Ryūchi Cave.
Within the dark, damp cavern, the White Snake Sage remained coiled upon her stone throne, wisps of smoke rising from her long pipe.
Below her, Tagorihime, who oversaw intelligence gathering, respectfully reported the latest news about Lin Ze collected from across the Shinobi World.
"...That concludes 'Azure Dragon' Lin Ze's performance in the decisive battle five days ago." Finishing her report, Tagorihime bowed slightly.
The White Snake Sage slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, a keen light flickering in her golden serpentine eyes.
"He met the Third Raikage's Two-Finger Nukite head-on... his clone intercepted a Tailed Beast Bomb... that strange staff at the end, and the energy he unleashed, far beyond his usual level..."
She repeated the key details softly, the light in her eyes growing brighter with every phrase.
"Such pure true dragon might... and he is still growing at an astonishing rate! And you are certain that the vast energy he unleashed at the end contained a dense concentration of natural energy?"
"Yes, White Snake Sage."
Tagorihime nodded firmly. "Although we only saw it through the Memory Crystal's images, there is no mistaking the nature of that energy. It was by no means ordinary chakra. It brimmed with nature's wildness and ferocity, sharing its origins with the natural energy used by those from Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest, but..."
She paused, considering her words.
"But the aura within it carried the majesty and antiquity of the 'dragon' that we of Ryūchi Cave pursue! Neither of those two could possibly compare."
The White Snake Sage nodded slightly and sank into thought.
Natural energy was the key to practicing senjutsu.
Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave-the Three Great Sage Lands all had their own senjutsu traditions, whose core lay in guiding and controlling natural energy.
The simultaneous