Chapter 165: Ryūchi Cave

Naruto had been gone for over forty years.

Yet, the ninja world had hardly changed.

The scars from the battle with Nagato still marred the ground.

Yin Nine-Tails slipped away, eager to roam freely, and soon disappeared without a trace.

Meanwhile, Yang Nine-Tails, uninterested, perched on Naruto's shoulder, dozing off.

"Aren't we going to do experiments anymore?" Karin trailed behind Naruto, her tone laced with disappointment.

Naruto nodded. "We'll head to Rock Village first."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi might have been despicable, but his research skills were unmatched.

After spending years learning under him, Naruto revisited his earlier experiments upon returning to the ninja world, only to find them crude and lacking.

Fortunately, the data remained intact.

But now, reexamining it, he immediately spotted the issues.

His own body's chakra, though powerful, was further removed from the essence of chakra compared to that of the Tailed Beasts.

Instead of studying himself, it would be more fruitful to study the Tailed Beasts.

Karin nodded gloomily, sighing.

'Well, I guess I won't be seeing any more 'unclothed' samples… what a pity.'

But she quickly perked up again. "Naruto, I'm all set and ready! The next time we do an experiment, just call me in—I promise nothing will go wrong!"

She was resolute, serious.

Naruto smiled and nodded in agreement.

As soon as they crossed the border, Rock Village's Anbu met them and respectfully escorted them to the village.

Ōnoki was there to greet them at the village entrance.

"Welcome, Uzumaki-sama," he said with a warm smile, his red-tinted nose glistening with oil.

"Just call me Uzumaki," Naruto replied softly.

Ōnoki nodded. "Then I'll shamelessly accept."

"What brings Uzumaki to Rock Village?"

"Don't worry," Naruto reassured with a smile. "I'm just here to propose a deal with Rock Village."

Ōnoki's expression immediately grew serious. "Let's head inside and discuss it."

Once they were in a meeting room, he couldn't wait to ask, "What sort of deal does Uzumaki want to make with Rock Village?"

"You've probably heard about what happened with Cloud Village," Naruto said.

Ōnoki's expression stiffened, his face growing tense as he nodded with difficulty. "As long as it's not an unreasonable request, Rock Village will do its best to accommodate you."

The man and woman standing behind him also looked uneasy, clearly misunderstanding something.

"I'm talking about matters concerning the Jinchūriki," Naruto clarified, shaking his head.

Ōnoki caught the underlying message and laughed twice. "Are you referring to the arrangement where the Tailed Beasts are given some freedom while still maintaining the Jinchūriki status?"

This was something Cloud Village tried to keep secret, but it didn't stay hidden.

The Eight-Tails was well-behaved and rarely caused trouble.

But the Two-Tails was a cat.

And cats, regardless of size, are inherently restless, always leaping about.

As a result… nearly everyone outside of Cloud's Anbu had caught sight of the Two-Tails.

"Does Uzumaki wish to do something similar with Rock Village's Jinchūriki?" Ōnoki frowned, somewhat puzzled.

"That's part of it," Naruto nodded. "Additionally, I'd like to make a deal with the Tailed Beasts themselves, to exchange some chakra."

"And as for what I can offer in return…"

"Some techniques?"

"Or perhaps…"

"The corpses of your rogue ninja?"

Ōnoki was momentarily stunned.

Rogue ninja corpses?

"There's a rogue ninja from Rock Village in the Akatsuki?" His voice grew low, though he already had a suspicion.

The Akatsuki… was an "elite" group, and only one of Rock Village's rogues could have qualified to join them.

"A young man named Deidara, with blonde hair and a unique secret technique." Naruto placed a scroll on the table with a light tap.

Ōnoki's eyes widened.

He was not only shocked to hear about Deidara… but also by Naruto's technique.

The more one understood chakra and ninjutsu, the clearer it became how remarkable Naruto's abilities were.

"Reduced hand seals," even "seal-less" techniques.

Many exceptional ninja could perform their commonly used jutsu without seals.

But Naruto's effortless display of this ability… Ōnoki could tell it was different from the conventional seal-less techniques of other ninja. This was a fundamental overhaul of the jutsu, making it entirely seal-less, allowing others who learned it to achieve the same effect.

This wasn't something that could be achieved merely through great power.

Ōnoki hadn't reached "that level" himself, so he didn't know how to describe it.

But one thing was clear… even Madara Uchiha couldn't reach this level.

"Then I'll trade Deidara's body in exchange," Ōnoki said, suppressing his greed and speaking softly. "I'll ensure that Rock Village's Jinchūriki cooperates with you."

"However…"

"Only one of our Jinchūriki is currently in the village."

Naruto looked at him.

Ōnoki chuckled awkwardly. "The other Jinchūriki has been traveling the world ever since we had a falling out years ago, much like Jiraiya of Konoha."

"Even after receiving your notification, he refused to return to the village."

"At the moment… he's within the borders of the Land of Earth, but quite a distance from Rock Village."

"If you need him, you'll have to wait a while."

He said this carefully, wary of being misunderstood.

Naruto remained silent, merely pushing the scroll forward.

A few days later…

Naruto left Rock Village with two samples of Tailed Beast chakra.

Ōnoki saw him off at the village gates.

"Naruto seems quite gentle," Kurotsuchi remarked, tilting her head as she peered in the direction her grandfather was watching. "But that red-haired Uzumaki by his side doesn't look as easy to get along with."

Ōnoki sighed in relief. "It's a good thing for the entire ninja world when people like him are easy to deal with."

Polite and business-like in his approach.

The only "trouble" for Rock Village was that the Tailed Beasts gained some degree of "freedom," and the Jinchūriki couldn't summon them back at will.

But… that didn't seem like a bad thing.

Visibly, the relationship between the Jinchūriki and the Tailed Beasts had slightly improved because of Naruto's actions.

Leaving Rock Village… Karin stretched lazily. "Where are we heading next?"

She wasn't very fond of Rock Village.

"First, let's collect the remaining Tailed Beast chakra, then we'll head to… Ryūchi Cave," Naruto replied after a moment's thought.

"Ryūchi Cave?" Karin was puzzled.

Naruto smiled. "I'm interested in Sage Mode."

Karin nodded in understanding.

Over the next six months, Naruto visited Mist Village to find the Three-Tails and then traveled to Sand Village to obtain a sample of chakra from the One-Tail.

Of course… his interaction with the One-Tail didn't go smoothly.

It bore no ill will toward Naruto, but it had a significant grudge against Nine-Tails.

Upon being released from Gaara's body, it immediately lunged at Nine-Tails.

It was confident in its ability to defeat Nine-Tails.

Over the years, it had been diligently studying sealing techniques, undoubtedly the most effective way to deal with Tailed Beasts.

But… the outcome was clear. Nine-Tails, having mastered its initial release form and with its numbers doubled to two, beat the One-Tail black and blue, forcibly tearing off one of its arms as a trophy.

Nine-Tails was thoroughly satisfied.

It had now beaten up its two most disliked foes—the Eight-Tails and the One-Tail—and even secured trophies from both.

With this, Naruto had collected the chakra of eight Tailed Beasts.

Only the Six-Tails remained.

The Six-Tails' Jinchūriki, Utakata, was a rogue ninja from Mist Village, well-hidden.

Mist Village was also searching for him, and Mei Terumī assured Naruto that if they found any trace of the Six-Tails' Jinchūriki, they would notify him immediately.

While continuing his research on Tailed Beast chakra, Naruto headed for Ryūchi Cave.

Although ninjas typically summon their summon creatures through summoning techniques, it didn't mean the creatures lived in a separate dimension.

The "Three Great Sage Lands" were real locations within the world.

Following the information obtained from his deal with Orochimaru, it didn't take Naruto long to find the area where Ryūchi Cave was located.

"This place…" Karin frowned as she looked ahead at a temple that stood incongruously with the surrounding environment.

It was nothing like Mount Myōboku.

Dark, damp.

Snakes slithered in dense numbers, moving through rotting trees and overgrown bushes.

Despite the lush vegetation, the air carried a foul stench.

"I remember snakes aren't scavengers," she remarked, shaking her head. "Are we really going in?"

"Should we contact Orochimaru and have him…"

Before she could finish her sentence.

Naruto turned his head, looking in a particular direction. "To the friend hiding over there, please come out."

Karin followed his gaze.

There was nothing there, just empty space.

She activated her "Mind's Eye of the Kagura," trying to detect something, but found nothing.

"Even the little girl from the Uzumaki clan beside you didn't notice us," came a voice, as the air rippled, revealing three figures—a woman and two girls. "How did you detect me?"

They were three women, two adults, and one child.

"Is Ryūchi Cave specialized in genjutsu?" Naruto asked, glancing at them briefly before turning his attention back to the temple. "This level of realism is rare."

The green-haired woman's expression shifted. "It seems you're not here to acquire the power of the Sage Land."

"I want to meet the White Snake Sage," Naruto said calmly. "Can you lead the way?"

The blue-haired woman spoke up. "To enter Ryūchi Cave and meet the Sage, you must first pass our trials."

"Ryūchi Cave isn't like Mount Myōboku, where…"

But she didn't finish her sentence, her expression suddenly changing.

It wasn't shock that cut her off.

It was that she couldn't speak.

The golden-haired boy before them radiated an overwhelming pressure.

A power entirely different from "chakra" or "natural energy."

One that required their full concentration to resist, just to maintain their illusion and not reveal their true forms.

~~~

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