It felt like falling from heaven straight back to earth.
Taiichi stood motionless on the shore for a long time before his body finally adjusted to the sudden loss of power. The feeling of being overflowing with strength had been intoxicating. Now he was back to normal, and the difference was jarring.
He found a large flat rock by the water and sat down, listening to the waves crash against the shore. He went over everything that had just happened.
From the moment he started absorbing natural energy until Sage Mode fully activated, it had taken roughly five minutes. Not instant. That needed work.
In active combat testing, Sage Mode had lasted about fifteen minutes. Compared to Naruto's early five-minute limit, that was already solid. In a low-consumption state it would probably last significantly longer.
The most interesting part was what happened after Sage Mode ended. Even though the panel didn't show any permanent stat increases, Taiichi could clearly feel that his body had improved. It wasn't a huge jump, but it was noticeable — better than what he would have gained from a full week of normal training.
That raised a question.
If Sage Mode strengthened the body this effectively, why hadn't Jiraiya or anyone else been using it as a training method? Why weren't the other Sage Mode users doing the same?
After thinking it over, Taiichi reached a conclusion.
Their Sage Modes weren't made for humans.
Jiraiya and Naruto's came from the toads of Mount Myōboku. Kabuto's came from the white snake sage of Ryūchi Cave. Hashirama's had strong ties to Shikkotsu Forest. These were animal-based Sage Arts. They probably carried side effects when used by humans — that would explain why the sages themselves could live for centuries while human users didn't.
His Sage Mode, on the other hand, had been custom-built by the system based on his own body. It was made for a human from the start. The body reinforcement was probably just one of its functions. Whether it could also extend lifespan… that remained to be seen.
Taiichi unconsciously licked his lips at the thought.
Immortality was tempting. Even Orochimaru had gone to extreme lengths for it. If there was even a chance his version of Sage Mode could grant that, it was worth pursuing.
Once his chakra had mostly recovered, he closed his eyes again and tried to draw in natural energy. He wanted to test the limits.
How long could he actually maintain Sage Mode in a day? Did prolonged use have any negative effects on the body?
Natural energy responded immediately this time. Because his body had already gone through the process once, absorbing and converting it into Sage Chakra felt smoother. Once he had accumulated enough, Sage Mode activated again.
This time he didn't move. He kept the absorption and conversion going at the lowest possible rate, trying to see how long Sage Mode could last under minimal consumption.
In a normal state, a shinobi's chakra recovery was higher than its passive consumption. That was how the Yin Seal could store excess chakra in the first place.
Sage Mode was different. Even while doing nothing, it was constantly reinforcing his body. The consumption of Sage Chakra was higher than the rate at which he could convert more.
Fifteen minutes passed — already longer than his first use.
Thirty minutes. He could feel the conversion starting to fall behind consumption.
Sixty minutes. His own stored chakra was nearly gone.
Ninety minutes. The golden light in his eyes slowly faded. Sage Mode ended on its own.
Taiichi opened his eyes, satisfied with the result.
Under minimal consumption, he could maintain Sage Mode for a full ninety minutes. Considering how much stronger Sage Chakra made his body compared to normal training, this was another extremely efficient way to temper himself.
He decided he could safely run it for about an hour each day. That would give him solid physical reinforcement while also building familiarity with the mode. Any longer and he risked running completely dry if something unexpected happened.
Of course, the real key was his own chakra recovery speed. If he could reach a point where his natural recovery matched or exceeded Sage Chakra consumption, he could keep Sage Mode active indefinitely. If his recovery became several times faster than the consumption… then he could even fight while staying in Sage Mode.
At that point, calling himself a true sage wouldn't be an exaggeration.
He wondered if the three great sages of the summoning realms were already in that kind of state.
Taiichi sat by the sea until his chakra had fully recovered, then began another round of testing.
This time he wanted to know whether long-term use of Sage Mode would cause any negative effects on his body.
By evening, after a full day of experiments, he had a preliminary answer.
His version of Sage Mode didn't harm him. On the contrary, maintaining it for extended periods was an incredibly effective form of body tempering. One day of using it felt comparable to a full week of intense normal training, and it wasn't nearly as exhausting.
It seemed the Sage Modes from the three great summoning realms really weren't suitable for human physiology. He made a mental note to ask Tsunade about it when he had the chance.
While Taiichi was busy experimenting with Sage Mode, Tsunade's battle report had already reached Konoha.
Hokage's office.
Hiruzen read the report with a genuine smile on his face.
Mist attacking Sand was excellent news for Konoha no matter how you looked at it.
He handed the scroll to Koharu, who was sitting closest, then leaned back and reached for his pipe. He took out a fresh pouch of high-quality tobacco he had received that morning, carefully packed the bowl, and lit it with a small flame from his fingertip.
He took a long, satisfied drag.
"Excellent. Truly excellent. With this, not only is the eastern front crisis resolved, but the southern front can be freed up as well."
Koharu nodded repeatedly, clearly pleased. Her reaction made Homura curious enough to snatch the report from her hands. He scanned it quickly.
"If this report is accurate… we've finally pulled ourselves out of the quagmire of this war."
Homura's hands were trembling slightly as he held the scroll. Ever since he had taken over Root, his workload had become brutal. Spies, assassinations, internal surveillance — intelligence from both inside and outside the village piled up on his desk every day, and everything needed his immediate attention.
Especially during wartime. He was sleeping later than the dogs and waking up earlier than the roosters. Even with Root's authority already reduced once, he was still running himself ragged. He couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for Danzo. The man must have had monstrous stamina to handle all of it at its peak.
Of course, if anyone tried to give Root's full power back to him now, he would refuse. He had grown addicted to the feeling of life-and-death authority. He planned to die in the position of Root's director.
"You're right," Hiruzen said, exhaling a slow stream of smoke. "Tsunade handled this beautifully. Mist had to be beaten badly enough that they felt it in their bones before they would give up on attacking us and instead try to recover their losses from Sand."
He stood up and walked over to the balcony, looking down over the village. Today Konoha's weather was unusually bright. Sunlight fell across his face.
Koharu and Homura followed him out. Looking at the prosperous village below, they both felt some of the constant tension in their chests ease for the first time in over a year.
" Hiruzen," Koharu said after a moment, "we should use this opportunity to force Sand to surrender. They're already at their limit. Fighting Mist at the same time would be too much for them."
Homura nodded quickly. "Exactly. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Sand can't afford a two-front war. They'll have to accept our terms. We might even be able to pressure Mist into surrendering as well."
Hiruzen and Koharu both gave him strange looks.
Homura had been working too hard. The dark circles under his eyes were proof he hadn't rested properly in days. He was starting to talk nonsense.
Sand was on the same continent. Konoha could march straight to their village and force a surrender if needed. But Mist? They were an island nation. The sea was their natural defense. Defeating them on open water would cost far more than Konoha was willing to pay right now.
Mist knew that too. Sand might be forced to surrender. Mist would fight to the bitter end.
"Homura," Hiruzen said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "things are going to get easier for the village from now on. You should take the chance to rest. Konoha will still need you in the years ahead."
Homura wasn't actually stupid. He had just gotten carried away for a moment. Hearing Hiruzen's words, he quickly adjusted his attitude and showed proper respect.
Hiruzen was satisfied. Homura might not be the most capable, but at least he was obedient. Unlike Danzo, who would have argued with him.
Just as Hiruzen was thinking about his old friend, Homura spoke again.
"Hiruzen, isn't it time we recalled Taiichi? We discussed it once before, but it kept getting delayed. Now that the situation is stabilizing, we really shouldn't put it off any longer."
Hiruzen's expression turned serious. He thought for a moment, then nodded.
"You're right. It's time to bring him back and assign him somewhere more important."
He sat back down at his desk.
"Homura, draft the commendation letter for Tsunade's forces. Include Taiichi's transfer order in it as well."
Homura blinked, then nodded firmly.
"I'll take care of it right away."
He exchanged a glance with Koharu and left the office.
Koharu watched him go, then shook her head slightly and followed soon after.
Hiruzen remained on the balcony, eyes unreadable as he looked out over the village.
In Sunagakure, news of the attack on Rinchuan City reached them the next day.
"Those bastards!"
Rasa's roar shook the entire administration building. Even people walking on the street below looked up in alarm.
When they realized the sound had come from the Kazekage's office, they quickly lowered their heads and hurried away.
Inside the office, Rasa was breathing heavily, trying to control his rage.
Rinchuan City had been raided. By Mist, of all people. It was a blatant slap to his face.
He had paid a huge price to form an alliance with Mist and attack Konoha together. He had even sacrificed Pakura. And now, not long after, Mist had turned around and attacked Sand instead.
It was like they were telling the entire village that Rasa's decisions were worthless and that Mist looked down on him.
"Have we located the Mist force yet?" Rasa asked the reporting shinobi, fingers drumming rapidly on the desk.
The man swallowed nervously and flipped through his documents. He searched several times but couldn't find anything about the Mist unit's current location. Cold sweat started running down his temples.
"T-the time frame is too short. We haven't received any reports on their location yet."
Rasa's temple twitched. Mist had already struck inside Wind Country territory, and they still didn't even know where the enemy was?
"Are the eastern border forces completely useless? They were supposed to be watching the coastline. How did the enemy get this deep without anyone noticing?"
The reporting shinobi was sweating even harder, but he forced himself to continue.
"Ever since Lady Pakura died, the eastern front has been without a proper commander. The internal situation is still chaotic. They're not functioning effectively right now."
It was like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over Rasa's head. He calmed down immediately.
In the end, this was still his own mess. He had no choice but to deal with it.
"…Understood. Pass the order down. Find that Mist force as quickly as possible. With that many people, they can't stay hidden forever."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."