I'm just afraid you haven't made full use of it.

“No, it must be performed on Manda. This is the sage’s explicit instruction.”

At these words, Manda’s serpentine face grew dark and sullen. When Orochimaru chose Shin’ya over it, Manda had felt a trace of resentment, though it understood that recklessly undergoing such a surgery could very well result in its death. Orochimaru, ruthless as he was, had never intended to treat Manda as mere expendable material. But now, with the White Snake Sage naming it directly, a chill crept into Manda’s heart. Especially earlier, when Orochimaru pretended he might force the procedure, the White Snake Sage did not intervene.

Yet, the facts were clear, and Manda clamped its jaws shut, daring not to utter a single complaint or show the slightest resistance. In Ryuchi Cave, the power structure was simple: beneath the White Snake Sage were the three Snake Princesses, and Manda and Shin’ya were only half a rank below them. But even if all the other snakes combined their strength, they could not compare to the White Snake Sage alone. In Ryuchi Cave, the White Snake Sage’s word was law.

“The Sage has designated Manda for the surgery? That’s… not impossible, but the process is extremely dangerous.” Orochimaru did not persist in his refusal; instead, he raised an eyebrow, vaguely sensing the underlying motive. The two great experimental grounds of Ryuchi Cave were divided at the “Boundary.” The sage technique side, though the core of the “shedding” experiment, was not the only crucial part.

For in Ryuchi Cave, the mightiest warrior was not Manda but the White Snake Sage herself, who had existed since the cave’s inception. Sage techniques were merely the result of balance between chakra and natural energy, achieved over countless years of erosion. The White Snake lineage of sage techniques was only mastered by others after the White Snake Sage herself had learned them.

If another path of transformation could be found in a warrior snake like Manda, its value to the White Snake Sage would be immeasurable. By comparison, Manda’s life was of little consequence. It was but a weed that would regrow with the passage of time—no matter how tall or outstanding, what was there to be reluctant about losing? Orochimaru still had to consider the limits of his lifespan and was unwilling to waste valuable combat power, using a mix of carrot and stick, toying with the hearts of snakes. But for the White Snake Sage, she herself was the greatest force; neither power nor time were lacking. The Lamp Spirit could only infer her pragmatism as a “human,” forgetting the cold-bloodedness she possessed as a “snake.”

This experiment could afford to be even bolder, as long as it demonstrated its worth.

Having figured this out, Orochimaru reiterated, “The surgery is extremely dangerous. In the short term, I have no way to reduce the risks.”

Manda’s heart tightened, while the three Snake Princesses remained composed, their attitude clear: the surgery would proceed no matter what. This was the White Snake Sage’s command!

Orochimaru did not bother with meaningless reassurances about not risking Manda’s life. Instead, he shifted the topic. “However, the root danger of the operation lies in natural energy. If that can be controlled, the chances of success increase significantly.”

The three Snake Princesses exchanged glances. Tianxin, the eldest, spoke, “Orochimaru, what is it you want?”

This was not just a surgery but an experiment; success was preferable to failure.

Orochimaru licked his lips. “It’s simple—teach me sage techniques.”

Tianxin’s brow furrowed slightly, suspecting that Orochimaru was using this as a pretext to extract the training method for sage techniques and was about to refuse. But then a voice sounded in her mind.

After a pause, she said, “The Sage has already agreed, but you’ll receive it only after the surgery succeeds. As for controlling natural energy…”

The other two Snake Princesses stepped forward, speaking in unison, “We will assist you.”

Orochimaru pressed his lips together, his expression showing reluctance, but he had no grounds to refuse. The three Snake Princesses had trained in sage techniques for untold years; their command of natural energy far surpassed that of a novice.

A pity he could not obtain the training method before the operation began.

Orochimaru licked his lips, leapt lightly onto Manda’s back, and, through the Lamp Spirit’s vision, easily located the core of Manda’s chakra flow.

He instructed Manda to lie on its side, then turned to the three Snake Princesses. “Before the operation begins, use any techniques you wish. Please, make absolutely certain you control the natural energy within Manda’s body.”

The three Snake Princesses floated onto Manda’s back as well, exchanged glances, then revealed their fierce, savage countenances. By ninja standards, they had entered Sage Mode: heavy markings around the eyes, fangs bared. Yet they needed no hand signs; their hands joined naturally, and they cast sage techniques with ease.

Each of the three Princesses extended a tail, which ignored Manda’s tough scales and pierced directly inside. To an outsider, it looked like tubes connecting their bodies to Manda’s, the four snakes forming an integrated whole, faint white radiance circulating between them.

The process was far from pleasant. Manda suppressed a low growl in its throat, forcing itself not to make a sound—a testament to its stubborn nature.

A moment later, Tianxin nodded slightly to Orochimaru, indicating that they now had control over the natural energy in Manda’s body.

Seeing this, Orochimaru hesitated no longer. He set up a new nutrient tank at Manda’s heart and began injecting the first-generation cell fusion fluid.

A shrill scream tore from Manda’s mouth—the terror of the first-generation cells was as potent as ever. The explosive increase in cellular activity, the rapidly accelerating heartbeat… But after the initial agony, Manda endured, curling into a tight coil and silently bearing the pain.

The three Snake Princesses looked relaxed, and the youngest, Tatsu, even had the leisure to glance at Orochimaru, as if mocking his earlier words of caution.

Orochimaru paid them no mind, his gaze fixed on the chakra monitoring device, tracking the fluctuations of the first-generation cells’ chakra curve while, through the Lamp Spirit’s vision, he watched the shifts in natural energy, ready at any moment to inject the first-generation cell inhibitor into Manda.

He knew well that this initial simplicity was only because the first-generation cells were still sparse. Once the quantity of chakra broke a certain threshold and natural energy was truly put to use, that would be when the real difficulties began.

Sure enough, at a certain moment, the first-generation cells erupted into exponential growth again, and a heartrending howl burst from Manda’s throat.

The three Snake Princesses’ faces darkened—they were rapidly losing control over the natural energy within Manda’s body. The first-generation cells, duplicating and proliferating by instinct, were actually surpassing their mastery over natural energy.

To have their boasts disproved so quickly—what a humiliation.

The three Princesses joined hands again, sending sage chakra into Manda’s body in an attempt to suppress the rampaging cells.

Orochimaru also acted decisively, injecting the first-generation cell inhibitor.

The pain within eased slightly. Manda raised its head and let out a roar, seizing the opportunity to activate the Shedding Technique.