"It's Manda again?"
Feeling the mysterious call once more from an unknown source, Orochimaru showed a hint of surprise.
Except during battle, Orochimaru rarely summoned the intelligent ninja snakes of Ryuchi Cave. The serpents he used alongside his Secret Ryuchi Jutsu were typically mindless, expendable creatures that nobody cared about.
Even someone as familiar as Manda often made unreasonable demands every time he was summoned into combat, so Orochimaru had no interest in responding to this sudden call.
At that moment, a young girl gently pushed open the door to the underground laboratory and peeked inside cautiously.
"Anko."
A rare expression of gentleness flickered across Orochimaru's face.
Anko Mitarashi was now his only apprentice left.
Though Anko's talent, wit, and strength were nothing special, she remained the last link between him and Konoha.
After all, her father had once been one of Orochimaru's most loyal men before passing away.
"Sensei, something feels off,"
Anko whispered,
"like I'm about to be taken away suddenly."
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru twitched slightly, sensing something ominous.
He motioned for Anko to come closer and personally examined her.
As expected, this feeling of being "taken away" came from the reverse summoning waves originating from Ryuchi Cave.
The reason Anko mistook it for an abduction was because she hadn't yet learned how to respond to such summoning calls, and the waves from Ryuchi Cave were growing stronger with each pulse.
"It's nothing serious."
Orochimaru extended his right hand, gathering five balls of chakra at his fingertips, then pressed them onto Anko's abdomen.
[Five Elements Seal!]
With a sealing technique, he severed the bidirectional summoning connection.
However, this was only a temporary fix. Without the aid of Ryuchi Cave's summoned snakes, Anko—who had limited potential—would never rise beyond the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin. Therefore, Orochimaru couldn't keep the seal active forever.
Thus, the one who tied the knot must be the one to untie it.
"You stay here in the lab for now. I need to go somewhere."
Saying this, Orochimaru formed a single hand seal, preparing to answer the reverse summoning call from Ryuchi Cave.
"Okay…"
Confused but obediently nodding, Anko watched as Orochimaru vanished before her very eyes.
"What?! He was taken away!"
Naively interpreting what just happened, Mitarashi Anko immediately cried out in alarm.
To Orochimaru—who wasn't quite human anymore—the dark depths of Ryuchi Cave felt more like home than anywhere else.
After responding to the reverse summoning technique, he arrived precisely at Manda's private snake lair. Standing atop Manda's head was Tamayu, one of the Sanjinki (the Three Goddesses) of Ryuchi Cave.
"So you finally showed up, huh!"
Tamayu said, clearly displeased,
"I thought you'd gone back on our pact entirely!"
"The summoning contract I've signed with Ryuchi Cave is an equal one. There's no question of betrayal."
Orochimaru showed no respect toward the goddess and shot back, "If Ryuchi Cave believes I've violated the contract, it can dissolve it or refuse my summons from now on!"
"You better not start mouthing off to me!"
As soon as Manda heard that, he bared his fangs in anger: "The goddess is here. How could you—"
"Hmph!"
Orochimaru's golden snake-like pupils locked onto Manda.
Physically, Manda's massive body towered over Orochimaru by hundreds of times. Yet facing the chilling aura pouring out from Orochimaru now, Manda suddenly felt a wave of nervousness—an experience he'd never had even during previous summonings when extra offerings were demanded.
"White Snake Sage wishes to see you. Follow me."
Unwilling to invite unnecessary complications at such a critical moment, Tamayu skipped the inevitably controversial topic of their relationship and floated up from atop Manda's head, drifting toward the tunnel leading outside the cave.
Orochimaru had nothing more to say either. He shot Manda a piercing glare before turning and walking away.
The walls of Ryuchi Cave's Snake Lair were still entangled with countless venomous snakes, scenes of cannibalism constantly unfolding among them. The stagnant stench of corpses accumulated over centuries ranked as one of the most potent poisons in the Ninja World. As Orochimaru strode through that place, he didn't just remain calm—he looked almost thrilled.
This underground world was made for him!
Unfortunately, with his current abilities, he couldn't even handle the floating Tamayu before him, let alone oppose the White Snake Sage. Replacing him was simply impossible.
But if he could obtain the legendary Wood Release ability, there might be some chance.
Just as Orochimaru was lost in thought, the space ahead suddenly opened wide.
Ryuchi Cave's temple appeared right before his eyes.
Orochimaru was startled inwardly!
He was certain he hadn't walked far yet. Seeing how the tunnel seemed bottomless, he couldn't understand how he'd suddenly arrived at the temple entrance.
"The ancestor awaits within the temple."
Tamayu descended slowly as well, observing Orochimaru's expression of shock while secretly feeling amused: "There's no need for surprise. It's just a minor trick of the Space-Time Sage Techniques!"
"Indeed, the Sage Arts of Ryuchi Cave are truly extraordinary!"
Orochimaru quickly regained his composure. After giving this brief appraisal, he strode toward the temple.
The two other goddesses standing guard on either side of the temple entrance immediately pushed open the doors and bowed slightly into the temple interior.
As Orochimaru stepped in, the chamber stretched out vast and imposing before him.
Seated high beneath the dragon-head statue was the White Snake Sage, appearing in the form of an old crone, looking down coldly at the late-arriving Orochimaru.
"Hail the White Snake Ancestor."
Naturally, Orochimaru wouldn't deliberately provoke the White Snake Sage, so he immediately bowed respectfully.
"You're finally here."
Nothing that occurred in Ryuchi Cave escaped the White Snake Sage's notice, so when Tamayu performed the reverse summoning to call Orochimaru, the difficulties and hesitation she faced were clearly observed by the White Snake Sage.
However, as a Sage, there were always matters one had to overlook. After all, it was an undeniable fact that the ninja snakes of Ryuchi Cave often disrespected their contract ninja. Strong individuals always had a strong sense of self, so it was only natural they wouldn't feel much loyalty to Ryuchi Cave.
"I had something come up earlier. I hope the White Snake Sage Master won't take offense," Orochimaru slightly covered for his tardiness.
"As long as you're here now. Some things should be judged by intent, not merely by actions," the White Snake Sage replied, hinting at something deeper.
Orochimaru simply acted as though he didn't understand its implication.
As for his true intentions, of course, they weren't meant for outsiders to know.
"May I ask the Sage Master, what are your orders for this summoning?"
Orochimaru asked directly.
"Not long ago, that old toad from Mount Myoboku paid a visit and mentioned something," the White Snake Sage said slowly.
And while bringing up this matter, it carefully observed Orochimaru's expression.
Seeing that Orochimaru showed no reaction—neither emotionally nor facially—it continued, "It wishes to restore order and revive the traditional order the Ninja World was meant to uphold, so it proposed an alliance between Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave."
"Restore orthodoxy?"
Orochimaru smirked slightly. "And what exactly constitutes the Ninja World's so-called orthodoxy?"
"The direction history is meant to follow—that's what defines the true orthodoxy of the Ninja World," the White Snake Sage answered ambiguously.
So Orochimaru decided not to beat around the bush anymore. "Then tell me, what exactly is this historical path heading toward?"
"The Toad Sage can glimpse the future, and Ryuchi Cave understands the past. That is the orthodox tradition of the Ninja World," the White Snake Sage stated openly. "Anyone who tries to change this is going against the natural course of history!"
"Is that so?"
Orochimaru found it even more ridiculous now.
In his eyes, both Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave—his own summoned beast partner—were merely groups of outcasts lurking in the shadows. Their biggest function was providing assistance to ninja. Indeed, the reason the three great sacred places were collectively known as the Summoned Beast Holy Places was because, even among ninja who knew of their existence, most saw these 'holy' lands as nothing more than places offering partners—or servants—who responded to ninja summons and fought for them.
Now, hearing that the White Snake Sage actually talked about the Toad Sage's intention to "restore order," Orochimaru found the idea truly absurd!
Yet with the White Snake Sage right before him, Orochimaru chose silence instead of protest, dismissing the entire exchange as the ramblings of a delusional old fool.
"Therefore, you need to contact the Chijinkai from Mount Myoboku," the White Snake Sage continued without concern for Orochimaru's thoughts. "If the two holy places join forces, the ninja snakes of Ryuchi Cave will be under your command!"
Orochimaru still remained silent.
"If you have any objections, speak them boldly!"
The White Snake Sage's tone clearly showed some displeasure now.
"And me?"
Orochimaru slowly muttered an odd, seemingly irrelevant question.
"You shall command all the ninja snakes of Ryuchi Cave! Any serpent entering the Ninja World will obey your orders!"
The White Snake Sage reiterated, "Even the Sanjinki (Three Goddesses) will follow your commands if they enter the Ninja World!"
"So, is this Ryuchi Cave's final decision?"
Orochimaru found this utterly presumptuous!
Though he had become obsessed with endless self-experiments that transformed his body into something far removed from ordinary humans—leaving barely any trace of his former self except for his outward appearance—he still firmly regarded himself as one of "humanity" in terms of inner identity.
This self-perception did not stem from attachment to physical form but from a deep-seated adherence to human essence within his soul.
Yet now, these mere outsiders dared claim authority over correcting the course of the entire Ninja World, which made Orochimaru rather uncomfortable!
"It hadn't been decided yet," said the White Snake Sage, "but even without joining forces with Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave won't remain dormant forever."
"Now the storm clouds of chaos were beginning to gather. If we Ryuchi Cave simply stand idly by while history repeats itself, we risk being overshadowed once more by Mount Myoboku and falling into another thousand-year slumber of obscurity!"
"Orochimaru! Surely you don't want to be considered inferior to Mount Myoboku's Earth Crawlers from now on!"
"I…"
Orochimaru really didn't know what to say.
He was well aware of his old friend Jiraiya's recent exploits.
And despite having caused so much trouble for the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation, he hadn't yet been branded a wanted criminal mainly because of the influence still held by Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi back in Konoha. Even so, Jiraiya had vanished from the Ninja World entirely, unwilling to show himself in his true form.
Setting those past events aside for now, the key issue was that he had just secured Hyuga Soushu's (head of the Hyuga clan) promise of an annual 3-billion-ryo investment!
When comparing Ryuchi Cave's request with the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation's actual money, his mind already determined which mattered more.
"There will be no further discussion!"
The White Snake Sage, appearing as an old hag, immediately shifted from previous feigned kindness to genuine severity.
"I understand," Orochimaru sighed helplessly as he bowed respectfully.
Still, internally he had resolved that while he might contact Jiraiya, he wouldn't sever ties with the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation. Pretending compliance or even selling this information to Hyuga Soushu for favor was a good alternative anyway—if push came to shove, he could always sever ties with Ryuchi Cave entirely.
"If that's settled, return first then," said the White Snake Sage, still indifferent toward Orochimaru whom it saw as nothing more than an insignificant ant.
But it also understood the trick of giving someone a slap and then handing them a salve.
Thus, a scroll rose from atop its high seat and drifted slowly into Orochimaru's hands.
"What is this…?"
Orochimaru's eyelid twitched noticeably.
"This is Ryuchi Cave's [Sage Art] Manual. You may study it, but remember—you must never disclose it!"
The White Snake Sage said, "If you can gather natural energy within the environment of the Ninja World, I will lower the requirements and bestow upon you the true Sage Art of Ryuchi Cave!"
"I understand."
Orochimaru quickly calmed himself, put away the scroll, and then bowed respectfully.
Once certain the White Snake Sage had no further orders, he respectfully withdrew and left the temple.
Meanwhile, far away in Konoha, Hiashi Hyuga—who was currently under house arrest—was facing a strange black sludge monster that had suddenly appeared. Though he didn't strike or call for backup, his mind was racing with suspicions.
This sludge monster had appeared very suddenly, and its identity was highly suspicious—especially since it claimed to be a creation of the Hyuga Tennin, an assertion that came out of nowhere.
The problem was, it knew nearly all the secret stories related to the Hyuga Clan, speaking about them fluently and without hesitation, not making a single mistake.
And that was what made things particularly strange.
That was exactly why Hiashi hadn't attacked right away—he chose to listen carefully as the sludge monster laid out its bizarre yet compelling claims.
"I know you don't believe this, but this is the truth," Zetsu Black said calmly. "Besides, I have evidence."
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