~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter! Your votes keep this climbing. Thanks!
Ichikishimahime explained the nature of Tubusahime's trial to Qianyu.
Though, given that Tubusahime was currently lying on the ground after taking a direct hit from Qianyu's Electric Boom, Thunderclap, that seemed… problematic.
Qianyu pointed at the downed snake sage. "Given her state, I doubt she's in any condition to administer a trial. So, does that count as a pass?"
"This…" Ichikishimahime was stumped. She'd never encountered this situation before.
"The trial will proceed."
Tubusahime pushed herself up, rising once more.
Qianyu observed her. Her skin was still darkened in patches, but the wounds themselves had completely healed. Impressive recovery, he thought. He hadn't held back with Electric Boom, Thunderclap. A direct hit should have been devastating, yet she only bore some charring—nothing fatal. And now, in just a few moments, even those marks were gone.
The power of senjutsu chakra really is something else.
He extended his arm. "Let's continue, then. It doesn't have to be the neck, right? My arm will do."
Tubusahime opened her mouth. Two sharp fangs sank into Qianyu's flesh.
As her senjutsu chakra flooded into his body, a wave of heat washed over him.
In a blink, both Ichikishimahime and Tubusahime vanished. Before him stood two figures—familiar, yet distant in memory.
His parents.
His father glared at him with pure loathing. "It's all because of you! Because of you, Eri and I were branded traitors, forced to run!"
His mother pointed an accusing finger. "If only you had never been born! None of this would have happened!"
Then, more familiar voices echoed around him.
Kakashi, voice thick with resentment. "Why? You had a chance to save my father back then, didn't you? Why wouldn't you help him?"
Uzumaki Kushina, her gaze cold and detached. "I've always regretted it. I wish I had never met you that day."
Finally, Orochimaru appeared, looking down on him. "So, this wind of yours never truly rose after all. I'm disappointed, Qianyu."
The accusations and curses washed over him. Qianyu's face remained an impassive mask throughout.
Then, he laughed. A short, derisive sound. "And this is the final trial? Pathetic. I've heard far worse. If you think these illusions can shake me, you're severely underestimating who I am."
In one fluid motion, he drew his ninjato. A single, sweeping slash—the phantoms before him shattered into nothingness.
Tubusahime stared, bewildered. "How… so easily? That shouldn't be possible."
Qianyu slid the blade back into its sheath, his eyes holding a dismissive glint. "Why shouldn't it be? My family, my wife, my students, my teacher… they trust me deeply. And I trust them in return. These illusions are worthless to me."
Tubusahime felt a pang of frustration. Even Orochimaru, the one most likely to master Sage Mode, hadn't passed this trial with such ease. Back then, he'd struggled. He was deep in his obsession with jutsu, freshly scarred by the death of his student Nawaki, adrift in confusion. That very confusion had driven him to Ryūchi Cave, seeking power, seeking Sage Mode. The third trial had tested him to his limits.
As Qianyu's trial concluded, the surrounding haze dissipated, revealing the ancient temple of Ryūchi Cave.
Tenshinahime materialized before him. "This is the entrance to the White Sage's temple. You have passed all trials. You may now meet the White Sage."
Qianyu walked past the three snake sages—Tenshinahime, Ichikishimahime, and Tubusahime—and approached the massive temple doors. He pushed them open and stepped inside.
Before him stretched an impossibly long staircase.
A single Shunshin later, he stood at the top.
First, he saw the dragon statues. Then, on a raised dais beneath them, an ancient-looking elder lay reclined.
"White Sage?" Qianyu inquired.
The elder's voice was slow and raspy. "Indeed. You have finally arrived, Qianyu."
Qianyu's eyes narrowed slightly. "You were expecting me? They said I was 'special.' What did they mean?"
The White Sage began to chuckle, a dry, knowing sound. "Don't you know best what it means? You've already changed so much, haven't you?"
Qianyu's pupils constricted. His right hand moved instinctively to the hilt of his sword. A killing intent, cold and sharp, began to radiate from him.
The White Sage ignored it completely. "A wild card has appeared. That old toad at Mount Myōboku must be tearing his hair out. The thought amuses me greatly. Save your killing intent. You cannot kill me as you are now."
He continued, his voice taking on a storytelling cadence. "Long ago, that old toad had a single vision of the future—a matter concerning the very survival of the shinobi world. He saw he would bestow the toad's power upon a boy who would appear at Mount Myōboku centuries later. That boy was Jiraiya."
The White Sage's tone grew sharper, almost gleeful. "Now, I wish to bestow my dragon power upon you. Let this world break free from its predestined path. Let's see what that old fool can do about that!"
He paused, letting the statement hang. "Of course, the prerequisite is that you withstand the natural energy and master Sage Mode."
The killing intent around Qianyu dissipated. "I have no interest in your grand narratives. My only purpose here is Sage Mode and its techniques."
The White Sage finally opened his eyes, which had been mere slits. He regarded Qianyu slowly. "Humans are born from desire, destined to sink into darkness. All who seek me come to satisfy their cravings, ready to abandon everything."
"Spare me the philosophy," Qianyu cut in, impatience clear. "I haven't abandoned anything. I came prepared. Enough talk. Begin."
"As you wish."
The White Sage's form shimmered and expanded, revealing his true self: massive coils of serpentine body, orange hair, and yellow eyes. A green cat's eye stone gleamed on his chest. A purple headband adorned with a military-green, horn-like ornament sat on his brow, a red luminous pearl embedded at its center. He held a long pipe in his mouth. Two golden rings adorned his tail. He reclined, immense, upon his throne.
"You seem to dislike the neck. Extend your arm."
Qianyu did. The White Sage's fangs, far larger than Tubusahime's, pierced his forearm.
A torrent of natural energy—vast, raw, and overwhelming—flooded into Qianyu's system.
Immediately, patches of scaly skin, hard and reptilian, began to spread across his arm, crawling upward.
Several minutes later, the White Sage released his bite. "Now, we begin. I assume Orochimaru told you the price of failure."
His yellow eyes gleamed.
"You will turn to stone."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!