With their previous experience, the two of them quickly mastered Mount Myōboku's unique method of circulating energy after taking a few blows from the staff.
Next, they went to Ryūchi Cave. Although the Toad Sage had notified the White Snake Sage, only a single female snake greeted them at the entrance, and she insisted on putting them through some sort of trial.
This left Madara thoroughly annoyed.
"What's that loach playing at? Doesn't she know we're in a hurry?"
"What loach?" The woman looked bewildered, her brows drawing together slightly.
"Hmph! Don't think living a long time gives you the right to look down on everyone. Take us to see her already!"
"No! Those are the rules. You must undergo the trials."
"You're courting death!" Madara immediately activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Madara! We're here to learn. Let's see what this is about first." Seeing the man beside him about to erupt, Tiezhu quickly spoke up to stop him.
"Tch." Madara folded his arms, still staring coldly at the woman opposite them.
"My name is Tagorihime. Please follow me."
Tiezhu and Madara followed her deeper inside...
Soon, they came upon a magnificent, lavish pavilion, with a plaque hanging above its entrance-Ryūchi Cave.
"Please, come inside..." She invited them in with a broad smile. Beneath her delicate features, Tiezhu noticed that her smile was too perfect, almost fake.
He paid it no mind, however, and followed her into the grand hall. The interior glittered with gold, its brilliant light almost too dazzling for him to keep his eyes open.
Once his eyes adjusted, he saw a dining table standing in the center of the hall.
Its broad surface was covered with a lavish feast. In neither his past life nor his present one had Tiezhu ever seen such an abundance of delicious food.
Perhaps only the legendary "Manchu-Han imperial feast" could compare...
As that thought crossed his mind, his feet carried him forward on their own, and his hand reached uncontrollably for the roast suckling pig.
Today, I'll show you how to eat a whole pig in three bites! A certain iconic scene suddenly popped into Tiezhu's mind. That momentary distraction was precisely what made him notice something was wrong!
"There's something wrong with this food! It's too perfect, as though it's deliberately tempting me. Madara, don't eat it!"
Only when Tiezhu turned around did he see Madara watching him with amusement.
He understood at once. Madara had seen through it long ago and had held back his warning simply to see what Tiezhu would do.
"Too slow. Hashirama, you've been slacking lately!"
"I just wanted to see what kind of trial it was." Tiezhu's face reddened. Even he didn't believe his own flimsy excuse.
"What a pity. You've passed the selection trial. Two more trials await you inside. I won't be accompanying you any farther."
As Tagorihime's voice rang out, their surroundings warped. The luxurious building and all the tempting food vanished, revealing the cave as it truly was.
With that, she floated into the air and gradually disappeared.
"Simple enough. If they're all like this, there's no need to get into a fight with them."
Madara warned him, however, "That snake reeks of blood. Who knows how many people she's killed? This place is different from the other two. I say we kill them outright and eliminate any future trouble!"
"Hmm... you're right. Let's find an excuse to make a scene and see how that White Snake Sage reacts." After speaking, Tiezhu thought to himself:
The Toad Sage warned us that Ryūchi Cave's path to evolution involves devouring living beings. They deceive their prey to stir up their will to survive, then eat those undergoing the trials once they've had their fun. It certainly looks true now. These snakes really need to be taught a lesson.
Honestly, Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode doesn't suit either of us. We're only using it as a reference...
"Over here." A sweet voice came from ahead, and a petite figure appeared before them, pulling Tiezhu out of his thoughts.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Shikoshima-hime." The girl covered her mouth as she studied the two of them, then led them into a stone chamber.
Clang! The stone door suddenly slammed shut.
"Heehee~ The second trial is to find the matching crystals and fill all the holes in the stone wall. If you fail..." She paused, and her cute face instantly transformed into a monstrous snake's visage, greed gleaming in the snake eyes set into her hideous face.
"Hmph!" Madara gave a heavy snort, unleashing a powerful aura. "You dare threaten me? That old loach knows what the future holds, yet she still insists on these time-wasting trials. She's clearly toying with us!"
With that, Madara activated Susanoo once more!
Shikoshima-hime revealed her true appearance. "Once you're here, you must obey the rules. Anyone who breaks them gets eaten immediately!" As she spoke, she charged at them.
Her hair turned into several long snakes that attacked from multiple directions!
The enormous skeletal energy avatar behind Madara swept its arm, severing the snake hair. The force generated a powerful gust that shook the cave, while the severed snakes writhed on the ground a few times before disappearing.
"Damn it~ You're that strong? Then how about this?"
Senjutsu-Snake Lightning!
A mass of snakes poured out around them and attacked. Lightning fell from the cave ceiling, enveloping the snakes and creating an area-wide lightning strike!
"A cheap trick!" Madara kept his arms folded and didn't move a single step. He raised his index finger, and energy armor covered the skeleton, successfully bringing it into its second stage!
"Don't get careless." Summoning his courage, Tiezhu forced himself to recall the seals and clumsily completed them: tiger → snake → dog → dragon → rat → boar.
Wood Release: Gracious Deity Gates!
An enormous wooden shield shaped like a fanged demon's face enclosed both him and Madara.
"Always doing unnecessary things." Madara also sensed that something was wrong, so he merely made that one complaint without taking any further action.
Boom! The lightning struck the shield squarely with a tremendous crash, kicking up a cloud of smoke...
Shikoshima-hime's snake eyes widened. She could vaguely make out a rounded shape within, but only saw it clearly once the smoke dispersed.
Cracks covered the shield, and wisps of smoke rose from its black scorch marks.
Though badly battered, its defenses still hadn't been completely breached!
Clack, clack, clack! The shield parted layer by layer from the center, revealing the two unharmed men inside.
Her expression changed, and unease began to stir within her...
"Not bad. You almost broke through Hashirama's technique. You can be proud of that, little snake!"
In truth, Snake Lightning was not only powerful but also carried fluctuations that disrupted natural energy. The two of them had been forced to regulate their breathing inside the shield to restore its balance.
"Damn it... I'm already a thousand years old! I'm no little snake! Take this!"
Just as the two prepared to defend themselves, their opponent unexpectedly turned around... and ran out?
She even shouted, "Sage, save me!"
"Hmph!" Furious, Madara commanded Susanoo to shatter the stone door and wall together with a single sword stroke, then chased after her.
Tiezhu was a little dazed. Only when pain shot through his legs did he snap out of it. Looking down, he saw two little snakes biting his ankles.
That drove his fear of the snakes clean out of his mind. He snarled, "You want my life? Then all of you can damn well die!"
He immediately tore the snakes off, scattering droplets of blood, then stomped hard. The ground instantly collapsed around him, forming a circular pit five meters across.
The surrounding snakes were wiped out in an instant.
When he checked his wounds again, he found that they had stopped bleeding and no longer hurt.
Only then did he silently remind himself, I used to be scared of even a single snake. Now one hard stomp can wipe out a whole swarm. This feels pretty damn good...
Tiezhu, oh Tiezhu, you're not a college student anymore. You're the god of the Shinobi World-Hashirama Senju! There'll be even more dangerous battles ahead. If you don't adapt now and Tobirama and Madara notice something's off, you're definitely ending up on an operating table...
Smack, smack, smack! He slapped his numb cheeks hard a few times, readjusted his mindset, picked up a snake scale, and clenched it in his hand. Then he roared, "I am Hashirama Senju!"
He chased after them down the passage.
Before long, he saw Madara Uchiha being attacked by three female snake demons.
Susanoo had already reached its third stage. What had originally been only half a body now had a fully formed lower body and legs, its head nearly touching the cave ceiling. It looked to be thirty meters tall!
Its entire body was covered in armor, and its shape was closer to a complete human figure! Hornlike structures adorned its head, its eyes bore the Mangekyō pattern, and it held a long chakra sword.
"Stay out of this, Hashirama. I'm going to have some fun with them!"
Black markings now covered the area around Madara's eyes, forming a distinctive pattern. He had clearly activated Sage Mode!
Sage Art: Fire Release-Majestic Destroyer Flame!!!
"Enough!" An unfamiliar elderly woman's furious shout came from ahead.
The cave immediately seemed to come alive. The three snake demons merged into the ground and vanished, while countless stone pillars sprang up around them to intercept the enormous flames.
Though as fragile as paper, the ordinary stones kept coming one after another, somehow barely holding their own against Madara's Sage Art?!
Madara grinned savagely. "Perfect. Since you've made your move, let me test the abilities of this so-called sage!"
"Stop! I have no wish to fight you." An elderly woman's voice came from ahead.
"Only begging for mercy now? Too late."
Ding!!! Just then, Tiezhu received a notification.
[Madara Uchiha trusted the host and practiced Senjutsu, greatly increasing his strength and altering the world line. Bond Level increased by 3%.] [Special reward-bloodline activation]
Tiezhu immediately felt some kind of energy within his body beginning to awaken...
Before you continue