"Ahhh!"
Furious roars echoed through Ryuchi Cave, the giant serpent thrashed, the earth quaked, and tremors from underground spread throughout the Land of Rice, terrifying all mortals and ninjas living there.
The White Snake Sage had only intended to swallow the bait, but accidentally bit the hook.
She had underestimated Orochimaru's scheme.
As the White Snake Sage saw it, Orochimaru would likely show gradual progress using the three snake princesses as test subjects, thereby earning her trust.
If he had any malicious intent, it would only appear when he was actually performing surgery on her. He wouldn't have done anything tricky before then.
Of course, the White Snake Sage wasn't going to follow Orochimaru's words completely, which was why she had blurted out her statement.
Regardless of whether he had a scheme or not, it wouldn't matter once she merged with Tashin and successfully embarked on the path to transformation.
But she never expected the trap wouldn't be in the snake princesses, but in Orochimaru's clone. That power was akin to the Divine Tree's nature, its invasive properties far exceeding what Tagorihime could withstand. For a moment, it felt like facing the Divine Tree itself.
"Maybe I shouldn't have swallowed Orochimaru…"
A flicker of regret crossed the White Snake Sage's mind, but she quickly dismissed the useless thought.
To ensure Tashin's transformation wouldn't be interrupted, she absolutely wouldn't cut off contact with Orochimaru prematurely. With that part of his body as a conduit, Orochimaru could deliver his 'poison' at any time.
Her body wasn't weak; in fact, she controlled it better than the outside world. To be outplayed now was not unjust.
In intense rage and pain, the White Snake Sage struggled to maintain a sliver of clarity and gritted her teeth, "Is this the power of the next level?"
How ridiculous that she had let her guard down after learning Orochimaru had completed his transformation.
This was partly due to his usual weak appearance being so deceptive, but more so because she had been the absolute ruler in Ryuchi Cave with no threat to her life for hundreds of thousands of years, making her too arrogant and complacent.
Tsuruhime, Tagorihime… these weaklings were a reflection of herself, so it was only natural she took such a harsh lesson now.
But…
"I won't die like this! You just wait!"
The White Snake Sage let out a piercing hiss, and the Orochimaru, half inside her serpent's belly, was instantly crushed into a bloody pulp, his spirit also consumed completely.
She had to fight back with all her might. The threat from the outside was one thing, but there couldn't be any weaknesses inside her body.
"What should I do?"
The White Snake Sage recalled Orochimaru's so-called warning. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes, and the flesh of her upper body began to writhe, forming a massive ball of flesh centered on the point of infection.
From the outside, the White Snake Sage's jaw would have appeared greatly distended.
Although their species were different, through thousands of years of exploration, she could, to some extent, control her body like the Slug Sage.
Senjutsu Chakra surged within her, continuously petrifying the outermost flesh of the mass. This wouldn't stop the invasion and reproduction, but it could slow its expansion speed in the short term. If she handled it gradually later, perhaps this crisis could be turned into an opportunity.
However, things never went as planned. A familiar, sinister laugh suddenly entered her mind from within the mass, "Heh… you've done a great job, but I can't let you continue."
"Orochimaru?" The White Snake Sage blinked, then erupted in overwhelming fury, "How dare you show your face to me again?"
"If you, Sage, had successfully transformed and firmly crossed the threshold into the Six Paths level, I would naturally stay far away."
Orochimaru's tone was slightly flippant, his smile unhidden, "But now, why shouldn't I?"
"You bastard!!" The White Snake Sage, feeling his undisguised contempt, didn't hesitate. Senjutsu Chakra and natural energy surged out simultaneously, like a raging storm.
But no matter how the White Snake Sage mobilized her vast energy, the mass remained as unmoving as a reef, even gradually shedding its initial petrification and instead accelerating its invasive proliferation.
"White Snake Sage, while you may possess one of the strongest accumulations of power in the ninja world, the qualitative gap is not so easily overcome…"
Orochimaru spoke with a hint of emotion, yet his actions continued without pause.
"Six Paths level invasion isn't just physical; what's truly insidious and unavoidable is the mental erosion. Don't you find it strange…"
"Why has your crisis so far been primarily physical, with so little mental impact…"
Orochimaru's voice suddenly sharpened, "Because this time, your mental demon is me!"
As soon as he spoke, the White Snake Sage's head spun, and she felt as if she had fallen into a quagmire. Darkness surrounded her, and no matter how she struggled, she couldn't escape the feeling of falling.
A large portion of the Senjutsu Chakra and natural energy she had gathered was immediately lost, even turning against her to serve Orochimaru within the mass.
"This guy…"
A shred of horror rose in the White Snake Sage's remaining shreds of sanity.
Fighting against a Six Paths level will was one of the most critical situations. Her own spirit was suppressed by the opponent's superior rank, and her surrounding energy became sustenance for his expansion. If this continued, she would inevitably suffer the same fate as Tsuruhime.
"What should I do?"
The White Snake Sage desperately tried to think. Plan after plan flashed through her mind, but she dismissed each one the next moment.
The power from a higher life form couldn't be dealt with using conventional means.
After much thought, the White Snake Sage suddenly recalled what Orochimaru had said as he was dying.
"What is he plotting?"
Normally, one should do the opposite of what an enemy wants them to do. But at this critical juncture, sticking to that rule would mean death.
"I'll try it once…"
The White Snake Sage let out a hiss, and her body, stagnant for hundreds of thousands of years, finally began to move.
The earth shook, and the ground trembled violently… a disturbance far more intense than before spread throughout the Land of Rice. Everyone was terrified and frantically fled towards open ground.
The tremors themselves didn't last long, but the ensuing calamities were still to come.
Inside Ryuchi Cave, as the beast that had been dormant for millennia began to stir, millions of snakes began to flee in a frenzy. Even formidable beings like Manda and Akaza couldn't remain calm. They used Senjutsu to burrow holes, trying to escape the thousand-year-old giant python as far as possible.
One could only imagine the terror that would ensue if these creatures reached the surface.
But regardless of what happened in the already desolate Land of Rice, the White Snake Sage's shedding had officially begun.
She didn't use Sage Mode, but resorted to the most primal method. Her snake head repeatedly slammed against the massive rock face. The pain served to keep her alert while also avoiding the consequences of a failed Senjutsu attempt.
Shedding was an instinct for snakes. Even without natural energy and Senjutsu Chakra, its success rate could be ensured.
"Ahhhhh!"
Screams echoed endlessly. The pain of shedding made the White Snake Sage clearer-headed, allowing her to temporarily escape the negative effects. Her massive snake body slowly moved, shedding its thick skin.
However, what the White Snake Sage didn't notice was that Orochimaru's main body had somehow infiltrated Ryuchi Cave. The cast-off skin was annihilated into greyish-white powder almost instantly, and the abundant natural energy within it was completely absorbed.
"Hmph… not enough!"
Orochimaru's expression showed a hint of lingering desire. The breath he exhaled was chilling, and snake patterns had appeared on his face.
Even for the current Orochimaru, absorbing a large amount of White Snake lineage natural energy in such a short period wasn't without some impact.
But no matter how weak he was, his rank now surpassed the White Snake Sage. Effects below the Six Paths level couldn't be considered an invasion. He'd just need some time to recover and digest it.
"Continue, my White Snake Sage."
Orochimaru gazed at the colossal snake body, a golden glint flashing in his eyes. The Eye Power that had diminished somewhat due to the shedding suddenly surged.
A profound shadow of death once again descended. Only then did the White Snake Sage realize the enemy's presence. Her equally golden snake pupils glared furiously at Orochimaru's main body, and she roared, "What more do you want? Are you not afraid I'll take you down with me by pushing me this far?"
" I'm truly not afraid of that. You endured here for a thousand years for immortality, so why would you easily detonate yourself?"
Orochimaru shook his head, a relaxed smile on his face. "As for my goal, it's actually to help you."
"Help me? You call this naked plunder help?"
The White Snake Sage's voice was filled with barely suppressed rage. Even now, Orochimaru didn't stop his invasive actions. "Humans are truly hypocritical."
"The perspective is different, so we get different conclusions." Orochimaru mused for a moment, then his expression turned serious. "For the sake of growth, you were greedy, swallowing far more natural energy than you could handle. Your current form is excessively large, yet you can't transform yourself."
"Even with the Divine Tree's properties aiding you and allowing for some growth, what will you do next?"
"…"
The White Snake Sage fell silent for a moment, her voice still tinged with anger. "What does that have to do with what you're doing?"
She knew her own problems better than anyone, but whatever it was, it was her choice, and others had no right to interfere.
"What looks like plunder… is actually helping you release excess natural energy."
Orochimaru chuckled. "And while we're at it, you can reduce your size."
When organisms absorb a large amount of natural energy, they instinctively grow, unconsciously increasing their physical size. This is how most summonings in the three great Sage Realms are, with the Slug Sage being the most extreme.
But in Orochimaru's view, this was a case of putting the cart before the horse. The difficulty of achieving a life form evolution for a thousand-meter-long body is vastly different from that of a normal-sized person.
The most reasonable method would be to store the natural energy in a vessel and then extract it when the transformation point arrives.
At least, among the Ootsuki clan, who traversed the cosmos, this method was highly feasible.
For instance, the Outer Path Statue was enormous, with its final form capable of spreading its roots across an entire planet, and even the Ten-Tails' main body was hundreds of meters tall.
However, truth be told, he was merely a tool that absorbed natural energy to form a Chakra fruit. While Kaguya Ootsuki had the 'Tsukuyomi Usagi' Chakra form, her main body wasn't immense.
In this period, completing his transformation and his current growth had taken advantage of the Ootsuki clan.
Whether it was the Dragon Veins or the White Snake Sage's shed skins now, in a sense, they served part of the function of the Outer Path Statue.
And Orochimaru, having embarked on the correct path, how could he stand by and watch the White Snake Sage continue on the wrong one? Even if it meant sacrificing their friendship, he had to guide her onto the right path.
Of course, those dozen or so snake sheds were his due reward… well, now it was just one.
"…After all that talk, you're still coveting my natural energy."
The White Snake Sage's anger didn't diminish. "Orochimaru, when did you become so hypocritical and pretentious?"
"Heh… of course, it was when I realized this method worked. But if you don't like it, I can show you a different face."
After saying this, Orochimaru's smile vanished, and his youthful face took on an unprecedented coldness. His golden snake pupils emitted a powerful oppressive aura, and he said grimly,
"The ninja world is only this big, and there's only so much natural energy. If you don't wish to shed this enormous form, I'll take your life along with it."
He had schemed against the White Snake Sage not only because he needed natural energy for his current growth but also for the future.
Fusing with First Hokage's cells wouldn't lead him to a Six Paths level transformation, not even with his own cells. However, no matter what, it would allow him to break through his current limitations and achieve further growth.
If this were to happen, and the White Snake Sage continued on the same path as a thousand years ago, the required natural energy would be oceanic, and the earth veins of the entire ninja world would wither by more than half.
Orochimaru would absolutely not stand by and let this happen, nor would the Sage of Six Paths.
However, he couldn't completely eliminate the White Snake Sage at this moment.
His appetite wasn't that large. After all, it wasn't a method for instant growth like Kaguya Ootsuki's. He was just a seed right now, and he could only digest so many, perhaps a dozen or so snake skins, before needing time to clear the effects and digest properly.
Killing the White Snake Sage outright would undoubtedly be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
The best approach was as it was now: allowing a little growth, but not allowing it to spiral completely out of control, making it convenient for him to continue harvesting wool later.
However, even with all these calculations, if the White Snake Sage proved unwise, he would settle for less and wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
But in that case, the excess natural energy would likely flow back into the Land of Rice, creating a vast fertile oasis, which would be a terrible waste.
"So, what's your choice?"
Orochimaru's snake eyes locked onto the White Snake Sage, his killing intent undisguised.
"…"
The White Snake Sage glared back with her snake eyes, but fell silent.
Her ultimate resort was self-destruction, using the energy accumulated over a millennium to blow up the ninja world, but would that kill Orochimaru?
She didn't have that confidence.
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