"What level is my current Sage Transformation at?"
Heiyan mused inwardly.
The best way to resolve this question was to compare it with the stages of the Sharingan.
The Sharingan evolved through four stages: the basic Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan, Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and finally, the Rinnegan.
After careful consideration, Heiyan estimated that he currently stood at the "Mangekyo Sharingan" stage.
The difference lay here:
Within the Mangekyo Sharingan existed powerful jutsu such as Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Kamui, and Susanoo—all of which were "active skills."
In contrast, Heiyan's Sage Transformation—be it Tailed Beast-level chakra, life force and regeneration ability, or its capacity to enhance ninjutsu—consisted entirely of "passive skills."
That worked fine too.
Back in his past life, when playing video games, Heiyan always hated spamming skill buttons—he preferred loading up on passive abilities and just charging in headfirst, swinging away.
"There are still five tomoe left inside me. Perhaps once they shatter one by one and fuse into my body, I will awaken an even more perfected Sage Transformation."
This thought filled Heiyan with greater anticipation for the future.
"Hmm?"
Just then, he suddenly noticed how foul his entire body smelled. Several days without bathing, combined with the bloodline transformation, had caused his body to expel many impurities.
Thus, Heiyan temporarily set aside his thoughts and research about the Sage Transformation and went off to take a bath and change into a comfortable pair of pajamas.
Then, he returned before the mirror.
The boy in the mirror was no longer skeletal and gaunt. Yet, physical recovery would still require time, nourishing food, and exercise—not something achievable overnight.
Other than that, the most noticeable change on Heiyan's body was his hair color.
When a member of the Uzumaki clan exhausted their chakra excessively, their iconic red hair would turn white; naturally, once their chakra recovered, their original hair color would return.
But this was just too conspicuous.
Thinking so, Heiyan shook his head.
He didn't want others finding out he was part of the Uzumaki clan.
After all, this was already Year 30 of Konoha. Within two years at most, Uzugakure would fall during war, scattering the remaining Uzumaki across the ninja world.
Most Uzumaki bore tragic destinies—they were born tools for others.
Kushina Uzumaki and her son Naruto both became Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, suffering greatly.
Uzumaki Shianglin and her daughter were treated like living medical kits, bodies covered in bite marks.
Nagato Uzumaki was reduced to a vessel for cultivating the Rinnegan, a portable battery for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—eventually becoming emaciated, his condition mirroring Heiyan's former self exactly.
Unless one possessed overwhelming power capable of sweeping across the ninja world, having bright red hair would only invite misfortune and disaster.
He knew all too well what that meant.
Thus, he took out the prepared hair-dye potion and dyed his hair back to white.
Then, he walked over to his desk, spread out paper and brush, turned on the desk lamp.
Scratch! Scratch! Scratch!
With great concentration, he rapidly wrote out a detailed training and diet plan tailored specifically for himself, aimed at regaining his health.
It was a quiet night.
The next day, Heiyan rose at dawn. The first thing he did was spread the news that he had recovered from his illness.
He went straight to his teacher Kosuke Maruboshi's residence, only to find that the latter wasn't home — he had already left for a mission and wouldn't return to the village anytime soon.
Then, he invited Tsunade over. When she saw the profound transformation in Heiyan — his renewed energy, sharpened gaze, and vibrant aura — she felt both shocked and delighted, barely believing her eyes.
As a physician, though she had always done her best to treat him, she knew deep down that Heiyan's illness had reached a very severe stage. She could merely ease his pain and prolong his life slightly.
Unless a miracle happened.
Yet surprisingly, a miracle really occurred.
"It's simply unbelievable..."
Inside the room, Tsunade kept marveling while repeatedly examining Heiyan's body, making him blush until she finally noticed her overly excited behavior, coughed dryly a few times, and withdrew her hands.
Naturally, Heiyan credited all the healing achievements to Tsunade, even giving her a red envelope with ten million ryō inside.
Next, he instructed all his shops to launch various discount promotions celebrating his full recovery.
Thus, within one single day, half the residents of Konoha learned that Heiyan's strange illness had been cured, and that he was no longer that frail, bony sick man.
After completing these tasks, Heiyan went to the ninja tool shop and bought large quantities of equipment, officially starting his training plan.
In the gym on the second floor of his modest apartment:
Nine hundred ninety-seven... nine hundred ninety-eight... nine hundred ninety-nine... One thousand!
Heiyan finished one thousand push-ups, immediately moving on to one thousand squats, followed by one thousand pull-ups — it took him two full hours to finish the brutal session.
Moreover, each movement came with increasing weight strapped to his limbs.
Although he had already announced his recovery, as someone who had just pulled through a life-threatening illness, he didn't want to cause too much shock, so he chose to work out alone at home.
"Indeed, people's physical constitutions cannot be compared directly."
After finishing his training, Heiyan drank a large bottle of water and sighed thoughtfully.
Back in his past world, even a regular adult who hadn't trained in ages could risk rhabdomyolysis — a dangerous muscle breakdown — after doing just a hundred squats. It might land them straight in the ICU or worse.
But in the Naruto universe, thanks to Sage Transformation, he could do twelve hours of intense training every day yet still act perfectly fine.
Moreover, with such astonishing recovery ability, there was no need to separate muscle groups for training. He could train his entire body daily, just needing a good night's sleep to recover.
As they say: Training shapes your body, but food builds it.
Besides training, Heiyan needed to eat seven meals per day.
The highest-grade beef from the Land of Lightning, the finest camel milk from the Land of Wind, fresh vegetables and eggs from the Land of Fire, salmon rich in protein from the Land of Water...
All top quality.
After all, not everyone's physique can be compared on the same scale —
Heiyan's appetite equaled several times that of a normal person's.
However, despite having access to so many premium ingredients, Heiyan strictly cooked them like fitness meals — boiled, raw, zero salt. The taste was absolutely bland beyond belief.
Luckily, he had the habit of working out in his previous life and possessed enough self-discipline to control his appetite.
Heiyan knew well that even someone with the Sage Transformation still needed sufficient nutrition.
One reason why Naruto was so weak as a kid was because he often drank expired milk and ate instant noodles, which gave him diarrhea afterward. All the nutrients were lost that way.
A week later.
Late at night, in a secluded forest behind Konoha.
[Water Release: Water Formation Wall!]
[Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!]
[Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!]
Heiyan unleashed three jutsu without pause. The surging waterpower knocked countless trees askew, even creating a small lake within the forest.
His Water Release techniques were learned from Kosuke Maruboshi, who himself studied under The Second.
The Second Hokage could unleash large-scale Water Release techniques even in places without water sources—thanks largely to the Senju bloodline.
As for Heiyan's Water Release skills, he had truly surpassed his master. Though he only mastered a few techniques, each carried massive amounts of chakra and was enhanced by his Sage Transformation, making each one immensely powerful.
Whoosh!
Heiyan leapt onto a large bluestone and sat down. As the gentle evening breeze cooled him, he gazed at the vast starry sky, letting his body and mind take a brief respite.
After a week of hard training, he felt exhausted but fulfilled.
He recalled the plot of the Naruto manga.
When the Sage of Six Paths recalled his two sons, Indra and Asura, he once said that his elder son inherited his eyes while his younger son inherited his body.
But—
Indra was naturally born with powerful ocular abilities and was known as a genius.
Asura, on the other hand, through diligent training in postnatal life, allowed his "physical chakra power to blossom through harsh training," eventually gaining strength equal to his older brother.
This is the special trait of the Sage Transformation; if using gaming terms as an analogy, those born with this physique are like "late-game heroes."
In the early and mid-stages of the game, you must focus on grinding levels. But once reaching the late stage, you can dominate the battlefield.
Naruto was undeniably the weakest among his peers when he was young. However, once he started serious training, his growth speed increased rapidly, leaving many talented peers far behind.
At Heiyan's current age, Hashirama Senju was still secretly meeting with Madara Uchiha by the riverside, testing whose aim was better. Yet just over a decade later, Hashirama became the God of Ninja, possessing the might to unify the ninja world.
Figures like Indra and Asura, Madara and Hashirama, Sasuke and Naruto... In the end, those who inherited the Sage's Eyes were always defeated by those who inherited the Sage's Body. It seems indeed that the potential of the Sage's Body surpasses even that of the Sage's Eyes.
Heiyan reached this conclusion, feeling invigorated.
Of course, this outcome depended upon never slackening off—maintaining persistent, diligent cultivation. Only then could one unlock the full potential hidden within the Sage Transformation.
"The path ahead remains long and arduous."
It was time to return.
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