Sage Mode


 * Name: Hermit Mode (仙人モード, Sennin Moodo; Also known as Sage Mode)
 * Type: Supplementary
 * Users: Jiraiya, Fukasaku, Shima, Naruto Uzumaki

Jiraiya will draw additional lines on his cheeks then summon the two Toad Elders, Shima and Fukasaku to assist him in battle. Hermit Mode is the result of using Senjutsu's natural energy-augmentated chakra in place of normal chakra.

When the toad elders arrive Jiraiya's appearance is altered (he has a bigger nose, a goatee and his eyes are like a toads) in this form Jiraiya’s strength and speed is increased. When Jiraiya transforms to full Hermit Mode, he crouches and his body takes on even more toad like appearance: his hands and feet becomes toad-like, the lines on his face also become much thicker taking each side of his face. He will also take the stance of the frogs increasing his speed, power, and chakra by tenfold. Also while Jiraiya is in Hermit Mode, he will be able to use various jutsu that are extremely powerful compared to his original arsenal.

This was used in Jiraiya's battle with his former student, Pain. Although Pain's techniques made all of Jiraiya's attacks of little use.

The fastest method of learning Senjutsu, & to enter Hermit Mode, is the Secret Toad's Oil on the Myobokuzan Mountain. It can help you feel and use Natural energy. However, there is a great risk in learning Senjutsu. If you can not balance the external natural energy that you take in with that of your own internal chakra, you turn into a frog. It was revealed that Jiraiya never fully mastered the art of balancing his own internal chakra with that of the external natural energy he took in. That is the reason Jiraiya took a frog-like appearance when using Hermit Mode, it's because he could not completely control the natural energy.

Naruto later learns to enter Hermit Mode, albeit at first through the Secret Toad Oil, in his effort to learn Senjutsu. He seemed to be more skilled when training, being said to be learning faster than Jiraiya did. Unlike Jiraiya's Hermit Mode that changes his body to be more frog-like in appearance, the only changes in Naruto are his eyes, which Fukasaku mentions, are always present in Hermit Mode, and is the sign of a true hermit. It has also been revealed that in Hermit Mode that the user's body becomes more durable towards physical attacks, such as when Naruto falls off a cliff onto stone spikes, it did not hurt him at all.