Sage Mode?
He entered Sage Mode instantly—without a single hand seal?
Are you kidding me?
Since when was Sage Mode that easy?!
Staring at the sage markings on Uchiha Ren's face, the snakes of Ryūchi Cave—led by Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Takahime—looked like they'd seen a ghost. Horror crept across their expressions despite themselves.
This was Sage Mode.
Even the serpents of Ryūchi Cave had to cultivate it with extreme caution, terrified that one mistake would cause natural energy backlash and turn their bodies to stone.
And now?
This human—who had suddenly appeared in Ryūchi Cave—had absorbed an absurd amount of natural energy and slipped into Sage Mode as casually as breathing.
It was… insulting.
A pure, crushing kind of "how is this even fair?"
So this is the system's Perfect Sage Mode…
Ren, now in Sage Mode, fell into thought. A faint confusion surfaced in his gaze.
Because the moment he entered Sage Mode, his chakra balance shifted—chakra and natural energy fused into senjutsu chakra.
But the nature of that senjutsu chakra felt… strange.
It carried something unfamiliar.
A vibration.
In other words—
After entering Sage Mode, his quake power seemed to have fully awakened.
And "awakening" was a higher stage of that power:
Paramecia-type awakening could affect objects beyond the user's body; Zoan awakenings massively boosted recovery and combat ability—though failure came with side effects.
Now that he was in Sage Mode…
The so-called strongest Paramecia—his quake ability—had awakened.
How strong is awakened quake power…?
After sensing himself for a moment, Ren murmured quietly,
"After awakening… I could probably shatter space itself with ease."
"Fifth Hokage—what exactly are you trying to do?"
Tagitsuhime finally spoke. She drew a breath, forcefully suppressing her unease, and her voice turned cold.
"You killed Manda II in Ryūchi Cave and took Ryūchi Cave's Sage inheritance without permission."
"Hmph."
Ichikishimahime let out a sharp snort, her tone dripping with threat.
"You dare steal Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode? You will pay the price."
"Let me make this clear," Takahime added icily. "Even one of the Three Sannin—Orochimaru—shows proper respect when he comes here."
"Stole Sage Mode?"
Ren snapped out of his thoughts and looked at them like they were idiots.
What a joke.
With the system, did he really need to "steal" Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode?
"Isn't it?" Tagitsuhime ground out, teeth clenched. "I don't know how you infiltrated Ryūchi Cave, but it doesn't change the facts—you killed Manda II and stole our Sage Mode."
"The White Snake Sage will not let you go," Ichikishimahime said, eyes narrowing.
"Everything that happens in Ryūchi Cave reaches the White Snake Sage," Takahime hissed, tongue flicking. "Once you're here, don't even think about leaving."
"Heh."
Ren's smile carried a faint, dismissive edge.
"Everyone—attack!!"
Tagitsuhime's gaze turned icy. Fangs flashed as her body surged and transformed into a massive serpent, senjutsu chakra rolling off her in violent waves.
This was Ryūchi Cave's home ground.
She refused to believe a human could come here and overturn the heavens.
"Kill him!"
The moment her shout landed, the serpents—already itching to move—erupted with savage intent.
Some of them bore their own sage markings, senjutsu chakra flaring as they entered Ryūchi Cave's unique Sage Mode.
Boom! Boom!!
Violent presences detonated one after another, stirring the natural energy of the entire sanctuary into chaos. Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Takahime fully shifted as well, colossal bodies coiling forward as they opened grotesque maws.
Ren exhaled.
A quiet, almost disappointed sigh.
He actually wanted to find out how much stronger his Conqueror's Haki became after entering Perfect Sage Mode.
And now—
Test subjects had delivered themselves.
Humm—
Before a single serpent could strike—
A terrifying pressure burst from Ren's body, so heavy that even the space around him trembled. It swept outward at lightning speed.
Crack… crack…
The air fractured.
Under that pressure, the charging serpents felt their minds seize—then their enormous bodies froze in place.
"How is that possible?!"
"Why is his presence this terrifying?!"
At the very front, Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Takahime widened their snake eyes in pure horror.
Because in that instant—
A vision slammed into their minds:
Uchiha Ren slaughtering all of Ryūchi Cave.
Shock.
Dread.
Bone-deep terror.
Their hearts pounded wildly as they fought to hold on. They endured for only a few seconds before their thoughts turned blank.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Moments later, the sound of bodies collapsing echoed through the cavern.
Serpents dropped in waves—knocked unconscious—crashing to the ground one after another.
Even the high-ranking leaders—Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, and Takahime—trembled violently as they collapsed, powerless, onto the stone floor.
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