"Sorry to trouble you, sensei. What do you want with me?"
Her eyes darted around, a hint of impatience flashing in her lively gaze before being replaced by indifference and calm.
"Don't put it that way. A teacher ought to devote even more effort to an outstanding student. We'll turn a crawling snake into a dragon. Heh heh heh."
A pale purple tongue brushed across his lips, making his cold, hard features even more repulsive.
"Enough small talk. I went outside the village to train this time and found a very interesting place. Do you want to sign your name on this?"
Several names, signed in blood, caught her eye on the purplish-white scroll. The most recently added name made Hua Yue's mouth twitch.
"Mitaraishi Anko... A Summoning Scroll? What is this place?"
"Why not try it yourself and see? When Anko first used the Summoning Technique, she summoned a beast half the size of the Hokage's office building."
"As a member of the Uchiha Clan, what kind of being will you summon? I can hardly wait."
With a cold snort, the two vanished in an instant. When they reappeared, they were hovering above Training Ground 3.
"Excellent Body Flicker Technique, as always. Want to give it a try?"
Orochimaru smiled coldly, anticipation lurking in his slit-pupiled eyes as he wondered what kind of beast his beloved student would summon.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof! As the white smoke cleared, her black-and-white eyes quietly transformed into the intricate Mangekyo. Bound inside Hua Yue, unable to sense the outside world, the Black Nine-Tails frowned slightly.
Kid, you've summoned someone incredible. This one's chakra will be a real handful. Judging by age, they're a lot older than me.
No matter which world they come from, they're just as hard to deal with. You're in trouble. I should've known better than to turn my chakra into yours earlier.
You're on your own, brat...
The Black Nine-Tails hurriedly hid itself, deeply wary of the figure in the white smoke. No matter how Hua Yue tried to contact it, it got no response.
"Who could it be? This feeling... Could it be...?"
His pupils shrank to pinpoints. Orochimaru stared at the figure in the smoke in disbelief, a long-forgotten chill creeping up his spine.
"Honestly, you again, little snake? Didn't I already warn you that your body isn't suited to Sage Mode?"
Orochimaru's mouth twitched. His usually impassive expression was on the verge of cracking. He turned and gave Uchiha Hanazuki a long, deep look.
I only asked you to summon a beast to help in battle. Who told you to summon the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave without permission?
"My deepest apologies, White Snake Sage. I wasn't the one who performed the Summoning Jutsu this time. It was my most prized student, Uchiha Hanazuki."
Orochimaru took a couple of steps back. His eyes clearly said, You made this mess, so deal with it yourself. I can't help you.
"Not you, but your student? Chakra even more vast and ominous than yours, little snake. Such power... Is this one of the Uchiha Clan?"
As the white smoke dispersed, an elderly woman with a kindly expression and a white robe gazed with smiling eyes at the figure in black, who had somehow donned a Three-Eyed Demon Fox mask.
"So it was you? That ominous power from earlier, even more so than the little snake's. What are you hiding? The power within you, the power residing in your eyes... I can sense a hint of danger."
"I see. What an interesting child. In that case, you can take the challenge too. Pass my test, and you'll gain a power your master never did."
Poof! Poof! Poof!
As the white smoke cleared, Hua Yue and the White Snake Sage had vanished without a trace. Orochimaru remained where he was, silent for a long while. The composure he had struggled to maintain had given way to shock.
"I never thought the White Snake Sage would answer the Summoning Jutsu. I'd expected that fellow Manda to be summoned to the World of the Living..."
"The White Snake Sage has lived nearly as long as the shinobi themselves—at least a thousand years. She isn't easy to please."
"You're on your own, my dear student. What a shame my body isn't suited to Sage Mode. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths to search for every faint clue pointing toward the possibility of becoming a sage."
Orochimaru walked away. Deep down, he had already written Uchiha Hanazuki off as dead. Whether one pleased the so-called White Snake Sage or not, she was a fearsome being to deal with.
What a shame. Konoha's youngest jōnin was probably going to become snake food. What a pity.
Elsewhere, another story unfolded.
In Ryūchi Cave, one of the three legendary training grounds of the shinobi world, a guest who had been forcibly invited by its master stood in the mist, looking around.
"So this is Ryūchi Cave? Sage Mode doesn't interest me. I don't want scales growing all over my body. Did that troublesome old woman really drag me here?"
Hua Yue picked a direction at random and looked around. The mist shrouding the area grew thicker and thicker, limiting visibility to just a few meters.
"Is that the one who came seeking power?"
"Ah, the interesting little brat the sage mentioned. Shall we put him through the trial?"
"Let me go first. That child smells delicious. I bet he'll taste even better. Heh heh heh..."
A series of feminine voices, each with a different lilt but all alluring, faded into the dense fog. One by one, graceful female figures vanished from where they stood.
At the same time, patches of firelight appeared within the eerie mist. The scene before him was a spacious courtyard, resplendent with gold and jade.
"Welcome, guest. Have you also come to Ryūchi Cave seeking the sage's power?"
Hua Yue tilted her head slightly. The woman before him had delicate features, near-black green hair, and pale skin that seemed never to have seen sunlight.
"No. That old woman insisted on bringing me here. The sage's power isn't much use to me right now."
His answer left the green-haired woman at a loss for words. But the veins faintly bulging on her forehead made her feelings clear.
He dares call the White Snake Sage an old woman? What an ill-mannered brat. I'll make sure he dies in agony.
"In that case, please come rest at my humble home for a while. You'll be able to meet the White Snake Sage soon, and ask her to send you out of Ryūchi Cave."
"Why not rest a little and get something to eat while you're here?"
Beneath the green-haired woman's radiant smile, Uchiha Hanazuki smiled back.
"I refuse!"