They followed instructions, and under the urging of Kazuyama, the three Snake Princesses led him to the cave where they trained.
Kazuyama slowly activated his Transparent Escape Technique, drawing in the surrounding natural energy. Meanwhile, the three Snake Princesses continued their meal as they guided him.
"Sss, delicious!"
"Kazuyama, you must understand that the natural energy in Ryūchi Cave is extremely unique. It is far more violent than any energy you've encountered. To absorb it, you must first learn to adapt to its intensity."
"You, having mastered the Transparent Escape Technique, don't need to worry about turning into a snake, so absorb it boldly."
"But the moment you sense violent emotions surfacing, you must immediately sever your connection with the natural energy."
"Do you hear me?" Tagorihime said between bites.
Kazuyama sat cross-legged, closing his eyes as he allowed the natural energy of Ryūchi Cave to flow into him. As more and more energy filled his body, a sense of satisfaction arose within him. However, the violent emotions the Snake Princesses had warned about never came.
Before long, he noticed the absorption slowing. Realizing this, he gradually deactivated his Transparent Escape Technique, allowing the natural energy to settle within him.
"Huh? Kazuyama, why did you stop using the Transparent Escape Technique? Did you feel violent emotions?" Ichikishimahime put down the snakeberries in her hands and approached him to investigate.
Sensing his natural energy, she was surprised to find that he hadn't stopped absorbing it.
"Ichikishimahime, I haven't felt any violent emotions. I just think I've absorbed enough natural energy," he explained.
"If I keep using the Transparent Escape Technique, the effect won't improve much. That's why I stopped."
His words made the three Snake Princesses flinch. They hurried forward to examine him more closely. After a careful assessment, they exchanged astonished glances.
"Incredible... someone absorbing Ryūchi Cave's natural energy this quickly..."
"It seems the White Snake Sage was right. Your Transparent Escape Technique truly is well-suited for Senjutsu."
Ichikishimahime let out another exclamation, her eyes filled with shock.
"Huh? Is that so? Then does this mean I can connect with you using the natural energy in my body now?" Kazuyama asked, equally surprised. In his understanding, absorbing natural energy was supposed to be extremely difficult.
Even Naruto had taken a long time to reach this state.
"I think it should be fine. After all, your body is already full of natural energy."
"Try it—can you mobilize the energy within you?"
The three Snake Princesses watched with curiosity, eager for Kazuyama to test his ability.
Kazuyama nodded, closing his eyes as he attempted to control the energy inside him. However, no matter how hard he tried, the natural energy remained unresponsive, as if it didn't belong to him.
After multiple attempts, he finally opened his eyes, frustration evident in his expression.
"No, I can't mobilize this natural energy at all."
The three Snake Princesses exchanged glances before reaching a conclusion.
"It seems that while your Transparent Escape can absorb natural energy quickly, you lack the foundation to use it."
"Since you are not a snake, it's only natural that you can't manipulate this power."
"But your body is already full of natural energy. If we use the Senjutsu Coiling Serpent Technique, we should be able to connect with you."
"Who should go first?"
After a brief pause, Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime both turned their gazes to Tagitsuhime.
Caught off guard, Tagitsuhime blinked. "Why me? Can't you two do it?"
The other two responded in unison, "Put the snakeberries down before you speak!"
"Hmph!" Tagitsuhime huffed, flashing an awkward smile as she reluctantly set the snakeberries aside.
It turned out that while the three of them had been discussing Kazuyama's situation, she had been secretly snacking.
"Hmph! Fine, I'll do it!"
"Kazuyama boy, take off your shirt."
Kazuyama widened his eyes, about to ask why, but before he could, Tagitsuhime cut him off.
"Just do it! Stop stalling!"
Kazuyama sighed. Fine... You're a Sage, you call the shots.
Without further hesitation, he quickly removed his shirt, revealing his well-toned physique.
"Good. Kazuyama, get ready. I will connect with you using the Senjutsu Coiling Serpent Technique."
"Relax your body, gather your chakra within, and don't resist the Senjutsu energy I'm about to inject."
Kazuyama nodded, sitting cross-legged once more. Closing his eyes, he focused on gathering his chakra. Though he couldn't control the natural energy, it began converging within him alongside his chakra.
At the same time, Kazuyama reminded Chōmei in his mind,
"Chōmei, gather your chakra as well. We don't want it interfering with the Senjutsu energy."
Chōmei nodded, equally curious about the power of this Senjutsu. He quickly withdrew all of his chakra.
Tagitsuhime stepped beside Kazuyama, pressing her hands together as she chanted,
"Sage Art: Coiling Serpent Technique..."
A pale red energy radiated from her body, slowly forming into a massive, scarlet serpent. The energy snake coiled around Kazuyama, its glowing red light drifting toward his body like tendrils of power.
Watching the technique unfold, Tagorihime murmured,
"Coiling Serpent Technique... It lets us link our snake forms with our Sage bodies, allowing our Sage power to flow as an extension of another."
"But this technique has never succeeded before. The practice of Senjutsu in Ryūchi Cave is already extremely difficult."
"Over the past thousand years, only a handful of humans have even reached this point."
"Kazuyama Gekkō... Could he be the first?"
Mastering Senjutsu was never an instant process. Even forming a connection through the Coiling Serpent Technique took time.
As Tagitsuhime's energy entered his body, Kazuyama suddenly felt a surge of violent emotions swelling inside him.
"Hold on, Kazuyama boy! This violent energy is part of Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu—you must accept it and refine it away!" Ichikishimahime quickly warned him.
Hearing this, Kazuyama took a deep breath, focusing his mind as he embraced the violent energy. It was overwhelming, almost terrifying, but he refused to let it shake him.
If I want to become someone special, I have to endure hardship, right?
...Yeah, no. That wasn't actually his real thought.
Instead, he casually greeted Chōmei in his mind again.
"Chōmei, if anything seems off, push the natural energy out with your chakra immediately."
"I don't want to die young!"
Chōmei assured him he'd keep a close eye on everything.
Kazuyama valued his life too much to take reckless risks. There was no way he'd attempt something this dangerous without a backup plan—preferably two.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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