Chapter 450 — Differences in Sage Mode
Sage Mode was, without a doubt, the most bizarre and astonishing chakra state Kei had encountered so far—and the most dramatically empowering.
At its core, Sage Mode was simply a special way of utilizing natural energy.
Sage chakra itself was the result of harmonizing one's own chakra with the energy of nature.
In this state, a shinobi could draw upon natural energy to enhance attack and defense, expand the range and power of both taijutsu and ninjutsu, and even heighten sensory perception.
It was an all-encompassing amplification.
Under such a boost, Jiraiya had practically become a different person.
He could now keep up with Kei's speed.
And that was no small feat—Kei, even without relying on Susanoo, possessed terrifying raw speed.
Yet in this state, Jiraiya wasn't falling behind at all.
Perhaps he wasn't quite at the level of the Fourth Raikage, but his overall performance had reached an extraordinary level.
Kei even began to wonder—
Were so-called "chakra modes" actually imitations of Sage Mode?
Or perhaps simplified applications of it?
The idea wasn't far-fetched.
Because in Kei's view, Sage Mode itself might just be a simplified version of something even greater—
the Six Paths chakra state.
That state, as he understood it, was the integration of all chakra types combined with Sage chakra.
At that level, chakra itself became indistinguishable from natural energy.
One could say that those beings existed perpetually in a form of Sage Mode.
With that as a foundation, further refinements created what was known as the Six Paths chakra state.
Which meant—
even Sage Mode was merely a simplified derivative.
And yet, even as a "simplified" form, it was already overwhelmingly powerful.
With the two toads aiding him, Jiraiya had pushed Kei to a point where—without using his Mangekyō abilities or Susanoo—he was genuinely under pressure.
But Kei had also begun to understand something.
Through the Mangekyō Sharingan, he could see what others could not.
"Jiraiya's synchronization with Sage chakra isn't perfect," Kei thought as he dodged another exaggerated fire technique. "If Naruto is at one hundred percent… then Jiraiya is at maybe eighty or ninety."
At that moment, Jiraiya closed in again.
One of the toads on his shoulder suddenly lashed out its tongue.
The tongue, infused with Sage chakra, was both incredibly tough and unnaturally flexible.
Kei didn't dare take that hit.
His blade flashed, deflecting the strike cleanly.
But Jiraiya gave him no breathing room.
In the blink of an eye, he was already above Kei.
In his hand—
a massive sphere of spinning chakra.
Not just a Rasengan.
A Sage Art: Giant Rasengan.
It was over ten times larger than a normal one.
Kei knew without a doubt—
if that hit, he was finished.
"Boom!"
The impact shook the ground violently, carving out a massive crater.
Kei landed lightly atop a nearby tree, glancing at the destruction below with a slight shake of his head.
The explosion might not look overwhelmingly flashy, but its actual lethality was terrifying.
He even found himself wondering—
could even his fourth-stage Susanoo withstand that?
"But Jiraiya's Sage Mode… feels different from others."
Kei leapt forward, closing the distance in an instant, his blade slicing toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya reacted just as quickly.
Though he lacked Kei's visual perception, he seemed able to sense the attack—his body and mind responding in perfect sync.
That confirmed something for Kei.
Jiraiya was relying entirely on Sage Mode's sensory enhancement.
"But his sensing ability doesn't seem as extreme as Kabuto's… Could it be that each Sage Mode differs depending on the source?"
His right Mangekyō spun subtly.
Jiraiya's movements slowed in his perception.
As he analyzed mid-combat, Kei recalled Kabuto's Sage Mode from Ryūchi Cave.
Kabuto's chakra had been immense, his techniques devastating—and even with his eyesight sealed, his combat ability remained unaffected.
His sensory perception had been on another level entirely.
But—
Kabuto's taijutsu had seemed comparatively weaker.
That stood in stark contrast to Jiraiya.
"Does that mean each Sage Mode specializes differently depending on the 'sacred land' it comes from?"
Kei sidestepped another attack with ease.
But immediately after, a sharp pressure surged through his right eye.
His Mangekyō was warning him—he was reaching its limit.
That made him pause.
Jiraiya's chakra reserves couldn't possibly exceed the Fourth Raikage's.
And yet—
against the Raikage, his eye had lasted nearly a full minute before showing strain.
Now, it had taken less than twenty seconds.
"So it's the quality of Sage chakra…"
Kei drove a kick into Jiraiya's abdomen, sending him flying back a short distance.
"The density and nature of this chakra… it's far more taxing than normal chakra."
And more importantly—
his hypothesis seemed correct.
Comparing Jiraiya, Naruto, Minato, Kabuto, even Jūgo and Hashirama—
a pattern began to emerge.
Minato, Naruto, and Jiraiya—all practitioners of Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode—
displayed a balanced, all-around enhancement.
Physical strength, ninjutsu, perception, and defense—all elevated.
Perhaps it was no coincidence.
The great toad sage had lived for over a thousand years, even interacting with the Sage of Six Paths in his youth.
Its teachings might very well represent the closest approximation to true Six Paths Sage Mode.
Or perhaps—
it had been refined based on Hagoromo's state after being taught.
After all, the creatures of the sacred lands naturally utilized senjutsu chakra. In a sense, they were born in a state akin to Sage Mode.
And so, each of the three great sacred lands had likely developed their own "biased" versions—much like how Mangekyō abilities differed from user to user.
"Setting aside individual differences," Kei analyzed, "Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode provides exceptional enhancements to taijutsu, ninjutsu, and sensory ability. Its defensive capabilities are equally outstanding—physical resistance, ninjutsu resistance, even genjutsu resistance are all elevated to a terrifying degree."
He flicked the blood from his blade as he looked at Jiraiya, who had just taken a direct hit yet remained as vigorous as ever.
An ordinary person would have been finished by that strike.
Especially considering it was Raikiri—a technique Kei excelled at, blending taijutsu and ninjutsu into a single lethal slash.
Yet Jiraiya stood as if nothing had happened.
Even earlier, Kei had tested him with genjutsu.
It hadn't slowed him down in the slightest.
Jiraiya had immediately counterattacked.
"A perfect test subject…"
Kei thought quietly.
"…though only from my perspective."
Dodging Jiraiya's sudden assault, Kei continued to fend off his attacks while calmly analyzing everything in his mind.
"From what I can tell, the three great sacred lands each shaped Sage Mode according to their own characteristics.
Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode seems to be modeled after Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's state—stripping away other internal chakra modes and refining it into a balanced system.
It's neither particularly outstanding nor flawed, but it's the most complete and well-rounded form.
Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode, on the other hand, is deeply aligned with the nature of snakes. Perhaps because snakes are highly sensitive to life and possess exceptional perception, their Sage Mode enhances sensory ability and chakra output more heavily.
But in exchange, its taijutsu isn't as strong. Instead, users rely on snake-like movements to evade attacks.
As for the last one—Shikkotsu Forest.
Its representative is the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
His personal strength was already at its peak, and his innate sensory abilities were extraordinary—something evident even in the Second Hokage.
Although there haven't been many known users since, based on the records he left behind…
his Sage Mode seems to drastically enhance cellular vitality, boosting agility and defense, while also amplifying the power of all his techniques.
In other words, Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode sacrifices sensory emphasis in exchange for extreme physical enhancement and overwhelming technique amplification."
Kei's analytical ability was undeniable.
He might not match minds like Minato, Kakashi, or Jiraiya, but after years in this world, he had absorbed vast amounts of knowledge.
More importantly—
he possessed something no one else did.
Foresight.
Fragments of future understanding, combined with scattered intelligence, allowed him to see patterns others couldn't.
As Kei continued organizing and refining his thoughts mid-battle, Jiraiya was already beginning to struggle.
He knew his opponent was strong.
He also knew those eyes had reached a terrifying level—
the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.
But knowing and experiencing were two entirely different things.
Until you faced it yourself, you could never truly understand how overwhelming it was.
Just like how Konoha's shinobi all knew the First Hokage was powerful—
but few truly grasped how powerful.
Over time, his strength had faded into legend, dismissed by many as exaggeration.
Now, Jiraiya was experiencing something similar.
Kei's fighting style made one thing painfully clear—
he was being completely controlled.
Played with.
And worse—
it felt intentional.
No special techniques.
No ocular abilities.
Even Susanoo had been withdrawn.
What did that mean?
What made it worse—
Jiraiya, along with Fukasaku and Shima, could clearly sense that Kei was thinking while fighting.
Observing.
Analyzing.
As if—
"He's studying Sage Mode!"
They weren't fools.
Kei's speed alone gave him countless opportunities to end the fight.
Every time Jiraiya closed in, he was risking his life.
After all, Kei still had access to that terrifying chakra construct.
Even with Sage Mode's full enhancement, a fatal blow would still kill him.
And yet—
Kei chose not to use it.
He simply dodged, countered with basic attacks, and observed.
The gap between them couldn't have been clearer.
"Jiraiya-boy… we may be in real trouble," Fukasaku muttered quietly from his shoulder.
"Especially those eyes—did you notice the pattern? There's a layered afterimage…"
"I saw it," Jiraiya replied quickly. "But what does it mean?"
Before he could think further—
Kei's tempo changed.
What had been like a steady drizzle suddenly became a raging storm.
Jiraiya was kicked away, skidding across the ground before forcing himself back up.
"That afterimage…" Fukasaku inhaled sharply. "If I'm not mistaken… those eyes aren't ordinary Mangekyō anymore. That's the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Jiraiya-boy."
"Eternal Mangekyō…?"
Jiraiya frowned—
but before he could finish, Kei moved.
His speed became ghostlike.
Jiraiya couldn't react in time.
All he saw—
was a trace of blood slipping from Kei's right eye.
And in that same instant—
a black fist materialized out of nowhere.
The impact came before he could process it.
Pain exploded through his entire body—
and then—
his consciousness began to fade.