Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 156: Such a Celestial Bearing Has Not Been Seen in a Thousand Years!

Uchiha Ci found himself in an awkward predicament.

His arsenal was full of forbidden jutsu, each a massive consumer of chakra. Using his undying body and rapid regeneration in combat was tempting, but the transformed chakra he currently had was barely sufficient for escape, let alone fighting a Kage-level powerhouse.

Abandoning regeneration to rely solely on the power from the Curse Seal of Heaven would not help him overcome his current crisis either.

Thus, when the emerald cat's-eye gemstone was placed in front of Uchiha Ci, he didn't hesitate. He immediately raised his left hand and grabbed it!

At the moment he grasped the gemstone, Uchiha Ci's vision was illuminated as if by sunlight. The structure of the entire world transformed before his eyes.

In the depths of the eerie snake cave, countless emerald-green points of light floated in the air, linking together in an intricate network. Green beams shot out in every direction, interweaving to form a brilliant tapestry that illuminated the entire Ryūchi Cave.

The once dim, damp, sinister, and muddy cave now appeared as if it were a celestial paradise!

"This... This is..."

Uchiha Ci's snake-like pupils contracted slightly. He could feel the violent energy surging within the countless glowing points—pure, natural power belonging to this world itself!

"You can see it?"

"You actually can see it?!"

A girl resembling a delicate porcelain doll suddenly appeared beside Tagitsuhime Snake Princess. She had long dark-blue hair, sky-blue eyes, and wore a golden crown similar to Tagorihime's.

The girl rushed forward urgently, her playful and adorable face abruptly morphing into a fierce serpent's visage. Her snake-like pupils locked onto Uchiha Ci as she excitedly demanded:

"What does it look like?"

"What does the true Ryūchi Cave look like? Tell me!"

She anxiously shuffled forward in small steps but suddenly froze, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed the air. Cold light gleamed in her serpentine gaze.

"Hiss! Such a delicious scent! I must devour you!"

"If I eat you, I too can have such eyes, such power, and this chance to ascend to a dragon!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Hissss!"

Uchiha Ci stared at her, dumbfounded.

The next moment, this small beauty raised her hand, her blue-tipped nails clawing at her human-serpent hybrid face, peeling it away to reveal a massive snake's maw that filled Uchiha Ci's vision.

The stench, the bone-deep chill, and the immediate confrontation with death made his back tingle.

This was a more terrifying sense of doom than facing Ebizō's S-rank Wind Release jutsu!

"Ichikishimahime! What are you doing?!"

A thunderous shout rang out as a brown-haired celestial maiden soared through the air.

In the next instant, she transformed into a massive brown serpent that slammed into the blue serpent Ichikishimahime had become, entangling her.

As the two gigantic snakes collided, the Ryūchi Cave quaked violently, and snakes of all sizes raised their heads in terror before scattering.

"Tagorihime, Tagitsuhime, don't you understand yet?!"

"He can see it!"

"He actually can see it!"

The massive blue serpent, Ichikishimahime, had tears streaming from her eyes as she ferociously tore a chunk of flesh from Tagorihime, swallowing it with trembling fervor.

Through her sobs, she shouted, "This is the power destroyed by Uzume, reborn after millennia! The last treasure of this apocalyptic world! The key to becoming a dragon!"

"Sob... sob... He truly saw it!"

"The opportunity we've awaited for thousands of years!"

"I must devour him! I must devour him!"

"I will devour him!"

As her impassioned cries subsided, the three serpents turned their gazes toward Uchiha Ci.

Their eyes shifted—becoming greedy, cold, and utterly self-serving. Even Tagitsuhime Snake Princess, who retained her human form, now stared at Uchiha Ci with undisguised malice.

Uchiha Ci gulped, his scalp tingling with fear.

It seemed the Ryūchi Cave wasn't a place for charity, after all.

In the next instant, the two massive snakes ceased their struggle and turned to lunge at Uchiha Ci.

"He's mine!"

"No, you vile hag, he's mine!"

Tagitsuhime Snake Princess's snake-like pupils gleamed coldly. She darted past the two gigantic serpents, her petite mouth opening impossibly wide until it engulfed Uchiha Ci's entire field of vision.

"Haha! Hissss!"

"You two fools, this boy is mine!"

Faced with the enormous serpent's maw, Uchiha Ci felt a chill creep up his spine.

Wasn't this supposed to be a moment of triumph? Why had these "grannies" suddenly turned on him?

And why had his previously unimpressive body suddenly become as desirable as the flesh of a Tang Monk?

The absurdity of it all left him no time to dwell.

Gritting his teeth, Uchiha Ci's eyes turned fierce as he gripped the emerald gemstone tightly in his hand and exerted all his strength.

Crack!

The gemstone shattered instantly.

The celestial paradise before him and the crisscrossing lines of light all seemed to converge upon him, finding their outlet.

In the briefest moment, Uchiha Ci caught the edge of this phenomenon.

Boom!

The vision collapsed into darkness.

---

Wind Country Border – Endless Desert

The high-pressure winds whipped through the endless sands, tossing Uchiha Ci's black hair and tattered high-collared Uchiha robe.

His crimson snake-like Sharingan glared coldly through the storm, piercing the dense sand clouds formed by countless blades of wind.

His gaze locked onto Ebizō, who was descending gracefully onto the battlefield.

Uchiha Ci inhaled deeply and raised his left hand, gripping the radiant white longsword. As he moved, fragments of the shattered emerald gemstone fell from his hand.

A subtle green aura, invisible to the naked eye, floated above his palm, composed of dense points of light.

"So, this is the power of a sage?"

He murmured to himself before pressing the glowing green mass onto the Curse Seal of Heaven at his neck.

Instantly, an overwhelming surge of energy coursed through his body via the curse mark.

The forbidden technique—Body Revival—roared back to life!

Muscles and bones regenerated. A fully-formed right arm extended from Uchiha Ci's stump.

The energy didn't stop there.

The black floral mark on his neck bloomed beautifully as dark patterns rapidly spread across half his body.

Lost strength returned, swelling and raging within his limbs and core.

This was the power of the curse mark. This was the sage energy of Ryūchi Cave.

In the immense sandy crater, the towering serpent wall collapsed under the endless barrage of invisible wind blades.

Uchiha Ci took a step forward, both hands gripping his radiant longsword.

His snake-like eyes locked onto Ebizō as he crouched and charged.

With 360-degree infrared vision, he didn't need to see to dodge the falling wind blades.

Sidestepping, swinging his sword, he moved forward.

The arcs of his blade glowed like moonlight, his Uchiha swordsmanship blooming like ephemeral flowers on the battlefield.

Raising his head, his face twisted with black marks, Uchiha Ci roared:

"It's time to settle this!"

"Ebizō!!!"