"Well, Shukaku,"
"Can you still transfer Chakra to me now?"
Sōmi stood inside the black cage, looking up as he questioned.
"Uh... No!"
Shukaku paused to sense the connection, then spoke with surprise.
It felt as though its link with Sōmi had been severed. But how could a Jinchūriki possibly disconnect from their Tailed Beast?
"Sigh!"
"This is truly troublesome!"
Sōmi's face showed a hint of helplessness. With a casual wave of his hand, the black cage disintegrated like scattered willow fluff, breaking apart and drifting away.
"Shukaku!"
"What about the suggestion I made to you last time? Have you thought it over?"
Sōmi raised his head and asked.
"No way!"
"Why would you seal the Seven-Tails in here too?"
"This space is so cramped, and my relationship with the Seven-Tails is just so-so. We'd just end up staring awkwardly at each other all day..."
Shukaku shook its head vigorously, like a drumbeat of refusal.
"Then what if, in the future, I also seal the Nine-Tails in here and make it your underling?"
"Based on the order of creation, as the One-Tail, you should naturally be the eldest among the Tailed Beasts!"
Sōmi changed his approach, attempting to entice Shukaku.
"Hmm?!"
"This..."
"Kid, I think you've got a point!"
"The order should indeed follow the sequence of creation. One is the oldest, and Nine is the youngest!"
"It shouldn't be based on the number of tails. What's the use of having more tails anyway!"
Shukaku's eyes lit up, and it let out an excited cry.
Clearly, it was quite pleased with Sōmi's suggestion.
"However, even though the Nine-Tails is the youngest, its power is extraordinary!"
"If I end up fighting it in the sealed space..."
Shukaku seemed to recall something, its tone hesitating. Despite its long-standing disdain for the Nine-Tails and its belief that the Sage of Six Paths was biased, Shukaku was well aware of the Nine-Tails' immense strength.
"Don't worry. When the time comes, I'll extract its power and add it to yours."
"That way, you'll truly become the leader of the Tailed Beasts, and the other eight will have to obey you!"
Sōmi's timely words were full of persuasion.
"Oh?!"
"You can do that?!"
"When did you learn such a technique?!"
Shukaku's expression turned to one of excitement as it stared at Sōmi with wide eyes.
"I can, but I haven't developed it yet..."
Sōmi replied calmly.
"Ah!"
"Why are you making it sound so real when it's not even a thing yet!"
Shukaku's enthusiasm plummeted, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over its head.
"Shukaku, do you still remember the Dragon Vein at the ruins of Rōran?"
Sōmi, unfazed, shifted the topic.
"Of course I remember!"
"That power was immense, seemingly infinite, as if it connected to the very core of the earth..."
"It felt somewhat like Chakra, but mixed with a vast and chaotic amount of Natural Energy..."
Shukaku recalled the moment it first encountered the Dragon Vein, still deeply shaken by the memory.
It was a terrifying energy, capable of seemingly freezing time and space!
Fortunately, this energy was suppressed by a massive sealing array carved into the earth's crust. At the array's core was a uniquely designed kunai, serving as the central node to reinforce the seal.
If the Dragon Vein were disturbed, it could overturn the flow of time and space itself. Anyone caught in the resulting temporal storm might never return.
After all, Sōmi wasn't like a certain someone who enjoyed the favor of mysterious forces.
When Shukaku heard that Sōmi intended to use it as a vessel to absorb the Dragon Vein's energy, it immediately felt a shiver run through its entire body, a tingling sensation spreading from its tail to its head.
Though Shukaku often spoke with an air of arrogance, its bravado didn't match its actual strength.
Faced with Sōmi's eager attitude, Shukaku was nearly paralyzed with fear. It repeatedly emphasized that if it were forced to bear such energy, it would undoubtedly explode.
Even using a sealing array as a filter wouldn't work. The sheer magnitude of the energy would crush any array into dust in an instant.
Moreover, because the Dragon Vein's energy contained spatial attributes, if Shukaku's Chakra mixed with it upon explosion, even resurrection might become an unattainable dream.
Shukaku might end up as an insignificant mass of unconscious Chakra, forever suppressed within the earth's crust; or it could be swept into some unknown segment of the temporal stream; or it might simply vanish entirely...
As such, Shukaku maintained a deep respect—and fear—toward the Dragon Vein, choosing to keep its distance.
Seeing Shukaku's reaction, Sōmi had no choice but to abandon his original plan. He had thought that once Shukaku mastered Natural Energy, it could naturally absorb the Dragon Vein...
But upon reflection, it made sense. Even Gamamaru, who had lived for over a thousand years, could only use his immense Senjutsu Chakra to peer through the mists shrouding the temporal stream.
As for the Dragon Vein, which could carve out new river paths or even flow upstream, its terrifying energy was far beyond what anyone could easily absorb.
Come to think of it, could the Dragon Vein's existence have something to do with Ryūchi Cave?
Sōmi remembered seeing the White Snake Sage's massive, mountain-like body coiled and connected to the earth itself.
As Sōmi pondered, he suddenly sensed the activation of a summoning technique.
"Hmm?"
"Is it Manda?"
Shortly after, the massive form of Manda appeared before Sōmi following the summoning.
Its injuries had fully healed, though several scars remained on its body, adding to its already intimidating appearance.
However, in front of Sōmi, Manda adopted a submissive posture, coiled and obedient.
After all, when dealing with someone like Sōmi, who wouldn't hesitate to sever a summoning contract and resort to direct violence, it was better to endure.
Manda carefully placed a letter from its mouth in front of Sōmi before quietly curling up to the side, awaiting his response.
Clearly, Manda had grown quite adept at its role as a messenger.
Sōmi took the letter and began reading.
"Orochimaru, that madman..."
"He's truly something else!"
"Even after being impaled by the White Snake Sage's fangs, he didn't die..."
"Through the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique and Living Corpse Reincarnation, he's even managed to retain some Senjutsu Chakra..."
"But now that we're in a time of peace, any attempt to select a new vessel will undoubtedly alert Konoha's higher-ups."
"With Minato Namikaze still in power, no wonder Orochimaru would think of coming to me..."
Sōmi muttered to himself.
After Sōmi had deliberately leaked information about Sage Mode to Orochimaru, the latter had surprisingly held back for a long time, perhaps preoccupied with some other research.
It wasn't until recently that Orochimaru finally sought out the White Snake Sage to request training, only to—predictably—transform into a "snake" on the spot.
But this snake wasn't just any snake; it was the Eight-Headed Serpent!
Even the White Snake Sage had never seen such a phenomenon before. Orochimaru was the first human to practice this "serpentine transformation" Secret Technique before attempting Sage Mode training...
Of course, Sōmi had learned all this from Ichikishimahime.
At the time, he had been slightly concerned. What if Orochimaru accidentally succeeded in mastering Sage Mode?
Fortunately, Orochimaru's Chakra couldn't compare to that of Tailed Beasts or individuals like Sasori.
According to Ichikishimahime's account, Orochimaru hadn't fully mastered Sage Mode, though he had managed to retain a small amount of Senjutsu Chakra within his body...
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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