[Detected: The red trait 'Golden Sage's Skin' and the red trait 'Body of a Sage' can be fused. Initiate fusion?]
"Yes."
[Fusion complete. Congratulations! You have obtained the red trait 'Natural Sage Body.']
[Detected: The red trait 'Natural Sage Body' enhances the purple trait 'Wood Release Inheritor,' significantly upgrading its effects. It has advanced to the red trait 'Wood Release Jinchūriki.']
Boom!
Sage chakra surged around Yamanaka Shinno, nearly doubling in intensity. The pale blue glow of his chakra became even more dazzling and radiant.
His skin, muscles, meridians, bones, and internal organs were all being refined and purified by the sage chakra.
The small dragon-like horns of pure sage chakra on his forehead grew slightly longer.
The translucent chakra constructs swirling around him, once an indistinct mix of dragon and snake-like forms, transformed completely—each one now a fearsome, majestic wyrm with imposing features and overwhelming presence.
"When I get back, I'll have to spar with Tsunade in a straight-up brawl."
Shinno clenched his fist, feeling his newly enhanced physique and strength.
Though the trait fusion hadn't directly advanced his Sage Mode into a permanent state, he could sense that he was just one step away from breaking through the limits of a red trait.
Moreover, this seemed to be a path entirely separate from that of the Ōtsutsuki Clan…
As for [Wood Release Jinchūriki]—
By infusing the powerful natural energy within sage chakra into the original Bloodline Limit of Wood Release, which was formed through the elemental combination of Earth and Water, he had now incorporated Yang Release as well.
This… this was practically a Bloodline Selection (Kekkei Tōta)!
"Senju Hashirama, you damn fraud! Everyone thought your Wood Release was just a Bloodline Limit, but you were using Bloodline Selection all along?!
"No wonder Madara, the reincarnation of Indra, got manhandled by you even after unlocking the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!
"You two weren't even playing in the same league!"
...
At that moment, Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagorihime soared up from the long staircase below the main hall, drawn by the fluctuations in natural energy.
They arrived just in time to see the White Snake Sage sitting upright on its throne, wearing a solemn expression.
And in front of it—
Yamanaka Shinno stood tall, his body overflowing with sage chakra and an overwhelming life force, his aura so intense it no longer felt human.
The three snake princesses swallowed hard.
They had trained in Sage Arts for over a thousand years.
They could tell at a glance—this human had not simply received an infusion of the White Snake Sage's chakra.
This Sage Mode—
It was even more refined, even more terrifying than Ryūchi Cave's so-called 'perfect' Sage Mode!
But…
How was that possible?!
...
The White Snake Sage met the snake princesses' stunned gazes and slowly shook its head.
It didn't understand what had just happened, but one thing was clear—
This human was not someone it could control.
Simply by stepping into Ryūchi Cave, into an environment filled with natural energy, and standing before them, a group of seasoned Sage Art practitioners—
He had mastered a perfect Sage Mode without guidance.
Not even the Sage of Six Paths could have done that!
"What a pity…"
The White Snake Sage murmured in disappointment, reclining lazily onto its throne again.
Such a rare talent, such an extraordinary physique—
And yet, it couldn't use him as a vessel to collect power.
It couldn't devour him as a delicacy, either.
It could only watch from the sidelines, unable to claim him.
Was there anything more frustrating?
...
Shinno gradually suppressed the surging power within him and exited Sage Mode.
As he processed the knowledge Ryūchi Cave had passed down about the applications of sage chakra, his brow furrowed slightly.
He was starting to understand why the White Snake Sage infused its contractors with its own bloodline and sage chakra.
"To accelerate the Sage Art learning process… To enhance the contractor's physical constitution… To grant them abilities unique to serpents… To strengthen their control over sage energy and raise their potential limit…
"And then, once they've fattened up, you harvest them?"
Shinno glanced at the White Snake Sage, who remained sprawled on its throne.
He formed a single-hand seal and activated the Mind-Body Transmission Technique, using its memory-reading function to probe the White Snake Sage's surface thoughts.
"...You humans desire nothing more than power, don't you?" the White Snake Sage said, eyes flashing. "Teaching you Sage Arts and granting you strength—this is a fair exchange."
It didn't resist the sudden mental connection.
It was simply surprised that this human had uncovered the hidden secrets of Ryūchi Cave's Sage Arts.
Even the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't have been able to do that!
"Hm, that makes some sense. How many contractors have you consumed?"
"The insignificant ones who were swallowed by their own greed for power—who would bother to keep count?"
"What about those who mastered Sage Mode?"
"Oh, them? We merely absorb the sage chakra from their bodies and souls after they die. They're just withered old corpses by then—hardly appetizing. We leave them buried outside."
"...So the Sage of Six Paths was doing the same thing, then?"
"I don't know."
The White Snake Sage gave Shinno an odd look, clearly not expecting such a question.
"You're surprisingly principled for a contract beast."
Shinno studied the White Snake Sage with a strange expression. He didn't press further about the Sage of Six Paths.
Normally, contract beasts were bound by summoning contracts and couldn't directly harm their summoners.
But still…
Was Ryūchi Cave really just lending power and collecting interest?
Only consuming those who failed?
Only harvesting chakra after their contractors died?
Ryūchi Cave… was this place really that disciplined?
"Tradition must be upheld. Once certain lines are crossed, there is no turning back."
The White Snake Sage's gaze turned distant, as if recalling the many summoning clans that had vanished from history.
...
Shinno nodded slightly.
Everyone who came to Ryūchi Cave sought power.
The knowledge and abilities here belonged to Ryūchi Cave. Whether or not they were shared, and how they were shared, was entirely up to the cave's inhabitants.
No one had the right to demand them.
Yes, infusing contractors with bloodline energy and sage chakra sped up the learning process while increasing the risk of failure.
But for most people, the potential rewards far outweighed the risks.
And as for absorbing the chakra of the dead—
Well, a corpse was a corpse.
Whether a soul left with its chakra intact or was drained before passing into the Pure Land—did it really matter?
Not everyone was an Asura or Indra, capable of reincarnating with their chakra.
For a creature that thrived on the law of the jungle, the White Snake Sage was surprisingly restrained.
Aside from not disclosing everything upfront, there wasn't much to complain about.
...
"Will I be able to summon you all in the future?"
Shinno abandoned his fleeting desire to spar with the White Snake Sage and turned toward the three snake princesses.
"Heehee~ Of course! It's been ages since we've ventured outside," Tagitsuhime answered quickly, beating her sisters to the punch.
She wasn't stupid.
She had lived for over a thousand years.
She could tell—the White Snake Sage had no control over this man.
Still…
His chakra, brimming with natural energy and overflowing with life force, smelled absolutely intoxicating.
Was there a way to take just one sip… without getting beaten to death?
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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