Izumi jumped into the lake, where a pure black-scaled snake was coiled up in the huge lake, seemingly resting.
"Wow! What beautiful scales!"
Izumi swam towards it, then stopped in front of it.
Izumi looked at its enormous snake body; although it was a bit smaller than Manda, it was still very large.
She couldn't help but feel a little nervous, unsure how to greet it.
"Ahem, hey! Excuse me, are you awake?" Izumi shouted loudly.
"...Not awake yet." Izumi was fretting about what to do when a small snake beside her said, "Waking my sister isn't that simple."
"Hmm? Your sister!" Izumi leaned closer, looking at the small snake in front of her.
She extended her hand, and sure enough, the small snake crawled up her arm, finally sticking its head out from Izumi's shoulder and saying, "That's right, we all have the same mom!"
Izumi understood: "Oh, oh, oh, I see.
What's your name, then?"
"Hmph, I'm Duì Shé.
I can wake my sister, but, well, you know!" Duì Shé wagged its tail, looking very cute.
"Oh, I know." Izumi took it to the shore and offered it a spoonful of sake to taste.
"Hmm?" It sniffed curiously, then took a sip.
"Hmm! Delicious!" It drank all the sake in one gulp.
"So good, hehe." Seeing it look dizzy, Izumi, afraid it would pass out, quickly asked, "Could you help me wake your sister?"
"Hmm, alright, but you have to let me have another sip!"
"No problem, but only after you've woken your sister, okay?"
"Alright, follow me!"
"Hmm!"
"Plop!" Both of them dove back into the lake.
Izumi brought her into the lake, and Duì Shé shouted, "Sister! Mom's here! Wake up quickly!"
"Boom!" The black snake's massive body instantly began to move, stirring up torrents of water that impacted everything around it, and Izumi was also swept away by the current.
"Wow!" Izumi stabilized herself and looked at the large snake, which wasn't as massive as Manda, and was very satisfied: "Hmm, dark and shiny, quite beautiful!"
The black snake looked left and right, not seeing its mom.
It breathed a sigh of relief, then saw Izumi and Duì Shé.
It asked angrily, "What are you doing? I thought Mom was calling me to study again! You scared me to death!"
"Hehe..." Izumi's mouth twitched, then she looked at Duì Shé.
Duì Shé said dizzily, "Sister, this person wants to find you.
She probably wants you to become her summoning animal."
"Hmm?" The black snake snorted coldly, "You? Such a small brat?"
Izumi rubbed her head and said, "That's right, but I've learned Sage Mode!"
"Oh, ah! What? Show me!" The black snake was startled, then immediately urged, "Let me see your Sage Mode!"
"Alright!" Izumi closed her eyes and began to prepare.
Soon after, a huge black snake emerged from the lake, and Izumi took out a lot of sake and said, "Here, have a taste, this is a small token of my appreciation!"
After swallowing them, the black snake closed its eyes and savored the taste! "Not bad, very good.
I see your sincerity; you are a very generous person, and to learn Sage Jutsu at such a young age is remarkable.
I am Xū Shé, and I can become your summoning animal.
Please take care of me."
"Yes! Please take care of me from now on!"
"Hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph~ hmph~" Izumi, returning from Ryūchi Cave, was in high spirits.
When bored, she would occasionally practice Sage Jutsu, then ponder how to develop her own unique Sage Jutsu.
"Sage Mode!"
Izumi opened her eyes, her dark pupils suddenly transforming into thin snake eyes, and around her eyes, black eye shadow appeared.
Her skin became pale, faint scale patterns appeared on her limbs, two horns grew on her head, and her tongue also extended.
Beside Izumi, a faint, slender, almost transparent snake made of natural energy coiled around her, occasionally dancing.
"Hmm, is this Sage Mode?" Izumi looked at her body and couldn't help but exclaim, "My power has grown even stronger."
Izumi threw a punch.
"Boom!" As Izumi threw this punch, the air exploded with a loud sound.
A huge gust of wind from the punch scattered the papers in the room, making them fly like a sunrise.
Izumi looked at her hands triumphantly and said, "With Sage Jutsu combined with the power of my Senju Clan, I don't even know who can compare to my strength!"
"Senju? Oh, right, I might as well take this opportunity to ask Lady Tsunade about Medical Ninjutsu.
Last time I only learned for one night; this time I want to learn everything!"
Izumi thought of several friends whose family members were severely injured and unable to become Ninja, so she decided to thoroughly learn Medical Ninjutsu.
So Izumi had a Shadow Clone stay at home to rest while she went to find Tsunade to learn.
Izumi had previously placed invisible ink marks on Tsunade, allowing her to sense her location.
"Godspeed!" Izumi activated the Godspeed mode within her Lightning Chakra Mode, maximizing her speed.
"Whoosh!" Izumi's figure instantly vanished.
She moved rapidly in the direction of the mark, and in the blink of an eye, she had already traveled a great distance.
At the tavern, Tsunade was tipsy from drinking, and Shizune kept urging her, "Lady Tsunade, you can't drink anymore, or we won't have enough money!"
"Hmm? What—money, where did the money go?" Tsunade asked with a flushed face, "Did you spend the money?"
Shizune angrily shouted, "Ah! Honestly, Lady Tsunade, you gambled all the money away!"
"Is that so?"
"Then what should I do if I still want to drink?"
"Owner, I'll pay for their drinks!" A pleasant female voice came, and both Tsunade and Shizune looked at the black-haired girl who spoke.
Izumi smiled and said, "Lady Tsunade, I've come to learn Medical Ninjutsu from you!"
Tsunade looked at Izumi, scrutinizing her, and said, "Is that so? What I taught you last time was just the basics, but this time it'll be different!
Are you ready?"
"Of course." Izumi was full of confidence.
"Eh? When did you two get so close?" Shizune looked at them both, puzzled.
"Let's go! I'll teach you!" After downing her sake, Tsunade led Izumi and Shizune to a house.
Tsunade instructed Shizune, "Shizune, from now on, she's your junior sister, understand?"
"Eh? Oh, yes! I understand, Izumi, hello."
Izumi bowed and respectfully said, "Senior Sister Shizune, please take care of me!"
"Ah, no need to be so formal!"
Tsunade said to Shizune, "Shizune, the parts I can't teach her, you will teach her!"
"Yes!" Seeing Tsunade so serious, Shizune also became serious.
"Let's start tomorrow.
Today, I'll organize the equipment you need to learn, and Shizune, you can first teach her the basic knowledge."
Shizune immediately nodded and said, "Yes! Lady Tsunade!"