"Do you think old man Six Paths still won't make a move and will just send a dream to Nagato?"
Hearing Genie Lamp say this, Orochimaru's face showed a hint of a smile.
This was indeed the easiest method in terms of time and effort. As long as his identity could be proven, Nagato would naturally believe a living immortal rather than someone like Obito, who had little credibility.
However, having suffered so much, Nagato was fundamentally softer in nature than Orochimaru. He wasn't the kind of madman who would forcefully grasp the throat of destiny.
If such a person knew about the existence of the Sage of Six Paths, he would instinctively hope that the Sage would shoulder the burden of peace for the ninja world. If they were to really communicate, it was unlikely Nagato would let the Sage of Six Paths off easily.
Could Nagato actually influence the Sage of Six Paths...
Orochimaru's mind flashed with this thought when Jiraiya's anxious voice came from outside the door, "Orochimaru, Orochimaru..."
The door was knocked on with a thudding sound. Orochimaru pulled open the large door and blocked Jiraiya's punch with his hand. "What's going on?"
"...We've found the source of the threat." Jiraiya frowned, his expression more serious than ever. "Quick, go take a look. If you're not sure you can handle it, we'll leave Mount Myōboku immediately."
"..." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly, finding Jiraiya's attitude rather strange.
This guy was an observer in the battle of Amegakure and knew very well that Orochimaru hadn't used his full strength back then. Even so, he still thought Orochimaru couldn't block this so-called threat?
This thought flashing through his mind, Orochimaru replied with a "Okay" and then rushed off into the distance with Jiraiya.
...
East of Mount Myōboku, beyond the sand dune labyrinth, lay a vast expanse of yellow desert.
Normally, this was also the path for ninjas heading to Mount Myōboku. This time, however, the toads welcomed a special guest.
Fukasaku and Shima Sage, Gamabunta, Gamaken... almost all the battle-ready members of Mount Myōboku, their bodies coated in oil to prevent Shisui's evaporation, stood on several not-very-high hills, forming an honor guard.
In the distance, the vibrating sound of the earth had already arrived, like rumbling thunder, growing louder and louder. It was only just now that the toads saw a yellow line stretching for several miles appear at the junction of the eastern sky and desert.
It approached like a wave, constantly drawing nearer, gradually lengthening and thickening, cutting across the desert.
Even without seeing what was behind the yellow line, the overwhelming, earth-shattering momentum made it easy for the toads to imagine a terrain that looked like it had been erased flat by an eraser.
Without a doubt, when that thing arrived, Mount Myōboku would also be reduced to rubble.
"What on earth is that thing?"
Fukasaku Sage's eyes widened, a hint of fear and hesitation in his gaze.
Even sages who had mastered natural energy were no different from helpless mortals in the face of this natural disaster-like terrifying sight. If they were to resist, they would be crushed into powder by the wheels.
"Old man, wake the Great Lord. Let's pack up and run. We can still make it."
Shima Sage, showing her cowardly nature, offered a very insightful opinion:
"No matter what that thing is, we can come back after it passes."
"There's no need to risk our lives for some houses and trees."
"..." Hearing this, Shima Sage glanced at the other toads and found that they had similar thoughts. She didn't know what to say.
Taking a step back leads to broader skies... but if it were that simple? Why would the Great Lord make a deal with Orochimaru? The prophecy stated this was a crisis for the survival of Mount Myōboku.
Normally, they could joke about the Great Lord being old and muddled, but on this matter, Shima Sage believed the Great Lord wouldn't be wrong.
While hesitating, Orochimaru descended from the sky and said, "If you run away, you can indeed save your lives, but in doing so, you'll have to relocate."
Fukasaku Sage was initially happy to see Orochimaru, then became confused. "What do you mean?"
"I just went to take a look. This giant snake doesn't just move mountains and fill seas..." Orochimaru's brow furrowed deeply. "It will also devour all the earth vein energy. Once Mount Myōboku is crushed by it, the earth veins will likely wither completely."
Thinking of that possibility, all the toads' eyes widened. Fukasaku Sage, however, was surprised. "You say this is... a 'snake,' a flat snake several kilometers wide?"
"It's not flat; what you're seeing is its body." Orochimaru glanced at the astonished toads and then looked to the east. "Although it's hard to believe, it's moving sideways."
In fact, Orochimaru was also very shocked at this moment. It wasn't because of the snake's size, nor because of whether it was moving vertically or horizontally, but because he recognized this snake.
"Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, the seed I preserved after shattering my body has grown so large."
Genie Lamp's body had shrunk into a thin thread, the other end observing the 'little yellow snake' moving sideways from the actual location and sighing, "Looking at it, it's still performing 'Sun Breathing' to absorb solar energy... Wait, no way?"
"Could it be that this guy is heading towards Mount Myōboku in this posture because of the sun?"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed at this. Although it sounded like a fantasy, Genie Lamp's guess was somewhat plausible.
There was a plant in the ninja world called the bellflower. To get enough sunlight, its flower clusters would turn with the sun. It was likely that if this thing had legs, it would also run west as the sun set in the west.
Orochimaru was curious, however, what would the 'Ouroboros' do if the area to the west was no longer a desert but an ocean?
Would it stop at the coastline, or would it have some peculiar method to continue its westward journey?
If it was the latter, then this would not only be a crisis for Mount Myōboku, but also a preview of a certain disaster for the future ninja world.
"This is really troublesome."
Orochimaru complained but showed no sign of discouragement. His eyes, instead, were filled with interest.
He had gone to great lengths to find creatures rich in natural energy, and now one had come right to his doorstep!
Troublesome? Of course, it would be troublesome. If he obtained it easily and without effort, Orochimaru would worry if it might be poisonous.
"Besides confirming it's the 'Ouroboros,' did you figure out anything else?"
Orochimaru's gaze turned to Genie Lamp, his eyes questioning.
Although quality was higher than quantity, a size like the 'little yellow snake' was capable of flattening everything. In fact, it was doing just that.
But Orochimaru didn't believe that it had grown to such a size in just over a month without any cost, even if it could use 'Sun Breathing' for ample energy replenishment.
"Its body is almost entirely composed of sandy fungal spores. It looks fragile, but its spirit is not scattered..."
Genie Lamp stroked its chin. "The Ouroboros is no longer the little White Snake it was before. After gaining a body, it seems to have become some kind of collective consciousness."
"In other words, injuries that would be fatal to ordinary creatures might be harmless to the little yellow snake. It can split apart and then reassemble."
"But this means its own defense won't be very strong..." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he looked into the far distance. "If it's divided into pieces, its attack power will also decrease."
"Do you have any ideas?" Genie Lamp turned its gaze.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Just some experiments... I don't know how strong its regenerative ability is."
As he spoke, his gaze turned to the toads of Mount Myōboku, urging them, "What are you still standing around for? Get going! Do you want to wait until the battlefield reaches Mount Myōboku?"
After a moment of silence, Fukasaku Sage said, "...Lord Orochimaru, we are willing to defend our home, but we don't want to die."
Although it was difficult to accept the loss of Mount Myōboku emotionally, and relocating the tribe would be more difficult than imagined, it was still better than the entire clan being wiped out.
"I'm not asking you to die. That flat snake isn't as strong as you think... If you have to say it, it's more like a plant."
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled. "Besides, I'll help you too."
As he spoke, he quickly formed hand seals, and a surge of Chakra emanated from his body. "Summoning Technique!"
Instantly, a white smoke rose, obscuring the toads' vision. Even more terrifying was the soul-deep fear they felt, as if they were facing their natural predator.
"What is that..." Shima Sage clutched her chest, suppressing the palpitation in her heart. At this moment, a massive White Snake head emerged from the smoke, its eyes shining with golden light, scaring her heart almost out of her chest.
"Orochimaru, I never gave you permission to summon me..."
White Snake Sage turned her gaze to the toads, flicking her crimson tongue. "But for the sake of these snacks, I'll let it slide this time."
The toads of Mount Myōboku, infused with natural energy for who knows how many years, didn't need any complex preparation. A simple bite would allow them to savor the most delicious flavor.
Facing White Snake Sage's ravenous gaze, the toads felt a chill in their hearts and involuntarily retreated, cursing Orochimaru in their minds. Now, before defending their home, they had to fight this thing.
"This time, I invited you for a big meal, but not for these toads."
Orochimaru raised his hand and pointed to the east, smiling. "Look, the target is over there. Eat all you want if you dare."
White Snake Sage had already noticed the surge of natural energy. However, when she truly cast her gaze, her heart still skipped a beat.
She had survived in the ninja world for thousands of years. Even the world before its destruction was imprinted in her memory. She had never seen anything like this thing that was like a snake but not a snake.
With her discerning eyes, she could tell that its body was not made of flesh and blood, but more like the roots of a Divine Tree. Perhaps... it was truly edible.
Thinking of this, White Snake Sage's mouth began to salivate uncontrollably.
Her previous transformation surgery had depleted most of her thousand years of accumulation. After that, neither Orochimaru nor the Sage of Six Paths allowed her to deplete the earth veins for her own benefit, severely limiting her recovery and growth. This might be a good opportunity.
Therefore, White Snake Sage made a decisive move and lunged towards the little yellow snake.
With a rumble, sand and stones flew, and the earth trembled.
"Are you still just going to watch?"
Orochimaru's gaze turned to the toads of Mount Myōboku, and he said loudly, "Everyone, listen to my orders. I will split it up, and then I will assign you to deal with corresponding parts."
Fukasaku Sage and the other toads snapped back to reality, following in White Snake Sage's footsteps. Orochimaru flew at the end, taking on the role of supervisor and commander.
"..."
White Snake Sage moved at a rapid pace, reaching the 'little yellow snake' in almost an instant. Her raised snake tail suddenly swept down like a battle axe.
For a moment, the wind howled, and earth and stones surged.
Almost instinctively, layers of sand and stones churned up, forming a thick shield at the point where the 'battle axe' was about to land. Its solidity was clearly extraordinary.
But a hint of disdain flashed in White Snake Sage's eyes. The Senjutsu Chakra on her body surged, actually depriving the opponent of some control and causing the shield to scatter by more than half.
"Using Earth Release in front of me?"
With a huge boom, the strike directly caved in its flesh, and its thousands of meters long body even stopped for a moment.
A hint of triumph flashed in White Snake Sage's eyes. She had experience dealing with this kind of creature. Cutting, chopping... moves that only affected the surface would not have much effect. Direct force was needed.
She could sense the position of the wound. A large area of biological cells had died. Next, she should...
White Snake Sage opened her mouth, but before she could bite, her expression suddenly changed.
She saw that the necrotic tissue within this sand snake's body was being madly devoured by her own cells, almost completely digested in the blink of an eye. If she were to bite now, she would be biting live biological cells.
Knowing how terrifying these parasitic cell tissues were, White Snake Sage dared not bite. She forcefully suppressed her urge and closed her mouth.
She exasperatedly said, "What kind of monster is this?"
Even the roots of the Divine Tree from a thousand years ago couldn't digest themselves, and it possessed such terrifying regenerative ability.
Orochimaru, as an observer, perceived some information. "White Snake Sage, look carefully. Even without your attack, it is constantly dying and being reborn."
Using 'Sun Breathing' had terrifying side effects. Besides the mental pressure, it also left behind burning aftereffects on the body.
Even after her transformation in Roran and enduring countless trials on her journey to this place, these aftereffects were still very damaging. Therefore, the 'Ouroboros' instinctively decided to directly devour those fungal spores and then generate new ones.
Whether it would fully adapt in the future was another matter, but at least it had survived.
"It's truly a strange thing," White Snake Sage exclaimed, "But not completely strange. Humans themselves are strange things with constantly dying and being reborn cells within their bodies, they just don't have such terrifying recovery abilities."
"But in that case, how can we deal with this guy?"
White Snake Sage's gaze turned to Orochimaru. "Do you have any good ideas?"
If Orochimaru's answer was no, then she would retreat this time.