"You've got some nerve!" the White Snake Sage roared, her voice filled with fury.
Shishou chuckled lightly, "If I didn't have the nerve, I wouldn't dare come here."
He kept his hands clasped together, not performing any jutsu but secretly using Wood Release to continuously absorb natural energy from Ryuuchi Cave.
According to the Great Slug Sage, the White Snake Sage was one with the earth and could constantly draw infinite natural energy from it.
If they didn't find a way to cut off the White Snake Sage's supply of sage energy, even the Sage of Six Paths himself would be helpless against her.
Thus, from the beginning, Shishou, after activating Sage Mode, had been using Wood Release to absorb natural energy from Ryuuchi Cave, storing this energy in his shadow clones hidden elsewhere in the cave.
Once the accumulated sage energy reached the limit of what the shadow clones could handle, they would use Flying Thunder God to leave the cave, thus stealing away chunks of natural energy bit by bit.
At a critical moment, this energy could be returned to Shishou through the feedback mechanism of the shadow clones.
The more energy he stole, the less the White Snake Sage would have at her disposal, increasing his chances of defeating her.
This was why the White Snake Sage was so enraged upon discovering what Shishou had been doing.
Suddenly, a faint hum resonated through the cave, causing the White Snake Sage's expression to change dramatically.
"It seems they've successfully sealed Ryuuchi Cave," Shishou noted with a hint of delight.
At this point, he had already stolen a significant portion of the natural energy within Ryuuchi Cave. Now, with the cave sealed, cutting off its connection to the earth, the sage energy the White Snake Sage could access would be reduced by at least a third.
"You will all die!!!" the White Snake Sage bellowed, her hands moving swiftly to form seals.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation—Rock Layer Serpent!"
In the next second, the cave's rock layers began to move violently, compressing towards the trio with several times more speed and pressure than before.
Crack!
Facing the immense pressure of the rock layers, Mikoto's armored Susanoo shattered instantly.
Sensing the danger, Shishou grabbed Mikoto and Hyuga Rimei and teleported to the surface.
Immediately afterward, the ground above Ryuuchi Cave split open, revealing a massive crater several kilometers in diameter. A gigantic blue-glowing rock serpent emerged from the pit.
Standing on the enormous serpent, the White Snake Sage glared menacingly at Shishou and his companions hovering in the air, her voice chilling, "I'll kill you first, then I'll head to the Shikkotsu Forest and devour that slug!"
With that, she formed hand seals again.
"Sage Art: Water Release—Mountain Splitting Wave!"
The giant serpent under the White Snake Sage opened its mouth wide, spewing out a high-pressure water jet that shattered rocks as it shot towards Shishou and his companions.
"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
The Truth-Seeking Balls beside Hyuga Rimei's left hand spun rapidly, forming a massive whirlwind that collided with the incoming water jet, neutralizing it.
Seeing that the high-pressure water jutsu from the White Snake Sage could match Rimei's Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, Shishou reassessed the White Snake Sage's power.
"Let's see how long you can hold out, brat from the Hamura clan," the White Snake Sage sneered, forming seals again.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation—Adamantine Snake King!"
A massive black-armored rock serpent emerged from Ryuuchi Cave, charging towards Rimei.
Rimei, her left hand maintaining the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion to counter the water jet, formed a golden light sword with her right hand, striking the Adamantine Rock Serpent but only managing to leave a shallow cut.
Seeing this, the White Snake Sage smirked, "Your light sword may be sharp, but the armor created from my vast sage energy is not so easily broken."
Standing guard beside Shishou, Uchiha Mikoto frowned and reactivated her armored Susanoo, wielding the Totsuka Blade, and engaged the Adamantine Rock Serpent in combat.
The White Snake Sage formed seals again.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation—Poisonous Slime Serpent!"
Two massive purple serpents, covered in corrosive slime, emerged from the depths of Ryuuchi Cave and joined the battle.
Seeing the slime serpents coming at her, Rimei slashed them into pieces with her light sword, but the serpents reformed and continued their attack.
"Can't kill them?" Rimei muttered, her golden light sword doubling in length as she severed the blue-glowing giant serpent emitting high-pressure water.
She then flew into the air, dodging the slime serpents, and charged directly at the White Snake Sage with her golden light sword.
Seeing this, Uchiha Mikoto disengaged from the rock serpent, stepping in to guard Shishou.
Her task was simple—to fully support Rimei, who had activated the Tenseigan Chakra Mode, and stall the White Snake Sage, allowing Shishou to carry out his plans.
Despite the ongoing battle, Shishou remained focused, continuing to use Wood Release to secretly siphon natural energy from the surroundings.
"Annoying brat!" the White Snake Sage seethed, realizing Shishou was still stealing natural energy from the area.
She formed seals again.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation—Adamantine Snake Warriors!"
Two human-sized black armored warriors, each wielding a staff and a coiled snake, emerged beside the White Snake Sage and lunged at Rimei.
Seeing her golden light sword inflict deep wounds on the warriors without slowing them down, Shishou's expression tightened.
The White Snake Sage's Inorganic Reincarnation technique was terrifyingly powerful, capable of withstanding even the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
"Let's see where you can run now!" the White Snake Sage sneered, seeing Rimei entangled by the snake warriors and Mikoto occupied by the rock serpent. She charged directly at Shishou, determined to stop him from stealing any more natural energy.
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out, and a massive light sword descended from the sky, slashing at the White Snake Sage.
"Hmm?" The White Snake Sage dodged the attack, bewildered to see Rimei once again blocking her path to Shishou.
In her perception, Rimei should still be tangled with her snake warriors. How could she have appeared here?
Moreover, in Sage Mode, no movement in the surroundings could escape the White Snake Sage's notice. How had this Rimei suddenly appeared without her detecting it?
Looking back at the real Rimei still fighting the snake warriors and then at the one in front of her, the White Snake Sage frowned in confusion.
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This fanfiction is complete on my Pa treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at patreo n.com Betek.