It was the first time things had gone so smoothly.
Manji was delighted, and the ambition in his heart grew even stronger!
He came up with a plan!
Even if he couldn't reach the Six Paths Level himself,
the system had also said that his strength would get infinitely close to it.
He just needed to combine the various forms of Senjutsu, then develop enough techniques to contend with people at the Six Paths Level!
As the saying went, the more skills you had, the better.
As long as he learned every form of Senjutsu and mastered how to combine them, he could become a grandmaster of Senjutsu.
A super-powered patchwork monster.
With enough techniques to scare even peak Six Paths Level fighters to tears.
By then, even someone at the Six Paths Level wouldn't be able to do anything to him, right?
More importantly!
Manji's lifespan was extremely long, and the main storyline was still thousands of years away.
Manji had plenty of time to cultivate Senjutsu.
He could spend those thousands of years studying Senjutsu. After all that time and effort, his Senjutsu would surely reach a terrifying level.
Manji felt as if a whole new world had opened up before him!
Hahaha, truly:
The sea pressed the bamboo branches low, yet they rose again; the wind darkened the mountain peaks, yet they brightened once more!
Though the Chakra Fruit had been a failure and that path was closed to him, he could simply take another—the path of Senjutsu!
"White Ape King, I have something else to do. I'll take my leave!"
Manji said his goodbyes at once.
The White Ape King scratched his head. "All right."
Manji silently recited the jutsu.
He immediately used Summoning and left Ape Demon Cave.
Once he reached the outside, Manji gazed into the distance at the enormous tree that reached the sky like Mount Buzhou, his heart filled with emotion.
"I wonder if the Sage of Six Paths has been born yet?"
Manji thought it over. He wanted to check, but he had no idea how perceptive Kaguya had become after eating the fruit.
If she discovered him, he would alert her to his presence.
After pondering for a while, Manji summoned a toad and draped it in a cloak of concealment.
Then he controlled the toad as it hopped toward Kaguya's residence...
Inside an old-fashioned estate
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was giving birth.
The toad crept closer to the estate, hidden beneath its cloak of concealment. No one noticed it.
"Looks like it still works..."
The toad opened its mouth wide, and a hand slowly reached out from within.
Manji didn't dare get any closer. From where he was, he could only make out Kaguya giving birth inside.
But even so, Manji couldn't take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
For one thing, he didn't know whether he had any techniques that could hurt Kaguya. Even if he succeeded in ambushing her, there was still the question of whether he could beat her.
Soon, the cries of two babies rang out.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura had been born.
Kaguya looked at the two crying babies, a trace of tenderness on her face. "This land will be ruled by me and my children!"
Manji heard Kaguya muttering to herself. His brows lifted slightly. He had witnessed the birth of Hagoromo and Hamura.
As he looked at the two babies with small horns on their heads,
Manji's gaze grew distant. No one could tell what he was thinking.
"Perhaps... I can make use of Hagoromo and Hamura. I only need to drive a wedge between the mother and her sons, and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya will be sealed..."
Manji fell silent, then quietly left.
He was the kind of person who always repaid a grudge. The betrayal still haunted him like a thorn in his side.
Back at Mount Myōboku,
Manji found the White-Browed Toad.
He asked the White-Browed Toad for Ryūchi Cave's exact location.
The White-Browed Toad thought it over, then gave Manji the coordinates.
The Three Great Sage Regions had always been in contact, so they naturally knew where one another were.
Manji chose Ryūchi Cave first.
Thanks to having watched Boruto,
Manji was familiar with all three of Ryūchi Cave's trials. In Boruto, the trials were said to be difficult, but not impossibly so.
So Manji decided to tackle Ryūchi Cave first.
Thick fog rolled like milk over the jagged rocks.
An estate made of stone appeared and vanished in the whiteness, its jutting eaves blurred by the mist.
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"
Manji walked alone through the haze, his steps steady as he slowly approached the estate's hidden entrance.
Just as he came within a few feet of the gate,
"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss—!"
A sharp whistle suddenly tore through the fog. A White Snake shot out of the mist, fangs flashing as it lunged for Manji's neck!
Manji's Sage senses were sharp. He had already noticed the movement, and with a slight shift of his body, he effortlessly avoided the deadly bite.
"Hm?"
The White Snake missed. Surprise flickered in its slit pupils, then it swung its tail and launched itself at him again!
It opened its jaws wide and snapped at Manji's face.
"Smack!"
This time, Manji didn't dodge. Instead, he reached out and caught the White Snake by the neck, his fingers closing around it like iron pincers. Its neck stiffened, and it could no longer open its jaws.
Manji looked down at the little snake in his hand and smiled.
"Little White Snake, don't be naughty. Your childish tricks won't work on me. I'm here to see your master. Take me to them."
The White Snake thrashed wildly in his palm. A flash of white light enveloped it, and it transformed into a girl of about twelve, her hair done up in two buns and her eyes still carrying a hint of serpentine liveliness.
She stared at him with wide, round eyes, her face full of wonder. "You humans are amazing! None of the people who came before could dodge my sneak attack, and... your aura feels so familiar..."
"Heh."
Manji gave a faint smile.
The previous visitors must have been ordinary people, so of course they hadn't been able to withstand the White Snake's surprise attack.
But he was a Kage Level powerhouse. An attack of this caliber was nothing to him.
He could even react to Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's attacks.
Let alone a little White Snake's.
The girl furrowed her brows and warily took half a step back. "You want to see my ancestor? What for?"
Before Manji could answer,
the gate to Ryūchi Cave swung open with a sudden "whoosh!"
"Rumble..."
The heavy stone gate scraped across the ground with a deep rumble. Beyond it lay darkness.
"White Snake, bring him in."
A deep, ethereal voice came from within the gate, seeming both near and far, its authority tempered by the passage of time.
"Yes, Ancestor."
At the words, the White Snake immediately let down her guard and answered respectfully. She turned and led Manji through the gate.
They passed through a deep corridor, and the view suddenly opened up.
In a vast stone hall, candlelight flickered. A massive black serpent coiled on a stone seat atop a raised platform, its scales gleaming with a cold sheen in the dim light. It lowered its head slightly to look down at its visitor.
"Ancestor."
The White Snake stepped forward and bowed with cupped hands.
Manji bowed slightly as well, but before he could speak,
the Black Snake Sage on the stone seat spoke first in a hoarse voice. "There's no need for formalities. That old toad, White Eyebrow, gave me a heads-up. You want to learn Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu, correct?"
It half-lidded its slit pupils, fixing Manji with a gaze that seemed almost tangible as it scrutinized him.
Manji smiled faintly. As expected, having connections made things easier.
"That's right."
Manji nodded, his tone calm. "Since Grandfather White Eyebrow has already told you, may I ask whether you're willing to agree?"
The Black Snake Sage slowly nodded, its breathing steady as its jaws opened and closed. "If someone is willing to inherit Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu, I have no reason to refuse."
Then its tone grew more serious. "But you should know that the Senjutsu of Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave are incompatible."
"Since you've already learned Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu, if you force yourself to learn the secrets of Ryūchi Cave as well, the slightest mistake could make you lose control and go mad—or even cost you your life."
"If that happens, the toads of Mount Myōboku won't take it lying down."
Manji felt unconcerned.
He might have hesitated in the past, but now that he had the power to resurrect himself, this kind of risk was nothing to fear.
"Don't worry, Sage."
Manji released a little of his aura. Two distinct currents of Senjutsu energy intertwined around him. "If you sense carefully, you'll know I don't only have Mount Myōboku's Senjutsu."
"Oh?"
The Black Snake Sage's pupils contracted, a flicker of surprise in its slit eyes. After a long pause, it finally spoke. "You even carry the aura of the Monkey Demon Clan..."
"That's precisely why I'm confident I can adapt to Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu."
Manji's tone was firm. "Please teach me your secret arts, Sage."
The Black Snake Sage fell silent for a moment, its gaze lingering on Manji for a long while. At last, it slowly nodded and turned to the White Snake. "White Snake, take him to the trials. If he passes, teach him the Senjutsu directly."
Though the White Snake was full of surprise, she didn't dare question its decision. She immediately replied, "Yes, Ancestor!"
The three trials that followed
went without a hitch.
In the end, Manji passed every test and officially formed a contract with Ryūchi Cave!
Before you continue