The White Snake Sage exhaled a thick ring of smoke, watching as the once-defiant Zenya now sat obediently before him.
The massive serpent, notorious for its foul temper and resistance to authority, had finally been subdued.
Standing on Zenya's head was Mufasa, the current Kazekage. Behind him, Manda, Orochimaru, and Kabuto observed the scene in silence.
The White Snake Sage smirked. "I must admit, Lord Kazekage, I never expected even you to tame Zenya."
Mufasa chuckled, resting a hand on the serpent's massive head. "If a child is disobedient, you just have to show them more love."
Love?!
Zenya twitched.
That was not what Mufasa had said when he had threatened to rip out Zenya's last remaining eye.
"Bastard," Mufasa had growled back then. "You've got guts. Even after all this, you won't bow? Fine. I'll blind you first. Then I'll snap your head clean off."
"Don't worry, your toughness won't go to waste. I'll throw you into a pot and make the best damn snake stew this cave has ever seen."
Faced with such overwhelming strength, the once-proud Zenya had surrendered.
His body had been battered, his pride shattered. But more than anything, the sheer, suffocating force of Mufasa's chakra had broken him.
Was this man even human?
Even a monster like Zenya had no choice but to lower his head before a true predator.
Obediently, he slithered forward with Mufasa standing proudly atop him.
Manda, watching from a distance, had his jaw unhinged in disbelief, his tongue limp on the ground.
'What... just happened?'
Manda, the mighty serpent, the terror of Ryuchi Cave, suddenly found himself questioning reality.
Orochimaru, standing beside him, casually stomped on his head.
"What are you gawking at? This is perfectly normal. Now move it."
With that, Mufasa had completed the trials set by the White Snake Sage.
The ancient serpent sighed in defeat. "
Very well. You have proven yourself. From this moment on, all snakes of Ryuchi Cave may serve as summons for your Sand Village. No individual contracts required."
This meant that, with Mufasa's approval, even a rookie ninja could summon beasts on Manda's level.
"However..." The White Snake Sage's tone darkened. "There are still rules."
He extended a clawed finger, pointing at Mufasa. "First: The summoned beast's strength depends on the chakra supplied by the summoner."
This was standard.
More chakra meant a stronger summon.
A lack of chakra could mean summoning something... less useful.
Just as Naruto once summoned a tadpole instead of a mighty toad.
"Second: The summoner may select a specific snake, but the snake retains a level of choice."
Summons were often brought into battle without knowing the situation.
Was it a war?
A duel?
Were they fighting a god or an ant?
Most summons had no clue what was happening until they arrived.
This was why Manda had once tried to eat Sasuke.
Why Gamabunta had been bewildered upon appearing on a sheer cliffside.
"In short," the White Snake Sage continued, "a summon may refuse to fight. It may flee. It may even betray you. We are not mere tools."
This was the natural order.
Even the strongest ninjas respected it.
But Mufasa?
He shook his head. "That won't do."
The White Snake Sage blinked. "What?"
"I don't need summons that run when things get tough," Mufasa stated firmly.
"My shinobi need partners—allies who stand their ground no matter the odds. If a summon flees, it endangers the entire mission. That is unacceptable."
The White Snake Sage sighed, rubbing his temple.
"You humans live for what? A hundred years at most? My kin live for centuries, even millennia. Why should they risk their eternal lives for your fleeting moments?"
Mufasa smiled. "I think you misunderstand."
"How so?"
"I'm not asking your kin to swear lifelong oaths of loyalty. I'm talking about the mission. If my ninja are fighting, they need to know their summon won't just disappear at the first sign of danger."
The White Snake Sage huffed. "Even so, your people die too quickly. You'd burn through my entire cave in a decade."
Mufasa fell silent, stroking his chin.
The White Snake Sage thought he had won the argument.
But then, a glint sparked in Mufasa's eyes.
"Ah... I've got it."
The sage narrowed his eyes. "Got what?"
Mufasa grinned.
"An idea."
Mufasa sat cross-legged, deep in thought.
He needed a solution—one that would ensure summons and Kamen Riders could fight together without the constant risk of desertion.
Summons were powerful but unpredictable.
If one fled mid-battle, the Rider would be left defenseless.
That was a problem he had to fix.
His goal was clear: make the power of summons stable and accessible to Kamen Riders.
If a summon's role was only to provide power, and the Rider handled the combat, things would work more smoothly.
But how could he accomplish that?
Mufasa smirked. "White Snake Sage, no need to get so worked up," he said casually. "I've got an idea that could solve all of this. Just hear me out."
He explained his vision.
The White Snake Sage listened in silence, its ancient eyes narrowing.
Then, after a long pause, it blinked in shock.
"What... what kind of idea is this?" the sage muttered.
In all its centuries of wisdom, it had never heard anything like it.
Then realization struck. "Wait a minute! You're talking about turning my kin into cards, bottles, and coins?!"
Mufasa sighed. "No, no, you're getting it wrong. I wouldn't just seal them away like objects. That would be pointless. If they can't grow stronger, how would they provide greater power?"
He needed a better way to explain.
With a flick of his wrist, he projected a scene—straight out of Yu-Gi-Oh!
"My pride, my soul. My future is mine to control! Come forth, my loyal servant—Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
A majestic dragon burst forth, radiating sheer power. The White Snake Sage stared, speechless.
"T-that's a dragon?! What kind of summon is this?! It's... magnificent!" The sage was completely captivated.
Unfortunately, the projection ended. Mufasa shrugged.
"See? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon's body exists in the card's realm. It's summoned through the card, but even if destroyed, its real form remains untouched. That's the concept I'm going for."
He leaned forward.
"We can do the same with the snakes of Ryuchi Cave. Each one gets a personal card, and when a Rider uses it, the snake only needs to lend its power.
No need for them to physically appear in battle. Even if their energy is drained, their actual bodies won't be harmed. They'll just need some time to recover."
The White Snake Sage mulled it over.
It made sense.
Normally, summons had to be physically present, which meant they could be caught off guard or even killed.
This method could protect them.
For the first time, the sage regarded Mufasa with something close to admiration. "You... you actually have some wisdom."
Mufasa grinned. "Are you finally convinced?"
The White Snake Sage sighed. "You really won't reconsider studying sage arts with me? You have potential."
Mufasa waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, I'll leave that to others. Maybe Kabuto. He seems like a better fit."
Kabuto's expression remained unreadable.
The sage exhaled deeply. "Fine. But if you ever change your mind, Ryuchi Cave will welcome you."
Mufasa laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. Now, let's get back to business."
"Your method is solid," the sage admitted. "But how do you plan to make it work?"
Mufasa reached up and snapped off a stalactite from the cave ceiling.
The White Snake Sage recoiled. "You little—! Do you have any idea how long it takes to grow those?!"
Oblivious to the outrage, Mufasa started sketching on the ground. "Alright, here's how it works. The card acts as both a receiver and a transmitter."
He drew a snake standing on a circular platform, with wavy lines representing an energy field above it.
Then he sketched a figure—a Rider—with a belt slot for the card.
"We'll set up power projectors here in Ryuchi Cave," he continued.
"Using space-time ninjutsu, we can send energy from the snakes into the cards. When my Riders insert a card, the corresponding snake activates its power and projects it to the Rider. No need for physical presence."
The White Snake Sage examined the diagram.
"That could work... but we'd only be able to use snakes with high chakra reserves. What about their physical strength? That's a big part of their combat ability."
Mufasa's eyes gleamed with confidence.
"That's just the first step. As technology advances, power projection will evolve. Who knows? One day, we might even be able to project their full physical abilities!"
Hearing that, the gathered snakes, including Manda and Zenya, trembled with excitement.
"Wait... wouldn't that mean people could use our physical strength without us being there?!" one of them muttered in excitement.
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Word count: 1473
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