A month passed quietly.
After Ryoma arrived at Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage immediately reported the good news to him.
Sako had successfully completed the cultivation of Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu.
This result did not surprise Ryoma in the slightest. It wasn't because of anything else—simply because Sako was his daughter.
Expectation was one thing, belief another—but some matters still needed to be tested personally.
After bidding farewell to the White Snake Sage, Ryoma brought Sako to Mount Myōboku.
By the stream, Naruko, Fukasaku, and Shima, the two toad sages, were already waiting, as if they had anticipated his arrival.
"Lord Ryoma!"
The two toad sages waved excitedly.
"Naruko has successfully mastered Sage Mode!"
"Heh—Dad, take a good look at my achievements this month!"
Naruko crossed her hands.
Bang!
The shadow clone hidden near the waterfall—tasked with absorbing natural energy—burst apart, and the refined senjutsu chakra surged back into her body.
In the next instant, Naruko's appearance changed.
Orange pigmentation spread around her eyes, and her pupils became horizontal and sharp.
"Well? What do you think?" Naruko said proudly. "I mastered it in less than a month."
Her gaze immediately shifted to Sako, chin raised arrogantly.
"Sako, how about that? I've already learned Sage Mode. You weren't off practicing shuriken somewhere, were you?"
In Naruko's mind, Sage Arts were something countless powerful shinobi could only dream of obtaining. Naturally, she believed she was already ahead.
What she didn't know, however, was that the place Ryoma had taken Sako to was also one of the Three Great Sage Regions, standing on equal footing with Mount Myōboku.
"Tch… stupid girl."
Sako took a slow breath.
The next moment, her eyes transformed into vertical, serpentine pupils. A faint, purple pattern appeared around them, exuding an eerie and enchanting aura.
Unlike Naruko—who relied on shadow clones to enter Sage Mode quickly—Sako had already begun absorbing natural energy the moment she arrived. From activation to completion, it took her less than fifty seconds.
Though their appearances differed, the dense senjutsu chakra radiating from both of them made one thing clear:
They had both mastered complete Sage Mode.
"H—How can you use Sage Mode too?!"
Naruko's eyes widened in disbelief.
She had always thought Sage Mode could only be learned at Mount Myōboku.
"You really don't know anything about the Three Great Sage Regions, do you?"
Sako shook her head with an exaggerated sigh, looking at Naruko with deliberate pity.
"Ugh…"
Naruko puffed out her cheeks, her fair face flushing red with anger.
Seeing this, Ryoma stepped forward, gently placing a hand on each of their heads.
"Not bad," he said calmly. "Reaching this level in less than a month… you truly are my daughters."
"But don't get complacent."
As he spoke, a Wood Release clone separated from his body.
Ryoma himself walked over to a nearby rock, sat down cross-legged, and looked at them.
"Next, my Wood Clone will evaluate your results."
"You'd better come at it together."
"What?! Dad!" Naruko clenched her fists in protest. "You're only using a clone? Are you looking down on us?!"
Sako didn't speak, but the dissatisfaction in her eyes mirrored Naruko's exactly.
Ryoma merely shook his head.
"It's not that I can't fight you myself. If my real body moved, this place might not survive the aftermath."
"Besides," he added lightly, "you haven't even fought yet. How do you know a 'clone' is beneath you?"
A faint smile curved his lips.
The Wood Clone began walking toward them, step by step.
As it approached, Naruko and Sako felt a strange pressure descend upon them. Their expressions turned serious almost instantly.
"Naruko, you take the right. I'll go left," Sako whispered.
The moment the words left her mouth, both girls sprang into motion, splitting apart and charging from opposite sides.
Naruko struck first.
Mount Myōboku Senjutsu emphasized overwhelming physical strength, close-range combat, and amplified ninjutsu.
Her fist smashed forward toward the clone's face, the air detonating along its path.
Sage Art: Frog Kata!
Using natural energy to extend the effective range of physical attacks, Frog Kata granted terrifying precision and destructive power.
Yet just as her punch was about to connect—
The Wood Clone blurred.
"What?!"
Thanks to Sage Mode, Naruko's physical abilities and dynamic vision were vastly enhanced—
And even so, she nearly lost sight of it.
However, when faced with Ryoma's Wood Clone, Naruko couldn't even perceive the movement.
By the time she realized what was happening, a white, jade-like palm was already right in front of her. She reacted purely on instinct, hurriedly crossing her arms to block.
Boom!
The moment contact was made, the seemingly light palm strike crashed down like Mount Meru falling from the sky.
Naruko was sent flying backward, her entire body flipping through the air.
Ryoma's Wood Clone was about to press the advantage—
When suddenly, more than a dozen thick stone pillars erupted violently from the ground.
The Wood Clone shifted instantly, slipping away with calm precision and avoiding the attack entirely.
Turning his gaze to the side, Ryoma saw Sako standing there, her arms sweeping through the air as jagged stone thorns continued to rise from the earth.
Ryoma immediately recognized the technique.
Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation.
It was an advanced senjutsu technique he himself had mastered during his training. In many ways, its application resembled Wood Release, manipulating the surrounding environment as if it were alive.
Seeing that her first attempt had failed to restrain the Wood Clone, Sako frowned slightly and slammed both palms onto the ground.
Rumble—!
A deafening roar echoed through the area as the earth trembled violently.
From beneath the ground, a massive stone dragon burst forth, towering overhead as it looked down at Ryoma's Wood Clone with overwhelming presence.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation—Earth Dragon."
A confident curve formed at Sako's lips.
In the next instant, the stone dragon lunged forward.
Its charge tore through the air, producing a shrill screech as compressed air was violently forced aside, forming visible shockwaves that rippled outward.
Facing the onrushing stone dragon, Ryoma's Wood Clone stepped forward instead of retreating.
Crack—!
From the ground beneath its feet, another giant dragon surged upward—
But unlike Sako's creation, this one was formed entirely of Wood Release.
The wooden dragon bared its fangs and claws as it slammed head-on into the stone dragon.
Boom—!
Sako instinctively thought—
Isn't it obvious which is harder—stone or wood?
Yet the moment the two collided, her expression froze.
The massive stone dragon—dozens of meters long—was obliterated instantly upon impact, shattering into countless fragments of dust. The terrifying force didn't even leave behind gravel.
"How… is that possible?!"
The calm on Sako's face vanished, replaced by pure shock.
She couldn't comprehend it.
Why had her stone dragon been destroyed so completely the instant it collided with the wooden one?
(End of Chapter)
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