Underground Training Ground in Sunagakure
"Listen carefully! The Sage Art of Xuanyuan Tomb is different from others. You need to integrate natural energy into your chakra while in motion. Quickly find the balance and keep it flowing. Faster! Keep running!"
Jinghang sprinted wildly along the track in the underground training ground. On his shoulder, the weasel Buck clung tightly, its tiny paws gripping the back of Jinghang's head, helping guide the flow of natural energy.
"Easy for you... to say... I'm running... gathering energy... finding balance... and maintaining flow... all at once! This is... multitasking... on steroids!"
Jinghang gasped for air as he ran. Buck, unimpressed, flicked him sharply on the head with a paw.
"You still have the energy to argue with me? And you call yourself the Kazekage? You may look clever, but you're as clueless as a donkey chasing a carrot. It's been half a year, and you're still barely getting the hang of it."
Jinghang sighed inwardly. The Sage Art of Xuanyuan Tomb was nothing like the Toad Sage Arts from Mount Myōboku described in the manga. According to Buck, those cold-blooded creatures couldn't possibly compare to mammals. "Their hearts aren't even fully developed!" Buck had scoffed.
And indeed, the difference was stark. While this Sage Art was challenging to master—Jinghang still struggled to succeed consistently—the results were undeniably powerful.
The Toad Sage Arts came with significant drawbacks: long preparation times and limited duration. Even Naruto Uzumaki had to rely on Shadow Clones and a giant scroll to create a makeshift "infinite battery." But against an opponent of equal strength and endurance, the limitations became glaring.
The Sage Art of Xuanyuan Tomb, however, had none of these issues. It was like charging for five minutes to talk for two hours! In theory, once natural chakra was successfully integrated and balanced with one's own, the energy cycle could perpetuate indefinitely. As long as you had stamina, you could fight as long as you wanted!
Determined, Jinghang stopped arguing, relaxed his mind, and let his body mechanically continue running. He focused intently on the rhythm of natural chakra flowing within him.
Buck began to guide him with verbal instructions.
"Thought originates in the brain, but it is stored in the heart. This forms the duality of yin and yang..."
"Split into four streams, flow down the spine to the dantian, and rotate to form the four symbols..."
Jinghang silently recited the mantra, carefully directing the chakra within his body according to the instructions.
Buck noticed a change in Jinghang.
Jinghang's face began to transform. Five thin whisker-like stripes appeared on each cheek, and white "mask-like" markings formed around his eye sockets and nose bridge. At a glance, he looked like a character straight out of a Peking opera!
The first time Jinghang managed to enter Sage Mode, he had been both amused and exasperated by his appearance. While others' Sage Modes were radiant, flashy, and godlike, his made him look like a comedic side character from The Crossroads Inn. "So ugly," he had lamented. But then again, in battle, what mattered was effectiveness, not aesthetics.
"Not bad, not bad. Only three tries this time, and you were half an hour faster than last time. Come on, let's spar!"
Buck, uncharacteristically, praised Jinghang. Twisting his body, he leapt off Jinghang's shoulder, ready to attack. Jinghang didn't hesitate, spinning around with a swift roundhouse kick.
Buck dodged by leaping upward, climbing along Jinghang's leg, and aiming a clawed strike at his lower body. Jinghang countered with a knife-hand strike, slicing through the attack. Spinning like a top, he flung Buck away, then abruptly halted his rotation and delivered another knife-hand strike with his other hand.
In an instant, man and weasel exchanged dozens of blows mid-air, their movements too fast for the naked eye to follow. Though it was a clash of fists and claws, their strikes carried the sound of wind and thunder.
The Sage Art of Xuanyuan Tomb was truly extraordinary. Movements were as fast as lightning, and strikes carried immense force. Before long, the once-solid training ground was riddled with fist-sized craters, footprints, and claw marks.
Buck leapt high into the air, his claws glowing with power as he prepared an attack.
Sage Art: Ten Shadows Storm Claw!
Ten streams of high-speed air currents, infused with potent sage chakra, spiraled together into a massive vortex. It resembled a meteor and roared like a tiger as it hurtled toward Jinghang with destructive force.
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
For the first time, Jinghang attempted this technique in Sage Mode. To his surprise, the "sphere" in his hand expanded rapidly, growing even larger than the one he had seen Naruto create with the help of clones. Its rotation was so intense that the vibrations were deafening.
"Watch out! Dodge it!"
Jinghang yelled, realizing the danger. But with the storm claw already upon him, there was no time to cancel the attack. He could only hurl the enormous "sphere" forward with all his might.
The two forces collided mid-air, twisting and churning as they clashed. The sound was like the roar of a dragon from the abyss, mingled with the wails of tormented spirits.
Finally, the storm claw's power was completely neutralized. With no resistance left, the Rasenshuriken surged forward like a stampede of wild horses, slamming into the ceiling of the training ground.
"It's going to collapse!"
Buck, experienced as he was, had sensed something was amiss the moment the Rasenshuriken left Jinghang's hand. He immediately dropped to the ground, sprinting toward the nearest corner at full speed.
Jinghang wasn't far behind. Empowered by Sage Mode, he activated the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his body glowing with dazzling blue-gold light. In the blink of an eye, he reached the nearest corner, scooping up the fleeing Buck along the way.
The training ground, built five meters underground and as large as half a football field, began to crumble. The thick ceiling, once as solid as iron, now collapsed like a decayed wall under the hands of a mischievous child.
With a deafening crash, massive chunks of earth and rock rained down, burying most of the training ground.
Fortunately, Jinghang had taken refuge in a corner, where the falling debris formed a protective triangle with the walls.
"Damn it! What kind of move was that? So destructive!" Buck exclaimed from Jinghang's arms.
"Cough, cough... My bad. I underestimated it. From now on, I'll practice Sage Arts in the desert. Almost got buried alive here."
Jinghang coughed, choking on the dust.
"I hate to break it to you, but we are buried alive. How about we head back to Xuanyuan Tomb and try again later?"
"No need, no need. I'll just use another—"
"Stop! Don't even think about it. You'll probably make things worse," Buck interjected, pressing down on Jinghang's raised hand.
"Fine, I'll use iron sand then."
At that moment, a large slab of concrete was lifted away, letting in light. Jinghang and Buck looked up to see Rasa, manipulating a giant golden "hand" of sand to clear the rubble.
"Good thing I came to report something to you. Ye Cang said you were here. Wow, you've really made a mess this time."
"Practice makes perfect," Jinghang said, brushing off the dust.
"By the way, get someone to clean this up."
"Clean up? Look around! It's like an earthquake hit this place."
Jinghang climbed out of the pit, surveying the damage. He smiled sheepishly.
"Still, let's clean it up. It's an old building, decades old. I'll cover the costs myself."
Buck rolled his eyes and disappeared in a puff of smoke, muttering, "I'm heading back."
"What's the matter?" Jinghang asked.
"There's trouble in Amegakure again."