Chapter 139: Flaw

On a pristine white beach.

Dong Shilang looked back at the place where he had lingered for nearly a month.

He walked slowly toward the sea.

It was also time to leave this place that had brought him transformation!

By now the one-month deadline was approaching, and he had to prepare to return to the Leaf Village.

Fortunately, this trip fulfilled his long-held wish and was quite fruitful. Not only had he successfully mastered Sage Mode, but he had also found a fairly good spirit beast for himself.

Although both had some flaws.

Let's talk about Sage Mode! After nearly a month of arduous training, he could now activate it smoothly in the outside world, but…

The preparation time each time he entered Sage Mode…

While on the Island of Forgetfulness, it was fine—just a slight adjustment, and he could basically complete Sage Mode in five to ten minutes.

But once he was in the outside world, due to the difference in natural energy density, this time would stretch to over half an hour.

Such a long preparation time essentially announced that Dong Shilang's trump card would be greatly diminished in power.

Although he could imitate future Naruto and use Shadow Clone Jutsu to prepare Sage Mode, the time was simply too long, making it almost useless in actual combat.

Battles between ninjas rarely last that long; normally, a fight lasts ten or so minutes, which is already quite uncommon.

The ninja's inherent high burst, high speed, strong attack, and fragile nature basically determined the combat pattern for most ninjas.

They launch deadly surprise attacks from the most unexpected places, and the duration is usually just one or two minutes.

Only on a large-scale battlefield would you see this kind of back-and-forth situation.

Not every ninja is like Madara and Hashirama, who can fight a whole day and night as if playing.

Fortunately, Dong Shilang himself had also considered this point; before training in Sage Mode, he had given it ample thought.

His expectations for Sage Mode were not placed on combat at all—at least not in the short term.

The main reason he cultivated Sage Mode was for "physical vitality"~

Over the next decade or so, this will be his peak growth period, with his height, stamina, chakra, mental energy, and so on all showing a rapid growth pattern.

If he merely trained step by step, relying on the energy generated daily from food or his own body to conduct "physical vitality".

The height he could reach in the future would be very limited—at most a Shadow-level strong one who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, comparable to the future Fourth Raikage and Fifth Hokage.

At most, due to the Mangekyo Sharingan, his strength would be somewhat superior to theirs.

Moreover, he would need to transplant Hashirama cells in the future; otherwise, he would risk blindness. Even if he transplanted Hashirama cells, he would merely be another Obito, perhaps with different eye techniques, but overall probably no different.

What meaning would that have then……

By the later stages of the Storm Chronicle, these people were merely side characters.

Only Sage Mode!

It would give Dong Shilang unparalleled room for growth.

In terms of physical vitality, with natural energy, this almost amounts to having limitless energy support, making comprehensive improvement possible.

Only then in the future could he possibly avoid becoming a side character.

Moreover, there is another point, which is the most important.

"Sage Transformation!"

From future plotlines we learn that the Great Toad Sage of Myoboku Mountain, namely Toad Maru, truly lived from the Kaguya era of a thousand years ago all the way to the end of the Fourth War without dying~

In between, there was a span of nearly a thousand years……

Even a frog, whose lifespan is relatively short, can live that long; as a transmigrator, he certainly wouldn't be inferior to some frogs, snakes, or other cold-blooded animals!

Anything is possible……

Within a sea area between the Whirlpool Country, Hot Country, and Iron Country.

A white-headed sea eagle with a wingspan of nearly thirty meters and a height of about twelve or thirteen meters was soaring at an altitude of over a thousand meters above the ground.

Since a large hawk is called an eagle, continuing to call this sea hawk a sea hawk would be somewhat inappropriate given its size.

This giant white-headed sea eagle has a huge body and a head covered in white head feathers, a huge, curved, sharp yellow beak, yellow irises, white tail coverts, and its body and wings are covered in black feathers.

The diet of this white-headed sea eagle mainly consists of various fish, such as salmon, herring, pollock, and catfish, but its menu is very broad; it also preys on birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates (like crabs), and mammals (such as rabbits and rodents).

The white-headed sea eagle is also an "opportunistic predator"; it will prey on live animals, eat fresh meat or carrion, and often steal or snatch prey captured by its own kind or other raptors.

Especially after its body became enormously huge due to natural energy, these guys became even more reckless.

Across the entire Island of Forgetfulness, any animal they felt they could beat basically became part of their diet. Relying on their aerial advantage, they were virtually unstoppable.

Until this guy encountered Dong Shilang……

When they first saw Dong Shilang, out of the beast's hunting instinct, and also because they had grown accustomed to acting recklessly before.

They launched a dive straight at him, completely not taking him into account!

Off guard, he was pulled down from the air by the opponent. As the saying goes, a phoenix that lands is no better than a chicken; after a sound thrashing, Dong Shilang forced him into a spirit contract, and he thus lost his freedom.

If it were someone else signing the contract, that would be fine, but this is a Uchiha who has activated the Sharingan; just a glance from him, and it cannot even think of resisting……

For example, right now, as it spreads its wings and flies, it has completely lost control over its own body……

Without riding the small boat he brought, he stands on the back of this gigantic white-headed eagle, feeling the fierce wind sweeping past him.

Gazing at the boundless expanse of sea, and the drifting clouds in the high sky almost within reach.

"Ah……"

Dong Shilang involuntarily stirred his whole body's strength and burst out a long, high-pitched chant.

The sound echoed over the sea surface, unable to subside for a long time……