Even though night had fallen, Konoha was still lively.
As Akira Uchiha walked down the street, many of the villagers greeted him with warm smiles.
Since the Uchiha clan had come into power, they had made several changes to how they carried themselves.
One of the main rules was that the clan members could no longer walk around with cold expressions, acting superior to everyone else.
Because of these changes, the villagers of Konoha had started to view the Uchiha clan more favorably.
Akira, who had led Konoha's forces and successfully squashed the other villages' plans to start a war, had kept the village out of conflict. Naturally, his reputation had soared.
After visiting a few shops, Akira managed to buy out all the eggs they had—thousands of them. He sealed them into a storage scroll, satisfied, and then headed back.
In the shinobi world, sealing techniques were incredibly useful.
Not only could they be used to set up barriers or seal away powerful enemies, but they could also store items in scrolls—much like the storage items often found in fantasy novels back in his previous life.
"Hey, Akira! There you are!"
As Akira returned to the Uchiha clan grounds, he ran into Jiraiya, who seemed to be in a hurry.
"Is something wrong?" Akira asked, curious about why Jiraiya was in such a rush.
"That's exactly what I came to tell you—whatever you do, don't go to Ryūchi Cave to train in Sage Mode!" Jiraiya said urgently, looking straight at Akira.
"Huh?" Akira blinked in confusion, clearly not expecting Jiraiya to come all the way here just to tell him that.
"I found out from Orochimaru today that while it's possible to learn Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave, it's practically impossible to succeed. Even Tsunade mentioned that the success rate is something like one in a million!"
Jiraiya seemed genuinely worried that Akira didn't understand the risks, so he quickly explained.
Akira felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
As expected of Jiraiya, he thought.
The training for Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave was indeed dangerous—Akira knew that all too well. He had died countless times in simulations before finally mastering it.
It was touching that Jiraiya had rushed over just to warn him, based on what he'd heard from Orochimaru.
"Don't worry," Akira said with a small smile, "I've already mastered the Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave."
With that, Akira didn't say anything more and turned back toward the clan grounds.
"What? He's already mastered it? That can't be right!"
Jiraiya scratched his head as he watched Akira walk away.
Orochimaru had said that Akira hadn't even been to Ryūchi Cave yet, so how could he have mastered Sage Mode?
And didn't Orochimaru also say that the success rate for mastering it was one in a million?
But Akira said he had already done it. Was he lying?
But from what Jiraiya knew about Akira, lying about something like this didn't seem like him at all.
Shaking his head, Jiraiya couldn't figure out what was going on and left with even more questions than before.
Back at home, Akira stood before his grandfather, his body radiating a blue chakra that swirled around him like clouds. His entire figure glowed with a blue light.
He had just activated Sage Mode right in front of the old man.
"So this is Sage Mode, huh? According to the Uchiha records, even the First Hokage had Sage Mode, and he even possessed the Sage's body!"
The old man's voice trembled with excitement as he watched Akira, struggling to find the right words.
It was clear that his grandfather was overwhelmed with emotion.
The legendary Sage Mode that the First Hokage had mastered—his own grandson had managed to master it too?
Akira's strength was already impressive. He had even managed to sever one of the Third Tsuchikage's legs, earning him a formidable reputation across the ninja world.
But now, his grandson had gained even more power?
Amazing—his grandson was truly the greatest genius in the history of the Uchiha clan!
"My Sage Mode is nothing compared to the First Hokage's," Akira said with a wry smile, shaking his head at his grandfather's words.
While they were both technically Sage Modes, Akira's version was only at the beginner level, much like Jiraiya's.
In the original story, Naruto and the Fourth Hokage were the ones who truly mastered Sage Mode at the highest level.
Although the Fourth Hokage claimed he wasn't very good at it, he could activate Sage Mode instantly, unlike Jiraiya, who needed a few minutes to prepare.
And as for Hashirama Senju's Sage Mode, that was in a league of its own—absolutely top-tier.
Not to mention, his Sage's body allowed him to use Tsunade's ultimate technique as a passive ability.
To put the difference in perspective, it's like comparing two Kage-level shinobi.
One is Danzo, who got taken down by a few of Sasuke's shuriken, despite having an arm full of revival tokens.
And then there's Nagato, controlling the Six Paths of Pain, who could arguably be the strongest in the ninja world.
Both are Kage-level, but the difference in power is immense.
"Next, I'm planning to visit Ryūchi Cave and pick out a few potential summoning creatures as future allies," Akira said after demonstrating his Sage Mode to his grandfather.
"Yes, that's a good idea. Having powerful summoning creatures would be a great help. The creatures at Ryūchi Cave are said to be as strong as the Tailed Beasts themselves," the old man agreed, pleased with Akira's decision to make a contract with Ryūchi Cave.
After informing his family, Akira didn't say much more.
Using Reverse Summoning, he transported himself directly to Ryūchi Cave.
Although Akira had already been to Ryūchi Cave countless times in the simulations, this was his first time coming here in the real world.
As soon as he entered, he noticed that the cave was filled with snakes.
If a girl walked in here, she'd probably be scared to death!
But Akira wasn't fazed at all. He knew the place well and confidently made his way deeper into the cave.
The moment he arrived, Akira could feel the natural energy in Ryūchi Cave—so abundant and lively.
Maybe this is why the snakes here grow so large?
Some of them are even as strong as Kage-level shinobi.
"You must be Akira Uchiha, the newest contract holder?"
As Akira ventured further, a beautiful young woman appeared before him.
There was no mistaking her—she was Tanshin Hime, one of the three high-ranking members under the White Snake Sage.
"Yes, that's me. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've brought you a gift," Akira said with a smile, nodding in greeting.
He then pulled out a scroll, unsealed it, and revealed three hundred eggs in front of Tanshin Hime.
"Uh… This… this is…"
Tanshin Hime's expression froze as she stared at the eggs, her face becoming increasingly bewildered.
Her primary role here had always been to test those who sought to train in Sage Mode, usually by tempting them with gourmet food.
But now, it seemed like she was the one being tempted by a delicious offering?
It really was a case of the hunter becoming the hunted!
"What's the matter? Don't you like them?" Akira asked when he saw Tanshin Hime hesitating.
In the simulations, Akira had never bothered to bring gifts, as he was always focused on mastering Sage Mode.
He had assumed that snakes liked eggs.
Or did they have a preference for something else?
"Well, in that case, I won't hold back!"
Despite feeling a bit odd about the situation, Tanshin Hime couldn't resist the offer of food, so she accepted the eggs.
"Speaking of which, I'm not one to take something for nothing. Since you've given me these eggs, let me treat you to a meal in return," Tanshin Hime smiled as she spoke.
As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings changed, and they were suddenly in a grand palace.
A long table appeared before Akira, laden with all kinds of delicious dishes, each one more mouthwatering than the last.
"Thank you for the offer, but I've got some other things to take care of, so I'll have to pass." Akira quickly shook his head, turning down the meal and avoiding it like the plague.
Leaving Tanshin Hime behind, he continued deeper into the cave.
As he walked, Akira couldn't help but inwardly curse her.
Tanshin Hime was truly devious!
He had given her hundreds of eggs as a gift, yet instead of showing gratitude, she tried to trap him.
If he hadn't already gone through the Ryūchi Cave simulations multiple times, he might have fallen for her tricks!
It just goes to show that snakes really are cold-blooded creatures, impossible to warm up to.
But let's not dwell on Akira's grumblings.
Continuing on his journey, he soon encountered Ichikishima Hime.
"You've already passed the first trial? Then let's begin!" Ichikishima Hime wasted no time, summoning a massive boulder as part of the test.
Knowing exactly how to deal with it, Akira didn't bother with words. He moved swiftly, easily defeating her.
As with Tanshin Hime, he left Ichikishima Hime with a few hundred eggs as a gift for their first meeting.
Finally, Akira reached the last of the three, Takitsuhime.
She cast a genjutsu, but Akira, having faced it countless times before, easily broke free of her illusions.
And, just like with the others, he left Takitsuhime with a few hundred eggs as a gift.
After effortlessly passing the trials of the three sisters, Akira arrived at the innermost shrine of Ryūchi Cave.
There, the White Snake Sage, in the form of a large, white-scaled serpent, appeared before him.
"Greetings, White Snake Sage," Akira said respectfully.
"Hmm, you're a polite little one, aren't you?"
The White Snake Sage eyed Akira, seemingly pleased, and nodded approvingly.
**********Importanat*****
This time, I will release an extra chapter for every 500 Power Stones given!
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 186 at patreon.com/Emik01.
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