Tagorihime, full and sleepy, yawned constantly, yet she chattered non-stop.
As Byakuya interacted with her, he continuously analyzed her personality.
His temporary conclusion was that Tagorihime was simple-minded, gluttonous, and had clear likes and dislikes.
"Simple-minded" didn't mean stupid. It just meant she didn't like to overthink things. On the contrary, Tagorihime wasn't dumb; she was actually quite clever and understood the implied meanings in some of Byakuya's words.
The wariness between human and snake gradually relaxed.
"I can't take you to Ryuchi Cave right now. My training time in the ninja world isn't enough yet. If you want to learn Ryuchi Cave Senjutsu, wait until my training is over, and we'll go see the Sage together."
The night was heavy. In the primeval forest, shaded by layers of branches and leaves, one couldn't even see their own hand in front of their face.
Byakuya set up a tent.
In front of the tent was a campfire.
They sat around the fire talking.
Tagorihime's eyelids seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. With every sentence she spoke, her upper and lower eyelids fought to close.
"Yawn~ so sleepy."
"How much longer until your training ends?" Byakuya threw two dry logs onto the fire.
"Half a year. Uh, 187 days to be precise."
Tagorihime yawned. "I can't hold on anymore. I'm happy to meet a friend like you, but I'm going to sleep. By the way, what's your name?"
"Byakuya Senkaku."
"Is your surname Senkaku (Immortal Crane)?"
"Yes."
"A rare surname."
Tagorihime fell asleep instantly, not caring about tents or anything.
Watching her sleeping posture as she lay on her side, Byakuya murmured, "'Happy to meet a friend like me'? You consider me a friend?"
Resting, or rather sleeping, was the fastest way to recover chakra.
He returned to the tent and lay down, suddenly unsure if he should sleep.
What if Tagorihime was putting on an act to gain his trust, waiting for him to lower his guard so she could swallow him whole?
Wouldn't he die due to carelessness?
Also, had Pakura really left? Could she have changed her mind and quietly ambushed the surroundings, waiting for him to fall asleep before evaporating him with a Scorch Style: Steam Murder?
Byakuya had to force himself to stay awake. He pulled up his system interface.
> [System: Hard Work Pays Off]
> Limited Time Mission (15 Days): Possess a Summoning Beast (Complete).
> Reward: Spirit Enhancement.
It was precisely because of this Spirit Enhancement—an increase in Spiritual Energy—that he could force himself to stay awake. Otherwise, after consecutively using his strongest attack, Storm Style: Thousand Blades, and the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, he would have passed out long ago.
Moreover, thanks to the Spirit Enhancement, he could try learning some Genjutsu after returning to the village.
"Kurenai Yuhi's Genjutsu skills in the original story were pretty good. Although she was just a roadside pebble compared to Itachi Uchiha, she was already very powerful compared to ordinary ninja."
Before, when reading the original story, Byakuya didn't understand Itachi Uchiha's behavioral logic. But ever since entering the Leaf Ninja Academy, he thoroughly understood what was going on.
If his body didn't house an adult soul, he would have been brainwashed by the Will of Fire too... uh, he also strongly identified with the Will of Fire.
Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and later Sasuke Uchiha—if not for Itachi's actions, Sasuke would have been just like the other Konoha 11.
At this point, Byakuya suddenly realized something he hadn't thought deeply about before. Since the Academy was so important to Hiruzen Sarutobi, how could Vice Principal Hiroya become Danzo's recruitment glove right under his nose?!
"Unless the expansion of Root is also something Hiruzen Sarutobi wants to see."
"Could Hayama Mimura temporarily acting as a teacher at the Academy be Hiruzen's way of warning Danzo not to go too far?"
After all, Academy graduates were loyal to the Leaf, not to Danzo Shimura.
"I won't think about it. That level of political maneuvering isn't something I need to worry about right now."
At midnight, the timed mission refreshed.
> [System: Hard Work Pays Off]
> Limited Time Mission (10 Days): Experience Massive Natural Energy (Incomplete).
> Reward: Senjutsu Talent Increase.
Last time, there was a mission to "Experience Natural Energy," rewarding a minor increase in Senjutsu talent.
This time, the word "Massive" was added. What did that mean?
In any case, if the System were his teacher, Byakuya would be kneeling and kowtowing right now.
You love me too much!
Senjutsu talent is exactly what I need right now!
When Tagorihime's training ended and they went to Ryuchi Cave to face the White Snake Sage's trials, if his Senjutsu talent was still insufficient, he would become lunch for that big white snake!
The Spirit Enhancement also boosted his sensory abilities significantly.
Body stats weren't isolated; an increase in one often led to increases in others.
So far, increasing Chakra Capacity had the best cost-performance ratio.
He extended his senses.
Searching for natural energy.
Byakuya thought completing this mission would be difficult. Where could he easily find massive natural energy?
However, when he sensed Tagorihime sleeping soundly outside the tent, Byakuya instantly perceived an exceptionally huge mass of natural energy.
> [System: Hard Work Pays Off]
> Limited Time Mission (10 Days): Experience Massive Natural Energy (Complete).
> Reward: Senjutsu Talent Increase.
"..."
That works too?
He suddenly understood the original intent of the mission. To experience massive natural energy, one would typically have to find a natural environment teeming with vibrant life. That was just the first step; the next step was to sense the natural energy of that vibrant place. A slight slip-up, and the natural energy would consume him.
Honestly, it was very hard.
This primeval forest in the Land of Rivers didn't meet the conditions. It was dark, damp, and miasmic. The flora and fauna surviving here were twisted, hardly "vibrant."
But Tagorihime was different. She came from Ryuchi Cave and inherently contained majestic natural energy.
She met the condition of "Massive Natural Energy" in the timed mission.
Byakuya sensed her, and the mission was complete.
It was so unexpected and unpredictable, like buying a scratch-off ticket at a corner store and winning a million.
"You are my benefactor... benefac-snake!"
No more nonsense. The original plan was to find a safe place to sleep soundly tomorrow, then meet Pakura the day after to discuss the details of her return to the Sand.
Forget tomorrow.
Byakuya moved immediately, picking up a torch from the campfire.
He was going to search for ingredients for Miss Tagorihime right now.
When she woke up, she would be able to eat a delicious feast from another world.
The direct feeling of the Senjutsu Talent Increase was that he seemed to merge with the natural forest. Being in it felt like returning home, with zero rejection.
"Should I try absorbing a wisp of natural energy?"
The thought was extinguished as soon as it arose.
That wasn't how you played with death.
The Three Great Sage Regions weren't lost to history or completely unknown. On the contrary, many ninja in the world knew about Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest.
In the long history of the ninja world, there must have been genius ninja who tried to fuse natural energy on their own.
Not only did the original story never mention anyone succeeding, but even the encyclopedias of ninja history Byakuya read in the Academy library had no records of it. Their fates could be imagined.
"Where did Hashirama Senju learn his Sage Mode? Shikkotsu Forest? Or..."