Chapter 079: Diamond Dust Fist

The world of Naruto had three sacred lands.

They were Mount Myoboku of the toad clan, Ryuchi Cave of the snake clan, and Shikkotsu Forest of the slug clan.

Each of these three sacred lands had its own sage art.

For example, the sage art of Mount Myoboku, represented by Jiraiya before Wang Bo, had the advantages of enhanced perception, quick reflexes, and the ability to withstand most physical attacks.

As for the sage art of Ryuchi Cave, represented by Kabuto Yakushi, it was versatile, had explosive power, strong resistance to blows, and some regenerative ability.

Finally, the sage art of Shikkotsu Forest, whose representative was likely the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, not only enhanced power but also possessed formidable regenerative capabilities.

Combined with Hashirama Senju's immense vitality and Wood Release, it was a perfect match.

Apart from these three sacred lands, there seemed to be no other summoning beasts in the Naruto world that possessed sage arts.

It could be said that it was precisely because these three races possessed sage arts and had the Toad Sage, the White Snake Sage, and the Slug Sage that they were elevated to the status of the three sacred lands.

But it was undeniable that none of these three races were human. Even though they had intelligence, they were fundamentally different from humans.

And their sage arts were never intended for human cultivation from the start.

This was evident from their training methods.

In the original work, there was little description of Ryuchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest, but Mount Myoboku was heavily depicted. For instance, when Naruto Uzumaki learned sage arts at Mount Myoboku, he was warned that if he failed, he would be turned into a toad statue by the backlash.

Mount Myoboku also preserved the statues of ninjas who had failed to master sage arts throughout history.

Fortunately, Naruto Uzumaki eventually succeeded in learning Mount Myoboku's sage art.

In this regard, Ryuchi Cave was similar.

For example, after Kabuto Yakushi learned Ryuchi Cave's sage art, his skin and pupils began to take on snake-like characteristics.

As for Shikkotsu Forest, it surely had similar drawbacks.

It was only because Hashirama Senju's talent was so extraordinary that he only exhibited a facial pattern, with no other flaws appearing.

Regardless, it was certain that the sage arts of the three sacred lands were only suitable for summoning beasts. The fact that humans could learn them was not because the sage arts themselves were so remarkable.

Rather, it was because the humans who learned them were remarkable.

Their ability to forcibly learn sage arts meant only for summoning beasts was proof of their terrifying talent.

But Haku was different. He did not learn the sage art of any sacred land; instead, he learned the sage art created by Wang Bo.

No one understood natural energy better than Wang Bo.

Not even the three sacred lands were exceptions.

As someone who had come into contact with both immortals and gods, Wang Bo had an extremely deep understanding of natural energy, so developing a sage art that humans could cultivate was no challenge for him.

Wang Bo had even simplified the training process, allowing his subordinates to enter Sage Mode more quickly.

Haku was one of them.

After entering Sage Mode, Haku's aura changed dramatically, and his strength instantly increased more than tenfold, leaping from Kage-level to beyond Kage-level in an instant.

Ice Release: Freezing Breath!

Facing the sea of fire created by Jiraiya and Shisui Uchiha, Haku did not retreat. Instead, he generated a vast wave of cold air that turned everything in its path to frost.

Even the expansive sea of fire was no exception. The raging flames instantly transformed into an ice sculpture.

When Wang Bo's subordinates saw Haku's transformation, some of them shouted, "Everyone, enter Sage Mode!"

In an instant, one after another, ninjas entered Sage Mode.

These were all jonin under Wang Bo's command. After entering Sage Mode, their chakra transformed into senjutsu chakra, and their overall strength skyrocketed.

One by one, the jonin, aided by Sage Mode, stepped into the Kage-level range.

This was the sage art Wang Bo had created, allowing people to enter Sage Mode and enhance their strength. Unfortunately, it had one drawback.

Only jonin had the ability to activate Sage Mode.

Of course, genin and chunin could forcibly enter Sage Mode as well, but unfortunately, they could not master senjutsu proficiently and were susceptible to backlash from natural energy.

Once activated, even if they did nothing, they might die from the backlash of natural energy.

Thus, unless it was a life-or-death situation, these people would not enter Sage Mode.

But the jonin under Wang Bo were carefully selected elites who could master senjutsu proficiently. Their physical strength was sufficient to withstand the backlash of natural energy.

So they could freely enter Sage Mode.

And once they entered Sage Mode, the jonin's strength would reach the Kage level.

So when dozens of masters who had mastered Sage Mode appeared on the battlefield, Jiraiya's heart sank like ashes.

Although he did not know how they had achieved it—Sage Mode, which appeared only once in decades, was now appearing en masse under Wang Bo's command—

He realized one thing: Konoha... was finished!

Dozens of Kage-level fighters could easily overwhelm Konoha.

Now he finally understood why Wang Bo dared to attack Konoha with just over a thousand ninjas. It was not only because they had special seal-less jutsu but, more importantly, because so many of them had mastered sage arts.

And as a fellow master of sage arts, Jiraiya understood the terror of Sage Mode better than anyone.

"Run!"

Jiraiya shouted at the Konoha ninjas. He knew well that with so many experts on the battlefield, if the Konoha ninjas did not flee, they would face annihilation.

If all these ninjas died here, Konoha would have no hope left.

So, while urging others to escape, Jiraiya ignored his own physical exhaustion and once again unleashed a powerful jutsu, attempting to single-handedly block Wang Bo's group.

But unfortunately, he overestimated himself.

Haku appeared before Jiraiya in an instant. In Sage Mode, every move he made carried immense power, each action like a natural disaster.

Bang!

Haku threw a punch. With the help of senjutsu chakra, his bloodline limit was maximized. His fist released intense cold, freezing the space for hundreds of meters around along with his punch.

Ice Release: Diamond Dust Fist!

Haku's technique was not the real Diamond Dust Fist; it was merely Wang Bo's whimsy.

But its power was not far from the original Diamond Dust Fist. Jiraiya, bearing the brunt of it, felt the cold about to freeze his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and even his thoughts.