Sage Mode

Keigo Uchiha looked at the passage before him, chuckled softly, and walked forward, the sound of his footsteps echoing through Ryūchi Cave. "Then let's see what exactly is in here."

His eyes flickered, carrying a hint of clarity.

According to the original Hokage lore.

Ryūchi Cave was home to the White Snake Sage, three high-ranking officials, and countless snakes. While the White Snake Sage was the one truly responsible for the Sage inheritance, there were three individuals tasked with screening candidates before they could reach her.

These were the three high-ranking officials.

They were Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime.

The three of them would use different methods to test one's character, intelligence, and willpower. Anyone who failed in any of these aspects would never see the White Snake Sage; they would become... the withered bones of this place!

Stepping through the passage, the view suddenly opened up!

It was a vast, magnificent palace, resembling an imperial palace of the human world, a structure of such splendor that it seemed to belong only in heaven.

"Oh my, it seems Ryūchi Cave has a new guest. Hello there, guest, welcome."

A graceful figure floated in mid-air, dressed in a green gown, her appearance beautiful.

She looked just like a fairy.

"The White Snake Sage has already foreseen your arrival, so we at Ryūchi Cave have prepared a sumptuous feast for you. Please rest for a moment; I will take you to see the White Snake Sage very soon."

Her smile was pretty, carrying a sense of formulaic politeness.

It was as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

"Is that so?"

Keigo Uchiha raised an eyebrow slightly and said indifferently, "I'm not hungry right now. Please take me there now."

His dark eyes were calm.

But the green-clad woman's expression stiffened, her smile becoming somewhat awkward. Her brow twitched rapidly, as if something were about to burst out from beneath her face, and she took a deep breath.

She looked into Keigo Uchiha's calm eyes.

For some reason... she felt a sense of trepidation!

"I must insist you eat something first; you need to rest."

"I don't believe I need to."

"You do," the green-clad woman insisted.

A stubborn insistence.

"It would be better to just be open about this."

Keigo Uchiha spoke calmly, his dark eyes transforming into the scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the corners of his mouth curling up with a hint of coldness. "Do you think these things can hide from these eyes?"

"Tagorihime."

In an instant.

The green-clad woman—no, Tagorihime—saw her expression change, becoming incredibly ugly as her pretty face instantly morphed into a ghastly snake visage!

"You actually know my name!"

"It seems... you are not simple, detestable human. To be unable to eat such delicious food is truly... a pity!"

As she spoke, she greedily licked the corners of her lips.

Although she said it was a pity.

Her entire body was taut, like a bowstring pulled to its limit, ready to strike at any moment!

The man before her exerted an incomparable attraction; the flesh and blood on his body... must be exceptionally delicious, and must be able to make her... even stronger. Yet, those scarlet eyes gave her a sense of heart-palpitating dread!

He was merely standing there, yet it made her feel... as if she were facing a god or a demon!

"You have already lost! Stand down!"

Just then, a cold, sharp voice rang out.

Tagorihime's body trembled, but upon seeing that white figure, she retreated with deep reluctance.

Keigo Uchiha had already passed the test.

She... could not make a move!

"Then let the next trial begin."

Keigo Uchiha murmured softly and strode forward, passing by Tagorihime. The surrounding scenery decayed, as if the place had instantly transformed from heaven into hell.

The endless light and vibrant colors.

All turned to gray.

The surroundings reverted to a mountain cave, and on the ground... lay endless piles of bones!

"What?!"

Tagorihime's pupils constricted as she watched Keigo Uchiha's retreating back, a sense of terror rising in her heart. "He... knew this was a trial?"

This boy... knew everything about Ryūchi Cave?

Thinking of this possibility, cold sweat instantly drenched her back!

Keigo Uchiha entered a cave.

In an instant, a massive boulder fell behind him, blocking the entrance.

"Hee hee, to be able to see through Tagorihime's illusion right from the start, it seems you are a very formidable fellow."

Ichikishimahime appeared in Keigo Uchiha's line of sight with a smile, "But now... you must complete the 'game' before you can leave."

"Otherwise, there is simply no way out."

She had a sweet appearance, looking like a cute girl-next-door, and her hair tied into two buns gave her the look of a little doll.

At this moment, Ichikishimahime watched Keigo Uchiha with a face full of curiosity.

This youth gave off an incredibly mysterious feeling.

It seemed as if nothing could stump him.

This youth... exactly what kind of confidence did he possess?

"Naturally."

Keigo Uchiha chuckled, "Since it is a mandatory trial, one must naturally take it step by step."

As he spoke.

He calmly looked at the colorful puzzle stones on the ground; there were triangles, crescent moons, and all sorts of other shapes.

On the boulder that had just fallen, there were corresponding recessed shapes, perfectly sized to fit these puzzle stones.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun, and Keigo Uchiha lowered his hands, picking up the stones one after another.

Soon, all the recesses were filled!

Yet, one final recess remained, but there was no corresponding colored stone left!

"Is this the trial of wisdom? But since it is about wisdom, one must use a different line of thinking to achieve the goal."

Keigo Uchiha snapped a stone in half, splitting it into two pieces, and placed them back into the recess!

He simply adjusted their orientation.

It fit the shape of the recess perfectly!

"Let's start the next trial."

The massive boulder rumbled!

The entrance swung wide open, and Keigo Uchiha walked forward, leaving Ichikishimahime with nothing but a bewildered back view.

"What is... going on? It hasn't even been two minutes, and it's already over?"

She looked blank.

Am I the examiner, or just a bystander!

How could I have so little presence!

"Hehe, it seems this brat... is hard to handle. Leave him to me, Shimahime. This brat... I've got him!"

A red-haired figure appeared behind Ichikishimahime; it was Tagitsuhime. She had long red hair and an incredibly gentle face, yet the words she spoke made one's blood run cold!

"No."

Ichikishimahime shook her head.

As if she had thought of something.

But Tagitsuhime could no longer hear her; her figure had already vanished.

And the moment Keigo Uchiha stepped into the mountain cave, thick fog rose all around, as if something terrifying... was about to appear, but the next moment... this white mist simply vanished.

As if nothing had happened at all.

Immediately following, a sharp female voice rang out!

"This is impossible! This is impossible!"

"Why... did your inner demon not appear? Could it be that you have no confusion in your heart, no fear at all!"

Tagitsuhime stared in disbelief, her face—which had been as gentle as a Yamato Nadeshiko—transformed into a snake's visage.

Grim and terrifying!

Within Tagitsuhime's snake-like pupils was shock and horror!

She was less than five meters away from Keigo Uchiha, the two of them face-to-face. She had originally thought her illusion would bewilder Keigo Uchiha, but she hadn't expected... it to be completely useless. In other words, she had lost the moment she stepped onto the stage.

Moreover, she had just been bragging that she would definitely be able to defeat Keigo Uchiha.

Isn't this just getting slapped in the face!

"Yo hehe, to think that just after casting the illusion, I have already... lost?"

Ichikishimahime's figure drifted eerily to Tagitsuhime's side, her eyes filled with mockery.

She even wore an expression of indifference.

Compared to the other two.

She was the most laid-back.

Whether she ate or not didn't really matter, but this feeling of watching the spectacle made her very happy!

"Get lost! Next time, I will be the one to conduct the first trial; I won't let you two eat everyone!"

Tagitsuhime floated away in a rage.

This was not only embarrassing, but it was also infuriating!

"Why get so angry? It's not like I'm the one who eats the most; that would be Kamihime."

Ichikishimahime pouted with her loli-like face, then turned to look at Keigo Uchiha. "Since that one has already left, I'll be the one to take you to the White Snake Sage this time."

"Come to think of it, you are one of the few people to make it this far in the last hundred years, but this isn't the final hurdle yet."

She smiled brightly, carrying the warmth of a girl next door.

Her face was fair and clean, giving off an air of innocence.

If not for that chilling expression from just moments ago, who would believe it?

About ten minutes later.

The two walked through the cave, and the space before them suddenly opened up!

It was a... solemn temple!

This was the residence of the White Snake Sage. Before Keigo Uchiha could even stop, the temple gates swung open with a boom. The two stepped inside to find a kind-looking old grandmother.

She was lying on a primitive stone bed.

"A youth not found in the River of Fate, with a past and future that are nothing but a void. Who... exactly are you?"

The White Snake Sage slowly opened her eyes. Despite her aged face, those eyes... were incomparably clear.

As if... she could see through everything!

A chill ran down Keigo Uchiha's spine.

It was as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Instantly, he assumed a combat stance, the crimson pentagram in his eyes spinning wildly, yet even so, his heart remained cold.

The White Snake Sage before him... could she also see the future!?

In the dark underground.

Shimura Danzō slowly opened his eyes, a chilling glint flickering within them. He spoke slowly, his voice echoing through the underground chamber, ensuring no one else would hear.

"The Uchiha Clan... a clan born of evil! The only reason the Uchiha Clan is stable now is undoubtedly because of the existence of Kyo Uchiha, but if Kyo Uchiha were to die... then the entire Uchiha Clan would inevitably fall into chaos!"

"At that time... the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan will be mine for the taking!"

His eyes were grim, filled with a sinister gloom.

"Orochimaru, if you want to research the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, you will have no choice but to seek my help!"

As he spoke.

He looked into the darkness before him, his eyes growing even colder.

According to the timeline.

The Root ninja... should have already entered the Uchiha Clan by now, right?

With the strength of an Elite Jonin, facing the already aged Kyo Uchiha, the outcome was already painfully obvious.

The Uchiha Clan.

In the dead of night.

A figure flashed in rapidly, bypassing the guards without them even noticing. Like a ghost in the night, his movements were too fast, and his form was invisible in the air.

Only a tiny shadow remained beneath his feet.

This seemed to be the only proof of his existence.

He quickly arrived before a door and, like a phantom, carefully opened it and slipped inside. The house had no windows open, so this was the only way to enter!

"I must complete Lord Danzō's mission, otherwise... the Gekko Clan will be finished!"

His eyes were filled with conflict and pain, but the next moment, they turned cold once more!

This was for the sake of his own clan.

He had no other choice!

If Shimura Danzō were to move against the Gekko Clan, the Gekko Clan as it stood now would have no possibility of resistance, and besides... his own son was still in that man's hands!

"My apologies, Great Elder of the Uchiha Clan."

Gekko Chōfū took a deep breath, gripping his kunai tightly as his heart hammered against his ribs; this was the most powerful figure in the Uchiha Clan!

A man whose mere stomp could make the entirety of Konoha tremble!

But the next moment, a sharp cry suddenly rang out, "Enemy attack!"

"The enemy possesses a ninjutsu that renders them invisible to us, even the Sharingan cannot perceive them! Protect the Great Elder!"

Uchiha Shinsuke roared.

Within his eyes were a pair of scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan!

Although he could not see the enemy.

The door that had just swung open on its own was the best proof; his eyes were wide with fury, cold sweat streaming down his forehead—damn it!

He was too far away; there was no way he could reach the Great Elder's side in time!

"No matter who you are, if you stop now, the Uchiha Clan might still forgive you. Otherwise, what you will face... will be the hostility of the entire Uchiha Clan!"

"You will face the wrath of the entire Uchiha Clan!"

He bellowed!

Startling the nocturnal birds in the deep of the night.

Gekko Chōfū's gaze was icy, his back chilled; there was no turning back now!

He gripped the kunai in his hand with white-knuckled intensity and thrust it fiercely toward the neck of Kyo Uchiha!

But the next moment, those eyes snapped open!

Within those pupils... was a pair of scarlet Pentagram Mangekyou Sharingan!

"So... this is what Keigo was doing earlier? Imbuing his Sharingan's power into my eyes. It seems this old man... has been saved by a youth once again."

Kyo Uchiha shook his head helplessly.

Before him, Gekko Chōfū's figure froze in place, his eyes gradually shifting from confusion to clarity. His form materialized, and he looked respectfully at Kyo Uchiha, dropping to one knee.

"Great Elder!"

His expression was one of reverence.

He looked like the most loyal of servants.

Accompanied by a thunderous crash, the wooden door flew off its hinges as Uchiha Shinsuke's wild frame burst into the room like a charging lion. He panted, roaring, "Do not dare harm the Great Elder!... Huh?!"

His body stiffened.

He stared at Gekko Chōfū, who was kneeling before Kyo Uchiha, completely bewildered.

"What is the meaning of this?"

He stammered, "Don't tell me he broke in just to kneel before you?"

This was absolutely absurd!

He recognized the man before him; he was the patriarch of the Gekko Clan and the only Elite Jonin of his kin, yet now he was kneeling before the Great Elder like a servant!

"Enough, withdraw, Shinsuke. Everything is fine now."

Kyo Uchiha waved his hand, his clouded eyes flickering with clarity in the dead of night, his gaze chilling to the bone!

Next, he would have to get to the bottom of this matter!

Just who... dared to lay a hand on him!

In Ryūchi Cave.

"You know of me? You... what have you foreseen?"

Keigo Uchiha narrowed his eyes, staring at the benevolent-looking White Snake Sage. Within his gaze lay a frigid, forest-like chill, and his entire body erupted with a terrifying aura!

His frame burned with cyan-blue flames!

Thunderbolts flickered!

Rankai Mode had been activated!

The scarlet pentagram spun frantically within his eyes!

"Do not be so tense. As an ancient creature, I naturally possess a certain degree of prophetic ability, yet I cannot see your past or your future. You seem to be a special existence; perhaps... you could do me a favor."

The White Snake Sage grinned.

That benevolent face suddenly became even more benevolent.

Yet, in Keigo Uchiha's eyes, there was an indescribable sense of eeriness.

"You arrived here through Orochimaru's Reverse Summoning Technique, so there is no need to worry too much. I will infuse you with natural energy, allowing you to master Sage Mode—provided, of course, that you are capable of mastering natural energy."

The White Snake Sage said kindly.

She was impossibly easy to talk to.

It felt as though no matter what Keigo Uchiha requested, she would agree to it. This sense of things going too smoothly left Keigo Uchiha feeling... awkward.

"What must I pay, or rather, what kind of favor do you need me to do?"

Keigo Uchiha raised an eyebrow.

As a former Fortune 500 executive with an eight-figure annual income in his past life, he naturally understood one principle: there is no such thing as a free lunch, and the things that appear free are often the most expensive.

"It hasn't been decided yet, and even if I were to make a request, it would have to wait until you successfully master natural energy."

White Snake Sage smiled as she spoke, her form gradually shifting from that short, kindly old grandmother into a... thousand-meter-long white-scaled serpent!

Hideous and terrifying!

"Everyone who comes here and reaches this stage must agree to one request. This request is not fixed, and as for your... request... it has not been determined yet."

"Are you... willing to accept?"

The colossal white-scaled serpent flicked her tongue.

Before this massive, horrifying giant snake, Keigo Uchiha felt like a tiny ant.

"Of course."

Keigo Uchiha grinned.

The White Snake Sage before him was different from the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.

If the Toad Sage was a kind-hearted, somewhat muddled grandfather who considered your best interests in everything he did, then the White Snake Sage before him... was driven by pure self-interest!

Everything she did had an underlying motive of profit.

As for this so-called condition... she had likely already decided on it, but the time to speak it aloud had not yet come.

"Opportunities to master natural energy are rare. With such a good chance right in front of me, I naturally cannot let it slip away."

Keigo Uchiha chuckled softly.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he asked, "May I ask... why is Orochimaru unable to use the Reverse Summoning Technique to reach Ryūchi Cave? Even if his soul power is somewhat weakened, he remains an excellent successor."

He looked at the White Snake Sage with curiosity.

This was a question he had never quite been able to figure out.

If Orochimaru wanted to master Sage Mode, it shouldn't have been difficult; after all, the refinement of his chakra was already enough to allow him to perform Living Corpse Reincarnation.

Practicing Sage Art would be much easier for him than for an ordinary person!

The only issue was that Orochimaru needed to recuperate his spirit.

The White Snake Sage paused, remaining silent for a long time. "Actually... I saw a glimpse of Orochimaru's future. He is a man who does not respect rules. Even if he agreed to my request now, he would follow his own whims and break the contract."

"He will eventually master the thing I need, but he will not give it to me."

As she spoke, her mouth seemed to twitch, and a trace of helplessness appeared in her serpentine eyes.

Holy crap!

Keigo Uchiha was stunned. You really are something, Snake Uncle!

Exploiting bugs right in front of the God of Death.

Feeding empty promises to the White Snake Sage!

The White Snake Sage had foreseen this; she knew she would be cheated by Orochimaru, so she simply chose never to meet him.

Brilliant!

Neither this person nor this snake was a saint!

So it turned out that Orochimaru's issue wasn't just mental, but a matter of character. Orochimaru would eventually master something that the White Snake Sage coveted, but he would break his word and refuse to give it to her.

Keigo Uchiha pondered this, and suddenly, a thought struck him, causing his pupils to constrict!

What the White Snake Sage wanted... was the opportunity to become a dragon!

And in Boruto, Orochimaru allowed Mitsuki to master a Sage Mode that was extremely similar to a dragon form. It seemed that what the White Snake Sage had foreseen was exactly this scene.

"I understand. Then let us begin."

"Once I have mastered natural energy, I will help you resolve your problem when the time comes. Of course, this must not harm my own interests."

Keigo Uchiha snapped back to reality and spoke with conviction.

"That will not happen."

"Then... prepare to receive my power!"

"By absorbing natural energy and combining it with your own physical and spiritual energy, you must condense Sage Art chakra in a 1:1:1 ratio!"

The White Snake Sage flicked her tongue, and her hideous, blood-red maw descended from the sky!

She bit down fiercely onto Keigo Uchiha's neck!

In an instant.

The surging natural energy erupted from the snake fangs; though this energy was incredibly cold, it carried a trace of warmth, and at the same time, a strange power made Keigo Uchiha feel completely at ease.

It was as if... he were basking in a warm hearth.

But the next moment.

The temperature of this 'hearth' skyrocketed!

Keigo Uchiha's body began to mutate; fine, hard scales sprouted along his neck... as if he were about to transform into a snake!

Simultaneously, the areas undergoing mutation... began to petrify!

"As expected... I cannot see the prophecy... was it merely an accident?"

A trace of disappointment appeared in the snake-like pupils of the White Snake Sage.

It stood to reason.

How could just anyone who wandered in possess the talent and ability to master Sage Mode?

But suddenly, her pupils constricted, and she stared at Keigo Uchiha in disbelief, "He actually controlled it, and furthermore... the natural energy within his body is stabilizing. What... is happening here!"

"Petrification... it is supposed to be irreversible!"

This scene exceeded the scope of her understanding.

The petrification and snakelike transformation on Keigo Uchiha's body were slowly fading; although the process was gradual, it was dissipating steadily!

Meanwhile, the natural energy within Keigo Uchiha's body had become incredibly docile. Under his command, it fused precisely with his internal chakra, causing his body to gradually flush red.

It was as if he were enduring immense agony.

Yet, his expression remained entirely unchanged.

So... this is natural energy? This energy drifting through nature, when fused with physical energy and spiritual energy, will synthesize Sage Art chakra, allowing me to enter Sage Mode!

For an ordinary person, this is extremely difficult to control.

Keigo Uchiha's thoughts raced.

He was multitasking, yet it had no impact on him whatsoever.

For an ordinary person, the difficulty of cultivating Sage Art chakra was like refining chakra for the very first time; having never attempted it before, success on the first try was virtually impossible.

Moreover, the refinement of Sage Art chakra was ten times more difficult than refining ordinary chakra!

This was the reason for failure!

But for me, possessing the talent of Absolute Control, this... is as simple as eating and drinking!

He opened his eyes!

Crimson eyeshadow emerged!