Within a certain range, nonstop continuous bombardment.
The earth shook violently, flames roared and burned, then under the impact of the explosions, sparks scattered again and again.
The booming sounds startled the birds and beasts into frantic flight, as if the end of the world had arrived.
The caverns collapsed, turning into rubble, and under the force of the blasts, the rubble scattered.
Sasuke stared blankly at the scene before him.
"The earth… it's just like a thousand-layered pastry, being blasted open layer after layer."
In just a few short minutes of consecutive bombing, the ground above Ryuchi Cave had already "sunk" by half a meter. From there, one could see the winding, twisting tunnels below.
If they were to search personally down there, in such a complicated network of tunnels, who knew when they'd ever find their way?
And if illusions, mazes, or traps were added in, one careless step and they'd fall right into the pitfall of these snake sages.
First there was the combined ambush of Tamamo-no-Mae and Orochimaru, and afterward came Ryuchi Cave joining forces with the Hidden Cloud to plunder.
"Once, twice… so familiar already…"
Ryosuke looked at the burning snakes writhing in the explosions and flames.
"Then let's get even more familiar."
At that moment, a huge snake head, covered in diamond-shaped markings, drilled out from underground.
It was called the Green Snake, part of the younger generation of Ryuchi Cave, its main job being gatekeeping.
After crawling up from underground, its snake eyes were full of cautious vigilance as it carefully sized up Ryosuke and the other.
"A brat."
"And a man carrying a big sword… that's right, that must be Ryosuke."
After Tagitsuhime came fleeing back for her life, Green Snake had already felt a bad premonition.
Sooner or later, Ryosuke would come knocking.
It had heard of Ryosuke's battle record up until now. Though the White Snake Sage was said to be invincible under heaven, that was the White Snake Sage.
Looking at these snakes outside, burned to death and blasted apart, Green Snake didn't want to end up as one of the cannon fodder corpses.
Green Snake had even thought of finding an excuse to leave and "travel the world" for a while, but,
"This is way too damn fast!"
"Couldn't you have gone to the Hidden Cloud first?!"
Green Snake's mind spun with countless thoughts, and then suddenly, its eyes met Ryosuke's.
'Crap!'
Ryosuke looked at this somewhat foolish Green Snake and asked his very first words upon arriving at Ryuchi Cave,
"Have you eaten people?"
From the very first moment he came near Ryuchi Cave, he had heard within the "Breath of the World" the wailing of the dead.
Here… people had died.
A lot. A lot of people.
How would Green Snake dare reply? Its head darted back underground, diving frantically deeper into the caves, running while shouting at the top of its lungs, "Ryosuke has come killing at the gate!"
As the booming explosions resounded once more, Green Snake's cries spread like air raid sirens, echoing through every tunnel of Ryuchi Cave.
It fled deep inside the cave.
The White Snake Sage still appeared in the form of an old woman, reclining lazily on a huge cushion, pipe in hand, taking small drags of smoke, not the least bit bothered by Ryosuke outside.
Of the Three Goddesses, only Tagitsuhime remained by her side. Hearing Green Snake's shouting, she instinctively shivered.
She was truly afraid now.
Only those who had faced Ryosuke directly, who had stood within his range, knew that feeling of helplessness when life and death no longer belonged to oneself.
Back then, if it hadn't been Ichikishimahime who spoke first, very likely the one grabbed by Star Platinum would have been her.
The White Snake Sage took a drag, exhaled with a satisfied sigh, and in her hoarse voice spoke,
"Chattering on and on, what kind of decorum is that? Ryosuke is outside. Which of you will take a trip for me?"
The words fell, and not a snake answered.
Who was Ryosuke?
The one who killed the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki, Yagura; the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki, Yugito; who overturned the Blood Mist era; who cut down the Daimyō of the Land of Water on the street, a madman.
Even if those names were unfamiliar to the snakes of Ryuchi Cave, Orochimaru was not.
That young man, with survivability approaching the White Snake Sage, who had mastered countless forbidden techniques, he had died in Ryosuke's hands.
Every snake here had cultivated for a lifetime, from a confused little serpent step by step into their current form. Who would gamble their life as a joke?
To walk a trip for the White Snake Sage… or to die a trip for her?
That was what most of the snakes thought.
Of course, not all feared Ryosuke. For example, Manda.
Manda had long since grown horns upon its head and a tail at its rear, walking the path toward becoming a dragon.
It prided itself on strength no weaker than a tailed beast, and without the limitation of being a "Jinchūriki," it believed it was stronger than most tailed beasts.
What's more, it was Orochimaru's summoned beast. Back when Orochimaru was alive, Manda never once went hungry.
Ryosuke had killed Orochimaru, this was cutting off its food bowl. With old grudges and new hatred combined, it longed to slaughter Ryosuke.
But still, Manda did not speak.
It lay on the ground, snake eyes fixed on the White Snake Sage.
Manda did not fear Ryosuke, no, it truly did not, but that didn't mean it wouldn't get hurt.
'You, White Snake Sage, just flap your lips up and down, and expect others to risk their lives for you…'
'Without some benefits?'
The White Snake Sage and Manda locked eyes, and she sneered, saying, "What do you want?"
Manda slowly raised itself, "When I kill Ryosuke, I want the right to use the Dragon-Snake Pearl for ten years."
"No problem."
"And half of the 'little snacks' in your warehouse… I want the tender ones, don't try to fob me off with old bones."
The White Snake Sage inhaled on her pipe, exhaled gently, smoke swirling thick, hazy, covering her old face, leaving only a pair of narrowed snake eyes, watching Manda through the mist.
"Fine, I promise you."
"Refreshing!"
Manda suddenly rose, its lazy air vanishing, replaced by a terrifying murderous aura radiating from every scale, bloody, savage, dreadful.
It leapt upward, climbing along the cavern, its roar echoing far, "Prepare my 'snacks'! When I return after killing Ryosuke, I'll feast on them with his blood!"
Green Snake gazed at Manda's back.
That confidence.
Those grown "dragon horns."
That power within its body that made other snakes tremble.
Green Snake's eyes were filled with deep envy.
Manda burst out from Ryuchi Cave. Its roar echoed through the earth. Not long after, the bombing sounds of the Air Smiths really did stop.
Green Snake exclaimed, "As expected of Manda, who has already grown dragon horns! So easily achieving what we could never do!"
Tagitsuhime's taut shoulders finally relaxed.
The snakes all cheered.
Only the White Snake Sage kept her head bowed, puffing mouthful after mouthful of smoke, the thick haze slowly enveloping her.
BOOM!
Just as the cheering of the snakes reached its peak, a deep, muffled crash sounded above.
Unlike the missile bombings of the Air Smiths, this sound was heavier, deeper, as if someone had taken a giant hammer and smashed it hard onto the ground.
The cavern overhead shook and swayed violently, chunks of stone falling.
"What's happening?! Is Manda fighting Ryosuke?!"
Tagitsuhime felt her hands and feet go ice-cold. Each crash felt like it was smashing right onto her chest, her heart nearly stopping.
The sound came closer and closer. Snakes raised their heads, staring fixedly upward. Until...
Rumble!
The cavern collapsed in large sections.
A horned snake head pushed through the broken ceiling.
It was Manda, the one who had just struck a deal with the White Snake Sage, who had charged out to take Ryosuke's head.
Only…
In barely a few minutes unseen, Manda's skull was shattered, red and yellow sticky brain matter flowing down, sizzling as it corroded the earth. Its pair of gray-white eyes stared straight at the other snakes.
Crash… crash…
Manda's body was dragged bit by bit back inside.
Blinding sunlight poured through the broken opening. Green Snake stared blankly at the light.
This was the first time since the founding of Ryuchi Cave that sunlight had shone within.
Clang!
The teacup in Tagitsuhime's hand, poured for the White Snake Sage, fell to the ground.
She trembled like a sieve, her eyes filled with terror. Following her gaze, Green Snake saw, "Quite a few people here."
Ryosuke stood at the cave mouth, his voice calm, without extra emotion, asking, "Everyone, have you eaten people?"
The White Snake Sage tapped her pipe, waved her hand to scatter the smoke swirling about, and with squinting smile looked at Ryosuke, "We have. And what of it? If we haven't, what of that?"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/XenosX
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰