"White Snake Sage!!"
After returning to Ryūchi Cave, Tagorihime went to find Aoda first. Since she wanted to trick that bastard over here, she didn't think about anything else and immediately ran to the depths of the temple crying, looking for help from the White Snake Sage.
White Snake Sage looked at Tagorihime strangely with a pipe in his mouth.
"What's the matter? Why do you have such a miserable expression? If I recall correctly, there shouldn't be anyone capable of bullying you in Ryūchi Cave," spoke the White Snake Sage seated on a throne.
"I... I was coerced into signing a Summoning contract by a young ninja," Tagorihime replied, feeling aggrieved.
As the esteemed confidants of the White Snake Sage, who had taken on human form, the three divine-tier snakes were incredibly proud beings. Even giant snakes like Manda had to bow their heads in submission.
Therefore, they, who are so proud, never thought that one day they would sign a contract with humans?! Never dreamed of doing so!
"What?"
Sage White Snake was initially taken aback by the news. Tagorihime had signed a contract with a human, and not just any human, but a child?! And she claimed to have been coerced?
"Hahaha~ So, you've finally experienced such a situation as well," Sage White Snake chuckled heartily.
"But how did this child manage to do it?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"He gave me a contract seal that prevented me from returning to Ryūchi Cave, and he threatened to imprison me! Sage, you must make a decision!" Tagorihime pleaded.
"A contract seal, you say? There aren't many people who possess such sealing techniques nowadays. Is this ninja from Konoha?" Sage White Snake inquired. Despite residing far away, she remained well-informed about the affairs of the ninja world. Upon hearing about the sealing technique, she immediately discerned Naruto's identity.
"It should be...and he also has a Summoning Scroll, which Orochimaru probably gave him,"
Tagorihime explained.
"That's it...then there's nothing you can do. After all, you wrote your name,"
"But, as long as you kill him, isn't it all right?"
Even if the name is left, but the master dies, the contract will become invalid.
"Then he must come to Ryūchi Cave,"
"He said he was coming!"
Tagorihime said with certainty.
"And he is also the descendant of the Shikkotsu Forest, and he knows the Sage Art of the Shikkotsu Forest,"
"The successor of Katsuyu.....is coming to our Ryūchi Cave?"
White Snake Sage was very curious. Suddenly, she seemed to have sensed something.
"Well, the brats you mentioned seem to have come. Bring them to see me,"
White Snake Sage ordered, and at the same time, he was also very curious about which kid could make Tagorihime suffer.
"Yes!"
Tagorihime's eyes gleamed with excitement as she floated up and activated her perception, determined to find Naruto.
"Yes, this is Ryūchi Cave, one of the three sacred places I mentioned. It's known for its coldness," Naruto confirmed.
"Indeed, snakes are cold-blooded creatures," Sasuke remarked, touching his arm to ward off the chill.
"You already have a Summoning beast, so why come to Ryūchi Cave?" Sasuke asked, genuinely curious.
"Tagorihime is not my target; I'm here for Garaga. And besides, don't you also want to learn Sage Arts?" Naruto replied.
"Sage Arts? Like the ninjutsu, which you used before? That's something I must learn!" Sasuke exclaimed, surprised and intrigued.
"Then you have to be prepared. The learning process will be a bit painful. I hope you can persist,"
"I'm not afraid!"
As long as he could kill that man, no matter what kind of pain, he can bear it!
"Then let's go and meet the master here,"
Naruto said while walking in the direction of perception.
As expected of a holy place, this rich natural energy is like soaking in a hot spring.
Naruto thought with great emotion.
Hiss...
While the two were walking forward, the number of snakes around them also began to increase gradually, and their size became bigger and bigger.
They stared at Naruto and Sasuke with hostility, indifference, and even a little eagerness to try.
"There are too many snakes..."
Sasuke frowned and looked around.
"After all, this is the sacred place for snakes,"
As the snakes lunged at them, Sasuke quickly made a hand gesture, preparing to unleash a Fire Release to counter the attack. However, Naruto stepped forward and took control of the situation.
"Don't panic," Naruto reassured Sasuke.
With a swift motion, Naruto unleashed his Ice Release, causing a wave of icy coldness to sweep across the area. The snakes were instantly frozen in place, transformed into ice sculptures.
Naruto's mastery of field control, particularly with Ice Release, proved effective in neutralizing the threat.
However, he acknowledged that Wood Release would still rank as the ultimate in terms of field control abilities.
"Ice Escape? This Kekkei Genkai… I remember meeting that girl named White in the Land of Waves who used it. Why can you do it?!"
Sasuke looked at Naruto in surprise.
"Do you know what Kekkei Genkai is?"
"Isn't Kekkei Genkai only inherited by blood?"
"That's right, for example, your Sharingan is like this. But there is another situation, that is, the fusion of Chakra attributes can create a new blood succession limit,"
"Chakra's Nature Transformation is divided into seven types: fire, wind, thunder, earth, water, yang, and yin. When the two kinds of Chakra Nature Transformation are fused, a new technique will be produced, which is called Kekkei Genkai,"
"For example Wind + Water = Ice, Earth + Water = Wood,"
"Usually only a very small number of ninjas can develop this new technique by themselves. Once successful, this new technique will be recorded within the ninja's genes and passed on to the next generation through DNA. "
Naruto explained to Sasuke, saying that Ice Release was born by fusing two kinds of Chakra, not by me.
"Is that so..." Sasuke pondered.
"What did you do?!"
Tagorihime was furious upon seeing the frozen snakes and the transformed cave, as she believed Naruto was trespassing on her home. Naruto calmly responded, explaining his actions.
"These snakes were being hostile, so I took it upon myself to teach them a lesson. The ice will melt soon, and everything will return to normal," Naruto assured Tagorihime nonchalantly.
"They will all die till the ice melts!!"
Tagorihime was furious.
"Why don't you help her? Sasuke~"
Naruto had no choice but to gesture to Sasuke.
"Okay,"
Sasuke nodded, and then made seals with both hands.
"What are you doing again?"
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!!"
"STOP!!"
Hearing of Fire Release, Tagorihime felt bad and hurriedly stopped it, but it was too late.
Boom!
The fiery flames rushed towards the passages in all directions in the cave, and the ice sculptures melted visible to the naked eye.
Sizzle!!
The big snakes rolled over in pain.
"Stop it!"
"Sasuke,"
Under Naruto's reminder, Sasuke stopped ninjutsu, but at this time, except for the big snake, all of the snakes were either roasted or frozen to death.
"You! I'll deal with you later!"
Tagorihime gave Naruto a hard look, then turned and led the way.
"Oh, How irritated!"
Naruto smiled, unperturbed.
There were only a dozen small snakes here, but Ryūchi Cave is filled with many other snakes as well.
After a while, the two followed Tagorihime to a temple.
On the innermost throne, an old woman, who was smoking, was sitting.
Naruto knew that this was the White Snake Sage in human form.
Originally, anyone who wanted to meet the White Snake Sage had to pass the trial of the three god-tier princesses, but Naruto took a shortcut, and with Tagorihime's assistance, came directly in front of the White Snake Sage.
"Is that you? The little guy who made Tagorihime sign the contract?"
"It's me,"
"You are the descendant of Shikkotsu Forest. Why did you come to Ryūchi Cave?"
The White Snake Sage asked.
"Because I heard that the Summoning beast in Ryūchi Cave is exceptionally powerful, and I'm seeking a strong partner," Naruto replied.
"And?"
"I'm also highly intrigued by the ninjutsu of Ryūchi Cave, and I wish to learn them,"
"Little guy, it was not enough to learn the ninjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest that you also want the ninjutsu of ours? Can you handle it?" White Snake Sage sneered.
"Why wouldn't I be able to handle it? I've also mastered the ninjutsu of Mount Myōboku, and they entrusted me with their Summoning contract scrolls. Now there's only one sacred place remaining," Naruto responded calmly, undeterred by the aura emanating from the White Snake Sage.
"That old toad on Mount Myōboku gave you the scroll?" the White Snake Sage exclaimed, looking at Naruto with surprise.
These words surpassed her expectations. She pondered the implications of the Toad Sage's actions.
"Did you even learn the Sage Art of Mount Myōboku!?"
Tagorihime was even more shocked.
At that time, when she heard Naruto say that he wanted to learn Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art, she laughed at him for being audacious. It turned out that the only Sage Art that he had not learned was theirs.
"Our Sage Arts are different from the other two holy lands. Without the determination of the incomparable desire for power, it is impossible to master it,"
White Snake Sage warned.
Then her words, let Sasuke's eyes light up.
The determination of the incomparable thirst for power? I have it!
"It's okay, I'll take care of it,"
Naruto doesn't care. If he can't handle it, then he will use Rat Treasure.
Yes, he wants to try it himself this time. After all, it takes a certain amount of time for the Rat Treasure to give returns.
"Okay then, I'll fulfill your wish!"
After the White Snake Sage finished speaking, she suddenly rushed towards Naruto, and in mid-air, she recovered her real body and turned into a huge white snake.
Naruto didn't move, and let the White Snake Sage bite his neck, injecting the nature chakra into him
"Naruto!"
Sasuke was immediately vigilant, and his hands formed seals.
"It's okay, don't worry,"
Naruto waved his hand.
The White Snake Sage returned to the throne, too lazy to take human form again.
She realized that the old toad, who could foresee the future, was willing to entrust the scroll to the boy before her and choose him as the successor because there must be some benefit in it. Even if it meant disregarding the inheritance of Shikkotsu Forest resting on him.
In such a scenario, if she were to refuse, what if she couldn't keep up with the changing times? What if Ryūchi Cave never competed with the other factions in future competitions, causing the world to forget about this sacred place?
Hence, the White Snake Sage didn't mind extending a favor. Since there was no harm anyway, it could be considered an investment.
As for whether this kid could withstand the impact of natural energy, it wasn't her concern. There was no doubt that Naruto could succeed.
While the White Snake Sage was lost in thought, changes began to occur in Naruto's body.
Injected natural energy, like a wild force, became uncontrollable, coursing through Naruto's body. It incessantly absorbed natural energy from the surrounding world, strengthening Naruto and attempting to overpower the chakra within him, transforming him into a snake-like being.
This feeling is different from when Naruto enters Sage Mode. At this time, the power of natural energy is several times higher than before and the absorption seems to be endless.
If Naruto cannot maintain a complete balance of Chakra and natural energy in his body with his strong spiritual power, he will be completely swallowed and turn into a snake.
Fortunately, Naruto's level of mental power was unparalleled—it had even materialized and transformed into a crystalline form, granting him extraordinary control over his body.
Naruto brought his hands together, exclaiming, "Sage Mode!"
Boom!
A tremendous surge of chakra erupted, causing winds to howl and waves to crash.
Sasuke struggled to keep his eyes open, while Tagorihime was pushed back by the force.
The White Snake Sage narrowed her eyes in response.
"This level of chakra... Could he be a descendant of the Senju clan?"
Boom!
The aura surged once again, but this time, it was the ethereal chakra that manifested after achieving the perfect harmony between natural energy, spiritual energy, and chakra.
Naruto's hair turned a striking blue and white, two small horns emerged on his forehead, his pupils gleamed bright yellow, and two dark eye markings appeared around the corners of his eyes.
The fairy-like features were not very prominent, but the most striking aspect was Naruto's hair, which resembled an upside-down Saiyan hairstyle, along with the two miniature horns on his head measuring five centimeters in length.
However, what truly mattered was Naruto's state at that moment.
It felt as if he had entered Kurama Mode, as the ever-burning blue Sage chakra coat transformed into two floating ribbons that encircled Naruto's hands and waist.
Naruto slowly levitated, observing his current state with curiosity.
"The most perfect Sage Mode!" exclaimed Tagorihime. This was the first time in many years that Tagorihime had witnessed such an impeccable level of Sage Mode.
Just like a real Sage!
"So cool!"
Tagorihime said with bright eyes.
Sage White Snake was also shocked.
It was the first time she had seen such a perfect state.
At this time, she suddenly understood what the old toad was thinking. This guy could perfectly master the ninjutsu of the Holy Land. Such an excellent successor, even if he is the successor of the other two Holy Lands.
She can't let him go!
"Woah, so handsome!"
Sasuke looked at Naruto, who was glowing all over, wrapped in blue ribbons, and floating, envy was born in his heart.
Naruto is also very satisfied. He can now fly~ Although the speed is not fast, this feeling is really good!
He also had an idea in mind—to attempt opening the Sage Mode of both Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest simultaneously.
He pondered what might happen to him as a result. However, for the time being, he decided to hold off on pursuing this idea and discuss it later, once they were outside.
"Thank you, Sage White Snake," Naruto expressed his gratitude.
"Don't thank me. This is your ability," Sage White Snake replied. However, curiosity got the better of them, and they asked, "What is your name? Are you a descendant of the Senju clan?"
"I am a descendant of the Uzumaki clan. My name is Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto answered.
"The Uzumaki clan..." Sage White Snake murmured, intrigued.
Although she knew that the Uzumaki family was distantly related to the Senju clan, the White Snake Sage couldn't help but wonder if this type of chakra truly belonged to their common ancestor.
"White Snake Sage, my partner also wishes to learn Sage Mode. Could I ask you for a favor?" Naruto pointed towards Sasuke.
'I WANT IT TOO!' Sasuke silently thought, hoping to receive the same opportunity as Naruto.
Because he also wants to look that cool!!
...