Saitama sat cross-legged atop Manda's head. Manda, having nothing in common with the red giant serpent beside him, simply hung his head low and remained silent.
"You're the first human ninja to come to Ryuchi Cave in over ten years," the red snake remarked. "I remember the last one was named Orochimaru. But he only came once and never returned!"
Though the black serpent looked fierce, his tone sounded oddly soft—nowhere near as harsh as you'd expect from a creature that size.
Saitama opened his eyes and turned toward the sound. The red serpent faced him now, raising its head to hover level with Manda's.
"Those who come here all carry an insatiable hunger for strength—and I'm no exception."
Maintaining a calm expression, Saitama spoke slowly. When dealing with boss summons, beating around the bush only makes you seem insincere.
The red serpent didn't immediately respond. Instead, it stared at Saitama through slit-like pupils for several seconds.
"I can sense your strength, but even Orochimaru before you was powerful as well—and yet he still ended in failure!" It finally said after a long pause, then lowered its head and coiled its body back into silence.
Manda had not spoken throughout the exchange, but occasionally glanced deeper into the cave entrance with wide eyes, almost more anxiously than Saitama himself.
Crrrsh… crrrsh…
A sound of scales scraping against stone echoed forward as a violet-colored figure emerged. Its body flexed rhythmically, slithering steadily out of the doorway at a moderate pace.
"The White Snake Sage wishes to see you. Please go inside."
As soon as it appeared, the purple serpent fixed its gaze on Saitama, then moved its mouth slightly to speak those exact words.
"Understood. Thank you."
Saitama gave a nod, stood up, then leaped lightly off Manda's head, landing firmly on the ground.
Since this message clearly addressed him alone, there was obviously no intention for Manda to follow. He therefore dismounted directly.
"Just follow the gravel path straight ahead. You'll arrive shortly."
The serpent offered another brief instruction before resuming its former posture by the gate, curling up like the red snake beside it.
As for Manda, once Saitama left his head, he closed his eyes and mimicked the other snakes' poses near the entrance.
He wouldn't leave just yet. He wanted to see whether Saitama could truly master the [Snake Sage Art], something no human had managed to accomplish in all those years.
In Manda's view, this formidable Saitama seemed even stronger than Orochimaru back then—so the likelihood of success might be significantly higher this time!
…
Stepping forward, Saitama crossed the threshold and entered the massive structure, which resembled a temple.
Earlier, while sitting atop Manda, he hadn't truly grasped its scale. Now, standing alone, he felt its overwhelming enormity.
Indeed, a building spacious enough to allow dozens-of-meters-long boss summons to move freely couldn't possibly be small.
Making his way down the gravel path, Saitama glanced around as he walked.
After entering the gates, towering stone pillars rose everywhere, supporting the ceiling above.
On those pillars sat glowing stones—not clear like jewels, but softly luminous, casting a faint glow across the chamber.
The glow radiating from the entrance stones wasn't uniform in color—it shimmered in shades of green, red, and yellow.
As Saitama walked further down the gravel path, he noticed that the deeper he ventured, the wider the road stretched—and the colder the air grew.
After a few minutes, Saitama finally reached the base of a staircase.
Through his heightened senses, Saitama detected an intense chakra fluctuation just a short distance up the steps—so terrifying it unsettled even him.
The stairway wasn't long—only about eleven steps—but each one was extraordinarily tall and wide, clearly not meant for ordinary humans.
Saitama stood still briefly, raised his head to observe the top, took a deep breath, then crouched and launched himself upward like an arrow loosed from its bowstring.
At the top of the stairs lay a platform. Compared to other areas, this space was relatively small.
But this "smallness" defied human understanding—at least to Saitama, who still found the space vast where he stood.
The White Snake Sage sat cross-legged upon a stone throne, a pipe clenched between its lips, glowing with occasional sparks of fire.
Its serpentine eyes flickered with contemplation while two sharp fangs revealed brief flashes of menace when it exhaled smoke from its mouth.
Dada dada! Footsteps steadily drew closer. To the White Snake Sage, Saitama was drawing near.
Because of [Sage Art], the White Snake Sage had gained complete mastery over the environment—able to shape it with mere thought. Within this sacred realm, Saitama's presence was unmistakable.
Soon enough, a man cloaked in a black robe adorned with red clouds entered the White Snake Sage's field of vision.
Narrowing its eyes slightly, it observed the approaching figure, suddenly recalling a dream it had many years ago.
Two silhouettes seemed to slowly overlap, though the one from its dream stood taller, more steadfast and resolute.
"The ninja from the prophecy…?" The White Snake Sage once again deeply inhaled from its pipe, rolling the smoke inside its throat.
Saitama maintained his composure, yet as his eyes swept over that colossal form, a subtle glimmer of surprise flickered beneath them.
Even compared to great serpents like Manda, the White Snake Sage's body was no weaker—in fact, even larger.
Dap! About ten meters from the massive snake's body, Saitama halted his steps and lifted his gaze.
"Hello, White Snake Sage!" He smiled gently, slightly bending his torso in greeting—an act of respect.
Beings like this were akin to the legendary founders of the Three Sacred Lands. It was only fitting to show reverence—to honor the world itself.
"Greetings to you as well, ninja who has traveled far from the Shinobi World," the White Snake Sage replied politely. It used its tail to lift the pipe from its mouth before answering with equal courtesy.
Observing the giant white snake carefully, Saitama studied every detail.
Beneath it rested a stone seat decorated with floating crimson clouds, remarkably similar to the patterns on his own cloak.
Above its head loomed a menacing carved serpent skull.
It had several protruding nodules, enormous nostrils, and whiskers resembling a mustache around its mouth—as if it were a serpent nearing transformation into a dragon. Inside its gaping maw, a scroll displayed three ancient, bold characters: "Ryuchi Cave."
"I understand why you've come, and I am more than willing to grant your request!"
The White Snake Sage shifted slowly on the stone throne, his orange hair flowing behind him while the cat's eye stone on his chest emitted an eerie green glow under the dim yellow glow of the surroundings.
"Thank you!" Saitama knew that these ancient boss summons, having lived for thousands of years, had long seen through human affairs, so he didn't stand on ceremony.
"Before learning Sage Art, the first step is to fulfill certain prerequisites! But this time, I won't require that from you. I'll let you start your Sage Art training directly!"
The White Snake Sage placed his pipe back into his mouth and looked at Saitama with deep eyes.
"All I ask is that you look after my juniors in Ryuchi Cave afterward!"
After a moment of silence, the White Snake Sage continued.
"That goes without saying, after all, I'm also a ninja summoner from Ryuchi Cave!"
Saitama nodded. He naturally understood the White Snake Sage's goodwill.
"For your first lesson in Snake Sage Art, I need to inject venom mixed with Sage Chakra into your body. Are you ready?"
The White Snake Sage stretched out his neck, lifting his head high. The delicate white scales on his body shimmered brilliantly under the faint ambient light.
Saitama noticed that the White Snake Sage's true form looked very similar to Orochimaru's body after Soft Physique Modification.
Were they both White Viper Snakes?
But this thought briefly crossed his mind before quickly fading away—it wasn't something worth paying attention to.
"Injecting venom..." A strange expression appeared on Saitama's face as he looked at the White Snake Sage's massive body, no less imposing than Manda's, and the fangs in his mouth about the size of a person.
"Yes, injecting venom!" The White Snake Sage extended forward, drawing his head closer and closer to Saitama.
"This big..."
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