Graduation Exam

The days passed one by one.

Kabuto had been studying Senjutsu in Ryūchi Cave for more than three months.

Xuanye had heard from Manda that Kabuto had mastered Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu and was now studying under the White Snake Sage.

Apparently, his training was nearly complete.

The news let Nonō breathe a little easier, and she was proud of Kabuto's achievement.

Throughout history, only a handful of people had mastered Senjutsu. She had never imagined Kabuto would become one of them.

At the same time, she cast a cautious glance at the Hokage... No, she should call him The Shogun now.

The Shogun certainly knew how to play with people's minds. How deep must Kabuto's hatred have been for him to overcome the hardest step?

She could only hope the truth wouldn't shatter him when he returned.

Xuanye estimated that the time was about right. Using the Flying Thunder God Mark he had left on Manda, he appeared in Ryūchi Cave.

Kabuto wasn't the sort to master a powerful art and then march openly into his enemy's stronghold.

On the contrary, he was sly. He knew how to bide his time and lurk like a venomous snake.

He would build up his strength in secret, perhaps even resort to techniques like Impure World Reincarnation.

Then, when his enemy showed an opening, he would strike a fatal blow.

If Kabuto ran off without learning the truth and became another nuisance like Obito, Xuanye would find that troublesome.

To prevent that, he went straight to Kabuto's door.

Xuanye had already spoken to the Three Snake Princesses and the White Snake Sage through Orochimaru. He wasn't there to study Senjutsu, so he could move freely through Ryūchi Cave.

The Three Snake Princesses and the White Snake Sage were content to watch, curious to