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The White Snake Sage's head was so close that Kagaya instinctively took a step back. Yet he was still immersed in the vast amount of information revealed by the White Snake Sage's words just now.
"Correct the past? Truly?"
The White Snake Sage slowly drew her head back. "Do you believe I have any particular reason to deliberately deceive a brat like you?"
As she spoke, she exhaled another smoke ring from her mouth.
Kagaya shook his head.
"That's not it. It's just... the ability you speak of is far too unbelievable. I have some doubts as to whether you can truly accomplish it."
Correcting the past—these simple words. Yet this ability seemed to somewhat transcend Kagaya's understanding. He had never heard of such an ability existing in the world of Naruto. Therefore, he couldn't help but be skeptical.
For the first time, a trace of disgust appeared within the White Snake Sage's serpentine pupils.
"Troublesome brat. If you don't believe me, then get lost."
"Eh?"
Now Kagaya was thoroughly embarrassed. He had only intended to probe a little. But unexpectedly, it seemed this White Snake Sage's temperament wasn't particularly good. After being questioned by him twice, she immediately became displeased.
However, from another perspective, the White Snake Sage's attitude more or less confirmed the credibility of her words. Otherwise, if she had been planning to deceive Kagaya, she wouldn't have given up so easily.
"Very well, White Snake Sage. I apologize to you. May I ask how one goes about correcting the past?"
The White Snake Sage gave a cold snort.
"Hmph. No need. I've already lost interest in helping you correct the past. Even if history changes, the one who will die is you. It doesn't affect me much."
Kagaya was stunned. Had this White Snake Sage just become genuinely angry? But as an ancient monster who had lived for who knew how many years, she ought to possess at least a basic level of composure, shouldn't she? She shouldn't get angry so easily.
Unless she was doing it on purpose! Or... her personality was simply highly eccentric!
Only those two explanations existed.
So, let's consider the first one. If the White Snake Sage was faking it, what was her objective? What could she possibly obtain from Kagaya?
Power? No. In the original story, no matter what happened in the outside world, the Sages of the Three Great Sacred Lands never intervened. its a big possibility that their combat abilities must be inferior to those of top-tier ninja. In that case, there was no way this White Snake Sage before him could do anything to him no matter what.
But if that were the case—if the White Snake Sage couldn't do anything to him—then she shouldn't be able to obtain anything from him either! Even if by some fluke she did, an enraged Kagaya would simply seize it back.
Kagaya's greatest reliance right now was the Susanoo. And once a Susanoo was activated once, subsequent uses didn't necessarily require the eyes. In the original story, Madara activated the Susanoo without either of his eyes.
That is to say, even if the White Snake Sage used some method to steal Kagaya's eyes, Kagaya could still activate his Susanoo and chop the White Snake Sage to pieces, reclaiming his eyes!
Therefore, theoretically, the White Snake Sage was completely incapable of posing any real threat to Kagaya.
In that case, it was unlikely she was planning to obtain anything from him. Which meant the White Snake Sage's irritation probably wasn't feigned.
Then... could it be due to her personality?
But if this was truly a snake with an eccentric temperament, that would be far too troublesome.
Thinking of this, Kagaya steeled himself and spoke.
"White Snake Sage, please forgive my earlier rudeness. I truly do wish to erase the influence I've had on this era."
The White Snake Sage, however, ignored Kagaya. Instead, she dispelled the mysterious power that had been enveloping the two of them and spoke in a leisurely tone.
"Let us skip that topic. I no longer wish to help you, and you should stop speaking to me about it as well. Now, tell me—what business did you come to see me for?"
Kagaya's headache grew even worse. The White Snake Sage's words were all further proof that she was a snake of highly eccentric temperament. And dealing with a creature of such temperament was undoubtedly extremely difficult!
"White Snake Sage, the purpose of my visit is... I wish to learn Senjutsu."
"Ha?"
To his surprise, the moment Kagaya uttered those words, the White Snake Sage burst out laughing uncontrollably. She scrutinized Kagaya with an astonished gaze.
"Young one of the Uchiha clan, are you certain you didn't just misspeak?"
Kagaya's head was filled with question marks. He had come to learn Senjutsu—what was so funny about that?
"I'm certain I didn't misspeak just now. I have indeed come to learn Senjutsu."
As his words fell, the White Snake Sage could no longer hold back. "Bwahahahaha! Marvelous! Truly, I've broadened my horizons today. A descendant of Indra has actually come to train in Senjutsu."
Kagaya inquired. "Is there something wrong with that?"
The White Snake Sage spoke with immense interest.
"No, it's nothing. Pay no mind to my words. You wish to train in Senjutsu, yes? That can be done. It absolutely can be done. When do you intend to begin?"
Kagaya furrowed his brow. He had an incessant feeling that the White Snake Sage was withholding certain information from him. Yet he couldn't exactly force her to speak.
"If possible... let's begin right now."
The White Snake Sage nodded.
"Right now, is it? Very well! I shall use my fangs to inject you with natural energy. Do not move."
As she spoke, the White Snake Sage lowered her head once again, opening her massive jaws—large enough to swallow dozens of Kagayas in a single gulp—and slowly moved toward him.
Kagaya stood obediently, not moving a single step. As stated earlier, the White Snake Sage could not pose any real threat to him.
Then, the White Snake Sage placed one of her enormous fangs onto Kagaya's shoulder. With a light touch, it pierced through the skin, sinking slightly into his flesh.
Immediately after, the White Snake Sage withdrew her head, watching Kagaya with keen interest.
And Kagaya—the very instant the White Snake Sage's fang broke through his skin—immediately felt a bizarre yet immensely powerful force rush wildly into his body, rampaging without restraint!
This was natural energy!
If he could bring this energy under control and fuse it with his chakra, he could create Senjutsu chakra, and thus complete his training in Senjutsu.
However...
Kagaya's pupils instantly transformed into vertical slits. His legs began pressing together, as though attempting to fuse.
He was undergoing serpentification!
Kagaya was unable to control this natural energy from Ryuchi Cave!
And if he ultimately failed to control it, he would transform into a snake! Just like at Mount Myoboku. The difference was that when training in Senjutsu at Mount Myoboku, failure to control its natural energy would result in turning into a toad.
Vast amounts of chakra surged toward that natural energy, yet still failed to bring it under control!
No—brute force wouldn't work. He had to use finesse!
Cold sweat streamed down Kagaya's forehead. Right now, he truly couldn't control even the slightest shred of this natural energy!
What made it all the more infuriating was that when Naruto trained at Mount Myoboku, there had been Fukasaku Sage to back him up. If he failed, Fukasaku would simply strike the natural energy out of Naruto's body.
But here with Kagaya, the White Snake Sage before him was just watching idly, showing absolutely no intention of lifting a finger!
The flesh of his legs was nearly beginning to fuse together, and his mouth was slowly protruding outward. The signs of Kagaya's serpentification were growing increasingly pronounced!
He couldn't hold on anymore! He was at his limit!
A flash of crimson light blazed forth. The eyes that had been vertical slits were forcibly transformed back into the scarlet Eternal Mangekyo by a surge of overwhelming power. Chakra and ocular power erupted simultaneously, directly and forcibly blasting the natural energy out of his body!
Naturally, Kagaya wouldn't have dared to come train in Senjutsu without considering the consequences of failing to control natural energy. Although he had hoped that the White Snake Sage would back him up like Fukasaku Sage did in the original story, he couldn't possibly place all his hopes on the White Snake Sage's goodwill.
Before coming to Ryuchi Cave, Kagaya had researched this. Using chakra alone made it very difficult to forcibly expel natural energy.
But once ocular power was added into the mix, natural energy could be expelled with relative ease. Though he didn't know the principle behind this, at the very least, it gave Kagaya the confidence to train in Senjutsu. He had no fear whatsoever of the scenario where he lost control of natural energy!
The White Snake Sage observed the scene before her and spoke with deep meaning.
"Such powerful rejection properties... heh heh."
Kagaya furrowed his brow yet again. He didn't understand the White Snake Sage's words. "What does that mean... never mind. White Snake Sage, let's continue."
Kagaya had initially wanted to ask what the White Snake Sage meant by that, but then he immediately recalled that if she didn't want to tell him, no matter how much he asked, he would never get the correct answer.
The White Snake Sage was noncommittal. "Fine. Let us continue."
As she spoke, the White Snake Sage lowered her head once more, baring her fangs, and injected Kagaya with natural energy again.
However, this time, Kagaya discovered that the natural energy was violently expelled the very moment it entered his body. It couldn't even penetrate inside him.
The White Snake Sage spoke. "Deactivate your Sharingan!"
Only then did Kagaya realize—his ocular power had been the culprit!
For some unknown reason, his ocular power seemed to reject natural energy with extreme intensity.
The crimson light of the Eternal Mangekyo faded. Kagaya's pupils reverted back to their original black color. Only then did the natural energy, like wild horses freed from their reins, surge unceremoniously into Kagaya's body.
And then, what followed became an utterly monotonous routine.
Training of this nature was, obviously, never going to be particularly interesting.
Approaching serpentification, activating the Eternal Mangekyo to expel the natural energy, being injected with natural energy again, attempting to control it again, approaching serpentification again, expelling it again...
Just like that, the training process repeated endlessly, endlessly failing.
Outside Ryuchi Cave, the Five-Tails lay sprawled on the ground, its eyes shut, falling directly into sleep.
A Tailed Beast was, by its very essence, a mass of chakra. Although it was a living being, it didn't need to eat to survive. To put it bluntly, it could sleep until the end of time itself without any problem.
The Five-Tails didn't find it boring either. After all, no matter where it went, life was more or less the same. It might as well just wait here for Kagaya.
As for Kagaya, he wholeheartedly devoted himself to training in Senjutsu within Ryuchi Cave, occasionally venturing out to hunt and fill his stomach, then rushing back to continue his training.
It should be mentioned here that the reason Kagaya ran outside to hunt wasn't because Ryuchi Cave lacked food, but because he absolutely could not stomach what they offered!
In the original story, the toads of Mount Myoboku cooked insects for Naruto to eat. Ryuchi Cave was no different—serving up mice, frogs, lizards, and the like. Just like at Mount Myoboku, these were all placed in bowls while still alive and kicking. It looked as though they had been cooked, but in reality, every single one was still alive!
How could Kagaya possibly eat something like that?
He hadn't actually undergone serpentification!
Getting back on topic, aside from the food issue, Kagaya was fairly satisfied with Ryuchi Cave. The overall environment was relatively cool and shaded—fitting, since snakes favor such conditions—and this cool, shaded environment helped Kagaya settle his mind and focus on his training.
At the very beginning, Kagaya had worried whether hordes of densely packed snakes would constantly slither past him within Ryuchi Cave. That would be far too revolting. Though Kagaya wasn't afraid of snakes, dense masses of them were truly unbearable. As an analogy, it was like feces—though not frightening, it was utterly and profoundly creepy.
Later, he discovered that he'd been overthinking it. Here at the White Snake Sage's dwelling, other snakes rarely came by. Generally, only the White Snake Sage herself was present.
Furthermore, according to the White Snake Sage, the snakes of Ryuchi Cave had actually come to dislike Kagaya instead. They had begrudgingly brought out their finest live mice and live lizards to entertain him, only for Kagaya to refuse to even take a single bite! Outrageous! Was he looking down on them?!
Let no one go play with him! Ostracize him!
After hearing this, Kagaya couldn't help but laugh. Ostracize him? That suited him just fine!
However, this incident also made Kagaya realize something. The creatures of these sacred lands, though all possessing intelligence, mostly had a very simple and innocent kind of wisdom.
Whether it was Mount Myoboku or Ryuchi Cave, it was the same.
The ordinary snakes or ordinary toads of these sacred lands all had the intelligence of children—somewhat naive, and somewhat amusing.
******
Half a month later.
Kagaya's training made no progress whatsoever.
One month later.
Still no progress whatsoever.
Two months later.
The same as always.
Three months later. Still unchanged.
"Do you wish to continue? You've already been training for three months."
The White Snake Sage watched Kagaya with keen interest.
Kagaya spoke helplessly. "In three months' time, I haven't made the slightest bit of progress. White Snake Sage... you must surely know something, don't you?"
Over these three months, Kagaya had asked the White Snake Sage many times, but she never seemed willing to speak, always brushing him off with excuses.
Yet this time was different. The White Snake Sage actually nodded.
"Very well. I shall tell you. Teasing you for three months has more or less settled my displeasure over you doubting me back then."
Kagaya's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. This snake—did she have to hold such a grudge?! Her temperament was far too eccentric!
The White Snake Sage continued speaking.
"It is because you are a member of the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha clan fundamentally cannot train in Senjutsu. If you absolutely must, I'm afraid the only option would be to consider transplanting someone else's Senjutsu power."
Kagaya's head was brimming with question marks.
"Why is that? The Uchiha clan can't train in Senjutsu?"
The White Snake Sage corrected him.
"It's not that you can't. It's that succeeding is exceedingly difficult. As for the reason why... let me explain it this way. The essence of Senjutsu is controlling natural energy, combining it with spiritual energy and physical energy to create Senjutsu chakra. That is the essence of Senjutsu. An ordinary person only has spiritual energy and physical energy within their body. These two energies combine to form chakra. Senjutsu is simply adding natural energy on top of these two. However, there's one point you must note: spiritual energy and physical energy are things a person is born with. These two energies have no mutual exclusivity. They fuse together very easily, which is why creating chakra is simple. But other external energies are different. External energies possess mutual exclusivity, making them far more difficult to fuse. Senjutsu chakra follows the same principle. Fusing spiritual energy and physical energy is very simple. But add in natural energy, and the difficulty skyrockets instantaneously. Those who can create chakra are as numerous as the sands, yet those who can create Senjutsu chakra number only a handful. So, now do you understand how difficult it is to add a third energy into chakra?"
Kagaya nodded.
"I understand. But what does that have to do with me being an Uchiha?"
The White Snake Sage smiled faintly.
"If adding a third energy is already this difficult, then what about adding a fourth energy? That difficulty approaches the realm of sheer impossibility. And for you... natural energy is not the third energy. It is the fourth energy! Your third energy is your ocular power! Your ocular power possesses mutual exclusivity. Under such conditions, how could you possibly add natural energy into your chakra? Through training, success is nearly impossible. If you wish to obtain Senjutsu, I'm afraid your only option is to transplant Senjutsu chakra that someone else has already trained to completion, making it so that even your already immensely powerful ocular jutsu cannot suppress it. Only then would you have a chance of fusing with natural energy."
*****
A/N: In the original work, the White Snake Sage's personality is set as eccentric and highly prideful.