Testing the Officers

"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the improved Heaven and Earth Curse Mark. Would you like to claim the reward now?"

Orochimaru naturally chose the first option without hesitation, though he did not claim the reward immediately.

He was still in an unknown place. Even if he claimed it, it would be useless for now. Learning senjutsu was more important.

At that moment, Shiro, who was wrapped around his neck, quietly poked his little head out from behind Orochimaru's long hair. He had clearly sensed something unusual as well.

His forked tongue flicked back and forth through the air, as though sensing something.

Orochimaru no longer hesitated and headed straight toward the depths of Ryūchi Cave.

As he went deeper, the surroundings gradually darkened. However, many glowing stones were embedded in the walls on either side of the cave, allowing him to see the path ahead.

The damp, gloomy environment suited a snake's habitat quite well. At some point, moisture began to fill the air, carrying a rotten, decaying wood smell that hit him head-on.

"Trial-taker, welcome to Ryūchi Cave!"

Suddenly, a seductive, velvety female voice rang out. The moment it faded, Orochimaru felt the ground shake violently as stone walls from every direction slowly pressed toward him.

They stopped only five meters in front of him. Looking up, he saw that thick stone walls had sealed off all sides, while a massive boulder blocked the path ahead, forming a sealed chamber.

The boulder before him was covered in densely packed holes, and beneath it lay a small mountain of crystals.

"If you wish to pass through here, you must fill every hole in the boulder with crystals."

A breathtakingly beautiful yet somewhat eerie figure appeared before Orochimaru. She was one of the White Snake Sage's trusted attendants and one of Ryūchi Cave's elders.

There were three people responsible for screening those who came to Ryūchi Cave for trials: Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime. With the White Snake Sage's permission, anyone who failed the trials could be eaten by them.

"Interesting. I wonder which one of them you are."

Watching the beautiful woman's figure gradually vanish after explaining the trial, Orochimaru knew there was no avoiding this test.

Such a test was no challenge for him. He immediately created more than a dozen Shadow Clones and sent them rushing toward the pile of crystals.

Elsewhere, in a temple deep within Ryūchi Cave.

"Grandmother, Manda has brought that little Orochimaru back."

A bewitching woman spoke gently to the figure coiled atop the throne.

The woman was Tagitsuhime, one of Ryūchi Cave's elders and a trusted attendant of the White Snake Sage.

And the only one she would report to in such a humble manner was the master of Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage.

The White Snake Sage wore a purple silk Forehead Protector around her head, with an army-green horn-shaped ornament embedded at its front. Orange-gold hair spilled down beneath the silk, and her yellow eyes, larger than lanterns, radiated an imposing majesty even in silence.

Perhaps she had inherited dragons' fondness for collecting treasures. A green cat's-eye gemstone hung before her chest, a red luminous pearl was embedded atop her head, and two golden rings adorned her tail.

"Mm. You handle it yourselves."

Her enormous body, coiled for who knew how many meters, did not move in the slightest. Perhaps ancient monsters that had lived for thousands of years all liked to smoke. The White Snake Sage took a puff from her pipe before slowly speaking.

There was no need for her subordinates to report anything that happened within Ryūchi Cave. She knew it all perfectly well.

For all these years, the White Snake Sage had only been responsible for testing those who came to Ryūchi Cave to learn senjutsu. She never concerned herself with the outside world. Her detached, reclusive attitude made this sacred land of senjutsu worthy of its name.

Only those who came with genuine sincerity could meet her. And in her eyes, only lunatics obsessed with seeking power would come here.

Only after hearing the White Snake Sage speak did Tagitsuhime respectfully withdraw.

With a rumbling sound, the massive boulder before Orochimaru slowly shifted aside.

Though he had consumed a fair amount of Chakra, he had passed the test with ease. Besides, that amount of Chakra was nothing to his current physique.

As he continued deeper, Orochimaru did not know how many more trials awaited him. Still, they probably would not be too difficult. Otherwise, in the Original Work, Orochimaru could never have met the White Snake Sage with his crippled body.

After twisting and turning down the winding path, Orochimaru rounded a sharp bend and an ancient, towering castle appeared before him.

"Is this the second trial?"

Seeing the castle filled with all kinds of fragrant, mouthwatering delicacies, Orochimaru knew they were all conjured food.

The moment he failed to resist the temptation and took a bite, his body and Chakra would be devoured by the master of this place. These foods were nothing more than bait cast by the god of death.

Just as Orochimaru thought the trial was nothing special, a woman's coquettish laughter suddenly sounded beside his ear.

A group of beautiful women clad in sheer gauze, their bodies half-veiled and half-revealed, entered Orochimaru's sight.

The women danced gracefully toward Orochimaru. Smiling sweetly and gazing at him with seductive eyes, they surrounded him.

Soft bodies leaned against him, and he could practically feel their orchid-scented breaths by his ears. One woman gently caressed Orochimaru's cheek, while the fresh fragrance of a young maiden at the tip of his nose was enough to intoxicate anyone.

Faced with these naturally seductive beauties throwing themselves into his arms, even Orochimaru, who had seen plenty of beautiful women, felt his mouth go dry. Those soft bodies, those slender waists, those flawless, snow-white figures.

Every sensation was incredibly real, and the Eight Inner Gates Seal within his body, which resisted genjutsu, showed no reaction at all. It made everything before him feel utterly real.

Just as Orochimaru was about to reach out and touch one of the alluring beauties before him, a sharp pain shot through his neck.

"Hmm?"

Shiro had viciously bitten the area beneath his neck, near his shoulder blade. Orochimaru felt the world spin as dizziness and nausea surged through him.

Orochimaru hurriedly clutched his head and dropped to one knee, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead onto the ground.

When Orochimaru looked up again, where were the delicious foods? Where were the seductive women throwing themselves at him?

"When... did I fall under a genjutsu? How did I not notice at all?"

At that moment, Orochimaru even began to wonder whether the Eight Inner Gates Seal he had painstakingly researched with the Second Hokage had malfunctioned.

Panting heavily, Orochimaru carefully replayed everything he had experienced along the way. What detail had he overlooked?

"Could it... have been the scent?"

Orochimaru's eyes slowly narrowed. In this world, there were genjutsu cast through the eyes, genjutsu cast through sound, and genjutsu cast through movements and actions.

But he had never seen anyone use scent to cast genjutsu on another person. This method was somewhat like the hallucinogenic drugs from his previous life, except it worked without anyone noticing, and its effects were incredibly potent.

The genjutsu had been triggered from within. No wonder the Eight Inner Gates Seal had not reacted! If Shiro had not awakened him, he would likely have already fallen completely under its control.

Orochimaru stroked Shiro's head. Just as he was feeling relieved, a burst of silver-bell laughter rang out once more.