Madara had gained some insight, but his eyes had turned vacant, leaving him like a walking corpse. Though he had acquired tremendous power, he remained unconscious.
Just as the Senju elite Jōnin had said, the Natural Chakra in Madara's body-or Senjutsu Chakra, as it could also be called-could not last for long.
It gradually dissipated as Madara regained consciousness.
The illusory core within his body vanished without a trace as well. After this cleansing of his muscles and marrow by Natural Chakra, his body had become more attuned to nature, making it easier for him to draw Natural Chakra into himself in the future.
If he trained in Senjutsu, he would achieve twice the results with half the effort.
"Boy, if you're awake, stop pretending to sleep!"
Madara felt something wet and cold against his cheek, and a chill ran through him.
He had intended to feign unconsciousness while getting a general sense of his surroundings.
But his ploy had been exposed.
He vanished from where he lay, then warily surveyed everything before him.
Through his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he saw nothing but snakes.
Coiled, curled, slithering, or entwined, countless pairs of icy slit pupils stared at Madara.
One sweet-looking girl stood out in particular. She gazed at Madara dreamily, a sweet smile on her lips.
At just twelve years old, brimming with youthful vigor, how could Madara resist the beauty before him?
The girl had long brown hair that cascaded like a waterfall. Against her jade-white skin, her shrine maiden robes looked mysterious and elegant.
The golden crown atop her head lent her an indescribable air of regal dignity.
Three green tomoe swayed in the necklace at her chest, seeming almost one with the three black tomoe in Madara's eyes, yet subtly different.
The sight of her hovering in the air, her feet clear of the ground, gradually made Madara feel unworthy in her presence.
What Madara failed to notice was a wisp of pink smoke turning into a tiny snake and silently creeping into his nostril.
His gaze grew increasingly dazed, until all he could see was the bright-eyed girl floating in the air.
The girl's figure grew ever taller, finally becoming a supreme goddess whose head held up the heavens and whose feet stood upon the earth.
Gradually, Madara could no longer make out her appearance. Only her lower body remained visible.
As time passed, only her feet remained in his field of vision.
A little while later, even her feet disappeared, and darkness gradually filled his eyes.
The next instant, a bolt of silver-white lightning descended from the sky, piercing the darkness and shattering heaven and earth.
The towering "giantess" crumbled into dust as well.
Life returned to Madara's eyes. When he looked at the girl again, her lovely, adorable face had become hideous, twisted with malice.
"Boy, you dared to ambush this sage! You're courting death!"
As she spoke, the vicious-looking girl bared her fangs. Her once-delicate little mouth became a python's gaping maw, splitting all the way to her ears, while her neck turned serpentine.
Her entire head shot straight toward Madara's throat like a shuriken.
Though her movements were extremely fast, under his Sharingan's gaze they looked like a film played in slow motion.
Madara drew a kunai and nimbly leaned aside. Its edge struck the slender snake neck exactly as intended.
"It's over!"
Madara spoke calmly, but the sight before him a moment later briefly surprised him.
Instead of severing the snake neck as he had expected, the kunai snapped against its tough surface.
"Not good!"
Alarm bells rang in Madara's mind. Like a real python, the snake neck wound around his throat with incredible speed, then continued wrapping around his entire body until he was bundled up like a rice dumpling.
Her snake maw faced Madara's eyes. "Who would have thought? The Sharingan, and with three tomoe already."
"You must taste different from those other stinking men. Let me taste the bloodline of that man!"
Madara smelled the foul stench from her maw without the slightest fear, even though her crushing coils had already made his entire body numb.
As the snake woman watched him, the greed in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by curiosity and confusion. "Boy, aren't you afraid of dying?"
Madara did not answer her. He simply looked calmly into the depths of the cave.
An aged voice rang out at that moment. "Enough, Tagitsuhime. This young Uchiha has already passed your trial. Why must you toy with him?"
"Bring him to me!"
The snake woman, Tagitsuhime, reluctantly released Madara Uchiha. "Boy, you got lucky."
"You'd better watch yourself. Don't ever fall into my hands!"
Though he heard her muttering, Madara paid it no mind.
The entire underground cavern was like a maze. After countless twists and turns, Madara could no longer remember the way they had come.
After roughly an hour of walking, a towering stone chamber appeared before him.
Inside stood an enormous seat. Had its shape not been so distinct, Madara might have mistaken it for a small mountain.
Upon the seat rested a white snake's body as thick as a small mountain.
A cigarette as thick as a giant tree was clenched in her mouth.
Tagitsuhime stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, White Snake Sage. I have brought this trial's challenger. Please give us your instructions!"
The White Snake Sage exhaled a cloud of smoke, shrouding the entire underground chamber in haze. "Very good, Tagitsuhime. Stand aside for now!"
Looking at the White Snake Sage's enormous body, Madara pondered how he could defeat the giant serpent before him.
The sight of the Sharingan in Madara's eyes stirred something within the White Snake Sage as well.
During this upheaval in the Shinobi World, Shikkotsu Forest should have emerged to help the one chosen by fate bring peace to this chaotic era.
Has fate changed?
Is that why it guided this generation's reincarnation of Indra to Ryūchi Cave?
So be it. Since this is heaven's will, that old toad and that damned Katsuyu can't blame me for making the first move this time!
Madara noticed that the White Snake Sage merely watched him, showing no intention of speaking or attacking.
Having maintained his guarded stance all this time, he simply relaxed and sat cross-legged on the ground, looking like an old monk deep in meditation.
The White Snake Sage had intended to let Indra's reincarnation question her first. Only then would she appear truly unfathomable.
But seeing Madara act this way, she decided to speak first. "Young man, congratulations on passing Ryūchi Cave's trial."
"As long as you sign the Summoning Contract and become a contractor of Ryūchi Cave, you can use our power to bring peace to this chaotic era and become a great hero revered by all."
Madara opened his eyes, intending to examine the White Snake Sage's expression, but the cigarette in her mouth had formed a hazy curtain of smoke between them.
The boy and the snake stared at each other for a long time. In the end, Madara shook his head. "I'm not interested in becoming a great hero. Besides, I believe my own strength is enough to bring peace to this chaotic era."
As he said this, the image of a small child suddenly flashed before his eyes.
A faint smile curved his lips, and pride filled his heart. The power to bring peace to this chaotic era? Hasn't it already appeared right by my side?
Why should I bother dealing with this bunch of strange snakes?
The White Snake Sage had never imagined that anyone would refuse Ryūchi Cave's goodwill.
As the sage of Ryūchi Cave, the most aggressive of the Three Great Sage Lands, she was naturally no gentle soul.
Her gaze remained calm, but Tagitsuhime's eyes had gone from displeased to sharp, as though she might strike at any moment.
Madara faced the two snakes without the slightest fear.
A scale on the White Snake Sage's body suddenly transformed into a tiny white-scaled snake, which darted into Madara's arm with lightning speed.
Even his Three-Tomoe Sharingan failed to follow the little white snake's movements.