The other two Divine Maidens quickly nodded in agreement.
During the past year, Jiang Chen's presence had weighed heavily on them.
"That old toad must be having a headache right now!" The White Snake Sage sighed in relief, a faint smile appearing on his wrinkled face.
At that moment—
Mount Myōboku.
"Whoosh!"
Jiang Chen and Jiang Xi appeared.
Compared to the cold, damp atmosphere of Ryūchi Cave, Mount Myōboku was a paradise filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.
To Jiang Chen's surprise, the two Sages were already waiting for them.
"Welcome, honored guests. The Great Toad Sage has been expecting you for a long time."
"Please, follow us!" Fukasaku, the Sage, spoke.
Jiang Chen was slightly surprised. Still, he followed the two Sages into the cave.
Before long, they arrived before the Great Toad Sage.
"Travelers from another world, I already know your purpose. Mount Myōboku can grant you Sage Technique training, but in return, I must ask something of you. If you accept, your training in the Bone Forest can begin at any time, and the power of the three Holy Grounds will be yours to wield." The Great Toad Sage was not in his usual drowsy state; instead, his expression was solemn as he fixed his gaze on Jiang Xi.
"What is it that the Great Toad Sage desires?" Jiang Chen was taken aback. He hadn't expected the Great Toad Sage to be aware that they were outsiders.
Even more intriguing was the meaning behind his words.
"The Ninja World stands on the brink of chaos. I cannot see whether it will lead to ruin or rebirth, but I ask that, should you gain the strength, you protect the three Holy Grounds. Will you accept this responsibility?"
The Great Toad Sage's voice was calm, his gaze steady on Jiang Xi.
"Brother..." Jiang Xi instinctively turned to look at Jiang Chen.
"This is your decision to make." Jiang Chen took a deep breath and spoke in a serious voice.
If nothing unexpected had happened, the Great Toad Sage must have foreseen something in a dream, which explained this request.
And truthfully, the request wasn't unreasonable.
But whether to accept or not was entirely up to his sister. After all, the Great Toad Sage had clearly addressed Jiang Xi, not him.
It made sense— she was the one training in the Sage Technique, not him.
"Great Toad Sage, I accept! If I have the strength, I will protect the three Holy Grounds." Jiang Xi hesitated only briefly before answering with determination.
"Thank you. Fukasaku, Shima, take her to begin training!" The Great Toad Sage gave a slight nod before speaking again.
"Yes!" Shima and Fukasaku responded respectfully before the group exited the cave.
"Guest, please come with me." Shima gestured toward Jiang Chen.
He gave a slight nod and followed her to the residence prepared for him on Mount Myōboku.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xi followed Fukasaku to begin her training in Sage Mode.
This was precisely Jiang Chen's plan.
Since he had entered the world of Naruto, he intended to gain as much as possible.
Beyond the power of the Ōtsutsuki, the abilities of the three Holy Grounds were among the most unique.
Mastering just one wasn't enough— he wanted to claim all three.
For ordinary people, this would be impossible.
But for Jiang Xi, who was undergoing an Ōtsutsuki transformation, it might not be beyond reach.
After all, natural energy was just another form of energy.
It was also a key component of the fruit produced by the Jūbi (Ten-Tails).
No one was more suited to harnessing the natural energy of this world than someone with an Ōtsutsuki physique.
As for time?
That wasn't an issue.
This third login would last for a full ten years which is more than enough time for his sister to master Sage Mode completely.
At Mount Myōboku, Jiang Xi continued her training.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen remained focused on understanding the Space-Time Ninjutsu of this world.
He even attempted to wield natural energy himself.
With his current level of martial arts training, achieving this wasn't too difficult.
However, without Chakra, he could only rely on natural energy and had no way to use Sage Chakra.
It felt like everything had reset to square one.
"Do I need to capture a Bijū (Tailed Beast) first? Or should I find a God Tree fruit?" Jiang Chen muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.
When it came to solving the Chakra issue, these were the first two options that came to mind.
The first was straightforward— Bijū (Tailed Beasts) were essentially living reservoirs of Chakra. If he could capture one and seal it within himself, he'd naturally gain an abundance of Chakra.
The second option was even more fundamental.
The God Tree fruit was the very source of all Chakra. If he could consume one, he would undoubtedly gain Chakra as well.
But both choices came with significant obstacles.
For the first, even if he managed to capture a Bijū, sealing it would be a major challenge.
Every known sealing technique, whether from the various Ninja villages or the Uzumaki clan, required Chakra to perform.
Even newborns in this world were born with Chakra— whether they could harness it or not was another matter. But Jiang Chen? He had none at all.
As for the second option, acquiring a God Tree fruit was no easier.
First, he needed all nine Bijū, then the Outer Path Husk, and finally, the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Even if he managed to pull all that off, it would still be a monumental task.
"Maybe I should look into the natural locations in this world instead." Jiang Chen's thoughts shifted as he recalled something important.
If he remembered correctly, the Naruto World contained actual Space-Time nodes.
While mastering Ninjutsu was difficult for him, gaining access to one of these nodes could grant him valuable insights.
With that in mind, Jiang Chen decided not to linger idly at Mount Myōboku.
After calling out to his sister, he left the sacred land and set off for the Ninja World.
His first destination— the Land of Wind.
The world node he had in mind was hidden within the Land of Wind's dragon vein.
In the Naruto World, dragon veins were the very lifeblood of the land, containing Chakra far more potent than anywhere else.
If misused, they had the power to destroy entire regions, but they also held the ability to traverse space-time.
A world conqueror— if the first world remains incomplete, then the abilities gained within it cannot be further enhanced.
For instance, if the protagonist currently possesses a combat power of thirty to fifty thousand, then unless the Dragon Ball world quest is fully completed, that power would remain capped in any new world he enters.
Alternatively, if the Dragon Ball world is merged into the main world before completion, his strength would be permanently fixed at that level.
The only way to grow stronger would be to realign with a different power system.
This was why, when the protagonist first reached the third tier, few took notice.
Though his progress was surprising, it was nothing more than that— just a fleeting moment of shock.
Since the first world remained unfinished, no one could predict how far he could truly go.
But the situation would change entirely once he reached the fourth tier.
Even if a fourth-tier expert's strength was locked in place, their importance could not be underestimated.
(End of this chapter)
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