This wasn't an ordinary case of a snake shedding its skin. Manda had activated a unique ability—its own specialized molt technique.
The searing pain in its body was immediately transferred to the outer layer of skin. In moments, Manda wriggled free, leaving behind a hardened, petrified husk—like a stone tube—and emerged on the far side of the cave.
Only the three Snake Princesses remained connected to Manda through their conduit-like link. Orochimaru and his shadow clone stood atop the discarded skin, observing. He didn't rush to follow. Instead, he closely monitored the energy fluctuations within Manda using the Djinn's vision and the chakra monitor. His eyes narrowed.
Even though Manda couldn't use Sage Jutsu, activating the molt consumed not only chakra but also the natural energy in its body.
That was good news. At this stage, the natural energy inside Manda was more of a poison than a power—the less of it, the better.
After shedding its skin once, Manda—and the Snake Princesses as well—felt a clear sense of relief.
But Manda immediately readied itself for another molt.
Orochimaru leapt onto its back and stopped it. "Don't use it carelessly. Your chakra is limited. Save the molt for when you've truly reached your limit."
Manda turned its head, staring at Orochimaru with bloodshot eyes—disturbing and unblinking—but obeyed, suppressing the urge.
Resisting its natural instinct to escape danger wasn't easy. As a creature born of physical prowess and primal instinct, Manda relied on intuition to survive. Now, it was being forced to resist that instinct as its body grew weaker by the day.
And so, its resistance didn't last long.
Even knowing that repeated molting was merely delaying the inevitable—like drinking poison to quench thirst—Manda couldn't stop. The intervals between molts grew shorter and shorter.
Its instincts told it clearly: death wasn't receding—it was approaching.
The more danger it sensed, the more it wanted to shed. And the more it shed, the closer danger came. It was trapped in a vicious cycle, sinking deeper into the mire.
Orochimaru simply licked his lips, unsurprised.
Even a snake king from Ryuchi Cave—one that had clawed its way to the top of the food chain—was still just a snake in the end.
The law of nature—survival of the fittest—could breed terrifying predators, but it didn't grant them the power to overcome their instincts, to knowingly embrace risk or sacrifice.
Still, the success of this operation didn't hinge on Manda alone.
Orochimaru turned his attention to the Snake Princesses, watching their next move.
He'd never found a reliable solution to the corrosiveness of the First Hokage's cells. The only known successful transplants had come from Uchiha—a clan blessed with both the eyes and body of a Sage, backed by overwhelming chakra. There were also… other, less understood factors—almost like fate.
That path wasn't what Orochimaru wanted.
He licked his lips again, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Sage Arts. Natural energy.
A system unlike chakra. A possible key to breaking the cycle.
Under Orochimaru's gaze, the Snake Princesses' expressions twisted with discomfort. Manda's molting was losing its effect, and the pressure on them was mounting.
It wasn't just Manda's cells being corrupted—they could feel the chakra attempting to backflow through their connection, threatening to erode them instead.
Despite being weaker in raw strength, the First Hokage's chakra was overwhelming them on some deeper, more fundamental level.
The situation was dire. The faces of the Three Great Snake princess grew grim.
Right now, they were struggling just to protect themselves, let alone help Manda suppress the rampaging natural energy. If the White Snake Sage hadn't been watching, they might have already obeyed their instincts and severed their connection to Manda.
Looking back, it had been a terrible idea to rely on them to contain the natural energy. Although they were proficient in Sage Techniques, they weren't in the same league as Manda. And with their abilities limited under such pressure, they were nearing their breaking point.
Outwardly, the Three Snake princess appeared composed, but deep down, resentment simmered. They had already forgotten how carefree and confident they had been when things looked easier.
"Aaaaaghhh—!"
At last, Manda hit its limit. With a pained, piercing scream, it collapsed.
Orochimaru glanced at the chakra monitor. The graph displayed the same sharp decline he had seen when the grey python had failed.
Is this the end? he thought.
Just then, a long, thin tendril whipped out from the depths of the cave, slicing through the darkness and stabbing directly into Manda's body.
In an instant, Manda—whose body had been destabilized by the First Hokage's cells—was stabilized once again.
The Three Snake Princesses, faces pale, immediately released their spell seals and withdrew. Now that the White Snake Sage had intervened, their assistance was no longer necessary.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at the scene, a flicker of intrigue in his expression.
As expected of the White Snake Sage—a being that has survived for a thousand years. Perhaps this experiment holds more promise than I thought.
---
Meanwhile, deep within Ryuchi Cave, the White Snake Sage slowly opened her eyes. Despite her aged face, a sharp glint of surprise flashed in her gaze.
"…This feeling… it's real."
Her voice was low, almost awed.
"The Sacred Tree… Where did Orochimaru get this power?"
As she focused on suppressing the wild natural energy within Manda, her thoughts raced. Though only a trace amount was present—weak enough for her to control—this unnatural corrosiveness was unmistakably a signature of the Sacred Tree.
The symptoms Manda and the grey python displayed were eerily similar to the extraordinary beasts consumed by the Sacred Tree in ancient times.
There were differences, of course. In the past, the Sacred Tree would absorb these creatures into its roots and trunk. Now, however, the transformation manifested externally as a giant tree growing from the afflicted. Still, the White Snake Sage had no interest in quibbling over those differences.
What mattered now was this: Could she use this power for herself?
Naturally, the complete power of the Sacred Tree was out of reach—but this incomplete version? Perhaps there was an opportunity in its imperfection.
Her thoughts paused as she returned her attention to Manda. The natural energy within him had been subdued. Since this energy originally came from her, even if it harmonized with the Sacred Tree, it still yielded to its true master.
But the White Snake Sage wasn't comforted by this victory.
She could suppress the tree's influence in Manda—but that didn't mean she could do the same in herself.
Manda was limited. His body simply couldn't bear the full terror of the Sacred Tree's potential. But her own body was different—vastly stronger, and much closer to its limits already. Her natural energy had been compressed again and again, honed to near perfection.
She didn't even dare to activate the Immortal Molting Technique carelessly anymore. To recklessly absorb the Sacred Tree's power now could spell her end.
Her expression darkened.
It was a dangerous gamble.
The molting technique might allow her to stretch her limits once or twice more, but it would never elevate her to a new level of existence. That kind of leap… could only come from something like the Sacred Tree.
After witnessing the era of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the Sage of Six Paths, the White Snake Sage knew exactly what that level of power looked like—and how distant it was.
She hissed, flicking out her tongue, then slowly licked the corner of her lips.
Her eyes locked onto Orochimaru.
He was the one who brought this power into her domain.
And perhaps… he would also be the key to her own evolution.
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