"Hmm?"
Sasori picked up a piece of grayish-white clay-like material from the spot where Manda had disappeared. He rubbed it between his fingers, feeling its sticky, gelatinous texture.
After carefully sensing it for a moment, he handed the material to Sōmi and asked, "Take a look. Do you sense a faint trace of Natural Energy in this?"
"Huh?"
"It does have some!"
"Although it's very faint..."
"This material must have come from an area in Ryūchi Cave where Natural Energy is abundant. Over many years, it absorbed a small amount of it," Sōmi deduced after examining it.
"But what use is storing such a small amount of Natural Energy?"
"Don't tell me you're planning to store Natural Energy in this clay and absorb it during battle to enter Sage Mode?" Sōmi teased.
"No..."
"Summon Shinga. I need to confirm how much of this stuff exists!"
A sharp glint flashed in Sasori's eyes, as if he had discovered something of great importance.
Not long after, Sōmi summoned Shinga. Along with it appeared the candy-loving Ichikishimahime.
"Shinga, take a look at this clay. Is there a lot of it near where you live?"
Sōmi held the clay in his palm. Shinga lowered its massive head to examine it closely.
Before Shinga could speak, the azure-blue snake on the ground interjected with a voice as melodious as a young girl's: "Isn't this Earth Milk Jade?"
"Ryūchi Cave is full of it. But this piece is of poor quality—so dull and gray."
"The good ones are jade-white, with a warm and smooth texture!"
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing this, Sasori immediately stepped forward, his voice trembling with barely contained excitement. "Is there a lot of this Earth Milk Jade?"
"Uh..."
Ichikishimahime's pink tongue flicked as it rolled a disc-shaped candy into her mouth. Her eyes took on a thoughtful expression.
"If you go deeper into the stalactite caves of Ryūchi Cave, you'll find it everywhere!"
"But high-quality pieces are harder to find. You'll need some luck!"
"Oh, by the way, Sister Hime," Sōmi interjected.
"If someone named Orochimaru comes to learn Sage Techniques from the White Snake Sage, and the Sage asks you to assist, make sure to channel extra Natural Energy into him!"
"At least double the amount I had during my training!"
"Huh?!"
Ichikishimahime looked puzzled and asked, "Orochimaru?"
Suddenly, as if recalling something, she adopted a coquettish tone like a little girl throwing a tantrum. "Hmph!"
"He always asks for my help, but he still hasn't taken me to the hot springs he promised! You're all so unreliable!"
"Uh..."
Sōmi felt a wave of awkwardness, realizing he had indeed forgotten about this.
"Sister Hime, don't worry. I promise to summon you again within three days, and I'll make sure a steaming hot spring appears right in front of you!"
"Hmm... fine!"
"But if you lie to me, I'll never respond to your summons again!" Ichikishimahime warned, half-threateningly.
"Don't forget about Orochimaru, okay? He's a pale-skinned man with black hair who gives off a very sinister vibe!"
Sōmi reminded her.
"Alright, alright..."
With that, Ichikishimahime canceled the Summoning Technique herself. A puff of white smoke later, she vanished from sight.
"Now it's up to you, Shinga."
"Remember this clay and bring some back. I'll prepare a feast for you in advance!"
Sōmi approached and patted Shinga's massive body.
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
"But Sōmi, why haven't there been any enemies lately?"
"I've been holding back so much energy. I'm tired of staying in Ryūchi Cave all the time. If I cause too much trouble, the White Snake Sage will scold me again..."
A bloodthirsty glint flickered in Shinga's single eye.
"Don't worry!"
"Enemies will show up soon enough... I've been working on a more advanced version of the Golden Armor. You'll get to test it out first!"
Sōmi's gaze turned cold and resolute.
"Hmm?"
"You can go back now. Manda's making a move. Remember, unless Manda provokes you first, you're not allowed to pick fights with it anymore!"
Sōmi's tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
The Land of Rain—a small country where it seemed to rain every day, as if the downpour would never end.
Little was known about the Land of Rain in the outside world. It was a nation torn apart by civil war and internal strife for years. This chaos was only brought to an end with the rise of Hanzo the Salamander, who was hailed as a "Demi-God."
However, most of the ninja world remained unaware that Hanzo's era had long since passed.
The Land of Rain was now under the control of an organization known as "Akatsuki."
In Amegakure, towering buildings exuded a steampunk-like modern aesthetic. Surrounding these structures were drainage pipes, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Akatsuki's original ideal was to lead this weeping nation out of the shadows and even guide the entire ninja world toward peace.
But all of this had become a shattered dream, thanks to the meddling and manipulation of a certain masked man and his schemes.
Boom!
A blinding bolt of lightning tore through the dark clouds above.
The rain, which had been falling steadily, seemed to intensify, as if spurred on by the thunder.
Atop the tallest building, several figures gathered.
"Weren't you planning to go to Kirigakure? Why the sudden change of plans?"
A young man with orange hair and a solemn expression asked in a low voice. His most striking feature was his eyes—purple with concentric ripples, exuding an eerie and powerful aura.
"Not anymore!"
"The focus isn't on Kirigakure right now—it's on Konohagakure!"
A flash of white light illuminated the figure of a man wearing a yellow mask, standing in the shadows.
"The Perfect Jinchūriki from Sunagakure is also incredibly powerful!"
"Our priority must be to reignite the flames of the Great Ninja War, weakening the combat strength of all the ninja villages—especially Konohagakure and Sunagakure!"
The Masked Man raised his right hand slightly, brushing over the area of his left eye concealed beneath the mask.
"Minato Namikaze, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki of the Uzumaki Clan, the Eight-Tails Perfect Jinchūriki, the One-Tail Perfect Jinchūriki..."
"All of them are major obstacles to our plans!"
Suddenly, a black-and-white figure, resembling a split Venus flytrap or forked aloe leaves, spoke up:
"Sunagakure has been developing rapidly lately. Its potential is indeed not to be underestimated..."
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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