Yao had always been one to return respect tenfold.
Since Aoda was polite and didn't demand sacrifices or speak rudely right away, he was also much more courteous.
"Hello!"
Yao said: "I am Uchiha Yao. I just received the Ryūchi Cave summoning contract from Lord Orochimaru!"
"You are the first summoning beast I have successfully summoned."
"Nice to meet you. Please take care of me in the future."
Aoda's pale yellow snake eyes looked Yao up and down with suspicion:
"To summon me directly on your first attempt? Your chakra reserves... are indeed impressive!"
"However!"
"Just having a lot of chakra doesn't necessarily mean you can summon me."
Hearing this, Yao raised an eyebrow slightly, not angry at all:
"What? Talk is cheap. Want to test it out? Have a fight?"
He didn't need a summoning beast like Manda that demanded one hundred living sacrifices to work.
Therefore, it was necessary to let the other party understand his strength to facilitate future cooperation.
"Good!"
Aoda's answer was simple and crisp, its snake body swaying slightly:
"Let me see what capability the contractor Orochimaru favored possesses."
"Then excuse me!"
As his voice fell, Yao slammed his hands together in front of his chest!
"Wood Release: Tree Bind Eternal Burial!"
Rumble!
The ground where Aoda was coiled trembled violently. Countless thick, tough vines and tree roots burst from the soil.
At an astonishing speed, they wrapped around Aoda's massive body.
These wooden bindings not only possessed immense strength but also carried a hardness and sealing nature that countered the flexibility of snakes.
In an instant, Aoda was wrapped tight from head to tail.
Aoda struggled fiercely, bursting with strength enough to crush boulders, but found it couldn't break free momentarily.
These woods were unimaginably hard and tightened more and more.
There was also a strange chakra suppressing its power.
"This is... Wood Release?"
Shock finally appeared in Aoda's pale yellow vertical pupils.
It finally understood why Orochimaru gave the contract to this boy. This was definitely not an ordinary boy.
After struggling a few times and finding it truly couldn't break free with brute force immediately, Aoda decisively stopped moving.
Its personality was mild. After seeing that the opponent indeed possessed the strength to suppress it, its attitude changed immediately.
"I admit defeat!"
Aoda said crisply: "Lord Yao is powerful. I was presumptuous. Please take care of me!"
The address changed directly from "brat" to "Lord Yao," very tactful.
With a thought from Yao.
The Wood Release wrapping Aoda quickly loosened and retracted underground.
He smiled: "Please take care of me. Then, as a partner, I have a favor to ask."
"Please speak!"
Aoda said respectfully.
"I want to go to Ryūchi Cave and learn the Sage Jutsu of Ryūchi Cave!"
Yao stated his ultimate goal directly. "I need someone to introduce me, or at least tell me how to get there!"
"Sage Jutsu?"
Aoda's pupils shrank, and it fell silence, seemingly weighing things or communicating through some method.
After a while.
Aoda spoke: "I cannot make the decision on this matter. I need to ask for instructions from the higher-ups. Please wait a moment, Lord Yao!"
After speaking, it voluntarily canceled the summon and returned to Ryūchi Cave.
Yao waited where he was.
About half an hour later, a strange pulling sensation descended.
As if an invisible spatial vortex was trying to suck him away!
"Is this Reverse Summoning Jutsu?"
Yao didn't resist this force. Instead, he relaxed his body, allowing the summoning force to envelop him completely.
The next moment.
Yao disappeared from his spot and appeared deep within a massive cavern.
Air that was damp, cold, and thick with the smell of earth and some ancient musk flooded his nostrils.
Beneath his feet was slippery rock; above was a lofty dome with countless stalactites hanging down.
The sound of dripping water echoed in the emptiness, adding to the solitude.
Winding passages were visible everywhere in the cave, leading to unknown destinations.
In the thick darkness, countless gazes seemed to be prowling.
And directly in front of him was an artificially constructed high platform.
The platform was built of rough rocks. Coiled in the center was a giant snake, white as jade throughout.
Just coiled there, it was like a small hill.
Its body was covered with fine, smooth scales, flowing with a warm luster in the dim light.
It didn't have the cold horror of ordinary snakes but instead exuded an ancient, sacred, and profound aura.
On both sides of its forehead were protrusions resembling dragon horns, and long white whiskers hung from its jaw.
Its eyes were closed, its head lowered slightly, as if dozing.
This was the White Snake Sage!
A millennial serpent, living since the era of Kaguya!
Yao's appearance did not seem to disturb the White Snake Sage, who remained in a posture of deep contemplation—or perhaps slumber.
Yet, Yao could feel it: a vast, gentle, yet omnipresent sensation of being "watched" enveloping him. This gaze did not come from physical eyes, but acted directly upon the spiritual plane.
At that moment, the White Snake Sage's long, white eyelashes trembled slightly, and its eyes slowly opened.
They were not the vertical slit pupils typical of snakes, but rather like the finest amber—clear, translucent, yet unfathomably deep.
The Sage looked Yao up and down.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Naruto : I'm an Uchiha Who Can Use Wood (90 Chapters, Ongoing)
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After a moment, an ancient voice echoed throughout the cavern:
"The powers of the Uchiha and the Senju... rarely do they intertwine within a single body!"
"Young contractor, the threads of fate are wrapped around you. They are distinct... yet chaotic."
The White Snake Sage slightly lifted its massive head, its voice flat and devoid of ripples:
"You have come to Ryūchi Cave to master the power of the Sages?"
Yao bowed slightly. "White Snake Sage, I have come to learn the Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave!"
The Sage's amber eyes gazed quietly at Yao. After a few seconds of silence, it spoke slowly:
"To learn the Senjutsu of my Ryūchi Cave... by custom, one must undergo a trial of cultivation."
"Only those who prove their will and aptitude are qualified to cultivate our Sage Mode."
"However... given your strength, the ordinary trials are unnecessary for you. We shall waive that step!"
Yao understood immediately.
He was naturally different from Boruto and that lot. The difference in combat power was simply too vast!
Relying on the three snake women—Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime—to test him would clearly be insufficient. The White Snake Sage realized this and simply dispensed with the formalities.
"But whether you can ultimately tame the violent natural energy and perfectly fuse it with your own chakra..."
The White Snake Sage continued, "The dangers and barriers within this process can only be realized and overcome by you alone."
"I understand!" Yao nodded solemnly. He was well aware of the risks involved in cultivating Senjutsu.
In his past life, he had read many web novels. If chakra were compared to the magical power, internal energy, or 'Qi' of cultivators, then natural energy was equivalent to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Controlling the energy of the world itself always came with immense risk!
"Then, extend your hand! First, you must experience for yourself... what natural energy is."
As the White Snake Sage spoke, its massive head leaned forward slightly, and it bit down on Yao's hand, injecting natural energy.
"Urgh!"