Taught You Spirit Communication, Who Asked You to Summon the White Snake Sage?

"Troublesome teacher, what do you want with me?"

His pupils darted around, a flicker of impatience crossing his lively eyes before being replaced by indifference and calm.

"Don't say that. For an excellent disciple, a teacher must pour in greater effort, allowing a crawling snake to transform into a dragon, hehehe."

A pale purple tongue flicked across his lips, and his cold, rigid features became all the more repulsive.

"Let's end the small talk. I found a very interesting place while training outside the village. Shall I sign your name on this?"

On the purple-white scroll, several names signed in blood came into view; the most recent one made Hanazuki's mouth twitch.

"Mitarashi Anko... A summoning scroll? From where?"

"Why don't you test it yourself and find out? When Anko performed her first summoning, she called forth a creature half the size of the Hokage Office Building."

"As an Uchiha, I wonder what kind of existence you can summon. I'm quite looking forward to it."

With a cold snort, the two figures vanished instantly, reappearing high above Training Ground 3.

"As expected, an excellent Body Flicker as always. Want to try?"

Orochimaru's smile was chilling, his serpentine slit pupils filled with anticipation, as if wondering what kind of summon his beloved disciple could produce.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Bang! The white mist dissipated. His black-and-white eyes quietly transformed into the intricate, complex Mangekyo. The Black Nine-Tails, bound within his body and unable to perceive the outside world, frowned slightly.

'Kid, you've summoned a formidable character. This guy's aura is hard to deal with; judging by age, she's much older than me.'

'Whether it's that world or this one, she's equally troublesome. You're in for it now. If I'd known, I wouldn't have converted my chakra into yours just now.'

'Pray for your own luck, brat...'

The Black Nine-Tails hurriedly hid himself, deeply wary of the figure in the white mist. No matter how Hanazuki tried to communicate, he received no response.

"What kind of creature could it be? This feeling... could it be..."

His pupils shrank to pinpricks. Orochimaru stared in disbelief at the figure in the smoke, an unaccustomed chill creeping up his spine for no reason.

"Really, it's you again, little snake. Haven't I warned you once already that your constitution is ill-suited for practicing Sage Mode?"

Orochimaru's mouth twitched violently, his cold, rigid expression cracking in a rare display of loss of composure as he turned to give Uchiha Hanazuki a deep, meaningful look.

I only told you to summon a beast to assist in battle; who told you to summon the White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave, and without permission at that?

"My deepest apologies, White Snake Sage. This summoning was not led by me, but by my most prized disciple, Uchiha Hanazuki."

Stepping back two paces, Orochimaru's eyes clearly signaled: Handle the trouble you caused yourself; I am powerless here.

"Not you, but your disciple? A chakra even more vast and ominous than yours, little snake. This power... is he of the Uchiha Clan?"

As the white mist cleared, an elderly woman with a kind expression, dressed in a white robe, gazed with smiling eyes at the figure in black robes who had donned a Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask at some point.

"Is it you? That ominous power from just a moment ago, stronger than the little snake's—what are you hiding? The power contained within your body, the power residing in your eyes... they all make me feel a hint of danger."

"I see. What an interesting child. In that case, why don't you try challenging me as well? Pass my trial, and you shall obtain power that even your master has never attained."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The white mist vanished, and both Hanazuki and the White Snake Sage disappeared without a trace. Orochimaru stood rooted to the spot, silent for a long time, the composure he had barely maintained long since replaced by shock.

"To think the White Snake Sage would actually respond to a summoning. I had assumed that if anything were to be summoned to this world, it would be that fellow Manda..."

"The White Snake Sage, who has lived nearly as long as the birth of ninjas—existing for at least a thousand years—is not a being easily pleased."

"Good luck, my dear disciple. It's a pity my constitution isn't suited for Sage Mode, otherwise, I wouldn't have spent so much effort searching for the slightest trace of a path to becoming a sage."

As Orochimaru walked away, he had already written Uchiha Hanazuki off as a dead man in his heart. The White Snake Sage was a troublesome existence, regardless of whether one pleased her or not.

It was a pity that Konoha's youngest Jonin was likely about to become a meal for a snake. Truly a shame.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

In Ryuchi Cave, one of the three great training sanctuaries of the Ninja World and a legendary place of inheritance, a guest forcibly invited by the master stood in the mist, looking around.

"So this is Ryuchi Cave? Sage Mode... I have no interest in growing scales all over my body, yet I've been dragged here by that troublesome old hag."

Choosing a direction at random, Hanazuki looked around, only to find the mist growing thicker, limiting his visibility to a few meters.

"Is that the one? The one who came seeking power?"

"Ah, the interesting little brat the Sage spoke of. Shall we conduct the trial?"

"Let me go first. That child has a very pleasant scent; he must taste delicious. Hehehehe..."

Voices of different tones, each with its own seductive charm, faded into the thick fog as several graceful female figures vanished from their spots.

At the same time, within the eerie mist, patches of light flickered, revealing a magnificent, golden, and spacious courtyard.

"Welcome, guest. Have you also come to Ryuchi Cave to seek the Sage's power?"

Hanazuki tilted his head slightly. The figure appearing before him had delicate features, hair of a dark, ink-like green, and skin as pale as if it had never seen the sun.

"No, that old hag insisted on bringing me here. Sage power or whatever—it's of no use to me for the time being."

These words immediately choked the green-haired woman, leaving her at a loss for how to respond, though the veins bulging on her forehead betrayed her true feelings.

'How dare he call the White Snake Sage an old hag. Impolite brat, I'll make sure you suffer a painful death later.'

"Since that is the case, please rest in my humble abode for a moment. Soon you will see the White Snake Sage, and you can ask her to send you away from Ryuchi Cave."

"Why not rest for a while and take this opportunity to fill your stomach?"

Under the green-haired woman's brilliant smile, Uchiha Hanazuki replied with a smile of his own.

"I refuse!"