Tagorihime sensed the lingering scents of Ryou and Ichikishimahime.
She said, "Tagitsuhime's scent is very faint; it seems she didn't set up a trial for Uchiha Ryou at the testing grounds!"
"Since Tagitsuhime isn't here, it proves Uchiha Ryou has already passed the trial, and Ichikishimahime has taken him to see the Patriarch!"
Hearing this, Orochimaru stopped smiling and cursed, "What is Tagitsuhime doing? Is she really that cowardly, not even having the guts to clash with Ryou?"
Tagorihime glared at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, watch your tone!"
Orochimaru's temper subsided slightly. He was a very calm person, but after suffering so many setbacks in front of Ryou, he could no longer maintain his composure.
Tagorihime continued to analyze the scents left in the air. "Orochimaru, you should be grateful to Uchiha Ryou."
"He rescued your two disciples."
"..."
Orochimaru remained silent.
"Those two disciples of yours do have high potential, but they lack the mental fortitude and are not destined for Ryūchi Cave."
"According to the rules, they should have been eaten by Tagitsuhime!"
"But Tagitsuhime gave you face, considering you are our descendant, and released your two disciples."
Orochimaru thanked her, "Thank you, Lady Tagori!"
Tagorihime shook her head and said to Orochimaru, "Orochimaru, do you still intend to push forward? They have already gone to see the Patriarch!"
Orochimaru fell into silence again.
Could he compete with the White Snake Sage?
Orochimaru glanced at Tobirama, Dan, and the others beside him, a cruel expression appearing at the corners of his mouth.
Orochimaru was no match for the White Snake Sage, but that didn't mean they weren't.
Furthermore, Orochimaru still held his strongest trump card—Hashirama.
He now had the chips to bargain with the White Snake Sage.
He couldn't let the White Snake Sage take everything; he had to be left with at least a bite.
"Chase them. Even if I have to turn against the Patriarch, I must get a share of the soup!"
Tobirama showed an interested smile. Dealing with the Patriarch of Ryūchi Cave?
Very interesting.
According to the mutual restraint relationship between the Three Great Sages, the Slug Sage of the Senju Clan countered the White Snake Sage.
...
White Snake Temple.
The White Snake Sage exhaled a puff of smoke and snorted, "This Orochimaru is truly a beast among beasts, showing not a shred of gratitude for my teachings!"
Tagitsuhime, using the White Snake Sage's ability of 'Clairaudience', also heard Orochimaru's rebellious words.
She was furious. "That ungrateful Orochimaru! I gave his two disciples a path to live, and yet he wants to snatch food from the Patriarch."
"Patriarch, your disciple shall go and kill Orochimaru right now!"
The White Snake Sage shook its head. "No need. Just stay here and maintain order later! Ryūchi Cave is my territory; everyone must follow my rules!"
Tagitsuhime nodded.
The White Snake Sage glanced at Tagitsuhime. "Tagitsuhime, are you truly not interested in Uchiha Ryou? If you devour him, you could surpass me!"
Tagitsuhime knelt in terror. "I wouldn't dare. Uchiha Ryou belongs to the Patriarch; I wouldn't dare have any such thoughts."
"Besides, even Tagorihime, the strongest of us Three Great Snake Princesses, failed. There's no need for me to go up and make a fool of myself!"
Tagitsuhime's Genjutsu was very strong, much like Tsukuyomi.
But it required touching the opponent to inject the Sage Snake Toxin into their bloodstream.
Although Ryou was a mortal and lacked Senjutsu, he could easily defeat Tagitsuhime using only Ninjutsu.
Moreover, with the absolute defense of Susanoo, Tagitsuhime's Senjutsu couldn't break through that turtle shell.
So, after seeing Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime fail one after another, Tagitsuhime didn't bother going up.
She simply let Ryou pass the third trial.
The White Snake Sage took another puff of smoke. "Tagitsuhime, what I despise even more is your cowardice. Because you fear failure, you refuse to even begin!"
Tagitsuhime lowered her head and admitted, "The Patriarch is right. I am not brave; I only wish to live out my life honestly and dutifully."
The White Snake Sage shook its head, stopping its lecture to Tagitsuhime.
It looked out towards the cave entrance, seemingly seeing Ryou arriving. "The Trial of the Heart is the most important hurdle. To become a Sage, one must first clarify their heart and find their true self."
"Let me be the one to test him on this stage!"
"The questioning of the heart and the erosion of natural energy shall be tested together!"
...
Land of Rain Battlefield.
The Third Division.
The joint Sunagakure and Kirigakure forces.
Under the orders of headquarters, Chiyo, Pakura, the Third Mizukage, Yagura, Mei Terumī, Ao...
These elite Shinobi from Sunagakure and Kirigakure broke away from the main force, infiltrating the Land of Rain and heading toward the Hidden Rain Village.
The Second and Third Divisions were proceeding smoothly.
Because Ryou's Shinobi Cats army was only blocking the First Division and couldn't spare troops to deal with the Second and Third Divisions.
Thus, the Shinobi Allied Forces of the Second and Third Divisions entered the Land of Rain unimpeded, advancing toward the Hidden Rain Village.
Sunagakure had few experts: Pakura, Chiyo, and other than them, a filler named Baki.
In contrast, Kirigakure had many experts.
The Third Mizukage, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki Yagura, and the three remaining members of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist: Suikazan Fuguki, Raiga Kurosuki, and Biwa Jūzō.
Plus Ao with his Byakugan, Mei Terumī with her two Bloodline Limits, Kisame with his naturally massive chakra, and the winner of Kirigakure graduation exam battle royale—the Demon Zabuza Momochi...
Beyond those were the elites of the major clans.
The Kaguya Clan with the Shikotsumyaku Bloodline Limit, the Hōzuki Clan with the Hydrification Secret Technique, and the Yuki Clan with Ice Release...
In addition to these Shinobi and clans, there was also Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, who was being protected by a Lucky Trio.
Utakata, Mei Terumī, Zabuza, and Kisame were all roughly the same age, around their teens.
Kisame was the oldest; because he looked like a shark and was tall, others subconsciously assumed he was a middle-aged man.
In reality, Kisame was only 16 and not yet an adult.
There were so many Kirigakure experts that Pakura, Chiyo, and the filler Baki felt as if they had become an escort for Kirigakure.
Chiyo looked at the leading Third Mizukage.
The Third Mizukage was somewhat strange; his head was wrapped in bandages, even covering his eyes tightly.
It was as if he had been disfigured.
Chiyo didn't question the Third Mizukage's look; Shinobi were forged in seas of blood and mountains of corpses, and most survivors had physical deformities.
For instance, one of Chiyo's arms had been lost in past wars; to perform the Puppet Technique to its extreme, she had modified her right hand into a mechanical puppet hand.
What puzzled Chiyo was the number of Kirigakure Shinobi; Kirigakure had essentially mobilized its entire strength, which made Chiyo and Pakura feel a bit embarrassed.
The Shinobi they had brought for the main force were mostly death row prisoners from the Land of Wind, brainwashed to fill the ranks.
This created a sharp contrast with Kirigakure, who lived far across the sea yet had mobilized everyone.
It seemed a bit lacking in strategic perspective!
But there was no choice; they had all become Ryou's puppets, and it was impossible for the entire village to mobilize and fight Ryou to the death.