"Huh?"
"This feeling... Could it be Shinga?"
As Sōmi sweated profusely in the arid desert of the Gobi, a sudden thought struck him.
Setting aside the Starfall Rod he was using for weighted training, Sōmi quickly performed the Summoning Technique.
Bang!
A puff of white smoke dispersed, revealing an enormous crimson serpent.
"Sōmi!"
"Hurry! Get me that armor you used last time!"
"There's an annoying guy in Ryūchi Cave who wants to fight me. This time, I'll make sure they regret it!"
The moment Shinga appeared, it wasted no time in speaking urgently. Thanks to Sōmi's consistent feeding and taming efforts, Shinga had grown far more obedient.
At the very least, the awkwardness that once existed in their conversations had completely disappeared.
"No problem!"
"Actually, your timing is perfect. I have something I need your help with..."
As Sōmi spoke, he effortlessly formed a series of hand seals. Instantly, golden sand began to cascade like a fine drizzle from the Starfall Rod, wrapping around Shinga's body.
"What do you need?"
Shinga, feeling a familiar sense of security as the golden armor enveloped it, paused for a moment before asking.
"Take me to meet the White Snake Sage..."
Sōmi stood upright, his tone calm and unwavering.
Shinga's single eye instantly flashed with disbelief. After all, it had never mentioned anything about the White Snake Sage to Sōmi before.
Meanwhile, in another vibrant and lush sacred land filled with clear streams, low waterfalls, and an abundance of rare flowers and exotic plants...
Surrounding a circular spring waterfall that flowed with a dark yellow toad oil, numerous lifelike gray-black toad statues stood solemnly.
These statues were so vivid because they were once humans who had failed in their training to master Sage Mode, transforming into toad stone statues as a result.
This served as a stark reminder of the dangers involved in mastering Sage Mode.
At this moment, a young man with blond hair and blue eyes was following a small green toad clad in a black cloak, who had white eyebrows and a beard.
As Jiraiya's disciple, Minato Namikaze received special treatment unlike those who had failed and turned to stone.
Under the stern "stick education" of Fukasaku, who wielded his trusty staff, Minato had successfully completed the first stage of his training.
"We're here! Little Minato, this is the place!"
"Thank you, Fukasaku-sensei!"
Clad in a blue casual outfit stained with dust, Minato's face bore signs of fatigue and a few scratches.
Fukasaku led Minato to the summit of an earthen mountain. What made this peak particularly unique were its numerous jagged spires protruding upward. From above, the area resembled a perilous land bristling with thorns.
Fukasaku retrieved two stone slabs from a pile of boulders nearby and said, "Sit on one of these at the mountain's peak and begin meditating."
"Even the slightest lapse in concentration will disrupt your balance, and you'll tumble down to the valley below."
"The key is to cease the flow of your animal instincts and find a point of balance within yourself."
"Be still, and harmonize with nature..."
Minato looked up at the towering spires, noting the sharp stone spikes jutting out from the middle. Without proper protection, falling into those spikes would undoubtedly result in being impaled.
However, Minato's expression only grew more solemn; there was no trace of fear.
On the other side, guided by the fully armored Shinga, Sōmi was reverse-summoned to Ryūchi Cave, where his vision was plunged into darkness.
Standing between the two sharp horns on Shinga's head, Sōmi remained steady as the serpent slithered deeper into the underground labyrinth with practiced ease.
Drip... drip...
The faint sound of water dripping onto rock echoed through the cave, and a damp chill enveloped Sōmi.
As they pressed forward, Sōmi's eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. In the faint glow of unknown bioluminescent sources, he occasionally spotted pairs of enormous vertical pupils opening in the shadows. A faint mix of blood and decay wafted through the air, and smaller venomous snakes hung from the cave walls.
However, upon seeing Shinga, these snakes' pupils flashed with fear. None dared to approach or block their path, instead choosing to ignore both Shinga and the human on its head.
After an indeterminate amount of time, they passed through several steep and pitch-black passages. The cave walls widened, and Shinga finally stopped in what seemed to be a massive underground plaza.
Before Sōmi stood a towering temple. He had to crane his neck just to glimpse its roof.
At the temple's entrance was a lifelike carving of a dragon's head. Its piercing eyes radiated a chilling aura, warning all who approached of the monstrous entity that might dwell within.
Shinga, however, appeared completely at ease. After all, it had lived in Ryūchi Cave for as long as it could remember.
As for the White Snake Sage, Shinga hardly held any reverence for the ancient being.
Without hesitation, Shinga pushed open the massive doors and continued slithering inside.
Even so, once inside the temple, Shinga's previously wild and aggressive demeanor instantly subdued. Its movements slowed, as if it had suffered some harsh lessons here in the past.
Upon stepping into the temple, Sōmi immediately sensed a peculiar energy flowing around him.
This must be Natural Energy, the key to mastering Sage Techniques...
As Sōmi pondered, Shukaku's voice suddenly echoed from his sealed space.
"Hey... kid, there's someone—or something—really powerful up ahead!"
"Oh? Shukaku, are you actually scared?" Sōmi teased.
"Ridiculous! How could I, the great Shukaku, feel such a lowly emotion as fear? It's just... this energy reminds me of someone..." Shukaku's voice trailed off, growing quieter.
Soon, Shinga carried Sōmi to a colossal stone throne. The surface of the throne was engraved with black and red patterns, and it had an armrest only on the left side. Sōmi had to tilt his head back to see the top.
Coiled atop the throne was an enormous white snake with orange hair and yellow eyes. Its massive head rested on the left armrest, and a green cat's-eye gem adorned its chest, held in place by a purple ribbon that doubled as a forehead protector.
The protector bore a military-green horn-like ornament in the front, with a red luminous pearl set atop its head. A pipe dangled from its mouth, and its body extended downward from the throne's right side, where there was no armrest.
Its thick tail coiled loop after loop behind the throne, its white scales occasionally scraping against the stone with a faint rustling sound. Two golden rings adorned its tail.
Looking up, the White Snake Sage's sheer size was as imposing as a towering mountain. Its coiled tail stretched endlessly, disappearing into the shadows.
Behind the throne was an even taller black stone backrest, which stood like an unyielding cliff.
On either side of the stone backrest, sharp edges extended diagonally upward. At the very top was another majestic dragon head, holding a massive dark red scroll in its jaws. The scroll bore the bold, flowing characters: "Ryūchi Cave."
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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