The Surprise of the White Snake Sage

Ryūchi Cave.

In the courtyard of the deepest temple.

A sudden gust of wind whipped through the tranquil environment.

The White Snake Sage, half-asleep and half-awake, was startled by a massive storm of Chakra.

Who is it!?

She lifted one eyelid of her half-closed eyes, her exposed slit pupil gazing toward the source.

What is it?

This is...

Hiss!

How is it that the disciple taken in by little Orochimaru is down to his last breath!?

The White Snake Sage opened her mouth in surprise, her pipe falling to the ground without her even noticing.

She opened her eyes wide, her slit pupils glaring fiercely toward a corner of the temple.

"What a ruthless little brat, even more vicious than that child Orochimaru!"

"To think he would dare to torture his own body like this."

"Could it be that he was certain I was watching from outside? If I had been asleep... this kid would have just died right there."

The White Snake Sage felt slightly sullen inside; this was the first time she had been forced to act in such a stifled manner.

The feeling of being manipulated did not sit well with her.

Having lived for over a thousand years, this was the first time she had experienced such a sensation.

The White Snake Sage gently exhaled a puff of white smoke, which transformed into a sharp blade, pierced through the paper window, and submerged into the body of Uchiha Ao, who was on the verge of physical collapse inside the room.

This strange power formed a third external force within Ao's body.

Just as every cell in his body was being assaulted by the violent assimilation power of the First Hokage's serum, this force helped stabilize the defenses of his vital organs.

With the addition of this brand-new power, The Uchiha bloodline, which had been pushed back at every turn, finally caught its breath after about half an hour.

The immense stimulation caused Uchiha Ao's temples to throb violently.

Under constant provocation, the bloodline power within his body underwent a massive transformation.

Endless pain wracked his entire body.

This pain became the source of his Uchiha bloodline power.

At the same time, it was also the most critical kind of change.

This was conducive to understanding the secrets hidden within the Uchiha bloodline!

"Succeeded..."

Ao suddenly opened his eyes, his pitch-black pupils looking toward the broken window, nodding slightly toward the White Snake Sage in the main hall, his mouth moving slightly to utter a word of thanks.

"Still conscious?"

"In a thousand years, this is the first time I've seen someone dare to forcibly fuse the power of Asura and the power of Indra."

"Interesting... truly interesting!"

The White Snake Sage manipulated the mist to pick up her pipe, placing it back in her mouth; her drowsiness had vanished, and her eyes were filled with newfound gravity.

A wisp of blue flame ignited spontaneously.

It lit the pipe.

The pipe released a trail of blue smoke.

She took a deep breath.

The gaze she directed at the person lying on his side held a hint of scrutiny and importance.

This was the first time she had seen a life form capable of maintaining consciousness during such a critical moment.

This level of mental fortitude was enough to practice the core secret arts of Ryūchi Cave.

He was already qualified to practice the core secret arts of Ryūchi Cave.

The White Snake Sage, lost in thought, used her tail to retrieve an ancient piece of snakeskin from the depths of the temple hall behind her, tossing it out from the white mist and hiding it under the chair she sat upon.

No words were needed.

She waited for Uchiha Ao's next move, wanting to see what kind of methods this young junior actually possessed to dare to forcibly fuse the bloodline powers of the two opposing clans of the Ninja World.

At this moment, Ao was mentally invigorated, focusing all his attention on "watching" the changes within his body.

This brand-new power gave his body a chance to breathe.

It also gave him the opportunity to glimpse the catalyst for the formation of Uchiha power.

In an instant.

The Uchiha bloodline cells, which had been suppressed all this time, showed new signs of activity.

Ao's mental energy formed an internal view of his body, keenly capturing this subtle change, and he immediately focused his attention on it.

He discovered something.

The power of the Uchiha bloodline was surging continuously from every cell in his body, rampaging along the fractured vessels, breaking through the obstacles formed by the First Hokage Cells, and converging entirely into the various nerve centers of his eyes.

Ao's spirit jolted, and he concentrated all his attention on his ocular region.

He observed carefully as his Chakra collided everywhere, completely out of control.

The scene appeared chaotic.

Yet, within it, he saw traces of a formation similar to a Summoning Jutsu.

It seemed to be a spectacle formed during the process of biological evolution.

This was a power originating from the depths of the Uchiha bloodline.

It seemed...

Under the scouring of this Chakra, the nerve cells within his pupils were spontaneously generating an extremely unique power.

At this moment, his pitch-black pupils slowly transformed into a Sharingan with a single tomoe.

Summoning?

Evocation?

Or—had he activated the power of Indra hidden within the nerve cells of his pupils?

Many guesses flooded Ao's mind, and as he carefully observed the entire process of the Uchiha bloodline's metamorphosis, he began to find some clarity.

He etched these imprints into his mind with perfect precision, using his mental energy to carve out the exact same patterns.

It must be said, The mental energy in this world is truly useful.

It can unreasonably manifest all sorts of things within the inner world.

Perhaps this was a talent he gained after his soul merged with that of another person.

As this special spiritual energy, suspected to be the power of Indra, emerged within his visual cells and merged with his own Chakra, it transformed into a brand-new power that surged from his eyes and rapidly spread throughout his entire body.

He attempted to suppress the erupting power of the First Hokage Cells, which was currently contending with a third, external force.

However, the Uchiha power that had just undergone metamorphosis was completely unable to resist the erosion of the First Hokage Cells, which occupied the vast majority of his body.

Metamorphosis.

It erupted once more.

The tomoe that had been spinning continuously flickered and transformed into two.

Then, three.

The three orderly tomoe spun continuously around his pupils, and the massive amount of Uchiha Chakra that surged forth finally suppressed the riot of the First Hokage Cells.

Under the harmonization of the White Snake Sage's power, The three forces gradually formed a brand-new tripartite balance at his Dantian.

As the power of the serum subsided, The collapse of Ao's body gradually came to a halt.

Having withstood the violent impact of the serum's eruption, what followed was a terrifying vitality that unscientifically and continuously healed his damaged meridians, repairing the trauma upon them.

In less than half a day, his body, which had been paralyzed on the ground, regained its normal ability to move.

The three tomoe in Ao's pupils emerged, and the whites of his eyes turned blood-red. He slowly sat up, gently touched his eyes, which were still stinging, and roughly checked the state of his body.

His injuries had not fully recovered, but they no longer hindered his movement; he could slowly support his own weight.

"My physical talent is still too weak... Just opening the Three Tomoe almost cost me my life. And this is just the most basic Yin Release and Yang Release Chakra? I didn't expect it to be so overbearing."

"I must be like Orochimaru, and replace this body, especially in a world where bloodline inheritance is paramount."

"If only I could get my hands on a body with Otsutsuki blood."

Ao muttered to himself.

After experiencing the power displayed by the two Kekkei Genkai—diluted to the point of being almost invisible—that were inherited from the strongest bloodline in this world, the Otsutsuki bloodline, He realized more and more the terrifying nature of the bloodline powers in this world.

His heart was filled with curiosity about the power of the Otsutsuki bloodline.

During his physical examination, his attention could not help but drift toward that brand-new power.

The power from the White Snake Sage—

Could it be...

Natural Energy!

A thought flashed through Uchiha Ao's mind.

The Natural Energy that Orochimaru had tamed within the Cursed Seal could not be seen in its entirety due to the seal's limitations.

This was his first time coming into such close contact with Natural Energy.

He hadn't expected it to take this form; it gave off an extremely dangerous sensation.

It felt as if touching this power would trigger an unpredictable disaster.

Just as Uchiha Ao was stunned, the aged voice of the White Snake Sage suddenly rang in his ears.

"Ao-kun, are you alright?"

"Once you have rested, come see me; I have something to give you."

The three sisters of Zuijinji, who were guarding outside the temple, couldn't help but widen their eyes upon hearing these words.

It was the first time they had ever heard their ancestor use honorifics toward a human.

What had happened!?

What on earth had that brat named Uchiha Ao done!?

The three sisters exchanged glances, seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.