Ishiki Kujo considered a possibility:
the people of this world were fundamentally different from the ordinary humans of JoJo's world.
Breathing techniques were a skill that anyone could theoretically learn,
but mastering them in truth still demanded rare talent.⁵
Moreover, while ordinary humans in JoJo's world had about 40–60 trillion cells,
the average shinobi in this world had around 130 trillion.
Ripple's power was closely tied to the body's cellular structure.
With double to triple the number of cells,
Ripple energy became vastly stronger —
but correspondingly, mastering it became even harder.²
So how many people could actually learn Ripple here?
And even if one did master the breathing technique, entering Sage Mode was another deadly trial.
Sage Mode required extreme chakra control
and an abundant chakra pool —
if a practitioner had insufficient reserves,
they could be overwhelmed and devoured by Natural Energy!
Ishiki managed it effortlessly for two reasons:
First, his chakra control had already reached a level beyond most medical jonin,
thanks to his extraordinarily strong soul.
Second, Highway Star had been steadily feeding him nutrients all this time —
not quite enough to make him a "human tailed beast",
but enough that his chakra reserves had far surpassed ordinary jonin.⁴
But what about those without such advantages?
Perhaps when they tried absorbing Solar Energy,
they would simply disintegrate under the overwhelming flood of light.
As for the Yang Release Ripple Chakra Mode —
unlike normal Yang Chakra Mode which mainly made the user tougher like a human sandbag,
the Yang-Ripple variant didn't just reinforce oneself:
it could heal allies by extending the life-giving power of Ripple outward.
Without even needing to test it, Ishiki knew:
this regenerative effect would utterly eclipse normal Mystical Palm Healing.
Yet oddly, the Kujo Clan had never produced a famous medical ninja.
His father had written special notes about Mystical Palm Healing,
perhaps because he had discovered hints of Ripple's true nature.
But judging by his death on the battlefield during the Third Great Ninja War,
he likely never managed to combine Ripple and chakra completely —
never entered Sage Mode.
Otherwise, he would have shone brilliantly during the war.
Sage Chakra was not something normal chakra could compete with.
And finally...
there was the Kujo Clan's thin bloodline.¹
Ishiki sighed.
More than anything now, he wanted to know:
Who originally created the so-called "Yang Release Body Technique"?
Was it another transmigrator like him?¹⁷
So many speculations flooded his mind,
but he shoved them aside for now.
Without real intel, they were meaningless.
Closing Sage Mode, Ishiki pulled out a scroll,
unsealed it, and retrieved a notebook to record his sensations
— the feeling of Ripple merging with chakra.
He wrote in the language of his previous world,
so even if the notebook was lost,
no one here would easily decipher it.¹⁵
While he had stumbled into Sage Mode,
he still needed to discover combat techniques suitable for it.
Thus, he had much work ahead.
The next few days, Ishiki focused entirely on researching the breathing technique and Ripple control.
During this period, Boss Taira brought surprising good news:
President had mastered the method of absorbing Natural Energy within just three days,
transforming from a mere Stand user into a full-fledged ninja turtle.
"All you need to do now is sign this scroll,
and you'll officially contract with the Ninja Tortoise Clan,"
Boss Taira said, scratching a summoning scroll onto the ground.
Opening it, Ishiki saw many signatures —
including Might Duy and Might Guy.
Without hesitation, Ishiki bit his finger,
and signed his name in blood.
"Boss Taira, isn't Turtle Island part of the Land of Lightning?"
Ishiki asked, curious.
"Why do you call yourselves Konoha's Ninja Turtles?"
After all, in the anime, Turtle Island was famously used by Kumogakure to train their jinchuriki.
"You know about Turtle Island?"
Boss Taira looked surprised, then explained:
"The so-called Turtle Island of the Land of Lightning
isn't the real Turtle Island."
"Our true homeland is a floating island deep in the sea,
ruled by the Turtle Hermit himself."
"The Kumogakure Turtle is just an ancient, gigantic sea turtle that humans gave that name to.
It's powerful, yes, but it's not the real thing."²
"Turtle Hermit?"
Ishiki immediately thought of some perverted old man.⁴
"You'll understand when you see him someday,"
Boss Taira said cryptically.
"This world is far bigger than you think."⁸
Then Boss Taira turned serious:
"Normally, contracting with our clan would require passing a trial.
But seeing your devotion to President,
I'm willing to waive it."
Rolling up the scroll, Boss Taira added:
"Now that you've signed, you can summon President —
or even me, or other Ninja Tortoises.
If someday you grow strong enough...
maybe you could even summon Turtle Island itself into the Land of Fire."
"Heh. That would really make Kumogakure sweat."
Ishiki chuckled politely,
but knew summoning an entire island was absurdly unrealistic.
Training resumed immediately.
Boss Taira taught Ishiki the finer points of summoning jutsu.
Ishiki took detailed notes, listening attentively like a model student.¹
Boss Taira, loving the role of mentor,
grew visibly redder with enthusiasm.⁶
When the theory was done, it was time for practice.
Ishiki bit his finger again,
made rapid hand signs,
then slammed his hand onto the ground — stylishly, with one hand.
A complex summoning circle spread from his palm.
Summoning Jutsu: Ninja Tortoise!
Poof!
A massive brown turtle,
even larger than Boss Taira, appeared before him —
taller than a two-story building.
The turtle's expression was lazy and cocky.
A long "toothpick" dangled from its mouth.
"You pulled Leo out?"
Boss Taira frowned.
"I told you not to use too much chakra!"⁵
"Yo, Boss Taira, old pal,"
the massive turtle rumbled with a smirk.
"So, you're the brat who summoned me, huh?"
"Nice to meet you," Ishiki said politely.
"I'm Ishiki Kujo."
"I'm Leo."
Leo grinned, then grew mischievous:
"So, kid, who we fightin'? You need me to bust someone's head?"
Leo looked around for enemies —
but all he saw were two junior shinobi peeking timidly from a distance.
Nothing worth fighting.
"No fighting today,"
Ishiki said with a smile.
"I just wanted to test if the summoning worked."
"Humph. Fine."
Leo vanished in a puff of smoke.
Boss Taira nodded, satisfied:
"Good enough."
Ishiki was elated.
It meant he could now start experimenting with his real plans.
"Since you've learned Summoning Jutsu,
I'll take my leave too," Boss Taira said.
"President will come with me for now,
but you can summon either of us anytime you want."
With a final wave,
Boss Taira touched President with his claw —
and both of them disappeared in a swirl of smoke.