"Hey, Manda, stop!" When the six snakes left Ryūchi Cave and stood in the forest, the Rice Spirit Princess called out.
"Manda, what do you want?" Manda frowned, flicking its tongue.
The Rice Spirit Princess was currently in human form, looking no different from a normal person. She smiled and said, "Do you know who that person is?"
Manda thought for a moment. "I heard he's the Sixth Elder of the Uchiha clan. He single-handedly killed the Third Kazekage and thousands of Suna shinobi."
This was information it had recently gathered through Orochimaru. When the Rice Spirit Princess heard this, her small mouth opened slightly. Killing a Kage and thousands of shinobi?
A genius like this choosing to learn their Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode—once he mastered it, wouldn't their Ryūchi Cave's reputation...
The Temple Spirit Princess, standing nearby, saw the Rice Spirit Princess lost in thought and couldn't help but say, "We don't even know if he can withstand the Sage's chakra. If he can't and turns into a snake, wouldn't he just become the Sage's prey?"
The Swift Spirit Princess shook her head. "The Sage has invited him, which means she must have seen the future. This indicates that he will definitely be able to cultivate Sage Mode, and he will definitely master it, even..."
"Even what?" Shōki snorted. "Humans are not to be trusted. They talk about entrusting their lives to us, but in the end, they might even betray us!" As it spoke, a violent aura surged out, making the other five snakes tremble.
Shōki used to be a gentle snake, but after returning with one eye destroyed, it not only didn't weaken but instead developed an "inverse scale" due to this. When using Sage Mode, even the White Snake Sage found it somewhat troublesome, let alone the others. Now, in Ryūchi Cave, Shōki was second only to the White Snake Sage in strength.
Once it spoke, the other snakes dared not say more. With a cold snort, it left the area.
The other five snakes exchanged glances and sighed. Whenever humans were mentioned, Shōki would react like this. There was nothing they could do—they couldn't beat it, and if they talked too much, it would beat them half to death.
Inside Ryūchi Cave
The White Snake Sage sat on her chair. She appeared kind and gentle, currently in her human form—yellow hair hanging loosely, wearing a brown crescent-shaped hat, with a round face that made her look like a humorous little old lady.
She sat on the chair, gazing warmly at Uchiha Ryun, who had arrived. Ryun looked up at the seat, knowing this was the White Snake Sage's human form.
He bowed respectfully. "Junior Uchiha Ryun of the Uchiha clan greets the esteemed Snake Sage."
"Hehe, for the Uchiha clan to produce a prodigy like you is truly their fortune." The White Snake Sage chuckled. She took out a smoking pipe, placed it by her mouth, and with a surge of Sage chakra, lit the tobacco.
She took a deep puff, exhaling a cloud of smoke, her expression one of deep satisfaction. She smiled. "Want a try?" She was quite interested in this young man.
In the future, he would single-handedly annihilate the Ōtsutsuki clan and erase their so-called "Kāma." What kind of man was he now?
From what she could see, he seemed quite promising. But when the White Snake Sage probed further, her body stiffened. She suddenly stood up and moved beside Ryun at a speed undetectable even by the Mangekyō Sharingan.
She grabbed his right hand, inspecting the chakra within his body. Then, with a doubtful expression, she asked, "You've never been exposed to Sage chakra before, right?"
Ryun nodded. "Yes, is there a problem, Sage?"
The White Snake Sage clicked her tongue. This young man was using Sage chakra without even realizing it.
Chakra generally referred to the product of evenly mixing mental energy and physical energy. Sage chakra, however, referred to energy extracted from the natural world.
How could human power compare to the power of nature? The power of nature was inexhaustible, endlessly regenerating.
Thus, while normal chakra could perform ninjutsu, its power and endurance were far inferior to ninjutsu performed with Sage chakra.
Ryun had unknowingly drawn chakra from nature. Though his ninjutsu was stronger than others', the difference was limited.
If he learned to harness this power, he would master Sage Mode.
The White Snake Sage smiled. "You have great potential. Now, I will explain the training method for Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode. It's simple—let me bite you."
Then, she transformed from her human form into a white-scaled serpent, with yellow hair behind her head and two black crescent-shaped horns protruding from her forehead.
She bared her fangs, sharp and deadly. "I will inject Sage chakra into your body. If you endure it, it means you can cultivate Dragon Transformation. If you can't, you will turn into a snake and become my prey. Are you willing?"
The White Snake Sage's tone was solemn as she stared at Ryun.
Ryun had long been prepared. He smiled. "Of course I am willing. To receive personal guidance from the Sage is an honor."
The White Snake Sage chuckled. "You're an interesting one." Then, she shrank in size and sank her fangs into Ryun's shoulder.
Ryun felt a sharp pain surge from his shoulder. He glanced at the bite mark and couldn't help but gasp.
Why had the wound instantly turned black? In the original story, it wasn't this extreme!
The White Snake Sage, however, was deep in thought. It had been a long time since she'd had a successor. She might have accidentally injected twice the usual amount of Sage chakra.
She wasn't sure if Ryun could endure it. The White Snake Sage felt a little embarrassed—age had made her lose control of her fangs.
She returned to her human form, glanced at Ryun, and then walked back to her seat. Now, all that was left was to wait. If he succeeded, he would live. If he failed, he would die.
This was how Ryūchi Cave's inheritance worked—either survive, turn into a snake, or be torn apart by venomous serpents.
Ryun's consciousness quickly plunged into darkness. In the darkness, he lost all five senses. The only thing he could feel was his heartbeat, reminding him he was still alive.
Then, his sense of touch returned. A ray of sunlight shone on him. He couldn't see it, but he could feel its warmth moving across his skin.
Ryun forced his body to move. Guided by sensation, he followed the sunlight until he reached a cliff. Standing at the edge, his hearing returned.
He kicked a stone, sending it flying off the cliff. It hit the bottom after sixteen echoes.
Ryun froze. A cliff? What was going on? Was he under a genjutsu? But no one answered him. Unable to see the path, he knelt and groped along the cliff's edge until he touched a wooden stake.
His heart leaped with joy. His hands continued searching until they found a plank.
At that moment, his vision returned. He opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. Behind him was darkness, with no path. Beneath his feet were the cliff's rocks, and ahead was an old, decaying bridge.