Chapter 488: The Terrifying Frog Kata
"Go, Kakashi-sensei! Go, bushy-browed-sensei!"
Naruto was cheering excitedly from the side, waving his imaginary flag.
Under Naruto's shouting, the two of them clashed again.
Even in this noisy environment, Konohamaru remained seated in meditation, completely unmoving.
"Guy, you're still not using the Eight Gates? Then I'll go first—Open!"
After exchanging an elbow strike and stepping back, Kakashi suddenly called out, and his aura surged dramatically.
"Huh?"
Guy froze for a moment.
He knew Kakashi could use the Eight Gates.
But Kakashi could only open the First Gate—the Gate of Opening.
However…
This clearly wasn't the Eight Gates.
What exactly had Kakashi "opened" just now?
It is well known that senjutsu chakra is formed when spiritual energy, chakra, and natural energy are stabilized into a fixed ratio.
Jiraiya's summoning-beast-assisted Sage Mode works by having summoning beasts, who are better at controlling natural energy, help stabilize that ratio.
Forming a stable triangle.
But Kakashi was different. He had eight dogs on him.
That meant the apex of the triangle was him, and around him, every pair of dogs formed a new triangle.
Two dogs formed the initial Sage Mode. Four dogs formed two triangles, which was a mid-tier Sage Mode. Six dogs was high-tier, and eight dogs was the complete form.
The more summoning beasts assisting, the more natural energy could be drawn in—and the more chakra was required to balance it.
Kakashi's chakra was already partly consumed by constantly sustaining his Sharingan, leaving him with a very limited reserve. That was exactly why he had sealed this power away and treated Sage Mode like something he "opened" like the Eight Gates.
"Alright, then I'll go too! Eight Gates—Open!"
Might Guy declared, matching Kakashi's "opening" with his own, and his speed instantly skyrocketed.
Guy had been taught by Might Dai that the Eight Gates were meant for protection, not for fighting for dominance. Shiromo had also reminded him during the Chūnin Exams through Rock Lee's match.
But that didn't stop Guy from opening the early gates.
Because opening the early gates wasn't risking his life—it was nothing serious for him.
It didn't count as breaking self-restraint.
Just like when Rock Lee first learned the Eight Gates, no one stopped him either.
Only when he was willing to risk his life over a mere Chūnin Exam did Shiromo step in and talk about self-restraint.
Right now, Guy clearly didn't need to risk his life against Kakashi.
It was just a bet, after all.
It was just…
"Naruto, it seems the Sage Arts you taught us have subtly incorporated some of Mount Myōboku's techniques."
While fighting Guy, Kakashi suddenly sensed something unusual and adjusted his tactics internally.
For Shiromo, and those who inherited Shiromo's stone and used his Sage Mode system, natural energy was simply energy from nature itself—there was no concept of sects or schools. Everything depended on the individual.
That was why Shiromo-style Sage Mode could also be called "personal Sage Mode."
But in the ninja world, the two publicly known Sage Modes, Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, were completely different systems.
Anyone with eyes could tell they weren't the same.
Logically speaking, both should just be different ways of using natural energy, without needing separation.
Take Frog Kata, for example. Its principle is the influence of Sage Mode on natural energy, allowing it to extend outward and merge with the surrounding environment.
Only someone who also mastered Sage Mode could sense it.
Like an invisible sword.
From its principles alone, there was nothing that said it had to be tied specifically to Mount Myōboku to work.
And in fact, it didn't.
It was just that Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave were rivals and didn't share techniques.
In ninja clan terms, this wasn't a bloodline limit, it was more like a secret technique clan such as the Ino–Shika–Chō.
Just like the Nara clan's Shadow Possession Technique, outsiders could learn it too if they obtained the manual.
Right now, Kakashi was in exactly that situation.
He wasn't using Mount Myōboku's orthodox Sage Arts, but Naruto only knew Mount Myōboku Sage Mode. Since Naruto wasn't skilled at extrapolating beyond it, just explaining the basics clearly was already impressive enough.
So Kakashi was basically an outsider who had obtained a secret technique manual.
And he had also learned Frog Kata.
By now, it should be obvious what Kakashi was about to do.
"Senjutsu: Frog Kata: Thousand Years of Death!!!"
Kakashi's eyes lit up with excitement as he formed the Tiger Hand Seal and thrust forward violently.
"W-What?!"
Guy panicked and twisted his body at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the attack.
But just as he dodged and wondered why this "Thousand Years of Death" felt no different from the normal version, the real attack landed.
Even though Kakashi's visible strike missed, Frog Kata—a formless hand of natural energy—hit Guy hard in a place he couldn't perceive.
Guy was sent flying, clutching the impact point.
"Frog Kata can even be used like this?! Kakashi-sensei really is a genius!!!"
Naruto jumped up in excitement, thrilled by what he saw.
Just as expected—if he passed Sage Mode to Kakashi-sensei, everything would work out. He could just copy it later.
And now there was an unexpected bonus.
Guy slowly got up from the ground, limping, his eyes full of caution.
"A formless Thousand Years of Death… Kakashi, you've developed another terrifying technique."
"It's not formless", Kakashi shook his head and pointed at Naruto. "Ask Naruto. He can see it. Or rather, anyone who has trained in Sage Mode can see it."
Guy fell silent.
He hadn't expected Kakashi to go this far just to make him learn Sage Mode.
If he refused, wouldn't he be hit by invisible Thousand Years of Death attacks every day from now on?
Wouldn't all future matches against Kakashi end in defeat?
"…Fine. I'll see if I can learn it. If I disappoint you, don't take it too hard. I'm not a genius like you. I only specialize in taijutsu."
Guy sighed and gave in.
"No matter what, Kakashi, could you at least stop touching me with that Frog Kata thing?"
"Touching you? I didn't—"
Kakashi shook his body, and all eight ninken dropped to the ground. With a few barks, they vanished in puffs of smoke.
The summoning link was broken, and the Sage Mode immediately ended.
Clearly, Kakashi's "sage state" had ended—which meant his Sage Mode had ended too.
"What? T-Then what was that just now?"
Guy broke into a cold sweat.
Despite being a cheerful, energetic taijutsu expert, he was actually not only prone to seasickness—but also afraid of ghosts.
And now that he realized it hadn't been Kakashi touching him earlier, he immediately thought of the ghost stories he had heard before.
(End of this chapter)