The next day, as Sōmi finished his morning lessons and walked out of the ninja academy, he once again spotted that familiar elegant figure waiting at the school gate.
Pakura was dressed in a fitted white top paired with black pants. Her silky long hair, which she typically wore in a bun, now cascaded over her shoulders.
Under the intense summer sunlight, Pakura stood in the shade, her head slightly bowed, her brows relaxed. Her flawless, fair skin seemed to carry a faint pink hue, and her delicate lips, as soft and alluring as rose petals, appeared almost dewy.
The striking contrast of white, pink, and black gave Pakura an air of both competence and sensuality, blending shyness and charm into an ethereal elegance.
Unlike his usual awkward demeanor in such situations, Sōmi's expression today was calm. He reached behind him and pulled out a scroll he had painstakingly transcribed the night before, handing it over.
"Here, this is the Yin Seal you've been asking for. It took me a lot of effort to restore it..."
"I've detailed the training method very thoroughly in the annotations. I'm confident you won't have any trouble with it."
Pakura's eyes lit up as she eagerly grabbed Sōmi's right hand, firmly clutching the scroll.
"Uh..."
"While I don't mind you holding onto me like this, we are in a public place. You should probably let go of me. Take the scroll home and study it carefully on your own."
"Remember, the function of maintaining your body's vitality depends on having sufficient chakra stored within the sealing formula. If decades later the chakra within the formula is depleted, your body will naturally return to its original, aged state..."
Sōmi added this reminder half-jokingly.
"Oh, oh!"
Pakura quickly released Sōmi's hand after hearing his words, her cheeks unknowingly tinged with a faint blush.
She held the scroll tightly against her chest, cradling it as if it were a priceless treasure.
However, the act of pressing the scroll against her already ample chest only accentuated its fullness, creating an even more striking effect.
After all, such gestures were a primal reflection of one's desire for security; the greater the sense of safety, the more pronounced the display...
After sharing a slightly ambiguous lunch together, Sōmi stepped onto his golden cloud and flew toward the desolate wasteland where he trained.
He landed the golden cloud in a shaded area. Here, amidst towering and solid rock formations, Sōmi had carved out a simple space. Inside, there was only a bed and a desk.
However, Sasori, dressed in gray and black, was already sitting cross-legged on the ground. He was tinkering with some metal components, surrounded by an array of tools scattered on the floor.
"Sasori! Have you been waiting long?"
Sōmi greeted him with a smile.
"No, not really. I had some new parts to install on my puppets. If I had nothing to do but wait, I'd have gone to find you instead..."
Sasori replied without even looking up.
"So, have you thought about what I said last time?"
"You've seen my Sage Mode in action."
"At this level of Sage Techniques, your puppets are practically useless!"
"Thankfully, you listened to me and abandoned that crazy idea of turning your body into a puppet."
"Didn't I tell you? If you want to control hundreds of puppets, you can easily achieve it now by using just a dozen Shadow Clones."
"And the precision of your control through the clones is far superior to what you could achieve if you turned your body into a puppet. Trying to control them that way would only reduce your finesse..."
Sōmi began lecturing in an exasperated tone, as if scolding a student who just couldn't grasp the basics.
"Hmm!"
"You're absolutely right!"
"The number of puppets isn't the key; improving their quality is what truly matters..."
"I'm very interested in the Sage Techniques you mentioned. Once I master them, I'll integrate them into my puppet techniques!"
"I'm sure my art will shine even more brilliantly then!"
Sasori wasn't annoyed by Sōmi's teasing. After witnessing the power of Sage Techniques firsthand, his perspective had undergone a profound transformation.
"Now that's the spirit!"
"Wait here. I'll find you a teacher!"
Sōmi grinned, patting Sasori on the shoulder.
After mastering Sage Mode himself, the first thing Sōmi did upon returning was to persuade Sasori to train in Sage Techniques.
After all, aside from Sōmi, who was a Jinchūriki, Sasori possessed the largest chakra reserves in all of Sunagakure. Combined with his unwavering determination, Sasori was the most promising candidate to learn Sage Techniques!
Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram.
"Summoning Technique!"
In an instant, Sōmi completed the hand seals.
A faint puff of white smoke rose, indicating that the summoned creature was relatively small in size.
"Hm?"
"Sōmi?"
A youthful, ethereal voice rang out, tinged with a hint of curiosity.
"Sister Ichikishimahime!"
"I have a favor to ask. My companion here also wants to learn Sage Techniques. Could you help him out?"
Sōmi immediately put on a wide, ingratiating smile, his mouth curling up almost unnaturally.
"Learning Sage Techniques is a dangerous endeavor. Not everyone is as fortunate as you..."
As the smoke cleared, a small azure serpent appeared on the ground.
Surprisingly, the serpent held a lollipop in its mouth!
Its slender tongue coiled around the candy several times, the forked pink tip resting atop the lollipop, gently rubbing it as if savoring every bit of sweetness.
The lollipop even bore faint scratch marks, as if the serpent had lightly grazed it with its sharp fangs.
For some reason, when Sōmi saw those marks, a strange phrase popped into his mind: "Tiger Fang Marks..."
"Don't worry, Sister Ichikishimahime. This guy has an enormous amount of chakra and a strong will. I'm confident he can handle it!"
Sōmi reassured her with a flattering tone while subtly pulling Sasori aside. Leaning in close, he whispered through clenched teeth.
"Could you at least smile a little...?"
"Don't act like some entitled lord!"
"She's here to teach you Sage Techniques. If she decides to mess with you by flooding your body with Natural Energy, even I won't be able to save you..."
Sōmi's hand somehow found its way to Sasori's face, forcing his lips into an awkward semblance of a smile.
"Hmm..."
"Yes, your friend's chakra reserves do meet the requirements!"
Ichikishimahime briefly sensed Sasori's exceptional constitution.
"But... coming all this way to help him train is quite a lot of effort for me. What's in it for me?"
Ichikishimahime's snake tongue flicked over the lollipop as her face—expressive in a surprisingly human-like way—broke into a mischievous grin.
"Uh... What would you like as a reward, Sister Ichikishimahime?"
Sōmi hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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