Chapter 312: Human Sage Art, Orochimaru's Gift
Uchiha Ci had always harbored a doubt—
Were the Sage Arts passed down by the Three Great Sacred Lands truly suited for humans?
Setting aside the Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Art, which had never been explicitly revealed in the original work, the remaining Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku's Sage Arts both carried the side effect of transforming their practitioners into either a snake or a toad.
The countless petrified statues scattered across Mount Myōboku's rear mountain and the underground caverns of Ryūchi Cave stood as grim testaments—proof that many had sought the power of the Sage Arts, only to fail and perish along the path to becoming a Sage.
Moreover, the Sage Arts of these two sacred lands bore the unique traits of their respective animals.
Before mastering them fully—or rather, upon reaching a certain level of mastery—a practitioner's body would exhibit characteristics of the corresponding creatures.
Jiraiya's toad-like facial markings and Kabuto's horns and snake tail were all visible manifestations of these Sage Arts.
In terms of appearance, such arts seemed to force humans into a genetic mutation akin to animals.
However—through a series of coincidences, Uchiha Ci had previously merged Ryūchi Cave's natural energy into his eyes, triggering a transformation.
Later, during the battle in Yunming's inner city, he had once again extracted pure natural energy into his body.
As a result, he had acquired a constitution akin to Jūgo's [Sage Transformation]—and more importantly, a perfected [Sage Mode] free of its usual side effects.
This was a power entirely distinct from the Heaven's Curse Mark Second Stage Snake Sage Mode.
And during his brief experience with it—
Uchiha Ci had an inexplicable realization:
Compared to the Snake Sage Mode, this pure form of natural energy usage felt more attuned to his body—more suitable for humans.
If the Snake Sage Mode modified a human's genes to grant them snake-like traits and abilities—then this pure natural energy usage instead excavated the hidden potential within the human body, unleashing terrifying, boundless power without altering its fundamental structure!
Feats achieved in this state included:
Effortlessly wielding colossal weapons weighing dozens of tons.
Breaking the 8.8 Mach barrier, reaching hypersonic speeds.
Drastically enhanced coordination and sensory perception—even his [Mind's Eye] was significantly amplified.
With a human body alone, he had knocked out two Jinchūriki within thirty seconds.
Such overwhelming power almost seemed absurd—after all, Hashirama had to summon his True Several Thousand Hands and Top Transformed Buddha to subdue a fully armored Nine-Tails.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ci had simply landed a few punches, and the Tailed Beasts had been beaten into submission.
Perhaps—this was the Sage Art that humans were truly meant to cultivate!
However, this human Sage Art had an entrance threshold so high that even Uchiha Ci found it staggering.
To acquire such power, one needed—
A body resilient enough to endure the corrosive nature of natural energy.
(Similar to how Uchiha Ci possessed an immortal-like physique, Tailed Beast-like endurance, and the effects of the Forbidden Jutsu: Body Revival.)
The ability to regulate natural energy within the body, allowing it to circulate in an orderly manner, akin to chakra.
A special mutated dojutsu Bloodline Limit, capable of perceiving and actively absorbing natural energy.
Without fulfilling all of these conditions, it was nearly impossible to achieve.
In other words—through a stroke of luck, Uchiha Ci had inadvertently subdued and assimilated wild natural energy, touching upon the true domain of the ancient Sages.
Or perhaps—he had stepped into a realm no one in history had ever reached.
Then…
Could this power be refined even further?
In a desolate, abandoned park—
"You want to go to Turtle Island?"
Hearing Uchiha Ci's request, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Yes. I have a feeling that something on Turtle Island may be of use to me."
"After all, in five days, I'll be infiltrating the Five Kage Summit…
and facing the Third Raikage head-on."
Uchiha Ci's expression was solemn.
"Although I've gained some new strength, compared to before I lost the Zero-Tails, my overall power is still significantly weaker."
"The last battle revealed too much information—now the Third Raikage has had time to prepare, so it won't be possible to defeat him the same way as before."
He instinctively glanced down at the half-eaten apple in his hand, his Sharingan activating with a flicker of scarlet.
The three tomoe slowly rotated—
Suddenly, the entire world seemed to slow down in sequence—0.5x speed, 0.25x speed, 0.125x speed.
Every minute detail was laid bare before his eyes.
Tiny specks of natural energy continuously gathered and merged into his palm, seeping through muscle fibers, penetrating deep into fascia and bones—finally, they flowed into his bone marrow, branching out into countless microscopic tendrils and fusing with marrow cells.
Through this repeated process—
His grip strength was steadily increasing!
His lingering fatigue was gradually fading!
"If… I can enhance this ability on Turtle Island—even if it only extends [Sage Mode] by an additional ten seconds, it could make a significant difference."
Uchiha Ci couldn't help but think.
Assassinating the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning wouldn't just mean facing the Third Raikage alone.
Once the news spread, the other Daimyōs would likely force their respective ninja villages to send elite reinforcements.
The battlefield would inevitably descend into chaos—it could be even more perilous than Sasuke's future attack on the Five Kage Summit.
And yet—
Uchiha Ci didn't want others to risk their lives for him.
Not even the Akatsuki or Onmyō Castle's Yan, who had already resolved themselves for battle.
If possible—
He wanted to take on the Five Great Nations alone!
"Heh…"
Hearing Uchiha Ci's words, Orochimaru let out an intrigued chuckle, eyeing him up and down with curiosity.
"So, you've obtained yet another new power?"
Although Orochimaru had been raiding Turtle Island during the battle in Yunming City, he still had a rough understanding of what had transpired.
Especially Uchiha Ci's series of new abilities—
The skeletal framework that burned like flames, the massive skull-shaped warrior, and his violent rampage that single-handedly overpowered two Jinchūriki.
"The first ability… must be the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan's unique power. But this eye of yours seems different…"
"As for the second ability…"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes in contemplation.
After a moment, a confident smile curled at his lips, and he rasped—
"I was wondering what had been troubling you."
"So that's it…"
With that, Orochimaru turned away, striding toward a particular direction outside Yunming City.
As he walked, he smirked and spoke hoarsely—
"Then allow me to give you a gift!"
"Ci, follow me—"
"A… gift?"
Uchiha Ci blinked, momentarily stunned.
He hurriedly got to his feet and trailed behind Orochimaru like a shadow.
Orochimaru… giving him a gift?
Bringing him intelligence on the White Snake Sage and the Zero-Tails' whereabouts had already been a massive surprise.
Now, there was an additional "gift"?
Then—
What exactly would this gift be?
Following Orochimaru, they traversed the abandoned, desolate park.
As they neared the residential area of Yunming City,
Orochimaru tossed Uchiha Ci a conical straw hat and donned one himself.
With their hats concealing their identities, the two of them passed through Yunming City's intricate streets—crossing winding bridges, climbing mountain paths, and navigating the densely packed buildings.
Soon, they reached the outer walls of the city.
Leaping over the short ramparts, they ventured into the secluded mountain range beyond—until they arrived at a hidden cave.
Inside—
An underground laboratory lay concealed within.
And at its core—
Uchiha Ci's pupils constricted sharply.
There—suspended in formalin—was a colossal entity.