A full ten minutes later, the molecules in the air stopped vibrating, and the sound gradually faded. The other six snakes nearby twitched at the corners of their mouths, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
This demonstrated the power of the Nine Dragons Shining Heaven Technique. Even if White Snake Sage used White Rage Technique at full strength, it wouldn't have affected them to this extent!
"Uchiha Ryun, you…" White Snake Sage had a strange expression, wanting to ask how he had achieved this, but she couldn't bring herself to speak, leaving her silent.
Ryun, however, smiled. "White Snake Sage, after mastering White Rage Technique, I had a sudden idea…" He vaguely explained the contents of the Nine Dragons Shining Heaven Technique.
White Snake Sage's eyes lit up. Then, she also performed White Rage Technique using Ryun's method. Though she only succeeded in manifesting five dragons, it was enough to make her delighted.
This meant she also had a chance to reach the level of nine dragons!
Thus, her gaze toward Ryun grew even more approving. "Thank you, Uchiha Ryun."
"You're too kind, Sage." Ryun waved his hand. "If not for your generous teachings, I wouldn't have been able to master White Rage Technique so quickly or make breakthroughs with it."
Success without arrogance, contribution without pride. White Snake Sage admired Ryun's mature and steady way of handling things.
"Since you've mastered this sage art, it's time to train in Inorganic Reincarnation." White Snake Sage paused. "Do you see these destroyed trees?"
Ryun looked at his handiwork and nodded.
White Snake Sage glanced at the remaining stumps—or places where even stumps no longer existed—with a complicated expression.
"Restore the trees. This is the training." She coughed lightly. "But considering you improved White Rage Technique, you only need to restore one hundred trees before returning to Konoha."
Hearing this, Ryun sighed in relief. One hundred trees shouldn't take too long, so he nodded.
White Snake Sage acknowledged this and left him to his task, returning to Ryūchi Cave to meditate and deduce the improvements Ryun had mentioned.
Once she mastered it, her strength would increase dramatically, making it effortless to suppress the old toad and the slugs!
Imagining her future bliss, White Snake Sage smiled.
Meanwhile, Ryun started from the beginning, practicing the hand seals and sage chakra ratios for Inorganic Reincarnation.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!" Ryun shouted as a ball of golden sage chakra flew out and landed on a tree stump.
The stump instantly grew an inch taller, a sight captured by his Mangekyō Sharingan, making him smile.
The second time he used Inorganic Reincarnation, he kept the sage chakra ratio the same but increased the amount. When the chakra touched the stump, it grew ten inches—about thirty centimeters.
"This is easy!" Ryun increased the sage chakra output even more and cast Inorganic Reincarnation again. This time, the tree returned to its original height.
However, Ryun was puzzled. Why weren't branches or leaves growing? It looked like a telephone pole.
Confused, he used Inorganic Reincarnation on the tree once more. Yet, it only grew taller, still without branches.
He reviewed the memories and insights White Snake Sage had shared with him.
One line in the notes stood out: "Inorganic Reincarnation lies not only in growth but also in control. Blind growth without restraint, without harmony, will only result in a tree standing above the forest, doomed to be felled by the wind."
"Control?" Ryun murmured. He then cast Inorganic Reincarnation on the ground, manipulating the flow of sage chakra.
Spikes emerged from the earth, and under Ryun's control, their shapes shifted—into basketballs, chickens, even overalls…
After mastering control, Ryun focused and used Inorganic Reincarnation on the tree again.
This time, alongside growth, he added expansion. The tree swayed as buds sprouted from its trunk. With more sage chakra, the buds stretched into branches.
Seeing this, Ryun smiled and accelerated Inorganic Reincarnation. Soon, leaves began to sprout from the branches.
But he accidentally overdid it. The tree couldn't withstand the surge of sage chakra and exploded with a bang!
Ryun froze. Were the trees outside the Sage's home this fragile?
Instead of immediately moving to the next stump, he sat down, closed his eyes, and reviewed every step.
A saying flashed through his mind: "Haste makes waste."
Understanding this, Ryun stood up, found a new stump, and sat cross-legged. He channeled sage chakra and activated Inorganic Reincarnation.
This time, he moved extremely slowly, his Mangekyō Sharingan fixed on the stump's growth.
Gradually, the stump grew taller, returning to its original height. Ryun carefully infused more sage chakra, his Sharingan monitoring the branches as he increased the chakra bit by bit.
Soon, leaves sprouted from the branches. Ryun slowed the infusion further, feeding sage chakra into the tree in tiny increments.
When the leaves fully unfurled, Ryun immediately cut off the chakra, freezing the tree in that state.
He walked over and touched the tree, smiling.
Success. Completion: 1%. Who would've thought Inorganic Reincarnation would be so much easier than White Rage Technique?
Delighted, Ryun continued practicing.
In just one day, he completed 10% of the task—restoring ten trees. By evening, exhausted from training, Ryun returned to his dwelling.
He collapsed onto the bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and fell asleep.
Manda remained outside his door, guarding him. Meanwhile, White Snake Sage visited the training area, curious about Ryun's progress.
When she arrived, the air was thick with sage chakra. Looking around, she saw ten fully restored trees standing tall.
Her mouth fell open. "Is this the genius foretold in the prophecy? To grasp the principles of moderation and harmony in just one day…"
White Snake Sage chuckled. It seemed Ryūchi Cave wouldn't hold him for long. Glancing at Ryun's cabin, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Past trainees who failed were either devoured by her or died from their own mistakes. But Ryun mastered Sage Mode in one day and White Rage Technique in fifteen.
Now, she estimated he'd master Inorganic Reincarnation in just ten days.
In high spirits, she hummed a tune and slithered back to her resting place in Ryūchi Cave.
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