"It should be somewhere in these mountains. Let's keep looking..."
Akaseki was flying through a mountainous region along the Land of Rivers' border, riding Tanuki Treasure in Vermilion Bird form.
Ryūchi Cave, one of the Three Great Sage Regions, was somewhere here.
Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave were all actually within the Shinobi World. However, each had powerful space-time seals, so they almost never appeared directly in it.
For humans, and even the ninja beasts of the Three Great Sage Regions themselves, entering or leaving these three forbidden regions usually required space-time techniques-the most typical examples being the Summoning Technique and the Reverse Summoning Technique.
Very few ever simply "walked" inside...
However, what the Sage of Six Paths had left Akaseki was only a "coordinate" to guide him-not actual numerical coordinates, but a chakra mark that functioned something like a "password." Once he acquired it, he could sense the approximate location it pointed toward, and it would activate naturally when he got close.
"Akaseki, there seems to be a village over there," Orochimaru said, looking at a settlement nestled in a mountain hollow.
"Mm." Akaseki paid him little mind. You think I can't see the village? Does a live-in son-in-law like you have a Sharingan?
"The Senjutsu Chakra associated with Ryūchi Cave is extremely violent. It may affect the humans living nearby." Seeing that Akaseki had not reacted, Orochimaru gave him a little explanation.
Hearing this, Akaseki nodded solemnly. "Mm, I know. I just wanted to take a look over there first..."
Orochimaru: ... Akaseki stubbornly took a roundabout route before finally landing near the settlement.
Orochimaru had already grown somewhat used to this.
Lately, Orochimaru had spent more time in the Uchiha Clan's compound than Akaseki had!
Jiraiya had insisted on giving himself a vacation, while Tsunade