A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Shahzaam, Varun Madhu, kevin Williams, Jose Carrillo, Jose Sierra, Silver, Archer, ManyEB, Acedia, Zhandos Kauzhanov, Kylo Ren, Mursuland, Vora, kurtis newman, 66835.
ad 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
The absence of any auxiliary tool akin to toad oil made Midorima's training in sage arts exceptionally difficult. After all, he had never studied sage techniques before, and they were distinctly different from ninjutsu, requiring him to unlearn many of his ingrained habits during the learning process.
Moreover, the challenge of sitting on the vine suspended across the chasm proved far greater than Midorima had initially imagined.
Firstly, the vine was pliant. Before achieving true balance, his body would uncontrollably slide to one side. Another factor dramatically increased the difficulty of this exercise—because the vine hung between two mountains over a deep valley, this accursed place was windy, and not just a gentle breeze either.
Imagine sitting on a swaying vine, buffeted by the wind, yet trying not to fall off. Midorima could only think that he needed something to anchor him firmly to the vine; otherwise, he could plummet at any moment.
Fortunately, Midorima possessed "Shunkan." Every time he fell from the vine, he could instantly activate his Mangekyo Sharingan, thereby escaping a fall into the ravine and avoiding the fate of being torn apart by the pythons.
Tagitsuhime's demeanor was rather peculiar during these moments.
Whenever Midorima fell, she would immediately rush to the cliff edge, peer down eagerly, and even lick her lips in anticipation. Yet, she never actually witnessed his descent. By the time she collected herself, Midorima would already be standing behind her.
After this scenario repeated itself numerous times, Tagitsuhime grew accustomed to it. Each time Midorima fell, she felt the impulsive urge to dash over, but she forcefully suppressed it within her heart.
Sure enough, Midorima would subsequently reappear at one end of the vine, resuming his training.
She didn't know what trick Midorima was employing. However, human ninjutsu was bizarre and varied, exceeding even sage arts in both number and scope. How could she possibly be familiar with every single one?
Once she accepted this, her whole being settled into calmness, and she ceased to pay the matter any further mind.
While Tagitsuhime had come to terms with it, Midorima found himself troubled.
A ninja could concentrate chakra on the soles of their feet to walk on trees or water. But his contact area with the vine was too narrow. Furthermore, the mountain winds made it exceedingly difficult for him to maintain a fixed position on the vine for extended periods.
This led him to wonder: was training in sage arts truly this arduous?
Puzzled, Midorima earnestly asked Tagitsuhime, "How can I stabilize myself on the vine?"
"Use your tail to wrap around it," Tagitsuhime replied.
"I don't have one," Midorima said, feeling a headache coming on. He wasn't a snake.
"Then strive to grow one..." Tagitsuhime pointed at the cliff. "Or perhaps try falling down a couple of times? It might have a miraculous effect?"
After several days of ferocious battles, only half the snakes remained in the valley floor. The entire ravine was a scene of bloody carnage. The pythons currently tearing into the corpses of their kin perhaps noticed someone observing them. They raised their heads in unison and emitted aggressive hisses.
Midorima quickly shook his head. "I'll find my own way to solve this problem."
Given his current knowledge, wanting to "bind" himself to the vine without external aid left only one method: relying on chakra adhesion to the vine's surface.
However, this method merely made him "stick" to the vine. If the mountain wind grew strong enough, he would still fall off.
To truly become one with the vine, he needed to "grow" onto it.
If ordinary chakra wouldn't work, could sage chakra?
Once this thought occurred to him, Midorima began to experiment. He blended the natural energy within his body with his physical and spiritual energies in a 1:1:1 ratio, then used the resulting sage chakra to adhere to the vine.
This method demanded extremely precise chakra control, as the primary point of attachment was the contact surface between his body and the vine.
It was here that Midorima's experience as a medical ninja proved invaluable—the precise control of chakra.
Due to this change in training approach, Midorima's frequency of falling from the vine in the initial few days increased significantly compared to before. But as time passed and he gradually mastered this technique, his integration with the vine became far more secure than it had ever been.
Midorima's series of maneuvers also left Tagitsuhime utterly dumbfounded.
Based on her prior experience, most people, after falling from the vine, would end up in a melee with the snakes.
Subsequently, after falling multiple times and to avoid further serpent attacks, those individuals would strive to make their aura resemble that of nature, causing the snakes to overlook their presence.
It was precisely during this process that most people encountered issues with the fusion of natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy, leading to the onset of facial petrification.
Therefore, falling from the vine was almost an unavoidable step in the path.
But Midorima was different. After falling repeatedly for several days, he actually discovered another approach. He used sage chakra to fuse with the vine itself, thereby escaping the fate of being blown off by the wind.
Employing this method required one prerequisite: repeated attempts to increase proficiency.
Without relying on external aids or items, achieving this was incredibly difficult. Yet Midorima, through his teleportation ninjutsu, managed to accomplish it and devised a corresponding solution.
However, while this situation was exceedingly rare, it was not a shortcut. On the contrary, it prolonged the learning period.
And the true difficulty actually lay ahead.
Tagitsuhime walked to the cliff edge and looked down at the snakes engaged in relentless slaughter.
Originally, the valley floor had been teeming with pythons. Now, only ten remained. However, their size had grown considerably larger compared to before, showing a trend toward becoming giant serpents. Furthermore, these snakes were no longer solely focused on fighting each other; they had also begun to climb upward.
"All the training up to now was merely a prelude. The real trial is only just beginning," Tagitsuhime said, covering her mouth with a light, amused laugh.
The cliffs on either side of the vine were not sheer; instead, they featured some protruding rocks.
Two enormous pythons began scaling the rock walls on both sides.
Tagitsuhime narrowed her eyes, watching the two giant serpents intently until they reached the cliff's edge.
One of the pythons suddenly flung its body onto the vine.
Instantly, the vine snapped. Midorima, along with the broken section, swung like a pendulum toward the opposite side. Meanwhile, the other python bit through the vine on its end.
Tagitsuhime's eyes gleamed brightly, ready to watch Midorima plunge into the ravine. In the blink of an eye, however, Midorima stood before her, and together they watched the two pythons fall into the valley depths.
The remaining eight pythons swarmed over, devouring the corpses of the two fallen serpents.
"Did you control them?" Midorima asked.
"Yes."
"Why?" Midorima asked, perplexed.
"The first stage is over. You can now use a minuscule amount of sage chakra, but it's still insufficient. For the second stage, you must descend into the valley and remain among the eight surviving pythons. Remember, you cannot attack them, nor can you evade them. You must stay with them. Continue until these pythons transform into a single, unique giant serpent."
Midorima frowned, looking down into the depths.
Stay with these frenzied pythons? And not attack them?
It seemed... somewhat challenging.