A thick cloud of smoke swirled in the air before slowly fading, revealing two figures standing at the edge of a vast, mysterious clearing.
One of them, a blond young man with sun-kissed hair and a roguish grin, stood with his hands casually inside his pants.
Beside him, a pale man with serpentine eyes and an unsettlingly calm demeanor observed the surroundings in silence, his presence slithering into the air like poison in still water.
It was none other than Naruto Uzumaki and the enigmatic Snake Sannin himself, Orochimaru.
And before them, looming like a beast waiting to devour all who dared trespass, was the infamous, otherworldly Ryūchi Cave.
The entrance alone was enough to send a shiver down the spine. Giant stone serpents coiled around natural pillars on either side of the colossal opening, their ageless eyes glowing faintly with a pale green hue. Their mouths were slightly agape, as if whispering riddles of old in the tongue of snakes.
Vines thick as ropes dangled from the upper crevices, swaying ever so slightly despite the complete lack of wind. A heavy mist clung to the ground, wrapping around ankles like curious phantoms trying to pull intruders into the abyss.
But it was what lay beyond the entrance that truly overwhelmed the senses.
The interior of Ryūchi Cave was a massive cavernous expanse, stretching further than the eye could follow. Jagged rock formations jutted out at impossible angles, some spiraling toward the ceiling like petrified serpents mid-coil.
The very stone walls pulsed faintly, as if the cave itself were alive, breathing, watching, waiting.
Natural energy was everywhere. It was thick, tangible, and overwhelming, like an invisible ocean of power pressing against the skin. The air shimmered with it—glimmering particles of white, blue, and violet floating lazily through the atmosphere like spiritual fireflies.
Every breath taken here filled the lungs with raw energy that buzzed inside the body, invigorating and suffocating all at once.
Pools of glowing liquid chakra dotted the terrain—some as still as mirrors, others bubbling like molten gems. Their hues varied wildly—emerald green, shimmering silver, burning crimson—as if each held a different element or secret technique.
Large bioluminescent mushrooms clung to the sides of the cave, some taller than trees, their caps glowing like lanterns.
Strange serpentine creatures with translucent scales slithered silently along the walls and ceiling, blending in with the shadows yet always watching.
High above, cracks in the cave's ceiling let in stray beams of light from the surface world, but the light was warped, filtered through layers of chakra-infused fog.
It gave the whole place an ethereal, dreamlike feel, like standing in a sacred land that defied the laws of nature.
A low hum echoed across the cavern, a sound not born from wind or stone, but from the very energy flowing through the cave's veins. It was a constant, unyielding whisper, like a chorus of forgotten sages murmuring from the dark corners of the cave.
Each step deeper into Ryūchi felt like walking through the ancient memories of the world itself.
Even Orochimaru, a man who had delved into the darkest depths of forbidden knowledge, narrowed his eyes slightly, acknowledging the cave's weight with rare reverence.
Naruto, however, smirked.
"Tch... So this is it, huh?" He muttered, his voice echoing with playful arrogance.
Naruto's blue eyes lazily scanned the cavern, glinting with intrigue and mischief as he stepped forward, his sandals crunching softly against the gravel.
The sheer magnitude of the place didn't faze him—he walked with the ease of a man who had seen gods bleed and lived to laugh about it.
He looked around slowly, soaking in the serpentine murals carved into the walls, the eerie glowing pools, the distant slither of massive scales against stone.
Orochimaru, standing just a step behind him with his arms folded into the sleeves of his robes, gave a slow nod, his golden eyes narrowing in the dim light.
"This… is Ryūchi Cave," He said softly, reverently. "The sacred land of snakes… where power coils like a living thing, waiting to strike."
His voice held weight. To him, this place wasn't just a destination. It was a memory laced with failure and obsession.
Orochimaru's eyes slid to Naruto, curious and cautious. "What are you truly planning here, Naruto-kun?"
The blond boy's grin widened, lips curling upward in a way that was both youthful and disturbingly unnatural. He turned to face Orochimaru fully, eyes gleaming with something darker than mischief.
"What else?" Naruto said, voice rich with confident amusement. "I came here to get the Snake Sage Mode."
Those two words echoed like thunder against the walls of the cave.
SnakeSage Mode!
Orochimaru stiffened. For a split second, his usual calm faltered. His pupils contracted into slits as an involuntary chill snaked down his spine. That term, Snake Sage Mode, wasn't thrown around lightly. He knew exactly what Naruto meant.
He remembered his own attempt, long ago.
The memory flashed behind his eyes—days of agony, of being rejected by the cave's core, of his body buckling under the burden of incomplete fusion.
The snakes had refused him.
And now this boy, this storm in human skin, was here for the same thing?
"…You should be cautious," Orochimaru finally said, licking his lips slowly, his voice low. "The snakes… they are proud. Arrogant, even. They don't respond well to demands. To them, humans are intruders at best, prey at worst. They do not listen easily. You may find your request denied."
Naruto went still.
For a long, tense moment, the air thickened.
Then, he turned his head, just slightly, looking at Orochimaru over his shoulder. That cheeky smile was still on his lips, but something shifted behind his eyes. The cerulean hue darkened, swirling with ancient, primal madness. A creeping spiral of chaos leaked into them—an abyss no mortal eye should carry.
He spoke—his voice soft, calm, even playful. But each syllable hit like a hammer wrapped in silk.
"You got it wrong, Orochimaru…"
The Snake Sannin raised a brow.
Naruto's expression turned cold—his smile freezing into something devilish and heartless. Like a dragon grinning just before it scorched the heavens.
"I don't make requests."
His words dripped with command, as if reality itself bent to accommodate them.
"I didn't come here to ask for the Sage Mode."
He took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet faintly cracking from the chakra pressure that had begun to radiate from him.
"I came to take it."
Orochimaru's eyes widened ever so slightly.
Naruto tilted his head, his tone darkening like storm clouds rolling in over a battlefield. "If the snakes don't want to cooperate... then I'll skin them alive and squeeze the Sage Power out of their guts."
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