With that bite, Ichikishimahime's sharp snake fangs pierced into Hibari's flesh, causing him to feel a slight sting.
Fortunately, as a shinobi, he was no stranger to injuries, so this minor pain was nothing to him. Hibari just frowned slightly, and then it was gone.
It was different from when Tagitsuhime bit him. At that time, Hibari could feel chakra being infused into his body, which was then absorbed by his Wood Release kekkei genkai.
When Ichikishimahime bit him, he felt nothing like that. Instead, he could clearly feel his blood being sucked into her fangs.
Not only that, Hibari could also feel his chakra being constantly depleted, as if he were using some continuous jutsu. He figured it was all going into Ichikishimahime's stomach.
"Ha… ah… ha…" The little loli Ichikishima-hime let out low, contented breaths as she drank Hibari's blood, seemingly happy with her meal.
Her faint breathing swept across Hibari's face, and combined with the current situation, it was impossible for him not to think about it. An evil thought kept nagging at him.
'Could this be the ultimate trial of Ryūchi Cave? Who could possibly handle this?' Hibari couldn't help but think.
For the most part, Hibari was the kind of person who was "unresponsive to romance." It wasn't that he didn't have such thoughts or that he didn't have opportunities. There were quite a few lovely girls in Konoha who had their eyes on him.
It was just that Hibari didn't want to succumb to his base instincts and become an unprincipled playboy. He was a man with aspirations, after all. He hoped that his woman, at the very least, wouldn't be a useless "trophy wife" who only held him back.
On the contrary, he wanted someone strong-willed and beautiful. That would be perfect. Tsunade was one such person, and Hibari was still training her, but she was still young. Hibari believed he couldn't do anything so unprincipled with her for now.
But from another perspective, he, Senju Hibari, was no longer a child. In this era, it wasn't uncommon for noble sons his age to be fathers already.
So, did Hibari have those needs and urges? Of course, he did.
Ichikishimahime, this snake princess, might look like a little loli, but she had lived longer than Hibari, so she was not a child. Mentally, Hibari could completely accept her.
In terms of strength, she was a snake sage of Ryūchi Cave, one of the three Princesses of Snakes. She at least knew Senjutsu. While her overall strength might not be invincible, the two sages of Mount Myōboku, Shima and Fukasaku, were very powerful, but they were still completely defeated by Pain.
So Hibari guessed that Ichikishimahime's strength should be very high, but not so strong that it was ridiculous. Even if he couldn't beat her now, he definitely could in the future.
But even so, Ichikishimahime could be considered "incredibly strong," which met Hibari's expectations.
In terms of appearance, Ichikishimahime in her human form was definitely cute and beautiful. Her aura, accumulated over thousands of years, could be called noble, and she was indeed very attractive to Hibari.
So it felt like she was the perfect target for him? In this situation, Hibari's mind was filled with all sorts of chaotic thoughts.
Just then, Ichikishimahime felt that she had had enough. If she kept going, she might anger Hibari. What if he wouldn't let her eat him anymore?
So, even though Ichikishimahime felt like she wasn't full and could take a few more bites, she held back her appetite, released her fangs from Hibari's neck, and moved her head away.
"Ah… it was exactly as I imagined. Both the sweet blood and the life-filled chakra are the ultimate delicacies. When combined, it makes me so hungry. If I wasn't afraid of making you angry, I wouldn't have stopped so soon… You have to remember how good I was and let me eat some regularly, understand?" Ichikishimahime patted Hibari's shoulder and said with a pleased expression.
However, Hibari's mind was completely filled with those other thoughts. He had fallen into a dark fantasy and hadn't noticed that Ichikishimahime had stopped feeding or that she was talking to him. He just sat there in a daze, lost in his own thoughts and fantasies.
Ichikishimahime frowned in confusion when she saw Hibari wasn't reacting. She wondered if she had really taken too much and hurt him? After all, she had no experience with this.
In the past, when she ate people, she would swallow them whole. She had never "chewed slowly" while also paying attention to the other person's feelings. It was possible that she had lost control.
So Ichikishimahime panicked a little. She quickly called out to Hibari a couple of times and even put her face close to his to check his eyes.
"Hey, hey, Hibari, are you okay? Say something, you're scaring me. If Hakuja-sama finds out that I turned you into an idiot, I'm done for…" Ichikishimahime reached out and patted Hibari's cheek, her voice filled with a hint of panic.
Just then, Hibari snapped out of it. As his vision focused, he saw Ichikishimahime's adorable little face right in front of him. Her anxious expression was incredibly captivating. Combined with her slight panic and the pleasure she felt from her delicious meal, a few blushes appeared on her face, adding to her charm.
Hibari was already in a state of wild fantasy. Now that he was faced with this "appetizing" sight, it would be a miracle if he could hold back. Acting on instinct, he grabbed the surprised Ichikishimahime and kissed her on her mouth, which was still tainted with a few drops of his blood.
This sudden turn of events stunned Ichikishimahime. She had lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, but this was the first time she had ever experienced something like this. She didn't know what to do and just let Hibari hold her.
When she finally came to her senses, Ichikishimahime's cheeks instantly turned bright red, like two big red apples. Steam seemed to be coming from her head. She then tried to break free from Hibari's embrace.
But just as she moved her hands to push him away, Hibari, for some reason, sent a surge of chakra into her. The delicious chakra completely "stunned" Ichikishimahime, and she instinctively ate it, once again feeling that immense appetite.
Her hands, which were meant to push him away, had unknowingly wrapped around him. It seemed that Hibari had mastered this key "taming" technique. Every time Ichikishimahime recovered from the confusion, Hibari would send another wave of chakra and "stun" her again.
Believe it or not, even though Ichikishimahime knew this was a "trap," she couldn't control her appetite. She would decide to refuse him this time, but her body would instinctively eat the chakra.
This cycle continued, and instead of separating, they got closer…
Hibari was at the age where he was full of life and vigor. In the past, he had no reason to act on his impulses. His mind was also very firm, and he was determined to only be with someone who could make his heart flutter. So he had no interest in ordinary people.
But this time, Ichikishimahime met all of Hibari's requirements, and by chance, they were in the same cave where no one could get in or out. He had also lost control of himself… so how could he possibly stop?
What?
You're saying Ichikishimahime is a snake?
What's the big deal about a snake?
In my previous life, I don't know how many times I've heard the story of Lady White Snake.
My most admired person in this life is none other than our ancestor, Hoori. Now that I have the ability and opportunity to follow in the footsteps of a sage, I should do my best until the very end, right? Maybe this will be a beautiful story in the future…
With his urges taking over, Hibari's mind was in a mess, and he couldn't think straight. He no longer cared about her being a snake.
His most admired person had changed from his grandfather Tobirama to the human sage, ancestor Hoori.
If Tobirama knew that his unfilial grandsom "admired" him in this way, he would probably throw a fit so big it would shake the shinobi world.
In short, Hibari's mind had gone to a dark and evil place. His attitude became more casual, and he roughly and domineeringly held Ichikishimahime and tried to stand up. But he couldn't maintain his balance, and they fell to the ground.
This time, Ichikishimahime was truly panicked. She opened her eyes, finally found a chance, and said, "Stop!" but she was "stunned" again by another surge of chakra.
At the same time, on the other side of Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage's eyes, which were in a half-asleep state, suddenly opened wide. A look of disbelief appeared on her face, and then she slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. She seemed to be thinking about something else and finally smiled.
"He truly lives up to his name as a person who has escaped fate… Interesting, truly interesting, hehehehe… This time, I don't have to worry about the smelly toads of Mount Myōboku stealing him. This kid is now tied to us in Ryūchi Cave…" The White Snake Sage rarely smiled as she whispered to herself.
She was worried that even though she had gotten to him first, Mount Myōboku would find out and try to trip him up or even tempt him with benefits to join them.
But now, the White Snake Sage wasn't worried at all. How could those smelly toads of Mount Myōboku be as beautiful as our snake princesses? She couldn't believe it. Could anyone really fall for a toad? Could they even bring themselves to do it?
If there really was such a person, she, the White Snake Sage, would put her dignity aside, write a huge "I'm Impressed" sign, and personally deliver it to his house to hang on his door!
The White Snake Sage's "powers" were boundless. She knew what was happening in Ryūchi Cave. So she understood what was going on.
But Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime had no idea. They both hoped that Hibari would pass the trial and come out alive. They had been waiting for so long and neither Ichikishimahime nor Hibari had returned, so they were getting anxious.
"Is Ichikishima really going to eat him by herself?" Tagitsuhime asked with concern.
Tagorihime also frowned and whispered, "That little Ichikishima is always so 'innocent.' She probably couldn't think of a good idea like ours, to 'tame' Hibari-dono. I think she's probably planning to eat Hibari-dono in that Dragon-Sealing Stone… What a shame. If she really doesn't want someone to pass her trial, they really can't pass."
Tagitsuhime's heart was also very complicated, but she didn't know what this feeling was or what it meant. She just felt frustrated and annoyed. She stomped her foot and said, "I'm so mad! If Ichikishima really eats Hibari-dono, I'll make sure she pays when she gets out!"
Time passed, and from inside the Dragon-Sealing Stone, only a few muffled, unclear noises could be heard. With the stone blocking the entrance, no one knew what was happening inside.
Meanwhile, in another cave in Ryūchi Cave, Orochimaru was looking at a large scroll. Before he could ask anything, Manda had already spoken.
"Orochimaru, that is one of our Ryūchi Cave summoning contracts. To be honest, we have many contracts in Ryūchi Cave. This is just a common one. The blood pact inside is for me and my underlings. As for the higher-level contracts, you're not strong or capable enough yet, so don't even think about it. You'll have to work hard in the future…" Manda said in a deep voice.
Orochimaru didn't find this unbelievable. It made sense.
For one thing, the snake princess he and Hibari had just met had an aura far superior to Manda's. Her strength was clearly not on the same level as Manda's. When she spoke, Manda obediently listened. He was clearly just a subordinate.
So it was likely that if Ryūchi Cave had a higher-level summoning contract, the snake princess was the one in charge.
However, these were things he couldn't think about for now, so having this much was enough to satisfy Orochimaru.
As the saying goes, "the second time's a charm." This was only his first time here. He had gotten familiar with the place. In the future, as he got stronger, it wasn't impossible for this contract to "rise to the next level," right?
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