Chapter 229: Immortal Impartation, Usurping to Become a Dragon!
Hearing the White Snake Sage reveal such explosive information,
Uchiha Ci couldn't help but freeze in place.
The implications of this statement seemed to deviate significantly from the descriptions in the original work.
It seemed that the White Snake Sage was trying to convey—
Even Sage Arts are divided into levels!
From its perspective, the Sage Arts mastered by Hashirama Senju were undoubtedly of the highest level.
Beneath that were the animal Sage Arts of the Three Great Sacred Grounds: Ryūchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest, and Mount Myōboku.
Lower still was the Curse Mark Sage Art that Orochimaru replicated through scientific research.
At this thought, Uchiha Ci instinctively raised his head and, with a puzzled expression, asked the colossal snake in front of him:
"Are you saying the First Hokage's Sage Art isn't inherited from the Shikkotsu Forest?"
"Shikkotsu Forest?"
The White Snake Sage sneered dismissively,
"That slug doesn't have such capability!"
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Ci suddenly came to a realization.
In the original work, it was mentioned that the Three Great Sacred Grounds had complete Sage Art inheritances, which led him to instinctively believe that Hashirama Senju's Sage Arts were inherited from Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Sacred Grounds alongside Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku.
Although Hashirama's Sage Arts seemed exceedingly powerful and the original work never explicitly confirmed their origin as Shikkotsu Forest, without other explanations, this was the only plausible connection.
However, the White Snake Sage's words clearly denied this!
So, where did Hashirama's Sage Arts come from?
If one thinks about it carefully, Hashirama's Sage Arts do seem rather unusual.
For instance, Sage Art: Gate of the Great God.
When Naruto extracted Kurama's chakra to close the seal, the Gate of the Great God descended from the heavens. At that moment, Kurama exclaimed:
"That's from the Sage of Six Paths."
Although Kurama didn't finish his sentence, it was enough to confirm that the Gate of the Great God was a Sage of Six Paths-level technique with unique effects capable of suppressing tailed beasts—even the Ten-Tails.
Additionally, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, when Tsunade and Sakura summoned only a tenth of the Katsuyu Sage for healing purposes, one could argue that if Hashirama were truly an inheritor of the Shikkotsu Forest, given his personality and chakra reserves, he would undoubtedly have summoned over half of the Katsuyu Sage for an even greater healing zone.
However, in reality, Hashirama had no interaction with Katsuyu whatsoever from beginning to end.
Furthermore, Tsunade's Yin Seal, Creation Rebirth, and various buffs combined with Katsuyu's healing effects still paled in comparison to Hashirama's healing abilities.
This suggests that Hashirama's Sage Arts were more likely the result of being the reincarnation of Asura, with some sort of bug in this reincarnation.
Typically, Asura required the power of others to match the reincarnations of Indra. Yet this time, he seemed to have received Indra's genius script.
This allowed him to push the Sage Body inherited from the Sage of Six Paths to its utmost limit, causing his combat power to skyrocket and enabling him to awaken Sage Arts and Wood Release on his own, overwhelming the ninja world.
Reflecting on this, Uchiha Ci furrowed his brows deeply.
So Hashirama Senju developed his own Sage Art?!
Moreover, this Sage Art seemed to touch upon the "dragon transformation" realm that even the White Snake Sage pursued!
At this realization, Uchiha Ci took a deep breath and looked up at the White Snake Sage in astonishment.
"Then, White Snake Sage, the true Sage Arts you mentioned... refer to what?"
With his enhanced night vision, he keenly noticed that the cat's-eye stone, which had always hung around the White Snake Sage's neck in the original work, was nowhere to be found. Coupled with his earlier experiences, it wasn't hard to deduce that the natural energy that saved him once during a life-or-death moment came from this "old lady." Thus, he addressed her respectfully.
The White Snake Sage shifted slightly, her golden snake eyes narrowing as she slowly revealed a secret Uchiha Ci had never heard before:
"Before the era of ninjas, there was a war among gods."
"In that great war, a divine dragon revered and worshiped by countless nations fell into a slumber due to exhaustion, only to be ambushed and killed by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"From then on, the era of mythology came to an end, and the age of ninjas began with Gamamaru's plan for revenge."
"The establishment of Ryūchi Cave was to trace the shadows of the past and achieve transcendence."
"And the so-called true Sage Arts are the means to transcend—"
"Accept the self born from your heart, reach the world's yin side, and usurp the body of the fallen True Dragon from the godly war!"
"In the end—"
"Unite yin and yang, usurp to become the dragon!"
"Only then can you gain godlike power!"
The White Snake Sage hissed, lowering her massive head as she asked Uchiha Ci with an eerie calmness:
"Do you understand?"
Hearing this cryptic explanation, Uchiha Ci blinked blankly, outwardly appearing confused.
However, within his heart, a storm raged.
To someone familiar with the original story like him, the White Snake Sage's words practically placed the answer in plain sight!
In the original work, why was Gamamaru, the Toad Sage, so hostile toward Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?
Why did he guide Kaguya's son, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, to betray his mother? The answer might lie in what the White Snake Sage mentioned.
Before the ninja world existed, this world might have followed another supernatural system.
And the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki clan destroyed it.
The White Snake Sage's ultimate goal was clearly the body of the divine dragon slain by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
It sought to wear the dragon's skin and consume its spirit to replace it!
In the ninja world, a location matching this description could only be the desolate, lifeless Land of Wind, where the Dragon Vein, a source of infinite chakra, was located.
Upon reflection, the barren state of that land might be the result of the "godly war" described by the White Snake Sage.
The so-called Dragon Vein might indeed be the remains of the fallen dragon!
The earth became its flesh, stones its bones, vegetation its scales—
Separating yin and yang!
If the White Snake Sage's account is accurate, Hashirama Senju's exceptional Yang Release and Sage Body, enabling him to awaken a unique Sage Mode far surpassing the ordinary, might suggest that it had seen a similar existence before.
And that—
Might have been the fallen dragon from mythology!
Thus,
The Dragon Vein corresponds to the dragon's body.
The infinite natural energy and green glow in Ryūchi Cave might be the remnants of the dragon's will.
Coupled with the White Snake Sage's words—"unite yin and yang, usurp to become the dragon"—its goal became clear!
Realizing this, Uchiha Ci's heart tensed.
A Sage capable of battling Kaguya Ōtsutsuki would possess Yang Release power comparable to Hashirama Senju. Combining yin and yang could yield power far surpassing Kage-levels.
This might indeed be an alternative path to reaching a Six Paths-level power!
For Uchiha Ci, caught in a broken narrative where only combat could resolve the situation, this was at least a feasible goal.
However, this path involved ancient bosses who had survived to the present day. Coupled with the previous actions of the three snake princesses trying to devour him, he couldn't afford to be careless.
With his current strength, entering this fray was still premature.
As Uchiha Ci contemplated this, the White Snake Sage noticed his blank expression and a flash of greed passed through her golden eyes.
Coiling her body tightly, she closed the distance, her white scales pressing in with a suffocating force as if ten bulls were driving their horns into Uchiha Ci's very soul.
Her enormous snake face softened into a humanoid expression of kindness, her tone becoming gentle and even a touch benevolent:
"You don't need to understand it now. All you need to know is—"
"Do not suppress the evil thoughts that arise deep within your heart, for they are your inescapable truth!"
"Do not fear losing yourself, for this will lay the foundation for your transformation into a dragon!"
"The so-called transcendence—"
"Is the Sage Art of Ryūchi Cave, which I shall now impart to you."
The White Snake Sage raised her tail, touching it lightly to Uchiha Ci's forehead.
In an instant, the tail shone with intense white light as her hissing intensified.
Her golden snake eyes narrowed as she whispered meaningfully:
"Sage Art: Projection of Distant Shadows!"
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