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The palace was brilliantly lit, its dazzling lights streaming through the corridors, serving as a beacon in the thick fog.
A woman dressed in a white palace gown stood at the entrance. Seeing the two approach, she performed a formal courtly bow and said with a smile, "We have been expecting you. Welcome to the Ryūchi Cave."
The woman was young and beautiful, with a radiant smile. Her eyes seemed capable of speech, and once she raised her head, she gazed at them both with an affectionate, lingering look.
If Midorima hadn't known her true identity beforehand, he might have been fooled.
However, it must be said, while the sages of Mount Myōboku appeared in their true toad forms, and the sage of the Shikkotsu Forest never concealed her true slug-like body—merely varying in size—the Ryūchi Cave was like a completely different scene. Almost all its high-ranking members appeared in human form.
Of course, there were those who insisted on their true forms, like Manda, Aoda, and Garaga. But overall, these snake sages seemed quite concerned with their image.
Perhaps it was related to their modus operandi.
After all, if those who came seeking Sage Techniques failed their trials, these "beauties" would eat them. Therefore, finding ways to weed out as many seekers as possible was particularly important.
It was practically a KPI.
"My name is Tagorihime. You must be exhausted from your journey," the woman, Tagorihime, said with a smile.
"We're managing," Midorima replied with a slight nod, his gaze sweeping towards the main hall.
"I have prepared food for you. Please, help yourselves," Tagorihime gestured towards a long banquet table on one side, which was indeed laden with exquisite dishes.
Midorima walked to the table and quickly scanned its contents. "Have these foods passed hygiene inspections?"
"Huh?" Tagorihime was taken aback. "What's a hygiene inspection?"
Midorima shook his head.
"That's no good. 'Food is the people's heaven.' The importance of food to humans is self-evident. Good food can energize people, while bad food can be fatal. Look, these are all finished dishes, but who knows what the ingredients were like before they were cooked? What if they were trampled by someone's feet? Or maybe someone even spat on them? Even though you're a beauty, a beauty's foot isn't much different from a brute's foot, right?"
Jūgo, who had just picked up a steamed bun, felt a chill run down his spine and hastily put it back down.
"Are you joking?" Tagorihime's smile instantly cooled. "How could I possibly do such a thing!? You think you can taste my foot? I wouldn't give you the chance."
Really, what did he take her for?
Did she even cook?
Absolutely not.
"I'm not joking. This place is hard to find. It's lucky if one or two people arrive in a week, or even half a month. And food ingredients have shelf lives. If not used for a long time, they spoil. Your palace here is huge, but there don't seem to be many people, just you. Are you sure these ingredients haven't gone stale or rotten? Sorry, but I'm skeptical."
Midorima spread his hands.
"You two... are really something else..." Tagorihime's face contorted, her eyes widening, and the corners of her mouth split open, revealing serpentine features.
Jūgo swallowed hard, imagining if he himself could accept transforming into such a form.
In the end, he shook his head very firmly.
He preferred his current appearance.
He glanced at Midorima, surprised to find his expression unchanged.
Wasn't Midorima afraid of her snake-human form?
Unbeknownst to him, Midorima had already seen Kabuto's fully monstrous form. Compared to that, Tagorihime here had little intimidation factor.
"Sorry, but even if you're using genjutsu, please make it more convincing. After all, such a grand palace with only one person is far too desolate—not even a single palace maid. A major flaw."
"Haha... I'll remember your suggestion. I thought I'd be able to feast on your chakra, but you seem smarter than I anticipated," Tagorihime chuckled.
"No, we're just realistic," Midorima waved a hand. "We do seek power. But power isn't the sole purpose of our visit here."
"Everyone who comes here says that, probably trying to leave a good impression. But in reality? Their inner desires eventually devour their vows... I'll be watching you... waiting to see when you falter!"
The magnificent palace vanished in an instant, the surroundings reverting to a desolate wilderness.
Once again, the two were enveloped in mist.
Midorima knew they had passed the first trial, but Jūgo, completely unaware, remained on high alert, warily scanning their surroundings. Only when Tagorihime's figure and presence completely disappeared into the mist did he relax his guard.
"Lord Midorima, how did you know that was an illusion?" Jūgo asked, astonished.
"If there really were such a grand palace, wouldn't Orochimaru have marked it on the map?" Midorima offered a convenient excuse. "Besides, the number of Sages is indeed limited. They can't afford losses, so they wouldn't risk a real fight with us."
Jūgo pondered for a moment and found Midorima's reasoning sound, nodding earnestly.
"Sir, there's still light ahead. Could that also be an illusion?" Jūgo pointed into the distance.
Midorima shook his head. "Not sure. We'll only know what that lit place is when we get there."
Just then, a woman's voice echoed through the air once more.
"Now it's my turn—"
The voice reverberated through the mountains.
"Who are you?" Jūgo shouted.
"Keep moving forward... I'll be waiting for you up ahead!"
The fog grew denser, soon becoming so thick they couldn't see their own hands in front of them.
Midorima turned around to find Jūgo but discovered he had vanished into the dense mist.
In his place, a girl in white clothing appeared within his field of vision, moving forward.
Midorima followed closely. Before long, they entered a cavern filled with eroded stone pillars.
The girl continued running, leading Midorima deep into the cavern before finally stopping and turning to face him.
This Sage looked completely different from Tagorihime. She appeared to be a girl of about sixteen. Seeing Midorima, she clasped her hands behind her back, her large, bright eyes full of childlike innocence.
"Congratulations on passing the first test. Your performance just now was truly outstanding. I've never seen someone so determined to seek power who could not only see through the genjutsu but also leave Tagorihime speechless. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ichikishimahime. As you can see, I'm just a girl," Ichikishimahime said with a smile.
"No, it's only because the Sages showed mercy. If a real fight had broken out, we might not have escaped easily."
"Hehe, the Great White Snake Sage only instructed us to test you, not to oppose you. You must understand, becoming a Sage is a rare opportunity. A shinobi's power can vary greatly. If we misjudged, we could also face danger. However, those obsessed with brute force, those who pursue power single-mindedly, cannot pass our trials. You seem clever, but if you died by my hand, I wouldn't be surprised at all," Ichikishimahime said, narrowing her eyes.
"So, what is the second trial?" Midorima asked.
"This cavern has two thousand branches, but only two exits. Your trial is to find an exit and leave this place," Ichikishimahime announced.