(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Life was fleeting but full of unexpected twists and turns.
Colt had already planned to leave the Land of Snow tomorrow and find a place with sufficient natural energy to practice the Sage Mode.
But plans often change.
To keep him there, the Snow Princess of the Land of Snow had sacrificed too much after all.
Faced with such warm hospitality, Colt wasn't heartless.
Since Koyuki needed him so desperately, he decided to stay a while longer.
During the day, he came to the valley where the generator was located to practice the Sage Mode, and at night, he worked diligently to fight a different type of battle.
Ten days later, on a flat stone platform.
Colt was quietly sitting, continuously inhaling the surrounding natural energy into his body.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
[Sage Mode], activated!
At that moment, his entire being's power skyrocketed.
An invisible shockwave violently stirred the air, sweeping everything around him and blowing away a shower of gravel!
Even the stone platform on which he sat couldn't bear the terrifying pressure, and numerous cracks appeared.
Colt felt a strange sensation in his back as if something was about to emerge.
*Swish*
After a muffled sound, Colt realized that a pair of pure white energy wings had appeared behind him!
The energy in his body had completely transformed from chakra to sage chakra!
Not only had his chakra undergone a qualitative change, but even his physique, speed, and reflexes were greatly enhanced.
He opened his eyes, now able to clearly sense chakra within a 50-kilometer radius, five times larger than he could do before.
Colt frowned, then took out a kunai to use as a mirror, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, there wasn't much change to his face, only a tear-shaped mark appeared under his right eye.
There was a hint of otherworldliness on his already handsome face, and with the angel-like light wings behind him, his whole being exuded a fatal allure.
"Am I a bird-man now?" Colt mused, looking at the wings behind him with curiosity.
With a mere thought, Colt rose into the sky, reaching an altitude of thousands of meters in the blink of an eye.
"So fast!" Even he was taken aback by his current speed, and this was just one of the insignificant increases in Sage Mode.
After flying to a sparsely populated wilderness area, Colt stretched out his right hand, while spreading his fingers.
"[Sage Art: Five Swirling Dragons of Destruction]!"
As his voice fell, without moving, dragon-shaped chakra with five attributes - wind, earth, water, fire, and lightning - condensed at his fingertips.
In an instant, they transformed into giant dragons hundreds of meters long.
They rushed, roaring on the way, and razed the mountain before them to the ground.
"This power could destroy the Susanoo, right?" Colt said, satisfied with the natural disaster he had caused.
The most important point was that this was just ninjutsu released without hand seals.
After entering Sage Mode, seal-less ninjutsu seemed to have become instinctive.
As long as it was a technique he had mastered, his thoughts alone could form it with a single movement.
In the future, when he meets powerful opponents, he wouldn't have to fumble with hand seals, which would be much more efficient.
Five minutes later, Colt descended from the sky and exited his Sage Mode.
The pure white light wings disappeared, and he felt the long-forgotten sensation of weakness.
It wasn't a true weakness per se, just the huge gap brought by exiting the Sage Mode.
To no longer experience this strange feeling, Colt made a decision.
In the future, he must learn to enter the Sage Mode in seconds and maintain it for much longer.
Now that the Sage Mode training was complete, it was time to return to Konoha.
This time, including his travel time, it had been half a month since he left.
If he didn't return soon, he guessed Tsunade would be worried.
Upon learning that Colt was leaving, Koyuki was particularly reluctant.
"Can't you stay? If you stay, I can give you anything. I'll even make you the ruler of the Land of Snow."
A woman in love can be quite unreasonable, offering her country away with a single breath.
Truly touching.
"Enough!" Colt sternly reprimanded, "Am I the kind of person who's greedy for power? What I like is just you. I have no interest in the Land of Snow or anything else!"
Koyuki felt a warmth in her heart and whispered in Colt's ear, "As long as you stay, I can..."
"Whoa..." Colt sucked in a sharp breath.
In the end, Colt reluctantly refused Koyuki's temptation and embarked on his journey back to Konoha. He couldn't stay anymore, but he wouldn't just forget about her.
Watching him leave, Koyuki silently made a decision.
As soon as things in the Land of Snow were settled, she would continue her acting career.
That way, she would have plenty of time to live in the Land of Fire, and there would naturally be more opportunities for the two to meet.
Two days later.
After returning to the Land of Fire by a passenger ship, Colt didn't delay.
He immediately began his journey using the [Flying Thunder God]. He couldn't use it before because it took way too much chakra.
Before that, he had left the [Flying Thunder God] marks on all the towns he visited.
This time, it took him less than half an hour to arrive at Konoha's gate.
Looking at the two familiar gate guards, Colt smiled and greeted them.
Izumo and Kotetsu were startled when they saw his sudden appearance.
After a simple registration, Colt headed to the Hokage building.
He also carried the documents for this mission, which he had to give to Tsunade before he could go home.
Behind him…
"The 13-year-old Jōnin... stronger than Kakashi," Izumo said, filled with a mix of awe and sadness.
A few months ago, he was a Chūnin, and Colt was just a Genin taking the Chūnin exam.
Now Colt was a Jōnin, and he... was still guarding the gate.
Meanwhile, when Colt arrived at the Hokage's office, he heard Tsunade's furious voice.
"What were Kakashi and Guy thinking? How could they exhaust their chakra by arguing and fighting?!"
Looking at Tsunade, who was seething with anger, Colt felt a bit uneasy.
"What's going on here?"
Tsunade's eyes lit up when she saw him.
"You're finally back, kid! If you hadn't returned, I was planning to send an ANBU to hunt you down!"
Colt smiled, knowing that Tsunade was just joking.
But before he could tease her back, he heard some shocking news.
"Sasuke Uchiha has defected to Orochimaru's hideout, and I've sent Shikamaru to form a team to pursue him."
"Colt Kamiyo, I now officially appoint you as the leader of the pursuit team. Immediately go to intercept Sasuke Uchiha, bring him back, and eliminate all enemies!"