The illusion collapsed, and the surroundings began to reveal their true appearance. The fog was dense, and where the food had been, a pile of bones suddenly appeared.
In just one glance, her proud illusion fell apart. Tagitsuhime was utterly shattered.
Unwilling to accept this, her face twisted grotesquely, and a massive amount of Sage Art chakra gushed from her body, intending to reveal her true form and devour the opponent alive to quell the hatred in her heart.
"Stop..."
Just then, a voice drifted over, stopping Tagitsuhime from further revealing her true form.
"Don't get in my way!"
Tagitsuhime roared loudly at a spot not far away.
Immediately, two figures emerged from that spot.
One of them had a moderate build and a sinister face. It was none other than Orochimaru.
The other was small, with a cute face and a bun hairstyle.
Her name was Ichikishimahime, and like Tagitsuhime, she was a trusted confidant of the White Snake Sage.
Ichikishimahime's expression was calm: "You haven't forgotten, have you? The White Snake Sage only allows us to eat those who have failed the trial."
Tagitsuhime clicked her tongue: "I know."
Although she felt a strong sense of unwillingness, it was an unavoidable situation. The White Snake Sage's orders were absolute and could not be disobeyed.
Tagitsuhime's ferocious face relaxed, returning to her beautiful and charming appearance from before.
"You really are something, Tōshirō. To break this level of illusion with just a single glance."
Orochimaru praised Tōshirō greatly. He remembered his friend not being very good at genjutsu in the past, yet now his mastery of it had reached a level that was difficult for ordinary people to achieve.
Orochimaru stared at Tōshirō's eyes with great interest. The dōjutsu power had undergone a qualitative leap after the Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Rumor has it that once the Mangekyō Sharingan is activated, powerful dōjutsu are born within the eyes.
What kind of dōjutsu would he show next?
Thinking of this, Orochimaru smiled and asked the people next to him: "So... shall we continue with the trial?"
Ichikishimahime didn't fall for Orochimaru's trick of being a stepping stone: "How does his strength compare to yours?"
Orochimaru didn't hesitate: "He's stronger than me."
From her observation just now and Orochimaru's reply, Ichikishimahime had enough self-awareness: "Then let's not waste any more time. I think we should let the White Snake Sage herself decide on the next trial."
Normally, to learn Sage Art, one must pass the trials of the three high-ranking members of Ryūchi Cave, Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime, before having the chance to meet the White Snake Sage and learn Sage Art.
But Tōshirō's displayed strength was too great. To bring out trials of that level would, as Tōshirō said just now, be like showing off a petty trick in front of a master, making them seem especially foolish.
Ichikishimahime showed a fake smile like a service professional: "Then please follow me."
With that, she turned her body, floated off the ground, and guided Tōshirō deeper inside.
Tōshirō followed Ichikishimahime for a few minutes and arrived at a temple.
Pushing open the door, the interior was very spacious, with the floor covered in smooth tiles. After walking on it for a while, he paused.
In front of him were a series of ladders, extending upwards at a continuous forty-five-degree angle. The sides were dark, and the candlelight from the lanterns illuminated the ladder's surface, guiding the way.
"The White Snake Sage is at the top."
With Ichikishimahime's reminder, Tōshirō stepped onto the ladder and continued to walk up along the red carpet laid on it.
It felt like he would be walking for a long time, but in reality, he reached the top successfully not long after.
As far as his eyes could see, in the deepest part, there was a lifelike stone statue of a dragon's head, with an open mouth holding a white scroll on which the three characters "Ryūchi Cave" were written on the side.
In front of the stone dragon head, a chaise longue was placed. A very old woman was lying on it sideways, looking lazy, with a pipe in her mouth, blowing smoke. She was clearly an old smoker.
But no one would have thought that such a seemingly unremarkable old woman was the highest leader of Ryūchi Cave—the White Snake Sage.
Besides her, a young woman stood by her side. She had a mature look and her attire was identical to the previous two, also a high-ranking member of Ryūchi Cave, Tagorihime.
Tōshirō took a step forward and asked: "You are the White Snake Sage, aren't you?"
The White Snake Sage casually blew a white smoke ring, and her aged voice flowed from her mouth in a reply: "That's right."
Tōshirō said faintly: "I won't waste any more words. My name is Uchiha Tōshirō, and I've come to learn Sage Art."
The White Snake Sage's golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly, staring at Tōshirō, and in one glance, she sensed the natural energy hidden within him.
"Interesting. This is the first time I've seen a human like you. Will you let me see your true self?"
The White Snake Sage nodded her head, her relaxed tone filled with interest. She mobilized her Sage Art energy, affecting the surroundings.
Sensing the change in the surroundings, Tōshirō frowned slightly.
"Don't be nervous, I mean no harm."
Along with this reassurance, Tōshirō noticed that the shadows of Ichikishimahime and Tagitsuhime standing in front of him were changing rapidly at a visible speed, forming snake-like shadows that looked terrifying.
Tōshirō's eyes turned blood-red. After observing for a moment, he glanced at his own shadow behind him, which had also changed, like the shadow of a giant wing spreading out.
Seeing this scene, Orochimaru's expression was one of surprise: "Tōshirō, you..."
With the White Snake Sage's jutsu, a person's shadow would reveal their true form.
For example, the three high-ranking members of Ryūchi Cave. Their appearances were that of beautiful women, but their true forms were actually snakes.
Through their shadows, one could glimpse their true forms as three great snakes.
This was why, upon seeing Tōshirō's non-human shadow, Orochimaru was surprised at what Tōshirō had become.
"Humans have limits. In my short life, I came to understand a truth: the more you play with schemes, the more you realize that humans have limits... unless you become something that surpasses humanity. So, I have discarded my humanity, Orochimaru."
Compared to Tōshirō's nonchalant expression as he said this, Orochimaru's heart was already in turmoil.
After a long while, even he had to show his admiration:
"I thought I was crazy enough, but after seeing this today, I now know what true madness is."
After witnessing Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art, Orochimaru was eager to try it, but to his frustration, his body could not withstand the power of Sage Art.
For this, Orochimaru began to modify his own body.
When training in Sage Art, the body develops some animal characteristics. For example, in Ryūchi Cave, one develops snake characteristics because the Sage Art was developed by the White Snake Sage based on her own traits.
If the body cannot withstand the power brought by Sage Art, the theoretically best method is to transform the body into a snake. To achieve this, besides the technical issues, there are also psychological ones.
Even with his strong mental fortitude, Orochimaru remained very cautious, modifying his body little by little.
He never expected that his dear friend had already completely surpassed him in this area.
"How interesting."
The White Snake Sage returned to her calm state after a brief moment of surprise.
Having lived to her age, she had witnessed far too many things, and it was hard for anything to pique her interest anymore.
If she hadn't sensed a new Sage Art system from Tōshirō, she wouldn't have shown such a reaction.
But that was all there was to it.
From the time of her birth to her current age, over these thousands of years, it was normal for a new Sage Art system to appear.
"Where did you get this Sage Art system?"
The White Snake Sage saw through Tōshirō's Sage Art system at a glance. It was not meant specifically for humans to practice. It was clearly something developed by a being similar to the ones in Ryūchi Cave, and then passed on to Tōshirō.
Tōshirō didn't hide it and gave the White Snake Sage a general explanation.
(End of Chapter)
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