Preparedness Prevents Peril

Passing through the invisible spatial barrier once again, the solid ground beneath his feet made Mizuki feel utterly at ease.

"Ryūchi Cave truly lived up to its name."

In some places, snakes were called "earth dragons," and in certain habits, they resembled the dragons of myths and legends. This place, which clearly looked like an underground nest, was indeed worthy of the name Ryūchi Cave.

The dark tunnels stretched out in every direction, yet an inexplicable glow allowed creatures with keen eyesight to roughly make out their surroundings.

Unlike the lush and thriving Mount Myoboku from Mizuki's memories, this place was terrifyingly desolate.

At intervals along the way stood cave chambers resembling altar rooms where giant snakes could rest. Those were probably where those "snake offspring and descendants" lived.

All along the way, Mizuki had not encountered anyone blocking his path. They did not even seem inclined to make things difficult for him.

"Did they know I was coming back, or were they certain I posed no threat? Looks like they're underestimating me."

Mizuki, with Sage Mode activated, gave off an obvious aura of natural energy and senjutsu chakra. He had barged uninvited into their nest, yet no one questioned him at all. It was truly difficult to understand.

He had not come with hostile intent, nor did he plan to start a major conflict with these "long worms." Still, this strange situation made him wary. Could these creatures be harboring ill intentions toward him?

Mizuki could not help becoming vigilant, then quietly tested his space-time ninjutsu...

"Everything's normal. Looks like there won't be any problem using the Summoning Technique."

The sacred land of summoned beasts itself did not block spatial perception, nor did it interfere with the use of the Summoning Technique.

Thinking about it, that made sense. If