Uchiha Ryun woke up early in the morning and scratched his arm. He had slept with his arm outside the blanket all night, and now it felt cold and slightly itchy.
After getting up, he folded the blanket neatly and stood by the basin of prepared water to wash his face. In this era, there were no shower gels, only soap.
After tidying up, he wiped his face with a towel. 'If Tsunade were here, it would be great. This place is quite suitable for retirement. Food is obtained by hunting, and shelter is built by hand. It's isolated from the world.'
Uchiha Ryun smiled slightly and walked out of the wooden house. Manda had eaten the leftover raw meat from yesterday. Ryun found it troublesome to grill it himself, but if he did, Manda would eat some.
"Good morning, Brother Ryun."
"Morning, Brother Manda. Don't you need to sleep every day?" Ryun recalled that Manda always seemed to have his eyes open.
Manda shook his head. "I rest while you train. Besides, as one of the Seven Snakes of Ryūchi Cave, I don't need to sleep that much."
"Never mind me. What do you want to eat today? Pork, beef, venison? Oh, today was lucky. I caught a bear." Manda grinned.
Ryun looked at Manda and remembered how, in the original story, Naruto had to eat insects to please the toad sages Fukasaku and Shima while training in sage arts.
He felt fortunate that the snakes of Ryūchi Cave all ate meat, so he could enjoy meat every meal too!
"Oh? A bear? You caught a bear today?" Ryun's eyes lit up. Manda, seeing this, used his tail to lift a massive bear and place it in front of Ryun.
Ryun's eyes widened. This bear was much larger than any he had seen on TV, even a third of Manda's height. Manda had actually managed to catch it!
Incredible! Ryun smirked, drew his ninja sword, and cut off the bear's four paws. He skewered them on sticks like before and grilled them over the fire.
This time, however, Ryun poured Japanese sake over the bear paws while grilling to remove the gamey taste. He brushed them with oil, sprinkled green onions, cumin, and chili flakes, and a rich aroma soon filled the air.
When the bear paws were perfectly grilled, Ryun handed Manda a stick with two paws.
Manda smiled, took the stick, and ate the bear paws like kebabs, though he savored them one by one.
Hmm! The taste of grilled bear paws was different from venison but had its own unique flavor, especially with the added spices.
Ryun couldn't wait either. Bear paws—this was his first time eating them in both his past and present life! With the first bite, the rich juices burst in his mouth, the aroma overwhelming his senses.
In truth, bear paws were better suited for stewing. Their meat was tender and delicate, melting in the mouth. Stewing would make them even softer and more fragrant, truly mouthwatering.
But for the sake of sage training, there wasn't enough time to prepare elaborate dishes. Grilling was still good enough.
After finishing his meal, Ryun stood up and dashed into the forest. Manda quietly ate the remaining raw meat. After spending these days together, Manda had grown unaccustomed to eating raw meat.
After tasting Ryun's grilled meat, raw meat just didn't seem as appealing anymore.
With a sigh, Manda lay on the ground and began napping, sincerely hoping his sworn brother would master sage arts soon and become a formidable warrior.
Back at the broken trees, Ryun, with yesterday's experience, now controlled sage chakra with greater precision. If the White Rage Technique represented the violent application of sage chakra, then Inorganic Reincarnation showcased its refined control. The two complemented each other, offering endless possibilities.
Today, Ryun continued training the Inorganic Reincarnation Technique. Unlike before, he now understood the varying amounts of sage chakra required for trees at different growth stages.
Thus, he began multitasking, making five trees grow simultaneously. The difficulty instantly multiplied.
However, with time and effort, Ryun succeeded in just three hours.
He smirked, his movements growing smoother. By evening, he had restored thirty trees!
Pleased with his work, Ryun smiled and returned to his dwelling.
By the fifth day, Ryun had not only completed the task assigned by the White Snake Sage but also restored five hundred destroyed trees.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for mastering Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation. Reward: Sage Art evolved into All-Encompassing Nature.]
[All things are interconnected and controllable. Grass, wood, bamboo, and stone can all become weapons. All-Encompassing Nature includes everything. Wherever you go, all phenomena are under your command.]
Instantly, the All-Encompassing Nature Sage Art entered Ryun's mind.
This time, however, he didn't rush to test it, as the surroundings only had earth and trees. Using it here wouldn't differ much from Inorganic Reincarnation.
He chuckled and returned to Ryūchi Cave to bid farewell to the sage.
The White Snake Sage seemed to sense his arrival. She knew Ryun had long completed her assigned task but hadn't left immediately. Though puzzled, she hadn't asked. Now that he was here, it must be to say goodbye.
"Sage, I have completed my sage training and comes to take his leave." Ryun clasped his hands.
The White Snake Sage smiled approvingly.
"Good. Uchiha Ryun, you are the most talented shinobi I've ever seen. Not only did you master Sage Mode and sage arts in a short time, but you also enhanced their power."
"By my calculations, it's time for you to leave. If you encounter danger, contact us anytime. Not only Manda, but the other snake and I will also assist you."
The White Snake Sage's words moved Ryun. He nodded.
"I will never forget your great kindness!"
The White Snake Sage waved her tail, signaling it was unnecessary, and had Manda escort Ryun out.
Ryun followed Manda out of Ryūchi Cave and into the forest.
The two stood in silence until Manda finally spoke. "Hey, Ryun, you're usually so talkative. Why so quiet now? It's not like we'll never meet again!"
Ryun hugged Manda's body and gritted his teeth. "Take care, Brother Manda!"
"You too." Manda grinned and wrapped its tail around Ryun, signaling Orochimaru to perform the summoning jutsu.
In an instant, they appeared beside Orochimaru, who smiled upon seeing Ryun. "Ah, Ryun, you're back. And Manda too."
"Orochimaru, you did well this time. Consider this a favor from me, Manda." With that, Manda reversed the summoning and returned to Ryūchi Cave.
Orochimaru turned to the bewildered Ryun.
"Welcome back, Ryun."
Orochimaru was now dressed in a Konoha jonin uniform, standing at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
Ryun looked at Orochimaru questioningly.
Orochimaru chuckled. "You've been gone for over twenty days. During that time, Iwagakure declared war on Konoha. As one of the leading figures of the younger generation, I'm here to fight Iwagakure."
"If you're not busy, you can stay. I'll have a small white snake inform the Hokage." Orochimaru was thrilled. According to Manda, Ryun had perfectly mastered Sage Mode.
Ryun twitched his lips. "Going to war right after returning?"
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