Morkel looked at his fist, then at Rui Jinji lying on the ground, confused.
"Didn't you say you were testing my heart? Why did you suddenly attack me instead?" he asked, puzzled.
Rui Jinji, lying on the ground, felt so wronged she almost cried.
Morkel had practiced Tsunade's Hundred Healings Mark Technique, and after years of intense physical training, his body was far stronger than that of an ordinary person. His punch had been swift and heavy, knocking out half of Rui Jinji's teeth!
Although teeth could regrow in Ryūchi Cave, the pain was absolutely real.
"As long as I could bite your neck, I would have been able to cast an illusion and test your mind..." Rui Jinji said, touching her bleeding gums and speaking with difficulty.
Understanding the situation, Morkel showed a hint of guilt. "Sorry about that. I reacted subconsciously. Do you want to try again?"
Rui Jinji immediately shook her head, covering her swollen cheek cautiously. "No need! You've passed. I'll take you directly to meet the White Snake Immortal."
As she finished speaking, the dense mist surrounding them began to dissipate, revealing a giant stone tablet ahead, engraved with three massive characters: Ryūchi Cave.
"This is the real entrance," Rui Jinji explained. "Once we pass this stone tablet, we are officially within Ryūchi Cave."
Morkel nodded silently, following her lead. As they walked deeper, snakes of all sizes slithered around their feet. Ryūchi Cave truly lived up to its name as the ultimate gathering place for serpents.
On the way, Morkel noticed Rui Jinji's increasingly swollen face. He asked kindly, "Do you want me to heal you?"
However, Rui Jinji, still wary, quickly refused. "No, no, my body can heal on its own! I practice immortal arts, remember?"
After walking for another ten minutes, they arrived at a grand temple. The heavy doors were shut, and the roof and beams were adorned with majestic dragon totems. It was clear that the snakes of Ryūchi Cave held dragons in the highest esteem.
Suddenly, a hoarse voice, neither male nor female, echoed from within the temple: "Come in."
The heavy doors creaked open by themselves, revealing a vast hall inside.
Seated majestically at the center was the White Snake Immortal. Unlike the elderly and frail Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, the White Snake Immortal radiated an oppressive aura. Its massive body was covered in smooth, white scales. It had long orange hair, sharp eyes, a purple ribbon on its head, and a huge smoking pipe in its mouth.
Standing on either side of the throne were Tian Xin Shenji and Ichikishimahime, both visibly bruised from their previous encounters with Morkel. When they saw Rui Jinji's even worse condition, they couldn't help but laugh mockingly.
"Hehehe... Rui Jinji got it even worse than we did," Tian Xin Shenji snickered.
"Her teeth are probably all gone," Ichikishimahime added gleefully.
Rui Jinji's face darkened at their teasing.
"Silence!" the White Snake Immortal suddenly roared, causing the three goddesses to lower their heads fearfully.
After scolding them, the White Snake Immortal turned its gaze to Morkel, inspecting him with its strange, vertical pupils.
"You must be Morkel. You look far better than the last one who came," the Immortal remarked, its voice low.
Morkel guessed that "the last one" referred to Yakushi Kabuto.
The White Snake Immortal continued, "I've heard of your feats. You, a Wood Style user, even defeated the Rinnegan holder single-handedly. Impressive. But why are you here? Haven't you already mastered the Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode?"
Morkel replied calmly, "It's always good to learn more."
The White Snake Immortal's eyes glinted with interest. "Do you know that if you learn the magic of two sacred places simultaneously and fail to integrate them, your body will explode?"
"Thank you for the reminder," Morkel said politely.
The Immortal asked again, "Even so, will you proceed?"
Morkel nodded without hesitation.
The White Snake Immortal smiled slightly. "Very well. I will inject the Snake Sage Chakra into your body. Whether you can comprehend it depends on your own fortune."
"Understood," Morkel replied firmly.
The very next moment, the White Snake Immortal suddenly lunged forward, mouth wide open!
Caught off guard, Morkel instinctively activated his Sage Mode. An orange mask formed on his face as he raised his fist.
With a blast of air, Morkel's punch shot out like lightning.
The White Snake Immortal twisted to dodge — but unexpectedly, Morkel's punch expanded hundreds of times mid-air!
Expansion Jutsu!
With a loud bang, Morkel's enormous fist slammed into the White Snake Immortal's face, sending it flying backward into the temple wall, leaving behind a snake-shaped crater.
The three goddesses were dumbfounded.
He... punched the White Snake Immortal flying!!
As the Immortal spat out two broken fangs, it turned to glare at Morkel furiously. "You, you, you! What are you doing?!"
Morkel was just as furious. "You old snake! I came to learn, and you tried to eat me!"
"I wasn't eating you! I was injecting you with Snake Sage Chakra!" the Immortal retorted, picking up its fallen pipe with its tail.
Thinking back, Morkel realized that the Immortal had warned him. He bowed deeply. "I apologize."
The White Snake Immortal harrumphed, settling itself back on the throne. "Forget it. You're still young and ignorant. But as punishment... bring me a thousand pigs, cows, and sheep."
Morkel hesitated. "Is there another option?"
The White Snake Immortal narrowed its eyes. "You have tailed beasts sealed in you. Give me one to eat."
Morkel shook his head firmly. The tailed beasts were vital for maintaining peace. He couldn't sacrifice them.
Seeing Morkel's refusal, the White Snake Immortal huffed, "Fine. Just don't forget the pigs and cows!"
Morkel nodded and closed his eyes, preparing to receive the Snake Sage Chakra.
The Immortal, still holding a grudge over being punched, infused Morkel's body with far more chakra than usual—almost a hundred times the normal amount.
The pressure was immense.
Purple chakra surged around Morkel's body, and small horns began to grow from his forehead, curving like young dragon antlers. His skin paled, cracked slightly into scale-like patterns, and then—at Morkel's own subconscious will—stopped transforming.
The White Snake Immortal and the goddesses were stunned.
This boy could communicate with his body during transformation?!
The pressure around Morkel intensified as chakra solidified in the air.
When he finally opened his eyes, his senses were sharper than ever. He could hear the crawling of snakes deep inside Ryūchi Cave, the beating of hearts, the whisper of the wind.
He had done it.
The White Snake Immortal, gazing at him in amazement, muttered, "As rumored, Morkel's comprehension is terrifying."
"You have perfectly mastered the Snake Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave," the Immortal said. "You can leave now."
"And don't forget my pigs, cows, and sheep," it reminded sternly.
Morkel bowed respectfully before using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport back to Konoha.
---
At home, he called out, "Naruto? Naruto?"
There was no response. Guessing Naruto had gone to eat ramen, Morkel decided to find him at Ichiraku Ramen.
On his way through the village, he passed by children playing in the streets and familiar faces like Neji, Kakashi, and Iruka. At Yamanaka's flower shop, Ino spotted him and quickly ran over.
"Morkel-kun..." she called softly.
Morkel smiled. "I've been back a few days. Go on, I'm just grabbing a meal."
Ino watched him walk away, emotions swirling in her chest, but said nothing.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Morkel lifted the curtain and peered inside. Naruto wasn't there.
"Uncle, have you seen Naruto?" he asked.
Teuchi turned around. "Ah, Morkel. Naruto hasn't been by today. Want a bowl?"
Morkel politely declined and stepped back outside, puzzled. Where could Naruto be?
Just then, Shizune appeared. "Hey, Master Tsunade is looking for you."
"Got it," Morkel replied, heading to the Hokage's office.
Inside, Tsunade rubbed her temples, troubled by the name "Baizu" and the mysterious city of Loulan.
Just as she muttered to herself, Morkel entered.
"Master, you called?"
---