Blue Snake quickly slithered, delving deeper into the Great Snake Nest, and said to Orochimaru on its head, "Lady Orochimaru, the place we're going next is very dangerous; you need to be mentally prepared."
"You can talk?"
Orochimaru looked at Blue Snake in surprise; she had thought this giant snake couldn't speak.
"I've always been able to talk. You just mistakenly thought I couldn't."
"I see. I need to prepare a bit. You continue forward."
Orochimaru sat cross-legged on Blue Snake's head, closing her eyes in meditation. Meditating allowed her to refine Sage Chakra more quickly.
Blue Snake had already said the place they were going would be dangerous, so she needed to be fully prepared; it would be awkward if her Sage Chakra ran out at a crucial moment.
Blue Snake looked ahead, seeing that it was already Shinza's territory, and said to Orochimaru, who was meditating cross-legged on its head, "Lady Orochimaru, this is Shinza's territory."
"Shinza? Is it very powerful?"
Orochimaru asked with interest. In the Great Snake Nest, she had seen many giant snakes she had never encountered before, far more than those that appeared in the original story. Especially this deep blue giant snake beneath her, she wondered why its 'snake karma' was so bad; the giant snakes that had bullied it were enough to line up from Konoha's main gate to the base of the Hokage Rock.
Of course, this referred to the size of their coiled bodies, not their body length.
"Shinza is the only giant snake in the Great Snake Nest that possesses petrification venom. Its petrification venom can even petrify other giant snakes. Manda, who you fought earlier, has battled Shinza many times, and even it had to retreat three paces when facing Shinza's petrification venom. Without using its petrification venom, Shinza's combat ability is weaker than Manda's."
Blue Snake relayed the information it knew about Shinza, as well as its most powerful ability: the petrification venom that could turn opponents into statues.
If Shinza lost its petrification venom ability, it would have been thrashed by Manda countless times already.
"Petrification venom, that's a pretty formidable ability."
Orochimaru was very interested in the Shinza Blue Snake spoke of. From the name, it seemed to be a red giant snake, and a rather bad-tempered one at that.
"I should have warned you not to come near my territory!"
As Blue Snake slithered into Shinza's territory, an angry roar came from afar. Shinza had long sensed the anomaly in the Great Snake Nest and naturally noticed the combination of Orochimaru and Blue Snake, who had successively defeated multiple giant snakes.
The sound of a giant snake twisting its body and slithering came closer, and a massive crimson giant snake, no smaller than Manda, charged over, coiling its body and raising its head high, looking at Blue Snake and Orochimaru.
"I am Orochimaru. Shinza, are you interested in becoming my summoning animal?"
Orochimaru patted Blue Snake's head, signaling it to retreat, then leaped up. Wind Release Chakra surrounded her, giving her the ability to temporarily hover in the air, meeting Shinza's gaze.
Blue Snake twisted its body and retreated, not going too far. It actually wished to become Orochimaru's summoning animal. Not only was she powerful, but through their interactions, it could feel that Orochimaru didn't just use summoning animals as tools, but as partners to fight alongside her.
"Become your summoning animal? You don't actually think that just because you've mastered Sage power, you can make me submit, do you?! I'm not like those pieces of trash!"
Shinza's snake tail swung, sweeping fiercely towards Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, sensing Shinza's intent, clasped her hands together, and the Wind Release Chakra surrounding her transformed into a hurricane, protecting her.
Bang—!
The hurricane was dispersed, and Orochimaru ran across Shinza's massive body.
Shinza twisted its body, trying to shake Orochimaru off.
"Sage Art: Lightning Release: Lightning Stimulation!"
Orochimaru's body faintly flickered with lightning, and her figure suddenly vanished.
So fast!
Lightning flashed, and Orochimaru punched Shinza's side face.
Bang—!
Shinza let out a cry of pain; the pain from Orochimaru's small fist hitting its face exceeded its imagination.
This power, how could her strength be so great?
Could it be that jutsu just now... "Don't get too cocky!"
Shinza furiously opened its mouth and spewed petrification venom in all directions.
"Your petrification venom is too slow. To hit me, you need to be much faster."
Orochimaru easily dodged the surprisingly slow petrification venom, completing hand seals in an instant.
"Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Wall!"
Earth Release Chakra was injected into the ground, and one thick earth wall after another rose, forming a cage that trapped Shinza.
Bang—!
The next moment, the earth walls were shattered by Shinza, and it charged towards Orochimaru without losing speed.
Though a bit foolish, I'll use you to test my strength!
Orochimaru extended her hands, the Yin Seal on her wrists released Yang Release Chakra, her arms swelled significantly, veins bulging, as she braced against Shinza's head, which had burst through the ground and was charging towards her.
Boom—!
Shinza, pushing Orochimaru's body, smashed through one rock wall after another.
"How is that possible?!"
Shinza looked at Orochimaru, who had blocked its full-force charge, in disbelief.
"It's my turn now."
Orochimaru raised her head and met Shinza's gaze, revealing a smile. Her dark hair slightly bristled, and the lightning flickering all over her body became more pronounced, making her cool white skin glow under the lightning's reflection.
Bang—!
Shinza's nose was violently struck, and it painfully threw its head back. Just as it was about to open its mouth to spray venom, a white snake tail struck its chin, forcing its mouth shut.
Shinza, whose mouth was forcibly closed, felt extremely uncomfortable at this moment, nearly being petrified by its own petrification venom.
"Sage Art: Wind Release: Night Wind!"
A terrifying, cataclysmic hurricane instantly engulfed Shinza's body.
"Sage Art: Water Release: Water Trumpet!"
Orochimaru formed hand seals, and her white snake tail transformed into a white snake, spewing a torrent of water like a rushing river from its mouth, combining with Night Wind to form a colossal water vortex.
Shinza was like a snake that had accidentally entered a washing machine, helplessly spinning in the massive water vortex. It tried to break out of the water vortex, but the powerful suction made it difficult to escape.
The water vortex dissipated, and Shinza's massive body fell heavily to the ground, uncontrollably spinning for a while before slowly recovering. It looked warily at Orochimaru, who was meditating cross-legged on the ground; it did not want to experience the feeling of spinning in a water vortex again.
"You're so powerful, do you still need me to be your summoning animal?"
"That's just my strength in Sage Mode. I need your power, Shinza. Become a partner to fight alongside me!"
Orochimaru extended an invitation to Shinza. After already having a fight, if Shinza refused her invitation, she could only settle for Blue Snake, who had been leading the way for her, as a second choice.
"Alright, then let me become a partner to fight alongside you!"
Shinza lowered its head, a gesture signifying its submission to Orochimaru and its willingness to become her summoning animal and fight alongside her.
"You really caused quite a commotion!"
Ichikishimahime appeared beside Orochimaru, resting her chin on her hands. Orochimaru hadn't been in the Great Snake Nest for long, but she had already fought all the powerful giant snakes in the nest, one by one.
"Ichikishimahime? What are you doing here?"
Although Shinza used polite language, his tone was not respectful towards Ichikishimahime at all.
In his opinion, the Three Snake Princesses, who gave up their snake bodies to take on human forms, were far inferior to the giant snakes with their immense size, power, and speed.
Not just him, but many of the great snakes in the Great Snake Nest thought the same.
Ryūchi Cave was a place where strength was respected, unlike peaceful places like Mount Myōboku.
The White Snake Sage earned the respect of all the great snakes not only because of his seniority but also because his powerful strength was enough to crush all the snakes in Ryūchi Cave.
"None of your business, Shinza."
Ichikishimahime glanced at Shinza, surprised that the notorious troublemaker of the Great Snake Nest had been so thoroughly dealt with by Orochimaru.
"You haven't been following me this whole time, have you?" Orochimaru looked at the elusive Ichikishimahime. "If you're bored, why don't you prepare a new trial?"
"Don't talk about trials! If you're so capable, design a more difficult challenge than mine!"
Ichikishimahime couldn't stand it anymore. Orochimaru always used this matter to humiliate her, which was truly too much.
"You said it. If I design a more powerful and difficult trial, what's in it for me?"
Orochimaru crossed his arms, his golden eyes narrowed slightly, his white snake tail wrapped around his waist, the tip of his tail swaying.
"Benefits? What benefits do you want? Is my assistance in your Sage Jutsu training not enough?"
Ichikishimahime looked at the insatiable Orochimaru. She didn't dislike him for it; after all, how else could a power-hungry madman come to Ryūchi Cave?
"How about this: if the trial I design is stronger than your childish one, you must assist me when I need it."
The tip of the white snake tail swayed a little faster. Orochimaru already knew the abilities of the Three Snake Princesses like the back of his hand. If he could get the help of one of them, with their elusive abilities, there would be too many things he could do.
Moreover, these Three Snake Princesses were not exactly righteous characters, so they wouldn't be too resistant to doing some bad things.
"The trial designed is a test for those who come to Ryūchi Cave. If your designed trial prevents people from passing, don't expect to get my approval!"
Ichikishimahime didn't believe Orochimaru could design a very powerful trial.
"Shinza, this is for you."
Orochimaru flicked a rebirth pill into the mouth of the stunned Shinza.
"This is..."
Shinza could feel something he had swallowed, and the recovery speed of his injuries increased significantly.
"It's a pill to heal injuries. I'll summon you when I need help, Shinza." Orochimaru jumped onto Blue Snake's head. "Blue Snake, please take me back."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Blue Snake swam away with Orochimaru.
Comrade, huh... Shinza watched Orochimaru and Blue Snake leave, greatly anticipating the day he would fight alongside Orochimaru.
"Lord Orochimaru, can I become your summoning animal?"
At the entrance of the Great Snake Nest, Blue Snake looked down at Orochimaru.
"If you wish."
A hint of surprise flashed across Orochimaru's face, followed by a smile.
"Yes! Lord Orochimaru, I wish to!"
Blue Snake nodded repeatedly, overjoyed. He had thought that Lord Orochimaru, having such a powerful summoning animal as Shinza, would refuse him.
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