Uchiha Hikari definitely planned to meet the White Snake Sage.
But not yet.
As Orochimaru had warned, the folks at Ryuchi Cave weren't exactly the friendliest bunch. If she just wanted a summoning beast, that'd be one thing, but to train in Sage Mode, she'd need to deal with the White Snake Sage herself.
And according to the Sage's rules, trainees had to let her inject natural energy directly through her fangs. Survive, and you'd end up like Kabuto—a half-human, half-snake freak. Fail, and you're dead.
That wasn't exactly Hikari's idea of a good time.
She wasn't delusional enough to think she could storm Ryuchi Cave single-handedly, but she at least wanted to sit down with the Sage as an equal.
The White Snake Sage, a thousand-year-old serpent from the era of Kaguya, was a force of unfathomable power. Earning her respect wouldn't be easy.
It'd take some serious planning.
For now, Hikari got the summoning contract scroll from Orochimaru, signed her name, and stepped outside to give it a try.
Summoning Jutsu!
With a puff of smoke, the massive Ten Thousand Snakes appeared on the open ground outside the Sound Village.
"Figures it'd be you…"
Hikari wiped the blood used for the summoning from her hand and looked up at the giant serpent, her expression unsurprised.
Looks like no matter who called, Ten Thousand Snakes was the most likely to show up.
On the other side, Ten Thousand Snakes scanned the area with a scowl, noticing Orochimaru's absence before zeroing in on Hikari. "Hmph, that Orochimaru guy handed the summoning scroll to someone else? Hey, kid, you his student or something? Don't you know my rules? You dare summon me so carelessly?"
"Heh."
Hikari looked up, her Mangekyo Sharingan swirling in her eyes. "Wanna fight?"
"What?!"
Over the next few days, Hikari, clad in her Susanoo, had a few "heart-to-heart" sessions with Ten Thousand Snakes.
At first, the serpent was all bravado, refusing to bow to anyone, spouting lines like, "No hundred human sacrifices, no deal!" or "If there's no offering, I'll just eat you!"
But soon enough…
Ten Thousand Snakes started cowering before her, muttering the toughest words in the meekest tone. The only thing it clung to was calling her "the evil Uchiha brat"—its last shred of pride and defiance.
Hikari didn't mind. Age-wise, she probably wasn't older than the snake anyway.
After a few days of "playtime," Hikari had a rough gauge of Ten Thousand Snakes' strength—
It was about on par with a wounded Dragon Bone Spirit.
Its strengths were agility, faster than the Dragon Bone Spirit, with quick strikes. Its weaknesses? No ninjutsu, no ranged attacks like demonic energy blasts, and its regeneration was lackluster. In the Inuyasha world, it'd barely qualify as a mid-tier demon. In the Dragon Clan world, maybe a third-generation dragon at best.
That tracks.
Ten Thousand Snakes wasn't exactly a top dog in Ryuchi Cave—just middle of the pack.
Not even counting the White Snake Sage, the three White Snake Princesses were likely stronger.
Still, Ten Thousand Snakes refused to spill any intel on the White Snake Sage, even after Hikari beat it black and blue.
…Or maybe it genuinely didn't know anything.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, after running a slew of tests, finally came up with a treatment plan.
"…Based on the serum samples and research materials you provided, Lady Hikari, I've isolated a few chemical compounds from the serum. They seem to be what stabilizes bloodlines. If we synthesize them into an inhibitor, it should work for Miss Eri."
"Is that so…?"
Hikari listened halfheartedly, her attention split as she glanced at the chat group.
[Bulma @Nameless: Hikari, you there?]
[Bulma: I ran into Dad last night when I went home to grab some stuff. He said there's been progress on that serum you asked him to research. Here's a sample for you to check out.]
[Bulma uploaded "Bloodline Inhibitor Prototype" (1 vial)]
[Bulma uploaded "Dr. Brief's Research Notes" (1 document)]
[Bulma: This vial's been tested on animals, and it's about 30% more stable than the previous serum. Dad says you should show it to the doctor who developed the original serum, but it'd be best to bring Miss Eri over for a clinical trial…]
[Nameless: Got it.]
After a quick chat with Bulma, Hikari downloaded Dr. Brief's research and skimmed through it before handing it to Orochimaru.
The "doctor who developed the serum" was long gone.
But Orochimaru should be able to handle it.
Under Hikari and Eri's watchful eyes, Orochimaru spent twenty minutes speed-reading the notes, his face lighting up with surprise. "Lady Hikari, this is your friend's work? Incredible! Our approaches are similar, but their methods are so much cleaner. And this step… using that enzyme to catalyze the reaction? Pure genius!"
After gushing for a bit, Orochimaru looked at her eagerly. "Lady Hikari, could you arrange a meeting with this doctor? I've got so many ideas I'd love to discuss."
"Hmm…"
Hikari's first instinct was to say no.
Letting Orochimaru study tech from another world was risky enough. Bringing him to the Dragon Ball world? That's how you end up with another Dr. Gero.
But…
"A meeting's off the table for now, but you can exchange letters with him. I'll deliver them."
Orochimaru didn't seem too disappointed. "Fair enough. I'll start by analyzing this 'bloodline inhibitor' to see if I can improve it… But I should warn you, Lady Hikari, both the serum and the inhibitor only stabilize Miss Eri's condition. They won't cure it.
To develop a true cure, we'd need a ton of Deadpool and pure-blood dragon materials."
"…I'll figure something out. You just focus on your research."
Deadpools were humans transformed into hybrids.
After Tachibana Masamune's exposure, the Snake Eight Families probably wouldn't create more Deadpools… but you never know. With Uesugi Etsu and Minamoto Chisei running things—neither of whom were exactly political masterminds—and the Snake Eight Families riddled with traitors, there could still be some of Tachibana's sleeper agents lurking.
Still, the number of Deadpools Hikari could get her hands on was likely limited.
So…
Next time she visited the Dragon Clan world, should she swing by Beijing and trick some blood out of Fenrir?
Or maybe hit up his second-generation dragon sister instead…
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