Ao's expression changed slightly, and a bead of cold sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.
He didn't dare underestimate anyone in this world.
At all times, he carefully concealed his greatest trump cards, making sure no one else could discover them.
He hadn't expected this Sage to see through his last hidden trump card at a glance.
His soul really wasn't that of just one person, but two!
Transmigration!
The souls of two people from different worlds had fused together, creating his current soul.
His predecessor seemed to have died, losing control of the body.
But he still had an influence on Ao. Those lingering memories had left him with a trace of attachment to this world.
And there were also those feelings for his family that he couldn't bring himself to abandon.
They were all proof that his predecessor had existed.
The fusion of the two souls had given him a naturally stronger soul than an ordinary person's. Though his talent for other ninjutsu was poor, he was exceptionally quick at learning techniques that involved the soul, such as the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Thanks to this talent,
he had spent just one month by Orochimaru's side before mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique and Soul Body Separation technique to perfection!
He hadn't expected the White Snake Sage to see through it at a glance.
Ao lowered his head and clenched his teeth, forcing down his fear and concealing every trace of emotion as he kept his expression calm.
"But I am curious about this unheard-of technique of yours. It can actually use the soul to take over another creature's body... Was your inspiration for creating it the Soul Body Separation technique?"
The White Snake Sage asked curiously.
Leaving the body to fight with the soul was the Spirit Transformation Technique's specialty, while possessing another body was the strength of the Soul Body Separation technique.
She knew both very well.
But she hadn't expected that the two techniques could be combined into an entirely new one.
Its effects were even somewhat better than the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique Orochimaru had shown her.
"How did you know!?"
Ao asked in surprise, his fingers tightening involuntarily.
Could this Sage really know everything?
Did the White Snake Sage have some kind of ability to foresee the future, too?
Wasn't that the Toad Sage's specialty?
Ao felt uneasy, worried that she might uncover his identity as a transmigrator.
"I created this technique!"
The White Snake Sage chuckled.
Ao's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected the White Snake Sage to create ninjutsu, too.
And a forbidden technique involving the soul, at that.
In his previous life, he had some recollection of this technique. He thought a spy working under Yakushi Kabuto and hiding in Konoha had used it.
He hadn't expected its origins to lie with the White Snake Sage.
The Soul Body Separation technique was essentially a method of extracting a soul from a living body and sealing it inside another object.
It was a type of Sealing Jutsu, but its connection to the soul made it extremely unusual and very difficult to master.
"What did you name the technique you created?"
A hint of curiosity showed in the White Snake Sage's voice.
At first, she had created the Soul Body Separation technique to contest Old Man Six Paths for control over the souls of the living.
She didn't want all souls to fall under Old Man Six Paths' control in the Pure Land after their bodies died.
Later, she decided it was too much trouble.
Souls stored in stones weren't useful for anything, and they interfered with her ability to refine Natural Energy. Eventually, she gradually gave up on the practice.
She only used it to seal the souls of important descendants of the snake clan.
It was only when Orochimaru came to see her recently and asked about secret techniques involving the soul that she had given it to him.
She hadn't expected Uchiha Ao to master it in such a short time.
It took her by surprise.
The entire snake clan had produced fewer than two people who could master the technique in the past thousand years.
She now had a deeper understanding of Ao's talent.
Despite its various limitations, the technique was rated only A-rank for its power. But because it involved sealing souls, it was extremely difficult to learn.
At least for now, she had never seen anyone else master it.
And Uchiha Ao had actually managed to combine it with the Spirit Transformation Technique...
"Great Sage, I named this technique the Nirvana Self-Sacrifice Technique!"
Ao answered, telling her everything.
Afraid that the White Snake Sage would probe into his secrets again, he didn't dare conceal anything else.
"That's a good name..."
"I have to say, Ao-kun... Even I envy your talent with souls a little."
The White Snake Sage sighed.
The Soul Body Separation technique had been something she'd casually created.
But Orochimaru hadn't learned it.
And now this youngster had.
"It seems you're more adept than Orochimaru at studying the soul. So I'll give you a chance."
"Let's see if you can make an achievement in this field!"
As the White Snake Sage spoke, she flicked her tail.
An old, worn snake skin flew out of the mist.
It fell straight down in front of Uchiha Ao, stabbing into the stone floor and leaving a deep mark.
It had landed with tremendous force.
Ao looked at it and saw strange symbols written across its surface.
He couldn't understand a thing at first glance.
"This is..."
He hesitated, then looked up at the White Snake Sage in confusion, waiting for an explanation.
"Can't read it? Oh, right! I forgot you don't know Snake Script..."
The White Snake Sage's lips curled into a grin.
At last, she had found something the boy couldn't do.
She made the smoke light her pipe again, took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled a wisp of white smoke through her nostrils.
The pleasant sensation of the smoke filling her lungs lifted her spirits again.
She reined in her entire presence, once more becoming a white-scaled giant snake that looked completely harmless.
Her tail gently tapped the wall behind her.
"Great Ancestress, what are your orders?"
A woman's soft, tender voice sounded.
Zuijinji lay prostrate on the ground, her ample chest pressed against the floor beneath her white kimono. The hem of her white skirt clung to her body, accentuating the roundness of her hips, which were strikingly full.
After receiving permission from the Great Ancestress to rise, she stole glances at Uchiha Ao beside her from the corner of her eye.
This human's arrival had repeatedly stirred the Great Ancestress. She wondered what made him so special.
All three sisters were intensely curious about Ao.
The first time she had met him, she had looked down on him.
She hadn't taken him seriously.
She hadn't expected that in just a few days, Uchiha Ao's Chakra would have grown powerful enough to rival her youngest sister's.
How could he have improved so quickly?
Her youngest sister had cultivated for over a hundred years to reach her current level.
"Spend this time teaching Ao-kun Snake Script so he can read the contents of the Snake Slough."
The White Snake Sage instructed her.
The Snake Slough was the remnant left behind when the Sage shed her skin for the first time.
Later, because it had endured the passage of time even better than Ryūchi Cave's stone walls, she had used it as a writing surface and recorded Ryūchi Cave's teachings on it.
"Ah!?"
"Yes, Great Ancestress. Understood..."
Zuijinji was taken aback by the order, then quickly lowered her head in acknowledgment.
Snake Script?
It was the most secret and advanced knowledge of the snake clan.
Even Orochimaru didn't know it.
And the Great Ancestress intended to teach it to this young man...
Hiss... hiss...
What was so special about this kid?
Why was the Great Ancestress treating him with such importance?
The two exchanged a glance and nodded in greeting.
At the White Snake Sage's signal, Zuijinji slowly withdrew from the temple, with Uchiha Ao following close behind.
Over the next few days,
Uchiha Ao spent most of his time studying Snake Script with Zuijinji. In his spare time, he familiarized himself with his body, practiced controlling his greatly increased strength, and worked on using his Sharingan.
His days were very full.
Aside from six hours of sleep and an hour for meals, he spent all his time improving himself and growing stronger.
After roughly half a month of study,
Ao had learned the basics of Snake Script and could understand some of the writing on the Snake Slough.
At first, he had planned to hand the Snake Slough to Zuijinji and ask her to translate it so he could learn what it contained.
But Zuijinji had refused outright.
The Great Ancestress hadn't told her to read it, so she didn't dare.
In all of Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage's words were absolute orders. No snake dared to disobey her.
And the Snake Slough was a core secret of Ryūchi Cave. Even Zuijinji wasn't allowed to read it.
Ao had no choice but to learn Snake Script himself, then translate and study the text on his own.
Only then did he discover that the Snake Slough recorded the White Snake Sage's methods for controlling Natural Energy, and even touched on some of the mysteries of Natural Energy and immortality.
It contained only a portion of the White Snake Sage's insights from more than a thousand years of studying Natural Energy, but they were extraordinarily valuable.
Judging by the marks of time on the Snake Slough,
it was most likely one of the White Snake Sage's earlier writings, rather than the latest version of her research, refined through further study.
But it was still a treasure beyond price.
Ao worked even harder at learning Snake Script, gradually deciphering the contents and gaining an entirely new understanding of the world's Natural Energy.
He also came to understand, in broad terms, why Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode differed so greatly from Mount Myoboku's.
Just as Uchiha Ao was working hard to learn about Natural Energy and trying to control it,
disastrous news reached Ryūchi Cave from Manda.
The news was then relayed by Zuijinji to Uchiha Ao as he trained.
"Lord Ao... Lord Orochimaru has defected from Konoha! He's been gravely wounded, and Konoha shinobi are pursuing him to the border of the Land of Fire! He needs help immediately!"
Zuijinji hurried to Uchiha Ao's door, pounded on it, and shouted.
Ao was Orochimaru's disciple.
He couldn't stand by while his master was in danger!
Ao had anticipated this moment long ago. He had been desperately increasing his strength so he'd be ready for it.
Without his intervention, Orochimaru had lost half his life when he defected from Konoha. Forced to reincarnate before he was prepared, he had suffered irreversible damage to his soul.
That was why he had eventually been bullied by a youngster like Itachi Uchiha.
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