Truth be told, Mizuki wasn't particularly fond of ramen. It wasn't about whether it tasted good or not—it was simply too similar to instant cup noodles. Having once eaten so much instant ramen that he felt sick, Mizuki actually had some psychological trauma regarding it. Unless he was really starving, he generally wouldn't think about eating ramen.
Sitting on a narrow bench at Ichiraku Ramen sharing bowls with three others wasn't exactly pleasant either—especially for Mizuki, sitting next to Naruto. He got splashed with broth every time Naruto slurped his noodles. It was quite uncomfortable. Watching Naruto devour his meal with such unrestrained enthusiasm, his manners were truly appalling.
Looking at the stack of large empty bowls beside Naruto, Mizuki finally understood why Uzumaki Naruto always had such amazing stamina. His appetite alone surpassed that of an average person's.
Wiping broth splattered onto his face, Mizuki said to Naruto, "Originally I thought you were being trained by Ebisu, but I didn't expect that it's actually Master Jiraiya personally training you. You sure are lucky."
"Huh? Is the Pervy Sage really someone that impressive?" Naruto blurted out without thinking.
Hearing Naruto call him "Pervy Sage" in front of others, Jiraiya immediately corrected him, clearly displeased, "I've told you countless times—it's Jiraiya of Mount Myoboku, the Great Toad Sage! Not 'Pervy Sage!'"
"It's basically the same thing either way. Don't be so picky. You're just a perverted old man anyway," Naruto shrugged indifferently.
"Naruto-kun, Master Jiraiya is someone who personally trained The Fourth Hokage. Countless Konoha ninja would kill for the chance to learn from him," Mizuki offered some background information, seeing how indifferent Naruto remained.
"Really? This pervy sage is actually that strong? I know he's much better than Ebisu-sensei, but could he even surpass Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto still found it hard to believe in Jiraiya's strength given his questionable character.
"You'll learn soon enough, brat," Jiraiya snorted arrogantly, nose practically pointing skyward, "The Great Toad Sage definitely isn't just a name!"
After finishing the last drop of broth from his bowl, Naruto slammed the bowl down and pointed at Jiraiya, "If you're really so great, teach me some powerful jutsu already! Stop procrastinating and peeping all the time. I'll find you tomorrow morning, so don't run away, Pervy Sage!" With that, a full-bellied Naruto dashed off home to sleep.
"He didn't even pay, and ate so much. No self-control at all," Jiraiya grumbled looking at the retreating figure before turning to Mizuki, "So then, Mizuki, what did you want from me?"
"You really noticed everything, Master Jiraiya," replied Mizuki. While running into Naruto and Jiraiya together had been coincidental, this was also a perfect opportunity to obtain specific intelligence—one that only someone like Jiraiya, currently the only known user of Sage Mode, could provide.
"Tell me, what's this about?"
"It concerns Sage Mode." Mizuki stated.
"Sage Mode?"
When he heard those words, Jiraiya was visibly shocked. "Looks like you're not an ordinary ninja. This isn't something just anyone would know."
"There are no true secrets in the ninja world. If someone's determined enough, they'll always find a way to uncover the truth."
"Hmm," Jiraiya didn't press further. "No matter where you heard about Sage Mode, these aren't things you can access right now."
"I completely understand, Lord Jiraiya. Learning Sage Mode requires an enormous chakra reserve, and frankly, I'm nowhere near meeting that requirement." Mizuki actually agreed with Jiraiya. At his current level, attempting to master Sage Mode could either result in permanent petrification or complete mental breakdown.
"To be honest, you know a lot more than I originally thought." Since Mizuki wasn't acting on impulse, Jiraiya figured he wouldn't make unreasonable demands either.
"From what you know, Lord Jiraiya, how many people in the world have mastered Sage Mode?" Mizuki asked curiously.
"Uh?" Jiraiya was slightly taken aback that Mizuki had surprisingly asked about usage rather than training methods. "As far as I know, only I have successfully mastered it. Orochimaru seemed to have tried before too, but apparently didn't succeed."
"That few?"
"Well, it's not exactly like that," Jiraiya explained. "Sage Mode itself is an extremely dangerous ninjutsu. Without assistance from summoned beasts, one can't even sense natural energy. Uh? You do know about natural energy, right?"
Mizuki nodded. "If humans like yourself, Lord Jiraiya, can barely achieve Sage Mode with the help of summoned beasts, then why are there records of multiple sages among summoned beast groups? Whether considering numbers or elite battle strength, humans mastering Sage Mode shouldn't be so rare."
After thinking for a moment in response to Mizuki's question, Jiraiya said, "I can't answer that. Although I don't know where you learned all this intelligence, I suppose sensing natural energy must be crucial." Without Frog Oil, Jiraiya wouldn't be able to perform his Sage Arts at all. Without the Kekkei Genkai flowing from Ryuchi Cave through Jugo, there wouldn't be Orochimaru's cursed seal, let alone Kabuto Yakushi's Snake Sage Art.
"Theoretically, even though different Sage Arts may draw on slightly different types of Natural Energy, since everything exists within the ninja world, if summoned beasts can manage it, why can't humans, who are considered the most advanced beings?"
"How should I know?" Such deductive reasoning wasn't really Jiraiya's interest. "Maybe the ninja world just doesn't like humans, hahaha~"
"Does the ninja world dislike humans?" Mizuki murmured. Maybe it was just a joke from Jiraiya, but it was still worth considering as a possible explanation. If starting from this premise, certain things could actually explain themselves logically.
[Does the key lie with the God Tree?]
The God Tree was undoubtedly the origin of an alien invasion threatening the ninja world—that much was certain. But according to the original storyline, Madara Uchiha claimed humans worshipped the God Tree as a deity. If that statement was also true, then the situation was serious indeed.
If I had to make a bold guess: the God Tree served as the origin of an external invasion. Humans who worshipped it as a deity unknowingly became unwitting accomplices. In this world where supernatural power manifests, the immense collective spiritual energy from human belief directly transformed into nourishment fueling the God Tree's growth, accelerating the birth of the God Tree Fruit.
If that's just speculation, there's another supporting proof—the Nine Tailed Beasts. Having been stripped from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the tailed beasts—manifestations of the God Tree's essence—are immortal. As embodiments of humanity's negative will, even if destroyed, they will eventually reincarnate elsewhere. If Mizuki's theory holds true, then the tailed beasts represent parts of humanity's collective will. Unless humanity is wiped out entirely, the tailed beasts cannot be eradicated.
"'Spirit of all things? What a joke. Apparently, in this world's eyes, we humans are nothing more than traitors.'"
No wonder that during Mizuki's recent experiments, Sasuke Uchiha's clone infused with Cursed Seal chakra emitted an aura of natural enmity. If the world itself possesses consciousness, it would naturally despise humanity.
Seeing Mizuki deep in thought, Jiraiya spoke up, "But speaking of sages, humans aren't without one. Wasn't it the Sage of Six Paths who laid the foundations of Yin and Yang and shaped the Five Elements, bringing order to the ninja world?"
"The Sage of Six Paths? Yeah, right," Mizuki replied, clearly uninterested.
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