Invitation from Ryūchi Cave

This is interesting...

Watching those few small snakes, Orochimaru curled his lips into a smile.

To prevent accidents during experiments or interference from irrelevant people, he had set up a warning barrier around his laboratory.

Although it was only the most basic type, serving primarily as an early warning system with no defensive capabilities.

Yet these small snakes... had actually managed to sneak in here without triggering the barrier or alerting him at all?

Now, this was interesting.

In this world, the only place he could think of that produced snake-type summon beasts capable of such a feat was...

Ryūchi Cave!

As expected.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, those few little white snakes had already slithered to his feet.

They raised their heads, their cold, slit pupils staring silently at Orochimaru.

The next moment, the small snakes fused together out of thin air, eventually transforming into an ancient-looking scroll that lay quietly on the ground.

Bestowing life upon inorganic matter...

Orochimaru bent down and picked up the scroll.

The moment his fingertips touched it, a stream of information flooded into his mind.

The content was exceptionally concise and clear:

"If you seek the power of Sage Mode, you may enter this gate."

"..."

Holding the scroll, Orochimaru's expression became somewhat strange.

No way? Such a coincidence?

He had just been thinking about going to Mount Myoboku to "observe" Jiraiya's Sage Mode training, collect some data, and perhaps even sign a contract or something.

And yet, an invitation from Ryūchi Cave had been delivered right to his doorstep?

Was it a pure coincidence?

Or was it that... the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave also possessed some kind of precognitive ability similar to the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku?

Or perhaps his previous attempts to sense and absorb natural energy had caught their attention?

Orochimaru rubbed his chin, thinking rapidly.

Although the timing was too coincidental, making him feel a bit more vigilant.

But this invitation... had come at exactly the right time.

He might not be able to go to Mount Myoboku, and even if he did, he might not necessarily learn Sage Mode.

But as for Ryūchi Cave, while it was also full of unknowns, at least it was an active invitation.

"Regardless, I'll go and see for myself."

Orochimaru quickly made his decision.

The currently known paths to learn and understand Sage Mode were none other than the Three Great Sage Regions—Mount Myoboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest.

Other than that, there were special constitutions like that of Jugo, who could naturally absorb and utilize natural energy, but such things were rare and impossible to seek out.

Now that Ryūchi Cave had proactively extended an olive branch, although the motive was unclear, it was indeed a rare opportunity.

If he missed this, he didn't know how long he would have to wait for the next chance.

Thinking of this, he quickly formed hand seals.

"Poof!"

A puff of white smoke dissipated, and a Shadow Clone appeared on the spot.

"You stay here, just in case."

"If I encounter danger or there is no news for a long time, you must immediately attempt to summon me back."

Orochimaru instructed the Shadow Clone; this was his insurance policy.

"Understood."

The Shadow Clone nodded and remained quietly in place.

After making preparations, Orochimaru injected chakra into the scroll in his hand.

Hum!

The runes on the scroll lit up, and the space began to distort.

This was a reverse summoning scroll, and the destination should be the legendary Ryūchi Cave.

A slight sense of dizziness washed over him.

By the time Orochimaru regained his footing, the scene before him had completely changed.

He found himself standing inside a massive underground cavern.

The ceiling was embedded with ores that emitted a faint green glow, illuminating the surroundings.

The air was thick with a damp, chilly scent, carrying a faint, fishy stench.

Not far ahead of him stood a magnificent palace, its ornate style completely out of place with the surrounding landscape.

At the entrance of the palace stood a woman dressed in white court robes.

With long green hair, a golden crown upon her head, skin that was excessively pale, narrow golden slit pupils, and red eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes, she looked both bewitching and beautiful.

Seeing Orochimaru appear, the woman smiled and bowed slightly.

"We have been waiting for a long time, Lord Orochimaru."

"I am Tagorihime, and I have been ordered by the White Snake Sage to receive you here."

As she spoke, she stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.

"The White Snake Sage has already prepared a banquet inside the palace; please, follow me."

Orochimaru observed her calmly, then swept a glance over the "palace."

He followed Tagorihime into the palace.

The hall was brightly lit and set with a long banquet table piled high with various "delicacies," the aroma filling the air.

Noticing Orochimaru's gaze lingering on the food, Tagorihime covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"These are delicacies prepared specifically for Lord Orochimaru; please, enjoy them as you wish."

"There is no need."

Orochimaru withdrew his gaze, his tone indifferent.

"I have no interest in this rotting meat."

"Hmm?"

The smile on Tagorihime's face stiffened for a moment.

She slowly turned her head, her neck stretching out at an inhuman, eerie angle until it was right in front of Orochimaru.

Her scarlet tongue licked her lips, revealing sharp fangs, and a flicker of surprise and coldness flashed through her golden slit pupils.

"Oh? How did you see through it?"

Her voice became hoarse and low, accompanied by the characteristic hissing of a snake.

"A mere parlor trick; take me to see the White Snake Sage."

Orochimaru scoffed, completely ignoring her threat.

The woman's genjutsu certainly had some merit, but that was all it amounted to.

The principle of genjutsu is to interfere with the target's five senses through chakra, which is essentially an application of Yin Release chakra.

And the reason he could break it was thanks to the Qimen Visualization Technique he had learned in the world of The Outcast.

This method is used by sorcerers to introspect upon themselves and observe the world, presenting the abstract Qimen Qi formations as visual graphics.

Seeing through falsehoods and looking directly at the truth is one of its fundamental functions...

This was the embodiment of the differences between the two worlds; in the Naruto world, to achieve this level, one would at least need a Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan or the Byakugan.

Unless it was a genjutsu on the level of Izanagi, Izanami, or Kotoamatsukami, it could not deceive his "eyes of truth."

"..."

Tagorihime stared at Orochimaru for a few seconds before her elongated neck slowly retracted, returning to the form of a human woman.

The coldness and surprise on her face gradually faded, replaced by a thoughtful, scrutinizing expression.

No wonder... no wonder the White Snake Sage had specifically instructed her to personally invite this human named Orochimaru.

He truly had some tricks up his sleeve.

"Hmph, what a boring man."

Tagorihime curled her lip and waved her hand dismissively.

Crash!

The scene before them shattered inch by inch like a broken mirror.

The magnificent palace vanished, replaced by a gloomy, damp, and massive cavern.

Those so-called "delicacies" also revealed their true form—piles of foul-smelling rotting meat and broken bones, with maggots even wriggling upon them.

In the surrounding corners, piles of bleached white bones were stacked in staggering numbers.

This was the true face of Ryūchi Cave.

Orochimaru turned a blind eye to it all, his expression remaining completely unchanged.

"This way."

Tagorihime snorted coldly at the sight, turned around, and walked toward the depths of the cavern.

Orochimaru stepped forward to follow.

The cave was deep and winding; after walking for about ten minutes, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

A much larger underground space appeared before his eyes.

At the end of the space stood a stone throne constructed from massive boulders.

Coiled upon the stone throne was an unimaginably enormous white snake!

Its body was covered in snow-white scales, each one the size of a door panel, shimmering with a cold, metallic luster.

The giant snake head was held high, its golden slit pupils like two small suns, radiating an imposing and ancient aura.

Merely existing there brought forth a suffocating, immense pressure.

Without a doubt, this was the master of Ryūchi Cave, the one who had lived for over a thousand years, one of the Three Great Sage Regions' masters: the White Snake Sage!

"Lord White Snake Sage, Orochimaru has been brought here."

Tagorihime bowed respectfully, then silently retreated to the side, fading into the shadows.

The massive White Snake Sage lowered her head, her gaze, heavy as a mountain, falling upon Orochimaru.

That gaze seemed capable of piercing through the soul.

A moment later, a flash of white light occurred.

The colossal snake body vanished, replaced by a short, wrinkled old woman leaning on a cane, who appeared on the stone throne.

She looked like an ordinary human crone, yet those golden slit pupils still retained an inhuman majesty.

"Hehehe..."

The old woman let out a raspy laugh, her gaze locked onto Orochimaru.

"I know you, Orochimaru."

"I also know that you are seeking the power of senjutsu."

"I can teach you the senjutsu of our Ryūchi Cave."

Here it comes.

Orochimaru understood clearly in his heart.

He was not surprised that the White Snake Sage knew his purpose.

The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku could dream of the future and concoct a script about some "Child of Prophecy."

As a master of one of the Three Great Sage Regions, it was not strange for the White Snake Sage to take notice of a "little guy" like him, who had recently emerged in the Ninja World and was exploring natural energy.

What he cared about was something else.

"If I am not mistaken, those corpses outside must be the people who sought senjutsu, right?"

"Since you are so easily agreeing to teach me senjutsu, there must be a reason, right?"

Orochimaru looked directly at the old woman transformed from the White Snake Sage and asked the question weighing on his mind.

He did not believe she simply found him pleasing to the eye...

"Hehehe, you guessed correctly; those fellows outside are the ones who failed the trial..."

"As for the reason for your special treatment~"

The White Snake Sage laughed again at his words, the wrinkles on her face bunching together.

"There is no special reason."

"If I had to say..."

"It is just that in you, I see the possibility of 'change'."

A strange glint flashed within her golden slit pupils.

"So, are you willing to learn the senjutsu of our Ryūchi Cave? Orochimaru."

The possibility of change?

What kind of reason is that? Isn't it too vague?

Orochimaru frowned slightly, feeling as though she were speaking in riddles.

However...

He thought about it carefully.

Risks... there were certainly risks.

But the opportunity to learn senjutsu could not be missed...

"Very well, I am willing to learn."

Orochimaru took a deep breath and nodded.

However.

The very instant his voice fell!

A sudden change occurred!

The old woman transformed from the White Snake Sage wore a strange, eerie smile on her face.

Her neck suddenly stretched forward, moving at an extreme speed!

It gave Orochimaru absolutely no time to react!

Snap!

Sharp fangs bit fiercely into Orochimaru's shoulder!