Chapter Sixteen: Inquiry in the Dragon’s Grotto

The Great White Snake was the founder of Ryuchi Cave, having survived since the era of Kaguya, and was revered as the White Snake Sage.

Within its body resided an immensely powerful sage chakra, its true strength unknown.

It was a legendary being, capable of perceiving the fate of many humans or beasts—once it spoke of their destiny, none could escape it.

“Orochi…” the Great White Snake finally spoke, gazing with a trace of nostalgia at the mischievous, many-headed serpent before it. “It has been so long since such a serpent appeared in Ryuchi Cave.”

Though it emanated no tangible aura of authority, the three giant snakes at its feet bowed their heads, trembling, awaiting its command.

“I can only glimpse the fate of certain humans or beasts. Fate has countless possibilities, but once I see it, it becomes fixed—unchangeable. That human has come. Bring him to me.” The Great White Snake did not reveal all it knew. For every human who formed a contract with Ryuchi Cave, it had foreseen their destiny. Yet why had that human, Orochimaru, changed his fate? It wished to see him once more.

“That human has come?”

“He dares return?!”

The three giant snakes exchanged shocked glances, then retreated to obey.

Outside, the three transformed into the guise of young human girls—two maidens and one little girl.

The green-haired girl’s eyes flashed with murderous intent. “Granny told us to bring that human to her, but she never said whether he should be alive or dead!”

The brown-haired girl shook her head. “No, that won’t do. We can’t kill him; Granny specifically asked to see him.”

The blue-haired little girl giggled sweetly. “Then why don’t we eat half of him first, leave him just enough breath to see Granny, and finish the other half afterward?”

“Great idea!” the two girls cheered in agreement.

…

Orochimaru entered Ryuchi Cave. The cave existed somewhere between illusion and reality, shrouded in mist—only those with unwavering intent could find their way and meet the White Snake Sage.

To put it plainly, this mist that drifted between reality and illusion could never escape a serpent’s senses.

Those who came here, if they passed the White Snake Sage’s trial, would be guided through the mist by the serpents. Fail, and they would die of exhaustion or hunger, lost forever in the fog.

Of course, if fortune favored them, perhaps they could leave.

Possessing the cells of the white snake, Orochimaru ignored the mist and went straight to Ryuchi Cave.

He had once studied sage arts here, but his immortality technique then was imperfect—he needed to change bodies, and such vessels were too fragile to bear the power of Sage Mode.

Thus, he had learned only incompletely, and his transformation was flawed as well.

But now, with his current body, that concern was gone; he could pursue the training of Sage Mode.

“There’s also the Cursed Seal—it’s another way to use natural energy.”

Among humans, the Balance Clan was born able to absorb natural energy and use Sage Mode, but their flaw was lack of control—they easily lost reason and rampaged.

Orochimaru was either devoid of reason or possessed it to excess; either way, he did not suffer from this flaw.

In time, he could transform into the Eight-Headed Serpent form, use Sage Mode and the Cursed Seal together to absorb natural energy, and charge a ‘Pseudo Tailed Beast Bomb.’ Such an attack would surely rival the real thing!

This was only one of Orochimaru’s many ideas for offensive ninjutsu.

In the latter days, when Uchiha Madara appeared with such overwhelming might that he could fight the entire ninja world alone, Orochimaru, too, would need such powerful techniques. He was constantly designing and developing new jutsu.

A giant one-eyed, red-scaled serpent slithered toward Orochimaru, who regarded it with cool indifference.

He knew this snake well—an old acquaintance named Shin’ya.

“Orochimaru, you dare come here again, eh? Did you bring human flesh?” Shin’ya taunted.

Orochimaru simply shook his head.

“No flesh? Then you’re dead for sure today!” Shin’ya hissed.

A moment later, another giant serpent crawled forth—Orochimaru’s summoning beast, and the strongest serpent in Ryuchi Cave aside from the enigmatic White Snake Sage.

Its name was Manda.

Manda raised its massive head, looking down upon Orochimaru: “You have some nerve, coming here without offering blood food.”

As the mightiest of the serpents, Manda was supremely proud. When Orochimaru first came to make a contract, he had bartered blood food for the agreement. Over time, it became customary—every time Manda met Orochimaru, it demanded blood.

Orochimaru was accommodating enough.

But as his strength grew, there came a point when he could have bested Manda, so he no longer cared about these trifles. If Manda wanted blood, he provided it—useful, really, for disposing of failed experimental bodies.

Today, however, he had no time for Manda.

“Out of the way. I came to see the White Snake Sage,” Orochimaru said.

Manda erupted with laughter. “Did I hear right? You, a feeble human, dare tell me to step aside?”

There were three serpents in Ryuchi Cave known to all.

First, the White Snake Sage, for its rank and power.

Second, Manda, for its unrivaled combat prowess.

Third, Shin’ya, for its strength and petrifying venom.

Manda and Shin’ya were often together, and no other serpent dared cross them.

Today, Orochimaru had apparently provoked them both.

They bared their fangs.

“No blood food? Then we’ll eat you instead!”

Thunderously, the two giant snakes lunged, their bodies so tremendous that their movement shook the earth, leaving deep trails as they rushed to bite Orochimaru.

Compared to them, in human form, Orochimaru was insignificant.

Bang!

Just as Manda and Shin’ya were about to snap him up, Orochimaru transformed into the Eight-Headed Serpent—his size swelling dozens of times in an instant, knocking the other two aside.

“Hiss!” Manda and Shin’ya stared in astonishment—one to the left, one to the right.

In his Orochi form, Orochimaru was as large as they, but with seven extra heads—a natural advantage.

“Bite!” Manda and Shin’ya were not cowering fools. Their reputations were built on battle. Even if his heads outnumbered theirs, they would prove themselves with their jaws, lunging to bite.

Orochimaru was not one to show restraint. If they opened two great jaws to bite two of his heads, then the other six would each seize their opportunity and sink their fangs into the pair of them—three heads per serpent, fair and square.

When the two girls and the little one found Orochimaru, they arrived just in time to see his battle with Manda and Shin’ya.

And Orochimaru was gaining the upper hand!

The green-haired girl exclaimed, “I don’t want to eat him anymore!”

The brown-haired girl said, “He seems to be a serpent too. We serpents of Ryuchi Cave don’t eat our own kind.”

The blue-haired little girl nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Granny wants to see him. We can’t eat someone Granny wishes to meet.”