Sasuke unfurled the scroll, found Orochimaru's signature, bit his finger, and signed his name with blood in the next blank space.
A blood contract was now formed.
Once you reached this point, the Summoning Contract was essentially complete.
As long as one could obtain a contract scroll, the technique of summoning itself wasn't particularly hard to learn.
The challenge was always that first step—getting your hands on the scroll in the first place.
This wasn't something lying around like a cabbage at the market.
The older and more prestigious the summoning lineage, the harder it was to acquire their contract.
"Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram."
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Sasuke quickly wove the hand seals and slammed his palm to the ground. A burst of white smoke erupted, and a large silhouette slowly emerged.
"Orochimaru—why did you summon me this time?"
A slightly androgynous voice echoed through the mist.
Unlike the raspy tones of most snake summons, this voice was clear and crisp.
The smoke soon dispersed, revealing a deep indigo serpent over ten meters long. Its head was broad and angular, its back covered in diamond-shaped patterns.
Before a formal pact with the Ryūchi Cave had been recognized, all summons would be randomized—drawn based on chakra compatibility and the amount of chakra used.
Because of this, summoned snakes weren't guaranteed to follow the summoner's orders.
To form a bond with a specific summon, the contractor had to first gain their recognition through trials.
"Orochimaru? Are you two his disciples?"
The indigo snake looked around, not seeing Orochimaru, and blinked its large golden eyes with curiosity.
Compared to Orochimaru's personal summon—Manda, who was volatile and constantly demanded a hundred live human sacrifices just to cooperate—this serpent was vastly more agreeable.
If Manda had been summoned here, it would've attacked on sight just from Orochimaru's absence.
Even if Orochimaru had been present, there'd still be a high chance Manda would lash out.
Orochimaru was currently the only known living contractor of Ryūchi Cave. So it was only natural for this snake to assume these two were his students.
"No, not exactly."
Naruto shook his head and pointed to Sasuke.
"But he is the new summoner of Ryūchi Cave."
The indigo snake flicked its tongue and circled Sasuke, seemingly evaluating him.
"Greetings, new contractor. My name is Aoda, but you may call me General Ao."
Having confirmed Sasuke's status, the snake politely introduced itself.
Sasuke really did get lucky—Aoda was one of the strongest and most mild-tempered serpents in all of Ryūchi Cave, second only to Manda in strength.
"Nice to meet you, General Ao. I'm Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke nodded and got straight to the point.
"I need you to take me to Ryūchi Cave using Reverse Summoning. Can you do that?"
Aoda nodded.
It was customary for new summoners to report to the summoning clan in person, to ensure smoother coordination in future battles.
"Please hold on, Master Sasuke."
Now fully recognizing Sasuke's status, Aoda even began using honorifics.
"I'll inform the White Snake Sage."
With a puff of white smoke, Aoda vanished.
"Sasuke," Naruto said, "once you get there, you know what to do, right?"
Sasuke gave a calm nod. "Yeah."
"Here, take this."
Naruto handed him a unique, three-pronged kunai.
Sasuke took it and carefully stored it in his ninja pouch.
Then, without warning, a strange pulling sensation wrapped around his body.
Reverse Summoning was in effect.
"It's happening!" Sasuke said just as a poof signaled his disappearance.
As Sasuke vanished, Naruto closed his eyes and began to sense Sasuke's chakra trail.
A few moments passed.
Then he opened his eyes slowly.
"…Got it. So that's where it is. Clever hiding spot."
Ryūchi Cave—as the name implied, it was a massive subterranean cavern system.
Snakes were cold-blooded and nocturnal, sensitive to temperature and drawn to dark, humid, and undisturbed environments.
This place was perfect for them.
The moment Sasuke arrived, a chill crept through his body.
Water droplets echoed from stalactites above, and a fine mist hung in the air with every breath he took.
"Sharingan."
With the sudden shift to complete darkness, Sasuke activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, allowing him to make out his surroundings in the dim light.
The ground was slick. Twisted stalagmites surrounded him, and from the shadows came the constant sound of hissing and slithering.
"Welcome, outsider."
A soft and elegant female voice called out.
Sasuke turned toward the sound and saw a striking woman in a palace-style kimono: pale-skinned, with long navy-blue hair tied in a bun, and wearing cyan magatama earrings.
Ichikishima-hime—one of the White Snake Sage's closest aides and a figure of immense status in Ryūchi Cave.
Don't be fooled by her youthful appearance—she was as old as Fukasaku of Mount Myōboku. Compared to her, even Manda was a junior.
"I heard from Aoda. You're the new summoner?"
Ichikishima-hime examined Sasuke with keen interest.
Her gaze lingered on his Sharingan, clearly not her first time seeing one.
"Which snake would you like to form a pact with?"
"I recommend you choose Aoda. He seems to have a favorable impression of you, and his strength is among the best in our ranks."
"Aoda would be a fine partner, but Sasuke's here for more than just that."
Before Sasuke could reply, another voice answered for him.
Naruto stepped forward and came to stand beside Sasuke.
"We'd like to meet the White Snake Sage. Please take us to her."
"…Huh? But Aoda said there was only one summoner."
Ichikishima (Ichikishimahime) tilted her head, puzzled.
She hadn't noticed Naruto's arrival at all.
"If Aoda said it, then it must be true. So…"
"…an intruder?"
Her beautiful face instantly twisted into a monstrous serpent visage.
Fangs bared, tongue flicking—absolutely terrifying.
"It's been a while since I've had fresh chakra to taste."
According to legend, those who failed Ryūchi Cave's trials were devoured by its sages.
Ichikishima's body floated upward and suddenly vanished from view.
The sages of Ryūchi Cave possessed two unique abilities: levitation and invisibility.
Ichikishima in particular was known for an invisibility that left no detectable chakra signature.
By the time she reappeared, she was behind Naruto—mouth wide open, aiming straight for his neck.
Normally, even sensory-type shinobi couldn't detect her until it was too late.
This combo attack had taken many lives.
But "Ki" (aura)—the energy Naruto trained to sense—was a natural counter to all forms of invisibility.
Unless someone could truly vanish, reaching the level of "God's Absence," even the faintest tremors in the air couldn't escape his perception.
"…Ugly," Naruto muttered.
"You looked a lot better just now."
He tilted his head slightly, easily dodging her bite.
Then, raising a finger and bending it slightly—he flicked it lightly against her forehead.
BOOM!
Ichikishima was launched like a missile, crashing into a nearby cave wall and leaving a full-sized human dent.
Her legs dangled out in a very unladylike fashion.
"…Apologies," Naruto said calmly,
"I'm very sensitive to bloodlust and killing intent. For the White Snake Sage's sake, I'll let this slide."
"But only this once."
His voice echoed clearly in Ichikishima's ears.
"If you release killing intent toward me again, I'll take it as a personal challenge."
"Even if it's in front of the White Snake Sage—I'll kill you."
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