Violet-Eyed Serpent: Ch.23

As I opened my eyes, I blinked as I found myself on a rocky island about a dozen meters across in diameter in the centre of a vast lake, grey clouds rumbling above while I stared at the rocky outcroppings far in the distance.

I was a bit confused at how I was on an island and not standing in the middle of the rocky landscape from before, but I wasn't given more time as the lake rumbled before it began to rise at two points.

“So, you decided to continue with becoming a Sage, huh?”, Isobu asked as he rose up from the lake on my left, turning my head to see Saiken rising from my right before I turned back to the turtle and nodded.

“Yeah, especially since having access to your nigh-impenetrable scales and Saiken's malleability is rather fitting for a snake,” I said with a smirk and both looked at each other before Saiken shrugged.

“He does have a point there.”

“True, true.”

“Anyway, how's my body doing? Any point I need to heal or stuff like that?”

“What makes you think we know?”, Saiken asked and I shrugged as I sat down on the island.

“A hunch, honestly.”

“Well, you have good hunches. Your skin is slowly reconstructing itself into that of a snake's skin. You will still look human, but expect to be a lot paler than you were before.”

'Honestly, that doesn't sound so bad.'

“Secondly, your senses are being enhanced drastically. Whereas you were unable to even see a speck of nature energy before, you will now see, breathe, taste, feel and smell nature energy all around you.”

“Wait, as if I'll fully be able to see it?”, I asked, my eyes widening slightly as both Bijuu nodded.

“That's correct. Although, in exchange fro this, you'll have slit-like pupils, a slightly forked tongue and a taste for very rare meat. Oh, and your canines will extend to match that of a snake's,” Saiken clarified and I blinked before crossing my arms.

“Okay, okay. I can understand that. What else?”

“Finally, it's your chakra. It's…well, to be put this simple…”

“It's enormous,” Isobu finished for Saiken and I narrowed my eyes at that while crossing my arms.

“Explain.”

“Remember how your mindscape used to look before your transformation as a sage?”, He asked and I frowned before nodding as I looked at the sea.

“Yeah, it was just rocks and dirt.”

“That's because our chakra and yours had not synchronised fully. When it did, your chakra took the form of a large lake barely big enough for both Saiken and I to stand in. Now, do you understand?”

“…So, you're telling me…that this Sage Transformation in combination with my genes as an Uzumaki and your chakra boosting my own chakra…made this entire lake?”, I asked, spreading my arms wide at the water around us before dropping my arms as both Bijuu nodded.

“That's right.”

“…Well, shit.”

“Shit indeed. However, as you can see from the constant waves, the wind blowing and the dark clouds above, your chakra has increased tremendously, but your control has gone to absolute shit,” Isobu spoke and I sighed as I nodded.

“Yeah, I expected that. Well, at least I'm not dying, right?”

“No, you are not. If you were, we both would be happy as hell right now,” Saiken said and I heard their giggles as I palmed my face with a sigh.

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, what have you two been up to? You know, other than being caught in my soul,” I asked, watching as Isobu shrugged while Saiken submerged themselves happily in the 'water'/ chakra.

“Nothing much. Your memories of fighting against Iwa and Suna were entertaining since they killed one of my host, but other than that, the only thing I've had to do was play rock-paper-scissors with this one.”

“You're just mad you keep losing.”

“My scales are durable enough to crush diamonds with ease. How the hell is your feeble scissor fingers supposed to cut through my rock fist?!”, I realized there and then that Isobu still had his flaw despite his calm nature as the turtle raged and Saiken just shrugged.

“Well, how about I make a new game for us?”, I spoke, to which they both looked to me as I hummed.

“I spy with my little eye something with the letter I.”

“…This game is stupid if the item is Isobu,” Saiken spoke with a deadpan tone, Isobu nodding in agreement as I huffed.

“Very well. Go play rock-paper-scissors with Saiken and keep losing.”

“…I spy something beginning with the letter R.”

“Is it my hair?”

“No.”

“Is is the colour red of his hair?”

“…Maybe…”

“I agree. This game is stupid,” I spoke up, to which both of them rolled their eyes before I blinked and stood up.

“Actually, since I'm here, wanna play a game of tic-tac-toe?”, I asked, watching as both of them looked at each other before looking back at me.

“Explain this tic-tac-toe.”

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When I awoke, it was to the feeling of my senses being driven into overdrive and I don't mean the traditional way either.

I could see sound, smell colours and taste the earthy scent of the room around me. That was not the only thing as the nature energy in the air was very visible to my Rinnegan to the point that I could see every single strand of the light green chakra wrapping around my body.

It felt a bit heavy, but also quite refreshing as I could feel it touching my chakra, but I stopped it from wrapping around my chakra as I did not want to see what would happen to someone trying to train Snake Sage Mode without any proper training?

'Oh, they were not kidding about my chakra,' I thought as I felt my reserves, which were not only triple the size they were before but have drastically increased in potency.

'To be honest, this is so much more of an increase than I was expecting,' Even as I called the chakra to my hand, it required far less chakra to form the Chakra Scalpel than I was expecting, but I frowned as I saw its dull and rugged shape.

'Less of a scalpel and more of like a dull machete. Okay, looks we're going to need far more training than I was expecting.'

“Hey, you're awake!”, I blinked as I heard the happy voice beside me, turning my head only to blink as I didn't see anyone standing next to the stone bed.

“Down here,” Slowly turning my gaze down, I blinked at the large snake with dark red scales and the head shape of a cobra.

“Oh, hey. What's your name?”

“Don't got one. Most snakes are given a name when they can feel nature energy.”

“And you can't?”

“Well, yeah. I'm still very young,” The snake answered and I blinked as it raised its head, coming up to head level with me as I swung my legs over the side of the bed while half of its body was still on the floor.

'A snake as long as I am still while standing…and it's still very young?…Right, the snakes of this world are as long as most skyscrapers are tall.

“Ah, got it. I'm gonna call you Cobra, then.”

“That's a boy's name. I'm a girl.”

“Boa Hancock, then,” I spoke with a nod as I stood up, making the snake blink slowly before she looked at me.

“I shouldn't have a name yet. Can't sense any nature energy, remember?”

“Oh, you can still get your name when you can sense nature energy. I'll just call you Boa until then.”

“Do you do this to everyone you meet?”, She asked and I chuckled as I stretched my arms above my head.

“Only to those that have no name. So, what brings you to my room, Boa?”

“The Elder wanted me to come get you,” She said and I focused my attention on her as she continued. “Said that she wants you up so she could get your Sage training started.”

“Is there a place I can clean up first?”, I asked and the snake simply blinked slowly before turning her head almost all the way around to stare at the hot spring in the corner of my room that I missed completely.

“…Forget I asked anything.”

“Quite easy to do,” She answered with a shrug, to which I rolled my eyes while taking off my clothes and climbing into the water with a blissful sigh.

To the regular person, they would be boiling alive right now as blisters forms on their skin, but to the average Uzumaki shinobi? It felt like a nice, warm bath to soothe my muscles.

'It is a lot more nicer, though. Snakes are supposed to be cold-blooded, right? Does that mean I feel the same now?', I thought with a raised eyebrow before looking back as I heard the sound of slithering and saw Boa slipping into the water as well.

“Want to sneak in some warmth, too?”

“Yes,” I was amused by the complete bluntness of the snake, letting out a soft chuckle as I let out a sigh and relaxed my head on the edge of the hot spring.

“Did we not send a snake to come fetch you?”, Unfortunately, my bliss did not last long as I heard Tagitsuhime, opening my eyes and looking at the doorway to see her standing there with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.

“You did, but she's relaxing,” I said while pointing at said snake, to which Tagitsu shook her head as Boa's head was floating on the surface while the rest of her body was underwater.

“Of course she is. Daughter, may I ask why you are not doing your job?”

“I did. He just decided to bathe first.”

“Wait, she's your daughter?”, I asked in surprise as I turned to Tagitsu, who raised an eyebrow as she nodded.

“Indeed she is. I also have an older son, but he is a bit…irritated at the moment.”

“Huh, nice to know. Anyway, I'm guessing the Elder sent you to come get me?”, I asked as I stood up, walking over to my clothes while using my chakra to evaporate the water droplets clinging to my form.

“Indeed she did. I had sent my daughter to come fetch you, but I then remembered that she's quite scatterbrained.”

“Yeah, I learned that about Boa when we were talking.”

“Boa?”, Tagitsu asked and I nodded as Boa slithered out of the water while steaming as she evaporated the water with ease.

“Short for Boa Hancock. I didn't want to keep calling her 'red snake' so I decided to give her a name and yes, I know she's not supposed to have a name.”

“Oh no, we don't mind. Actually, would you like that as your name when you can have one?”

“I would not mind it. It is quite a nice sounding one.”

“Thanks. I always thought of it to be a good name for like a snake.”

“Boa Hancock? You thought the name with the word 'Boa' in it…would be a good name for a snake?”, Tagitsuhime asked, shaking her head as I shrugged.

“Hey, I'm a kid. Bad names are to be expected.”

“Just get dressed before the Sage decides to eat you.”

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“Good morning~”, I waved at the gigantic White Snake Sage sitting on her throne, waving at Ichikishimahime and Tagorihime as well as the two priestess waved back with amused smiles while the Sage just raised an eyebrow.

“I thought I called for you almost half an hour ago?”

“I got lost,” Boa said with a bored look before she slithered away, all of us watching her leave before I smirked as the White Snake snorted.

“Reminds of you during your younger days.”

“Do not remind me, elder,” Tagitsuhime spoke as she walked over, sitting down on the soft cushion in the centre between Ichikishima and Tagori before I stood up straight as the White Snake Sage looked at me.

“How do you feel after the trials?”

“A lot stronger, but my chakra control has also gotten far worse than I was expecting.”

“That's to be expected. Sage Transformation boosts your physical and mental chakra tremendously and as everyone knows, chakra increasing in both quantity and potency results in your control being reduced drastically.”

'Yeah. Also, the Bijuu said I would be pale, but holy crap am I pale,' To be honest, I wasn't at an Orochimaru level of pale, but I was quite a paler than I was before and I was already a bit pale since I grew up in a country that did not get that much sunlight.

“Yeah, which is why I wanna get on that asap. However, I want to start my Sage training as well. So, what am I doing first?”

“Senjutsu,” She answered simply and I raised an eyebrow, which seemed to amuse them all as I watched them snicker and giggle at my expression.

“Explain it to me like I'm stupid. What's the difference between Senjutsu, Sage Chakra and Nature Chakra?”

“It's natural energy actually and not Nature Chakra. As for explaining those terms, natural energy or nature energy is the energy found in the earth, the atmosphere and one's surrounding. Senjutsu is the ability to absorb and fuse that energy with your own chakra to form Sage Chakra or Senjutsu chakra. Being able to mould Senjutsu chakra grants you access to a temporary empowered state of being called Sage Mode and when one has fully mastered Sage Mode, that is when one is classified as a Sage.”

“Okay, I understand it all now. So, I first need to learn how to use Senjutsu to draw natural energy into my body and make Senjutsu chakra?”, I asked, watching as the White Snake Sage nodded.

“Got it all in one. Now, get started.”

“…How do I do that, though? Like is there a specific method or stance or…?,” I trailed off, watching as the Snake Sage just grinned slyly.

“Sit still. That's it.”

“…Okay,” To their slight surprise, I just shrugged and nodded, plopping down on the ground before sitting up straight and taking a deep breath.

'Now if I remember correctly from Naruto's training, just sit still, let the energy flood in and take control of it. Oh wait, before I do that though…'

Shadow Clone Jutsu

With a bit of struggle, I watched as twelve clones formed behind me, not opening my eyes or saying anything as I hear them run up onto the walls and began sparring.

I wanted to see through their eyes what they were doing, but I figured that might count as slightly moving so I just took a deep breath and continued.

'Do not move…Do not move…Oh wait, I can just do this,' Without moving, I began to feel the nature energy wrapping around my limbs, but instead of fighting off the energy, I let it blend with my own chakra.

As I watched the energy slowly dye my own chakra from a violet to a slight mixture between purple and brown, I opened my eyes only to blink at the stone-like scales covering my arms.

“Oh…Shit!”, I hopped to my feet and began hobbing around, trying my best to push out the excess energy trying to bind to me as well as the energy that was already in.

Keeping the excess energy out was quite easy, but as I continued to try and push out the chakra already in my body, I cursed as the energy did not want to let go whatsoever.

However, I was not given much more time to worry about that as something whipped into my back, a pained hiss escaping my lips before I blinked as I could feel my arms and legs flexing and moving around again.

“And that's what happens when you underestimate nature energy,” Ichikishimahime spoke as she took a step back, with me raising an eyebrow at the whip in her hand before I shook my head.

“Oh, I can see that. Hah, how long is this going to take me?”, I asked and she just smiled without saying anything, to which I just nodded and sat back down.

Well, this is about to become a painful experience.

A/N: I know I said this chapter was going to be the fight against a Kage, but I think the last two-thirds of next chapter is going to be that while the first half is just him training with the priestess and the sage.

Nagato's got his Sage chakra, his buffs and we're going to also be training his Bijuu chakra during this.

Anyway, next chapter: Time to begin the hunt~

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

Ba-Bye~!!