Kageyama Kogetsu arrived at the center of the temple where the White Snake Sage was enshrined in Ryuchi Cave. The White Snake Sage was coiled on a stone throne carved with snake patterns.
She had orange hair and yellow eyes, a green cat's eye stone on her chest, a purple silk ribbon as a forehead protector with a military-green horn-shaped ornament on the front, a red luminous pearl on top of her head, and a pipe in her mouth. Her body was exceptionally long, and she had two golden rings on her tail.
"Sir, please have a seat."
With a thought from the White Snake Sage, the ground trembled slightly, and a stone chair emerged, rising to the same height as her throne.
"Thank you." Without moving, Kageyama Kogetsu flew up and sat on the stone chair.
"I only slept for a little over a decade, and to think that someone like you has appeared in the ninja world. It's truly a bit of a shame," a faint smile appeared on the White Snake Sage's face, her tone filled with emotion.
The founders of the three great sage regions each had their own unique abilities, such as the Great Toad Sage's ability to prophesy and the White Snake Sage's ability to listen to the earth.
In the ninja world, very few things could escape the White Snake Sage's notice when she was specifically investigating.
However, too many things happened in the ninja world every day, and it was impossible for the White Snake Sage to receive all that vast and complex information, so she actively blocked it out.
"Regret is a constant in life. It's not too late for us to meet now," Kageyama Kogetsu said with a chuckle.
"That's true. May I ask what your dream is, sir?"
"Is my dream important?" Kageyama Kogetsu asked in return.
"Of course, it's important. The dreams of the weak are not worth mentioning. But for a strong individual like you, sir, not just a dream, but a single thought can influence the situation of the entire ninja world."
"Hmm... I can only say that as long as Ryuchi Cave does not oppose me, there will always be a place for Ryuchi Cave in the ninja world, and its status will at least not decline."
The White Snake Sage nodded slightly. "Stable with a hint of rising. Your word is enough, sir."
"You three, take Lord Kogetsu to the Senjutsu library to peruse the scriptures."
"If there is anything you do not understand, you can come and discuss it with me."
Kageyama Kogetsu stood up and hovered in mid-air, giving a slight bow. "In that case, thank you, White Snake Sage."
Although he had almost come into conflict with Ryuchi Cave, he had to admit that the treatment he received here was better than at Mount Myoboku.
Of course, part of the reason was that the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku was asleep, and he had hidden his true strength, not alarming him.
The Great Toad Sage was older than the White Snake Sage and slept even more. Who knew what choices he would make when he dreamt of the changes to come...
"It's no trouble. Discussing Senjutsu with a rare and powerful individual like you, sir, I might also gain a great deal."
After Kageyama Kogetsu left with Tagorihime and the other two, the White Snake Sage exhaled a puff of smoke, her eyes as deep as an abyss...
In recent decades, Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, and now this man had appeared one after another. It felt like a storm was brewing in the ninja world.
However, the three great sage regions had always acted with caution, only participating in the conflicts of the ninja world to a limited extent, so there was no need to worry too much.
If the sky falls, the ninja will be the first to hold it up.
Kageyama Kogetsu spent half a month in Ryuchi Cave.
It didn't take him long to learn Ryuchi Cave's Senjutsu. The main reason for his stay was to discuss Senjutsu with the White Snake Sage and inquire about some old secrets, from which he gained a great deal.
Before leaving, Kageyama Kogetsu signed his name on the Ryuchi Cave summoning contract.
The summoning contract was offered by the White Snake Sage herself. He could summon any snake except her, including the three princesses.
This would be of great use to an ordinary ninja, allowing them to leap into the ranks of the ninja world's elite. But for Kageyama Kogetsu, it was more like a treaty of friendship.
...
After leaving Ryuchi Cave, Kageyama Kogetsu began to search for Tsunade...
Tsunade's status was special. She hadn't left a fixed contact method in Konoha, so the village had to rely on its own intelligence network to find her.
For others, finding Tsunade was very troublesome; they could only spend time trying their luck at the major casinos in the ninja world.
Although Kageyama Kogetsu was also trying his luck, the efficiency was worlds apart.
He used space-time ninjutsu to travel, and upon arriving at his destination, he would scan the casino with his Tenseigan to see if Tsunade was there.
Moreover, with the Tenseigan's range, he could see not just the casino area, but the entire town, or even the entire city.
After a thorough search, Kageyama Kogetsu found Tsunade in the Land of Tea, a country on the southernmost tip of the continent, bordering the Land of Fire and surrounded by the sea on three sides.
The country's economy was based on fishing and tea production. The soil was fertile, and water and heat resources were abundant. The people's daily diet consisted of tea and fresh fish.
It had no ninja village of its own; public order was maintained by the national guard. Politically, it was relatively independent of the Five Great Nations system.
The local gang leader, Jirocho Wasabi, had a deep personal relationship with Tsunade. Even without relying on her status or strength, Tsunade was quite popular in the Land of Tea.
In the capital of the Land of Tea, in the southeast district, inside the largest, most luxurious, and most crowded casino.
Tsunade was with Shizune in a private room, playing dice with a man who had a rather fierce-looking face.
Because he had won so much, the man was grinning from ear to ear, which made his face look somewhat kind.
The nickname "Big Fat Sheep" had already begun to circulate in the major casinos of the ninja world. The competition to fleece this big fat sheep was quite fierce.
Unless Tsunade directly specified, the casino's house gambling experts would have to compete among themselves first.
Tsunade was on a losing streak and had forgotten the simple principle of "press when you're winning, pull back when you're losing." She went all-in with her remaining chips.
Although Shizune's heart was pounding, she wasn't too panicked because she had set aside enough money for them to live on for a while.
"Uh... I won?" Tsunade asked, a bit dazed.
Because she had been losing constantly, Tsunade had gotten used to it. Suddenly winning felt a bit unreal.
"Hahaha... That's great!" Shizune, holding her pink piglet, jumped three feet in the air and couldn't help but laugh wildly.
Although she was still down overall, this one win had recovered half of her losses.
"What's so great about it?"
"Shizune, we're leaving," Tsunade said with a grim expression after confirming her win.
Ever since she was a child, whenever she won at gambling, something bad would happen. The more she won, the worse it was.
The first time was her grandfather's death, the second was her granduncle's death, the third was Dan's death, and the fourth was Nawaki's death.
The people in the casino tried their best to keep the big fat sheep, but Tsunade was determined to leave. They could only watch as the money slipped away, their hearts aching!
"Is Master Tsunade that afraid of winning money?"
"It seems I've done a good deed with bad intentions."
Just as Tsunade had walked a short distance from the casino entrance, a voice that was both somewhat unfamiliar and somewhat familiar sounded in her ear.
Kageyama Kogetsu's figure materialized in front of Tsunade. Shizune was slightly stunned, then her eyes lit up.
"So it was you who was playing tricks. I was wondering why my opponent, who was so confident before, suddenly had a look of disbelief on his face."
"You've gotten more handsome, and your figure and temperament have improved, but your moral standards have dropped a bit," Tsunade said, her panic subsiding as she commented with interest.
"Heh, then should we give the money we won back?" Kageyama Kogetsu chuckled.
"Uh... let's just forget it," Tsunade said, her expression freezing in embarrassment.
"It seems Master Tsunade's moral standards are not much better," Kageyama Kogetsu teased.
"Cut the crap. I won that money with my own skill. Why should I give it back?"
"Well... my subordinate's skill is my skill."
Kageyama Kogetsu smiled. At this moment, Tsunade resembled Senju Tobirama a bit.
"What's a busy person like you doing here all of a sudden?" Feeling a bit shameless, Tsunade's face flushed, and she quickly changed the subject.
"There's something I'd like to ask for your help with, Master Tsunade."
"Sure, I'm a little hungry anyway."
"Come on, I'll treat you to a big meal. We can talk while we eat."
"Alright."
When they arrived at the place, Kageyama Kogetsu was dumbfounded.
This is a big meal?
Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about what a big meal is?
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