Pushing open the temple door, Sosuke suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.
Why did powerful nonhuman beings always seem to like hiding in temples?
The White Snake Sage lived in a temple, and the Great Toad Sage had built one for his own training. Even Isshiki, that parasite, went to a temple every day to burn incense and pray to Buddha.
He'd been tapping that wooden fish for a thousand years, but it didn't seem to have gotten him anywhere.
"If I remember correctly, the White Snake Sage's true form is the Phosphorus Great Snake."
Thinking of the powerful figure he was about to meet, Sosuke couldn't help but think of Ryūchi Cave's finest successor, Orochimaru.
It was hard to say whether Orochimaru's choice to transform himself into a Phosphorus Great Snake had been influenced by Ryūchi Cave. Perhaps his path to immortality was simply an attempt at imitation.
Anyone would find it hard not to learn from a being that had lived for thousands of years and still possessed such vigorous vitality.
As for her strength, it was hard to assess the White Snake Sage's level. But Sosuke had never underestimated Nature Energy. Its power, when gathered, was no weaker than that of the Ten-Tails at full strength.
Kurama could absorb all the natural energy from the land. Sosuke couldn't believe the White Snake Sage was incapable of doing the same.
"Whoa. When you put it that way, doesn't that mean she has Six Paths Level strength?"
As he pondered, Sosuke and Mito were led before the White Snake Sage.
"Hey, Sosuke." Feeling a little unnerved, Mito could only hide timidly behind her friend.
It wasn't that she was a coward. The White Snake Sage really did look intimidating.
With orange hair and yellow eyes, she gazed down at the two of them with detached eyes.
Her body, coiled around the throne, was enormous. Even the exposed section of her abdomen was more imposing than Kamihime after transforming.
Taking the pipe from her mouth, the White Snake Sage exhaled a long plume of smoke and looked back and forth between the two humans below.
Finally, she fixed her gaze on the boy standing at the front.
"You're the one who defeated Kamihime?"
"I didn't lose." Kamihime cut in to defend herself. "I was forced to end the test because of his Space-time Ninjutsu. At most, it was a draw."
But the beautiful snake seemed to have forgotten that just because she couldn't hit Sosuke, it didn't mean he had no way to deal with her.
The boy had complete confidence in Chidori's striking power. If it came down to a fight, he could definitely make her bleed.
The White Snake Sage clearly understood that, too. She simply stopped there to spare her daughter's pride.
After a brief pause, the White Snake Sage spoke again. "I can sense Nature Energy in you. Can you tell me how that came to be?"
At once, Kamihime turned to look at him. She hadn't sensed any trace of Nature Energy at all.
Could what the White Snake Sage said really be true? Miss Kamihime found it difficult to accept the reality of her defeat.
Sosuke had no intention of explaining. He decided to let them see for themselves.
With a thought, the Cursed Seal on the back of his neck began to spread. Before long, his body was covered in Nature Energy, making him look like a whole new person.
"I see." The White Snake Sage nodded, seemingly grasping how humans used Nature Energy.
She'd never imagined it could be used in such a novel way. It seemed that human society had indeed made remarkable progress over the years.
With a simple glance, the White Snake Sage had seen through the secret of the Cursed Seal. But her discovery left the two women beside him at a loss.
"Hey, isn't that Sosuke's Cursed Seal?" Mito blinked and slowly placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to sense the legendary Nature Energy up close.
Kamihime, still unwilling to accept her loss, studied him intently for a while. Then, suddenly, a smug smile crept onto her lips.
She realized that the boy's use of Nature Energy was crude. He couldn't even perform the steps required to gather Senjutsu Chakra.
It might have looked like a simple technique, but in reality, it had abandoned the most essential part.
"Hmph. He's not all that impressive after all."
No one noticed what Kamihime was thinking. Ever since seeing the Cursed Seal, the White Snake Sage had been lost in a strange reverie.
A long, long time passed before she finally came to her senses. She looked down at them in surprise. "Well, well. But when I think about it, perhaps it isn't so strange after all."
No one present knew what she meant. Even Kamihime, who knew the White Snake Sage best, was utterly baffled.
Cryptic riddles. Get out of Ryūchi Cave, Sosuke thought, rolling his eyes. He hated it when important figures acted as though they had secrets too profound to reveal.
But for now, he really couldn't afford to offend the White Snake Sage. Besides, he'd be coming back to study under her someday. He was very interested in Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode.
"Boy," the White Snake Sage said suddenly, "the Ninja World is full of hidden dangers. Space-time Ninjutsu may not keep you safe from everything. If you run into a problem you can't solve, you have my permission to return to Ryūchi Cave for help at any time."
Huh. The White Snake Sage was pretty reasonable. Sosuke nodded, wondering if he ought to offer a few polite words in return.
He knew how dangerous the Ninja World was: the Ōtsutsuki who wandered beyond it, Black Zetsu who had hidden for a thousand years, the moon watching them with hostile intent, and the Sage of Six Paths hiding in the Pure Land.
Not one of them was easy to deal with. He didn't even trust the Sage of Six Paths.
After consuming a Chakra Fruit, a living being evolved to another level. Someone like that might be injured, but could never be killed.
Even the mighty Sage of Six Paths had been unable to deal with his mother, Kaguya. After a thousand years, all he could do was seal her away.
Sosuke didn't believe that the Sage of Six Paths had spent a thousand years in seclusion without considering how to deal with her.
If an Ōtsutsuki who had consumed a Chakra Fruit came after them someday, Sosuke and his brother might not be able to defeat the enemy even together.
So how could they deal with an opponent of that caliber?
The answer was simple: he would have to become a Chakra Fruit consumer himself.
Whatever the truth, the Sage of Six Paths couldn't possibly be as simple as he seemed.
Besides, Sosuke didn't think he had anything the Sage of Six Paths would value. If something went wrong, the old man might not treat him the way he treated Naruto Sasuke.
"Man, there are traps everywhere."
He didn't need the White Snake Sage to remind him. He understood the dangers of the Ninja World better than anyone.
Seeing that the White Snake Sage was about to send them away, Sosuke gritted his teeth and spoke up. "I've been caught up in my clan's conflicts, fighting and wandering across battlefields this whole time. So, um..."
"Speak plainly."
"Well, I just wanted to ask if you knew where I could find some handy treasures. They don't need to be anything special—just a few Six Paths Tools, a Kusanagi Sword, a Yata Mirror, things like that."
Looking at the shameless boy below, the White Snake Sage suddenly laughed.
"A thousand years ago, I met a little fellow a lot like you."
"Huh?"
Before you continue