The months passed, marked by the cycle of the sun filtering through the canopy and the rhythm of life of the Olwatu. Jiraiya, now looking like a boy of about seven or eight (growth in this body seemed to be faster than he remembered from his own childhood), had integrated remarkably into the tribe. His knack for learning languages (a useful talent on espionage missions) had allowed him to quickly master the Olwatu tongue. He could now communicate fluently with Kael and the others, asking questions, listening to stories, and absorbing the collective knowledge of generations.
He learned their silent hunting methods, their deep understanding of the jungle's medicinal and poisonous herbs, their safe routes through dangerous territory, and their almost reverential respect for the Great Spirits. He participated in tribal chores, helping with harvesting and learning to make basic tools. Outwardly, he was just another tribal child, albeit one with an unusually keen eye and a tendency to observe everything with disconcerting intensity.
But inside, the mind of Jiraiya, the Sannin, never rested. While learning about the world of the Olwatu, he also explored the mysteries of his new body and the energy he had felt since awakening. He often excused himself to spend time alone in the relative safety of the outskirts of the camp, sometimes under the guise of "researching" flora and fauna (though the perversion manifested itself most in observing tribal bathing rituals).
Sitting in a secluded clearing, his eyes closed, he tried to replicate the sensation of bending chakra. He concentrated, searching for the inner energy that had been the foundation of his ninja existence. He felt something, yes, a life force inherent in his body, but it was different. It wasn't the chakra flowing through the Tenketsu, the fusion of physical and spiritual energy. It was something more primal, more... wild.
Then, he tried to sense the natural energy, the life force of the environment that the Toad Hermits absorbed to enter Sage Mode. He focused on the air, on the plants, on the earth beneath him. And there it was. A vast web of energy, pulsing and powerful, interconnecting all life and geology on this world. It was similar to the natural energy of his old world, but much denser, more intense, almost tangible. It seemed to vibrate with the power of the earth itself, with the heat of the subsurface, with the life force of the giant creatures.
The challenge was to merge it with his own energy, to channel it. He tried to draw that ambient energy toward himself, as he did on Mount Myōboku. At first, nothing happened. Then, he felt a surge, but it was chaotic, uncontrollable. Nearby leaves suddenly withered, or a small patch of ground grew abnormally hot. It was like trying to drink from a raging stream instead of a still pond.
His native body, however, seemed to have an innate affinity for this energy. He felt it coursing beneath his skin, part of his very biological makeup in a way chakra never had been. It was as if this body was made to interact with this kind of energy. This explained why the entity had placed him in this particular body, in this world. He had the potential to be a conduit for this power.
He would spend hours experimenting in secret. He would try to concentrate the energy in his hands, visualizing it as he did with chakra. Sometimes, it would produce a faint glow of an unusual color, like amber or deep green. Other times, a small nearby pebble would vibrate or lift slightly off the ground before falling. These were minor, uncontrolled effects, but they confirmed that he could interact with this energy.
I watched the Olwatu for clues. They spoke of the Great Spirits as beings of immense power, connected to the earth and the sky. Their shamans performed rituals that seemed to invoke or appease natural forces, sometimes accompanied by strange vibrations in the ground or changes in the vegetation. Perhaps they, or at least some of them, had an intuitive or inherited understanding of this energy, even if they interpreted it through their spiritual worldview. Kael, in particular, seemed to have a deeper connection to the earth, often "hearing" the movements of the Great Spirits through vibrations in the ground.
"It's not chakra," Jiraiya mused one afternoon, futilely trying to mold a Rasengan with this new energy. The sphere of energy formed briefly, but was unstable, pulsing with savage heat before dissipating. "It's different. More... elemental. Connected to life itself and to the planet's crust. Perhaps it's the Hollow Earth energy the Olwatu mention in their legends."
He felt the latent energy in the giant trees, a powerful life force fueling their monumental growth. He felt it in the hot rocks near volcanic areas (which he studiously avoided with his childlike body), a primordial heat that seemed to simmer with raw energy. And most of all, he felt it in the echoes of the places where the Titans had stood, a residual power that made his hair stand on end.
He began to theorize. If the Titans were the pinnacles of this ecosystem, if their massive size and strength were based on this energy, then mastering it was the path to becoming strong in this world. Not just to survive, but to perhaps one day reach a level of power that would allow him to understand his purpose here. This world's "Hermit Mode" would likely involve absorbing and merging with this wild energy on a much grander scale, transforming the body to withstand and channel such power.
His experiments became more focused. He stopped trying to force the energy to behave like chakra and began to "listen" to it, to feel its natural flow, to try to synchronize with it. It was a slow, frustrating, often fruitless process. His adult mind wanted quick results, but his child's body and the recalcitrant nature of the energy forced him to be patient.
One night, while alone in his shelter, he tried a different approach. Instead of jutsus, he focused on strengthening his own body with energy. He visualized ambient energy flowing into him—not for a jutsu, but to nourish his muscles, his bones. He felt a tingling, a warmth spread through his limbs. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was progress. His childlike body felt marginally stronger, more resilient.
The path to mastering this energy was long and fraught with unknowns. He didn't have a mentor like Fukasaku e Shima to guide him through Sage Mode. He had to experiment, observe, and learn for himself, drawing on echoes of his prior knowledge and clues provided by the world itself and its inhabitants.
But for the first time, he felt he had a concrete path to power. The wild energy beneath his skin and in the world around him was the key. And Jiraiya, the perverted hermit and now interdimensional castaway, was determined to unlock his potential. Not just for his own survival, but for the purpose the cosmic entity had hinted at. He didn't yet know what that purpose was, but he knew it would require strength. And strength in this world came from the energy of giants. The most important "research" of his life had begun.
.
Hello everyone, what did you think of the chapter? Please let me know in the comments. If you want to download the full book, it's available on my KO-FI page. The link is here. 👉
🤩ko-fi.com/winterstar01/shop🤩