Manda carried Saitama, winding through the dark cave in twisting paths.
It was called a cave, but only because a solid layer of rock formed the ceiling—it felt nothing like a cramped underground tunnel. At the very least, Manda, who stretched dozens of meters long, could move about freely without any sense of tightness.
Seated cross-legged atop Manda's head, Saitama narrowed his eyes and adjusted his physical state.
As Manda advanced, more and more snakes gradually came into view.
Some coiled silently in the shadows, while others huddled together whispering among themselves. But the moment Manda passed by, they all lowered their heads, too frightened to make a sound—some even dared not lift their eyes.
Saitama naturally noticed the behavior of the other snakes, and his estimation of Manda rose once again.
Unexpectedly, Manda's reputation within Ryuchi Cave truly lived up to expectations. Although he had already known Manda was among the stronger ones here, seeing it with his own eyes today made him finally understand what "tyrannically dominant" really meant.
The other snakes Saitama saw were clearly smaller than Manda—shorter, thinner, and far less imposing.
Combined with Manda's cruel personality, no wonder the others feared him so greatly.
Most notably, some of those snakes didn't even appear as fearsome as Manda.
Among them was a massive serpent entirely golden-yellow in color, its body slightly smaller than Manda's.
Yet when Manda carried Saitama past it, this golden-yellow snake—otherwise seemingly regal—curled itself into a tight ball out of fear, unable to face Manda directly.
After closer inspection, Saitama realized this serpent reminded him of the golden pythons he used to see back home, although on a completely different scale.
If it really was the same species of golden python (the kind often kept as exotic pets by humans), then its timidity wasn't hard to understand. After all, there were cases where such snakes had died of fright in his memories.
No foolish snake approached to question why Manda had brought Saitama into this place, so human and serpent swiftly passed through the complex space, navigating the twisted network of branching passages until arriving at the entrance of a grand palace clearly marked by artificial craftsmanship.
At the gate coiled two giant serpents whose size rivaled that of Manda.
Moreover, one of them looked strikingly similar to Manda, likely belonging to the same species.
"These two must be the gatekeepers. These legendary beasts possessing sage-tier chakra power—especially ancient elders living over a thousand years in the Three Sacred Lands—they certainly deserved such authority."
Sure enough, as soon as Manda drew near, the two massive snakes—previously coiled up with closed eyes—suddenly straightened upright, widened their eyes, and blocked Manda's path.
"What do you think you're doing here, Manda? The White Snake Sage made it clear he wasn't to be bothered!"
The one speaking bore purple scales striped with black, much like Manda's own pattern.
The other was covered in red scales flecked with dark spots. It remained silent, simply raising its head while warily watching Saitama, who sat calmly atop Manda's head, its vertical pupils reflecting deep contemplation.
Because Saitama exuded tremendous pressure, no less than the elder snakes who served the White Snake Sage.
"Ah... This one's a new summoner. Said he wanted to meet the White Snake Sage, so I brought him along!"
Manda maintained a friendly attitude toward these two snakes. He moved his head closer to the giant serpent that had just spoken, sounding slightly helpless.
"Ah, you guys wait here first, I'll go inside and ask!"
The giant snake nodded, glancing briefly at the indifferent Saitama before turning to push open the closed stone door. It then slithered in with twists and turns.
As for the red-colored serpent, it remained behind.
These two giant snakes seemed much more pleasant than Manda. Once they learned that Saitama was a new summoner, they stopped exuding hostility.
Saitama wasn't surprised at all. He watched the snake that went in to report disappear down the dimly lit corridor ahead, then continued narrowing his eyes, entering a state of meditation.
...
After passing through the stone door lay an enormous space, yet colder in atmosphere. There were also far more stalactites hanging from above.
At the deepest point sat an enormous throne.
Upon this throne lay the founder of Ryuchi Cave—revered by all other snakes as the White Snake Sage.
No one knew the White Snake Sage's exact name anymore. Perhaps only a few of its peers, like the founders of the other sacred lands, still remembered it.
Currently coiled upon the throne, the White Snake Sage's colossal body couldn't even be fully accommodated on the seat. Parts of its writhing form extended into the shadows behind the throne.
Unlike ordinary snakes, the White Snake Sage possessed Sage Art Chakra within its body; possessing great power was merely one of its characteristics.
Despite being a snake, it had an impressive long orange mane flowing from its head.
Across its forehead wrapped a purple cloth band, and on top of that rested a moss-green horn-shaped ornament.
Atop its head floated a massive crimson pearl emitting radiant luster. Legend has it that through this pearl, it could see every corner of the Shinobi World.
It always rested its head against one side of the throne with a huge pipe clenched in its mouth.
Apparently, such powerful boss summons all enjoyed holding pipes between their teeth.
Wintai of Mount Myoboku was like this, and so was this one.
With each slight movement as the White Snake Sage shifted atop the stone throne, a green cat's eye jewel on its chest occasionally glowed with emerald light.
Overall, the White Snake Sage's appearance was highly stylish—it hadn't lost prestige, perfectly matching the identity of the founder of a sacred land.
The air was deathfully still, almost unflowing, while the suffocating space rhythmically contracted with the White Snake Sage's breathing, as though this entire area was under its control.
In that instant, the White Snake Sage opened its eyes—revealing yellow pupils brimming with expressions eerily close to human sentiment.
"Has he arrived already..."
It murmured softly, slowly lifting its head from the stone chair, gazing forward as if peering beyond countless layers of rock to witness the scene outside.
As the founder of Ryuchi Cave—one of the Three Sacred Lands—the White Snake Sage, just like the toads of Mount Myoboku, held a prophetic ability similar to clairvoyance.
Of course, these prophecies were extremely cryptic, entirely left to chance for interpretation.
A few years ago, the White Snake Sage awoke from a long slumber, ending a deep sleep that had lasted for quite some time.
In that dream, he saw a giant figure wielding a powerful weapon, reshaping the entire balance of the Shinobi World.
Just like the Sage of Six Paths did in ancient times, this being would usher the Shinobi World into an entirely different era.
The prophecy was vague, but he faintly sensed a connection between the figure in the vision and Ryuchi Cave. In the dream's battle, techniques belonging to Ryuchi Cave's Sage Art were used!
Having lived for ages, the White Snake Sage's inner peace was now impervious to disturbance—nothing could easily shake it. This prophecy stirred no excitement within him either.
No matter how the Shinobi World changed, it was barely related to the Three Sacred Lands. The strength of these Ancestral Guardians of the Sacred Lands was accumulated over time and nearly unimaginable to ordinary ninja outside.
This was the foundation of his confidence. Therefore, even after learning about the prophecy, he made no effort to send snakes out searching.
But not seeking answers himself and someone else showing up at his doorstep were two entirely different matters.
And since someone had come knocking, he wouldn't be impolite. Making peace wasn't hard.
He inhaled deeply through his mouth, and for a moment the dying ember on his pipe flickered before glowing faintly again. Then slowly, he exhaled a puff of white smoke.
During his youth, he traveled across the Shinobi World for many years, eventually falling in love with this enjoyable habit—and had continued smoking for over a thousand years.
His golden eyes gleamed as he twisted his body, his coiled form shifting smoothly. His scales scraped softly against the stone throne as he slowly rose upright.
Just then, the Burmese python that had entered earlier to report to the White Snake Sage also arrived.
"White Snake Lord, there's a human ninja outside requesting an audience with you. It was Manda who brought him here!"
The python lowered its head, pressing it tightly against the ground, daring not lift its eyes toward the Snake Sage seated above—it was their guardian deity after all.
"Hmm, I understand. Let him in."
With a gaze full of depth, the White Snake Sage spoke toward the python below.
"Yes!" Nodding, the python turned outward once more.
These snakes naturally feared the Snake Sage—an awe ingrained in them from the Sage Art they practiced!
This was the White Snake Sage's dwelling, lined with countless faintly glowing gems embedded in the rocky walls, keeping the space from falling into pitch-black darkness like the outside world.
Yet the light extended only so far. In the hazy glow, the atmosphere grew even more peculiar.
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