Chapter 166: Sage Sasuke

The three women struggled to resist as snake-like features began to emerge on their faces—scales, eye shadow, vertical pupils…

Naruto smiled politely and asked, "Does this mean I've passed the test?"

He eased up on his spiritual pressure just a bit.

Immediately, the three women gasped for air, and their transformation into snakes halted.

"As expected from the famous Naruto Uzumaki," the brown-haired woman said with a grin, her tongue flicking like a snake's.

Naruto tilted his head, curious. "You know about me?"

"The man who defeated the Rinnegan—we couldn't exactly ignore that," the blue-haired woman said, narrowing her eyes. "That's a legendary dōjutsu, after all."

"Those ugly toads from Mount Myōboku also told us a few things about you," the last woman added, speaking slowly.

"The Sage is waiting for you."

She waved her hand, and the temple hidden among the bushes and forest seemed to twist as if a curtain were being lifted, gradually revealing a hidden entrance.

"Please follow us."

Karin clung tightly to Naruto's clothes, cautiously following along.

These snakes weren't much of a threat to her.

But the place was eerie, and the atmosphere was unsettling.

They made their way deeper into the cave, where an elderly woman, about the same height as Ōnoki, sat on a stone bed.

Behind her, the wall was adorned with a carving of a dragon's head, with a scroll in its mouth that read "Ryūchi Cave."

"Sage, I've brought Naruto Uzumaki," the brown-haired woman announced respectfully.

Karin glanced at the woman, then at the elderly lady.

A sage? Her?

But isn't Ryūchi Cave supposed to be the dwelling place of snake summons?

Shouldn't there be a snake here instead of this human?

Why were the three "welcoming" figures who appeared to be human, not snakes?

And now, even the sage was human.

"A powerful human like you, what brings you to Ryūchi Cave?" the elderly woman spoke slowly. "With your status, Mount Myōboku would certainly not refuse to teach you Sage Mode."

Naruto turned his head, sensing a familiar chakra deep within, obscured by rock.

"I'm not planning to learn Sage Mode from any one of the sanctuaries," Naruto replied, shaking his head. "I just want to understand what natural energy is."

The White Snake Sage smiled. "So, you're intending to follow in the footsteps of Hashirama Senju, are you?"

"The First Hokage also knew Sage Mode?" Naruto mused. "And he didn't learn it through your methods?"

The White Snake Sage shook her head. "I don't know the details."

"He never came to Ryūchi Cave to ask for our Sage Mode."

"I only know that he was contracted with Shikkotsu Forest, but…"

"The Sage Mode he used didn't resemble that of Shikkotsu Forest's lineage."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Besides Sage Mode, there's something else I'd like to ask about."

"Is it about the Sage of Six Paths?" the White Snake Sage inquired.

Naruto nodded.

"That old toad from Mount Myōboku already told me," the White Snake Sage grinned, a hint of excitement in her expression. "I was very cautious back then, avoiding any contact with their clan."

"However…"

"We of the Three Great Sage Lands all possess unique abilities."

"The old toad can peer into the future."

"And as for me, I have the ability to record the past."

"Would you like to see the past through my eyes?"

Recording the past?

"That would be helpful," Naruto agreed, sitting down cross-legged.

The human form of the White Snake Sage began to ripple like water, and a tail emerged from behind, followed by the shedding of her elderly guise, revealing her true form as a massive white snake, still wearing the hat from her human form and holding a long smoking pipe in her mouth.

"Now then…"

"Let's begin."

She flicked her tail, releasing a faint energy from her forehead.

It had little to do with chakra.

It was a mixture of "natural energy" and "spiritual power."

Naruto didn't resist, allowing this energy to pull his consciousness.

Both Nine-Tails and Karin were also drawn into the past by this power.

It felt like passing through a water curtain—chilling to the bone—as they entered another world.

Unlike ordinary memory-sharing or vision-sharing techniques…

Here, Naruto could perceive his surroundings.

Although everything he sensed was based on the White Snake Sage's understanding, making it somewhat incomplete, it was far more vivid than mere words could convey.

The memories were long.

Naruto and Karin spent nearly a month in Ryūchi Cave, watching over a thousand years of history.

But… even though they witnessed this history firsthand, it didn't clarify the questions weighing on Naruto's mind.

He saw the abilities of the Sage of Six Paths.

And he witnessed the battles between Ashura and another individual.

But that was all the information he gained.

Just as the White Snake Sage had mentioned, she had been cautious back then, keeping her distance from that clan.

Everything she saw was from afar.

"The man fighting Ashura was Indra," Yang Nine-Tails explained to Naruto after they had finished viewing the memories. "They were both the sons of the Sage of Six Paths."

The White Snake Sage remained silent, simply watching.

She had witnessed history.

But witnessing didn't mean understanding.

"Why were they fighting?" Karin asked, confused. "They were brothers."

"It seems Indra was jealous of Ashura," Nine-Tails said, tilting his head. "But I don't know the specifics."

"I was just dragged into it without much explanation."

Simply because he lived close to the battlefield, Ashura had picked him up and dragged him along.

The White Snake Sage nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you for your generosity, allowing us to witness so much," Naruto said, bowing his head in gratitude. "As for the Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave…"

The White Snake Sage shook her head. "It's not that I'm unwilling to teach you."

"The Sage Modes of the Three Great Sage Lands are essentially the same—manipulating natural energy."

"The differences lie in how we help our contractors master natural energy."

"The toads of Mount Myōboku use a special 'oil' applied to the contractor's body to help them better sense natural energy."

"And Ryūchi Cave injects my venom into the contractor."

"If they survive without being poisoned to death, they'll successfully master it."

She paused, then continued. "Do you know someone named Orochimaru?"

"He managed to derive a technique called the 'Cursed Seal' from my methods."

Naruto nodded.

He had indeed thought of that man.

"I could let you," the White Snake Sage's massive body writhed, "collect some of my venom."

"And you're in luck."

"There's a new Sage Mode practitioner in Ryūchi Cave this generation. He survived my venom."

"And surprisingly, unlike Orochimaru, who had to create something new, this Uchiha boy matched Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode perfectly."

"He has already mastered it."

"And even more perfectly than that boy from Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya."

Naruto smiled slightly. "So Sasuke's doing well, is he?"

"You know that Uchiha kid?" The White Snake Sage took a puff from her pipe. "That's good news."

"Finding a suitable heir in Ryūchi Cave isn't easy."

"If he had angered you and you killed him, that would have been troublesome."

She turned her head.

A small snake hanging by the stone bed nodded before bursting into a puff of white smoke.

Not long after, it returned with Sasuke.

"Naruto?" Upon seeing the familiar blonde figure, even Sasuke's usually stoic face showed a hint of emotion. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto responded, "I came to see the White Snake Sage about some things."

"And it seems I've run into you here."

The White Snake Sage addressed Sasuke, though her tone was not as gentle as it had been with Naruto. "Uchiha boy, show Uzumaki-sama your Sage Mode."

"He's curious about 'natural energy.'"

Sasuke muttered an acknowledgment and began forming hand seals, slowly gathering natural energy.

"No need to rush here," Naruto shook his head. "Show me later at Orochimaru's place."

"And I'll also need his help."

Sasuke dropped his hands.

Naruto took some of the White Snake Sage's venom, sealing it for storage.

Then, Sasuke reverse-summoned them.

**Land of Rice Fields, Sound Village.**

A puff of white smoke.

Sasuke took a deep breath, his eyes momentarily unfocused.

A key aspect of summoning jutsu was "chakra."

The larger the individual or summoned creature, the more chakra was required.

Although this summoning had succeeded…

Just summoning Naruto and the red-haired Uzumaki nearly drained all his chakra.

Sasuke's gaze landed on Nine-Tails.

Was it because of the Tailed Beast?

Yin Nine-Tails, keenly aware of his stare, bared his teeth and bristled. "Uchiha kid, what are you looking at?"

"Don't be so presumptuous."

Sasuke ignored him. "Should we see Orochimaru first, or…"

Naruto shook his head, gazing into the distance through the walls. "No rush."

"I think your Sage Mode has found a perfect match to test it against."

Sasuke frowned, not fully understanding his words.

"You're still thinking about that guy, Itachi, right?"

Naruto smiled, turning to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke froze, his expression instantly turning serious. "You've sensed him?"

"He's nearby?"

Naruto nodded. "Five kilometers away."

"His presence is strong; he's clearly been here for a while."

"It seems he knows you're with Orochimaru and has been waiting for you."

Sasuke took a deep breath. "Naruto, I know you're hunting down the rogue ninjas from the Akatsuki."

"But please leave this one to me."

"I have to avenge the Uchiha clan and my parents!"

"Please!"

Naruto smiled, raising his hand and channeling his chakra into Sasuke. "Go."

"If you can't defeat him."

"I'll take care of your body, and avenge you myself."

Sasuke met Naruto's gaze and nodded solemnly.

~~~

I'm sleeping right now and still don't know the results. I'll upload the bonus chapters once I'm awake.

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