Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 206: The Sage Mode Training Plan and a Solution for Kimimaro's Illness

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**Elsewhere...**

Inside the cave, Kimimaro stared at the grooves on the door and the gemstone-like blocks scattered on the ground. He quickly realized what he had to do.

Picking up the blocks, Kimimaro began fitting them into the grooves with the precision of a trained shinobi. Within minutes, only one groove remained empty. However, after searching for nearly an hour, he still couldn't find the final piece.

"Damn it!"

Exhausted, Kimimaro dropped to his knees. The reflective gemstone blocks on the ground mirrored his handsome but weary face.

"Haku… No, I can't let this stop me."

"Haneda-sama entrusted me to protect him. How can I let Haneda-sama down?"

Renewed determination surged through Kimimaro as he stood up. To him, Haneda was everything—his words, Kimimaro's ultimate directive.

Suddenly, a faint knocking sound caught his attention. Looking towards its source, he saw a small fragment of stone falling from the door and rolling across the ground.

"What's this…?"

Through a small crack in the door, Kimimaro saw Haku's eyes. Haku was relentlessly punching the door, his fists covered in chakra shaped like sharp spikes.

Kimimaro immediately understood.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The sound of powerful impacts echoed within the chamber. Kimimaro's chakra formed into spikes as well, and he struck the area near the hole Haku had created.

*Crack!*

The door fractured like a shattered mirror. With a swift kick, Kimimaro broke through the rubble and stepped out.

"Well done. I didn't think you, a fool, could be so useful..." Kimimaro smirked.

Haku looked at Kimimaro's smile and chuckled as well. But suddenly, his vision went black, and he collapsed from chakra exhaustion.

Kimimaro caught him immediately.

"Thank you," Haku said weakly, trembling from fatigue.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Kimimaro's lips twitched into a slight smile. "It's me who should be thanking you."

"But everything I do is for Haneda-sama."

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Watching from a distance, Ichikishimahime smiled.

"The bonds between humans are strange. Sometimes, they unlock incredible power."

"Are you planning to test them further?" Tagitsuhime asked with a grin.

"Their condition isn't great, especially that girl who just passed out. Let's wait a bit."

"There's no need."

Haneda emerged from the fog, walking toward them with a calm yet commanding presence. Behind him followed a sullen Tachikushihime.

"Their training is sufficient. Besides, I've already mastered Sage Mode."

As Haneda passed the two serpent maidens, they tacitly allowed him through without protest.

Moments later, Haneda arrived behind Kimimaro and Haku.

"I'm sorry, Haneda-sama. I… I failed to protect Haku," Kimimaro said, lowering his head.

"You've done enough."

Haneda patted Kimimaro's head and crouched down. Placing a hand on Haku, he infused his body with soft green Yang Release chakra.

Within moments, Haku's eyes fluttered open.

"Haneda-sama! Kimimaro!" Haku exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy.

However, he quickly recalled his earlier failure and looked downcast.

"I'm sorry, Haneda-sama. I… I caused trouble for Kimimaro."

"It's alright. Just try harder next time."

Haneda reached out and pulled Haku to his feet.

"Come with me. It's time to begin training in the real Ryuchi Cave."

Taking their hands, Haneda led Haku and Kimimaro deeper into Ryuchi Cave. The two exchanged a glance, smiles lighting up their faces.

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**At Ryuchi Cave**

The Sage Techniques of Ryuchi Cave were vast and varied: floating, invisibility, matter transformation, energy absorption, binding, petrification, and more.

For Haneda to master them all would require years of training. But with his agreement with Kakashi set for three years—and many critical tasks still awaiting him—Haneda couldn't afford to stay long.

Thus, Haneda carefully selected techniques that suited his combat style.

1. **Floating (Flight):**

Essential for both offense and defense. With flight, Haneda could control the battlefield more effectively and close the gap against enemies like Onoki, who had killed his mentor, Sakumo.

2. **Invisibility:**

During his encounters with Tachikushihime and the others, Haneda had been unable to sense their chakra. This was astonishing, given that Haneda had mastered Tobirama's sensory ninjutsu, capable of detecting chakra from miles away. Invisibility was thus a must-have skill.

3. **White Shock (Hakugeki) Technique:**

A devastating sage technique capable of unleashing explosive spheres akin to Tailed Beast Bombs. Its aftermath—blinding light and deafening sound—could incapacitate even powerful opponents like those using Susanoo.

4. **Inorganic Reincarnation (Muki Tensei):**

A unique ability that brings inanimate objects to life for use in combat. Haneda believed this technique held untapped potential beyond what Kabuto had demonstrated in the original series.

Thanks to his Rinnegan's Deva Path abilities, Haneda could absorb natural energy directly, significantly speeding up his training.

Unfortunately, both Haku and Kimimaro lacked the aptitude to practice Sage Mode, so Haneda assigned shadow clones to guide their training while focusing on his own.

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**Kimimaro's Illness**

Haneda had long been aware of Kimimaro's hereditary illness but had refrained from acting since it hadn't yet manifested. Initially, he viewed Kimimaro as a mere tool. But as time passed, Haneda's perspective shifted.

Now, he sought to heal Kimimaro, believing his unique abilities were vital to achieving his revolutionary ideals.

"Natural energy can slow the progression of his illness. Medical ninjutsu can also help."

Haneda, a skilled medical ninja, theorized a treatment based on details from the original series and his own experiments.

"Perhaps transplanting Hashirama's cells could work…"

However, Hashirama's cells were notoriously unstable. Haneda's own successful transplantation was only possible due to his Sharingan's unique properties, which couldn't be shared.

For now, Haneda decided to regularly monitor Kimimaro's condition, using natural energy to mitigate symptoms. He also planned to seek Tsunade's assistance upon returning to the village as a contingency.

If all else failed, Haneda would turn to Orochimaru to explore the possibility of cell transplantation.

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