As Orochimaru fell from the sky towards the cave, he suddenly heard a low roar. A slight smile curved his lips.
"What, is the child you spoke of now in league with beast monsters?"
The Genie Lamp laughed upon hearing this but didn't answer directly. He simply said, "If you want to know anything, let the main party explain it to you."
Orochimaru shook his head and began to walk forward.
The cave was not shallow. After a few steps, the view ahead became dim. Orochimaru already had some night vision ability, and at this moment, he was completely unaffected. He could clearly see the cave walls covered with marks of hammer blows and claw prints, as if some fierce beast had gone mad here.
"Quite interesting," Orochimaru tugged at the corner of his mouth and quickened his pace. Before long, he reached the depths of the cave.
There, a burly figure was kneeling on the ground, suppressing whimpers in his throat. The beastly roar Orochimaru had heard earlier came from here.
"Truly potent natural energy."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling to the figure's feet, where a thick, heavy shackle lay.
For an ordinary person, this might be an inescapable restraint, but for someone strengthened by natural energy, it was hardly a powerful confinement.
If someone feared this child's power, why not simply end his life, rather than choose such an unreliable cage?
"Wake up." Orochimaru revealed his presence and flicked his finger, sending a stone shard towards the figure.
Almost simultaneously, the burly figure's head snapped up, revealing a pair of bloodthirsty eyes like a beast's. Only in the depths of those eyes could a sliver of struggling humanity be seen.
Crack!
The stone shard hit the figure squarely on the forehead. He froze for a moment, his bestial nature surging, his hair standing on end in rage.
A sudden gust of wind erupted within the cave, howling and rushing towards him, covering the short distance in an instant.
Orochimaru neither dodged nor evaded, merely watching the figure with interest, his eyes flashing with a golden light.
The wind suddenly stopped. The non-human beast claws halted before Orochimaru. The burly figure's voice was hoarse as he squeezed out a few words, "You... hurry and leave..."
He was on the verge of madness, not even having the capacity to think about who the other person was or why he was there, only wishing the stranger would leave quickly.
"Interesting, truly interesting."
Orochimaru sized up the burly youth before him, a smile spreading across his face.
His former assistant, Yakushi Kabuto, was already a rare Senjutsu genius with an incredible affinity for natural energy, even able to wield Senjutsu Chakra at a Chunin level. But even so, he wasn't as rare as the youth before him.
If Orochimaru wasn't mistaken, this youth didn't control Chakra, but directly controlled natural energy. This was different from almost all hermits in the ninja world, but it was the same as the White Snake Sage and Slug Sage from a long time ago.
Of course, those later sages could now use Senjutsu Chakra mixed with Chakra and natural energy, but this little one who only mastered natural energy hadn't reached that stage yet. He was quite a good comparison.
But while Orochimaru celebrated his chance encounter, Jugo could no longer control his bloodthirsty ferocity.
"Ahhh..."
With a furious roar, Jugo's restrained claws slammed down, the long-suppressed beast nature erupting and being fully unleashed. ...
Yet, Jugo's own will felt no relief. Instead, deep sorrow flashed in his eyes.
— He was killing again, and it was a stranger who had nothing to do with him.
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, gravel flew and dust billowed. However, Jugo surprisingly found that he had missed.
Before he could ponder whether this was good or bad, or what the reason was, his own body was violently thrown back in the next moment, crashing into the rock wall.
Intense pain shot through every nerve. Jugo's remaining rationality sighed in relief—he might not be able to kill the guy in front of him, and that was a good thing.
So he no longer suppressed his bestial nature and lunged again.
Boom... boom... boom...
The cave echoed with continuous explosive sounds for over fifteen minutes. During this time, the beast attacked Orochimaru countless times, only to be sent crashing against the walls just as many times.
Of course, besides the very first instance, Orochimaru had held back. Otherwise, even a body strengthened by natural energy couldn't withstand such battering.
"It seems he has regained his senses."
Orochimaru smiled and, carrying Jugo, who was now almost twice his height, walked outwards. The shackles on Jugo's feet melted like solid ice and dripped onto the ground.
The sunlight outside the cave was bright. Jugo, who hadn't left the cave for who knows how long, instinctively raised his hand to cast a shadow over his face.
Orochimaru brought Jugo to the top of a hill and threw him down under a large rock. After a moment of adjustment, Jugo stood up and looked at the black-haired youth, who appeared even younger than him, with confusion, asking, "Who exactly are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am; I like you very much."
Orochimaru stood on the big rock, looking down at Jugo, and said with a smile, "I will help you solve this maddening illness, and you won't have to imprison yourself in this cave anymore."
Although he hadn't received any information from the Genie Lamp, in just a short moment of interaction, Orochimaru had grasped the youth's personality and what he cared about most.
And the manifestation of bloodthirsty rage was clearly unrelated to Jugo's inherent nature. It was a side effect of the White Snake-type Senjutsu energy. Even if Jugo didn't ask, he would try to research a method to suppress it.
After a moment of silence, Jugo replied, "...Okay."
He truly didn't want to kill people indiscriminately anymore, whether they were familiar or strangers.
"By the way, in a little while, there will be an earthquake here. A disaster is unavoidable."
Orochimaru glanced at Jugo and smiled, "If you're willing, you can go to the foot of the mountain and notify the villagers to stay away from here."
Although the commotion that would occur later would disturb the entire Land of Stones, there were differences in intensity. The leakage of natural energy from this Ryuuchi Cave would undoubtedly be the more potent part.
Jugo's expression changed slightly, and he exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know?"
"Does that matter?"
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Whether you believe it or not is your choice. I don't care, neither about your choice now nor about the lives of those villagers."
"I understand." Jugo fell silent, not arguing with Orochimaru. Instead, he ran barefoot towards the village. From afar, a voice drifted back, "After the disaster, you can come here to find me." ...
Jugo didn't look back, only nodding heavily.
...
Inside the Ryuuchi Cave.
Orochimaru, who had been meditating and resting for a long time, suddenly opened his eyes. The elder-like White Snake Sage in front of him slowly spoke, "Continuing our previous topic, how will you help me achieve my metamorphosis?"
As she spoke, the White Snake Sage narrowed her eyes, her chest heaving with emotion.
She had always known Orochimaru was talented. Even when he hadn't passed the White Snake's final trial, she had cooperated to spare his life and even given him the opportunity to subdue Manda.
But as sharp as her insight was, she hadn't foreseen that he would possess such potential.
In just a few short years, he had surpassed her nearly thousand years of effort and completed his life-level metamorphosis ahead of her. It was truly astonishing.
"Rather than answering that question, please first satisfy my curiosity, Sage."
Orochimaru surveyed his surroundings and then asked, tilting his head, "What exactly is going on here?"
This time, the atmosphere in the Ryuuchi Cave had changed significantly. Many Moryo, mostly humanoid in form, were floating in the air, such as Suigetsu, the rogue ninja from Takigakure Village, whom he had seen before. There were also semi-transparent spirits of foxes, cows, and sheep. These added a bit of life to the eerie and monotonous Ryuuchi Cave.
"You're talking about these... they're just a game."
The White Snake Sage exhaled a puff of smoke and tapped her armchair lightly with her pipe.
Instantly, a cold wind swept through the Ryuuchi Cave, swirling all the spirits in the cave to the White Snake Sage's front. They transformed into small paper cutouts.
"These are called Shikigami. They were the familiars used by those called Onmyoji back when monsters were prevalent in the ninja world, five to six hundred years ago."
The White Snake Sage said slowly, with her pipe in her mouth. "Unfortunately, after the decline of the earth's energy, both monsters and the Onmyoji who fought them gradually disappeared."
Over the millennia, the stage of the ninja world had seen a hundred flowers bloom. Those who made waves were not just ninjas. It was just that with the ebb and flow, those who inherited the legacies of alien civilizations had the most enduring vitality. In this era, even Mukade hadn't withered, and ninjas like Hashirama and Madara even emerged.
But the past is past; the ripples did not just remain in time. The Ryuuchi Cave, this snake, in a sense, was also a witness.
Of course, it wasn't just the good aspects. Over the years, many strong individuals who prided themselves on their exquisite techniques attempted to subdue this great serpent, only to end up as offerings, perishing in its jaws.
That goes without saying.
"If you're interested, take these to read."
The White Snake Sage flipped her hand and tossed a few old books to Orochimaru.
She genuinely didn't care about these. Her tinkering in the Ryuuchi Cave was merely a game, as she had said, to satisfy the playful whims of a few snake princesses.
However, even though she said that, her generosity wasn't entirely free.
"Thank you for your gift, Sage."
Orochimaru put away the books and, by means of a summoned viper, handed them over to his main body. Only then did he smile and say, "Let's continue our previous discussion..."
His gaze fixed on the White Snake Sage. He recounted the events that happened in Roran, focusing on the sensation of the transplantation surgery while omitting details about the little White Snakes. He also described absorbing solar energy as accidentally encountering a natural phenomenon that caused a large amount of natural energy to be actively infused.
There were indeed some flaws in his story, but the White Snake Sage hadn't left the Ryuuchi Cave for a long time and couldn't fully judge the truth of Orochimaru's words. She only selectively picked out certain pieces of information.
For example, she learned that the Divine Tree characteristic fusion liquid had been successfully researched, that the amount of natural energy was crucial, and that Orochimaru's soul strength was sufficient to resist the Divine Tree's erosion...
The White Snake Sage remained silent, constantly thinking and sifting through the relatively logical information.
But after a moment, she had to abandon the idea.
It wasn't because she was unwilling to think, nor because what Orochimaru said was completely beyond her comprehension. The reason was simply—she didn't believe Orochimaru.
Unless she witnessed it firsthand, or even completely possessed Orochimaru's thoughts and senses, and experienced that surgery herself... she couldn't fully believe it.
When it came to the evolution of life-level, it was too important.
Orochimaru not daring to meet her in person further deepened the White Snake Sage's distrust.
"This is truly troublesome."
The White Snake Sage exhaled a long puff of smoke, her narrowed gaze falling on Orochimaru. "How much of that fusion liquid do you have? Is it enough for several snakes to undergo metamorphosis?"
As soon as she said this, Orochimaru didn't react much, but the three snake princesses behind him all changed their expressions.
"There's no such thing as not enough fusion liquid..." Orochimaru said with a smile, as if he hadn't noticed. "After all, the Divine Tree characteristic has a strong invasive and assimilative property. The amount simply affects the speed of the effect."
"In that case..."
The White Snake Sage tapped her pipe and turned her gaze to the three snake princesses. "Let's have them go through the process first."
"That's fine," Orochimaru nodded, not surprised by this. However, the three snake princesses immediately fell to their knees and cried out, "Great Sage, spare us..."
"Spare you? Spare you for what?"
The White Snake Sage puffed smoke and slowly said, "You just heard. This is a great opportunity for life metamorphosis, a great fortune... even I will have to go through this later."
"Now, I'm just letting you go first to scout the path. What are you crying about here?"
"Great Sage..." the youngest, Tagori Hime, raised her head, tears streaming down her face. "My cultivation is insufficient. I am not blessed to receive this fortune. Please let my two older sisters enjoy it first."
She deeply understood that the White Snake Sage was selfish and self-righteous. Once her mind was made up, she would never change it, let alone for something as crucial as life-level metamorphosis.
Now, she only hoped to be last. Perhaps with luck, she could escape.
Tagorihime glared hatefully at Tagori Hime and quickly said, "Great Sage, my opinion is the opposite of my sister's."
"...This surgery is extremely dangerous. Failing once or twice is perfectly normal. But to accumulate experience and ensure the success rate of the latter, the strong should go last."
"Let our sister Tagori go first..."
She then looked at Orochimaru, her emerald green eyes filled with pleading.
"Hmm... Tagori Hime does have a point. It can indeed slightly improve the success rate."
Orochimaru glanced at the White Snake Sage and smiled, "Besides, would strong individuals who worked hard to reach the top want to shield the weak, right?"
Whether this logic was correct or not, at least in the Ryuuchi Cave, it was appropriate and aligned with the White Snake Sage's intentions.
The strong prey on the weak... Although the White Snake Sage had imitated human behavior for thousands of years, when it came to critical moments, she only resorted to absolute force.
If he had lived for a thousand years, he certainly wouldn't play so crudely.
He would teach these bloodthirsty snakes what honor and shame were, what love and affection were...
Then, under the guise of 'dedication,' he would make the little snakes willingly walk to the sacrificial altar.
---
You can read 50 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman