"Let them suffer a little more for now. I'll find a way to help them grow. The future won't be a war between ninja villages, but a war between civilizations."
"For the sake of this world, these fledglings must learn to spread their wings."
In the days that followed, Fei Shi shut out the world and devoted himself to learning Mount Myoboku's Sage Mode.
Jiraiya didn't leave, either. When he heard that an even greater challenge awaited them after peace came to the Ninja World, he began learning Sage Mode.
He wasn't proficient in Sage Mode. Unless he prepared in advance, there was little chance he could use it in battle. Besides, his Sage Mode... looked ugly.
After reporting the situation to Minato Namikaze and Tsunade, he practiced Sage Mode over and over.
Every day, after training, he exchanged insights with Fei Shi.
Through the borderline-cheating training method of Shadow Clone Technique, Fei Shi learned the most basic Sage Mode in half a month.
Fei Shi glanced at the mission panel.
Mission: Master the Sage Modes of the Three Great Sacred Lands.
Progress: 2/3
Reward: Unknown.
"Only Ryūchi Cave is left, right? No need to rush. I'll perfect Mount Myoboku's Sage Mode before I leave. Nothing much will happen before the Chunin Ninja Exams anyway."
Fei Shi murmured to himself.
"Jiraiya! You should work harder, too. Look at me—I've already learned Sage Mode. Now look at yourself. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Jiraiya's veins bulged.
"Don't get cocky! You've only taken the first step toward mastering Sage Mode! I'm almost done learning Perfect Sage Mode myself!"
"Hahahaha! Then let's wait and see. We'll find out who learns Perfect Sage Mode first."
Jiraiya's expression stiffened. He gritted his teeth in frustration.
How could this kid be such a monster? Who knew how much longer it would take him to learn it?
But... I'll probably look pretty cool once I master Perfect Sage Mode. Maybe I'll be able to charm Tsunade.
Jiraiya thought conceitedly.
Fei Shi shook his head at Jiraiya, who had drifted off into his own thoughts, and continued practicing Sage Mode.
He already knew where Orochimaru was, and one of his clones was keeping an eye on him.
Once he finished learning Mount Myoboku's Sage Mode, he would go find Orochimaru. He was quite interested in the man. He hadn't bothered going before because he'd had nothing important to do. It was better to wait until Orochimaru finished his human experiments and perfected Living Corpse Reincarnation, then bring him over.
It wouldn't be good if Orochimaru conducted human experiments on his own territory after he brought him back.
During his time at Mount Myoboku, Fei Shi turned down Sage Shima's invitation to dinner and took ingredients from his storage scroll to prepare his own meals.
Poor Jiraiya was taken away by Sage Shima. He couldn't bring himself to refuse, so he had to go along.
Another month passed, and Fei Shi had mastered Sage Mode.
Jiraiya and the two sages were dumbfounded.
Then the two sages gave Jiraiya a good scolding. He'd studied for so many years, yet he still couldn't match someone who'd studied for just a month and a half. How could they not be angry?
After all, they considered Jiraiya their junior. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have been so furious.
With Jiraiya watching him resentfully, Fei Shi left Mount Myoboku. He planned to head to Orochimaru's hideout and obtain information about Ryūchi Cave.
As soon as Fei Shi returned from Mount Myoboku, he left the village and headed for Orochimaru's base.
Come to think of it, Orochimaru was still with the Akatsuki, wasn't he?
Then Fei Shi headed for the location his Shadow Clone had provided.
Land of Grass.
Fei Shi arrived at the Orochimaru base mentioned in the intelligence. Using the Byakugan, he detected a cold chakra presence.
If he wasn't mistaken, it had to be Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was standing beside an experiment table, conducting an experiment on the person lying on it.
Fei Shi entered the base without a sound and observed its interior.
Many cages stood against the wall nearby, all containing people. Adults, children, the elderly, men and women alike.
Some were ordinary people, while others were ninja.
Their expressions were numb, and they paid no attention to Fei Shi as he entered.
Some looked at him pleadingly, hoping he would rescue them.
Fei Shi furrowed his brow.
Since crossing into this world, he had seen people die and had wielded a blade to kill.
But he had never seen people caged like livestock, subjected to horrific human experiments.
They'd be better off being killed with a single stroke.
Using the Sharingan to control Orochimaru's subordinates, he walked to the laboratory door and—bam!
Fei Shi kicked open the door to Orochimaru's laboratory. Orochimaru, who had been concentrating intently, twitched, and... the experiment failed.
The person who had been suffering on the experiment table was finally released from their torment, passing away.
Orochimaru's cold gaze turned toward him. When he saw Fei Shi's black hair billowing, his pupils contracted. He had clearly recognized Fei Shi.
"Heh heh heh. I never expected the famous Uchiha Hise of Konoha to visit my humble base. What an honor."
Orochimaru didn't dare let his guard down. Shimura Danzō was a warning to him, and he had no desire to suffer the same fate.
Shimura Danzō was someone even Teacher Sarutobi couldn't easily eliminate, yet Fei Shi had cut off one of his arms and one of his legs.
Orochimaru had offered to use Hashirama Cells to grow him new limbs, but Danzō had refused.
He knew exactly what kind of person Danzō was: ruthless, willing to do anything to achieve his goals, and not even respectful of Teacher Sarutobi.
But that time, he had clearly seen fear in Shimura Danzō's eyes.
That showed just how terrifying Fei Shi was.
He also knew the stories of Fei Shi single-handedly driving back an elite force from Kumogakure led by the Raikage and holding off the Nine-Tails on his own.
Fei Shi was on his list of people never to provoke.
Why would he come looking for him? He hadn't done anything to Fei Shi, had he? He'd heard that as long as you didn't provoke him, the man was pretty easygoing—lazy, even.
It was no wonder Orochimaru was afraid. Fei Shi had held off the Nine-Tails at eleven and defeated the Fourth Raikage at fourteen. Now he was eighteen. Who knew how strong he had become?
Though Orochimaru had ways to save his own life, nobody wanted to provoke a monster like that. Having one fewer enemy was better than having one more, wasn't it?
"Since you recognize me, I don't need to introduce myself. I'm here to make a deal with you."
"?"
Seeing Orochimaru's confusion, Fei Shi didn't rush. He calmly explained.
"Though I'm a Konoha ninja, I don't care about your grudges with Konoha. I just want you to take me to Ryūchi Cave."
Orochimaru hadn't expected that. In that case, the chances that Fei Shi had come to deal with him were probably slim.
Orochimaru flicked out his long tongue and licked his lips like a snake, then asked Fei Shi excitedly,
"If you want to learn Sage Mode, Tsunade should be able to take you to the sacred land of Shikkotsu Forest. If nothing else, Jiraiya, who's on good terms with you, could take you to Mount Myoboku. But you came to me instead. You want to learn the Sage Modes of all three sacred lands, don't you? Am I right?"
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Before you continue