A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, Shahzaam, Varun Madhu, Mp Gaming, kevin Williams, Jose Carrillo, Jose Sierra, Salim, Silver, ManyEB, Archer Sterling, Kyle Bates, Acedia, Zhandos Kauzhanov, Kylo Ren, Mursuland.
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!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Midorima looked around in surprise. The light wasn't great, and the wind where he stood was indeed strong. It seemed many passages converged here.
"How large is this area?" Midorima asked.
"Vast. It's spacious enough to accommodate two thousand branching tunnels. You can imagine the scale yourself," Ichikishimahime replied with a smile.
"But this entire mountain doesn't seem that big... Did you hollow out the whole thing?" Midorima countered.
If so... wouldn't the mountain resemble a giant honeycomb?
Ichikishimahime didn't answer directly, instead smiling and saying, "You're witnessing its existence, aren't you?"
Midorima inwardly sneered.
These Sages were truly peculiar, distinctly different from those of Mount Myōboku—the ones here seemed more inclined to use genjutsu.
"Are there any restrictions?" Midorima asked in return.
"None whatsoever," Ichikishimahime licked her lips. "Personally, I don't care for overly active chakra. Once you're worn down and exhausted, I'll be able to devour your chakra."
Ichikishimahime opened her mouth wide, revealing a long, forked tongue.
A faint smile played on Midorima's lips. "If you think you can wear down my will, you're mistaken."
"How would you know without trying?" Ichikishimahime's smile grew more ferocious. "I've seen plenty of braggarts. In the end, they all ended up in my belly."
"That's because they were too weak," Midorima retorted, curling his lip. He formed hand seals, gathering a massive amount of chakra in his throat. "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Ichikishimahime was startled and quickly floated into the air, rising to a higher position. But the unleashed torrent of water surged forth like a bursting dam, flooding in all directions.
"Since there are two exits, the water will naturally flow out through them once it reaches their level. That much is certain, right?" Midorima chuckled lightly and began moving along the water's flow.
Ichikishimahime grabbed her hair with both hands, her face pale.
There was no cavern with two thousand branches within this mountain. It was all her genjutsu.
By using Water Release, Midorima could easily follow the water current and escape.
Furious, she snapped, "This place connects to the foot of the mountain! Aren't you afraid of being washed right out of the Ryūchi Cave?"
"You only said I had to leave this place to pass the trial..." Midorima's voice faded into the distance. Ichikishimahime could only cover her face in frustration.
Her earlier statement had been so foolish.
Just as Midorima suspected, it was impossible for a cavern with thousands of branches to exist within this mountain. Otherwise, the entire mountain would be hollow. Ichikishimahime's genjutsu most likely trapped people in an illusion where they endlessly circled a specific area.
Without seeing through this, passing the trial would be extremely difficult.
The floodwaters only flowed forward for a few hundred meters before the surroundings changed once more. The mist grew even thicker.
Midorima quickly dismissed the jutsu. As the waters receded, he stood on the muddy ground and surveyed his surroundings.
Within his field of vision, there was still only dense fog. Suddenly, a white snake shot out from behind Midorima, aiming to bite his neck. Without a second thought, Midorima performed the Wood Replacement Technique.
At the instant the snake was about to strike, Midorima swapped places with a wooden substitute.
Seeing its attack fail, the snake showed surprise and transformed back into human form. Her appearance was no less striking than the previous two Sages.
Tagitsuhime, the third Sage responsible for the trials, now wore a look of astonishment. "You actually dodged my attack?"
"Just a bit of preparation," Midorima said with a smile. "And it's only because the Sage held back, not using her full strength, that I had a chance."
"Your sudden evasion puts me in a difficult position. My trial requires that I bite you to take effect," Tagitsuhime said, looking troubled.
"That shouldn't be too hard for you... Besides, you've seen that I passed the other two Sages' trials without issue. In a way, that demonstrates my dedication to seeking Sage Techniques. And since I avoided your attack, it should count as passing the trial. Please don't make things difficult for me," Midorima tried to persuade her.
"That won't do!" Tagitsuhime planted her hands on her hips, her expression serious. "They both got to try. If I don't test you, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage? There's no benefit for me."
"Don't be too short-sighted. What if I master Sage Techniques, become a Sage, and soar through the skies on a sword, or even travel the cosmos?" Midorima fabricated wildly.
Tagitsuhime's mouth fell open slightly.
To be honest, she didn't quite understand. But asking for clarification would be too embarrassing. She simply pressed on stubbornly, "I'm not interested in whether you become a Sage. I'm only interested in your chakra."
"But I really don't want to be bitten by you. What do you suggest we do?" Midorima countered.
"If you think that means I can't test you, you're underestimating me," Tagitsuhime said, grinning widely and extending her long tongue.
The fog intensified once more, becoming so thick they couldn't see their own hands.
"Next, you will see three shadows. One is your companion; the other two are illusions. You must kill two of them," Tagitsuhime announced.
Midorima was taken aback. The fog within a radius of several dozen meters suddenly dissipated. Within his field of vision, there were now three Jūgos, each in his second-stage transformation, punching wildly at the empty air.
"What if I accidentally kill the real one?" Midorima asked.
"That still counts as a pass," Tagitsuhime said, her body rising into the air, a clear, bell-like laugh escaping her lips. "If you kill him, then his chakra belongs to me..."
Frowning, Midorima was about to ask more when he sensed the three Jūgos had also noticed his presence. They abandoned the air and charged towards him at full speed.
Their speed was astonishing. Before Midorima could even finish forming hand seals, the three were upon him, launching a triple assault.
After successively dodging the attacks from all three, Midorima's brow furrowed as he sensed something off. He dodged another round of attacks from the trio, which confirmed his suspicion, and he felt more confident.
As the three launched their third assault, Midorima closed his eyes. Their fists passed harmlessly through his body.
"Alright..." Midorima opened his eyes and looked up at Tagitsuhime floating in the air. "All three of them are fakes. Was bringing three impostors really necessary?"
"Tch," Tagitsuhime clicked her tongue. "That depends on who's facing them... After all, not everyone can tell they're all fakes. And... there was a slight complication..."
"What complication?" Midorima asked, surprised.
Had something happened to Jūgo?
"You'll find out soon. By the way, how did you know all three were fakes?"
"None of their attacks had any real force behind them—no 'impact' whatsoever. The real Jūgo's strength is nothing these imitations could match," Midorima explained.
Tagitsuhime's expression cleared as she understood the reason.
"Actually, I considered bringing your companion here, but he had a bit of an accident..."
Tagitsuhime clapped her hands twice. The dense fog began to disperse.
Midorima looked ahead. A tall flight of steps covered in a red carpet came into view. Jūgo was there, kneeling on one knee, his back to Midorima.
"What happened to him?" Midorima asked urgently.
"Him? In his berserk state, he attacked himself to forcibly regain his sanity," Tagitsuhime sighed. "You two... you really do seem different from the other seekers who come here."