The White Snake Sage regarded Senmei Asahi with a gaze as ancient as the stones around them, its long tongue flicking in and out, tasting the air between them.
"Human," it hissed slowly, "what is your name?"
"Senmei Asahi," he replied evenly. Then, after a brief pause, he met the serpent's golden eyes. "Sage, have you already foreseen my arrival?"
Both the White Snake Sage and the Great Toad Sage were said to possess the mysterious ability to glimpse fragments of the future.
Foresight—what most mortals would call impossible—was not so strange to Asahi. After all, if even transmigration could occur in this world, what was so unthinkable about seeing the future?
Still, Asahi knew such foresight came at a price. The Sages saw only fragments—brief flashes of what might be—and even if they saw the future, they could not change it. Fate, once glimpsed, remained stubbornly unaltered.
But what Asahi could not determine was this: as a transmigrator, a being beyond this world's original flow, was he even included in the White Snake Sage's prophecy?
"It was several years ago." the Sage said at last, its voice deep and layered. "I saw a young man standing within Ryūchi Cave—a man who would bring unknown variables to the ninja world. And a few days ago, that same vision appeared once more. So, I knew you would soon arrive."
"I see." Asahi murmured, intrigued. "So that is the Sage's ability?"
The White Snake Sage ignored the question. Its eyes narrowed to thin slits. "You have come to learn Sage Mode, haven't you?"
"That's right." Asahi said, straightening his posture. "Sage, are you willing to teach me?"
"I foresee that you will bring change to the flow of this world," the serpent replied, its tone both curious and distant. "But my sight does not extend beyond that. You indeed possess the qualifications to train in Snake Sage Mode, but whether you succeed will depend on your own fate."
A faint smile touched Asahi's lips. "That's truly wonderful."
"Take him over there." the Sage ordered, turning its gaze toward the smaller white serpent that had first guided Asahi through the tunnels.
"Yes, Sage!" the little snake replied. It slithered toward Asahi, raising its head. "Follow me!"
Leaving the stone chamber behind, Asahi followed his guide into a darker, narrower passage. The air grew colder as they descended. After about five kilometres of walking, they arrived at a deep cavern cloaked in shadows.
Though Asahi lacked an enhanced sensory ability, he could feel it immediately—a vast, heavy presence of chakra. He had sensed this ever since stepping near Ryūchi Cave, but here, it was stronger, almost tangible.
The little snake spoke first. "To learn Sage Mode, you must first sense natural energy. Ordinary humans cannot perceive it, so the first step is for me to help draw natural energy into your body."
"Then I'll be in your care." Asahi said calmly.
"Sit here," the snake instructed, gesturing toward a smooth stone slab. "And take off your shirt."
Asahi complied, lowering himself onto the cold stone surface and removing his top.
"You humans use chakra to perform ninjutsu." the little snake began, its tone almost like a teacher lecturing a pupil. "Chakra, as you know, is created from two energies: physical energy and spiritual energy. The stronger your body and mind, the more chakra you can produce."
Asahi nodded silently.
"But Sage Chakra," the snake continued, "is born when a third energy—natural energy—is absorbed and perfectly balanced with the other two. Only when these three forces reach harmony can one manifest Sage Mode."
It coiled closer to Asahi's shoulder. "When I begin channelling natural energy into your body, you must maintain perfect balance—each energy occupying exactly one-third of the total. If the natural energy is less than one-third, Sage Mode will fail to activate. But if it exceeds that ratio…" The snake's tone darkened. "Then you will be consumed. Your strength will increase, but your mind will vanish—you will go mad, devoured by nature itself."
"I understand," Asahi replied. "When it comes to chakra control, I am second to none in all of Konohagakure."
"That's good," the snake said approvingly. "Because if your body is weak, you will never withstand the Sage's power."
"I understand." Asahi repeated, closing his eyes to steady his breath.
"It begins now!" hissed the little white snake.
Without warning, it darted forward, sinking its fangs into Asahi's shoulder.
*Hiss—!*
Instinctively, Asahi tensed, his chakra flaring. For an instant, his hand twitched, ready to strike back—but he stopped himself. 'If they wanted to kill me, they wouldn't need deception to do it.' he reasoned. 'This is Ryūchi Cave—where even Orochimaru once bowed his head. There's no need for them to lie.'
Before entering, he had expected hostility. Manda's attitude toward Orochimaru had made him believe that the serpents of Ryūchi Cave were cold and merciless. He had even prepared himself for a fight.
Yet to his surprise, every white snake he had met so far had treated him with respect.
'Maybe the White Snake Sage saw this coming and instructed them.' he thought briefly.
Whatever the reason, deception wasn't one of their motives.
Moments later, Asahi felt it—the surge. From the point where the snake's fangs pierced his flesh, an immense, foreign energy rushed into his body. It was unlike any chakra he had felt before: vast, fluid, and untamed.
His instincts screamed at him to resist, but he forced himself to stay calm, carefully guiding the torrent through his chakra network. He began aligning the incoming natural energy with his spiritual and physical energies.
It sounded simple. In practice, it was anything but.
Natural energy was alive—and volatile. Controlling it was like trying to hold lightning in one's hands. The slightest imbalance would cause it to clash violently with his chakra, damaging both body and mind.
He quickly realized why so few shinobi had ever achieved Sage Mode. Even this initial stage was enough to destroy an unprepared human.
Unlike the peaceful serenity of Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave's energy was wild, dark, and heavy. There was no gentle toad oil to ease absorption here—only the raw, chaotic essence of nature itself.
'No wonder Manda turned out the way he did.', Asahi thought grimly. 'Growing up in this energy… it shapes you.'
He could feel the emotions in his chest swelling with the storm—anger, excitement, hunger—all magnified by the influx of power. His body ached, and his skin burned as though thousands of tiny needles pricked it from within.
If he couldn't suppress these emotions, the natural energy would rampage, tearing him apart.
Focusing every ounce of will, he steadied his breathing, refining control. Bit by bit, the violent energy began to calm.
The little white snake, watching closely, nodded to itself. It could feel Asahi's chakra stabilizing. When a safe amount of natural energy had been absorbed, it finally released him and slithered back.
Now came the final step.
He carefully merged the natural energy with his own spiritual and physical energies. Slowly, meticulously, he shaped the three into harmony—and felt the birth of something new: Sage Chakra.
Years of medical ninjutsu had honed his precision; countless surgeries and chakra manipulations had refined his control to perfection. Even in the oppressive energy of Ryūchi Cave, Senmei Asahi's will remained absolute.
Gradually, the volatile energy began to obey him.
After what felt like half an hour, his transformation began.
First, a sharp, fleshy horn sprouted from his forehead, curving backward. Then purple markings spread around his eyes like ink bleeding through paper.
The air around him rippled as his chakra flared—white, translucent, and alive. It gathered around his body, coiling, twisting, taking form.
Moments later, several spectral serpents of pure chakra slithered around him, merging into a spiral of glowing energy.
The faint hum of power echoed through the cave.
Senmei Asahi opened his eyes.
They were no longer the calm black of a Konoha shinobi. They glowed—serene and feral, human and divine.
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]
✓ The Academy's Saint Is Too Popular, But He's Not the Protagonist [R-18]