Chapter 160: "Snake Sage" Kyosuke
Thump!
Kyosuke was currently engaged in a fierce battle with Tagitsuhime, using his "Sage Mode."
The two "Snake Sages" were just exchanging simple blows, but the shockwaves were already causing a great impact on the cave.
At this time, Kyosuke's appearance was similar to that of "Mitsuki" from the original story. A single horn grew from his forehead, and several transparent, snake-shaped chakras emanated from his body.
These transparent, snake-shaped chakras were similar to Naruto's Tailed Beast chakra. Not only could they be directly materialized for defense or attack, but they could also be used to launch ninjutsu attacks through them, making them extremely flexible and versatile.
However, perhaps because his "Sage Mode" level was too low, Kyosuke could only maintain it for about thirty seconds at a time, after which he would directly exit the sage state.
And when he entered Sage Mode, although his strength, speed, and chakra would all surge, the increase was not as exaggerated as he had initially imagined. A rough estimate would be that after activating Sage Mode, Kyosuke was at most in a state of a new Kage-level powerhouse.
Of course, both the duration of Sage Mode and the increase in strength would undoubtedly gradually strengthen as the skill level increased. Kyosuke was willing to wait.
Seeing Tagitsuhime attack again, a thought flashed in Kyosuke's mind, and then a snake shadow behind him directly bit at her.
To be honest, the attack speed of this snake shadow, if it had been the pre-Sharingan Kyosuke, would have probably taken some effort to dodge.
But for Tagitsuhime, who could clearly perceive energy fluctuations, she could dodge this kind of attack with her eyes closed.
However, Kyosuke's attack would not end so simply. His real finishing move was still to come.
Using the snake shadow to limit her range of movement, another snake shadow directly opened its mouth and spewed a large cloud of extremely high-temperature flames.
"Sage Art: Scorch Release: Blazing Sun."
This cloud of flames, with a temperature so high that it was almost white-hot, thus surged toward Tagitsuhime.
Similarly, this "Blazing Sun" was the only Sage Art that Kyosuke had successfully created in the past week.
At this time, it was indeed terrifyingly strong, probably already possessing the power of an S-rank ninjutsu.
However, this Sage Art alone was not enough to defeat the unfathomably strong Tagitsuhime.
She simply raised her arm, and the stone pillar beside her, as if it had a life of its own, moved over and firmly blocked her from behind.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation."
Although Kyosuke's Sage Art successfully scorched a gap in it, more stone pillars, and even the ground under his feet, suddenly surged up and blocked his attack.
Helpless, Kyosuke could only watch as his Sage Art was worn down, while Tagitsuhime herself remained as ethereal as ever, without a single scratch.
"What is this ninjutsu?" Although Kyosuke already knew in his heart what Sage Art she was using, he still asked out loud.
Because ever since the Snake Pool incident, Tagitsuhime's attitude toward him, for some unknown reason, had changed.
Kyosuke didn't know the reason, and she wouldn't say. In short, her specific performance was that when they weren't training, she barely spoke to him, as if she were angry with him.
So now, whenever Kyosuke had a chance, he would try to get her to talk. Of course, except for at meal times, the effect was not very ideal.
For this, Kyosuke also felt a bit of a headache.
Hearing Kyosuke's question, Tagitsuhime's eyes flickered slightly. After a long while, she was finally willing to speak. "This is a Sage Art passed down by the White Snake Sage. Only those who have mastered Sage Mode to a certain extent can practice it. You're still far from it."
Hearing her words, Kyosuke quickly came over and said with a flattering expression, "It's alright. You can teach me the training method first. That way, when I reach the training requirements outside, I can practice on my own."
"Outside... practice on your own..." Tagitsuhime's expression suddenly changed, and she lowered her head.
"W-what's wrong?" Kyosuke asked with a strange expression. At the same time, he recalled what he had just said and found that he didn't seem to have said anything wrong.
"It's nothing," after a long while, Tagitsuhime finally raised her head again and began her explanation in a flat tone.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation is a reincarnation ninjutsu that can give life to inorganic matter and control it."
"The most powerful thing about this ninjutsu is its suddenness and unpredictability."
"Imagine, the ground you're walking on, the flying leaves, and even the surging water—these objects will attack you when you're not paying attention, piercing your feet, slitting your throat, and even piercing your liver in your stomach."
Hearing Tagitsuhime's description, Kyosuke subconsciously swallowed, and then quickly asked, "Then in that case, isn't this Sage Art invincible?"
Tagitsuhime silently shook her head and then said, "Of course not. If you want to use Inorganic Reanimation, you need to first inject sage art chakra into the inorganic matter, and then form a hand seal to change its life form. Only after that can it be used."
"Oh," Kyosuke said, and at the same time, he had a rough idea of the drawbacks of this Sage Art.
But this did not affect his desire for this powerful Sage Art in the slightest. For this, he quickly asked Tagitsuhime to teach him the training method.
Tagitsuhime looked at Kyosuke, who was leaning over, and an unnatural expression flashed across her face. She then softly explained the key points of the training and the things to pay attention to.
Time thus passed, second by second. Soon, it was dinner time.
"Tagitsuhime, what do you want to eat today? I'll go out and catch it for you," Kyosuke said, after a simple look at his ninja pouch, and then he prepared to go hunting.
During this time, Tagitsuhime's taste had also been successfully changed by him. Now, she rarely ate raw food.
Seeing that the most pleasant time of the day had arrived, a hint of excitement appeared on Tagitsuhime's face.
"Well, I remember you said that roast wild boar is delicious. I haven't had it yet," she said with an expectant expression.
"Alright, leave it to me today," Kyosuke said, and then his hands suddenly clasped together to form a hand seal.
"Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Poof!
He instantly created ten shadow clones. The eleven of them, including Kyosuke's real body, set off together to search for traces of wild boars all over the mountains, while Tagitsuhime was left to tidy up the cave that had been messed up during today's training.
Everything seemed so harmonious and orderly.
Similarly, this strange feeling was something Tagitsuhime had never experienced in her hundreds of years of life, a feeling called "warmth."
After a pleasant dinner, the two of them lay on the stone platform with their bellies full.
Suddenly, Tagitsuhime asked Kyosuke a question. "Are you... leaving soon...?"
"That's right," Kyosuke replied quickly, and then said with a sigh, "To be honest, I'm really grateful to you for this trip to Ryuchi Cave. Otherwise, my training would never have gone so smoothly."
"Right, there's something I've been wanting to ask you," Kyosuke said, as if he had remembered something. He sat up and looked at Tagitsuhime with a burning gaze.
"W-what's wrong..." Tagitsuhime tried her best to hold back her panic, her tone remaining calm as she asked.
At the same time, she was constantly thinking in her heart, "If he asks that question again, should I tell him the truth?"
But what Kyosuke said he wanted to ask was completely different from what she had been thinking. So, for a moment, her gaze couldn't help but dim a lot.
"I told you before, right? I'm fighting a war right now," Kyosuke said, a hint of excitement in his eyes. He then said to Tagitsuhime again, "You're so strong. Can I summon you to help me fight?"
"Summon... me?" Tagitsuhime silently repeated Kyosuke's words, then shook her head with a detached expression. "I'm afraid not. With your strength, you can't summon me yet. Not to mention... it's not convenient for me to leave Ryuchi Cave right now."
As she spoke, her right hand subconsciously stroked her abdomen. Unfortunately, this scene was not noticed by Kyosuke.
"Sigh, is that so? That's a pity. I'm really going to miss you," Kyosuke said with a sigh of disappointment.
"...If you have the chance, come back and see... us," a bright smile suddenly appeared on Tagitsuhime's face.
Caught off guard, Kyosuke was directly stunned by her smile.
"Actually, you're really beautiful when you smile," Kyosuke said, looking at her with a serious expression.
But Tagitsuhime did not acknowledge his words. Instead, she directly turned and walked out of her cave.
"...Did I say something wrong again?" Behind her, only Kyosuke's troubled muttering was left.
The three months of training passed in a flash. Today, Kyosuke was preparing to set off and return to the battlefield.
Of course, for this, he still had to ask Ryuchi Cave for a favor.
For this, he once again found the White Snake Sage. After thanking her for her teachings, he stated his purpose.
"It's simple. I'll order my men to go to the Land of Rivers through a special channel and then reverse summon you back," the White Snake Sage said.
"Thank you very much," Kyosuke said, then looked around and asked again, "Where is Tagitsuhime? I haven't seen her today."
"Hmph," suddenly, another woman named Ichikishimahime, who was on the side, snorted coldly at him.
Just as she was preparing to say something, she felt the White Snake Sage on the high platform give her a cold look.
With that, she swallowed the words she was about to say.
For this, she could only snort again in anger to express her dissatisfaction.
"What's wrong..." Kyosuke keenly sensed the strangeness of the situation, but he really couldn't figure out where he had offended this snake sister.
In the end, unable to figure it out, he could only suppress his questions and not bother with it. Because at this time, his thoughts were already elsewhere.
After a while, he suddenly felt an inexplicable summons from a distance.
He hurriedly thanked the White Snake Sage again, and then Kyosuke instantly vanished from Ryuchi Cave.
After he had left, the smaller Ichikishimahime finally couldn't help but ask the White Snake Sage her question. "Why did you let her leave so easily? You know, Tagitsuhime-neechan is now..."
"I know," the White Snake Sage's detached tone directly suppressed all her dissatisfaction. For this, she gave a fierce flick of her hand and left.
"Sigh, how could I not understand? But Ryuchi Cave will face a great calamity in the future. Only with the help of this young man can we be spared. That's why I did this..."
"Tagitsuhime, my child, I hope you won't blame me."
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