Jie clenched his fist and rushed forward. "Strong Fist."
The ground cracked under his foot. Shima's expression changed instantly. She knew better than anyone how dangerous Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode was when used to strengthen the body.
Even if Jie was only using Konoha's most basic taijutsu style, she did not dare treat it casually.
"Frog Kata!"
Shima stepped forward to meet him. Her fist did not seem to reach Jie, but an invisible force swept forward ahead of her strike. Jie shifted slightly, letting the force brush past him, and his eyes sharpened at once.
'So that was Frog Kata.'
The technique itself was not enough to threaten him. Jie had no shortage of stronger taijutsu methods. What interested him was the way Shima extended senjutsu chakra beyond her body and used it as part of her attack. That kind of control was worth learning.
So Jie slowed down.
He could have ended the fight quickly, but instead he forced Shima to keep attacking. He blocked just enough, dodged just enough, and countered just enough to make her adjust her rhythm.
Every movement she made gave him more information. After a few exchanges, Shima realized what he was doing, and her face turned ugly.
"You little thief..." she snapped.
Jie smiled faintly. "You attacked first. I'm only making the trip worth it."
Before Shima could answer, a sharp voice cut across the battlefield.
"Enough!"
Fukasaku landed nearby, his face full of urgency. He had rushed over the moment he received the Great Toad Sage's message, and the sight before him only made his heart sink further.
Gamabunta and the others were down, Shima was being forced back, and Jie's face now carried the markings of Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode.
"Jie Uchiha," Fukasaku said in a low voice, "the Great Toad Sage has agreed to meet you. There's no need to continue this."
Shima was startled. "You know this brat?"
"I know enough to say we can't treat him like an ordinary intruder," Fukasaku replied without taking his eyes off Jie. Then he lowered his tone further.
"You came for the Great Toad Sage. Fine. He will see you. Leave this here and follow me."
Jie turned slightly, avoiding Shima's next strike while still watching the flow of senjutsu chakra around her arms. "I'm not done yet."
Fukasaku's expression darkened. "Done with what?"
"Learning."
For a moment, both elder toads went silent. Then Shima's anger sharpened even further. "You really are stealing our Sage Arts in front of us?"
"Stealing is such an ugly word," Jie said calmly. "If Mount Myōboku didn't want me to learn, you shouldn't have shown me."
Fukasaku's face darkened, but he forced himself to stay calm. The Great Toad Sage had already warned him that if this situation went wrong, Mount Myōboku itself could face disaster.
"We can overlook what happened to Bunta and the others," Fukasaku said. "Stop now, and this does not need to get worse."
Jie almost laughed. If Mount Myōboku insisted on pursuing the matter, he would have a proper excuse to take over the place.
The natural energy here was abundant, and the toad oil that helped people sense natural energy was valuable.
If Konoha could use Mount Myōboku as a secondary base, it could train summoning beasts and perhaps even produce its own Sage Mode users. Even a small number of true sages would be enough to change the balance of the ninja world.
But that was for later. Right now, Frog Kata came first.
Jie stepped forward again, and this time his attack covered both Shima and Fukasaku. Fukasaku had no choice but to join the fight.
The moment he moved, Jie's learning speed increased. One example had become two.
Shima and Fukasaku had different habits, different timing, and different ways of controlling their bodies, but the core of Frog Kata was the same.
Senjutsu chakra did not need to stay inside the body. It could extend beyond the fist, strike before the hand arrived, and turn the empty space around the body into part of the attack.
Jie watched, adjusted, and tested. His movements grew smoother with every exchange.
Fukasaku noticed it too, and his heart sank. This monster was not just copying Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode. He was learning Frog Kata as they fought.
A few more exchanges passed before Jie's eyes flashed with understanding.
Fukasaku leapt forward, trying to force him back and break the rhythm of the fight. Jie raised his fist and met him head-on. To Fukasaku, it looked like a simple punch, so he blocked it directly.
But the real force did not come from the fist.
An invisible impact struck him a heartbeat later, bypassing his guard and smashing into his body. Fukasaku shot backward and crashed into the ground, carving a deep pit into the earth.
"Old Man!"
Shima immediately rushed over and pulled him out of the broken ground. Fukasaku coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face was pale, and his breathing was unsteady, but his eyes remained fixed on Jie.
"I'm alive," he said hoarsely.
The injury was serious, but not fatal. Senjutsu chakra gave him vitality far beyond an ordinary toad. What truly shocked him was not the injury, but the strike itself.
That had been Frog Kata.
Fukasaku stared at Jie's face, finally taking in the markings around his eyes. They were not Ryūchi Cave's snake-like markings anymore. They were Mount Myōboku's, and they were perfect.
His voice trembled despite himself. "You copied our Sage Mode... and Frog Kata?"
Jie lowered his fist and looked toward the depths of Mount Myōboku.
"I told you... I wasn't done learning."
Up to 40 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Vristikk