After six days of travel, with stops along the way, Orochimaru brought his three charges to the borderlands between the Land of Frost and the Land of Rice, arriving at the ruined village where Jūgo of the Scales once lived.
This clan, living so close to Ryūchi Cave, had been shaped by the sage energy that seeped from its depths for generations. Their genetic legacy, warped over time, had ultimately given birth to the Cursed Seal.
Like the other two great holy lands, Ryūchi Cave was protected by a sage-art barrier. Unless one sought it with genuine intent, the path would remain hidden.
They passed through the skeletal remains of the village, pressing onward into true wilderness for another hundred miles. There, a veil of pale purple mist materialized before them.
Orochimaru stopped. He buried one of his Flying Thunder God kunai in the cracked earth—a marker for his next visit.
"Sasuke-kun, Kabuto, Itachi. This is where I leave you."
Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses. "You will seek out 'Kashō' next, I presume?"
Orochimaru nodded. "When the time comes, I will personally restore the light to your right eye. So, Kabuto… become a sage more perfect than ever before."
Kabuto's voice was steady. "I will not fail your expectations, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru produced a small, ornate box, offering it to Sasuke. "A gift for the White Snake Sage, Sasuke-kun. This should… lessen the resistance you face in your request."
Sasuke Uchiha accepted the box with both hands, his grip solemn. "Understood."
Orochimaru's gaze shifted to Itachi. "The Sage Elixir will not only cure your illness, Itachi. It will fundamentally rebuild your constitution. As we agreed, I will then graft a measured amount of Hashirama's cells. You will be able to perfect the Sage Mode you never fully mastered at Shikkotsu Forest."
"At that point," Orochimaru continued, a predatory gleam in his eye, "you can retrieve the hidden corpse of Shisui. Complete my forbidden technique, Blood Kinship Transference. You and Shisui will become brothers by blood. Transplant his eyes. Awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Once you master those eyes… conservatively, you will wield power on par with Uchiha Madara in the Warring States era."
Itachi Uchiha, his face pale and worn thin by illness, met the gaze with stern resolve. "Greater power brings greater responsibility, Orochimaru. We are past pleasantries. We have time."
Orochimaru inclined his head. "Once my own affairs are settled, I will come for you. The latest possible time… will be Sasuke-kun's—Seventh Battle."
This was the unshakable consensus of Sasuke's faction. No matter the variables, one plan was set in stone—the Ten-Battle Project!
Because Uchiha Sasuke was the main force destined to face the Ōtsutsuki threat—Shibai.
He watched as Sasuke and Kabuto, supporting Itachi between them, vanished into the swirling mist. Then, Orochimaru dissolved into the golden light of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Walking through the mist, Kabuto—visiting a holy land for the first time in this life—felt a thread of anxiety. "Sasuke-kun… you visited Ryūchi Cave in your past life, didn't you? Do you know what the trials entail?"
Sasuke had shown Kabuto flashes of his past-life memories. But those were from Sasuke's perspective. Kabuto's own journey to the cave in that timeline wasn't included.
Sasuke searched his memory. "I came here years after the Fourth Great Ninja War. My purpose wasn't to learn sage arts, but to establish goodwill with these immortal beings on Shikamaru's advice. A precaution."
"Because we sealed Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the masters of the three great sites were… courteous. From what I understand, Ryūchi Cave's trials are tailored to the seeker. My student, Boruto, came here once. The trial he faced…"
Sasuke closed his eyes, as if the memory was slightly embarrassing.
Kabuto leaned in. "What was it?"
Sigh.
"A… sliding puzzle. On a door."
Kabuto blinked. "A sliding puzzle? Was it… impossibly complex? Something only a genius like Shikamaru could solve?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Not exactly. I suspect the sages gave him an easy pass. The point is, right now, aside from our connection to Orochimaru, we have no relationship with Ryūchi Cave. No easy passes. The trial waiting for you won't be gentle, Kabuto. Be prepared to have a layer of skin stripped off."
Kabuto squared his shoulders. "Whether it's skin or bones, I'm ready. I have the resolve!"
I'm done being dead weight for Lord Orochimaru and Sasuke-kun!
Sasuke's voice dropped lower. "One more thing. From the moment we step into Ryūchi Cave proper, our every move will be under the White Snake Sage's gaze."
The mist parted, revealing a fork in the path. A beautiful woman waited there.
She wore pristine white robes, flowing sashes wrapped around her arms. Her hair was styled in an elegant bun. Her features were delicate, ethereal—untouched by mortal concerns.
The trio approached. She offered a slight, graceful bow. "You have come a long way. You seek an audience with the White Snake Sage, I presume? If it is sage arts you desire, take the path to my left. Pass the trials along the way, and you may meet her."
Kabuto gently released Itachi's shoulder.
"Then… Sasuke-kun, Itachi. I'll go on ahead."
Sasuke took Itachi's full weight, nodding. "Go. And be careful."
Kabuto stepped past the woman and into the left-hand path.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on the woman's lips as she turned her attention to Sasuke and Itachi, who remained.
"You two… do not seek sage arts?"
Sasuke met her gaze. "No. We seek the Sage Elixir."
"Heh heh heh…"
The woman's laughter was soft, mocking.
"How fortunate…"
Her mouth stretched open, inhumanly wide. A long, forked snake tongue slithered out. It writhed, pushing a single, silvery pill from its tip. She flicked it with a slender finger.
Fwoosh!
The pill shot forward with enough force to shatter a human skull.
Flick.
A flicker of red. His fingers snapped shut. Sasuke held the pill between two fingers, examining it. "This is the elixir?"
The woman's face was a mask of innocence. "It is a pill that cures all pain and suffering. By sending you directly to the Pure Land."
A direct rejection, right from the start.
They were supplicants here. Sasuke kept his irritation off his face.
He closed his fist around the pill.
"The Sage Elixir I seek is refined by Ryūchi Cave once a century. It cures any mortal ailment and grants immunity to disease. If I wanted a trip to the Pure Land, why trouble an immortal?"
The woman's elegant facade shattered.
"Kekeke kekeke… A mere human, demanding our elixir? Look at yourself in a puddle! What gives you the right?! Take that dying whelp and crawl back to whatever hole you came from!!!"
"The Ryūchi Cave of this era… truly lacks hospitality."
Sasuke murmured, looking down. Crackle. His head snapped up. His eyes were sharp, deadly.
"Since the path is blocked… I'll carve my own."
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