Violet-Eyed Serpent: Ch.24

“Ow!”, I exclaimed as I fell to my side, skittering on the ground with a hiss while Ichikishimahime giggled as she tapped the whip against her palm.

“Come on, you can't be that bad at sitting still.”

“I'm good at sitting still! I'm bad at keeping the chakra from infecting me,” I answered with a grumble as I sat up, rubbing the welt on my chest that was already vanishing thanks to the Bijuu's chakra.

“Nope, I think you're just bad at sitting still. Maybe you should try and do something that makes you relax?”

“Like what?”

“Uh, dreaming, maybe? You can't do anything that has to do with movement so dreaming's about the only thing you got. Visualize yourself being a Sage that cannot move,” Ichikishimahime spoke and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Fine, but if this doesn't work…”

“Oh, stop being so negative,” Tagorihime spoke up with a frown and I just sighed before closing my eyes and taking another deep breath.

'Be a Sage. Be a Sage that is quiet, serene and calm. Be a Sa-This isn't working,' I thought with a deep breath, exhaling slowly as I felt my mind beginning to wander.

'Be a Sage. How the hell am I even supposed to do that? I mean, I like wanting to think I can sit still, but my chakra is still growing with every day from a combination of being a boy going through puberty, my Uzumaki genes, the natural energy passively boosting me every time I absorb it and my being a Jinchuriki. To be honest, I think I might compete with Naruto and Hashirama for the most chakra in the world when I hit my prime because there is no reason for one kid to be Kage level at 12 years old. Gods, it's like I'm this protagonist from a bad self-insert and power-gathering fanfiction that just got lucky at every turn and-!'

“Nagato?”, Ichikishimahime's voice drew me from my thoughts as I opened them only to be confused by her pleased smile.

“What? Did I do something wrong?”

“You didn't even notice, did you?”, She asked with a giggle and I blinked as she held up a mirror only for me to be shocked by my left Rinnegan having a dark gold hue instead of its usual violet one.

“…You're telling me that I spent almost five days struggling to figure out how to sit still…and all I had to do was to let my mind wander?”

“Like we said, you weren't sitting still enough?”

“I hate this. Okay, what's ne-Woah, did that always look like that?”, I asked while pointing at the threads of natural energy wrapping in the air, noting the new golden strands that connected them all to each other as Tagorihime spoke up.

“That is going to be part of a technique that you're not going to learn until the end of your training. Now, the next step is learning how to gather it faster.”

“Sounds pretty fun,” I spoke with a grin as I sat back down only to blink as Ichikishimahime picked me up to my feet while shaking her head.

“Nope, no sitting down. This time, you're going to do it standing. Once you get to that level, you'll be ready to gather natural energy whether you're sitting, lying down or standing up.”

“What if I'm moving?”, I asked and they both looked at each other before shaking their heads.

“Unless you got some special genes, no one is capable of moving while gathering natural energy at the same time. It's just not possible.”

'I can think of one clan that can,' I thought with a smirk, remembering the guy that went on a rampage after he absorbed too much natural energy in the series before remembering one other thing.

I have no clue where the hell Jugo or members of his clan is at this time.

I could find them considering people that randomly go on rampages can't be that common, but if I had to guess, I'd say that part of land between Kumo, Kiri and Konoha are probably the best places to look for a start.

Even if that doesn't work, I know that Kurama is able to gather natural energy for Naruto while he fights so I think I could get either Saiken or Isobu to do that while the other helps me in a fight.

'Yeah, that could work too. Oh, right. Still mad at her.'

“Also, you've been trying to get me to figure out how to gather nature energy while sitting just so you could make me do it while standing?”

“Exactly. Oh, don't be such a baby about it. The body of a Sage must as still and balanced as the mind,” Ichikishimahime spoke with a wink and I just looked at the woman before turning to the amused Tagorihime.

“Tagori, your sister is trying to kill me with frustration.”

“A master tests both the spirit and the ego. You're doing fine.”

“I wish Tagitsu was here. She'd take my side.”

“Considering you're best friends with her daughter, she would indeed, but it's a good thing she isn't. Now, learn to stay still standing,” The White Snake spoke up from where she was lounging on her throne, to which I grumbled as I planted my feet shoulder-width apart before exhaling softly.

All right, time to do the same thing while standing…

'Hah, this is about to be hard,' I thought as I kept myself steady, ignoring the slight stabs of pain while feeling the golden and green threads of nature energy slowly wrapping around my body.

Each felt as if they was caressing my body, massaging my chakra and making it flare before I felt my knee twitch and a burning pain across the back of it.

“Son of a-Ow! What was that for?!”, I shouted, hobbling on one leg as Ichikishima cracked her whip with a shrug.

“You moved again.”

“It flinched.”

“And in a battle, flinching can get you killed. Sage Mode is not just a power boost. It's serenity, stillness and control and until you master that, you're just a powerhouse with shaky legs.”

“…I swear, once I get this right and I will, I'm going to make you regret ever picking on me,” I grumbled as I stood up straight, ignoring their giggles as I took a deep breath.

Oh, now I'm making sure I'm getting it within the day if only to spite them.

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“Okay, so one thing we've learned is that you get very determined when you want to spite someone,” Ichikishimahime spoke with narrowed eyes while I grinned as I stared at my reflection in her mirror, a pair of golden Rinnegan with slitted pupils staring back at me.

My scaly skin was also a lot more visible than before and I also had the same purple pigmentation around my eyes that extended all the way to my shoulder blades like Kabuto had.

I didn't have the four horns on the side of my head like he did, but I'm guessing that was more of a unique thing to him like his stomach snake since I didn't get that as well.

Not that I was complaining since I could feel my mind, body and chakra being boosted significantly by the natural energy flowing through it, but it was only a minute later that I grimaced when the natural energy faded away.

“A minute, eh? That's not bad for a beginning. Not bad at all,” The White Snake Sage spoke up as she slithered down, transforming halfway into her human form and making me roll my eyes at her theatrical flip.

“Thank you. It does feel a lot better having natural energy inside of me without it trying to force my body apart. Anyway, what's next up?”

“That's it for Senjutsu training. You've learned to sense it and gather it at the same time so now all that's left is teaching you all the Snake Jutsu that we have.”

“When you say all that you have…”, I trailed off, grinning as the Snake Sage just snorted and nodded while Tagorihime spoke.

“Yes, we mean every jutsu that a Sage should know.”

“Yes! Okay, what's up?”

Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation

Instead of explaining, Ichikishima made a hand sign before my eyes widened as the ground below me rippled, looking down to see mud hands growing out and grabbing onto my ankles.

“This is the pinnacle of Snake Sage Mode. Unlike the Toads' that allows them to use the natural energy in the air as an extension of their body or the Slugs' that allows them to have incredible regeneration, the Snake Sage Mode is what allows our summoners to breathe life into inorganic substances and control them.”

“Now…when you say control them, do you mean like being able to just manipulate their normal structure or being able to manipulate them truly? Like, can I manipulate a rock spike and then shift it halfway into a water tentacle to tie up someone?”

“Unfortunately, our power is not to that level. You can grant that same rock spike the flexibility and fluidity of water, but you can't change its chemical composition.”

“Ah, got it. So, how do I learn this?”

“That's where the golden threads you see come in. Grab onto them and pull at them to manipulate the object they are touching.”

“Cool, cool. Quick question, how the hell do I do that?”, I asked before shaking my head as the Snake Sage and her three priestesses just shrugged in unison.

“We cannot teach you that because the feeling is not something you can teach. Each Sage feels it differently compared to everyone else so what you need to do is feel out how to manipulate them in your way.”

“Hah, how long is this going to take me?”

“At the very least? A couple of days. At most? A week or two. More than that and we'll help you figure it out,” The White Snake said and I nodded as I stood still, letting the natural energy flow into my body and moulding it to my chakra to form senjutsu chakra at the same time.

As the golden strands became visible, I smirked as I reached out for the first one before sighing as it vanished immediately the moment I did so.

“That's too forceful. Coax it and invite it to flow as you want,” Tagitsuhime said gently and I nodded as I reached for the next thread, this time taking it slow and offering my palm before smiling as the thread immediately slithered into my palm and back into the air.

'Progress. Okay, time to take this a step further.'

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“And you're sure about this?”, Saiken asked as he and Isobu floated in front of me, to which I nodded as I stared at both of them.

“Yeah. Unfortunately, I need more than just Sage Mode and my training to keep up with the strong of this world. If I'm going to start changing the world, I need to learning how to use both of your chakras.”

“You do realize that there has never been a Jinchuriki that's able to handle the chakra of two Bijuu, right?”

“There was the Sage of Six Paths.”

“He was built differently from every human that has ever existed. You do not even compare to him in the slightest,” Isobu spoke up and I sighed as I nodded.

“I know, but I need more strength if I'm going to survive the coming years, especially since I know the bounty on my head has most likely skyrocketed after the Uzumaki thing.”

“True and if he's going to become a real force in the world, he'll need more than just flashy chakra tricks,” Isobu said as he looked to Saiken, who stared at me before I caught his eye tentacles narrowing.

“This isn't just about power anymore, is it?”

“No, it's about control. My reserves are slowly but surely growing bigger and bigger with every day, the Sage Chakra is boosting that growth even further and with both of you sealed inside of me…If I don't learn to balance it all, I think I might just self-destruct and take half a country with me.”

“That is true, but combining the chakra of two Bijuu, especially one that is acidic slime and the other being dense armour…I don't think they're compatible.”

“They don't have to be compatible because I'm not trying to blend your powers to make some new hybrid jutsu. I just need to understand your chakra, channel it and be able to call on either of you without blacking out or going on a rampage.”

“And you are prepared for the pain that comes with this training?”, Isobu asked, both him and Saiken smirking as I scoffed and shook my head.

“Not in the slightest, but I've got to do it anyway,” I answered and we all stayed silent as the 'chakra water' of my mindscape churned and rippled around us before both of them nodded.

“Alright, then. We'll begin by teaching you how to properly separate each of our chakras without overlapping them,” Isobu spoke and I nodded before turning to Saiken as he continued.

Once you can enter either of our cloaks all the way up to the third tail without losing yourself or hurting your body, we'll move on to my fourth, fifth and sixth tail followed by learning how to use both in combination.”

“I thought you said they couldn't be used in harmony.”

“They cannot, but once you master control over our chakra, we can attempt to layer them on top of each other instead of mixing them. That is how the Sage used all of our chakras in unison even after he split the Ten Tails into us nine Bijuu. He didn't force our chakras back together, but controlled them all to work together in layered harmony,” Isobu explained and I felt my heart racing in excitement and anticipation before I nodded.

“Got it. Okay then. Let's get this started.”

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The air above the Ryuchi Cave was warm and soothing thanks to the summer sun burning through the clouds, each ray of light warming up my body as I took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

All around me, I could hear the sound of boulders being shifted about and as I opened my eyes, I smirked at the sight of three tails covered in segmented armour juggling a trio of boulders with ease while six slug-like tails kept me from touching the ground.

“Three years. It took us three years, but we finally managed to do it,” I murmured as I stood up straight, stretching my back with a grunt before cracking my neck as well.

“Knew you would be up here,” I turned and smiled at Ichikishimahime walking towards me with a smirk, rolling my eyes as I stretched my arms above my head before hearing my lower back pop with a relieved groan.

“Hey, Ichiki. Yeah, I'm just finishing up on my meditation before I leave.”

“Oh, right. Today's the day you finally go home, right?”, She asked and I nodded with a smile, excited about the fact that I will be able to get home today.

Hearing barking from behind me, I chuckled at the sight of Sessho chasing around Akahime, who was now nearly the same size as a bullet train in her true form and a large anaconda in her smaller form.

According to her mother, she still has a ways to go before she could achieve her illusionary human form, but she has finally achieved her title as a Sage and was allowed her name.

To my surprise, she seems to have outgrown the name Boa Hancock as she wanted her own original own, but I have to admit that I was not surprised that she chose a name that meant 'Red Snake Princess'.

Still, it was a pretty good name.

“Sessho, Aka, come on. It's time to go.”

“Of course.”

“Coming!”, Sessho barked and I had to admit that it took me a while to get used to that, especially when I just woke up one day to find Sessho standing over me while speaking happily.

As it turns out, natural energy can do all sorts of wonders, including enhancing a dog's brain to the point that he learned how to speak, read and do basic maths.

Yeah, this world may be a fun one after all.

It took us a few minutes to get down the rocky mountain, nodding and waving at every snake we passed since I had gotten quite close to a few of them over the years.

A few of the elder snakes even bowed their heads and I smiled as I bowed back, only feeling a slight bit of pride from them doing so since they don't even do it for the White Snake Sage herself unless she was really pissed off.

It was as we got to the base of the mountain that I noticed Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime standing at the entrance, the two whispering to each other and speaking most likely about either my departure or something else.

“You sure you can't stay any longer? We could still find a few more things for you to turn?”, Ichikishima asked and I just looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“We both know that I have learned every thing that the Ryuchi Cave has to offer, which also includes the Paths,” Figuring out Catastrophic Planetary Devastation was honestly a lot harder than figuring out the Samsara of Heavenly Life, but I did manage to do both on top of mastering the other Paths.

I haven't used either much at all, but I have learned how to use them.

“Very well. Here you go,” She said as she handed me my Akatsuki cloak that was slightly torn at the edges and I smiled at the two purple snake fangs near the collar, signifying my status as a Snake Sage.

“Thank you. Now, let's go before the White Snake comes and kills us for stalling,” I said, to which Ichiki giggled while Tagori and Tagitsu nodded, the three of them leading me down the many tunnels of the cave before we finally entered the main chamber.

Seated on her throne like always was the White Snake Sage, in her full serpentine form with the added addition of having her body covered in ceremonial paint.

I then watched as the three priestess transformed into their giant snake forms as well, each bowing their heads to the Sage before turning around to face me as the Sage lifted her head.

“Nagato Uzumaki, you came here as no more than a young boy seeking strength three years ago,” She began, both Sessho and I standing quietly while Akahime decided to stay beside me.

“Now, you leave here today as a bearer of knowledge few in this world possess. Should you fall, your name will echo through the cave for centuries. Should you ride, you will endure and change the world,” As she finished speaking, I smiled at the slight shimmer of pride in her eyes before it vanished just as quickly, the Sage bowing her head along with her priestesses.

“I thank you all for allowing me to learn your techniques and learn your ways. Truly, it was a pleasure and an honour,” I spoke with a smile as I bowed my head, Sessho and Akahime doing the same before I stood up straight as the Sage smiled.

“As it was for us. Now, go forth and bring change to the world and glory to your title as Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave.”

“You two ready?”, I asked, looking to my two companions and Sessho just grinned as Akahime let out an approving hiss before turning to her mother.

“Return with glory to your name, daughter.”

“I will, mother. Let us depart, Nagato,” She spoke and I smirked before taking a deep breath as I made a clone and dispersed it.

Reverse Summoning Jutsu

The next, I felt myself being pulled through time and space, holding onto both Akahime and Sessho as we travelled hundreds of kilometers and appeared in front of a shocked group of people right as my clone dispersed.

“Nagato?”, A familiar voice asked and I grinned at the shock in Yahiko's eyes before nodding as I spread my arms.

“Ya miss me?”

A/N: And we end off the childhood arc~!! It has been a long ride, but we are now finally into the meat of the story.

Next chapter: The War Begins Anew and Destroying a Kage.

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!