In the dark cavern, cool air swept through the stone pilrs.

  Perched fortably atop the female serpent's head, Masashi let the breeze blow through his hair.

  The jonin had already been tossed to the side.

  The serpent carried them forward as it sped ahead. Though other serpents emerged from the darkness, none dared to block his way.

  It seemed he had passed the 'test' of Ryūchi Cave.

  More and more serpents appeared in his vision, apanying him on all sides as they advaogether.

  These serpents, who had absorbed natural energy over tless years, possessed formidable physical prowess. Despite their massive size, they exhibited astonishing agility.

  Riding on one of these serpents was far more fortable than any bus oh.

  As the caverended further, the sery grew more intricate.

  Ryūchi Cave was not a single hollow; it was an expawork of interected caverns—rge caves ing smaller ones, upper levels lio lower levels.

  Stagmites reflected in pools of water, creating mirrored illusions that could disorient any invader.

  Limestone formations piled up like seated arhats, their shadows creating perfect hiding spots for the cave's inhabitants.

  Clusters of stactites formed forests of stoowers, resembling a fortress that had grown naturally over millennia.

  Masashi felt like a tourist, marveling at the sery of Ryūchi Cave. It perfectly aligned with his aesthetisibilities, making him feel the trip was worth it—even if he hadn't paid a t or bought a ticket.

  The only thing out of pce? A persistent, overzealous serpent.

  Manda g tightly to the female serpent, apanying them the entire way. Whenever another male serpent approached, it would immediately bare its fangs and chase them off.

  "Stay back! This territory is mine!" he had snarled.

  Apparently, Manda wasn't just infatuated—it was fiercely possessive. And to be fair, he had the right to be.

  Masashi had yet to enter any other male serpent rger than Manda.

  Ryūchi Cave differed markedly from Mount Myōboku. There were no human-like structures here; everything was natural and primal. Nor did any serpeo use teiques.

  He uood why.

  Hand signs, though not strictly necessary for chakra trol, were rgely essential in practice. In his memory, only Hashirama could instantly used jutsu without hand seals—and even then, it was limited to ordinary teiques.

  Could these brute serpents pare to Hashirama? They didn't avoid hand seals because they didn't hem—they avoided them because they couldn't form them.

  After all, they were snakes. Uoads, they didn't have limbs. How could a snake form seals? Maybe they could tie themselves into knots and hope to make their enemies die ughing.

  Their bodies were their best ons.

  This indicated that Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode likely focused on physical enha. If that were the case, it would suit Masashi perfectly.

  He didn't ck jutsu; what he needed was a way to further unlock his physical potential. After years of practig Yang Release, he seemed to have reached a limit.

  Yang Release was he goal—it was a means to an end. The purpose was to guide and harhe hidden power within his body.

  Pure Yang or Yin Release teiques were essentially auxiliary secret arts.

  Yang Release strengthened and utilized physical energy. Yin Release enhanced and utilized spiritual energy.

  Nothing special. Different serely varied in focus and efficy.

  When it came to physical energy, the Uchiha couldn't match the Senju. Masashi was vinced he had already hit the Uchiha 's natural ceiling for body development through Yang Release, with no room left for qualitative improvement.

  The extent of his body's potential was as follows:

  Chakra reserves so vast that it would take tinuous 'big moves' to deplete them.

  Perfect-level chakra molding and trol by Konoha's standards, with signifit boosts to Sharingan and regur ninjutsu.

  Casting ordinary jutsu without hand seals? Not a ce.

  His stamina? Det, but raordinary.

  Healing? Slightly above average—wounds healed faster than most, but that was it.

  In terms of overall power, he was undoubtedly strohan his 'first-round' self. Yet when it came to pure physical energy, his former life had him beat. Even ating for the time spent training across both lives, the results were different.

  In the shinobi world, bloodline ruled everything.

  But unless he unlocked the hidden physical energy within the Uchiha bloodline, he would never grasp the secrets of Yin-Yang Release. At best, he'd end up as another chakra battery bound to the Diviree.

  Life or death, all left to the so-called Child of Prophecy.

  Masashi would never entrust his fate to someone else.

  His current strength came from decades of nearly masochistic training—hard-earhrough sheer grit. No luvolved.

  He endured because of stubbornness—he refused to believe iiny.

  Time passed, and the temperature around him began to shift from cool to warm. The surroundings grew brighter.

  To Masashi's surprise, human-like structures started to appear iural ndscape.

  He stood up, looking ahead.

  The shadows around him had almost entirely disappeared, repced by a massive light source up ahead.

  tless serpents gathered around, retreating as the female serpent approached. It dove directly toward the source of light.

  Before him, a vast pza opened up.

  Even the serpent, under his mental trol, exuded an air of reverence as it slowed down, crawling cautiously.

  Masashi turo look.

  Manda had followed them in, his eyes filled with the same reverence—alongside a hint of obsession.

  Shaking his head, Masashi ahe female serpent to stop. He lifted the jonin a down from the serpent's head.

  The grouh his feet was stone—a massive sb akin to those in human towns, but scaled to the serpents' colossal sizes.

  Manda hesitated before ing closer, trying to approach the female serpent.

  The female serpent ignored him. He looked at Masashi with what seemed like a pleading expression.

  He genuinely liked this female serpent. For her, he fought other serpents every day in Ryūchi Cave. As a result, he had no friends among his kind—a plete outcast.

  Masashi never expected Manda to be like this.

  The snake reminded him of his own lost youth. Out of empathy, he softened his tone.

  "Manda, let me give you some advice. Ag this gy won't end well for you."

  "Hiss... You... Stop talking nonsehe snake growled, suppressing its voider the watchful gaze of the figure ahead. "Alright? Will you release the genjutsu now?"

  "Fine. You escorted me all this way."

  Masashi released the genjutsu.

  The female serpent shook her head violently, regaining her will. Yet like Manda, she dared not act out here.

  L her golden gaze to Masashi, she seemed to etch his image deeply into her mind before speaking for the first time.

  "Human, when you fail, I will request permission from the Sage to devour you."

  Then Masashi watched as the female serpent raised her head and rubbed it against Manda's face—the same spot she had spped earlier.

  The two serpents hissed softly as they nuzzled, eventually slithering away together.

  Masashi found it amusing. These serpents were quite fasating.

  Turning back, he faced the t, majestic figure that seemed fused with the earth.

  Bowing respectfully, he said, "White Snake Sage, my name is Masashi. I have e to learn Sage Mode."

  A massive stone chair was in the vast pza terminal, a seat far te for any human.

  The armrests of the chair rose nearly 10 meters high, and the seat itself was 4 to 5 meters off the ground. The backrest was intricately carved into the shape of a dragon's head, with its mouth biting down on a colossal scroll inscribed with the words Ryūchi Cave.

  Standing below it was Masashi. The chair's velvet drapery hung down to the ground before him, and atop the seat coiled a giant white-scaled serpent.

  Its head rested zily on the armrest, exuding an air of authority.

  This was the White Snake Sage, the master of Ryūchi Cave.

  A pity it wasn't one of those mythical serpents that could transform into beautiful maidens. If it were, Masashi wouldn't mind using his charm to try his luck.

  Even if it were just a snake, as long as it could transform into a beautiful maiden, he'd give it a shot. Not for anything romantic—after all, more friends meant more paths to walk.

  Gurgle gurgle~

  A strange rumbling came from the White Snake Sage's belly.

  As he specuted whether it might be hungry, a gust of white smoke spurted from the Sage's nostrils, spreading out like a gale sweeping across a wastend.

  "Learning Sage Mode?" The White Snake Sage shifted slightly, extending her head toward Masashi for a closer look.

  At first ghe sage seemed smaller than Manda. Coiled, Manda could reach up to 18 meters tall, whereas the White Snake Sage, perched on the chair, appeared to be only about 12 or 13 meters high.

  However, that was just a fra of its true size.

  Her body coiled around the eone chair, extending endlessly until it fused seamlessly with the earth itself. It was oh the nd.

  Together with the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku and the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest, the White Snake Sage stood as one of the stro users of Sage Mode in the shinobi world.

  On her head rested a bck hat adorned with a rge crystal orb, while her neck bore a neckce of beads.

  The orb seemed to serve as a tool for the world, marking the sage as a cultured being, distinct from the rough-and-tumble denizens of Ryūchi Cave.

  The Great Toad Sage also used a crystal ball for observation.

  Ially, the crystal ball teique was the same one Hiruzen used for spying. While it was unlikely Mount Myōboku lear from Konoha—given Konoha cked such a demand—it showed the teique's broader utility.

  All teiques in this world arose from a pressing need.

  Would Hiruzen, the so-called Professor of Ninjutsu, really o use a crystal ball just to view the peaceful vilge he governed? Of course not.

  The three Sage sanctuaries, however, were a different story.

  Leaving aside the mysterious Slug Sage and the a, nap-prone Great Toad Sage, the White Snake Sage's situation required such tools.

  With her body merged into the earth, she wouldn't have any other way to observe the outside world.

  While Masashi pohese thoughts, the sage grew impatient. Her scales shifted slightly. This brat had shown up, said a single sentence, and gone silent.

  Annoyed, she asked, "Do you know the rules of Ryūchi Cave?"

  "Oh, I get it," Masashi nodded. "Oe from the Sage, and Sage Mode is within reach, right?"

  "Hehe…" The White Snake Sage chuckled softly.

  No desdant of Indra had ever stepped foot into Ryūchi Cave before. This one was indeed different from other humans—arrogant, fident, and undeniably Indra's kin.

  Self-assured, too, evidently certain of his success.

  But a kid was still a kid.

  Indra was a kid. His father, Hagoromo, was also a kid. Even his grandmother, Kaguya, was just a kid.

  This wasn't about power—it was about the fact that the three Sages had lived so long that everyone seemed like a youngster in parison.

  "Alright, I'll grant your wish," the sage said, growing intrigued. "The taste of Indra's desdants should be quite good."

  She extended her head, opening her mouth, but soon realized the logistics were inve.

  "Climb up here and pierce yourself," she instructed. "You're too small to bite ly."

  "Sure, just a moment." Masashi leapt onto the White Snake Sage's body, climbing to her mouth.

  "Whie should I use?" he asked, examining the fangs.

  "Pie that feels right," the sage replied zily, flig her tongue before resting her head ba the armrest.

  "Alrighty." Masashi rolled up his sleeve, iing and choosing a fang based on thiess, angle, and sharpness.

  Pg his hand against the chosen fang, he said, "I'm ready."

  The White Snake Sage moved her mouth slightly, pierg Masashi's skin.

  In an instant, a wild surge of natural energy flooded into his body.

  Uhe toads of Mount Myōboku, the serpents of Ryūchi Cave fused natural energy directly into their bodies. For the White Snake Sage, whose body was an inseparable part of the earth, maniputing natural energy was as effortless as moving her limbs.

  As the energy coursed through him, he felt as though he'd returo the night he first awakened his Sharingan.

  The mental impact was enormous, and his body reacted as if ed by fire.

  Whether in his previous life or this one, Masashi had always excelled in chakra trol. If he had trained in the Eight Gates, he might have uood this sensatioer.

  Natural energy rampaged within him like an unleashed husky, running amok in every er of his body.

  Refusing to be careless, he immediately sat cross-legged on the White Snake Sage's body, fog his chakra to chase down the unruly natural energy.

  It was anything but pleasant.

  Ryūchi Cave's natural energy mirrored its inhabitants—full of a 'free-spirited' vibe.

  Onside him, the energy dispersed pletely, reveling in its new freedom. It tumbled and sprinted, upending everything in its path like a chaotic whirlwind.

  The chaos reminded Masashi of his college days—wild and untamed energies that seemed to resist any attempt at trol.

  But he wasn't going to be like Hitler, trying to force everything different into submission. Sometimes the path to mastery wasn't through subjugation, but through uanding and adaptation.

  This natural energy was simir. Fighting against its nature would only lead to failure. The key was to guide it, not eradicate it.

  Between his past-life hobbies and present-life training in Yang Release, he had accumuted enough knowledge and experieo hahe situation. While the natural energy's violent iy exceeded his expectations, he remained posed.

  His foundation was solid.

  Within his body, his chakra rapidly gathered into a terforce, f an army to subdue the unruly energy.