Ryūchi Cave! White Snake Sage!

Yao had always been the type to return respect with respect.

Since Aoda was mild-mannered and didn't immediately demand a sacrifice or speak rudely, Yao became much more polite in return.

"Hello!"

Yao said, "I'm Uchiha Yao. I just received the summoning contract for Ryūchi Cave from Lord Orochimaru."

"You're the first Summoning Animal I've successfully summoned."

"It's nice to meet you. I look forward to your guidance from now on."

Aoda's pale yellow serpentine eyes looked Yao up and down with suspicion:

"Summoning me on your first try? Your Chakra reserves... aren't bad!"

"But!"

"Having a lot of Chakra alone doesn't guarantee you can summon me."

Hearing this, Yao raised an eyebrow slightly, but instead of getting angry:

"Oh? Talk is cheap. Want to give it a try? A fight?"

He didn't need a Summoning Animal like Manda, who demanded a hundred living sacrifices before agreeing to work.

So it was necessary to let the other party understand his strength, which would make future cooperation smoother.

"Fine!"

Aoda's reply was simple and direct, its serpentine body swaying slightly:

"Let me see what ability the contractor Lord Orochimaru has chosen has."

"Then forgive the offense!"

As the words fell, Yao clapped his hands together sharply in front of his chest!

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Burial!"

Rumble!

The ground where Aoda coiled shook violently as countless thick, tough vines and tree roots burst from the earth.

At an astonishing speed, they wound around Aoda's massive body.

These wooden restraints weren't just immensely strong—they carried a harsh, sealing force that countered a snake's natural flexibility.

In an instant, Aoda was bound tightly from head to tail.

Aoda struggled fiercely, unleashing enough force to crush boulders, but found it couldn't break free for the moment.

These woods were harder than imagined, and they kept tightening.

What's more, a strange Chakra was suppressing its power.

"This is... Wood Release?"

Aoda's pale yellow vertical pupils finally showed shock.

It finally understood why Orochimaru had given the contract to this youth—this was no ordinary boy.

After struggling a few more times and realizing it truly couldn't escape by brute force alone, Aoda decisively stopped.

With its gentle nature, once it saw the other party truly had the strength to suppress it, its attitude shifted immediately.

"I concede!"

Aoda said bluntly, "Lord Yao's strength is formidable. I was presumptuous. Please guide me from now on!"

Its address had jumped straight from "kid" to "Lord Yao"—it knew how to read the room.

Yao focused his mind.

The Wood Release binding Aoda quickly loosened and retracted into the ground.

He smiled: "Looking forward to working together. Now, as a partner, there's something I'd like your help with."

"Please speak!"

Aoda said respectfully.

"I want to go to Ryūchi Cave and learn the Sage Art of Ryūchi Cave!"

Yao stated his ultimate goal directly, "I need someone to introduce me, or at least tell me how to get there!"

"Sage Art?"

Aoda's pupils contracted. It fell silent, as if weighing something or communicating through some method.

After a moment.

Aoda spoke: "I can't decide this on my own. I need to consult the higher-ups. Please wait a moment, Lord Yao!"

With that, it voluntarily dispelled the summoning and returned to Ryūchi Cave.

Yao stood still and waited.

About half an hour later, a strange pulling sensation descended.

It was as if an invisible spatial vortex was trying to suck him away!

"Is this the Reverse Summoning Technique?"

Yo did not resist the force. Instead, he relaxed his body, allowing the summoning energy to envelop him completely.

The next moment.

Yo vanished from his spot and reappeared deep within a massive cavern.

A damp, cold air thick with the smell of earth and an ancient, reptilian musk filled his nostrils.

Beneath his feet was slick, rocky ground. Above him, a ceiling hung with countless stalactites, impossibly high.

The dripping of water echoed through the emptiness, adding to the profound silence.

Winding passages branched off in every direction throughout the cave, leading to unknown places.

In the dense darkness, it felt as though countless eyes were watching.

Directly ahead of him stood a man-made platform.

The platform was built from rough-hewn stone, and coiled at its center was a massive snake, its body pure white like jade.

Even just coiled there, it resembled a small hill.

Its scales were fine and smooth, shimmering with a gentle luster in the faint light.

It lacked the cold, fearsome aura of ordinary snakes, instead exuding an ancient, sacred, and profound presence.

On either side of its head, above the eyes, grew horn-like protrusions, and long white whiskers hung from its lower jaw.

Its eyes were closed, its head slightly lowered, as if dozing.

This was the White Snake Sage!

A thousand-year serpent that had lived since the era of Kaguya!

Yo's arrival did not seem to disturb the White Snake Sage. It remained in that contemplative or slumbering pose.

But Yo could feel a vast, gentle, yet omnipresent sense of "observation" settling over him.

It wasn't from physical eyes, but a direct pressure on his spiritual level.

Just then, the White Snake Sage's long white lashes trembled slightly, and it slowly opened its eyes.

They were not the vertical pupils of a snake, but like the finest amber—clear, transparent, yet profound.

It looked Yo up and down.

After a moment, an aged voice echoed through the cavern:

"The powers of Uchiha and Senju, rarely intertwined in a single body!"

"Young contractor, the threads of fate are wound around you... both clear... and chaotic."

The White Snake Sage raised its massive head slightly, its voice flat and emotionless:

"You have come to Ryūchi Cave, seeking to master the power of the Sage?"

Yo gave a slight bow: "White Snake Sage, I have come to Ryūchi Cave hoping to learn Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode!"

The White Snake Sage's amber eyes fixed quietly on Yo. After a few seconds of silence, it spoke slowly:

"To learn the sage arts of my Ryūchi Cave... according to tradition, you must undergo a trial of training."

"Only those who prove their will and aptitude are qualified to cultivate Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode."

"However... with your power, ordinary trials are unnecessary for you. This hurdle is waived!"

Yo understood in his heart.

He was naturally different from those brats like Boruto.

The gap in combat strength was too great!

Relying on those three female snakes—Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime—to test him was clearly not enough!

The White Snake Sage knew this, so it simply skipped the trial outright.

"But whether you can ultimately tame the violent natural energy and perfectly fuse it with your own Chakra..."

The White Snake Sage continued: "The dangers and obstacles along the way can only be understood and overcome by you yourself."

"I understand!"

Yo nodded solemnly. He naturally knew the risks of cultivating sage arts.

In his past life, he had read many web novels. If you compared Chakra to a cultivator's mana, inner energy, or true qi.

Then Natural Energy was equivalent to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Controlling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth came with enormous risks!

"Then, extend your hand! First, you must personally experience... what Natural Energy is."

As the White Snake Sage spoke, its massive head leaned forward slightly, and it bit down on Yo's hand, injecting Natural Energy.

"Urgh!"