Chapter 139: The Dragon Transformation Complete

"Damn it! This is bad… really bad!"

Inside Ryūchi Cave, while both the White Snake Sage and Takitsuhime were utterly awestruck by Akira Uchiha's talent, Akira himself was on the verge of tears.

He had completely underestimated what he was getting himself into.

Was he about to die here? Would this trigger Shisui's second Mangekyō, forcing him to use Izanagi? Both Mangekyō Sharingan, sacrificed without ever getting a chance to use Kotoamatsukami, just to fuel Izanagi?

Initially, Akira had already mastered Sage Mode in the life simulator. So when he came to Ryūchi Cave this time, he wanted to show off a bit.

On one hand, it was about getting some payback for all the times those damn snakes had eaten him in the simulator.

On the other hand, if he impressed them enough, his reputation would skyrocket in Ryūchi Cave. Who knows, maybe he could even summon the Three Hime through summoning jutsu!

But who could've predicted that everything would go sideways like this?

It seemed he might have overdone it with the showing off.

Seeing how easily he'd mastered Sage Mode, the White Snake Sage had decided to go even further, setting up a ritual for him to transform into a dragon. Alright, sure, in the original series, Kabuto had claimed he had surpassed Orochimaru, saying he was no longer a snake but a dragon.

But the original story never really clarified whether Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode and Kabuto's "Dragon Transformation" were the same thing!

He'd just assumed they were.

But apparently, they weren't?

While Akira was busy processing all this, the White Snake Sage and Takitsuhime were intently focused on him.

Sensing the chakra fluctuations, Tanshin Hime and Ichikishima Hime had also arrived. They stood there, watching Akira in the midst of the dragon transformation ritual, their faces full of shock, yet they remained silent.

Akira stood still, surrounded by the natural energy, which had taken the form of dragon-shaped phantoms that slowly merged into his body.

It looked like he was absorbing all those dragon-shaped phantoms!

"Is this actually going to work?" Tanshin Hime finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked.

"It's not exactly a success, but it's not a failure either," the White Snake Sage replied after carefully examining Akira's condition.

The Three Hime exchanged confused glances. What did that even mean?

Either he succeeded, or he didn't—what was this middle ground?

"If he had succeeded, he would've fully absorbed the dragon-shaped energy, and we would've seen a clear transformation into a dragon. So no, it's not a success," the White Snake Sage explained.

So… it was a failure?

Hearing this explanation, the Three Hime shook their heads, not fully understanding.

"But he is absorbing the dragon-shaped energy, just not completely. So, it's not exactly a failure either," the White Snake Sage continued. "It's just that the process is moving far too slowly."

A slow dragon transformation? Really?

When the transformation is complete, his body should sprout dragon horns, but right now, it hasn't.

It's like running a hundred-meter dash. Most people sprint through it in about ten seconds or so.

But what about Akira? Right now, he's like a snail inching its way to the finish line.

Can you say the snail won't reach the hundred-meter mark? No, you can't say that.

But with it moving this slowly, who knows when it will finally get there?

"So, Sage, how long will this dragon transformation take?" Tanshin Hime asked, unable to contain her curiosity after the White Snake Sage's explanation.

"You seem to care quite a bit about him," the White Snake Sage, now in her old woman form, remarked, glancing at Tanshin Hime.

"Sage, I'm just curious! The dragon transformation ritual has never succeeded before, but even though this is slow, Akira Uchiha seems like our best shot at completing it," Tanshin Hime explained, looking slightly embarrassed under the gaze of the White Snake Sage, while Ichikishima Hime and Takitsuhime also looked on with curiosity.

"Hmm, that's true. Although it's slow, he does seem to be the most promising candidate we've had in a thousand years," the White Snake Sage agreed, nodding thoughtfully. After feeling Akira's progress more closely, she added, "At the quickest, it might take him three to five years to complete. At the slowest, it could take ten years or more."

"Ryūchi Cave has waited a thousand years; another ten years is nothing. Besides, he's still very young," Takitsuhime chimed in.

Tanshin Hime and Ichikishima Hime both nodded in agreement. That made sense.

Ryūchi Cave had never seen anyone successfully transform into a dragon in a thousand years, not even the White Snake Sage herself.

If Akira Uchiha could actually pull it off, it would be a great boon for Ryūchi Cave.

What's another ten years if it means success?

"Indeed, that's true," the White Snake Sage said, shifting back into her white serpent form and coiling onto her throne.

After waiting a thousand years, what's another ten?

The cave is called Ryūchi Cave, not Hebi Cave.

But for a thousand years, no one has successfully transformed into a dragon. That's a bit of an embarrassment for the White Snake Sage.

Now, finally, there's a contract holder who might actually do it. The White Snake Sage felt quite pleased with herself for this decision.

Even if it wasn't going to be an instant transformation, what if the process itself was just naturally long and drawn out?

After all, no one had ever succeeded before. Patience would be key.

As for what the other snakes in Ryūchi Cave were thinking at this moment, Akira wasn't even aware.

He felt like he was in a state of semi-consciousness, as if he was in that foggy space between waking and sleeping.

In his mind, the image of a dragon was forming, thrashing about in his thoughts.

Even though he had crossed over into the ninja world and been reborn as a Uchiha, Akira's soul was still the same as it had been in his previous life, where he was a "descendant of the dragon."

The dragon had left a deep imprint on his soul.

Now, as the dragon-shaped energy continued to flow into him, the image of the dragon was becoming clearer and clearer in his mind.

His consciousness was hazy, but the dragon's form in his mind was growing more vivid by the second.

At first, it was just a rough outline. Then, the details started to sharpen, until he could see every individual scale on the dragon's body.

Time passed unnoticed…

In Ryūchi Cave, no one had ever completed the dragon transformation in a thousand years. No one had ever seen a dragon.

Without a clear understanding deep in the soul of what a dragon truly was, how could one even hope to transform?

But Akira was different. His soul had always considered itself a descendant of the dragon.

Even though he'd never seen a real dragon, the image of one was deeply rooted in his soul.

So, even in this hazy state, under the pull of the dragon's breath, the image of the dragon in his mind became clearer, allowing him to move forward with the transformation, however slowly.

And so, time slipped by...

Before anyone realized it, ten days had passed.

Ten days? Well, it's understandable that if Akira had gone to Ryūchi Cave, he might have been held up for a couple of weeks.

No one was too worried yet.

But when several months had gone by, Akira's grandfather and Fugaku Uchiha couldn't sit still anymore.

They sought out Orochimaru to see if he could find out what was going on.

Since Orochimaru also had a contract with Ryūchi Cave, he could reverse summon himself there and check on Akira.

Learning that Akira had been gone for months, Orochimaru was a bit surprised.

Akira could foresee the future, so it didn't make sense that he would encounter any danger in Ryūchi Cave.

If there had been any real danger, he wouldn't have gone in the first place.

But now that he was there, and had been gone for months, could something have gone wrong? Or was there some sort of opportunity?

Curious, and knowing that Konoha was under Akira's command now and that the Uchiha clan was growing anxious, Orochimaru decided to make a trip to Ryūchi Cave.

While the snakes there weren't exactly friendly to Orochimaru, they did grant him entry as a contract holder.

After some inquiries, Orochimaru quickly understood Akira's situation.

He then returned to the ninja world and reported back to the Uchiha clan leaders.

First, Akira wasn't in any mortal danger.

Second, they shouldn't expect him back for at least two or three years.

He was currently in Ryūchi Cave, training in a state that no one in a thousand years had ever reached.

Hearing this, the Uchiha clan leaders felt reassured. As long as he wasn't in danger, they could relax.

Waiting a few more years? They could manage that.

Akira was only seven years old, after all. Waiting ten years wouldn't be a big deal.

So, time passed, day by day, with Akira lost in a fog, unaware of its passage.

But his body was changing year by year...

And then, after who knows how long, Akira slowly opened his eyes...

**********Importanat*****

This time, I will release an extra chapter for every 500 Power Stones given!

Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 186 at patreon.com/Emik01.

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