One must know that in the Shinobi World, there is still a certain Slug Sage who usually remains detached from worldly matters—yet is powerful enough to rival the Sage of Six Paths himself!

It was clear that the Shikkotsu Forest was on a different level than the other two Great Sacred Grounds.

Even the Sage of Six Paths would try to avoid places like the Dragon Vein during battle, specifically to draw a line between himself and the Slug Sage.

If truly pushed to the brink, that sage could very well initiate an assault on the Dragon Vein...

...

As for now, Uchiha Kirin still resided in the real world. His aura remained concealed for a long time, and although he had revealed some of his strength, it was only a part of his true power—not even one-tenth of one percent. The Sage of Six Paths probably had no reason to pay attention to him yet.

Moreover, since Kirin had cultivated his breathing technique and fused his body and spirit into one, he could already faintly sense a gaze descending from the heavens.

And yet, even after attacking Uchiha Itachi, Obito, and Danzo in succession—and even capturing Black Zetsu—he still hadn't felt that gaze again.

Clearly, the Sage of Six Paths hadn't deemed him worthy of attention...

...

However, the current Uchiha clan grounds were no longer suitable for long-term residence.

The concentration of natural energy was too low—it couldn't support his growth or replenish the strength he had consumed through simulations.

On the other hand, residing within the Dragon Vein would allow him to use its power to the fullest, even to shield himself from external surveillance.

To Uchiha Kirin, a private and secure space was of utmost importance!

Thus, in order to become stronger—and also for his current serpent body to have a more comfortable place to dwell—

He decided to seize control of the Dragon Vein near the Land of Water!

However, since his stamina and spirit hadn't fully recovered yet, Kirin had no intention of initiating any simulations for now.

Instead, he summoned Boss Black Cat and inquired about the situation regarding Dragon Veins and summoning beast clans in the Land of Water region.

While the Ninja Cat clan wasn't exactly a major force among summoning beasts, they did have a unique survival skill—

That was intelligence gathering. Of course, they also ran a black market for summoning beasts, selling various jutsu and ninja tools...

You could say the Ninja Cats were the Shinobi World's information brokers!

After hearing Kirin's request, Boss Black Cat immediately thumped his chest in assurance, promising to bring back intelligence that would satisfy him.

...

A few days later—

Boss Black Cat's eyes gleamed as he stared at a massive pile of fish in front of him.

Encouraged by Kirin's insistence that he should improve his own strength too, he laid out all the intel he'd gathered.

There was a water-soaked parchment scroll and a handwritten letter.

The scroll was a map detailing the distribution of Dragon Veins near the Land of Water. It marked each vein's natural energy richness and whether it already had an owner.

The letter provided brief introductions about the owners of each vein and the various summoning beast clans residing there.

...

Kirin skimmed through it.

The regions with rich natural energy had long been divided among different summoning beast clans—some of them practiced Sage Arts, and their strength rivaled even the Kage.

The remaining veins were pitiful—small, crooked territories sandwiched between more powerful clans, serving as buffer zones or hunting grounds.

Such scraps weren't worth his time.

If he was going to claim a Dragon Vein, he'd go for the best one!

Right away, Uchiha Kirin set his sights on the main trunk of a nearby Dragon Vein.

According to Boss Black Cat, this was a primary trunk Dragon Vein—just one level below the three Great Sacred Grounds' main trunks.

There were only six or seven such energy-rich veins in the entire Shinobi World!

Two were on land. One was hidden deep within a barren mountain range in the heart of the continent, surrounded by minerals—an uninhabitable environment.

That place was shared by numerous summoning beast clans, who mined metals there to forge weapons or sell them to shinobi.

The other was beneath the ruins of Roran in the Land of Wind. Though full of natural energy, the area was desolate, with unstable time-space energy that often caused bizarre phenomena. Anyone who went there either never returned or came back as mutilated corpses—or charred remains.

Among summoning beasts, that place was considered a well-known deathtrap...

The remaining primary veins were underwater, dominated by water-type natural energy, and all occupied by the powerful Whale Clan—second only to the three Sacred Grounds.

The one near the Land of Water, however, possessed a full spectrum of natural energies and sat on the border between land and sea.

In both terrain and environment, it was easily one of the best spots outside the three Great Sacred Grounds.

Because of this, it became a contested zone, jointly inhabited and divided by both land and sea summoning beast clans.

...

However—

The leaders of those clans weren't pushovers. Rumor had it that even a typical Kage couldn't withstand a single blow from them.

Even the strongest of the Ninja Cats, the Cat Sage, was no match for them!

...

Upon hearing Kirin wanted to seize a branch of the Dragon Vein, Boss Black Cat was thrilled—it meant they could finally find a new home for the dwindling Ninja Cat clan. He himself might become a hero among his kind, maybe even chosen as the next clan head...

But when Kirin stated his intention to directly conquer the main trunk of the Dragon Vein solo, Boss Black Cat's jaw dropped. For a moment, he wondered if his summoner had gone insane.

From Boss Black Cat's point of view, Kirin was immensely powerful. His aura alone rivaled that of the Cat Sage!

But strong as he was—was he really stronger than those who ruled over the primary trunk of the Dragon Vein? Those creatures were the strongest summoning beasts below the sages of the Sacred Grounds!

...

But to Uchiha Kirin, this newly acquainted old friend was now a comrade who had gone through hardships with him.

He wasn't doing this just out of confidence in his own power—but also because he wanted to show off in front of a trusted companion!

...

Despite all attempts to talk him out of it, Boss Black Cat had no choice but to return home, spend the wealth he had accumulated since he was a kitten, and purchase an extravagant coffin.

He also gathered a dozen close friends, ready to help collect Kirin's remains at a moment's notice.

Once everything was in place—

He finally went to the summoning beast archives and pulled the detailed files on those occupying the Dragon Vein's primary trunk near the Land of Water.

...

"So these three are the strongest in the area? That's it? They're this weak?"

Kirin flipped through the dossier in his hands.

It stated that the main trunk of the Dragon Vein near the Land of Water was called the Dragon Spine, and it was occupied by three clans: the Shark Clan, the Electric Eel Clan, and the White Ape Clan.

The leaders of each clan were naturally the strongest of their kind, respectfully known as the Shark Sage, the Eel Sage, and the White Ape Sage—

The Shark Clan held the front half of the Dragon Spine. They were the most numerous, possessed formidable physical strength, moved rapidly in water, and specialized in coordinated attacks and devouring their enemies' chakra.

The Electric Eel Clan held the rear half. Though not as physically tough as the Sharks, their biting power was just as lethal. They excelled in Lightning Release and fought even more effectively in water.

As for the White Ape Clan—though they were few in number—

They lived only on several small islands jutting from the middle section of the Dragon Spine, which also happened to be the most resource-rich area.

They had the ability to cast jutsu just like shinobi, were skilled with weapons, and possessed an indestructible Kekkei Genkai. Though usually low-profile, they were in fact the strongest of the three.

The White Ape Sage, though normally silent and unassuming, had once been praised by the Slug Sage years ago and was considered the summoning beast most likely to become the Fourth Great Sage.

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