When Hibari's words ended, Ichikishima-hime first looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, then she let out an irritated "Hmph" and turned her head away, refusing to look at him anymore.
It had to be said that in her human form, Ichikishima-hime was truly adorable. Even though Hibari knew her true form was a giant snake, he couldn't help but smile. He walked over and gently patted the top of her head.
Ichikishima-hime seemed to enjoy the feeling of being patted. Her sobs gradually stopped, and her tears dried up a little.
"What's wrong? Who bullied our cute Ichikishima? Tell me, and I, Senju Hibari, will make sure that heartless scoundrel pays! When I get my hands on him, I'll make him give you a good venting!" Hibari asked with a laugh.
As one of the three Princesses of Snakes, Ichikishimahime held a very high status in Ryūchi Cave. When would anyone ever pat her on the head and let her "act like a spoiled child"?
Probably only the White Snake Sage had that right, but she wouldn't do something like this.
So, the feeling was unexpected for Ichikishimahime, and she actually found it quite pleasant. "Hmph, it was you, you liar!" Ichikishimahime said angrily.
"Me, a liar? That's not right. When did I lie to you?" Hibari asked with a chuckle, still stroking her head.
"You clearly had a way to get out, but you pretended you couldn't, which made me, in my arrogance, say that you could pass the trial if you got out. Isn't that a lie? I was so mentally prepared to eat you. You have no idea how much I was looking forward to it. Now it's all gone. There's nothing left, and it makes me so mad!" Ichikishimahime said, getting angrier as she spoke. Her tears started welling up again and fell like pearls.
"I never said I couldn't get out… You know my grandfather, Senju Hashirama, right? Don't you know my other grandfather, Senju Tobirama? Don't you know the Flying Raijin Technique?" Hibari said with a hint of helplessness, looking at the little girl pouting in front of him.
Ichikishimahime was quite "straightforward." The way she talked, it was as if Hibari not letting her eat him was a form of bullying. But in this situation, Hibari didn't find her annoying. Instead, he thought Ichikishimahime was truly adorable, both in her loli appearance and her "straightforward and innocent" personality.
This feeling even made Hibari think that being a human named Hoori wasn't so bad. He should be brave and try new things. People shouldn't be bound by conventions; they should be creative!
"Who is Senju Tobirama? What is the Flying Raijin Technique?" Ichikishimahime asked, confused.
She only knew Senju Hashirama because he was the last "Chosen One" and a successor of Shikkotsu Forest. As for other people, even Hashirama's younger brother, Tobirama, Ichikishimahime wouldn't remember. After all, why would she bother remembering a human who had nothing to do with her?
Hibari was stunned for a moment. He then said, "He was the fastest shinobi in the world… you don't know him, Ichikishima?"
"To me, he's just a human. Why would I know him?" Ichikishimahime said matter-of-factly.
Hibari heard this and felt that it made sense. His grandfather Tobirama had no connection to Ryūchi Cave and didn't know Senjutsu. To a snake sage like Ichikishimahime, he was just a "human" with nothing worth remembering.
'How tragic, Tobirama-jiisan, hahahaha. I can tease you about being 'Human Tobirama' later,' Hibari thought to himself mischievously.
To enlighten the little loli Ichikishimahime and make her accept her defeat, Hibari sat down cross-legged and said, "Let me tell you how I got out. Senju Tobirama is another 'legend' of the Senju clan. He's the younger brother of Senju Hashirama, the one you know, and he's my grandfather. He was known as the fastest shinobi in the world, and the reason I was able to get out just now is because I learned a true technique from him. Its name is…"
After a long while, Hibari finished telling Ichikishimahime the story of Senju Tobirama. She now understood why he was able to leave the cave, and she had stopped crying. Instead, she was listening to his stories with great interest.
"So that's it. It's a Space-Time Ninjutsu? I didn't think you humans could create such an amazing technique. It seems your grandfather, Senju Tobirama, is also very powerful. He is, after all, the chosen… cough, Hashirama's brother," Ichikishima-hime said softly.
"Yes, you're right. My grandfather Tobirama is indeed very powerful. In fact, to be honest, I don't admire my grandfather Hashirama, the 'God of Shinobi,' as much as I admire my 'Fastest Shinobi in the World.' He's my idol, and he's the person I'm determined to surpass." Hibari said with a laugh.
In Hibari's opinion, his grandfather Hashirama had many admirable and respectable qualities, but he was a lot like himself—a "cheater" who was born with a cheat code.
His other grandfather Tobirama was different. He truly walked his own path step by step to reach the peak of the shinobi world. The influence he had on the entire Konoha and the wealth of techniques and resources he left behind far surpassed his slightly unreliable older brother.
Therefore, Hibari had always believed that Tobirama was a great shinobi who, by his own efforts and as a "mortal," stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world. He had always respected and admired his great-uncle.
"So, since I already left the cave once, it should count as me passing the trial, right?" Hibari asked with a laugh.
Ichikishimahime, whose emotions had just started to calm down, felt her heart once again become unbalanced when she heard Hibari's words and smelled the enticing scent of him right next to her.
But as one of the three Princesses of Snakes and a sage, how could she go back on her word? Besides, the White Snake Sage had already made it clear that if Hibari passed the trial, she shouldn't make things difficult for him. So Ichikishimahime couldn't say anything that would be going back on her word.
In this emotional and complicated situation, her calm state of mind collapsed again, and she let out a "Waaah!" and started crying.
Watching this, Hibari was speechless. 'You've lived for over a thousand years, Ichikishimahime. Can't you be a little more mature?'
But seeing such a lovely and cute loli crying so miserably next to him, Hibari really couldn't take it. On second thought, he had already passed the Ryūchi Cave trial, so his relationship with them wouldn't change drastically. He would have to visit often in the future, and the three Princesses of Snakes were also the leaders of Ryūchi Cave. It was important for him to have a good relationship with them.
Also, it was unlikely that the White Snake Sage would teach him Senjutsu herself, so it would probably be up to these three snake princesses to be his "teachers." Considering all this, it was only right for him to concede a bit to this little loli, Ichikishimahime.
Besides… in just this one day, Hibari's opinion of this little loli had changed again and again. To say he had a good impression of her now was not an exaggeration.
'Maybe I'll really have a chance to be like the legendary Hoori? It's only right for me to give in to her a little now…' Hibari thought to himself mischievously, then shook his head with a touch of helplessness.
He reached out and patted Ichikishimahime's head again. "Alright, alright. Tell me, how can I make you stop feeling wronged?"
"I need to be mentally balanced…" Ichikishimahime looked at Hibari with a wronged expression and pouted.
"And what will it take for you to be 'mentally balanced'?" Hibari asked, rolling his eyes.
Ichikishimahime was as "straightforward" as ever. She licked her lips and said, "Well… if you let me eat you, I'll be balanced…"
"No way. Ask for something else I can satisfy. I have great ambitions, so how can I be 'eaten by a snake halfway through my great endeavors'? That's just too embarrassing…" Hibari said, waving his hand without hesitation.
He was willing to give in and take a loss, but in his mind, it was a a future investment that would pay off later. Everything else was negotiable, but he couldn't sacrifice his life. How would he get his money back? Burn it for himself? That would be a huge loss.
Ichikishimahime was just saying it. After all, now that Hibari had passed the trial, she didn't dare to eat him. She had the White Snake Sage to worry about. If she went against the White Snake Sage's orders and forcefully ate Hibari, she would surely be eaten by the White Snake Sage herself. So Ichikishimahime wasn't daring enough to seek death.
After Hibari refused her first request, Ichikishimahime looked at him pitifully, then thought for a moment and said, "Then just let me eat some of your chakra and blood… Is that okay?"
"…Besides eating me, can't you have any other normal requests?" Hibari said, feeling helpless.
"To me, you are only tempting to my appetite. What else can you give me?" Ichikishimahime said, being "straightforward" once again.
"I… I…" Hibari wanted to list his strengths, but after thinking about it, none of them seemed to matter much to a snake sage like Ichikishimahime.
As for his strength… these snake princesses all trained Senjutsu. Even if he was more powerful in other aspects, it held no appeal to them.
As for wealth, even mountains of gold and silver were meaningless to a place like Ryūchi Cave.
As for influence… it would be strange for Ichikishimahime to be interested in "human influence." She didn't even know who Tobirama was. This showed that besides a few specific humans who might be of interest, all the worldly affairs of the human world meant nothing to a place like Ryūchi Cave.
Therefore, as Ichikishimahime said, what was valuable and meaningful about Hibari was in the "appetite" aspect.
Thinking about this, Hibari shook his head helplessly. He had been a shinobi for so long, and this was the first time he felt so "useless." It was quite a blow.
But at least he was still useful for satisfying her appetite. It was better than nothing…
As for the blood and chakra, he really had more than enough. When he realized this, Hibari also understood something else. Just as Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime wanted to "tame" him, why shouldn't he try to "tame" the three princesses?
He had enough "food" on hand, didn't he? Giving up a little blood and chakra could be seen as a way to "tame" Ichikishimahime. He would definitely get it back later!
After figuring all this out, Hibari gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and said, "Alright then, but first, you have to be gentle. If you go too far this time, you can forget about ever drinking my blood or eating my chakra again in the future…"
Hibari had a wicked mind and was deliberately saying these words. Sure enough, Ichikishimahime fell for it.
"There's a next time?" Ichikishimahime whispered in surprise.
She wasn't stupid and immediately understood the key point.
That's right. If Hibari passed the trial and became a shinobi who trained in Ryūchi Cave, wouldn't they be able to see each other often?
If they built a better relationship and became closer, her seemingly "unreasonable" requests to drink his blood and eat his chakra could be fulfilled. This was a long-term benefit.
The thought of being able to feast on this "delicacy" often made her mood, which was a little down, immediately lift. She patted Hibari's shoulder happily and said, "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Hibari, remember, I'm the best person for you in all of Ryūchi Cave. Don't let Tagori and Tagitsu fool you. You must treat me better than you treat them!"
"Yes, yes, yes. You, Ichikishimahime, are the best person for me in all of Ryūchi Cave, always wanting to eat me. I've really been fooled by you," Hibari said with a helpless roll of his eyes.
In the next second, Ichikishimahime didn't hesitate. She had been wanting to taste Hibari's "freshness" for a long time. Now that he had agreed, how could she hold back?
She pounced on his back, which gave Hibari a chance to feel her body for a moment, making him feel like he had at least "broken even." Before Hibari could feel it for too long, Ichikishimahime had already bitten into his neck.
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