At the clinic, Nawaki felt terribly groggy. He struggled to open his eyes and found himself lying in bed, staring blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. He murmured to himself,
"Where am I?"
He tried to move and sit up, but his whole body felt weak.
Just then, a flash of red appeared in his vision. As if she had understood what he was trying to do, she gently helped him sit up a little and carefully eased him back against the pillow.
"You haven't fully recovered yet. You can't get out of bed, so you need to rest here!"
Her voice was gentle but firm. Nawaki nodded to show he understood.
Then he rubbed his eyes and blinked, gradually bringing his blurry vision into focus. When he saw the person helping him, he couldn't help but freeze.
She had a rather delicate face, but what caught his attention most was her long, vibrant red hair, bright as flames.
Is she an Uzumaki like Grandma? Her hair is so pretty!
"My name is Uzumaki Michiko. I'm taking care of you, and I'm the one who healed you, you know."
She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, waiting proudly for Nawaki to thank her. But after a while, he still hadn't responded. She looked down and found him staring into space.
A vein instantly popped on Uzumaki Michiko's forehead. She leaned right into Nawaki's face.
"Hey! Why are you spacing out instead of thanking me?"
Only then did Nawaki come back to his senses. As he looked at her face so close to his, his own face flushed, and he stammered,
"Th-thank you, Uzumaki Mi-Michiko."
After saying that, Nawaki lowered his head, too embarrassed to meet her eyes. Uzumaki Michiko, on the other hand, burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! My name is Uzumaki Michiko, not Uzumaki Michiko-Michiko. You're way more fun than the person who brought you here."
Hearing her mention that person, Nawaki wasn't so shy anymore and asked,
"Who do you mean?"
"The one with the really white eyes."
"You mean Shinichi? He's my brother. Where is he now?"
"He went to gather some medicine for you. By the way, how are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?"
Nawaki shook his head.
"Other than feeling a little weak, I'm fine."
Suddenly, his stomach growled.
"You must be hungry. You probably threw up everything in your stomach on the way here. Wait a moment; I'll make you something to eat."
Uzumaki Michiko turned and left the room. Before long, she came back with a steaming bowl of porridge.
"Here, this is the lean pork porridge I made this morning. It tastes really good."
Uzumaki Michiko handed it to Nawaki with a smile.
Nawaki took the bowl and slowly ate. The porridge tasted great, and it warmed his stomach.
"Thank you, Uzumaki Michiko."
Nawaki thanked her again.
"Don't mention it. Just call me Michiko. You're my patient, so of course I'm going to take good care of you," Michiko said with a smile.
After finishing the porridge, Nawaki felt much better. He and Michiko chatted for a long time. He told her about Konoha, making the young girl long to visit the village, and she told him all kinds of amusing stories about Uzushio Village.
By the end, they knew each other much better and had become good friends.
"Phew. Do you give up?"
Back with Hyuga Shinichi, he held Little Green Snake by the head in his left hand, while his right hand formed a blade, gathering a dense mass of Wind Release chakra.
Clearly, he had just used Wind Style: Wind-Cutting Hand Blade. The ground was covered with severed tree roots.
Little Green Snake struggled desperately in Hyuga Shinichi's grip, but couldn't escape. It let out a cold snort.
"Hmph. I guess I'm just unlucky this time. I'm done playing with you. Let me go already! I'm going home."
Hearing Little Green Snake, Hyuga Shinichi smiled and said,
"Of course I'll let you go, but only if you agree to one condition."
Little Green Snake stopped struggling and asked curiously,
"What condition?"
The chakra in Hyuga Shinichi's right hand disappeared. He pointed to himself and said with a smile,
"Become my summoning beast."
Little Green Snake looked confused, clearly not understanding.
"Summoning beast? What's that supposed to be?"
"A summoning beast is a partner who signs a contract with you. In battle, I can summon you to help me fight."
Hyuga Shinichi explained. Little Green Snake thought it over and replied,
"That sounds kind of interesting, but why should I agree?"
"Because I can help you get stronger if you become my summoning beast. You won't lose out by following me. What do you say?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Hyuga Shinichi gently set Little Green Snake on the ground. To his surprise, it didn't immediately run away. Instead, it raised its upper body upright and stared intently at him.
"Get stronger? I don't care about that! I want to become a dragon. Can you help me become one?"
"Become a dragon? How's a little green snake like you supposed to become a dragon?"
When he heard that the little green snake in front of him wanted to become a dragon, the image of Jackie Chan—Yakushi Kabuto—instantly came to Hyuga Shinichi's mind.
But on second thought, Kabuto's condition didn't really count as becoming a dragon. It was more like Sage Mode.
Even if Yakushi Kabuto and Mitsuki grew horns when they entered Sage Mode, that didn't mean there was any sign of snakes turning into dragons.
After all, Manda had horns on his head too!
Besides, the White Snake Sage in Ryūchi Cave had been training for so long and still hadn't become a dragon. Was it even possible for a snake to become a dragon in this world?
That made Hyuga Shinichi think of something he'd read in cultivation novels in his previous life.
A snake could become a python after five hundred years, and after another five hundred years, the python would evolve into a boa. After another five hundred years of cultivation, the boa could become a Flood Dragon. A Flood Dragon then needed another five hundred years to become a Chi Dragon. After five hundred more years of arduous cultivation, the Chi Dragon might become a Qiu Dragon. Finally, after a long time as a Qiu Dragon and another five hundred years of refinement, it could become a Ying Dragon.
All of these transformations required painstaking cultivation, enough accumulated power, and a stroke of good fortune.
In this world, Natural Energy could be considered the equivalent of spiritual energy in a cultivation world. Combined with the all-purpose chakra, perhaps there really was some way for a snake to undergo the astonishing transformation into a dragon.
Hyuga Shinichi had already thought of a place. Even if it couldn't help Little Green Snake become a dragon, he would definitely go there himself; it might even help his Byakugan evolve.
After thinking it over, Hyuga Shinichi said to Little Green Snake,
"I can't guarantee that I can help you become a dragon. After all, there are no records of snakes turning into dragons in this world, and nobody even knows if dragons exist..."
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