Golden Tomoe Rinnegan

Kabuto tensed at those words. Remembering how wary Lord Orochimaru was of Xuanye, he braced himself for an Illusion Technique.

But after a long moment, Kabuto noticed nothing unusual.

"Bluffing? I never thought you'd stoop to such a boring mind game." Convinced that nothing had happened, Kabuto returned to his arrogant self.

Xuanye gave a mysterious smile and gestured toward the long horn he had just cut off Kabuto's head.

"Why don't you check whether the horn on your head is still there?"

Kabuto's heart tightened. Without thinking, he reached up to touch his head.

Sure enough, the horn that had just been severed was perfectly intact, as though it had never been damaged.

A bead of cold sweat ran down Kabuto's face.

He looked around. All the damage from their fight had vanished, and Ryūchi Cave looked just as it had before.

The Three Snake Princesses and the White Snake Sage were still watching from a distance, their expressions unchanged.

Yet Kabuto felt a powerful sense that something was wrong.

Would such fresh, natural smiles really appear on the faces of the Three Snake Princesses, let alone the White Snake Sage?

"When? When did I fall under an Illusion Technique?!" Kabuto's face twisted as he immediately began examining his body.

That familiar smile appeared on Xuanye's face again, exactly like the smiles worn by the Three Snake Princesses and the White Snake Sage.

Xuanye slowly raised a finger to his lips, and his beguiling voice echoed in Kabuto's ears.

"Was it just now? Or was everything you've experienced an Illusion Technique I made up?"

"Was it during our fight? Or was your journey to Ryūchi Cave and your mastery of Senjutsu itself a dream I carefully wove for you?"

Kabuto fell into utter panic. Ignoring the damage he might