Ryūchi Cave, Senjutsu acquired

Meanwhile, at the Uchiha Clan Compound.

A small white snake was summoned away.

"Oh, Orochimaru?"

This was the token Orochimaru had left with him. Its being summoned away meant Orochimaru had information for him.

Presumably, the Akatsuki had begun their operation.

As it happened, Feng Yao also had something to discuss with Orochimaru.

Of the check-in rewards the system had unlocked earlier, Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest were still left.

Feng Yao badly wanted this Perfect Sage Mode.

Just hearing the system's description had made him covet it.

As a veteran reader who had read countless webnovels, Feng Yao had a feeling that this Perfect Sage Mode was anything but ordinary.

He even had a guess in mind.

But he had to consider whether this Perfect Sage Mode really was what he imagined.

That left Feng Yao somewhat hesitant.

Still, no matter what, he was determined to get his hands on this Perfect Sage Mode.

"Kamui!"

Space twisted, and Feng Yao left the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Elsewhere.

Orochimaru had been paired with Sasori, but Sasori was nowhere beside him.

There was no need to say why. Those who knew, knew.

Suddenly, the space in front of Orochimaru swirled.

Feng Yao abruptly appeared and reached out to grab Orochimaru.

Then he hauled Orochimaru into the Kamui Dimension.

Upon entering the Kamui Dimension, Orochimaru looked excited.

Even though this was not his first visit, he was still rather excited and could not help marveling at the terrifying power of the Mangekyo.

"What an enviable ability..."

Feng Yao ignored Orochimaru and went straight to the point.

"Is this about the Akatsuki's operation?"

"Nothing gets past you, Feng Yao..."

Orochimaru then explained the Akatsuki's operation.

Feng Yao ignored Orochimaru's teasing.

"Heh, that old dog Danzo..."

Feng Yao's gaze turned cold.

"Understood."

To Feng Yao, Pain was the only one who could threaten him.

Others, such as Konan, Sasori, and Kakuzu, would not last a single exchange against him.

Even if the Third Hokage and Danzo stabbed him in the back when the time came, it would only mean striking a few more times.

Before true power, any schemers and their tricks were nothing but clowns.

Feng Yao's current strength had long since matched Madara Uchiha at his peak.

And thanks to Kamui's powerful abilities, Feng Yao was even more troublesome and powerful than Madara.

With Sage Mode activated, Feng Yao's strength could even approach the Six Paths level!

Madara had treated fighting the Five Kage like a game. That was no joke.

"By the way, you have a way to get to Ryūchi Cave, right?"

Orochimaru froze at Feng Yao's question.

Ryūchi Cave?

Could Feng Yao be planning to learn Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode?

But learning Sage Mode was extremely difficult and time-consuming...

Orochimaru did not know Feng Yao had a system.

With Feng Yao's strength, no one other than Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, should have been a match for him.

Feng Yao knew so many of the Shinobi World's secrets. He should not have been the sort to grasp at straws in desperation.

But that was precisely why Orochimaru became curious about Feng Yao's reason for visiting Ryūchi Cave.

"Yes, I'm going there to take a look..."

Feng Yao nodded.

"Hehe, Feng Yao, in that case, I'll help you..."

"However, the sages of Ryūchi Cave have rather bad tempers. If their hospitality is lacking in any way..."

"No need. I'll only stay a moment. I won't meet them."

Hmm?

Orochimaru understood every word Feng Yao had said, so why did they make no sense put together?

Orochimaru wore a strange expression.

Still, he used Ryūchi Cave's special Summoning Technique.

The smoke dispersed.

Feng Yao and Orochimaru had arrived at Ryūchi Cave.

Ahead lay a huge cave entrance, with snake patterns and the words "Ryūchi Cave" carved into the stone wall.

All around them were deep mountains and ancient forests, shrouded in thick mist.

Looking through the entrance, the interior was cold and damp, and the air smelled sickly sweet.

System, check in!

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on checking in at Ryūchi Cave. Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode acquired!]

[Three Great Sage Lands check-in achievement triggered. Completed: Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave.]

System, show my panel.

[Ding!]

[Host: Feng Yao]

[Chakra attributes: fire, lightning, yin]

[Kekkei Genkai: Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan]

[Special modes: Mount Myōboku Version Sage Mode, Ryūchi Cave Version Sage Mode]

[Skills: Great Fireball Technique, Phoenix Flower Jutsu, Uchiha Style Swordsmanship, Crow Summoning Technique, Crow Clone, Double Kamui, Izanagi, Izanami...]

[Assessment: Peak Super Kage!]

After checking in, Feng Yao said to Orochimaru, "Let's go back."

Orochimaru: ?

Wait, you really only came to take a look?

Even with his astounding intellect, Orochimaru was left bewildered by Feng Yao's actions.

"Feng Yao, are... are you serious?"

Feng Yao nodded.

The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched.

In the end, Orochimaru used the Reverse Summoning Technique to take Feng Yao away from Ryūchi Cave...

Deep within Ryūchi Cave.

Rock walls and stalactites surrounded the area, water dripping with steady taps.

An underground river could faintly be seen flowing silently.

The stalactites interlocked like snakes' fangs.

The passages twisted like a maze, with some shed snakeskins and snake silhouettes visible.

Yet the deeper one went, the more spacious it became, all the way to the deepest reaches.

Huge stone platforms filled this place, and an eerie aura permeated the surroundings.

An enormous, snow-white White Phosphorus Snake lay coiled upon the throne of a vast temple.

She had orange-yellow slit pupils, wore a purple headscarf, and had a huge emerald on her chest, quietly holding a pipe in her mouth.

She was the White Snake Sage, ruler of Ryūchi Cave, who had lived for thousands of years.

"This presence... that human called Orochimaru has returned, along with another cold, sinister energy..."

"Hehe, a descendant of those outsiders...?"

"Orochimaru, how far have you gotten with the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu?"

"Can it restore all the strength the dead possessed in life?"

Orochimaru had not expected Feng Yao to suddenly ask him about Impure World Reincarnation.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "To be frank, I believe my Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu is roughly on par with the Second Hokage's, but restoring all the strength the dead possessed in life is probably unrealistic. Still, I can try to improve it..."

Feng Yao nodded at that.

It seemed he had taken things for granted.

The Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu Orochimaru had mastered at present was nowhere near as refined as it would be during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Indeed, Feng Yao wanted to reincarnate Shisui through Impure World Reincarnation.

Itachi had buried Shisui's body. Now that Itachi had resolved his inner conflict, things were naturally different from the original story.

He could not be said to trust Feng Yao completely, but he did have faith in him.

Not only had he handed Shisui's other Mangekyō Sharingan over to Feng Yao.

When Feng Yao asked where Shisui's body was, Itachi had hesitated briefly, but still told him its location.

The Uchiha still had too few top-tier fighters.

There were only him, Fugaku, and Itachi, with Setsuna barely counting as half.

The others were elite Jonin at best. If the Uchiha were to develop, they could not rely on him alone. They needed more powerful fighters.