Chapter 209: The Method to Slay the White Snake

After sending Mikoto back to Hiwano City, Shishou returned to the lab and began working with Natsu Hyuga and Rinmei Hyuga to find the heterogeneous space. The existence of Otsutsuki Kaguya had made him even more focused on this task.

"Master, I... I want to return to the Hyuga clan for a while," Rinmei Hyuga requested, looking exhausted and drained after their search for the heterogenous space.

"Sure," Shishou nodded, understanding her need to see her daughters, Hinata and Hanabi.

"I'll only be gone for two hours. I won't tell anyone about your matters, Master," Rinmei promised eagerly when she saw Shishou agree.

"You can stay as long as you need," Shishou replied indifferently, teleporting Rinmei back to Konoha Village.

"When you want to return, just activate this scroll," he handed her a scroll. "It contains my clone, which will bring you back to the base."

"Master..." Rinmei murmured, clutching the scroll as she watched Shishou disappear. She had wanted to ask him for a change of clothes, fearing that being seen in her maid outfit by the Hyuga clan would cause quite a stir...

Meanwhile, back in the lab, Shishou released a small slug from his insect breeding space. The Great Slug Sage had awakened from its evolution-induced slumber a few days ago. Shishou had chosen to ignore it, intending to show his dominance by keeping it locked up for a few days.

As soon as the small slug emerged, it demanded, "Where have you taken my main body? Why can't I sense the existence of the ninja world?"

Shishou squeezed the small slug in his hand, smirking. "It's a special space within my body, so naturally, you can't sense the ninja world. How do you feel after your evolution, little slug? If you pledge loyalty to me, I can help you further break your limits and increase your power."

The small slug was silent for a moment before replying, "Are you the one who gave me the power to make my clones explode?"

Although the Great Slug Sage was powerful, it primarily focused on healing and survival, lacking strong offensive capabilities. The clone explosion ability given by Shishou had significantly increased its combat potential, allowing it to create countless explosive clones due to its innate splitting ability.

"Yes, I not only gave you the ability to make your clones explode but can also further enhance your power. What do you say? Will you follow me?" Shishou offered, hoping to win over the Great Slug Sage. If successful, he could potentially move on to slaying the White Snake in Ryuchi Cave and obtaining its sage bloodline. If that failed, he planned to target the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku.

Of the three sage regions, Shishou disliked the prophetic Great Toad the most, followed by the White Snake Sage. Ultimately, he aimed to control all sage arts within the ninja world.

The small slug remained silent for a minute before finally speaking, "It seems you had murderous intent just now, but not towards me."

"You noticed that?" Shishou was intrigued.

"My main body seems to have developed a special connection with you. Occasionally, it can sense your emotional fluctuations," the slug explained. "You should speak directly with her."

The small slug fell silent, and an imposing aura emanated from it, giving it a majestic presence.

Is the Great Slug Sage now controlling this clone? Shishou thought, amused. He grabbed the small slug and continued to squeeze it.

"Even though I'm the Great Slug Sage of the Wet Bone Forest, one of the three sage regions, can't you show some respect?" the sage protested.

Shishou grinned and continued squeezing. The gentle tone of the Great Slug Sage only made him want to tease it more.

Realizing it couldn't stop him, the sage resigned itself to being squeezed. "I sensed that the power you gave me for the explosive ability doesn't seem to belong to this world."

"There are many parallel dimensions in this world. It's normal for you not to recognize this power," Shishou explained, then continued, "If I wanted to kill the White Snake Sage in Ryuchi Cave, what should I be aware of?"

The sage was taken aback. "You had murderous intent towards the White Snake Sage?"

"Yes," Shishou nodded nonchalantly. "I plan to kill both the White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage."

"Are you aiming to destroy the three sage regions?" the sage asked, shocked.

"No," Shishou shook his head firmly. "I just want to control the sage arts of all three regions."

"Such ambition... no wonder you're not suited for sage arts," the sage sighed.

It's precisely because I'm not suited for sage arts that I want to kill the White Snake and the Great Toad, Shishou thought wryly.

The sage continued, "Killing the White Snake Sage, who is fused with the earth, won't be easy. Unless you can sever its connection with the earth, you can't kill it."

"And how can I sever that connection?" Shishou asked, curious.

The sage hesitated before answering, "To sever the White Snake's connection with the earth, you need to integrate sage energy into a sealing technique to seal Ryuchi Cave. This requires an enormous amount of sage chakra."

Shishou's eyes lit up. "Can you provide me with sage chakra?"

"Sorry," the sage shook its head. "The three sage regions have a non-aggression pact, so I can't help you."

After a moment's thought, the sage added, "If you manage to kill the White Snake Sage on your own, I will pledge my loyalty to you."