Akira Uchiha slowly opened his eyes, his mind hazy and blank.
"Who am I? Where am I? What was I supposed to do?"
It felt like he had been asleep for a very long time, so long that he was completely disoriented.
Then it hit him—wasn't he in Ryūchi Cave trying to show off a bit? And somehow, it seems he had gone too far, making the White Snake Sage believe that he was some sort of unparalleled genius? So instead of just learning Sage Mode, they had him practice some other kind of transformation?
"Wait… Did I die and have to use my last Mangekyō Sharingan to cast Izanagi?" Akira thought to himself, trying to recall the last thing he remembered before blacking out.
He looked down at himself and was even more surprised.
The ground seemed further away.
The best way to describe it was like someone who had always driven a compact car suddenly finding themselves in an SUV—everything seemed higher up, more distant.
"Did I just… grow taller?" Akira mused, still taken aback by how far away the ground seemed now.
It was clear that something had caused him to grow significantly taller. Could it be this new mode he'd been practicing?
It seemed he hadn't died and resurrected through Izanagi after all.
"You're finally awake!" A voice interrupted his thoughts.
Akira turned towards the source of the voice.
He was still in Ryūchi Cave, and sitting on the throne that belonged to the White Snake Sage was an elderly woman, looking rather gentle and kind.
"White Snake Sage?" Akira asked in surprise.
He had seen the White Snake Sage in human form before, but never in such a kindly, grandmotherly guise. If it weren't for the familiar features, he might have thought he was mistaken.
It reminded him of those old actors who could play both good and evil roles flawlessly. This woman before him, who had likely devoured him countless times in the life simulator, now looked completely benign and trustworthy.
"Congratulations," the White Snake Sage said with a smile. "After six years, you've successfully completed the dragon transformation. You are now the first in Ryūchi Cave to achieve this, making our cave's name truly fitting."
"Dragon transformation? Six years!?" Akira's heart skipped a beat.
In the blink of an eye, seven years had passed!?
Did that mean he had gone from being a seven-year-old child to a fourteen-year-old teenager?
A boy grows the most rapidly around the ages of eleven and twelve. No wonder everything seemed so much farther away now—he was taller!
The White Snake Sage waved her hand, and a water technique formed a mirror of ice in front of Akira, allowing him to see his reflection.
Where once stood a seven-year-old, barely over a meter tall, now stood a fourteen-year-old, nearly 170 centimeters tall.
He no longer looked like a child but a young man. If this were back in his previous life, he'd be in middle school, perhaps an eighth or ninth grader. A full-fledged adolescent.
His face had also lost the boyish roundness, replaced with sharper, more handsome features. But what shocked Akira the most were the two antler-like horns that had grown on his head.
They were a pale gold, giving off an aura of nobility.
"So… I've really undergone the dragon transformation?" Akira marveled at the changes in his appearance, particularly the majestic horns that now adorned his head. He was truly astonished.
He had come here just to show off a little, and now, seven years had passed, and his entire form had changed so drastically.
"That's right, you've completed the dragon transformation," the White Snake Sage confirmed with a pleased smile as she saw Akira taking in his new appearance.
"In the original story, Kabuto claimed he had surpassed Orochimaru, that he was no longer a snake but a dragon. He completed his transformation quickly, so why did it take me seven years?" Akira pondered. "Wait… Kabuto's horns weren't like mine—they were smooth, not like these antler-like ones. Could it be that different people's ideas of what a dragon is affect their transformations differently?"
"Kabuto may have said he transformed into a dragon, but he still retained many snake-like features, didn't he?"
"But look at me—these horns fit the image of the dragon I've always imagined, the kind from my ancestral culture."
"From that perspective, Kabuto's transformation wasn't really into a dragon, but more like a 'jiao,' something between a snake and a dragon, with smooth horns instead of antlers."
Akira compared his transformation with that of Kabuto, wondering if perhaps his own dragon transformation had reached a higher level.
Or maybe it was just his imagination.
So, it had taken him seven years to complete this transformation?
While Akira was amazed by the dragon transformation and the fact that seven years had passed, he was most concerned about his current power level.
First off, his chakra levels had increased. Where before he had about 30,000 units of chakra, he now had around 40,000.
It wasn't a dramatic increase, but it was substantial, especially considering he'd essentially slept through the last seven years.
So this was the dragon transformation?
Just by growing older and transitioning from a child to a teenager, his chakra had increased by 10,000 units? This alone could push someone into the ranks of Kage-level shinobi!
And that was just in his normal state. What about in Sage Mode?
Akira took a deep breath.
Immediately, he felt a surge of natural energy converge around him.
In just a few breaths, he activated Sage Mode.
This was a far cry from the four or five minutes of preparation time it used to take him. The speed at which he could now enter Sage Mode was on a completely different level!
As Sage Mode activated, his black eyes turned into pale golden dragon eyes.
At the same time, his chakra solidified and formed a fine, semi-transparent layer of golden scales across his skin—dragon scales, no doubt.
With Sage Mode fully activated, Akira could feel his chakra doubling in strength!
"So, my overall power in Sage Mode is now around 80,000 units?" Akira estimated. "Jiraiya once said that with the Seven Gates open, my power level was around 80,000, which is on par with Kage-level shinobi."
"Now, my Sage Mode is comparable to opening the Seventh Gate?"
"That means I can use Sage Mode instead of relying on the Seven Gates from now on. Plus, Sage Mode can be maintained longer and doesn't have the same severe drawbacks."
"Not bad at all. Even though it took me seven years to complete this transformation, which was unexpected, the power I've gained is worth it."
"Sure, if I had spent those seven years using the life simulator, I might have reached Madara Uchiha's level, able to crush the Five Kage with ease."
"But what if I faced a Six Paths-level Madara? I might still end up getting demolished."
"After all, having a massive amount of chakra is great, but taking four or five minutes to prepare Sage Mode was a major weakness."
"Now, with the ability to activate Sage Mode almost instantly, that weakness is gone."
Feeling the difference in his power after the dragon transformation, Akira nodded in satisfaction.
He could tell that the transformation had not only increased the overall boost from Sage Mode but had also drastically reduced the time needed to activate it.
This growth was something Akira was very pleased with.
And looking at his reflection, where his black eyes had turned into golden dragon eyes, Akira wondered:
"What about my Sharingan?"
With a thought, Akira activated his Sharingan, revealing the familiar three-tomoe pattern.
But now, instead of a blood-red hue, the background was a majestic gold.
"Hmm, golden Sharingan… That's a nice touch, adds a bit of grandeur," Akira mused, nodding in approval. It wasn't something he had any problem with.
After taking a moment to fully understand the changes in his body, Akira realized that seven years had passed, and he was now fourteen years old.
In terms of the original timeline, the story must have reached the Shippuden era by now.
Akira found himself wondering how Konoha had fared over the past seven years.
He had essentially been on autopilot for seven years, so what was the state of the village now?
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 186 at patreon.com/Emik01.
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