First Strike was a talent that only triggered after Kaguya Rei landed damage first on a chakra-bearing enemy—only then would its follow-up effects activate.
If the enemy hit him first before he attacked, First Strike would enter an extremely long cooldown. And if he got hit again during that cooldown, the timer would reset from scratch. Over and over.
Land the first hit, and you gained a huge burst of bonus damage—plus skill proficiency from the target.
Get hit first, and the rune's effect vanished entirely.
A cornerstone rune with brutally obvious pros and cons.
After Minato's ambush succeeded, Rei had been looking for any chance to break free from his harassment and let First Strike reset. But Minato was simply too fast, his pressure relentless—strike after strike, wave after wave—forcing First Strike to reset again and again.
And because Minato was overflowing with valuable skills, Rei had no choice but to swallow his urge to counterattack.
He tanked everything.
With his body.
Two customized Biscuits later, after more than ten minutes of nonstop harassment, Minato finally had to slow down—his chakra reserves were running dry.
Rei seized the moment. He held Minato in place with words, stalling just long enough for First Strike to come off cooldown.
Then he used Shikotsumyaku's "thorns"—its near-reflective, armor-like nature—to bait Minato into attempting to brand him with a Flying Thunder God mark.
Minato landed the palm.
And paid for it.
Rei pierced him, triggered First Strike, and earned the right to extract a skill proficiency seed.
"Not much damage… but it should be enough to pull a skill, right?"
"Please, please… Flying Thunder God, Flying Thunder God, Flying Thunder God—let it be Flying Thunder God…"
He clenched his fists, breathing rough, watching the remaining duration of First Strike drain away on the system panel.
Ding.
First Strike ended.
[Acquired Skill: Sage Mode · Mount Myōboku LV1]
[Sage Mode · Mount Myōboku LV1 — By absorbing natural energy to create senjutsu chakra, you enhance your attack and defense. You can also extend the range of your taijutsu and sharpen your perception using natural energy.
When successfully activated, special markings (eye shadow) appear on the face, and you gain the ability to damage certain special bodies that can absorb ninjutsu.
This skill can only be leveled through self-cultivation, or by converting proficiency from other Sage Mode skills.]
(Note: Current level is low; switching to another "sacred land" Sage Mode requires a relatively low cost.)
"…Huh."
It wasn't bad.
It was actually great.
But it also felt… wrong.
Like the gacha had skewed sideways.
Sage Mode was a top-tier ability: offense, defense, wide-range sensing, and even the ability to damage targets that could absorb ninjutsu—basically a must-have for late-game fights against those "absorption-type" bosses.
The problem was Mount Myōboku.
Everyone knew Mount Myōboku was practically Konoha's backyard. Even if Rei somehow found it as a Kirigakure shinobi, would the toads really teach him their senjutsu?
And if he went there, he might run straight into Jiraiya of the Sannin.
That was a risk he didn't want.
But self-teaching Myōboku Sage Mode would take forever, with a high chance of failure.
Overall? Not feasible.
So… follow the system's hint. While the level was still low, switch to another sacred land's Sage Mode?
…
Which basically meant the system was pointing him toward the only one that wasn't closely tied to Konoha.
Ryūchi Cave.
The Sage Mode associated with Ryūchi Cave—he could only recall two relevant people.
Jūgo, the source of Orochimaru's curse mark… and Yakushi Kabuto, who absorbed Orochimaru's research and pushed that path to its peak.
"…If I'm being honest, Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode might suit me better."
Kabuto's kit after entering that Sage Mode had plenty of synergy with Rei's fighting style.
Inorganic Reincarnation paired perfectly with Dance of the Seedling Fern. Natural energy sensing could patch Rei's weak perception. He couldn't liquefy his body to nullify White Rage Technique's vibrations, but with his vitality, he could probably brute-force the backlash.
More importantly—
Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode seemed to last far longer than Myōboku's. It was closer to a sustained buff.
And for someone like Rei, whose entire combat style was built around endurance…
That might be more practical than Myōboku's burst.
"…I just can't remember whether the 'snake belly' mutation was Kabuto messing around… or a mandatory side effect of training there."
He rubbed his brow, exhaled, and calmed the excitement from acquiring Sage Mode.
Then, carefully, he let his mind and body reach a delicate equilibrium—attempting to sense the natural energy around him.
Without Myōboku's toad oil as a catalyst, the attempt was… not great.
He could barely feel natural energy, but drawing it into his body and blending it with chakra was impossible.
Worse—when he tried to force it, the natural energy that had felt lazy and sluggish in his perception suddenly began to gather, as if it wanted to surge into him in an unstoppable flood.
Rei immediately backed off.
"…Yeah. I need a professional."
Before searching for Ryūchi Cave, though…
Should he raise his Dark Harvest stacks first? Strengthen his soul?
That failed attempt just now—he couldn't shake the feeling that his Dark Harvest stacks were too low while Grasp of the Undying was too high.
His spirit couldn't properly "match" his overwhelming vitality.
"…Alright. While I chase the optional mission to find a surviving Uzumaki… I'll grind Dark Harvest stacks in the Land of Whirlpools."
He pulled a pre-sealed coat from a scroll, slipped it on—
And vanished from the devastated forest along with the mist he'd created.
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