As his mind gradually regained its original vitality, Kimimaro looked at the surroundings that had changed drastically and the girl before him, who seemed even more radiant than before he lost consciousness. He couldn't help but show an apologetic expression.
"An unexpected reaction."
Amane said with a smile.
Seeing Kimimaro's apology stemming from his own mistake, Amane felt that he was actually cuter and more human this way.
Seeing Kimimaro keeping his head down and remaining silent, Amane didn't intend to continue gaslighting him over his mistake.
In fact, from the results, Kimimaro's mistake had actually made Amane's actions more convenient. Otherwise, this white-haired youth would have definitely followed her into Ryūchi Cave for the trial.
Whether he succeeded or failed then, it would have been a hassle for Amane.
[I was originally thinking of using Sealing to control him when the time came.]
As it turned out, Shin Ya had done the job for her.
"Forget it, this was also a mistake caused by my insufficient intelligence gathering."
Hearing Amane say this, Kimimaro was stunned for a moment before sighing, "Sorry, I misunderstood."
He and Amane were truly old acquaintances. In terms of ability, Kimimaro genuinely acknowledged Amane. Otherwise, in that situation, although he doubted her motives, he would never have followed Amane's combat commands.
But when Amane told him to find the Reverse Scale, his deep-seated behavioral patterns caused him to misjudge it as a vital point requiring a fatal blow.
Before being swallowed by the petrifying poison mist, he saw Amane's face darken and knew he had messed up.
Given that his petrification was now undone, it seemed he had ultimately failed to live up to Lord Orochimaru's expectations.
But at the same time, he felt a sense of relief.
It seemed Amane didn't want to betray Orochimaru yet.
"The mission... how did it go?"
Kimimaro asked.
"There. Ryūchi Cave."
Kimimaro followed her gaze. Under the sunlight, a cave entrance appeared exceptionally deep, like the cold, massive maw of a giant snake.
"Inside, there's another world with beautiful scenery. If you keep going forward, you'll encounter a patch of mist. What you must do is walk forward steadfastly, and then you'll face the three great trials of Ryūchi Cave."
Amane briefly and concisely explained the trials of Ryūchi Cave. As for the details inside the cave, she would naturally report them to Orochimaru in detail after returning to the Sound Village.
Until this moment, Kimimaro still didn't fully understand Amane's intentions. However, she had said before that she would explain after the mission... "Oh, that," Amane continued nonchalantly, "There's nothing to hide. You could say it was a lucky accident or something... anyway, to undo your petrification, I passed those three trials."
The implication was that she had successfully mastered Sage Art as she wished, which was the core purpose of her trip.
Hide it? She had already laid her cards on the table before they left. Uncle Snake had even specifically given the intelligence to Amane. Although this intelligence led to the White Snake Sage's final difficulty, overall, the pros outweighed the cons.
In short, Amane's goal had been achieved. Learning Sage Mode through her own efforts at ten years old was something to be proud of.
"If you..."
Kimimaro's tone was somewhat dangerous. The unspoken words were that if she ever intended to turn her sword against Orochimaru, he would kill Amane no matter what.
Whether he could do it or not? That was not within Kimimaro's consideration.
In response, Amane took out the intelligence Orochimaru had given her, and now Kimimaro was completely speechless.
Wait? But if that's the case, why did Lord Orochimaru say those things to him?
Kimimaro fell into a state where his brain wasn't enough, and he subconsciously looked at Amane for an answer.
His shoulder was patted twice.
"Don't think about it. I couldn't figure it out before either. It seems Uncle Snake's wisdom is indeed above ours, far beyond what we can hope to match."
Kimimaro clearly appreciated these words.
Next, it was time to head to the other mission location.
Although it seemed unnecessary given the current situation, neither of them had any objections to going there.
Not to mention Kimimaro's self-positioning—it was impossible for him to ignore any of Orochimaru's instructions. Amane was also curious about Jugo, who could not control his absorption of Natural Energy.
Amane licked her lips, her heart filled with anticipation.
The two places weren't far apart. In less than a day, they arrived at the final destination of this trip.
Just as they arrived, before they could inquire about the situation, Amane and Kimimaro saw violent explosions and visible spheres of Chakra light coming from the distant hilltop.
Looks like they hit the jackpot!
"There are fluctuations of Natural Energy. This amount of absorption... I see. It seems our mission target has lost his mind."
Amane had already achieved some success with Sage Art and saw the fundamental logic behind Jugo's rampage at a glance.
Normally, Natural Energy absorbed from the outside into the body is distinguished by the absolute standard of a 1:1:1 ratio. The further you step beyond that line, the closer you become to an animal.
On this basis, the Sage Art of Ryūchi Cave causes even more changes, and the corresponding influence will be more obvious.
Based on the basic logic that physical energy represents the body and spiritual energy represents thought and memory, once the Ryūchi Cave Sage Art steps further into animal territory, your thinking patterns will naturally become wilder.
This is one of the dangerous aspects of Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art.
Of course, danger and opportunity coexist; this is also the most characteristic and powerful aspect of Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art.
Looking at the orange-haired child whose entire body looked like a monster, Amane signaled Kimimaro not to intervene, while she herself entered Sage Mode.
[Good, let me see just how strong this Sage power really is.]
Seeing Amane's purple eye shadow, Kimimaro stepped aside, his eyes unwilling to miss a single detail.
Then, Amane vanished from his sight, not even giving him time to be surprised.
Up until now, in terms of Taijutsu, Amane couldn't compare to him, right... [As expected, compared to the combination of physical energy and Natural Energy, the combination with spiritual energy is deeper. The reason is... Jugo's spiritual energy is too weak.]
spiritual energy represents a person's will, experience, and so on. It is indeed hard to imagine a child in their early teens having very strong spiritual energy. This is also the main reason for falling into a frenzy.
Even after Jugo gets used to it, this frenzy will follow him as something deep-seated, even if his spiritual energy catches up later.
To save him was very simple for the current Amane.
Either expel the Natural Energy or absorb it.
Amane bit Jugo!
[And while I'm at it, give me a bit of your Chakra and flesh.]
Soon, a dazed orange-haired boy looked at his body, which was now human again, and fell into a state of bewilderment.
"It's temporary. Your clan is located too close to Ryūchi Cave. Over generations, your constitutions have gradually become able to unconsciously absorb Natural Energy. If used well, it's a blessing, not a curse."
Jugo clearly wasn't listening closely to Amane's explanation; his attention was entirely on her.
Until she finished speaking, Jugo didn't look away. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, and then he knelt straight down and said:
"Thank... thank you! Finally... finally someone can stop me! I really don't want to kill people! But this power always comes out without warning, and then I lose my mind... Because of this curse, I killed my parents, my friends, and innocent villagers with my own hands... I've been... I've been waiting for someone who can stop me! Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
Amane didn't interrupt Jugo's outpouring. She remembered his age was set to be only two years older than her. It was hard to imagine experiencing these things at only twelve years old and still being able to maintain his later mindset.
What he needed now was this vent, and then after it ended, she would provide him with a path.
Until he learned to control his power, he was indeed unfit to stay with ordinary people.
After a long while, when Jugo's emotions calmed down, Amane told him about his constitution's problem and the matter of Orochimaru.
He fell silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
The reason was the same as what Amane had just thought: he no longer had a place to belong here.
Moreover, although she had just informed him of what he might encounter, Amane also told him that going there would give him a chance to learn to control his power.
Otherwise, he would have to go to Ryūchi Cave to pass the trials and learn Sage Art.
Since he learned it was the influence of Ryūchi Cave that caused his clan's constitutional problems, he couldn't avoid it fast enough; why would he proactively run there and then go on a rampage?
In this way, Jugo was successfully abducted by Amane to Uncle Snake's Sound Village... "Yet another... result beyond imagination, Amane!"
In the office, Uncle Snake listened to Amane's full report on the entire process from the Ryūchi Cave trial to mastering Sage Art. He then looked at the Jugo she had brought back, his eyes flashing with sincere admiration, before changing the subject:
"But this leaves me in a difficult position. I really... don't want to let you go at all."
Amane shrugged indifferently.
She wasn't afraid of Orochimaru trying to keep her by force.
Because after being together for so long, in a relationship that was both mutual utilization and mutual calculation, they had long since understood how to make the other person provide help willingly.
If Orochimaru chose to use forceful means, he wouldn't be himself.
Moreover, the current Amane wasn't particularly afraid of forceful means.
She could faintly feel that she might actually be able to take on this Orochimaru. Since she had such a feeling, then presumably... "Sigh, is this what they call a daughter outgrowing her home?"
Orochimaru's emotional remark left Amane with black lines all over her forehead.
"I can accept calling you Master, but I can't accept that."
Compared to Danzo, Orochimaru truly deserved those two words to Amane. For various Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Sealing Jutsu, whenever there was something she didn't understand, he would immediately and responsibly resolve her doubts.
But that wasn't okay! Accepting these things wasn't for free; Amane took them with a clear conscience.
"Hmph hmph hmph... I didn't say anything, what are you thinking about?"
Orochimaru's smile carried a hint of banter. Amane realized she had been teased.
[Hmph! You'll behave once you go to Ryūchi Cave.]
Should she keep Sage Mode active even when just walking around then?
Amane thought about it seriously and with anticipation.
A month later. When Orochimaru returned from Ryūchi Cave with a gloomy face, Amane first feigned confusion and asked, then excitedly inquired about his cultivation results.
Finally, after the intelligence that Orochimaru could not cultivate Sage Art became known to his confidants, Amane really did it.
Thus, in the Sound Village, an earth-shattering battle broke out that shocked everyone!
As for the outcome of the victory or defeat... no one knew.
Only that afterward, the morale of the Sound Village reached an unprecedented high.
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