The Next Day...
"Well, well... I always knew you were incredibly talented, but I didn't think you'd handle this task so easily," he remarked. I sat with my legs crossed on a small wooden platform perched atop tall, slender rock spires, having just entered sage mode.
"Hey, when you're a genius, things don't take long, right?" I replied with a grin.
"But your challenge is to stay here, completely still, in sage mode for the next 24 hours. Do you think you can manage that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"24 hours?" I repeated, slightly surprised.
"Yes. Once you accomplish this, we'll move on to the final part of your training. So, what do you think?" he inquired, watching me closely.
"Well, I've already been sitting here for over two hours without any trouble, so I guess it won't hurt to give it a shot," I answered confidently.
"Alright, take your position. Exactly at this time tomorrow, your task will be complete. Until then, you must remain perfectly still," he instructed, and I nodded in agreement.
I settled into my spot once more, crossing my legs and closing my eyes. I focused my mind, concentrating on one point as I gathered the natural chakra around me. I absorbed it just as I had before, balancing the nature chakra with my spiritual and physical energy, successfully entering sage mode.
12 PM…
1 PM…
2 PM…
6 PM…
10 PM…
4 AM…
10 AM…
12 PM…
Time seemed to stretch endlessly as I remained in my meditative state, feeling the world around me fade away. Each hour passed quietly, marked only by the soft whispers of the wind and the gentle rustle of leaves in the trees.
"Naruto, the 24 hours are up. You can open your eyes now," came the voice of Lord Fukasaku. I blinked and slowly opened my eyes, feeling a mix of excitement and curiosity.
"So, what do you think? Can we move on to the next step of training and finish the sage training?" I asked eagerly, but I noticed his expression shift dramatically. His smile disappeared, replaced by a look of surprise.
"What!? Is there something wrong with my face?" I inquired, a bit confused by his reaction.
"No... It's just that... it seems you've already mastered the sage jutsu!" he replied, astonished. His eyes widened with disbelief as he took a moment to process what had just happened.
[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]