Sage Mode

5,668pages on
this wiki
Please note that this is the Narutopedia's article on the technique. If you are looking for the article on the chapter then you should head to Sage Mode!!.

Sage Mode[1]

Sage mode
Kanji 仙人モード
Rōmaji Sennin Mōdo
Literal English Sage Mode
Viz manga Honoured Sage Mode
Other Hermit Mode
Manga Chapter #375
Anime Naruto Shippūden Episode #131
Movie Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison
Game Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3
OVA Naruto x UT
Appears in Anime, Manga, Game and Movie
Classification Senjutsu
Class Supplementary
Other jutsu
Derived jutsu

Related jutsu

Six Paths Sage Technique


Sage Mode is the result of using natural energy along with a shinobi's normal chakra to drastically empower all of their abilities.



Thus far, Sage Mode has been shown to be taught in two places: at Mount Myōboku by the toads, and Ryūchi Cave by the snakes. Learning Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku or Ryūchi Cave grants the user with a toad and snake-influenced Sage Mode respectively, which carries over the same advantages and disadvantages, only differing in application.


Perfect Balance

Jiraiya training to master senjutsu.

According to Fukasaku, only those who already possess "extreme chakra levels" can utilise natural energy to invoke senjutsu.[2] Also, the user's body must be strong enough to support Sage Mode; Orochimaru learned senjutsu but was unable to use Sage Mode because his host bodies were not strong enough to support this power. Stemming from this and his experiments with Jūgo's unique ability, however, he was able to create his own brand of unique cursed seals.[3]

The user is required to balance his/her physical and spiritual energy with the natural energy he/she gathers from nature; Gamakichi compares the process to adding an extra flavour to a chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream.[4] If the user puts too little natural energy into using senjutsu, the technique will not work.[5]

In order to enter Sage Mode, the gatherer must remain absolutely still in order to be one with nature and balance the natural energy with their own physical and spiritual energies. Those learning from the toads have access to a special toad oil that allows the natural energy to enter their body, but this oil only exists in liquid form in Mount Myōboku's atmosphere. The oil evaporates if it is taken outside, thus rendering it useful only for learning purposes. If the user takes in too much natural energy, the user will start to turn into a toad and, eventually, turn to stone. The petrified remains of one-time apprentice Sages who failed to master senjutsu are spread throughout Mount Myōboku.



The advantages afforded to those who learn senjutsu include:

  • The user's physical strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, perception and durability are dramatically enhanced.
  • The user's ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu become substantially more powerful.
  • The user can manipulate the natural energy that surrounds them in this mode, turning it into an extension of their body, which increases the reach of their attacks.
  • The user gains the ability to sense chakra around them much like sensor types, except they also gain the ability to sense attacks without needing to see them.


There are a few disadvantages while using this mode as well, including:

  • If the user draws in too much natural energy, they run the risk of transforming into a toad, and then into stone. If the petrification is completed, it cannot be reversed. This has only been shown to happen with Toad Sages, therefore it is unknown what will happen to other types.


Imperfected Sage Mode

Sennin Moodo

Jiraiya in an imperfect form of Sage Mode, with noticeable toad-like facial and bodily alterations.

Jiraiya was not able to properly balance his own chakra with natural energy, resulting in him using an imperfect form of Sage Mode. As a result of the imbalance, Jiraiya took a number of toad-like traits when using Sage Mode (such as his big hands or his skin). His appearance was altered: his nose grows bigger and gains warts, his teeth turn sharp, he gains excess hair (his goatee), and toad-like eyes. Further transformational attributes includes him taking on a toad-like stature and the lines on his face become much thicker, taking over each side of his face. Because of these traits, Jiraiya didn't like to use Sage Mode as it "displeased the ladies". Despite his lack of complete mastery, Jiraiya could still use this form effectively in battle to augment his all-around performance. He also showed the ability to transform his limbs (e.g. his hands and feet) into those of frogs so as to aid in manoeuvrability.

In order to get around the danger of remaining stationary during a battle to re-enter Sage Mode, Jiraiya would summon Shima and Fukasaku by drawing a blood contract on his face.[7] The Two Great Sage Toads would fuse to Jiraiya's shoulders with the Sage Art: Amphibian Technique, gathering natural energy from their stationary positions on Jiraiya's shoulders for him to use. This on the other hand leaves Shima and Fukasaku vulnerable to attacks while Jiraiya is in combat.

Perfected Sage Mode

  • Naruto's Sage Mode, taught by the toads.
  • Minato's Sage Mode, taught by the toads.
  • Kabuto's Sage Mode, taught by the snakes.
  • Hashirama's Sage Mode.

Naruto Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze, Kabuto Yakushi and Hashirama Senju were able to perfectly balance the natural energy with their own chakra. This allows them to use Sage Mode in perfect balance, which allows them to retain all of their previous physical characteristics. However, those who master Sage Mode have a distinctive marker, which is a dark pigmentation around their eyes. While the actual design of the pigmentation and the user's eyes usually differ based on where the user learned Sage Mode.

Naruto and Minato had orange pigmentations around their eyes and with a yellow toad-like irides. Kabuto Yakushi had purple pigmentations around his eyes through to his shoulder blades and with a yellow snake-like irides. His snake-like characteristics progressed further in Sage Mode with him growing four horns, leading him to state that metaphorically he had transcended from a "snake" to a "dragon". Hashirama had red (black in the anime) pigmentations around his eyes through to his ears and yellow irides. He also had a marking on his forehead that resembles an eye.

A true Sage still suffers from the weaknesses of Sage Mode, requiring that they use Sage Art: Amphibian Technique in a battle situation so that they could stay mobile. However, Kabuto Yakushi assimilated the DNA of Jūgo to replicate his clan's ability to passively absorb natural energy, thus allowing him to continuously collect the energy even while moving, bypassing this particular weakness.

As his own workaround, Naruto has some of his shadow clones gather natural energy elsewhere while he fights. Once he has run out of his own senjutsu chakra, he reverse summons the clone and has them disperse, giving him the clone's natural energy and allowing him to enter Sage Mode again. This method limits the maximum number of shadow clones that Naruto can create to five, for as long as the clones are gathering natural energy, as anything more would interfere with their focus. To make sure he has enough shadow clones for use in battle, Naruto has only two shadow clones gather senjutsu chakra, allowing him to enter Sage Mode a total of three times. Naruto has also stated that it is possible to lengthen the time he is in Sage Mode.[8] Naruto, Hashirama and Minato's skill in senjutsu is such that they can enter it in moments.[9][10][11][12][13][14] In addition, Naruto's old limit of two Rasenshuriken has been increased to three,[15] five in the anime.[16]

In this mode Hashirama's abilities were drastically increased. This was witnessed through the use of his Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands technique which created a gargantuan multi-handed structure which easily dwarfed several mountain ranges as well as Kurama.[17] Hashirama can also perform Sage Art: Gate of the Great God, a technique that can bind a creature as powerful as the Ten-Tails.

Tailed Beast Influence

Naruto Chakra Mode the Last

Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode combined with Sage Mode.

During his meeting with Nagato, Naruto was stabbed in the stomach with one of Nagato's chakra receivers. Nagato noted from that distance he would have been able to easily control the jinchūriki. However, while the young man was in Sage Mode, the fox's rage also spilled over into the form,[18] and was reflected by Kurama's eyes being reflected in those of Naruto's Sage Mode: the irides turn red, and his pupil resembles that of both the fox's and his own when in Sage Mode, reminiscent of a cross. Some time later during Naruto's battle against the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki Obito Uchiha, Naruto once again used these two powers to create powerful attacks bolstered by the natural energy from Sage Mode even going as far as to mix natural energy with the Tailed Beast Ball.[19] In this form, Naruto's eyes take on the same appearance as before. The markings of the Sage are also reflected on Kurama's Tailed Beast Mode shroud. After gaining a portion of chakra from all the nine tailed beasts and the Six Paths Sage Chakra, Naruto becomes able to enter Sage Mode without manifesting the pigmentation around his eyes, though the pupils still take on a cross-like shape. In this state, Naruto is able to combine senjutsu with the tailed beasts' chakra to create powerful techniques like the Sage Art: Lava Release Rasenshuriken and Sage Art: Magnet Release Rasengan.

Six Paths Sage Mode

Main article: Six Paths Sage Mode

Rikudō Sennin Mōdo

Naruto's new cloak after obtaining Hagoromo's power.

The Six Paths Sage Mode is an heightened state, similar to Sage Mode, which drastically empowers all of the user's abilities to a far greater extent. Naruto can extend the capabilities of the form by drawing on the chakra of the nine tailed beasts, causing him to don a new chakra mode which is noticeably more powerful than the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode referred to as Six Paths Sage Technique (六道仙術, Rikudō Senjutsu) to combat Madara. In this new mode, like his original Tailed Beast Mode cloak, the chakra forms into a light-coloured coat but with a dark-coloured bodysuit underneath. Unlike his Sage Mode, Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Tailed Beast Mode cloak, there is no orange pigmentation around his eyes, his skin does not glow like the rest of his body, and his eyes are yellow instead of orange or red. [20] The "bodysuit" covers his torso, reaches down his arms to the knuckles, and down his legs, stopping just above his sandals. It has a light coloured circle where the original seal was placed as well as magatama around his collar. The coat has the typical markings of the Six Paths Sage Technique, a Rinnegan above nine magatama, on its back. Furthermore, Naruto is able to manifest the Truth-Seeking Balls, wielding two of them as short staffs.[21] He can still utilise the Tailed Beast Mode chakra replica of Kurama in this transformation as well.[22]



  • The manifestation of animal like traits through the activation of natural energy and the performance of senjutsu, is a reference to the Jiraiya Ninja folk tale, where Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru came to study specific animal magic into their ninjutsu use.


  1. Third Databook, page 279
  2. Naruto chapter 412, page 11
  3. Naruto chapter 579, pages 16-17
  4. Naruto chapter 409, page 12
  5. Naruto chapter 410, page 15
  6. Naruto chapters 409-410
  7. Naruto chapter 375, page 1
  8. Naruto chapter 468, page 16
  9. Naruto chapter 535, page 5
  10. Naruto chapter 555, pages 10-11
  11. Naruto chapter 560, page 11
  12. Naruto chapter 610, page 6
  13. Naruto chapter 614, pages 9-10
  14. Naruto chapter 665, page 14
  15. Naruto chapter 614, page 10
  16. Naruto: Shippūden episode 364
  17. Naruto chapter 621, pages 11-12
  18. Naruto chapter 645, page 4
  19. Naruto chapter 645, pages 8-9
  20. Naruto volume 70 cover
  21. Naruto chapter 673, pages 14-17
  22. Naruto chapter 695, page 5

Start a Discussion Discussions about Sage Mode

  • Hashirama's Sage Mode

    137 messages
    • Obito can heal himself.
    • Yea because of his artificial body parts from Hashiramas DNA
  • Imperfect Sage Mode?

    26 messages
    • Ok, this is all confusing. Basically the point everyone tries to mention is 1) Pigmentation around eyes. Although not sure for other sag...
    • Balu25int wrote: Ok, this is all confusing. Basically the point everyone tries to mention is 1) Pigmentation around eyes. Although not s...
Facts about Sage ModeRDF feed

Around Wikia's network

Random Wiki