Sasuke bowed. On her pedestal, the White Snake Sage exhaled a plume of smoke. "Since you've come seeking medicine, I trust you did not come empty-handed?"
Sasuke nodded. Before entering the cave, Orochimaru had prepared a gift box. He retrieved it now.
Puff!
The Sage blew a perfect smoke ring. It drifted across the chamber, snagged the box, and carried it back to her. The lid snapped open on its own. The Sage glanced inside. The vertical slits of her pupils tightened slightly.
"Hmm…?"
She exhaled a long, dense stream of smoke. A faint smile touched the corners of her serpentine mouth. "That Orochimaru… he has some tact, after all."
The box closed and landed gently on the offering table.
Sasuke had no idea what was inside. But the subtle shift in the ancient sage's demeanor told him the gift was well-received. He relaxed a fraction. His curiosity burned, though. What could impress an entity who had lived a millennium, who had seen it all?
"Shenji," the Sage intoned. "Seats for our guests."
"Jie jie jie…" The trickster goddess, Tenki Shenji, slithered forward, her forked tongue flickering. She placed two cushions on the stone floor.
Sasuke carefully lowered Itachi from his back, helping his brother settle onto one cushion before taking the other.
The White Snake Sage fixed her gaze on Itachi. Her voice held a knowing edge. "You carry the Sage Power of Shikkotsu Forest. You are Katsuyu's disciple."
Sasuke's gut tightened. The White Snake Sage and Katsuyu were famously at odds. If this ancient grudge made the capricious sage refuse the medicine…
Itachi sat upright on the cushion, hands resting on his knees. The simple act of leaning forward slightly sent sweat beading across his pale brow from the pain. "This… unworthy one is Uchiha Itachi. I was merely fortunate to earn Lady Katsuyu's favor and learn a crude version of her Sage Arts."
The Sage's voice turned cold. "Hmph. If you are Katsuyu's disciple, why would you need my Ryūchi Cave medicine? Let her save your life. Shenji. See them out."
A three-pronged staff materialized in Tenki Shenji's hand. She grinned, showing sharp teeth. "Jie jie… you two can get lost now~!"
"Wait!" Sasuke's voice cut through the chamber. "Whatever grievance exists between you and Lady Katsuyu is beyond my knowledge. But if you can accomplish what she cannot… does that not prove your prowess surpasses hers?"
Sorry, brother. The thought was a silent knife in his chest. I know this cheapens your principles. Frankly, I hate this two-faced talk myself. But I just want you to live.
The White Snake Sage exhaled another cloud. "So young. Possessing such power is one thing. But to have a silver tongue as well? Rare. Very rare. Fine. I shall give you one more chance."
Through the swirling haze, her vertical pupils bored into Itachi. "Uchiha Itachi, was it? Granting you the Sage Medicine is not impossible. But you must formally pledge yourself to Ryūchi Cave. In doing so, I would not only cure your terminal illness, but also impart to you the perfected Sage Arts of the snakes. An opportunity like this… unprecedented since antiquity." She sighed, a theatrical sound. "Ah… it seems this old one's heart is still too soft. I find myself moved by a talented soul."
Sasuke's heart plummeted. He knew his brother's character. Itachi would never betray a benefactor for profit.
Sure enough, Itachi refused without a moment's hesitation. "Your magnanimous offer is the highest honor. But I cannot accept. Lady Katsuyu's grace to me is as weighty as a mountain. If the price of survival is to abandon that debt… then I choose death."
With that… Itachi pressed a trembling hand to the floor, pushing himself up from the cushion. "Sasuke. Let's go."
Sasuke's fist clenched. His mind raced, searching for a solution to this impossible bind.
But upon her pedestal, the White Snake Sage did not grow angry. Instead, she nodded in clear appreciation.
"Good. When I impart Sage Power, I consider only strength, not loyalty. But to grant the Sage Medicine… unless it is to someone who pleases this old one's eye, I would never make an exception."
"Uchiha Itachi, my earlier words were a test. Had you agreed immediately, or even hesitated before giving your answer, I would not have spared you another glance."
Itachi turned back. "You… mean this?"
"Would I lie?"
Then, the ancient sage shifted her gaze to Sasuke. "Now then… hand over the medicine."
Sasuke's clenched hand opened. Nestled in his palm was the dark pellet Tenki Shenji had thrown at the crossroads earlier—the one she'd called poison.
The White Snake Sage chuckled. "Though I am genuinely curious. How did you discern this was not poison, but the embryo of the Sage Medicine?"
Sasuke hadn't discerned anything. He just knew these ancient mountain-dwelling masters loved theatrical, unexpected gestures to showcase their uniqueness. So he'd kept it, just in case. Better safe than sorry.
He phrased it differently. "This junior lacks such insight. I merely made a logical deduction. If Ryūchi Cave wished to kill someone, would they need the trouble of poison? If this wasn't poison… perhaps it was the medicine."
"Though you are remarkably bold, Senior. To entrust the embryo of a medicine refined only once a century to the hands of a complete stranger. What if this junior had been ignorant and destroyed it?"
The Sage laughed, a dry, rustling sound. "That would have been fine. There is only this one pellet. If you destroyed it, you would have severed your own brother's lifeline. A human tragedy… this old one would have quite enjoyed the spectacle."
Activating the embryo required the Sage's own pure, concentrated Ryūchi Cave Sage Power.
Her long, forked tongue snaked out, scooping the dark pellet into her mouth. A wet, stirring sound followed as her tongue worked it, bathing it in golden-hued saliva infused with potent chakra. When she spat it back out, the dull grain had transformed into a brilliant, golden pill.
The activated Sage Medicine dropped into Itachi's waiting palm.
Itachi spoke with grave solemnity. "White Snake Sage, for this life-saving grace, this junior will strive to repay you. Henceforth, if you have any command that does not violate the way of the shinobi… even if it costs my life, I will not refuse."
The Sage took her pipe back into her mouth, puffing contentedly. "Understanding gratitude is enough. As for 'the way of the shinobi'? I have no need for you to do anything that violates it. Just… don't get in my way. If you accept that condition, take the medicine."
Itachi said no more. He swallowed the golden pill.
Crackle…!
The weariness and pallor vanished from Itachi's face. His complexion glowed with renewed vitality. It was as if he had been reborn. A sense of vast, brimming chakra filled him—an abundance he had never known in all his years.
He let out a breath of awe. "The Sage Medicine… truly lives up to its name."
Then, Sasuke—who had only offered slight bows until now—rose from his cushion. He stepped forward and knelt fully, pressing his forehead to the cold stone floor before the White Snake Sage.
This bow held no other meaning. It was pure, unadulterated gratitude toward the one who had saved his brother.
The White Snake Sage's vertical pupils studied the kneeling youth. A complex wave of emotion washed through her ancient heart.
Uchiha Sasuke. So young, yet possessing such power. A spine of steel, yet not an ounce of arrogance. His goal was achieved. This bow was unnecessary. Yet he willingly lowered his stature to show this old one respect.
This generation's reincarnation of Indra… is truly different.
I shall form a favorable connection with him. Before he leaves… I will give him… that treasure.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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