The White Snake Sage's talent for storytelling wasn't exactly impressive.
Through her dry, decaying voice, Takeshi and Uchiha Hikari roughly learned about what had happened when the Ōtsutsuki first descended upon this world.
The story was nothing extraordinary. In essence, countless races once existed on this land, all of whom practiced natural energy. When the Ōtsutsuki arrived, they fought desperately against them—but in the end, they were all defeated by Isshiki and Kaguya.
At that time, the three sages of Mount Myōboku, the Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave were minor, insignificant figures. When all their predecessors perished one after another, they could only wait quietly for their final judgment.
But what happened next surprised everyone.
First, Kaguya backstabbed Isshiki and devoured the Chakra Fruit.
Then, her two dutiful sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, joined forces to send their thousand-year-old mother on an indefinite "moon vacation," so she could enjoy her peaceful twilight years.
Finally, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo founded Ninshū, distributing chakra among the people and ushering in the Shinobi Era on this land.
With the arrival of a new age, the three surviving sages became highly sought after.
After all, following the Ōtsutsuki's descent, they were the only ones left capable of using natural energy.
Of course, there might still be a few hidden masters deep in the mountains who preferred not to reveal themselves.
In short, the three great sacred grounds became the only options for shinobi to learn natural energy. The White Snake Sage made a comfortable living off this business, enjoying a worry-free existence.
Unfortunately, that comfortable life was now facing a serious threat—
Isshiki was still alive.
And he was preparing to cause trouble.
"You can't stand by and let the Ōtsutsuki rule the shinobi world, and I don't want to give up my current way of life. That's why I'm willing to teach you Ryūchi Cave's Sage Arts."
After discerning Takeshi's temperament, the White Snake Sage spoke with uncharacteristic honesty.
Takeshi didn't care about the ancient story from a thousand years ago. His current goal was simply to drive out the Ōtsutsuki.
So, there was only one possible answer...
"According to tradition, I would normally inject natural energy directly into your body. However..."
The White Snake Sage glanced at Uchiha Hikari beside him, whose vigilant eyes radiated wariness. Slowly, she shook her head.
"This is Ryūchi Cave's secret technique. You'll have to absorb the natural energy and comprehend it on your own."
It wasn't that she was afraid of the Uchiha girl—she just didn't want her to cause chaos in Ryūchi Cave, stirring up thoughts of rebellion among the restless serpents.
The Ice Release that Takeshi had just displayed had already drawn unwanted attention from some of them.
Ryūchi Cave was a place ruled by strength. The White Snake Sage maintained her dominance only because of her overwhelming power.
But the moment she showed weakness, the first to tear her apart would undoubtedly be those same foolish snakes.
Even the three great snake princesses by her side weren't beings she could truly trust.
Her millennia of experience had taught her one thing: never, ever trust a snake completely.
...
"This resolution, I'm afraid, is unacceptable to us."
Inside the Shinobi Alliance office in the Land of Iron, an Iwagakure representative shook his head and rejected Konoha's proposal.
Moments ago, Konoha's representative, Nara Hōen, had proposed supporting Yahiko and the others from the Akatsuki Organization to take control of Amegakure, reasoning that they had once led the people of the Land of Rain in rebellion against Hanzō's tyranny and thus had the backing of the populace.
But to Iwagakure, the Land of Rain's location was far too important. They had sent multiple expeditions there, hoping to take advantage of Hanzō's death and fully absorb Amegakure into their sphere of influence.
The Kirigakure representative, Kiryu, immediately countered Iwa's stance.
"If we continue letting Amegakure remain in this lawless state, it'll only attract other dangerous organizations to take root there."
At present, Kirigakure and Konoha had struck several secret deals. Kiryu himself had received direct instructions from Yagura—to unconditionally support all of Konoha's proposals.
The Kumogakure representative, Amein, also spoke in Konoha's favor.
"That's right. What Amegakure needs now is order—and reconstruction."
The Sunagakure representative, Ichimatsu, said nothing. But given Sunagakure's current predicament, his silence didn't matter much anyway.
"There's no need for order—at least not yet. Once we finish our complete investigation of Amegakure, we'll rebuild its order together with you," said the Iwa representative, grinning as he nearly let the truth slip.
Iwagakure, of course, preferred that its neighbor remain in perpetual chaos.
They had already studied Yahiko and knew of his strong reputation in the Land of Rain. If he truly took over Amegakure, it wouldn't take long for him to restore stability.
And that—was not good news for Iwagakure.
After a round of fierce debate, it became clear that no one could persuade anyone else. The representatives all sent messages to their respective superiors for instruction.
"That old man Ōnoki—has he still not outgrown his wartime mentality?"
Upon receiving the report, Sakumo didn't show much emotion; his tone remained calm as he shared his thoughts.
If Ōnoki heard that, he'd probably jump up in fury. Who didn't know that the Akatsuki was basically Konoha's puppet? You're planting your own men right on my doorstep—would you accept that if you were me?
Nara Shikaku saw the core issue and sighed helplessly.
"Ōnoki's concern is with Yahiko's stance."
And on that point, Konoha did have something to say.
Yahiko, though currently friendly toward Konoha, was at heart a firm believer in peace across the shinobi world.
His true goal was to achieve lasting peace in the ninja world. While his ties with Konoha were strong for now, if Konoha ever ordered him to lead an offensive or tried to use Amegakure as a staging ground against Iwagakure, he would undoubtedly turn against them on the spot.
Ōnoki's worry was baseless.
Unfortunately, even if Konoha explained all this, that stubborn old man probably wouldn't believe it.