"What?" Ryosuke asked.
"Kunitsukami."
Jiraiya's expression was grave. A drop of cold sweat appeared on his forehead as he explained to Ryosuke, "In the ninja world, there are three lineages of Sage Art inheritance, Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave."
"The founder of Ryūchi Cave is the White Snake Sage. Kunitsukami is the White Snake Sage's trusted aide. After hundreds of years of cultivation, she possesses extremely vast Sage Art chakra."
"It is she who is responsible for Ryūchi Cave's training trials. Only those who pass Kunitsukami's trial and assessment are qualified to cultivate Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art."
Ryosuke stared at Kunitsukami.
"Is she strong?"
"Strong…"
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment and said, "It's not a matter of strong or not. Beings like this, who've trained for hundreds of years, usually possess all sorts of miraculous powers different from ninja techniques."
Ryosuke hoisted the Ruin Greatsword onto his shoulder.
What a coincidence, he too possessed miraculous powers different from a ninja.
Jiraiya recalled, "As far as I remember, Orochimaru never obtained the right to train in Sage Art… Just how much did he sacrifice to invite her to make a move?"
Facing the wary gazes of Ryosuke and Jiraiya, Kunitsukami acted as if she heard nothing.
She cradled Orochimaru, her slender jade-like hand gently stroking Orochimaru's cheek, "Poor little snake. It's only been a short while since we last met, and you've grown old. No longer as handsome as in your youth… I should've eaten you in one bite when you were at your most beautiful."
"I have not learned Sage Art, and I am but a mortal body of flesh. Naturally, I cannot compare with your long lifespan. The busyness of today and every day is only to chase after your footsteps."
Orochimaru's body was rapidly recovering. He spoke respectfully, "I humbly ask you to make a move."
Kunitsukami let out a soft laugh. She liked Orochimaru's cleverness. She spread her arms wide and, ignoring gravity, slowly floated into the air.
Jiraiya shouted toward the levitating Kunitsukami, "This is a battle between us and Orochimaru. Must you step in?"
"If you attack, I'll also summon Fukasaku and Shima. By then, it'll become a war between Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku."
Jiraiya's meaning was very clear.
He and Orochimaru were humans fighting humans.
Both sides had S-rank-level backing. There was no need to escalate the scale of the war.
Kunitsukami covered her mouth and chuckled. Within her gentle laughter was the contempt that higher lifeforms held toward lower ones.
"Then why don't you summon, no, 'invite', someone and try?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya's heart sank with a thump, feeling something bad was coming. He immediately bit his finger, formed hand seals with both hands, and slapped the ground to perform the Summoning Technique.
Normally, when a ninja performs this jutsu, spell runes spread outward. The summoned beast and the caster resonate with each other, and then the beast is summoned in response.
But now, the spell marks on his palm had just touched the ground, about to expand outward, when boom, they exploded.
Jiraiya could no longer connect with Mount Myōboku.
Following the source of the power, Jiraiya turned his head and saw the poisonous snakes that Orochimaru had released earlier, surrounding the village.
From their mouths, continuous poison mist was being exhaled. A ring of black poison mist covered the sky above the village and ultimately flowed toward Kunitsukami's hand, forming a barrier that isolated the inside and outside.
Ten Thousand Snakes Black Array.
"Don't worry."
Kunitsukami looked down on the crowd and said, "The little snake does not possess the qualification to train in Sage Art. Bound by rules, I will not directly attack you. I will only carry out a…"
"Test."
'What test?'
This doubt flashed through everyone's minds.
Kunitsukami lifted a jade-green orb with both hands.
Her snow-white long skirt billowed without wind. Behind her, ten-thousand-foot rays of light appeared. Within the glow, spirit snakes could vaguely be seen coiling.
A faint, sweet fragrance filled the air. The first ones to be affected were the villagers who had not yet died.
They immersed themselves in this miracle. They opened their arms, inhaling deeply, feeling as if even the wounds on their bodies were healing.
"Ah! Wh-what's happening to me?!"
The villagers looked down, and saw that their bodies had grown scales at some unknown time.
Soon after, their clothes fell away, and a snake crawled out from within.
Snake.
Human, turned into snake.
'Natural energy?'
Ryosuke activated Ripple Power to sense the world's breath.
Within the barrier bathed in light, the natural energy was dense to the extreme.
This natural energy originated from the levitating Kunitsukami.
However, it seemed to have been transformed by Kunitsukami in some way. There was a subtle difference from the natural energy Ryosuke absorbed in the outside world, it was highly invasive. It would actively invade the human body.
If one could not mix the natural energy with chakra in a specific ratio, they would turn into a snake.
Sasuke was shocked, "This is Ryūchi Cave's training method? Isn't this too overbearing?!"
Jiraiya's brows knit tightly, ,"Impossible. Even Ryūchi Cave couldn't forcibly inject natural energy into someone's body without any medium…"
He stared at the jade-green orb in Kunitsukami's hands.
He vaguely remembered the Toad Sages mentioning that the Great Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave had a Sage Treasure Orb that had been refined for a thousand years, capable of immense control over natural energy.
'Could it be this one?!'
Ryosuke witnessed one living person after another turn into snakes.
'So this is natural power…'
'Mount Myōboku has frogs.'
'Ryūchi Cave has snakes.'
'Then Shikkotsu Forest's failure must be… a slug?'
The so-called stones and snakes are merely outward manifestations.
What natural energy really changes, is the body's fundamental structure.
"Fundamental…"
Ryosuke opened his left hand.
"Come to me!" Jiraiya shouted. He opened his arms and, with all his might, manipulated natural energy, using his own body as a buffer to transform the surrounding natural energy.
Within a one-meter radius around him, he barely managed to prevent Kunitsukami's "test" from taking effect, forming a purified area that protected little Sasuke from harm.
But this was not a long-term plan.
Purifying natural energy consumed massive amounts of Jiraiya's chakra. Before long, he would run out.
And if it was a contest of accumulated Sage chakra, how could he possibly win against Kunitsukami, who had trained for hundreds of years?
Besides, this wasn't a game of stamina.
This was a battle of life and death.
Orochimaru slowly straightened his spine, tilted his head upward, and took a deep breath. His whole body felt an unspeakable comfort.
It was true he could not cultivate Sage Art, but that didn't mean Orochimaru had no involvement with natural power or Sage chakra.
Cursed Seals.
They were a mutated form of Sage chakra.
For the sake of this battle today, Orochimaru had adjusted the cursed seals.
Within Kunitsukami's domain, not only would he not be affected in the slightest, he could even further enhance the effectiveness of his ninjutsu and his physical recovery speed.
And his enemies, as long as they were not Ryūchi Cave Sage Art users, would all be suppressed.
As for Sharingan genjutsu?
Yes, Orochimaru's resistance to illusions wasn't high.
But Kunitsukami was a true genjutsu master, capable of countering any form of illusion.
This was Orochimaru's entire plan.
From the moment he discovered Hope Village, to visiting Ryūchi Cave, adjusting the cursed seal, hiding inside Jugo, slaughtering villagers…
It was a series of arrangements, all for this moment of absolute certainty.
Click!
A cracking sound rang out. The charred Jūgo stood up once more.
The dense natural energy had repaired his body.
Jugo rubbed his neck and stood behind Orochimaru.
Alongside him was Kimimaro, who had entered cursed seal release mode, and had pulled out his own spine.
Orochimaru extended his long tongue and licked clean the blood stains Ryosuke had just struck him with.
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