A hoarse voice suddenly sounded beside Orochimaru.
As the words fell, the stone gate that had been blocking Orochimaru's path boomed open, and in the distance, a solemn and majestic temple was faintly visible.
Orochimaru's pupils constricted, and he subconsciously released the tentacles wrapped around Kichijoten, retracting the dark chakra that had already eroded half of her body.
Casually tossing the beautiful snake he was holding aside, Kichijoten gasped for breath, her eyes filled with terror as she looked at Orochimaru, completely lacking any thought of counterattacking.
"How is this possible?"
"Doesn't Sage White Snake usually care most about her reputation?"
"Why is she not showing any anger at all, even though I've been tormented like this by this human?"
Glancing at the temple that had appeared in the distance, a trace of horror flickered in the serpent queen's eyes.
"She even skipped the third trial, and the temple where Sage White Snake resides has even manifested here..."
"Why?"
However, no one would explain this to the terrified serpent queen.
Orochimaru stared at the temple ahead for a moment, took a deep breath, and strode forward.
Sage White Snake leaned back on her throne, looking kindly at Orochimaru as he entered the temple. She put down her pipe and slowly spoke,
"Orochimaru, you've finally arrived!"
Orochimaru blinked in surprise, then nodded gently and bowed, asking somewhat confusedly,
"Yes!"
"Does Sage White Snake know that I would be coming?"
Sage White Snake was clearly amused by Orochimaru's abrupt shift in demeanor. She chuckled, her thin lips parting.
"You know your place!"
"I saw earlier that you showed no mercy to my attendant, and I thought you were like those conceited ninjas."
"Understanding when to advance and when to retreat, that's very good!"
"It's not a waste of my guidance back then!"
Orochimaru was truly startled now. The Sage White Snake before him was vastly different from his memories.
Weren't snakes supposed to be vengeful creatures?
He had injured her attendant in front of her, and not only did she not show displeasure, but she was even chatting like an old acquaintance.
Also, had they met before? And she guided him?
"I don't quite understand what the Sage means. Could you please explain?"
Sage White Snake naturally noticed the confusion in Orochimaru's heart. She picked up her pipe, took a puff, and closed her eyes slightly as if in thought.
After a long while, she exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Orochimaru, since you've found my Ryūchi Cave, you must have heard of Mount Myōboku, right?"
Orochimaru nodded, a vague suspicion forming in his mind.
"I've heard of it."
"Is the guidance the Sage mentioned related to Mount Myōboku?"
Sage White Snake hummed softly and looked at Orochimaru through the swirling smoke.
"Are you, like that girl Katsuyu, guessing that I possess the same deceptive abilities as the old toads of Mount Myōboku?"
Orochimaru instinctively wanted to nod, but he felt it would be improper to disparage the master of another Sage land in front of the host of this one. He could only respond with silence.
Sage White Snake didn't seem to mind and continued,
"I merely went to Mount Myōboku to ask Gamamaru for a so-called prophecy, using the identity of an old friend, for the future of Ryūchi Cave!"
"The Great Forest of the Slug Sage, Gamamaru's Mount Myōboku, and my Ryūchi Cave, are now called the Three Great Sage Lands by you humans, correct?"
Before Orochimaru could nod, Sage White Snake added,
"But it wasn't like this a thousand years ago!"
"It's just that the three of us old fellows joined forces, and unlike those pitiful creatures who were classified as monsters, we weren't wiped out!"
Orochimaru listened silently to Sage White Snake's storytelling, but a storm was raging in his heart.
"So, before the Sage of Six Paths founded the ninja world, he personally dealt with these sage-like existences?"
"To solidify the rule of Ninjutsu?"
"What a grand undertaking!"
Orochimaru steadied his mind and asked tentatively,
"What is the Sage's intention behind these words? There must be more to it, right?"
Sage White Snake narrowed her eyes slightly, smiling at Orochimaru, and said meaningfully,
"Orochimaru, trying to feign ignorance in front of me is not a wise choice."
"I like intelligent contractors!"
"And, I've already made myself clear."
Sage White Snake held her pipe and took a deep puff.
"Take, for example, the Void within you..."
"You managed to imprisonate its power source within your body using Yin-Yang Release, Orochimaru..."
"It seems you know quite a lot about beings like us, who are considered anomalies by humans!"
Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock, and he looked at Sage White Snake in disbelief.
"You..."
"You can sense the dark chakra even through the seal?"
Sage White Snake chuckled and gently shook her head.
"Not at all!"
"The sealing jutsu within you must be the work of the Uzumaki clan, right?"
"My strength in Ryūchi Cave is great, but not enough to see through a seal set by a clan that can even seal the Shinigami."
"It's just that from the method you used to restrain my attendant just now, I sensed the aura of an old acquaintance and made that judgment."
"After all, besides the power of the Six Paths, nothing else can truly suppress a pure demon like the Void."
Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief.
It made sense. Besides the Uchiha clan with their Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, there was probably no one in the ninja world, apart from the Uzumaki clan and the Jinchuriki themselves, who could see through a seal personally set by Mito Uzumaki.
"Then what did the Sage mean by 'guidance' earlier?"
"As far as I recall, I've never had any contact with Ryūchi Cave, except for today."
Sage White Snake paused for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought as she held her pipe. After a long deliberation, she asked with some doubt,
"I secretly left a token of Ryūchi Cave at your parents' grave back then. Did you not find it?"
"Then how did you manage to find Ryūchi Cave on your own, just as Gamamaru's prophecy foretold?"
Now it was Orochimaru's turn to be stunned. He instinctively took out the scroll that only contained a snake shed and unrolled it in front of Sage White Snake.
"So, my future self came to Ryūchi Cave because of this guidance?"
"Then am I, like Jiraiya, living my entire life under the guidance of a ridiculous prophecy?"
Orochimaru held the snake shed, symbolizing luck and resurrection, in his hands, his mind in turmoil.
"Is this what the Sage is referring to?"
Seeing the snake shed in Orochimaru's hand, Sage White Snake's hesitant expression immediately vanished, replaced by a satisfied smile.
"Indeed!"
"That old man Gamamaru does have some capabilities. A mere insignificant snake shed, besides the predestined contractors of Ryūchi Cave, would probably not be preserved for over ten years by anyone else!"
Upon hearing Sage White Snake's affirmative answer, Orochimaru felt an inexplicable sense of annoyance, as if his entire life was being controlled by others.
Was his yearning for eternal life, his pursuit of the truth of the ninja world, all a result of so-called destiny's guidance?
"Since you've arrived at Ryūchi Cave as promised, in accordance with the prophecy."
"Then..."
"Become a contractor of Ryūchi Cave!"
Sage White Snake summoned with a casual gesture, and the contract scroll held in the dragon's head above the temple slowly descended. Lifted by a gentle senjutsu force, it hovered before Orochimaru.
"Sign your name, and then go find your summon snake!"
"Hmm..."
"I'll have Katsuyu take you there, so you don't disturb that unruly one."