It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

Seeing the increasingly stable state within Shiki's body, Ichikishima-hime also looked incredulous.

Although the little guy had her help, it was already very impressive that he could cultivate natural energy to this level in just one day. Of course, it was also related to the fact that he had suppressed the energy of the past seven days in one go.

Feeling the wondrous energy coursing through her body, Zhixue felt an extreme sense of comfort. It was an indescribable, instinctive pleasure, similar to astringency, but completely opposite.

Practicing natural energy feels like exploring the mysteries of life and undergoing a sublimation.

Ding, the snake symbolizes rebirth and longevity. Learning the perfect Dragon Cave Immortal Technique can indeed greatly increase lifespan, but it is not a complete advancement in life level.

"Hmm... I'm not in a hurry about lifespan. I'm still a long way from dying of old age," Zhi Xue said, exhaling a breath of stale air. Then, recalling her recent wandering journey, she used her chakra to mix and guide the natural energy, and a layer of pale white energy appeared faintly on Zhi Xue's body...

In the early morning, a light drizzle fell over Konoha Village, raindrops hitting the windows. Shiki's simple room seemed empty.

Squeak...

The door was pushed open, and Shisui, with extremely dark circles under her eyes, walked in. Looking at the small blanket curled up by the bed, she seemed a little dazed.

"Snow stopped..."

With a sliver of hope, Shisui slowly pulled back the covers, but there was no figure inside to startle her. He fell silent, looking at the childhood photo of Shisui on the table. In that photo, she had just graduated from the ninja academy, pointing excitedly at her headband, proudly showing off her newfound ninja status. That was the happiest time of Shisui's life…

Memories of the past began to assault Shisui's senses, and the echoes of "brother" reverberating in Shisui's heart felt like sharp thorns piercing into his soul.

The pain of gaining love and then suddenly losing it is like falling from a great height into an abyss. A beautiful picture was mercilessly torn to pieces by the hand of death, and for the first time, Shizuku's psychological defenses, which had been solidified for more than a decade, crumbled completely.

The shadow of Zhixue's death haunted Zhishui's mind like a nightmare. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the scene of Zhixue, dressed in the ANBU uniform, turning into ashes in despair.

"You bastard, why did you let Zhixue join the Dark Division! Why!" Zhishui pulled out a kunai and stabbed himself in the arm. The stinging sensation and the bright blood in front of him brought him to his senses a little more.

If he hadn't stopped Zhixue from joining the Dark Guard, this wouldn't have happened...

"Shisui!" The seven who rushed over from the window were also shocked to see Shisui in such a good mental state.

What agonizing torment has Shisui endured these past two days? How did she end up like this?

10 minutes later...

Yi Daqi finished bandaging the last section of bandage onto Shisui's arm. Looking at Shisui, whose eyes seemed to have lost their light and dreams, leaving only regret and sorrow, he seriously shook his shoulder.

"Shisui, wake up! You're a genius of the Uchiha clan! The clan is waiting for your efforts to fight for peace with Konoha!"

“I am very clear-headed, Itachi, but I am tired. I am a piece of trash. Even though I bear the title of the Uchiha clan’s genius, and I train and carry out missions day and night, and try to bring Konoha and the Uchiha clan together, I still can’t protect what I cherish.”

"But…"

“One against seven, think about it. If Sasuke were to die in a ninja mission in the future, could you still remain calm? So, let me rest for a while... just one day will do…” Shisui said to Itachi in a deep voice, his head lowered.

Itachi was stunned. He seemed to have never thought about this question before, but he still followed Shisui's wishes and left. At the same time, he began to doubt the meaning of "protection".

Does becoming stronger truly allow you to protect what you want to safeguard?

……

It was the third day since the explosion. The white snake immortal, who had transformed into an old woman and was sitting cross-legged on a stone chair, suddenly nodded.

"It's about time. Her cultivation speed is really fast. Her Sage Mode is now able to break free from the natural energy of Ryuchi Cave. We can let her return to Konoha."

Princess Ichikishima, who was listening nearby, was stunned.

It's only been three days, isn't it a bit too early? Even a race with innate advantages like theirs needs almost a month to be able to use Sage Mode in the outside world.

"White Snake Immortal, is this the right time...?"

"Don't worry, it's time. We don't need to keep her here for too long. Remember to sign the psychic contract before you send her away."

"Well... alright." Princess Ichikishima sighed. Since the White Snake Sage had already said so, she would just do as he said. She quite liked this cute little guy, especially his cooking, which was much better than what their own people made.

Upon arriving at Shiki's room, Princess Ichikishima saw a blue-green light flash around Shiki. A layer of pale white chakra patterns appeared on Shiki's body as she sat on the bed, and two small tufts of scales emerged from her black hair. Pale purple eyeshadow added a touch of composure to Shiki's appearance.

Although Zhi Xue's cultivation of the Immortal Mode is similar to that of Yakushi Kabuto in the later stages, it is more perfect. It does not require the White Snake's assistance in absorbing natural energy, and the changes to the body are minimal.

After learning Sage Mode, Zhi Xue's skin simply became whiter and more delicate, as translucent as cream. Activating Sage Mode only resulted in the appearance of sage energy resembling a chakra cloak around her body, along with subtle changes such as eye shadow, snake eyes, and dragon horns.

The only regrettable thing is that he only learned Sage Mode and did not learn any specific Sage Techniques.

Chapter 46, Departure, Back to the Land of Fire

"Is that so? I was just about to leave anyway. Thank you for your hospitality during this time." Shiyuki said sincerely to Ichikishima-hime.

It seems that this White Snake Immortal really knows everything; he even knows exactly when she is going to leave.

"No need to thank us. In fact, we'll be a little sad if you leave." Princess Ichikishima sighed. The cook was gone, and they would have to return to their old, mundane lives. It was a bit of a shame. How come they never knew humans were such good cooks? (Shiyuki: So you just can't bear to part with my cooking?)

"However, if you are leaving, you need to take these things with you." Princess Ichikishima handed Shiyuki the spirit summoning scroll from Ryuchi Cave and the cultivation scroll for the Immortal Technique: Inorganic Reincarnation.

The summoning scroll connects to each of the giant snakes in Ryuchi Cave. However, depending on the chakra used, the strength of the summoned snakes varies. For example, the gentle Blue Snake is fine, but if Manda and Akagami are summoned, it will be a real headache.

Upon receiving the two scrolls, Zhixue immediately bit her finger to sign the spirit contract. After bidding farewell to Princess Ichikishima, she passed through the three levels of Ryuchi Cave and emerged into a unique forest shrouded in mist.

Zhi Xue glanced back one last time at the menacing and majestic silver dragon gate shrouded in mist before leaving. However, less than half an hour later, she returned. Looking at the vanished dragon gate, she scratched her head in frustration, realizing a rather awkward but unavoidable problem.

That's because she didn't know the way. She was "tied" into Ryuchi Cave and didn't know how to get back, let alone have a map.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Even a snake would be fine, give me a map, or just point me in the right direction!" Zhi Xue walked through the misty forest, observing her surroundings, but even with her Sage Mode activated, she couldn't find the location of Ryuchi Cave.

Stop Snow: ...

Damn it, do all these places like to play it mysterious and unpredictable?

Zhi Xue had no choice but to accept that Ryuchi Cave seemed to have little interest in her, and gradually made her way out by following the paths in the surrounding forest.

After about half an hour, passing through layers of mist, Zhixue looked up at the big sun in the sky and felt a sense of familiarity.

After several days, she was finally able to see the sun. She had been feeling really stifled in that deep, dark place called Ryongji Cave.

Zhi Xue continued walking along the path, and soon after, she spotted what appeared to be a corner of a thatched hut on a distant hilltop.

"Hey, not bad luck, we actually found a village. Let's see if there's a map or something. It would be good to be able to replenish our supplies temporarily."

Because Zhi Xue didn't use the Shadow-level experience card, she still has a huge sum of 1000 million taels of silver. Not to mention a meal and a place to stay, she can easily buy a decent house.

However, as Zhixue ran excitedly toward the village, she suddenly felt a series of slight tremors on the ground, accompanied by the villagers' terrified screams.

Zhixue: Hmm?

"Run! The scales have gone out of control again!"

"Help! Monster! Monster!"

In the small village of thatched huts, the common people on the street huddled in corners or behind doors, trembling with fear. Even the old village chief was no exception. Outside, a "monster" with half its body covered in black keratin was writhing violently on the nearby mountain wall, venting its furious power.

"Ughhhhhh!" The black monster clutched its head in agony, its body slamming violently against the mountain wall, producing a series of deafening sounds.

"It's going to get out of control!" Jugo clenched his left hand, the terrifying armor gradually solidifying on it making his eyes grow increasingly fearful and ferocious.

Click...

As Jugo unleashed his uncontrollable power using the rocks to prevent harm to the nearby villagers, the rocks on the mountaintop loosened. With Jugo's semi-conscious, semi-berserk hammering, a crack finally appeared, and a large amount of soil and rocks washed down from the top.

Some villagers who heard the commotion cautiously poked their heads out of the windows and looked at the approaching mud in the distance; their faces instantly turned grim.

That wretched monster is wreaking havoc on the village again. If it weren't for the village chief protecting us and his formidable fighting skills, we would have poisoned him secretly and dumped him in the countryside long ago. We don't know how long we'll have to put up with this madness every day!

As Jugo saw the landslide, his pupils contracted, and he wanted to step forward and push it down, but his increasingly agitated state made him hesitate.

He wasn't sure if going over there would cause the landslide to destroy the villagers' homes first.

Just as the mud sweeping down from the mountain was about to crash into the villagers' houses like a tidal wave, a high wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking the mud and gravel.

Zhi Xue lightly touched the top of the rock wall with one toe and patted the dirt off her body.

The ninjutsu I casually copied with my Sharingan back then unexpectedly came in handy at this moment.

"Kill, kill you!" Jugo, whose mind was already clouded by the natural energy and who had nowhere to vent his anger, excitedly stomped on the ground after seeing Shisue appear. The soil fragments flew in the air as his powerful punch struck Shisue's face.

"Holy crap, someone's going to die!" By chance, a curious villager, after the commotion subsided, secretly peeked out and saw Jugo punching Zhixue, a seemingly frail little girl. His eyes widened in shock.

Some villagers had even imagined Zhixue's head smashing to pieces and blood gushing out, but the reality was not as the villagers expected.

Zhi Xue caught Jugo's punch with just one hand, and then, to Jugo's stunned surprise, kicked him away.

Zhi Xue, who had secretly activated Sage Mode, clenched her fist and felt an explosive surge of energy, which brought her a sense of comfort.

"As expected of the authentic Sage Mode, the enhancements are indeed very powerful." Zhi Xue tilted her head, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Zhi Xue knew about Jugo; he was later a member of the Hawk Squad. Orochimaru's cursed seal seemed to have come from him. However, the sage energy he used was very incomplete, far from the genuine Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode, and wouldn't pose any threat to her. She could temporarily stop him, ask the villagers about the route to the Land of Fire, and replenish her food supply.

Chapter 47, "Libra" Jugo

"Ooh ho ho ho! I'll kill you!" After being kicked away by Zhi Xue, Chong Wu crashed to the ground and remained silent for a while. Then, his body was completely taken over by his second personality. His body seemed to be covered with a layer of black armor, and red flames shot out from his back. He charged towards Zhi Xue like a wild beast.

Hearing the whistling wind in her ears, a layer of pale white Sage Chakra appeared on Zhixue's body, and two small dragon horns grew on her head. Facing Jugo who was hurtling towards her like a cannonball, she concentrated her chakra in her hands.

Hahaha!

boom!

The earthen wall was struck squarely, collapsing under the powerful shockwave. Rolling dust swirled around it, and the villagers who were watching from the windows hid under the wall in fear, afraid to come out and be dragged out by Jugo above to be used as a punching bag.

"Not bad strength, but not very good at using technique." Zhi Xue released Jugo's large hand, and Jugo, who was lying on the ground and had made a big crater, had his pupils shrink.

He... he was actually defeated by such a tiny kid?

As Jugo lay in the deep pit, the raging natural energy on his body was gradually drawn out by the small snakes formed from his sage techniques.

A crimson tinge flashed across Zhi Xue's small arm, which was then absorbed and assimilated by the magical energy of the Dragon Cave.

The cursed seal within Jugo's body is essentially absorbed natural energy emanating from Ryuchi Cave; all that's needed is to extract most of it.

As the cursed seal was removed, Jugo's size gradually shrank, eventually turning him into a child who was only 1.6 meters tall.

The village chief, who peeked out of the window, looked at the seemingly calm scene. After a while, he confirmed that there was no danger before nervously walking over.

"Oh, grandpa, do you have anything good to eat?" Zhixue asked simply and unpretentiously as the old man approached.

Old Village Chief: ???

10 minutes later……

Jugo was locked in a natural little dark room to calm down, while Shiyuki, who had subdued Jugo's riot, was invited to the old village chief's house and warmly received.

Taking a gentle bite of the soft, sweet cookie, Zhixue covered her cheek with a satisfied expression.

It's a dessert, something she likes. It would be even better with some ketchup.