Chapter 166: 159. Secret of the Ryuchi Cave
"Hold on a sec… we are in the Ryuchi cave."
Izuna questions the giant snake again.
"Yes… you are." The giant snake answers in annoyance.
"Wait… Ryuchi cave… Ryuchi cave… isn't it one of the legendary places alongside Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest. Together these three places are called the unexplored sage regions.
One can seek forever for these places but could never find them. I am surprised we could come across this legendary place." Mei excitedly stares at her surroundings.
"How do you know about it?"
Izuna questions her.
"Books… haven't you read any books? I found the information about Ryuchi cave and the other sage region in one of the older books of our clan library."
Hmm…
Izuna nods his head in understanding.
He turns towards the giant snake and smirks.
"I wonder what do the 'White Snake Sage' of the Ryuchi cave seeks with us. There is no way… the Snake sage would personally pay a visit to the intruder of the Ryuchi cave."
"Wha… what? Snake Sage…" Mei's eyes widen as she stares at the giant snake.
"… she is the legendary Snake Sage… The legendary leader of the snakes of the Ryuchi cave."
"Yes… I am the Snake Sage of the Ryuchi cave." The white snake nods her head.
She turns towards Izuna and questions him.
"How do you come to know of this fact?"
"Well… as you saw earlier… I am a Sage myself… so with my heightened senses… I can sense the presence of another sage." Izuna states as it a matter of fact.
"Figures… but I have never seen such a unique sage Mode. If my guess is correct… then you didn't learn it in Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu forest." The White Snake Sage asks him.
"No… I leaned my Sage Mode in Shikkotsu Forest… but I figured out the secrets of my Sage Mode on my own. Then later, I learned the necessary Taijutsu techniques from Mount Myoboku."
Izuna reveals to her.
Hmm…
The giant snake lowers her head and flickers out its tongue near Izuna.
"This stench… it is the stench of those stinky toads and slugs. Hiss… I can't stand their presence."
The Snake Sage lifts her head and shakes it furiously.
"So… what's the meaning of this surprise attack and what's with that trial?"
Izuna crosses his hands around his chest as he questions the Snake Sage.
"Very well… follow me…"
The snake sage slithers deeper into the forest. Izuna follows after her. Mei hurriedly chases them.
While walking through the forest, the Snake Sage lifts her head and explains.
"It was almost millennia ago… when Ryuchi cave came into existence. It was an era before the era of Rikudou Sannin. Together with the Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryuchi cave… the 'Great Traveller found three Sage regions'.
He gave spiritual wisdom to our ancestors and revealed the secrets of the Senjutsu to them. With his downfall, his possessions were distributed among the three Sage Regions as he spilt them accordingly."
The Snake Sage slithers as it lifts her head and looks at Izuna and Mei.
"I am aware of that." Izuna nods his head.
"I came to know of this from the toads of Mount Myoboku." He reveals to her.
"Huh!... the Sage of Six Paths was real. He wasn't a myth." Mei's eyes widen from this revelation.
"Girl!... he was very much a living person like you and me? It is just that with time most of the knowledge regarding him disappeared from the face of the Shinobi World. It is almost like… someone rewrote the entire history and made him a myth instead of a real person.
We Sages aren't allowed to interfere with the mortal world of shinobi according to the contract. Only chosen few could spark our interest."
The Snake Sage turns towards Izuna.
"Oh! Is that so… then what's the contract?" Mei asks her.
"That's a secret. It can't be revealed to anyone…" The Snake Sage slithers away.
"… So where were we… ah yes… about the 'Great Traveller's possession? He sealed away his Fuinjutsu knowledge in Shikkotsu Forest… his techniques into the Mount Myoboku and last but not the least… his weapons inside the Ryuchi cave."
The Snake sage reveals the truth to them.
"… when the chosen person steps into the Ryuchi cave… a trial to claim his weapon will start and it can't interfere unless either the chosen person dies or he completes the trial."
The Sage Snake points towards the sky.
Izuna and Mei raise their head. A thin red barrier appears in their vision.
Hmm…
A frown appears on Izuna's face. He stretches his hand and infuses chakra into his palm.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken"
Izuna creates a giant Rasenshuriken and throws it towards the barrier.
Bam…
The Rasenshuriken slams into the barrier and disperses.
"Humph… I am not done yet."
Izuna creates a shadow clone. The shadow clone and Izuna stretch out their hand as he forms another Rasengan.
"Dust Release: Molecular Disintegration Rasengan"
A small white orb appears in his hand. The orb swirls inwardly as it disintegrates everything around itself.
Haah…
Izuna throws the Rasengan at the barrier.
Boom…
The Rasengan collides with the barrier and creates a tiny hole the size of a pea in the barrier.
"What?"
The eyes of the Snake Sage widen in surprise.
Whoosh…
The barrier repairs itself. Izuna raises his hands in surrender.
"That was my strongest Ninjutsu. I guess… this barrier is unbreakable. Let's go and complete the trial."
Ahem…
The Snake Sage clears her throat to hide her surprise.
"Very well… let's go deeper into the Ryuchi cave. What you just saw was only the surface of the Ryuchi cave. The real Ryuchi cave is underground."
The group reaches deeper inside the forest.
A giant tree with large roots spread out through the island appears in front of them
Slam…
The Snake Sage slams her tail on one root.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The trunk of the tree opens to reveal a cave. The Snake Sage crawls into the opening. Izuna and Mei follow after her.
They continue deeper underground as various pathways and cave openings appear underground.
"Ryuchi cave is like a giant maze… if you aren't a resident of the Ryuchi cave… then you would be forever trapped inside this maze." The Snake Sage warns them.
Another large opening appears in front of them. There is a giant pool of water in front of them.
Splash…
The Snake Sage dives into the water.
"Shall we dive in?" Mei hesitates for a while.
"Let's go. I will protect you if any danger befalls us." Izuna reassures her.
"I can take care of myself. Humph…"
Mei snorts as a blush appears on her face.
Splash…
She immediately jumps into the water to hide her embarrassment. Izuna follows after her.
Huh!
Various water bubbles appear in his vision. Izuna inspects the bubbles with his Sharingan.
"They are not bubbles… but portals… to be exact space tunnels. They are linked to multiple places throughout the Shinobi world."
Izuna curiously inspects them.
"So… this is how these summon quickly travel through space and arrive to assist their summoner."
Izuna follows after the Snake Sage and catches up with Mei.
Humph…
Mei snorts and turns away.
"…"
'What did I do?'
Izuna cluelessly stares at her.
"Anyway… there are other things to prioritize now."
Splash…
The Sage Snake dives out of the water. The group appears in a cavern with a pedestal in its center.
The Snake Sage turns towards Izuna and Mei.
"Your first trial was to fight against me. The second trial would be much harder… so get ready to face it."
Izuna nods his head.
"I am ready. Just throw it my way."
"Very well…"
The Snake Sage takes out a coil from her body and places it on the pedestal. Many sealing formulas appear around the pedestal and creates a portal on top of the pedestal.
"Space sealing technique"
Izuna curiously inspects the giant portal. He turns towards Mei.
"This is my journey. Wait for me."
Swoosh…
He jumps into the portal and disappears from their sight.
Humph…
"Who cares about you?" Mei mumbles to herself as a slight blush appears on her face.
'Father wants me to marry a suitable person…'
Izuna's face appears in her vision.
'He doesn't look much different from his disguise. He looks cooler and manly in his original appearance. If it's him… then… No… no… what am I thinking about? I have to ask him to heal Father after his return.'
Mei shakes her head and stares at the portal.
Ahem…
"You know I am still here." The Snake Sage teases her.
"You are just an old hag… what do you know… Humph…"
Mei snorts at the Snake Sage.
"…"
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Chapter 167: 160. Sin of Lust
Whoosh…
Izuna disappears in the portal.
Hmm…
He appears in a separate, isolated space.
'This space is similar to Kamui's dimension.'
There are multiple rectangular prisms pedestal scattered throughout the space.
Izuna walks towards the center of the room.
'What kind of trial was that Snake Sage talking about?'
He presses his hand on the pedestal and waits for the trial to start.
After waiting for a while, nothing particular happens.
"I guess… there must be some another way to start this trial."
Izuna fumbles around the various prisms to look for any clues.
"Hmm… these prisms are arranged according to a Fuinjutsu formation."
Izuna rubs his chin in contemplation as he tries to remember the sealing formation.
"I got it… it is a sealing formation from one of those scrolls in Shikkotsu Forest."
Izuna places his hands on the prism rectangles and arranges them according to the sealing formation from his memories.
Rumble… Rumble…
The large rectangular platform trembles, and the center pedestal rises in the air.
Hmm…
Izuna walks towards the pedestal and inspects it for a while.
There are some Fuinjutsu seals carved all around the pedestal.
"So… what's next… what am I supposed to do next."
Izuna curiously studies the seal as he tries to decipher them.
He notices a giant tomoe on the center of the Fuinjutsu seal.
'Huh!… this looks familiar.'
He places his hand on the giant tomoe.
"Wait… it looks familiar to my Senjutsu cloak. Maybe I should try using Sage Mode… after all, this person was the one who introduced the Sage Mode."
Izuna closes his eyes and enters Sage Mode. He infuses Nature energy into the tomoe.
Woosh…
The Fuinjutsu seal lit up and rearranges itself into recognizable words.
[Only the worthy capable of harnessing the power of Nature and elements to their truest form shall claim this legacy.]
"Well… I can use all the known elements, so just give it to me. Don't bother wasting my time."
He infuses his chakra into the seal. The seal absorbs his chakra, and the glowing words fade away, opening a compartment in the pedestal.
Swoosh…
The Sin seal heats up, and the Grimoire appears in front of him.
Huh…
"What's going on? Don't tell there is another Sin eye here."
Izuna notices many Fuinjutsu chains binding a box.
Swish… swish…
The chains shatter, and the box floats in front of him.
[Every being has a sin bound to their soul. It takes a lot of self-knowledge to find the sin that is bounded to you because we all carry every sin deep within us. No being can remain untainted by Sin. But you are also not a sinner when you prolong these. It is only a sin if you take it too far, and it defiles the soul. If you come to be corrupted by your sin, your soul will be drenched and marked as a sinner.]
These words echo through the isolated space as Izuna holds the box in his hand.
"Sins… huh… if I have to sin against humanity to protect my loved one's then I am ready to become the very epitome of a Sinner."
He grabs the box and rips apart the layer of seals on top of the box.
Whoosh….
Pink light glows from the box as a Sin eye floats out of the box.
The Sin eye is shaped into a heart with two pointed spikes jutting out from the corners.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The pages of the Grimoire flips open as the previous two eyes float out from it.
Bzzzt…
Pink lightning crackles from the Sin eye as it attaches to the Grimoire.
'Sin of Lust. The feeble bonds of the heart shatter into mere fragments. Lust is an eternal part of humanity… be it lust for power… lust for knowledge or lust for other beings. No being remains untainted by lust.'
Whoosh…
The Sin eyes fuse with the Grimoire, and another eye appears on the Grimoire.
Swoosh…
Dark Orange black markings crawl from the Sin seals as various totems spread all over Izuna's body. The markings travel towards Izuna's right eye and fuse with it, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Whoosh… whoosh…
Three Limbo Shadow of Izuna crawls out from the Border Prison world as they rip apart the shadows and treads into reality.
Shoom… Shoom… Shoom…
The Sin eyes fuse with the Limbos, and an eye opens up on their chest.
The Limbo Shadow with the Sin eye of Lust opens its eyes and mumbles some incoherent words.
"What?… Limbo Shadows can talk."
Izuna is flustered by this incoherent mumbling as he listens to the shadow.
"Don't fail again…"
These words fell in his ears as the Limbo Shadow disappears from reality.
"What… what was that? How come a Limbo Shadow can talk?" Izuna stares at the shadows for a while.
"And… what does it mean by don't fail again…" Izuna mumbles to himself as a deep frown appears on his face.
Izuna shakes his head and looks around for an exit.
"I have to get stronger… stronger than anybody. Then only would I be able to live my life according to my rules?"
He notices a space-teleportation formula near the pedestal.
Whoosh…
He activates the teleportation formula and disappears from the small dimension.
Whoosh…
He reappears in front of Mei and the Snake Sage.
"How was it? Did you find anything?" Mei questions him.
"Yes, and No." Izuna shakes his head and turns towards the Snake Sage.
"I have a few questions to ask from you."
"Very well… go ahead… since you have completed the trial… you are a member of the Ryuchi Cave now."
The Snake Sage nods his head.
"Then can you tell me more about the Ryuchi cave? I wanted to hear the incident during the Rikudou Sannin era." Izuna asks her.
"Hmm… during that era… the Ryuchi cave isolated itself from the rest of the world. We had a small dispute with Mount Myoboku… the Ryuchi cave followed the orders of the 'Great Traveller' to not interfere with the human world but the Toad Sage interacted with a human and taught him the art of the Senjutsu thus breaking the rules of the contract."
Hmm…
Izuna nods his head in approval.
"… Rikudou Sannin and Ten-tails fought against each other. Their battle devastated the earth… changing the terrain of the planet. Rikudou Sannin sealed the ten-tails inside the moon. The Ryuchi cave remained unharmed thanks to the barrier created by the 'Great Traveller'."
The Snake Sage points towards the Red barrier enveloping the entire island.
"Hey! I have a question too."
Mei interrupts them.
"Go ahead…" The Snake Sage waves her tail.
"What happened to the ruins of the Kiri? Where are they? They are supposed to be the secret heritage of the Kirigakure." Mei questions the Snake Sage.
"Oh! That… there is no heritage. About a few decades ago… some humans chanced on the location of Ryuchi cave and entered into the weapon storage of the Ryuchi cave.
They just took some failed products with them and left the Ryuchi cave."
Snake Sage waves her tail.
"Great Traveller crafted many weapons, and the one stolen by your Kiri people were failed products. They are incomplete according to the 'Great Traveller'."
"…"
Mei silently stares at the Snake Sage.
'Failed products… so the famous Seven Mist Swords of Kirigakure are defective products. No… I won't reveal this to anyone.'
She shakes her head.
The Snake Sage turns towards Izuna.
"You have already mastered the Senjutsu… so there is nothing that I could teach you… If you are interested, I would teach you the secret art of Genjutsu passed through the Ryuchi cave. It was one of the techniques created by the 'Great Traveller'."
Hmm…
Izuna ponders for a while before nodding his head.
'I have some strong genjutsu techniques like Tsukuyomi and Kotoamatsukami. But genjutsu only serves as deference during a battle… it doesn't have any killing potential. Maybe… I could learn something interesting from them… their genjutsu technique seems unique.'
"I will take you on that offer. But for now… I have some urgent matters to take care of."
He turns towards Mei.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes…" Mei clutches her fist.
Whoosh…
He places a hand on Mei's shoulder and teleports from the Ryuchi cave.
The Snake sage looks at the space and then towards the barrier.
"I wonder what miracles would this kid create? I can see countless intangible threads of destiny tied around him. The destiny of many people is centered around him."
Whoosh…
Both of them appear inside the Terumi clan. Mei hurriedly runs towards her father.
"Father… You would be cured soon."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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