It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

Since the White Snake Immortal has said so, she will just do as he says. He's just a little kid.

……

When Princess Ichikishima arrived at the room where Shiyuki was unconscious, she lit the candles on the table. The faint candlelight illuminated the room. Looking at Shiyuki who was still fast asleep, Princess Ichikishima reached out to wake her up. But just as her hand touched the blanket, a yellow light suddenly flashed from inside the blanket.

Triggering a counter-attack!

Princess Ichikishima: !??

Before Princess Ichikishima could react, Shiyuki had already teleported behind her and pinned her down on the bed.

After Zhixue placed the Flying Thunder God Kunai around Ichikishima-hime's neck, she glanced at the dimly lit stone room around her and sensed something was amiss.

Was she kidnapped by human traffickers? Why is she living in a cave?

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"

"Oh dear, you little brat, you're quite forceful, managing to pin your older sister down. But I'm your savior, isn't this a bit unfair of you?" Princess Ichikishima said with a faint smile.

Zhi Xue carefully recalled her memories. She had indeed been pulled out by something, but she was quickly knocked unconscious. Who would knock someone unconscious when saving them? Fortunately, she was now awake and felt that her clothes hadn't been moved and there was nothing unusual about her body. Otherwise, she might have used a trial card to destroy this place.

Princess Ichikishima's eyes suddenly turned into a pair of emerald green snake pupils, and her figure disappeared from the bed like a phantom, only to reappear at the door of the room.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Princess Ichikishima, an elder of Ryuchi Cave. This place is located deep within Ryuchi Cave, and you were rescued from the great explosion by the White Snake Sage," Princess Ichikishima said in a kind and approachable tone.

"Dragon, Dragon Cave!? The White Snake Sage?" Zhi Xue listened blankly to what Princess Ichikishima was saying, and instantly felt that her brain was not up to the task.

Why did the White Snake Immortal save her? Her mission wasn't complete at that time, and she hadn't obtained the scroll to Ryuchi Cave. What benefit would this thousand-year-old white snake gain from doing this?

Zhi Xue couldn't understand it, but the system was very frustrated. The mission was completed, but the Shadow-level experience card hadn't been sold; it was just a tiny bit short.

……

Explosion site…

It was already the early morning of the second day after the incident, and the light in the sky was not yet very bright, with the brilliant starry night still lingering in the sky.

The thick smoke had dissipated, and many ninjas searched the ruins for a long time but could not find any trace of Zhixue. The only thing that could prove that Zhixue was in the explosion was a Kusanagi sword, but it was also shaken in two by the huge impact at the time.

"Lord Hokage..." The Hyuga clansmen who had been searching presented the broken sword to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Is this the only broken sword found at the scene?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, our search team did not find Uchiha Shiyuki's body. Perhaps it was burned to ashes by the huge explosion, or perhaps it drifted downstream with the river."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head regretfully.

"We've already sent people to investigate downstream, but we haven't found any trace of Uchiha Shiyuki. None of the local residents have seen anything strange either, so we can probably rule out that possibility."

The Hyuga clan members bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then asked, "Third Hokage, shall we continue our search?"

"No, we've already wasted enough time and manpower here. Leave a few ninjas to clean up the scene, and take this relic with us as soon as possible back to Konoha."

"Yes!"

The Hyuga clan ninjas went to relay the orders to the other ninjas as instructed by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi himself turned around and took a deep drag on his pipe.

"Uchiha Shisui, Kakashi and the Root ninjas all escaped, but why did she have to die? We need to talk to Shisui about this."

The Uchiha clan experiences intense emotional fluctuations. Losing loved ones is indeed the greatest weapon for the Uchiha clan to become stronger. Hatred is the machine that transforms power, but it also needs proper guidance to turn the sharp spear into an enemy.

It's understandable that Shisui Uchiha would activate his Mangekyou Sharingan on the spot after Shisui's death, and Hiruzen Sarutobi could also do so. One can only hope that Shisui can control himself. Activating the Mangekyou Sharingan at this tense moment might just further embolden the Uchiha clan.

……

Roots…

At this moment, Tianzang was awakened by the nightmare. The vividness of the flames, as if they were rushing towards him, still made him feel a lingering fear.

"You're awake. It seems you've encountered something terrible." Standing at the door, Shimura Danzo looked at the pale-faced Tenzō and had two ANBU place the medicine on the table.

The moment he saw Danzo, Tenzo got off the bed and knelt on the ground.

"Lord Danzo, I'm sorry, the mission has failed."

Danzo closed his eyes in response to Tenzang's reply and said in a deep voice, "Forget it, this time something unexpected happened, so failure is understandable. However, I will still remember this offense. Once you have recovered, you can use the mission to make up for it."

"Yes!" Tenzang looked at Danzo gratefully. Although he was usually ruthless, Danzo was still very kind as long as he didn't betray her.

Danzo then inquired about the internal workings of the mechanical snake puppet and his observations of Uchiha Shiyuki, but he did not obtain any useful information. The question about the Rasengan was also deliberately concealed by Tenzang.

"Is that so? It seems that Uchiha Shiyuki was not the point of convergence between the Uchiha clan and Orochimaru. However, it's good that she's dead now. Konoha doesn't need to expend resources to support a piece of trash."

"What?" Upon hearing the news of Uchiha Shiyu's death from Danzo, Tenzang's pupils widened instantly, and his face was filled with disbelief.

Uchiha Shiyuki is dead!?

Chapter 44 Down in one gulp

"You are the White Snake Sage?" Shiyuki, who had been brought to the palace by Princess Ichikishima, looked at a large white snake coiled on the chair in front of her and said.

Having just experienced the White Phosphorus Serpent incident, Zhixue still felt somewhat uneasy looking at the white serpent.

"Oh, you're Uchiha Shiyuki? You're quite a charming kid. What, are you interested in Sage Mode?" The White Snake Sage raised his snake head, his smiling eyes fixed on Shiyuki as he spoke.

Zhi Xue felt a little uneasy under the White Snake Immortal's gaze, but she still nodded stiffly.

Sage Techniques, those are Sage Techniques! As long as you can learn the perfect form, it won't be a problem to go toe-to-toe with a Kage-level opponent.

The white snake nodded to Princess Ichikishima, who then picked up a black teacup from a table in the distance. Inside was a smooth, milky-white liquid that emitted a strong chakra aura and something that Shiki couldn't quite understand—it was probably the natural energy of Ryuchi Cave.

"This is the natural energy used for cultivation in Ryuchi Cave. Of course, we have reduced the dosage. As long as you can survive after drinking it, you will have already mastered the basics of Ryuchi Cave's immortal techniques."

"Wait, why did you save me and even teach me magic?" Zhi Xue asked, holding her teacup. She genuinely didn't understand.

"It's all a choice made by fate." The White Snake Sage uttered a riddle, seemingly without any real understanding. Having reached this level, he naturally knew quite a lot, though not as accurately as the toads of Mount Myōboku, but he could still vaguely sense things.

Zhi Xue scratched her head, somewhat puzzled. Although she didn't quite understand why, she remembered the kindness of Longdi Cave and would repay it when she had the strength in the future.

As she spoke, Zhixue drank the liquid in the teacup in one gulp...emm, it tasted good, smooth and slippery, with a slightly sour taste, just like the yogurt she drank when she was a child.

The White Snake Immortal and Princess Ichikishima were both stunned by Zhixue's actions.

He actually swallowed it all in one go? That's a seven-day supply!

"Huh? Why are you looking at me so strangely?" Seeing the two people's strange gazes, Zhixue blushed and turned her face away.

Was it because she drank the tea incorrectly? Does drinking this require some kind of ritual, like chanting some kind of "sandwich filling"?

Suddenly, Zhixue seemed to realize that something was wrong, very wrong. The thing she had drunk seemed to be too strong, like a 30-degree liquor, making her feel hot and flustered all over.

"Quickly, quickly draw out the natural energy from her body!" The White Snake Immortal stared in disbelief at Zhi Xue, whose face was flushed red and who was somewhat stiff and petrified.

"Yes!"

In all these thousands of years, this is the first time I've ever seen someone dare to drink like this, wow...

In Konoha Village, after the snake puppet explosion, the gears of fate began to turn quietly. The news of Uchiha Shiyuki's death was not suppressed, but it was not exactly a hot topic either, because death is inevitable for ninjas, especially for the Anbu who are carrying out secret missions.

However, many people still felt sorry for this cute little girl.

He was fine when he was in the security force, but after only a few days in the dark side, his body has already disappeared without a trace. It's really tragic.

Early in the morning, raindrops dripped from the tender green leaves onto the soil, adding a touch of life to this quiet place once again.

However, the clear sky did not dispel the gloom in everyone's hearts.

Kakashi Hatake, who had rushed from Konoha Hospital early in the morning, stared blankly at the tombstone being repaired in the distance.

"Hey, what are you doing!?"

The ninja who was digging and measuring lines realized what was going on when he saw that signature silver hair.

"It's Kakashi Hatake, senpai. You've come to visit your old comrade again today," the ninja digging in the dirt said with a smile.

It's no longer surprising that most of the ninjas in Konoha don't know that Kakashi Hatake visits the gravestones of his former teammates every few days to lay flowers for them.

"No, that's not it. Whose grave are you digging up right now?"

Faced with Kakashi's questioning, the two looked at each other in bewilderment.

How could they not know? Wasn't Uchiha Shiyuki also a member of the Anbu? Kakashi should have received the news much earlier than them.

"Kakashi-senpai, do you also know Uchiha Shiyuki?" The ninja holding the measuring tape took out a black and white photo album and asked Kakashi.

Upon seeing the cute girl making a peace sign in the photo album, Kakashi's body stiffened, and his pupils gradually dilated.

"So... what they were saying outside was true?" Kakashi collapsed to his knees in despair. A wave of endless loneliness and sorrow washed over him, bringing tears to his eyes.

Although he hadn't spent much time with this kid, after receiving the antidote and receiving help from Zhixue multiple times, Kakashi genuinely treated her as a reliable partner.

But why did fate have to so cruelly destroy the bonds he had just built? And why was it that he miraculously survived? He didn't understand!

Sure enough, when faced with disaster and war, there was nothing he could do... He could only watch helplessly as his comrades died before his eyes time and time again, like beautiful bubbles that flashed by in front of Kakashi, then vanished into nothingness and shattered.

The thought of Zhixue's cute yet mischievous face gradually losing its color felt like a series of blows to Kakashi's heart.

"No, no! She was one of the team members I was in charge of! If we hadn't found the body, she might still be alive! Yes, she must still be alive!" Kakashi looked at the "portrait" of Shizuru in front of him, his figure gradually merging with the figure from many years ago. But this time, there was still hope, still hope that she was alive!

Kakashi suddenly stood up from the ground, startling both ninjas.

"I will definitely find her!" Kakashi muttered to himself, then clenched his fists and ran outside, leaving the two tomb-digging ninjas looking on with a puzzled expression.

What triggered Kakashi's anger?

……

As morning approached, the Uchiha clan soon received news of Uchiha Shiyuki's death.

Fugaku Uchiha's expression was quite something.

Zhi Xue only joined the Anbu a few days ago, how could things have turned out like this? Konoha would never handle things like this. Fugaku knows that Zhi Xue is a very simple-minded child and could not possibly be Orochimaru's spy. It is more likely that Danzo secretly killed Zhi Xue to prevent Konoha from being threatened and to eliminate future troubles.

(Danzo: You bastard, you're always trying to make me take the blame, aren't you?)

After thinking for a long time, Fugaku tidied himself up and prepared to go to Shisui's house to check on the situation. After all, Shisui was Shisui's older brother, wasn't he?

Chapter 45, Learning Immortal Arts

"Sink your body into the most relaxed state, do not resist or have any other thoughts, surrender your body and mind to nature, and learn to integrate yourself with nature."

Zhi Xue, dressed in a white robe, sat cross-legged in the deepest part of Longdi Cave. This was the place with the most abundant natural energy, and also the most dangerous place. The low-lying view inside seemed to be covered by a layer of mist, and tiny water droplets, almost visible to the naked eye, floated in the air.

Even the giant serpent living in Ryuchi Cave dares not linger here for too long. However, under the guidance of Princess Ichikishima, Shiyuki has gradually learned to absorb the natural energy here into her body, and with special guidance, she is gradually balancing it with her chakra.