Infinite Anime [233-234] (Patreon)

Chapter 233: In the Depths, the True Dragon Reveals Itself

In the dim depths of Ryuchi Cave, a massive crimson serpent sped along, its body pressed low to the ground. Seated atop its head was a man.

"Hey, brat, what exactly are you going deeper for? Any farther and it's the earth-fissure."

Even with a contract signed, Garaga's tone toward Gusion was anything but friendly—at least, that's how it sounded.

"You'll have to ask the White Snake Sage. This is the trial he gave me. I have to complete it before I can learn your cave's Sage Arts."

Gusion said, eyes already picking up a faint red glow ahead in the darkness—that had to be light from molten lava.

"Learn Sage Arts? Since when did learning Sage Arts involve a trial like that? Isn't it enough to pass those little bitches' games?"

Garaga sounded puzzled. As an elder of Ryuchi Cave, it of course knew the cave's affairs.

"How would I know? Maybe the White Snake Sage doesn't know what's down there either. What I'm really curious about is what your cave's forbidden abyss is hiding."

Gusion smiled. This was a secret place never mentioned in the original story, and it stirred a powerful urge to explore within him.

Garaga moved incredibly fast, and in no time they reached the end of Ryuchi Cave.

Here, the temperature of the air rose noticeably. Garaga's speed slowed, clearly reluctant to go any farther.

"Brat, it's too hot here. What's there to see?"

Garaga complained. Snakes are cold-blooded and can't regulate their body temperature; places like this made it extremely uncomfortable.

"Go a little bit farther. I'll handle the rest on my own."

Sensing Garaga's discomfort, Gusion didn't force it to go deeper.

After traveling about ten more kilometers, Garaga came to a stop. The air temperature here had exceeded 70 degrees Celsius, making its crimson scales flush even redder, as if they might burst.

Gusion jumped down from Garaga's head. "Head back somewhere cool and wait for me. I'll share the interesting bits with you later."

Garaga tilted its head aside with a snort. "Hmph, I couldn't care less what's down there. You, on the other hand—try not to die in the fissure."

The earth-fissure at the end of Ryuchi Cave was like an abyss. Due to the nature of serpents, none had ever set foot there; there was only a legend that demons lurked within that chasm.

Now that the White Snake Sage was sending Gusion down to investigate, Garaga was curious too—though it would never show it.

After parting ways with Garaga, Gusion headed north. The scorching air made him start to sweat.

As he neared the fissure, the heated air had climbed past two hundred degrees. Only because his current physique was extraordinary could he barely endure it.

The temperature was truly abnormal. He hadn't even descended into the fissure yet, and the air alone was this searing. That could only mean the magma below wasn't ordinary—the scale must be enormous.

Forcing himself to endure, Gusion reached the edge and looked down. The glow of molten rock surged upward to meet him.

A river of lava flowed below, hellfire winding along like a blood-red serpent, shimmering here and there with sulfur-yellow light.

Scalding magma coursed between rock walls, its roar like thunder, like some great beast bellowing in the earth's depths. Waves of heat rolled upward, the air thick with the acrid sting of sulfur, making Gusion hold his breath on instinct.

The magma moved slowly, now and then a liquid chunk of stone tumbled down from above, splashing sparks that fanned out like fireworks blooming in a night sky.

Such a spectacle—pity there was no one but him to appreciate it.

Amid the gorgeous river of lava, Gusion swept his gaze and noticed something unusual.

By the naked eye, the magma river was flowing backward—not from high to low, but from low to high.

He wasn't highly educated, but he knew fluids flow downhill under gravity. If something abnormal happens, there must be a third force at work.

Curiosity piqued by the strange phenomenon, he decided to follow the river against the current, heading upstream to take a look.

During the journey, he had to stop several times because of the heat, grumbling that this place was definitely not meant for people.

No wonder Ryuchi Cave had no idea what was going on here. Snakes likely couldn't stand this environment. Even powerful shinobi wouldn't be able to survive here.

His physique was high, and his gear was treating the extreme heat as magical damage, shaving off some of the negative effects—only that allowed him to remain here.

Even so, he couldn't stay for long. He judged his maximum operating time here was two hours; anything beyond and he might overheat.

If he jumped into the fissure proper and faced even higher temperatures, he probably couldn't last a few minutes.

His physique attribute wasn't high enough yet, and his Haki training wasn't fully mature. If his Armament Haki and body were stronger—say, on Kaido's level—then soaking in lava might not be a problem at all.

After about an hour, just as he was preparing to head back and report to the White Snake Sage what he'd seen, he noticed the path had ended.

He had reached the uppermost reach. Before him was no longer an endless river of magma, but a dark red rock wall. The reversed lava seemed to be absorbed by some force upon touching the wall.

He thought for a moment and decided to risk a closer look. Enveloping himself in his strongest Ryuo, he stepped off with Shunpo and dropped from above.

Reaching the rock wall, the temperature around him had pushed close to a thousand degrees Celsius. Even with Ryuo active, it was hard to endure; the edges of his outer garments were starting to curl from the heat.

He didn't dare dawdle. Carefully probing the rock face, he finally spotted a round, smooth object where the magma churned below.

He froze for a beat, then, forcing himself to bear the heat, went lower, launched a palm gust to force some magma aside, and finally saw what it was.

A crimson oval, its surface etched with scarlet spiral patterns. Judging by its appearance, Gusion couldn't shake the feeling it looked like… an egg.

An egg?

An egg buried at the end of a lava river? Shouldn't it have been roasted long ago?

Yet it didn't look cooked at all. On the contrary, it was absorbing the lava—both its matter and energy—devouring it whole. The suction was so strong it drove the reverse flow of the entire magma river.

He instinctively backed away a bit. He'd covered distance at great speed; this river spanned hundreds of li.

An egg that could reverse the flow of such a long river—how immense must its suction be? It violated basic physics as he knew them. Even with supernatural forces involved, this was beyond the level of any lifeform he'd imagined.

He thought of Ryuchi Cave's name. Could this really be… a dragon egg?

The thought made him itch with curiosity. He wanted to know what it was.

Cautiously, he lowered himself again, pushed aside some lava with a palm wind, and inched closer. Slowly, he stretched out his hand.

He didn't intend to take it away—he just wanted to use Appraisal to see what it was.

[Warning: Pioneer has entered a hidden map and is attempting to awaken the nirvana-born Flame Dragon!]

The stern alert from End Space rang in his ear the moment his hand touched the egg, and he jerked his hand back immediately.

Rising, he frowned. This was the first time he'd encountered such a situation—End Space issuing a special warning. It didn't seem concerned for his safety so much as… worried about something else.

Curious as he was, and tempted to take the egg, he understood that anything End Space felt compelled to warn him about was absolutely not simple. With his current strength, messing with it would be asking for death.

He silently committed the dragon egg to memory, hoping that next time he came to the Naruto world, he could figure out a way to secure it.

Just as he was preparing to withdraw and complete the White Snake Sage's trial, he noticed some patterns exposed on another rock face being battered by magma.

Intrigued, he Shunpoed over, pushed aside some lava, and took a closer look.

A series of panel drawings and ancient script he couldn't read. The drawings depicted the true dragon—soaring skyward, spitting flame, ascending toward the stars.

There were other diagrams as well—looked like some kind of inheritance. But he couldn't read the text, so he didn't know the details.

The temperature here was too high. Even End Space's high-grade pad couldn't be brought out for use. Gusion wrapped lightning from the Raijin Fruit over the rock face, and with a sort of rubbing technique, formed a net of thunder.

Then he sprang upward swiftly, returned to the top of the fissure, and while the lightning mesh still held the imprint, pressed it against a fresh slab of stone to copy what was below.

Here, his End Space pad could finally be used. He snapped photos, then destroyed the imprinted rock and left the area.

…

"Brat, you were down there so long I thought you'd died."

Garaga yawned lazily when it saw Gusion return.

One had to admit, the recovery abilities of a summoning beast were no joke. Garaga had been beaten all over by Gusion before, but the wounds around its mouth had already healed, and new teeth were growing in.

Though for some reason, the one blind eye it had had for a thousand years still wouldn't recover. Gusion could only assume the power that had injured Garaga was… special.

"Took a detour and had a look at the end of the fissure."

Gusion said. He had no intention of mentioning the dragon egg. That thing was extremely dangerous—not just to himself, but possibly to the entire world.

If Ryuchi Cave got greedy and awakened the Flame Dragon, the Naruto world might well be doomed.

For the report, he'd just mention the anomalies he'd seen within the fissure.

"What's down there?"

Garaga asked, unable to hide its curiosity. Living in Ryuchi Cave so long, it would be impossible not to be curious.

"I found some ancient text and murals, but I can't read them. Garaga, can you help me decipher them?"

Gusion had an idea and took out his pad for Garaga to see.

He wasn't keen on showing the murals to the White Snake Sage, but showing Garaga was fine—not only because they had a contract, but because Garaga wasn't the type to blab.

It didn't even get along that well with the White Snake Sage. If Gusion didn't say anything, Garaga wouldn't go reporting to her.

"Brat, you really are illiterate, huh? Can't even read."

Garaga bared its fangs in a grin, delighted to mock him.

A vein throbbed on Gusion's forehead. "So do you recognize it or not?"

"Of course I do. This is the earliest script used in Ryuchi Cave. Later the White Snake Sage created a new script and abolished the old one."

Garaga sounded quite pleased with itself. "Brat, you really asked the right snake. In all of Ryuchi Cave, only me and that old hag know this script anymore."

Gusion was speechless. Only the two of you know it—how does that make me illiterate?

He held it in and asked, "What does it say?"

Garaga lowered itself, its one good eye studying the tiny characters on the pad with effort. After a while, a rare solemn expression appeared on its serpentine face. "Brat, did you really see these murals down in the fissure?"

Chapter 234: Sage Art: Dragon-Transmutation Formula

"That's right. Is there some significance?"

Gusion asked, curious.

"Isn't this the cultivation method for Ryuchi Cave's Sage Arts?"

Garaga sounded perplexed. It cleverly tapped the screen with its nose to switch to the next image, and grew even more confused. "No, that's not quite it."

Gusion felt like he'd been put through a rollercoaster. The first sentence left him puzzled and disappointed—puzzled because he didn't understand why Ryuchi Cave's Sage Arts would be carved in a forbidden area even the White Snake Sage didn't seem to know; disappointed because if he wanted Sage Arts, the White Snake Sage could just teach him, which would make the mysterious murals worthless.

But Garaga's next sentence tugged his nerves taut again. "So is it or isn't it?"

"Quit rushing me," Garaga snapped. "Let me look. You turn the pages—this little thing is a pain to use."

This pad wasn't built for something as big as you, Gusion thought. He held it up and flipped pages slowly as directed.

After a dozen minutes, Garaga had looked through all the images and text. Its head swayed a bit. "Brat, it looks like Sage Arts, but also… not."

A twinge of impatience crept into Gusion's voice. "Then what is it?"

"I don't know. It feels like a sage art method—or rather, a Sage Art system different from what Ryuchi Cave currently uses."

It furrowed its brow—so to speak. "Feels like the Sage Arts we use now are just one part of this thing."

Gusion's eyes lit. He tried using Appraisal on his pad again and suddenly found that his pad had turned into an item requiring certification to take out of the mission world.

He'd seen this before. When Snow Wind used her pad to photograph the ancient weapon King's blueprints, her pad became a certification-required item.

Now it was obvious he'd struck gold!

The Appraisal display showed the name of the method:

[Sage Art: Dragon-Transmutation Formula]

Origin: Naruto

Quality: ???

Usage: Self-study, or comprehend with spatial assistance

Requirements: Spirit and Physique 60+ each

Details: Before the Ōtsutsuki clan descended upon this planet, a power system centered on natural energy flourished in ancient times. The Dragon-Transmutation Formula was its pinnacle. All living beings can train it—transforming a mortal body into a dragon, attuning to the great Way of nature, and soaring among the stars.

Rating: ???

Evaluation: Don't even think about it—you can't afford certification.

[]

Gusion silently swore. End Space hadn't even given a certification price and had already seized his pad.

It was his first time seeing an item with Quality marked "???"—clearly beyond his current clearance. Under normal circumstances, a tool of this type wouldn't be accessible at his stage.

He guessed this cultivation-method-type item was at least Dark-Gold-tier. If he could learn it within his stay in the Naruto world, he'd be making a killing even if he did nothing else.

He'd always had confidence in his comprehension. He looked at Garaga. "Garaga, could you walk me through the content?"

"Oh? Are you asking your lordship for help?"

Garaga preened shamelessly.

Gusion suppressed the urge to give Garaga a chop to remind it who the master was. Knowing this guy needed to be stroked the right way, he forced a strained smile. "Well, you are erudite and learned."

Garaga basked in the flattery and began explaining the text. When it finished, it looked thoughtful. "You know, this Sage Art method feels workable… just way harsher than what Ryuchi Cave uses now. The conditions are too stringent."

"Thanks. I've got the gist. I'll give it a try."

This thanks was genuine. Without Garaga, he wouldn't have deciphered the text and would have missed this legendary method.

As for the White Snake Sage—her attitude toward him was… complicated. He couldn't be sure whether she'd tell him the truth. Considering Ryuchi Cave's current Sage Arts looked like a knockoff of a part of the Dragon-Transmutation Formula, it was hard not to suspect plagiarism. Handing the Formula over to her might be a blessing—or a curse. She wasn't exactly a neutral, benevolent granny.

He also knew the Formula wouldn't stay secret for long. But at least during his current stay, he didn't want to spark a conflict with Ryuchi Cave over it—it would just waste time and energy.

He'd give the White Snake Sage a portion of the intel and let her figure out a way to explore the fissure at her leisure.

His side quest's first stage had completed when he reached the fissure and saw the dragon egg. The second stage could be simple—or difficult.

[Side Quest, Final Stage: Recognition of Ryuchi Cave]

Objective: Learn a Sage Art in Ryuchi Cave and become a Sage Mode user to receive Ryuchi Cave's formal recognition. You may then freely enter/exit and borrow a portion of its influence.

Difficulty: Easy ~ Hard

Reward: Inheritance Crystal (Medium) x5

Failure Penalty: None

[]

That was the standard process. The task didn't specify which Sage Art to learn—if he chose the conventional Ryuchi Cave Sage Arts, it would be "Easy." If he chose the Dragon-Transmutation Formula, it'd be "Hard."

With the first half done, Gusion had Garaga take him back. Under Garaga's deterrence, they had an unobstructed journey—no snakes dared attack. Saved him quite a bit of effort.

"Garaga, your snake-fate isn't great. Everyone's giving you a wide berth."

"Hmph. I simply disdain mingling with them. Brat, get out there and let the shinobi world know I'm the strongest in Ryuchi Cave!"

Garaga was tsundere about it. After losing his reverse-scale, it even felt a faint urge to socialize—just couldn't swallow its pride.

Soon, Garaga escorted Gusion past the snake swarms. Not wanting to meet the White Snake Sage, Garaga had Gusion go on alone.

At the shrine again, the White Snake Sage had taken on the guise of a kindly old granny, welcoming Gusion back.

"Child, what did you see in the fissure?"

As if all-knowing, she spoke with certainty that he had reached it.

"A terrifying spectacle. A river of magma flowing uphill—mysterious and wondrous."

Gusion delivered his prepared line, watching her expression.

But she didn't react. She just smiled. "I see. You've worked hard. You've passed Ryuchi Cave's trial and can begin training in Sage Arts."

She beckoned. "Tagorihime, take him to the training grounds."

Tagorihime bowed slightly. "Gusion-sama, please follow me."

Gusion wasn't sure what the White Snake Sage was up to. As he turned, he sensed her flick out her tongue and lick her lips greedily.

Everything went smoothly afterward. Tagorihime explained Ryuchi Cave's Sage Arts process and gave him some auxiliary materials, then left him alone in a stone chamber.

…

While Gusion trained hard in Ryuchi Cave, the Naruto world roiled under the Explorers' activity.

In Konoha Village, the Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, set down his pen and rubbed his old, tired brow, trying to chase away the fatigue.

Swoosh—

A figure appeared in the office and knelt on one knee—one of the Hokage's direct Anbu.

"How is the situation?"

Hiruzen braced an elbow on the desk, fingers interlaced. Sunlight streamed in from the window behind him, only to be blocked by the broad brim of his hat. From the Anbu's angle, his face was all in shadow.

"Reporting to Lord Hokage: the Uchiha are no longer holding assemblies. They seem to have abandoned the idea of rebellion."

"I'll make the determinations—you just report."

Hiruzen's calm tone made the Anbu sweat beneath his mask.

"Yes, sir!"

He continued. "After being confined, Uchiha Itachi hasn't left the compound, nor has he had close contact with other clansmen. He either stays home or practices shuriken with his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Mm…"

Hiruzen pondered a moment. "What about Uchiha Fugaku? Since he stopped gathering the clan, what's he been doing?"

At that, the Anbu assigned to watch the Uchiha felt odd. "Uchiha Fugaku… while no longer holding clan meetings, has been moving about the village frequently. Based on solid intel, he appears to be… arranging a marriage for Uchiha Itachi."

"What!?"

The ever-steady Hiruzen couldn't help crying out. "Say that again."

He suspected his ears deceived him. Who? Uchiha Fugaku—the stiff-necked head of the Uchiha—considering marriage alliances now?

What was this world coming to? Was this still the Uchiha?

"Uchiha Fugaku is arranging a marriage for his eldest son, Uchiha Itachi. Not only that, he's sent out feelers to the village's great families, expressing an intent to form marriage ties. He says they have many eligible men and women in the clan and hopes to strengthen inter-clan relations."

The Anbu continued.

Now Hiruzen was thoroughly unsettled. He'd been called away by Danzō these two days because dangerous rogue ninja had been appearing around Konoha. He'd returned only that morning and was catching up on work.

Two days gone, and the Uchiha were unrecognizable.

"The evil Uchiha must be up to something big."

At that moment, Konoha's advisor, the Root's leader, Shimura Danzō, strode into the office and immediately passed judgment.

The kneeling Anbu didn't know whether to go or stay, and definitely didn't dare offer an opinion.

"They don't intend a military seizure of power anymore," Hiruzen said softly. "They're preparing to reestablish their political standing."

"In my view, we should strike first." Danzō's voice was low. "The Uchiha's rebellious heart is obvious. They've only concealed their fangs. We cannot wait until they grow stronger."

"I believe Uchiha Itachi can undertake the task. Hiruzen, you shouldn't doubt him."

Listening to the Hokage and Danzō, the Anbu felt conflicted and couldn't help speaking. "Lord Hokage, we're all one village. The Uchiha no longer want war—can't we coexist peacefully?"

Hiruzen's face tightened, but before he could speak, Danzō snapped, "You understand nothing. The Uchiha have changed tactics because they've realized they lack the strength to oppose the village and fear annihilation. Once they stabilize their status, it'll be too late."

The Anbu didn't dare talk back to the advisor elder, but he felt stifled.

Big, righteous words that sounded reasonable—but "too late" for what, exactly?

Even if the Uchiha secured political stature through marriages, they wouldn't destroy Konoha. Even if they became Hokage, how would that harm the common shinobi and villagers?

In the end, "too late" meant you'd be late in the political struggle, didn't it?

He had always been prepared to help the village annihilate the Uchiha—if they tried a military coup.

If the Uchiha wanted peace and the village still suppressed them, even he felt that was going too far.

"Danzō, don't talk nonsense."

Hiruzen spoke at last. "If the Uchiha want peaceful coexistence with the village, that's a good thing. Have your Root keep a lower profile. Don't think I don't know what's between you and the Uchiha."