Start with Naruto Awakening - Awesome!

　Ye Chen said

　"Why aren't you getting anxious? Comparing yourself to others is infuriating!"

　Tsunade said dejectedly, slamming her hands into the water, washing away the spray and creating surging waves.

　The little slug lost its balance and fell headfirst into the lake.

　"Don't compare yourself to me! It's pointless. Just know that you're the best."

　Ye Chen said

　Upon hearing this, Tsunade was so angry she nearly vomited blood. What was the difference between this and self-deception? Did this guy even know how to comfort people? "Staying in the lake for too long isn't good either; let's go for a walk."

　The slug made a suggestion

　"good"

　Ye Chen agreed and then walked out of Fairy Lake.

　He can currently perform Sage Mode, but he can't necessarily open all twelve apertures at once! The reason he succeeded the first time was because he had accumulated too much Sage Chakra beforehand.

　But opening all six orifices at once allows him to enter Sage Mode! So he's not too worried about it! Sage Mode is just a means for him to sublimate his strength! Even if Masashi doesn't have Sage Mode, with his current Great Buddha form combined with the Flower Flower Fruit, he's enough to sweep through the ninja world! That is, the overpowered characters of later generations haven't appeared yet! In a few decades, when those people come out, the power levels will be... utterly distorted! Just like the Otsutsuki descendant on the moon, Toneri! With a single powerful move from his Turning Eye, he sliced ​​the moon in two! That's incredible! Although the moon in the Naruto world was created by the Sage of Six Paths, and there's definitely a difference between it and the real moon, it's still... about the power to split a star in two! Thinking of this, Ye Chen felt that his strength was still insufficient! He must become the strongest one! He must be the progenitor, possessing the power to create and destroy, fearless of everything—that is the right path.

Chapter 342 The Dark Forces of Mount Myōboku

　This content is being published for the first time (first update).

　"Sage Art: Rasengan! In the Shikkotsu Forest, beside a white bone mountain, a super-sized Rasengan suddenly appeared in Ye Chen's hand! This was a Rasengan created using Sage Chakra! Its size and density were incomparable to ordinary Rasengans! And the transformation didn't stop there. Ye Chen held the Sage Art Rasengan in his hand and hurled it! Like a Spirit Bomb, it shot out with a whoosh! It smashed into the bone mountain with devastating force! With a boom, after extreme compression, the Sage Art Rasengan unleashed its maximum power, annihilating the bone mountain! It left a huge crater in its wake, billowing dust! It seemed as if the entire Shikkotsu Forest trembled, and the slugs clinging to the other bone mountains rolled off, letting out cries of alarm! 'Ah!'"

　"what!"

　The slug immortal shuddered in fright and actually split into hundreds more slug clones.

　Tsunade rushed over and, upon seeing the scene before her, exclaimed, "Yoru, what kind of ninjutsu is this?! Its power is comparable to a forbidden technique!"

　Ye Chen glanced back at Tsunade and chuckled, "Strictly speaking, this is no longer ninjutsu, but rather a transformation of ninjutsu after Sage Mode was infused with Sage Chakra, possessing immense destructive power."

　"Oh, I see! Your strength is freakish. I'll never catch up to you. You'll have to protect me from now on!"

　Tsunade patted her chest, then smiled at Ye Chen, looking like she was clinging to him.

　"Ha ha

　I want to test other magical arts!

　Ye Chen said

　Although Ye Chen himself didn't learn any powerful ninjutsu, he didn't actually need to.

　Why could characters like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha perform ninjutsu simply by clapping their hands without forming hand seals? Besides their inherently overpowered abilities, another crucial factor was their understanding of chakra transformations. Chakra is initially without elemental attribute; understanding elemental attributes allows for the use of various ninjutsu techniques, and understanding transformations allows for the creation of various attack forms.

　The essence of ninjutsu is energy; as for its form, that is determined by the ninja himself.

　At the beginning of the ninja world, there was no ninjutsu.

　In the era of Hagoromo and Hamura, battles were essentially the purest clash of chakra energy! That is, until Ashura and Indra appeared! Indra created ninjutsu, allowing ordinary ninjas to learn it and possess incredible abilities. This indirectly proves that once strength and comprehension reach a certain level, the hand seals can be completely eliminated.

　Although Ye Chen felt that his talent was somewhat inferior to that of the Otsutsuki clan, at present...

　With a clap of his hands, he could still perform ninjutsu using pure chakra transformation without hand seals! Shikkotsu Forest was vast, a rare sacred ground for Sage Mode training! Ye Chen decided to dedicate this time to rigorous Sage Mode training, aiming to master all the Sage Modes of each element.

　But something disagreed! The slug sage's clone rushed over and said, "Lord Yechen, don't test your magic here."

　The land here cannot withstand your destruction.

　It has to be said, the Slug Sage is truly a coward, timid and afraid of trouble! "Then where do you think I should go?"

　Ye Chen asked

　The slug pondered, wondering how to get rid of Ye Chen. If this ancestor continued cultivating here every day, would it ever get any sleep? "Mount Miaoboku! The toads there are incredibly aggressive! And they even know magic!"

　The slug's two little eyes lit up, and it immediately said...

　"Mt. Myoboku!"

　Ye Chen's eyes showed contemplation. The three great holy lands of the Spirit Realm had interactions with each other.

　And they're all neighbors.

　In the original story, the toads of Mount Myōboku would visit Ryūchi Cave every now and then.

　(1/2)

　The sight of snakes fighting is a prime example.

　"Since we're already in Shikkotsu Forest, we might as well check out Mt. Myōboku."

　Ye Chen had an idea! Tsunade stayed in Shikkotsu Forest to continue training in Sage Mode, while the Slug Sage sent a clone to take Ye Chen to Mount Myōboku. After crossing a huge river, a very strange mountain range appeared in the distant forest.

　This mountain range is layered and towering, like a maze, and extremely vast. Even Ye Chen's Observation Haki could only glimpse a corner of it.

　The mountain range is clearly vast! And strangely, Ye Chen sensed a significant increase in the density of natural energy within this mountain range! The deeper one goes into the mountain range, the more natural energy there is.

　As Ye Chen drew closer, the mystery surrounding this mountain range was gradually unveiled, and Ye Chen finally understood what this mountain range was.

　Mount Myōboku! It's almost here! This is the place where Jiraiya and Naruto trained in Sage Mode in the original story, and it's also the habitat of the toad clan.

　The terrain around Mount Myoboku is far more peculiar than that of Shikkotsu Forest.

　In the original work, Fukasaku the toad once said that it was almost impossible to enter without knowing the secret passage, as the outside was a labyrinthine mountain.

　Generally speaking, no matter how complex a mountain range is, a ninja should be able to gradually figure out its location. Mazes should be ineffective against ninjas, especially those with sensory abilities.

　However, when Ye Chen arrived at the outer perimeter of Mount Myōboku, he understood the meaning of the so-called labyrinth.

　"It seems you've already discovered that it's not the mountains that resemble a maze, but rather that the rich natural energy within them is being manipulated by some strange force, interfering with one's perception."

　The slug explained in time.

　These natural energies form what's known as the labyrinth, making it difficult even for sensory ninjas to escape their interference. Therefore, it's simply impossible for ordinary people to enter Mount Myōboku.

　However, this posed no problem for Ye Chen. His Observation Haki allowed him to connect with the forces of nature, listen to its voice, and be guided forward by these forces. In his mind, most of the area surrounding the labyrinth mountain was clearly explored, forming a three-dimensional map of the labyrinth.

　Ye Chen traversed the maze mountain without any hindrance.

　"Incredible!"

　The slug fairy secretly marveled from the side.

　It couldn't understand how Ye Chen had done it! The first way to solve the Myoboku labyrinth was Sage Mode, and the second was to know about the special secret passages of Myoboku.

　Clearly, Ye Chen hadn't used either of those methods, or even activated Sage Mode! The maze was meaningless to Ye Chen; he simply continued forward along the path where the natural energy was becoming increasingly concentrated.

　Finally, a bright light appeared before their eyes; they had crossed the outer labyrinthine mountain and entered the true territory of Mount Myōboku.

　It was as if I had stepped from the human world into a fairy tale world.

　It has to be said that the environment of Mount Myōboku is much better than that of Shikkotsu Forest, so much more vibrant and diverse! The Slug Sage is essentially a total couch potato; would a couch potato even bother with their own home? They're too lazy to do anything! However, before they had even fully entered Mount Myōboku, a huge, bright red toad descended from the sky, crashing down like a mountain.

Chapter 343 The Toad Boss Who Suffers for the Sake of Saving Face

　This content was first published here (second update).

　Boom!!! With a deafening roar, the enormous red figure leaped high into the air, like a mountain, before plummeting down.

　Ye Chen had already sensed the enormous black shadow appearing above his head; it was the massive body of the Great Toad of Mount Myōboku, which was now crashing down like a mountain collapsing. To avoid being crushed into a pulp, Ye Chen teleported back several hundred steps.

　"They're here! They're here!"

　The slug trembled in fear upon seeing such a large toad, completely unaware that it too was a being on par with the Toad Sage.

　Although it's currently only a split form, it has absolutely no sense of propriety as a sage. At first glance, it's a red toad, and its appearance is extremely familiar to Ye Chen—it's Gamabunta, the toad Naruto called "Boss Toad" from the original story! Ye Chen had already discovered its presence when entering Mount Myōboku. He initially didn't want to pay it any attention, but since he was going to witness the Sage Techniques of Mount Myōboku, he couldn't avoid encountering the toad clan.

　Whoosh!! Gamabunta's enormous body landed on the ground, creating a huge gust of wind that rippled in all directions.

　Then, its pupils looked down carefully, staring at Ye Chen.

　"Human ninja, where did you come from?"

　In an instant, Gamabunta was certain that Ye Chen had not signed any contract with the toad clan of Mount Myōboku.

　This outsider's ability to navigate the outer labyrinth of Mount Myōboku and reach the inner part of it was quite astonishing to the creature.

　"Walking in"

　Ye Chen said calmly

　This toad boss was quite a cool summoning beast in the early stages of Naruto.

　Whether it was the legendary battle that made the Sannin famous, or being summoned by Minato Namikaze and pinned down by the Nine-Tails, or being summoned by Naruto Uzumaki to fight the One-Tailed Shukaku, his record is truly remarkable.

　However, its appearance rate became very low later on; it mostly summoned its offspring, such as Gamakichi and others! Just like in my memory, the toad boss had a huge pipe dangling from its mouth, and a large, wet tongue covered in pearl-like particles—at least tens of meters long—with a long sword tucked into its belly! It looked every bit the mafia boss! Hearing Ye Chen's words, Gamabunta narrowed his eyes, revealing a dangerous expression. He was very dissatisfied with Ye Chen's answer; everyone knew he had come in from outside.

　Besides, it's a toad, not a ghost.

　"Are you so easily fooled? It seems you're not planning to confess honestly. Well then, let me arrest you first and interrogate you properly."

　The toad boss was originally a rather grumpy toad, comparable to the honey badger.

　Furthermore, aside from having a friendly relationship with their contracted ninjas, summoned beasts generally hold rather negative views towards most humans.

　The world of summoning beasts has always been peaceful, and Mount Myōboku is even less likely to be invaded by ninjas.

　For whatever reason, the old toad felt it was best to take down this human at this time.

　The slug behind Ye Chen wanted to intervene and break up the fight, but Ye Chen secretly sent it a telepathic message telling it not to interfere.

　He intentionally tested the Toad Boss's true strength.