Seiryu's dojutsu, the Wamiyonomikoto, was awakened on the battlefield, surrounded by enemies dozens of times his number. It was born from his will to survive, allowing him to seize the one sliver of hope in a nearly hopeless situation. When it came to learning Sage Mode—a process that requires a bit of luck—this was practically the ultimate cheat!
Even if the chance of failure was 99%, as long as there was any chance of success, Seiryu could always grasp that percentage and make it 100%!
"To reach the perfect Sage Mode right at the start—your talent even surprised this old woman," said the White Snake Sage. "Now that you've mastered Sage Mode, the next step is just to practice over and over, increasing the speed at which you gather senjutsu chakra."
The senjutsu chakra formed from the natural energy the White Snake Sage had injected into him was quickly used up, and Seiryu exited Sage Mode.
"Thank you for your gift, White Snake Sage," Seiryu said with a smile, having achieved his goal for this visit.
"No need for thanks. Ryuchi Cave gives everyone a fair chance. That you could seize this opportunity is your own ability," the White Snake Sage replied. "Now, I must go back to sleep. If you have other matters, you can look for Tagorihime and the others. I hope that next time I awaken, the world will have changed in your hands."
With the White Snake Sage's words, Seiryu bowed slightly and took his leave.
After leaving the Sage's lair, the three Dragon Cave Priestesses approached.
"It seems Mr. Seiryu has passed the final trial," Tagorihime said with a smile. "Please come with us. Now that you've mastered Sage Mode, some of Ryuchi Cave's senjutsu can be made available to you."
Seiryu nodded and followed the three to the entrance of another cave.
"Here are the results of Ryuchi Cave's research into senjutsu over the years. If you want to learn, you can pick whichever scrolls you like and copy them," Tagorihime said.
"There's no teacher or anything?" Seiryu raised an eyebrow, but seeing the three women just smiling silently, he realized: unlike Mount Myoboku, where passing the test gets you a full-service senjutsu education, Ryuchi Cave is more hands-off. You can pick whatever senjutsu you want, but whether you master it or not is your problem.
Seiryu entered the cave library alone, grabbed a few scrolls at random, and started reading.
The senjutsu techniques were a mixed bag, covering all sorts of areas. After some time, Seiryu picked two: one was an auxiliary technique that enhanced wide-range sensory abilities by amplifying his perception of natural energy—making up for his lack of broad-range detection skills. The other was unique to Ryuchi Cave: a way to use senjutsu chakra to guide and manipulate natural energy on the planet for attacks, similar to the Frog Kata of Mount Myoboku.
As for the other powerful Ryuchi Cave techniques—such as those used by Kabuto in the original timeline—Seiryu didn't choose them. His fighting style was already established. Those techniques either required snake companions or bodily modifications; Seiryu already had plenty of powerful ninjutsu, and with Sage Chakra, his lightning release techniques were now on a whole new level. Learning those would be a waste; instead, he needed techniques that patched up his weaknesses by using natural energy.
After choosing his senjutsu, Seiryu released the reverse summoning and left Ryuchi Cave.
…
Elsewhere, in the Hatake family's ancestral home—
Naruto had been living with Kakashi for two days, and the two had gradually become familiar with each other.
When Naruto first moved in, he was a bit reserved, but after two days, his mischievous nature was acting up. Driven by curiosity, he was now obsessed with pulling off a prank: finding a way to pull Kakashi's mask off and finally see his real face.
So, while Kakashi was out, Naruto made all his preparations.
Kakashi entered as usual, calling out, "I'm home!"
He was greeted by a big bucket of water falling from above.
Of course, a seasoned elite jonin like Kakashi wouldn't be caught by a child's trick. If he hadn't been carrying takeout food, he might have played along, but not now.
Kakashi dodged the falling bucket and said helplessly, "Naruto, stop these silly tricks."
Just then, Naruto burst from the utility closet near the entrance, armed with a water gun and aiming at Kakashi. But before he could pull the trigger, he was shocked to see—Kakashi wasn't wearing his mask today! He froze in disbelief.
"Wh—who are you?!" Naruto pointed at Kakashi, demanding an answer.
"Who else could I be?" Kakashi shot him a look. "And you'd better clean up this mess after dinner."
"Don't try to fool me! You can't be Big Brother Kakashi! Big Brother never takes off his mask, not even for a bath!"
With an annoyed look, Kakashi landed a gentle punch on Naruto's forehead—sometimes the only way to deal with a rambunctious kid.
A while later, with a bump on his head, Naruto sat at the table eating dinner quietly but kept glancing over at Kakashi, who was reading on the sofa.
"So, Big Brother Kakashi, why'd you take your mask off all of a sudden?" Naruto asked.
"No reason. I just didn't feel like wearing it anymore," Kakashi replied without looking up.
"When you're done eating, clean the entry, then go to bed early. You're off from the Academy tomorrow, right? I'll take you shopping," Kakashi said.
"Okay!" Naruto replied, nodding as he ate.
The next afternoon, both of them—having slept in—headed out, but when they reached the shopping street, Kakashi quickly noticed something was off.
They had become the focus of attention everywhere, and almost everyone steered clear of them as if they were carrying something dirty.