Poof!
With a massive cloud of white smoke, Jiraiya summoned his mentor, the Great Toad Sage, Fukasaku.
Fukasaku had been in the middle of guiding the younger toads at Mount Myoboku. Although he was curious why Jiraiya had called for him so suddenly, he chose to answer the summons immediately.
"Yo, Jiraiya-boy. Is the war over already?"
Fukasaku gave a casual greeting before realizing something was off. His white eyebrows knitted together, and his expression turned grave. "Hmm? This place... is this the Land of Rain?"
As an ancient soul who had lived for centuries, he was intimately familiar with every corner of the shinobi world.
"Are we about to fight?" Seeing Jiraiya's exhausted state, Fukasaku assumed his student had encountered an enemy so powerful that even Gamabunta couldn't handle the situation. He leaped onto Jiraiya's shoulder, eyes scanning the surroundings with sharp vigilance.
"Ah, Lord Fukasaku, you've misunderstood," Jiraiya said, waving his hands hurriedly. "I didn't call you here for a fight. I have some questions I'd like to ask you."
"Questions?" Fukasaku relaxed. He hopped off Jiraiya's shoulder and settled onto a nearby tree branch. "What kind of questions?"
"You have a profound understanding of natural energy," Jiraiya began, his voice lowering as he recalled the gale Hatani had summoned the night before. "Have you ever heard of natural energy being categorized by specific elements?"
To Jiraiya's surprise, Fukasaku didn't hesitate for a second. He nodded immediately. However, seeing the look of sheer bewilderment on Jiraiya's face, the elder toad's brow furrowed with annoyance.
"Jiraiya-boy, it seems you weren't paying any attention at all during my lessons."
"Uh... did you mention this before?" Jiraiya looked blank, racking his brain for any memory of such a lecture. No matter how hard he searched, he came up empty.
"Ahem. Let's not get bogged down in the details. Since you don't remember, I'll just explain it again."
Fukasaku let out a slightly awkward cough. He had just realized that the "lesson" he was thinking of had actually been delivered to someone else over a hundred years ago. He really hadn't told Jiraiya yet.
"Actually, this knowledge doesn't really affect your ability to learn Sage Mode, which is why I..." Fukasaku caught the dry, resentful look Jiraiya was giving him and felt his old face heat up. He added a quick defensive note: "Hmph! Anyway, learning more won't kill you."
Still, with centuries of experience, his skin was thick enough to weather the embarrassment. He quickly regained his composure, adopting the air of a wise elder as he began his explanation.
"What we call natural energy is, naturally, energy from nature."
Jiraiya stared at him, a metaphorical line of sweat sliding down the back of his head. Are you seriously just stating the obvious, old man?
Ignoring (or perhaps not caring about) Jiraiya's internal monologue, Fukasaku continued. "Wind, Lightning, Earth, Fire, and Water. The reason shinobi categorize their chakra into these five natures is because they are mimicking nature itself. Aside from these five visible, tangible elements, there are also the hidden Yin and Yang natures that are hard to see with the naked eye.
"Natural energy is everywhere. It transforms, it opposes, it coexists... however, once natural energy has already transformed into Wind, Lightning, Earth, Fire, or Water, its properties become fixed. It becomes extremely difficult to absorb. Furthermore, because it possesses such distinct elemental traits, the danger of absorbing it increases exponentially. It is almost impossible to succeed.
"That is why, traditionally, we only absorb 'latent' natural energy—the kind that possesses Yin and Yang properties. Yin and Yang don't have the violent, distinct characteristics of the five elements, making them far easier to master and assimilate."
Fukasaku had essentially raised Jiraiya, so his explanation was thorough and patient.
"Precisely because Yin and Yang are opposing forces, if you cannot use your own will to control and unify them, they will turn your body into a battlefield. The result is toadification, paralysis, and eventually, becoming a stone statue."
"I see," Jiraiya murmured, a look of realization dawning on him. "Then, Lord Fukasaku... has there ever been someone who could command natural energy without any training at all?"
He suddenly remembered the purpose of the summons and hurriedly pressed for an answer.
"Hmm. There should be." Fukasaku paused, deep in thought. A mental image of a certain happy-go-lucky, long-haired goofball flickered through his mind. "I never asked him personally, but from what I know, when that boy Hashirama Senju was learning Sage Mode, he encountered zero obstacles. He mastered it almost instantly. Moreover, he barely had to spend any time 'absorbing' energy before entering Sage Mode. Perhaps he was exactly what you described—a natural genius born to command the elements."
Hearing the name of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, Jiraiya felt a jolt of shock. His throat felt dry.
"Then... if the natural energy one commands is specifically Wind? Can they still learn Sage Mode?"
"Eh?" Fukasaku's eyes sharpened. He looked at Jiraiya with a piercing intensity. "You found a child like that?"
Hatani looked at the green-skinned toad before him, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
He had expected it would take quite some time before Jiraiya introduced him to the Mount Myoboku lineage. He never imagined that on only the second day of his apprenticeship, he would be standing face-to-face with the legendary Fukasaku.
"This is the boy you were talking about?" Fukasaku asked softly, his eyes scanning Hatani's slight frame. A hint of doubt lingered in his voice.
Jiraiya nodded. Knowing Fukasaku was skeptical, he didn't waste time with words. He simply gestured for Hatani to perform.
Hatani didn't hesitate. Instead of waving his hand like before, he simply snapped his fingers.
With the sharp click of his fingers, a tiny, ultra-miniature cyclone materialized right above his fingertip.
The moment the wind appeared, Fukasaku's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. As if afraid he might accidentally blow the tiny vortex away, he clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a gasp. He held his breath, staring at the miniature tornado with a look of utter disbelief.
With his intimate connection to nature, Fukasaku could feel it the instant the snap occurred. The natural energy surrounding Hatani had surged in density for a split second before transforming entirely into wind, centering itself on the boy's finger.
"Can you... can you make it bigger?" Fukasaku finally whispered, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Sure."
Hatani nodded. With a casual flick of his wrist, he "tossed" the mini-vortex away. As the cyclone traveled, it grew like the legendary Golden Staff in the hands of the Monkey King, instantly expanding until it was a swirling pillar of wind as thick as a grown man.
What amazed both Fukasaku and Jiraiya even more was that while the tornado was roaring right in front of them, they didn't feel a single tug of wind on their clothes or skin. The control was absolute.
"This... this is incredible!" Fukasaku could no longer contain himself. He let out a loud, joyous shout.