The waters of the Naka River surged without rest, much like Madara's heart at that moment, unable to settle.
Not wanting Jing Xiu to worry, Madara had said nothing about his experience in Ryūchi Cave.
He had only said he had wandered into a strange cave by accident, explored it briefly, then returned to the camp at Greenleaf Cliff.
Seeing Madara's reaction, how could Jing Xiu not realize that he was hiding something?
"Madara, what happened to you? Was it something to do with Senjutsu?"
Madara took a deep breath and recounted everything he had experienced in Ryūchi Cave to Jing Xiu.
At the mention of Ryūchi Cave, and what the White Snake Sage had done to Madara at the end, a cold gleam flashed in Jing Xiu's eyes as well.
"Madara, that old snake wasn't wrong. The Three Great Sage Lands really are the only three places in the Shinobi World with complete methods for cultivating Senjutsu."
"But Ryūchi Cave's method is the most dangerous."
"If you'd agreed to that old snake's offer, your chances of succeeding would have been very high, but your chances of failing would have been even higher."
Hearing this, Madara grew interested.
Jing Xiu had barely ever been out of his sight as he grew up.
Madara himself knew nothing about the Three Great Sage Lands, so how had Jing Xiu learned about them?
But Madara Uchiha was not Uchiha Tajima. Knowing that Jing Xiu would never harm him was enough.
Everything else was Jing Xiu's secret.
Just as Jing Xiu had not pressed him about Ryūchi Cave at first, he never pried into Jing Xiu's secrets either.
Seeing no curiosity in Madara's eyes, only anticipation, Jing Xiu's heart settled as well.
He began to explain what he knew about the Three Great Sage Lands.
"Izuna, come listen too!"
Izuna had been happily grilling fish, but at Madara's call, he immediately set aside his work and ran over to listen to Jing Xiu's story.
"The Three Great Sage Lands are Mount Myōboku, controlled by the Toad Clan; Ryūchi Cave, controlled by the snakes; and Shikkotsu Forest, where Katsuyu lives."
Madara raised an eyebrow at that, apparently picking up on something interesting. "Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave are both home to entire populations, but Shikkotsu Forest has only one slug?"
Jing Xiu nodded. "She's a giant slug bigger than a mountain."
"The Senjutsu practiced in each of the Three Great Sage Lands is different, too."
"Senjutsu is essentially Ninjutsu performed using senjutsu chakra."
"And senjutsu chakra is formed when spiritual energy, natural energy, and physical energy reach a state of balance."
"The Three Great Sage Lands call this balanced state 'Sage Mode.'"
Izuna scratched his head. "Spiritual energy combined with physical energy-isn't that just chakra? So senjutsu chakra is chakra plus natural energy!"
"Foolish little brother. You don't cultivate chakra, so you really know far too little about it."
Madara flicked Izuna's forehead. "Be quiet and let Jing Xiu finish."
Jing Xiu smiled. "I've never practiced the Sage Mode of any of the Three Great Sage Lands myself."
"But from what I know, Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode greatly enhances the body and perception."
"Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode greatly enhances spiritual energy. In that Sage Mode, you can even temporarily imbue things like rocks, plants, and trees with life."
"Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode enormously enhances the practitioner's ability to heal themselves. To a certain extent, you could even call it an immortal body."
By this point, Madara had gained a basic understanding of Senjutsu, senjutsu chakra, Sage Mode, and the Three Great Sage Lands.
He waved a hand. "That's enough for now. It seems Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu really does suit our Uchiha Clan."
"If spiritual energy is enhanced, the Sharingan should be enhanced too."
Jing Xiu nodded. "I've had similar suspicions, but I don't think we need to go to the Three Great Sage Lands to cultivate Senjutsu."
"Rather than natural chakra, I prefer to call it innate qi."
"It's what's described as 'penetrating insight and complete interconnection' once the Golden Light Mantra is fully mastered."
"I originally planned to wait until my chakra reserves reached a certain level before studying how to use the Golden Light Mantra to absorb natural chakra."
"But since you've already stumbled into Sage Mode, Madara, why not set aside some time every day?"
"We can study how to keep you in Sage Mode for longer together."
Madara stared at Jing Xiu, his face darkening. "Are you using me as a guinea pig?"
After fooling around for a while, the three brothers returned to the clan grounds.
Before leaving, Madara looked at Jing Xiu. "Just focus on your training for now. There's no rush to research Sage Mode."
"Once you start cultivating chakra and officially become a Jōnin, we can explore the mysteries of Sage Mode together."
At the sight of Jing Xiu's deeply regretful expression, Madara's face had already turned black as the bottom of a pot.
Madara actually encountered Ryūchi Cave. That probably never happened in the original timeline. Could this be my influence?
Lying in bed, Jing Xiu was also reviewing recent events.
He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the bright moon outside the window. Hagoromo Otsutsuki, haven't you been watching your two sons all along?
If Madara becomes too strong, I wonder how you'll balance his strength against Hashirama Senju's.
Naturally, Jing Xiu had not forgotten the mastermind behind the Shinobi World, the Sage of Six Paths.
In Jing Xiu's opinion, although the Sage of Six Paths possessed great power, his methods were far too crude.
If Jing Xiu could cultivate his way to the Six Paths level, dealing with him should not be particularly difficult.
The sophistication of the Eight Extraordinary Skills was beyond anything the Sage of Six Paths' crude Senjutsu could match.
The explosive tag array at Greenleaf Cliff is enough to prove that the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art can be cultivated. It just needs to be combined with the Shinobi World's Sealing Jutsu, redefining the contents of the talismans.
In that case, starting tomorrow, I'll have Madara get me some basic Sealing Jutsu materials!
As his thoughts drifted, Jing Xiu fell into a deep sleep and began his breathing practice.
Several months passed in a flash.
Uchiha Tajima also led his forces back to the clan grounds by the Naka River.
Greenleaf Cliff became the front line of a three-way standoff between the Uchiha Clan, the Senju Clan, and the Hyuga Clan.
The Hyuga Clan's surprise attack on the Senju Clan's home base had caused considerable destruction.
Although Butsuma Senju had returned to reinforce it in time, and had even severely wounded Hyuga Tennin.
The Senju Clan's younger generation had suffered devastating losses, just like the Uchiha Clan's.
A year of planning and maneuvering had ultimately left all three sides badly hurt.
This left Butsuma Senju somewhat disheartened, while the other clans in the Land of Fire seemed to see an opportunity to rise.
They formed the Seven-Clan Alliance and made their voice heard throughout the Shinobi World, becoming the fourth major power in the Land of Fire.
When Uchiha Tajima read the report, he sneered inwardly. A bunch of clowns, and they think they can claim a share of the spoils.
He ordered the Hidden Ninja beside him, "Bring Madara here!"
Before long, Madara arrived in Tajima's study.
Tajima tossed the report straight to Madara. "How do you think our Uchiha Clan should respond to this declaration?"
Madara carefully scanned the contents of the report. Had he been the Madara of the original timeline, he would certainly have sneered.
Like Tajima, he would have planned to give this so-called Seven-Clan Alliance a gift they would never forget.
But having personally commanded the battle at Greenleaf Cliff and discussed the state of the Shinobi World with Jing Xiu many times, he had firmly committed the "tiger, wolf, and dog" analogy to memory.
In his eyes, any one of these seven clans could only be a sheep.
But when sheep joined forces, they could contend with a "dog" as well.
So, how should I bring this mottled dog to heel?