[Compatibility detected:
- Golden Flesh Immortal Garment (Red)
- Natural Sage Body (Red)]
[Synergy link detected:
- Natural Sage Body (Red)
- Wood Release Inheritor (Purple)]
[Upgraded to Wood Release Jinchūriki (Red).]
The senjutsu chakra aura around Kei surged nearly twice as strong in an instant. The cyan glow of chakra became even more brilliant and dazzling than before. His skin, muscles, meridians, bones, and internal organs were all being tempered and cleansed by the senjutsu chakra.
The two pure senjutsu chakra horns on his forehead grew slightly longer. The semi-transparent chakra manifestations around him, resembling neither dragon nor snake, fully transformed into mighty, awe-inspiring flood dragons with sharp features and a fierce aura!
Once I return, I'll test out some hand-to-hand combat with Tsunade!
Feeling his body and strength enhanced once again, he clenched his fist slightly.
Although due to the nature of Sage Mode not being a permanent power, the fusion did not directly lead to an advancement, he could sense that he was just a step away from breaking past the limits of the red-tier entry!
And… this seemed to be a completely different path from the Ōtsutsuki clan! As for [Wood Release jinchūriki]—By utilizing the immense natural energy within senjutsu chakra as a foundation, it incorporated Yang Release chakra transformation into the existing bloodline limit formed by Earth and Water Release chakra transformation.
This… this was already at the level of bloodline selection!
Hashirama, you liar! Everyone thought your power was just a bloodline limit, but it turns out it was actually a bloodline selection!
Shameless… No wonder even Madara, with his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, still got beaten down by you!
How could those two things even be on the same level?!
At that moment, Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagorihime, noticing the fluctuation in natural energy, flew up from the long staircase of the grand hall.
Their eyes fell on the White Snake Sage, who had straightened up from its resting position with a solemn expression, and Kei, whose entire body radiated with immense senjutsu chakra and overwhelming life force—an aura so powerful it no longer seemed human.
The three snake princesses swallowed hard.
With their centuries of sage training, how could they not recognize what had just happened? This human… had not absorbed senjutsu chakra injected into him by the White Snake Sage.
This kind of Sage Mode... It was more perfect and terrifying than the standard Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode!
But… How was this even possible?!
The White Snake Sage met the questioning gazes of the three snake princesses and shook its head slightly.
It didn't understand either.
But one thing was clear, this human before it was beyond its control.
Simply by stepping into the natural-energy-rich Ryūchi Cave and seeing other sage cultivators, he had instinctively grasped perfect Sage Mode without any guidance. Even the Sage of Six Paths wasn't any more impressive than this!
"What a pity..." The White Snake Sage muttered to itself, lying back down lazily on its couch with a look of disinterest.
A person with such a rare talent and unique physique… Yet he neither became a vessel for it to collect power nor a delicious meal.
It could only watch but not consume. Was there anything more frustrating than this?
Kei gradually calmed the turbulent power within him and withdrew from Sage Mode. As he processed the knowledge of senjutsu chakra applications passed down by Ryūchi Cave, his brows lifted slightly in realization.
He now understood why the White Snake Sage injected its own bloodline and senjutsu chakra into its contractors.
"To accelerate the learning process of Sage Mode, enhance the contractor's physique, grant them snake-like abilities, strengthen their control over sage energy… and ultimately, when they're strong enough, reclaim them?" Kei turned his gaze toward the White Snake Sage lying on the couch.
Forming a single-hand seal, he activated the Mind Body Transmission Technique, using it to read the surface thoughts of the White Snake Sage.
"…You humans desire only one thing—greater power. Teaching you Sage Mode and granting you strength is a fair trade."
A sharp glint flashed in the White Snake Sage's eyes. It did not resist this sudden mental connection. It was simply surprised that this human had seen through the hidden secret of Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode.
Even the Sage of Six Paths probably couldn't do something .
"Hmm, makes sense. How many contractors have you eaten?"
"Insignificant beings who coveted power and were eventually devoured by it—who would bother remembering them?"
"Even those who mastered Sage Mode?"
"I only absorb the natural energy from their bodies and souls after they die. A pile of decayed, lifeless flesh—what's so appetizing about that? They're all buried outside."
"Could the Sage of Six Paths have been doing the same thing?"
The White Snake Sage gave Kei a curious glance, as if it hadn't expected such a question.
"You actually care so much about contractual obligations?" Kei looked at the White Snake Sage with a strange expression but didn't press further about the Sage of Six Paths.
Although under the constraints of a summoning contract, summoning beasts typically couldn't directly attack their contractors…
But still—Was this really just a simple loan and interest repayment system? Only consuming the failures, and only absorbing the contractor's cultivated power after their death?
Ryūchi Cave… followed the rules that strictly?
"Inheritance relies on order. Once some things are broken, they can never be restored." The White Snake Sage's gaze turned distant, its mind flashing through countless summoning beast clans that had faded into the long river of history.
"..." Kei nodded slightly.
Everyone who came here was seeking power. The power belonged to Ryūchi Cave, so whether they shared it, and how they shared it, was naturally up to them.
There was no rule that said just because you came, they had to teach you. Although injecting their own bloodline and senjutsu chakra forcefully accelerated the sage cultivation process and increased the likelihood of failure… At the same time, for most people, the gains far exceeded what they would achieve through normal training.
As for having one's hard-earned power absorbed after death, they were dead anyway. Would there be any difference between going to the Pure Land with chakra or going after having it drained?
Did they really think everyone was like Asura and Indra, capable of reincarnating while carrying their chakra and will?
This method of the White Snake Sage… For a giant snake that upheld the law of the jungle, this was actually quite restrained. Aside from not stating it outright in advance, there didn't seem to be much to complain about, right?
"In the future, can I summon you for assistance?" Kei set aside his urge to spar with the White Snake Sage and turned his gaze to the three snake princesses.
"Hehe~ Of course! It's been a long time since my sisters and I have seen the outside world." Tagitsuhime quickly spoke up before her sisters.
She had lived for over a thousand years—she wasn't stupid. How could she not notice the White Snake Sage's attitude? This man before them… was not someone they could afford to provoke!
But still… This chakra, brimming with natural energy and overflowing vitality, smelled so good… Was there any way to take a little taste… without getting killed?