Uchiha Izumi decided to cultivate Sage Mode.
Her body had been enhanced by Divine Ink and absorbed spiritual energy, but she hadn't utilized that spiritual energy effectively.
Therefore, Uchiha Izumi needed a complete cultivation method. She needed to learn from their usage methods and then develop her own techniques.
"Who should I summon?" Uchiha Izumi thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered the time she summoned Manda, and it fiercely chased her. She immediately shook her head, then decided to summon her little darling—no, it had grown up now.
"Summoning Technique!" Uchiha Izumi summoned a blue snake several meters long.
"Hi, Aoba, long time no see." Uchiha Izumi waved at the long blue snake.
Aoba saw Uchiha Izumi, wrapped around her, and then said, "Long time no see, Young Lady, what do you want to do?"
Uchiha Izumi stroked its head and said, "I want to enter Ryūchi Cave to cultivate Sage Mode."
"Oh? Are you sure?" Aoba looked at Uchiha Izumi and said to her, "Cultivating Sage Mode is very dangerous. Not only do you need to pass the tests of the Three Snake Hime, but if you fail, they will eat you. And even if you truly learn it, you might not be able to successfully cultivate it. Are you sure you want to learn?"
Uchiha Izumi said to it domineeringly, "Who do you think I am! I am Uchiha Izumi!"
"Hehe." Aoba said with a smile, "Alright, since you say so, I'll talk to the adults and then use the Reverse Summoning Technique."
Uchiha Izumi nodded and said, "Alright, go ahead and use it."
Aoba disappeared with a 'bang', and Uchiha Izumi appeared a moment later in a dark, misty place.
Before her was a huge, luxuriously decorated building. On the plaque above, the three large characters "Ryūchi Cave" were written.
Aoba said to her, "This is the entrance to Ryūchi Cave. Are you sure you want to go in?"
Uchiha Izumi nodded and said, "I still want to go in. Thank you, Aoba."
Aoba wagged its tail and said, "I hope you can learn Sage Mode. I won't go in."
"It's fine."
Uchiha Izumi entered Ryūchi Cave. At this moment, three women were already waiting for Uchiha Izumi inside Ryūchi Cave—they were the Three Snake Hime.
Uchiha Izumi immediately approached them and asked with a smile, "Three beautiful big sisters, you must be the legendary Three Snake Hime, right? Are you here to test me?"
Tagorihime said with a smile, "Oh my, unlike those other people, your mouth is so sweet, and you speak so nicely."
Ichikishimahime said with a smile, "That's right, those people who come to learn Sage Mode are so boring."
Ametame-hime said to them, "Don't forget our purpose."
After speaking, she said to Uchiha Izumi, "We are not here to test you, but to take you to see White Snake Sage."
"Huh? Directly to see White Snake Sage?" Uchiha Izumi asked in confusion, "Oh, I see! Three big sisters, you're testing me, aren't you? To see if I'm eager for quick success! Wow, it's a good thing I'm smart, otherwise I would have fallen for your trick."
Ametame-hime said with a smile, "You are truly interesting. Aoba has already reported to us. White Snake Sage is very interested in you. Come with us. White Snake Sage has spoken, telling us to bring you directly."
"Oh? Really?"
"Of course."
"Alright." Uchiha Izumi cautiously followed them. Finally, she indeed arrived in the depths of Ryūchi Cave, where a huge white snake was coiled, emitting a terrifying aura. It was White Snake Sage.
The Three Snake Hime said to White Snake Sage, "We've brought the person."
White Snake Sage nodded and said, "Hmm, let me see. Your name is Uchiha Izumi, right?"
Uchiha Izumi immediately said, "That's right, I am Uchiha Izumi."
White Snake Sage said to her, "I know everything that happens in Ryūchi Cave. Do you know why I didn't let them test you and brought you directly?"
Uchiha Izumi shook her head and said, "I don't know."
White Snake Sage, holding a large pipe, said, "You not only have natural energy, but also a peculiar aura. I am very interested."
"Is it Divine Ink?" Uchiha Izumi said to White Snake Sage, "Oh, what kind of aura?"
White Snake Sage said, "I don't know either. I only vaguely sensed it from you based on my instincts. It's an aura that makes me feel noble."
"Is that so?" Uchiha Izumi didn't know what to say either. Uchiha Izumi guessed it was the aura of a deity contained within the Divine Ink.
White Snake Sage said, "You're here to learn Sage Mode, right?"
Uchiha Izumi nodded and said, "That's right, that's right. I'm here to learn Sage Mode and Ryūchi Cave's Ninjutsu."
White Snake Sage said, "I can teach you Sage Mode. I'm very curious about you. I've never seen anyone like you before, someone who can make me feel noble. Interesting.
We have two ways to learn Sage Mode in Ryūchi Cave. One is to learn progressively here, but it takes a long time. The other is for me to directly inject Sage Mode Chakra into your body. As long as you endure it, you can master Sage Mode. Which one do you want to learn?"
Uchiha Izumi said, "I want the fastest one. I'm in a hurry."
White Snake Sage laughed aloud: "Hahahaha... Is that so? Alright, very good."
White Snake Sage's hair suddenly turned into a snake and flew directly to bite Uchiha Izumi's neck, injecting Sage Mode Chakra into Uchiha Izumi's body.
"Ugh!" Uchiha Izumi didn't react in time. After being bitten on the neck, she immediately cried out, "It hurts so much!"
"So fast! But, is this power the Sage Mode Chakra of Ryūchi Cave?"
Uchiha Izumi only felt a powerful, cold energy enter her body, circulating within her and beginning to transform her body."
And White Snake Sage thought to herself, "Let me see what's inside your body." Her consciousness entered Uchiha Izumi's body and began to search for the thing that made it feel noble.
"Hmm? Her body is so dark, what's going on? Why is the energy in her body so dark!"
It frowned and continued to delve deeper. In the center of this darkness, she saw an even darker, impossibly profound black liquid. White Snake Sage wanted to delve further, but suddenly shuddered.
"What is this feeling?" Deep within Uchiha Izumi's body, she felt an incredibly noble and powerful aura. And before she even got close to this aura, she felt an instinctive fear.
This was the instinctive fear of a weaker creature towards a stronger one.
"Huh? Not even Ōtsutsuki Kaguya gives this feeling! What is this? Damn it, I am White Snake Sage, you won't make me submit!" Just as it was about to force itself to endure the fear and delve deeper, she suddenly saw countless black auras surge into her consciousness.
"Not good!" It was horrified to discover that this aura was beginning to erode her consciousness.
"Ah, get out!" She tried to shake off this energy that was eroding her body, but to her horror, she couldn't.
She watched as that part of her body became darker and darker, and could only sever that part of her consciousness, then quickly return to her main body.
"Ah!" White Snake Sage let out a painful cry. It had abandoned a part of its consciousness, causing itself immense damage.
And its hair and that portion of consciousness merged into Uchiha Izumi's body, which made Uchiha Izumi's aura even stronger.
Uchiha Izumi was receiving White Snake Sage's Chakra, constantly adapting to and manipulating it, but suddenly received even more powerful energy, making her Sage Mode Chakra even stronger.
Just as she was struggling to control the suddenly amplified Sage Mode Chakra within her, an incredibly vast mental energy and Chakra suddenly merged into her mind.
"Ugh, it's so uncomfortable! What's going on? Do I need to be infused with so much energy?"
Just as Uchiha Izumi was desperately trying to digest the suddenly increased powerful energy within her, Divine Ink suddenly absorbed most of the power, then transformed it into Uchiha Izumi's own power, feeding it back to Uchiha Izumi.