.
Fukasaku's gaze sharpened, falling on the curse seal with concern.
The sage techniques of the Three Great Lands of Summons—Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—follow similar principles, but each applies them uniquely.
Improperly training with Myoboku's Senjutsu turns the user to stone, while Ryuchi Cave's method can lead to madness or loss of identity.
If Kakashi could master the natural energy of Mount Myoboku, the curse mark—derived from Ryuchi Cave's corrupted Senjutsu—might be neutralized.
This could even provide Kakashi insight into the workings of that rival path.
To him, this was both opportunity and trial.
Mastering even one Sage Art was rare and required elite chakra control and a high spiritual threshold.
Grasping two differing Senjutsu systems bordered on impossible.
Fukasaku regarded the curse mark with growing respect.
Despite its instability, it was a genius innovation.
Even in its crude form, it imprinted the essence of Sage Chakra into the user's flesh.
If perfected, the cursed individual could access natural energy without needing traditional training.
A shortcut, albeit a dangerous one.
It was further refined after Orochimaru encountered Jugo, whose body naturally absorbed natural energy.
The Cursed Seal's enhancement was tied to that ability.
When activated, the user's power surged dramatically.
If the side effects weren't so severe, Kakashi might have considered keeping it.
But bearing Orochimaru's mark felt like having a predator's fangs embedded in his skin—unsettling, and unacceptable.
This time, Kakashi wasn't just aiming to remove the curse seal.
He also sought to understand its structure—to reverse-engineer its function.
After all, the Cursed Seal was a kind of pseudo-sealing technique.
It utilized natural energy in a dormant form, storing it within the user's body.
In this way, it was similar to Tsunade's Yin Seal, which stored medical chakra.
But the curse mark stored Senjutsu chakra instead.
If Kakashi could truly grasp this, he could modify the seal to suit himself, freeing it from Orochimaru's influence.
Then, by implanting his own Senjutsu chakra within it, he could achieve instant Sage Mode activation.
Normally, the preparation for Sage Mode involved staying still or using shadow clones to gather energy—methods that were restrictive.
Naruto, for example, had to summon clones and dismiss them during battle, which came with limits.
The chakra wouldn't return if the clones were too far away.
But with a functional seal, this drawback could be eliminated entirely.
Still, easier said than done.
Kakashi had a long way to go before mastering Senjutsu, let alone integrating it with the curse seal.
Natural energy flowed around the seal but couldn't penetrate it.
The energy was too chaotic—disorganized and unrefined.
The curse seal, in contrast, was structured, rooted in Ryuchi Cave's unique manipulation of nature chakra.
Two incompatible energies clashed silently.
At present, the curse seal had the advantage.
The sealing formula on Kakashi's neck tried to suppress its influence, but it couldn't empower his natural chakra to fight back.
Kakashi's silver eyebrows twitched. The heat at his neck was increasing.
"Little Kakashi, you haven't fully grasped Sage Mode yet. Don't push against the curse seal. It's futile right now."
Fukasaku warned with urgency.
Orochimaru had no Senjutsu talent, yet his intellect birthed this mark.
Even an incomplete Sage like Kakashi couldn't hope to overwrite it so early.
Pushing recklessly would only harm him.
Kakashi, understanding the logic, ceased trying to force natural energy into the seal.
Instead, he let it continue merging with his chakra.
Smack!
Another precise hit from Fukasaku expelled the excess energy again.
"Little Kakashi, your progress is great. Just focus on refining Sage Mode. Leave the curse seal for now."
Kakashi nodded. He had merely tested it, but the results were clear.
Orochimaru's creation was no crude experiment—it was built on genuine insight into Sage power.
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