Shinmoku's heart thumped wildly.
Had he wandered into a horror movie?
He drew his short sword and held it in front of himself, then stepped through the gate.
From outside, it looked like a temple, but the interior was completely different. Dining tables stood all around, and a chaise longue sat atop the steps at the far end. White snake statues coiled around the dome.
Apart from the scale, it looked just like an ancient emperor's banquet for his ministers.
Amid the swirling mist, a graceful figure appeared, reclining on the chaise longue.
She bent one shapely leg and raised an arm, hooking a finger under the hem of her skirt. Slowly, she drew it back, outlining a seductive silhouette.
"?"
What was this supposed to mean? A test of desire?
They'd read him pretty well, but Shinmoku hadn't lost his memory. This was Ryūchi Cave—what else would he find here?
Xu Xian really was a little too versatile.
"Had enough?" Shinmoku demanded. "I'll admit I'm not immune to temptation, but your approach is far too clumsy."
"Is that so?"
A soft voice drifted over. The figure floated out of the mist, her white dress back in place and wrapped tightly around her. Ribbons trailed behind her, lending her an almost sacred air.
But she had the face of a mature woman, with scarlet lips. In just a moment, she was standing before Shinmoku.
"Really... You won't even consider me?"
"Thump! Thump!"
His heart was racing—unnaturally fast.
Damn it!
He'd been drugged. The mist was poisonous!
Shinmoku swung his sword, slashing at her throat. Blue light covered the blade, crackling with electricity.
"Ah—"
Amid a piercing shriek, the woman's face twisted into a grimace. Fangs sprouted, and her eyes became vertical slits.
"Bang—"
The temple dissolved into white smoke.
In the mist:
"You've passed my test."
"Hee-hee~ My turn~"
A little girl floated down from above and drifted over to Shinmoku.
"You're not going to try that stuff too, are you? It's not suitable for broadcast!"
"What does 'broadcast' mean?"
"...It's a verb used for human television programs."
"Sounds interesting. If you pass my test, I'll consider signing a contract with you and letting you take me to a broadcast~"
"That's not how you use it... Anyway, what's the test?"
"Wisdom!" Ichikishimahime waved her little hand, and a Go board appeared in the clearing. "Play Go with me!"
"Go?"
Shinmoku furrowed his brow. He only knew the basic rules. That still put him ahead of ninety percent of people, but to anyone who could actually play, he was no different from a computer opponent... Note: a computer opponent, not AI.
He could only give it a try.
"I'll play black."
"Granted~"
Shinmoku picked up a stone and placed it on a star point. It was basically the standard opening move.
"Why did you play there?"
"?" Modern Go was quite different from ancient Go. Shinmoku asked curiously, "Where do you usually play?"
"Here~" She placed a white stone right in the center of the board.
"Ah~" Shinmoku raised his left hand and bit his thumbnail. "Impressive!"
"Right~"
He relaxed. This one was a terrible player too. He had the first four moves in the bag.
Once he'd occupied the star points, Shinmoku's movements visibly slowed. There was no helping it. He had to think through each move as he played—that was Go in its most primitive form.
After several hours of battling:
"I won."
"Huh? You won?"
"Count it yourself."
Ichikishimahime propped her chin on one hand and began counting the score with the other.
"I let you win."
"Thanks."
She gave him a thumbs-up.
The kid knew how to play along.
"See you~" She waved. "The last test is really hard, so be careful."
"Okay."
The girl vanished, and the cave instantly grew dark. Purple mist spread through it, and a bone-chilling wind blew from nowhere.
"Whoosh—"
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Shinmoku spotted a shadow, activated his Sharingan in an instant, and unleashed Fire Release.
Then he spun around, spewing flames in every direction until the entire cave was filled with fire.
But he was caught off guard. A seductive figure emerged from beneath him, moving incredibly fast. By the time he reacted, it had already spiraled up his leg until it was level with his shoulder.
Then a sharp pain hit his shoulder. He could clearly feel fangs sinking into his muscle and injecting poison.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz—"
The world before his eyes began to blur and split into multiple images.
"Uchiha Shinmoku! Have you already forgotten your mission to revive the Uchiha Clan?"
"I've never forgotten it for a second!" Shinmoku shouted.
He'd been pretty scared, but when that voice appeared, he nearly lost it. So he was arguing with himself, after all.
The blurry images gradually solidified.
Uchiha Madara, Obito, Itachi, Uchiha Fugaku, Sasuke, Uchiha Sifangzhu, Sifangtai, and Shinna.
If that line had come from this group, it would've been pure hell. Apart from Uchiha Fugaku, not one of them wanted to revive the Uchiha Clan—and two of them were even its killers.
"You two," he said, waving Obito and Itachi away. "Go—"
"You too. You scare me." He meant Uchiha Madara.
"And you—do I even know you?" —Uchiha Fugaku.
"Go find your brother."
"If you're dead, go where you're supposed to go."
Only Shinna remained.
"If you don't leave, I really won't be able to see you anymore."
All the figures vanished.
"Uchiha Shinmoku! Have you forgotten your mission to revive the Uchiha Clan?"
"Again?"
"Damn it!" Shinmoku was fed up too. "Whether to revive the Uchiha Clan and how to do it are up to me. My life belongs to me. I'll live it however I want!"
"Get lost—"
The veins in Shinmoku's forehead bulged. After he roared, silence returned to the world.
"...Congratulations."
An older girl floated out. Compared with the first two, uh... snakes, she seemed much more respectable.
"Come with me. I'll take you to see the White Snake Sage."
Shinmoku followed her through the cave. After entering a massive cavern, he met the legendary White Snake Sage.
She was a viper, with raised scales and a white body. She was enormous, as if she could transform into a dragon at any moment.
"Since you've passed the test, I grant you the right to learn Senjutsu. Come closer, and I'll inject you with venom."
"Senjutsu?" Shinmoku froze. "I never said I wanted to learn Senjutsu. I've only just started out. Learning it now would be suicide, wouldn't it?"
"Then why have you come?"
"To sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave."
At that, the White Snake Sage transformed into an old woman.
"There is a man named Orochimaru in this world. He has a contract scroll, and you should know him. At present, he's the only one who knows the location of Ryūchi Cave."
"That guy's too treacherous. I don't trust him."
"If that's the case..." The White Snake Sage opened one hand. Natural Energy gathered in her palm, and a scroll slowly appeared. "Take it."