Obtaining Ryūchi Cave's Rock Power

"Sss!"

The King Cobra flicked his tongue slightly at Itachi. Though he had shrunk, Itachi still gave off a vast, ethereal sense of power.

Especially around his head, where a mark resembling Poseidon's Trident faintly appeared.

"What are you doing? Don't tell me this idiot is thinking of making a move on me."

Seeing the strange glint in Mamba's eyes, Itachi stepped forward and smacked him over the head.

What was this about?

Could he be harboring some rebellious thoughts?

"Spare me, Boss!"

Mamba immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't know why, but one glance from this man brought an instinctive, bloodline-deep pressure crashing down on him.

Then, a pair of intensely crimson eyes slowly opened in his mind. They seemed like the ultimate end of the world itself!

Damn it.

For one moment, the suffocating pressure nearly made him unable to breathe.

"So you still know to call me Boss. I thought your brain had been washed away too."

Itachi snorted. Animals like these hooligans needed constant discipline. Otherwise, if they ever swallowed children from his clan, there would be serious consequences.

Still, while Ryūchi Cave was one of the places for cultivation, having his clan live long-term in such a harsh environment was ultimately not viable. There would inevitably be issues with adapting to the local conditions.

It seemed he still had to carry out the [Konoha Crush Plan].

If so, Orochimaru could be someone worth recruiting.

As for the Akatsuki...

"If Boss hadn't helped, I don't think I could've made it through this. From now on, if Boss tells me to chase dogs, I'll never go catch chickens."

Mamba grew even more reverent. Since his strength had risen to another level, he could better sense just how unfathomable Itachi's power had become. This was absolutely not someone he could challenge.

He'd better keep his tail tucked and be a good snake. Having a boss like this wasn't bad at all.

"How do I pass through Ryūchi Cave and cultivate Sage Art? You should know that this was why I came here."

Itachi glanced at Mamba, who hurriedly lowered his head with utmost respect.

Even ferocious demonic beasts respected strength. As long as one possessed absolute power, there was no need to worry about lacking friends or subordinates.

"Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art is basically controlled by those few great figures. The White Snake Sage lives in a temple deep within Ryūchi Cave. The founder of Ryūchi Cave is a white-scaled serpent that has lived for over a thousand years since Kaguya's era, revered as the White Snake Sage. It is said that everything happening in Ryūchi Cave reaches the White Snake Sage's ears.

"The immortal snake who rules over Ryūchi Cave, a secret realm as famous as Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest, possesses extremely powerful Sage Chakra within her body. Her white body is one with the place where she is worshipped. For those who come to cultivate, the White Snake Sage injects natural energy into them with her fangs. Legend says she devours whole those whose bodies cannot withstand becoming serpentine.

"She has orange hair and yellow eyes, a green cat's-eye gemstone on her chest, and wears a purple silk band as a forehead protector. The front of it is set with army-green horn-shaped ornaments, while a red luminous pearl is embedded atop her head. She holds a pipe in her mouth, has an extraordinarily long body, and two golden rings on her tail. She usually coils around her throne. The White Snake Sage is only responsible for testing those who come to Ryūchi Cave to learn Sage Art. Everything else has nothing to do with her."

As Itachi slowly listened to these rumors, he murmured to himself. So that was how it was.

If that was the case, the information was substantial. It looked like he would have to reach the very depths to obtain the inheritance.

But apparently, several of the upper ranks were already fighting among themselves.

Other than taking advantage of the opening...

"My lord, this is the Ryūchi Cave Imperial Jade Nectar Wine I personally prepared for you. It was formed from a thousand years of nourishment by dripping stalactites. The taste might be a little..."

A snake subordinate beside him carried over a jade cup.

When they searched Lieta's old lair, they had found some decent things: rich underground mineral deposits, along with this pool of powerful clear water filling the jade vessel.

Gulp.

Itachi vaguely felt his throat move. He could sense an abundance of Chakra inside, but it contained far too many impurities. If he absorbed it carelessly...

He would likely burst apart and die.

No wonder these snakes could survive off these stones. With the stronger bodies of beasts, they could withstand that vast and surging power.

"Swish, swish!"

All the underlings turned their eyes toward it. Their golden eyes blazed like lanterns. Clearly, to them, that jade nectar was an incomparably precious tonic, its temptation no less than that of a naked female snake.

"It might be worth considering."

Itachi smiled and drained the entire pool of jade nectar in one gulp. The jade cup immediately fell and shattered across the ground, while a surge of power flowed down his throat. The sensation was searing, as though he had swallowed molten lava.

At once, his fair, jade-like face burned red with heat. Even the breath he exhaled carried a scorching temperature.

One could imagine the turmoil raging inside his body.

Power continued to surge through his crimson blood vessels and meridians, while his fragile capillaries bulged like snakes.

Damn it.

This power...

Itachi hurriedly sat down to meditate, guiding the energy back into emptiness as he tried to lead the Chakra onto its proper path.

If he let the Chakra wander freely through his meridians, he would burst apart the next second. He didn't dare recklessly abuse his body. Compared to those giant snake beasts, the human body was ultimately far more fragile.

Humans only barely held a place within the laws of nature because they could cultivate ninjutsu and use the corresponding methods.

"Could it be that Ryūchi Cave refuses to acknowledge his arrival? Is this the will of the Sage?"

Seeing this, Mamba was secretly alarmed.

Legend said that those who could enter Ryūchi Cave were all chosen children of destiny, with an unobstructed journey ahead of them. Yet his master didn't seem to have the buffs described in those legends.

At this rate, he probably wouldn't be able to hold on!

Should he just eat him here?

Otherwise, it would be such a waste.

Watching Itachi sit with his eyes closed in total concentration, Mamba lightly licked his lips.

What he didn't know was that Itachi's body was undergoing a silent transformation. The earth-nature Chakra within the jade nectar was continuously fusing with his entire body.