Chapter 168: The Temptation of Immortality
Snakes by nature are vicious and ruthless. Even after living a thousand years and becoming the White Snake Sage, she still couldn't escape this fundamental nature.
Though she and Uchiha Yasushi had no particular grudge, harming people was practically an instinct carved into her bones.
In other sacred lands, contractors were treated as kindred—if not with complete devotion, at least with genuine care.
At Myoboku Mountain, those wanting to learn Sage Mode received detailed explanations and earnest teaching from the toads. They prepared toad oil to help quick mastery, and promptly corrected mistakes when problems arose.
Even though many people still failed learning Sage Mode, that was due to their own inadequacy—you couldn't blame the toads.
But learning Sage Mode at Ryuchi Cave truly proceeded with the intention of working people to death.
Inject a dose of Sage Mode venom—survive it and succeed, fail to endure and die.
Rather than learning Sage Mode, it was more like competing whose life was tougher, whose luck was better!
What difference was there between this Sage Mode learning method and being bitten by a venomous snake, then forcibly producing antibodies through one's own immune system?
Precautions, insights, experiences—absolutely none were given. That's right—not that they didn't exist, but that they weren't given!
Only after you endured, survived, and successfully controlled Sage Mode chakra would Ryuchi Cave teach you these things for slow practice.
These techniques should still be quite difficult. Kabuto Yakushi spent a full two years before completely mastering Snake Sage Mode, merging all the chaotic genes in his body into one, shedding snake skin to evolve into a dragon.
In a sense, his method actually shared similarities with Hiruko's Chimera Technique.
But Yasushi didn't have multiple genes in his body, nor did he plan to gamble luck this way.
Though he possessed healing ocular jutsu, natural energy wasn't damage—it was assimilation.
Essentially speaking, those who turned to stone statues while training Sage Mode all had too much natural energy flooding their bodies. Their digestion speed couldn't keep up, causing natural energy in their bodies to exceed physical and spiritual energy, ultimately filling their entire bodies and becoming part of nature.
In other words, Yasushi's healing ocular jutsu might not be effective against this.
So how could Yasushi smoothly master Snake Sage Mode without gambling luck or desperately enduring?
The one who tied the bell must untie it—the key figure was still the White Snake Sage.
Even those toads knew how to rescue people who failed training. Yasushi didn't believe the White Snake Sage couldn't do it.
The difference lay only in the White Snake Sage's own willingness.
Hoping the White Snake Sage would have a great burst of kindness was absolutely impossible. Kindness—that thing was definitely a rare commodity for the White Snake Sage.
Even if she had any, it was prepared for protagonist-types, not falling to him.
Then the only method was trading with benefits.
In this world, what was more stable than relationships of mutual interest?
But for beings like the White Snake Sage with a thousand years of accumulation, what treasures hadn't she seen? How could she be easily moved?
So in the very first words upon meeting the White Snake Sage, he asked directly:
"White Snake Sage, do you want a Mangekyo?"
"I'll give you a pair!"
This question was far too abrupt. Even the White Snake Sage was stunned.
After hesitating momentarily, she opened her mouth and laughed.
"Hehe, young Uchiha brat, only your own clan considers those eyes treasures. What use would I have for them?"
"Not necessarily." Having dared propose this suggestion, Yasushi naturally had his own considerations.
"White Snake Sage has lived long and seen much. Naturally you also know about Kaguya Otsutsuki and the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Mm..." The White Snake Sage's gaze fixed steadily on Yasushi's face for several moments. After hesitating, she ultimately nodded in acknowledgment.
"This intelligence isn't something ordinary people can know."
"I heard your ocular ability is prophecy like that old toad's. Looks like it's true."
"That's right. When I was young, I indeed experienced the era of Kaguya Otsutsuki and the Sage of Six Paths."
"However, what does this have to do with wanting your eyes?"
"Of course there's a connection." Yasushi spoke seriously: "That Kaguya Otsutsuki came from the cosmos, planted a Divine Tree in the shinobi world, and caused the shinobi world to become what it is now."
"After eating the Divine Tree's fruit, Kaguya Otsutsuki achieved the Bloodline Encompassing, becoming the Rabbit Goddess."
"Now a thousand years have passed. You, White Snake Sage, have become old and decrepit, about to reach life's end. But Kaguya Otsutsuki on the moon remains young and beautiful, completely unaffected by time's passage."
"I ask—don't you want this immortality technique, White Snake Sage?"
"What did you say?" The White Snake Sage erupted furiously, no longer maintaining that kindly old woman appearance. She opened her bloody maw, revealing sharp teeth within. Her entire body rolled in place, revealing a snake body massive as a small mountain.
She coiled downward in one motion, thrusting her enormous snake head before Yasushi's face. That tongue larger than Yasushi's body spewed flames of fury, tightly trapping Yasushi as she roared:
"Boy, don't think that just because you signed a contract with Ryuchi Cave, you can speak recklessly here!"
"If you anger me, I'll swallow you in one bite. No one can protect you!"
Yasushi's expression didn't change. Instead, he teased: "Hehe, as expected—any woman cares greatly about appearance."
"Then let me rephrase: White Snake Sage, you're currently a mature woman in her prime, your charm still present. How's that?"
"Huff..." The White Snake Sage opened her bloody maw, breathing heavily toward Yasushi's face. But it contained no foul odor—instead it carried a fresh natural scent.
Clearly years of cultivation had made her quit the evil habit of blood meals. She no longer ate people, switching to cooked food instead.
Person and snake stared at each other for a long while. The White Snake Sage finally slowly coiled her body back, recoiling into a heap, her voice like rolling thunder.
"Mangekyo Sharingan also cannot grant immortality."
Seeing the White Snake Sage didn't attack, Yasushi's heart grew increasingly certain.
As expected—life has no greater matter than death. No life could resist immortality's temptation. The older the life, the more so.
"Mangekyo Sharingan indeed cannot directly grant immortality, but it is a key that can let one advance toward immortality's path."
"Currently, the only truly known immortality technique is the Bloodline Encompassing."
"Others like the Sage of Six Paths aren't truly immortal either—they merely exist in chakra energy form."
"His two sons are even less impressive—inferior to you three sacred lands' natural energy methods, White Snake Sage."
"White Snake Sage, if you want to transform into a dragon, relying solely on natural energy methods is absolutely impossible. Only by switching to the chakra route is there a glimmer of hope."
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