Just as the snake sage was about to call someone over to remove Shitsuya's petrified body, the Snaksuya statue suddenly disappeared like a mirage and Shitsuya, unharmed and back to looking human appeared.
"Ho? The the Uchiha reality turned to illusion technique? To think a hatchling like you can perform such a thing." The snake saga spoke.
"Still, the price paid for this technique is steep, even if you're willing to sacrifice your vision entirely, you only have two more chances to gain control over nature energy, otherwise..." The snake sage spoke with a grin.
Shitsuya looked back at her emotionlessly before scooping out his now blinded right eye and throwing it the side before bringing out another Sharingan and implanting it on the spot.
The snake sage stared at him silently for a few seconds before she spoke, "You annoy me, Tagitsuhime will take care of teaching you. Leave me alone now."
Tagitsuhime was the third snake woman who who tested him, she also knew sage mode and under the orders of the snake sage she took charge of guiding him.
Standing in a white flower garden with a small pond behind her, Tagitsuhime stared at Shitsuya who returned her impassive gaze with a soft smile, although again, it looked terrifying due to his horror movie face.
A gentle breeze blew by and her straight brown hair billowed.
After a moment of pause she finally spoke and bowed slightly "As I have been instructed by master white snake sage I will do my best to teach you."
"First, before attempting to achieve sage mode you must understand natural energy."
Lifting two fingers she spoke, "Although you might have been taught that there are only two energies, physical and spiritual energy, there is a third, unique energy."
Lifting another finger she continued, "Natural energy is the energy of the world itself, separate but still connected with spiritual and physical energy."
"By learning to absorb this natural energy, once you master it, it will grant you several times the power, whether it is while using Taijutsu, Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, additionally there are also special techniques only possible using sage mode.
"Once you learn to absorb nature energy you must balance it closely with your physical and mental energy. Absorb too little and nothing will happen but if you absorb too much..." Tagitsuhime trailed off as her features turned serpentine and her forked tongue flicked.
"Ok, and how do I absorb nature energy?" Shitsuya asked.
"Oh that's quite easy, as you have been bitten by the snake sage you should be able to faintly sense nature energy around you, that is the first step, the second is to stay completely still without moving a single muscle, after that you will start absorbing natural energy and after balancing it with the other energies you could be considered to have gained a basic mastery of sage mode."
"Don't get too excited though, although it sounds simple, it is a lot harder than you might think." Tagitsuhime spoke with a smile as she traced her lips.
Shitsuya nodded wordlessly.
"Ok first, please sit down cross legged. After you begin absorbing natural energy I will assist you in case you absorb too much." Tagitsuhime said then started hovering a few inches off the ground.
Shitsuya sat down on the ground, crushing a few flowers under him as he sat cross legged.
Closed his eyes he expanded his consciousness and tried sensing natural energy.
Shitsuya could only sense his and Tagitsuhime's chakra around him no matter how hard he tried.
Tagitsuhime circled around him slowly as she floated, seeing that Shitsuya was struggling she decided to help.
"Relax, you're too stiff. Don't force your muscles to stop moving, allow them to stop moving."
Hearing Tagitsuhime's words, Shitsuya rolled his eyes and let go of the tension in his body falling on his back.
Now lying on the flowers and grass, Shitsuya inhaled their scents as he closed his eyes and felt his body melt into the floor.
Soon, in place of what was previously just darkness to his senses he could feel a static energy flowing smoothly through everything.
It parted around him passing past his body without entering it.
Relaxing his body, he did his best impression of a log and he could feel himself almost merging with the ground below him and slowly but surely wisps of natural energy threads entered his body.
Feeling the natural energy entering his body, Shitsuya couldn't help stiffen his body slightly in reflex and the nature energy stopped flowing into his body.
Shitsuya tried again and this time he managed to absorb more natural energy, he absorbed too much however and scales started forming on his skin before Tagitsuhime whacked him on the head making him stop his absorption.
Natural energy although seemingly slow and gentle was very hard to control so Shitsuya struggled to keep it balanced in his body.
After a few hours Tagitsuhime spoke, "You did well, let's take a break."
Shitsuya nodded and sat up, Tagitsuhime sat down next to him.
"I haven't seen your sisters yet, I hope the first one is doing well after I fed her that poison." Shitsuya spoke.
"Although, you speak words of concern but your heart is devoid of sincerity." Tagitsuhime said.
"Hard to care about someone who tried to poison me." Shitsuya spoke.
"Yes, it is very common for those like you to not care about the wellbeing of anyone." Tagitsuhime replied.
"What does that mean?" Shitsuya asked.
"Those who come to Ryuchi cave seeking the sage's power have only but two paths, be consumed by us or be consumed by their greed for power as they chase after it. Of course you could say that both of those are one in the same." Tagitsuhime spoke.
"I promise you haven't seen anyone like me before." Shitsuya said with a grin.
"Many geniuses have come and gone, one drowned in lava another succumbed to lightning, still another slumbers beneath a realm of rot. All of them exceptional in their own ways yet all of them failed to sate their evergrowing ambitions." Tagitsuhime recounted.
"I still don't see anything wrong with wanting to become powerful, history remembers the victors while losers are forgotten in obscurity, everyone admires those who carve a reputation for themselves with their capability, tell me of one mediocre personage remembered by the history books or admired by the people."
"Everyone knows Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, but does anyone still remember the rank and file soldiers under them that fell continuously in their battles?" Shitsuya said.
"You are correct, power itself and chasing after it is not inherently wrong, but in the chase, people often madly discard parts of themselves to run faster after power, they discard their empathy, love, mercy and understanding for all living things."
"I can see that you yourself, have long discarded even your humanity as you continue to be consumed by yourself ambition." Tagitsuhime spoke.
"And what of it?" Shitsuya asked?
Even if he lost his so called humanity, to him the people of this world weren't even of the same species, he had no interest in making friends or finding new love, he would return back home and see his wife and daughter even if he had to sacrifice every man, woman and child in this world.
"Pffft hahaHAHAHA!!!" Tagitsuhime suddenly burst into laughter as she smacked the floor.
Shitsuya stared at her blankly and said,"I don't see what's so funny."
After laughing for a long time, she wiped a tear from her cheek before speaking, "You not being able to see it is what makes it so funny, if you did but still acted the way you do it would be pathetic instead."
"Really? My eyes are pretty good but I don't see anything." Shitsuya replied.
Tagitsuhime shook her head and pointed a finger at a patch of white flowers, just like the rest that covered the entire garden.
"Look."
Shitsuya scanned the area Tagitsuhime pointed at but noticed nothing interesting.
"What am I looking for exactly." He asked.
Shaking her head Tagitsuhime spoke, "You bragged about your eyes, can't you see that bee over there?"
Shitsuya glances back and looked at the bee in question which was perched on a flower, collecting pollen, it wasn't that he didn't see it before, he had simply ignored it.
With his eyes he could even see the individual hairs on its black and yellow fur.
"The air, feel the air against your face, and all those wonderful scents" Tagitsuhime said.
"Pick a flower." Tagitsuhime instructed and Shitsuya followed.
"Now, smell it."
Shitsuya did and as he inhaled it's rich floral scent.
"It's lovely." Shitsuya said.
"That somebody planted the bulbs, watered the garden, got earth under their finger nails, aches in their muscles. Perhaps they picked some flowers too."
"To truly master sage mode, you must first understand natural energy, and all that it is composed of. Humans, bees, trees, flowers, rocks, rivers and oceans are all part of nature. If you have no love or appreciation for even humans like yourself, you will never master sage mode, the best you can hope for is partial mastery." Tagitsuhime spoke and Shitsuya remained silent.