Their looks carried a strange, otherworldly allure—but even so, it had to be said: they were still beautiful.
"Stop!"
One of the Snake Princesses barked coldly. "If you want to enter Ryūchi Cave, you must first pass our trial!"
"A trial?"
Shuoye Uchiha's brows knit slightly.
He had no interest in so-called trials—especially not from three snake spirits standing in his way.
He gave a low snort and opened his Rinnegan. The pressure of his ocular power poured out, swallowing the entire cavern.
"This is…"
The three Snake Princesses stared at him in shock. They had never seen a dōjutsu this overwhelming.
Under the Rinnegan's gaze, it felt as if their souls had been stripped bare. A fear they'd never known surged up from the depths.
Shuoye didn't give them time to think.
He moved—and in the next breath he was at their side. Chakra surged like a tide, forcing all three to the ground.
"Bring the White Snake Sage out. I'll speak with her."
His voice was cold, decisive. He ignored their struggling and shrieking.
"You… insolent! Lowly human! Who do you think you are?" one Snake Princess snapped, humiliated into rage. "Without us, you'll never enter Ryūchi Cave! Know your place—or you'll regret it!"
Kushina Uzumaki watched the scene unfold, unease tightening her chest.
She lowered her voice. "Should we let them go? Maybe they're telling the truth…"
Shuoye only glanced at her and didn't change his mind.
He drew a slow breath. Even more chakra rolled through him, vast and steady.
"No need."
His body vanished—
And a towering Susanoo rose in its place.
The giant held a massive sword, tens of meters long.
"Cut."
One swing.
The sword-light surged like a dragon, cleaving through every restriction guarding Ryūchi Cave.
The barriers that had trapped countless intruders for generations tore apart as if they were paper.
"N-no… impossible…"
The three Snake Princesses—still pinned to the ground—went completely blank. They hadn't imagined anyone could be this strong. It was the kind of strength that crushed hope.
"What is going on?!"
Deep within Ryūchi Cave, the White Snake Sage—resting on her throne—jerked awake.
Her eyes snapped open, sharp as blades, fixed toward the entrance.
What in the world…?
Had one of the other sage lands come knocking?
The deeper they went, the louder the chaos became—like something massive was rampaging through the cave.
Shuoye and Kushina moved toward it. Their pace looked unhurried, yet each step carried them hundreds of meters.
Before long, they spotted a crimson figure.
"Manda?"
Shuoye raised an eyebrow.
Ryūchi Cave's second-strongest force was roaring in fury.
The moment Manda saw Shuoye and Kushina, his hostility locked onto Shuoye.
"You?" Manda sneered. "The White Snake Sage sent a human to deal with me? Ridiculous."
His gaze was full of contempt.
He prepared his petrification attack—aiming to turn Shuoye into stone.
"Heh."
Shuoye didn't move.
Manda's technique reached him—
And stopped, as if blocked by an invisible wall. It couldn't touch Shuoye's body at all.
"…What?"
The air turned awkward.
Manda stared, stunned, unable to understand why his attack had failed.
He tried again.
Same result.
"Turn me to stone?" Shuoye finally spoke, voice calm and steady, as if everything were already decided. "That's wishful thinking."
"Damn brat! I'll bite you to death!"
Manda lunged, jaws opening wide, trying to swallow him whole.
Shuoye simply lifted a hand and clenched his fingers in the air.
Boom!
A vast spiritual pressure slammed down, pinning Manda to the ground.
Shuoye stepped onto the giant snake's head at his leisure and let out a soft laugh.
"That's it?"
Manda struggled furiously, but Shuoye's force was like a mountain. He couldn't move.
"Brat! What trap did you use?! Untie me and fight me properly!"
He roared and thrashed, but nothing changed.
"Oh? Still not convinced?" Shuoye's voice cooled, stripped of warmth. "Then let me show you something. Do you know what lingchi is?"
A long, sharp blade appeared in Shuoye's hand as he walked toward Manda, smiling faintly.
"What lingchi— I would never—AAAH!"
The next second, blade-light flickered—
And Manda's scream shook the cavern.
"Stop! Stop! I—I was wrong!"
Blood burst across the massive crimson body, staining him so thoroughly he looked like a serpent made of gore.
Manda stared at the sword in Shuoye's hand, terror rising like poison.
He understood the gap now.
If Shuoye truly killed him that way, it would be a fate worse than death.
"I… I'm willing to submit!"
Manda finally choked the words out, trembling with despair.
"That's more like it."
Shuoye stopped. Satisfaction passed briefly through his eyes.
He slowly dismissed Kyōka Suigetsu and walked up to Manda, extending a hand.
"Sign the contract."
In truth, Shuoye hadn't harmed Manda at all. He had only used Kyōka Suigetsu's Shikai to manipulate Manda's five senses.
But the pain of being carved apart—
In Manda's experience, it had been absolute.
"Kushina, come here. Sign a contract with this snake."
Shuoye turned to Kushina after securing Manda's submission.
"Me?"
Kushina's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Shuoye to go this far—just to hand Manda to her.
"Of course." Shuoye patted her head and smiled. "If nothing else, he can be a meat shield."
"What?! You want me to sign a contract with this woman? I'd rather die—"
Manda exploded on the spot.
Shuoye's brows drew together. Killing intent sharpened in his eyes.
"Then die."
Manda's face turned purple with rage and panic—
"Wait! I… I… I'll sign!"
He didn't dare hesitate. He signed immediately.
When he saw the words slave contract on it, his expression grew even uglier.
But he knew he had no choice.
"Remember this," Shuoye said, eyes narrowed. "Try anything, and I'll kill you."
"…Yes."
Manda had no spirit left to resist. He could only nod obediently.
Kushina watched it all, emotion swelling in her chest—gratitude and admiration mixing together.
She understood what Shuoye had done for her. And she understood what Manda's submission meant for her future.
"Thank you, Shuoye," she whispered, her eyes glistening.
"It's nothing," Shuoye said with an easy chuckle, turning his gaze toward the depths of Ryūchi Cave. "Now we should meet the real one."
"Hm? That idiot…"
Deeper inside, the White Snake Sage sat with eyes closed, sensing that Manda's presence had vanished.
A quiet delight rose in her heart.
So he'd finally been dealt with.
But she didn't know that in Shuoye's eyes—
She was trouble, too.
"Oh? So this is the end?"
Shuoye walked in with Kushina.
They tossed the three Snake Princesses down in front of the White Snake Sage like discarded trash.
The White Snake Sage's eyes widened in shock.
"Who are you, to dare behave so rudely!" she demanded, her voice heavy with authority and fury.
Shuoye smiled faintly and spoke without hesitation.
"We are ninja of the Hidden Leaf. We're here to make you submit to the Hidden Leaf."
His tone stayed calm, almost casual.
"If you refuse, there's only one path left."
The White Snake Sage's rage spiked.
"What nerve! Even the First Hokage wouldn't dare storm Ryūchi Cave like this. You're courting death!"
Shuoye didn't flinch.
"Then try me."
"You think beating that fool Manda means you can swagger in here? Die!"
The White Snake Sage opened her jaws, intending to swallow Shuoye whole.
"Almighty Push."
With the Rinnegan, Shuoye repelled her effortlessly.
"Rinnegan?!"
The White Snake Sage jolted.
She hadn't expected this.
"Don't think having the Rinnegan makes you invincible!"
She roared, her body shifting—
Becoming a massive white serpent as she entered Sage Mode.
Her chakra surged. The entire Ryūchi Cave seemed to fall under her control.
"Brat! Surrender now, and you still have a chance!"
She attacked fiercely, using overwhelming strength and speed to crush him.
"Use everything you've got," Shuoye said, voice even. "Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't get another chance."
He slipped through her assaults as if strolling through a garden, avoiding every strike with calm precision.
Before he truly committed, he wanted to see what a sage like her could do.
"You still think humans are weak?" Shuoye's smile thinned. "Then it's time you face reality."
He moved.
The speed was so sharp the White Snake Sage barely registered it.
A single Rankyaku landed against her enormous body.
Boom!
She cried out in pain, smashing into the rock wall. Stones rained down as the cavern shook.
"This taijutsu…"
She stared at Shuoye, stunned.
She hadn't expected skill and power like this.
"Brat… who are you?" The White Snake Sage's voice trembled.
At the same time, elsewhere in Ryūchi Cave, Manda sensed the violent upheaval.
His heart lurched.
He contacted Orochimaru at once.
"Orochimaru! Some brat has fought his way into Ryūchi Cave! He's battling the White Snake Sage! Is he from your Hidden Leaf?!"
Orochimaru's heart jumped.
"What? Shuoye? He's in Ryūchi Cave… and he's fighting the White Snake Sage?"
He knew how terrifying she was. Ryūchi Cave was one of the three great sage lands—its dangers and complexity were beyond ordinary imagination.
Shuoye's move was a direct challenge to Ryūchi Cave's authority… and it could spiral into a catastrophe.
"That brat can't afford an accident," Orochimaru muttered, face tightening. "If something happens to him, my experiments…"
He made his decision immediately.
"I have to tell Fugaku Uchiha and Tsunade."
In Orochimaru's laboratory, the Kage-level captives—treated as chakra batteries—watched with glee.
"Shuoye went to Ryūchi Cave with summoning?"
"And he's fighting that White Snake Sage monster?"
"He's dead for sure. I've read records—that thing's an ancient freak that's lived who knows how long!"
"Good. This is a good chance…"
They silently prayed for Shuoye to fail—hoping it might be their way out of this humiliating situation.
But reality shattered that hope almost immediately.
When Fugaku Uchiha, Tsunade, and Uchiha Xuanjing received Orochimaru's message, their expressions changed at once.
They knew Shuoye was strong—but facing the White Snake Sage was still far too risky.
"Orochimaru," Tsunade demanded, urgency in her voice, "why are you only telling me now?"
Orochimaru spread his hands helplessly.
"How was I supposed to know Shuoye would be this extreme? That kid's mind is impossible to predict. I thought he wanted the Ryūchi Cave summoning scroll just to contract a snake."
"Damn it."
Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.
Now wasn't the time to blame anyone.
The priority was finding Shuoye—and getting him out.
"Can you get us there quickly?" she asked.
Orochimaru nodded.
"I can use Reverse Summoning to bring a few people. But no more than five."
"Shuoye really went too far this time," Tsunade muttered, shaken.
Uchiha Xuanjing nodded, face grim.
"Agreed. That's the White Snake Sage. Every sage of the three great lands is dangerous. Shuoye is testing Ryūchi Cave's bottom line."
Fugaku remained silent, weighing the situation.
Then he spoke, decisive.
"We move now."
Tsunade immediately began coordinating with him.
They decided to gather the Hidden Leaf's top combat power—Orochimaru, Fugaku, Tsunade herself, and Uchiha Xuanjing.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard the news, he also insisted on going.
But Fugaku shook his head firmly.
Not on this matter.
He would not allow any accidents.
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