Why doesn't she come in?
Inside the hotel, Tagorihime had expected the newcomer to be like the others, thinking they had arrived at Ryūchi Cave and eagerly walking in. That way, she could, under the guise of hospitality, make them eat the food she had prepared.
Either they would realize that everything here was fake, or they would eat her prepared food, and their physical body and Chakra would become her sustenance.
Suddenly!
The ground shook, and a huge crack appeared on the ground, growing larger and larger, with a large amount of water flowing within the crack.
Tagorihime was dumbfounded. It was her first time encountering someone who acted first without saying a word.
Did she figure out it was genjutsu?
Realizing this, Tagorihime stopped maintaining the genjutsu.
"Are you the first trial to enter Ryūchi Cave? Water Release: Water Senbon!"
Orochimaru looked with a solemn expression at the woman who had revealed herself, wearing a strange headdress. She formed hand signs, and the water flowing in the cracks transformed into countless Water Senbon, shooting towards Tagorihime.
Disappeared? No, is she invisible?
Is it an invisible Sage Art that can completely conceal one's presence?
Orochimaru saw Tagorihime suddenly vanish, her presence undetectable.
"Lightning Release: Ten-Finger Lightning Blast!"
The Shadow Clone slammed its hands onto the ground, Lightning Release Chakra condensed in its fingers, rapidly spreading outwards through the water on the ground.
"Water Release: Water Trumpet!"
Orochimaru completed the hand seals in a blink of an eye, spitting out a large volume of water to increase the range of the Lightning Release attack.
"Enough! You've already passed my trial, what more do you want?"
Seeing Orochimaru launch attacks without a word, Tagorihime voluntarily revealed herself in the air, her beautiful face instantly twisting into a ferocious expression with snake scales appearing, a large blue tongue flicking out, black eyeshadow extending to her nose, and golden, slit pupils glaring fiercely at Orochimaru.
What is wrong with this brat?
It's endless!
"Was that Genjutsu just now your test for me?"
Orochimaru paused her hand seals, thinking about the Sage Art Genjutsu from earlier. If she hadn't been overly cautious, perhaps... no, something's not right! Others wouldn't have fallen for it either!
Who wouldn't be suspicious upon seeing a luxurious, castle-like hotel in thick fog?
It would be problematic to foolishly run in and eat, wouldn't it?
But judging from the skeletons on the ground, many people must not have passed the test... Could it be that Ryūchi Cave's first test is to filter out people with normal brains?
A hint of understanding flashed across Orochimaru's face; she believed she had discovered the true purpose of this test.
Tagorihime watched the subtle changes in Orochimaru's expression, feeling as though she was thinking of something disrespectful. She casually pointed in a direction and urged, "Hurry up, there are more tests waiting for you. Be careful not to get eaten!"
Having tested many madmen seeking power, Tagorihime had never encountered anyone so cautious.
The direction this fellow is pointing... it seems there are more tests waiting for me below.
Orochimaru followed the direction Tagorihime pointed, filled with anticipation for the upcoming tests, hoping to witness more Sage Arts.
"How pathetic!"
Ichikishimahime, who looked like a cute loli, appeared beside Tagorihime.
"That child might pass our trials and meet the White Snake Sage."
Tagorihime believed Orochimaru was the human most likely to pass the trials and meet the White Snake Sage.
A cave?
Orochimaru walked in the direction Tagorihime pointed, and the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, placing her in a cave.
Is this the next test? If I don't go in, I won't be able to pass the test.
Orochimaru walked through the cave and soon arrived at a cave entrance. After a moment of thought, she stepped inside.
Bang—!
A stone door fell, blocking the exit.
Orochimaru showed no surprise at the falling stone door. It had to be said that these trials were like movie tropes, utterly unoriginal.
However, the holes in the stone door... Orochimaru noticed the oddly shaped holes in the stone door, then glanced at the scattered, variously colored and shaped pebbles on the ground.
Could it be... this is the test?
You want me to play a puzzle game?
When Orochimaru realized this, the expression on her face became quite remarkable.
Who the hell would have thought that Ryūchi Cave, one of the Three Great Sage Locations, would actually... actually use a puzzle game as a test!
Could it be any more ridiculous?
"Is this your test?"
Orochimaru looked at the bun-haired loli who had appeared in the cave at some point, floating in the air, also wearing that ugly golden crown.
"You guessed it. As long as you can fill the holes in the door with the pebbles on the ground, I'll let you go."
Ichikishimahime lay in the air, head resting on her hands, drifting around.
This kind of test is fine... just fine... Orochimaru took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It was a feeling of being humiliated.
Orochimaru's Chakra erupted into a hurricane, sweeping up the pebbles on the ground. Then, she formed the 'Tatsu' hand seal, using Wind Release Chakra to precisely guide each pebble into the holes in the stone door.
When only one hole remained in the stone door, Orochimaru saw there was clearly no suitable pebble on the ground. She simply used Wind Release to modify one to fit, completing the entire process in just a few seconds.
Ichikishimahime's eyes widened. She stared in disbelief at the holes in the stone door, which had been filled in a blink of an eye, then looked at Orochimaru and asked, "How did you do that?"
The surrounding scenery suddenly changed, and Orochimaru found herself back in the thick fog.
"You're asking me how I did it? I want to ask you, what were you thinking to come up with such a idiotic and childish trial?"
Orochimaru instantly appeared in front of Ichikishimahime, grabbing her clothes and glaring at her angrily. "You don't actually think your test was difficult, do you?"
What Orochimaru couldn't stand the most was someone looking down on her research results or insulting her intelligence. In her opinion, a three-year-old child could pass this kind of test.
"You're the one! What do you take my carefully prepared trial for?!"
Ichikishimahime's face erupted with snake scales, black eyeshadow extending to her nose, her entire face becoming grotesque, revealing sharp fangs and a pink snake tongue. She was furious that her meticulously prepared trial had been so disparaged.
"A carefully prepared trial? Heh..."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, releasing Ichikishimahime. She hadn't come to Ryūchi Cave to get angry with random people; she was here to learn Sage Mode.
"You, you will absolutely not see the White Snake Sage!"
Ichikishimahime said angrily. It was the first time her carefully prepared trial had been disparaged as worthless.
Suddenly, a figure lunged at Orochimaru, mouth agape, biting towards her neck. The moment the sharp teeth touched her skin, Sealing Technique formulas spread across her entire body, following the sharp teeth.
"This is... a Sealing Technique?"
Tagitsuhime's head barely managed to turn, seeing the Sealing Technique formulas on her body.
"This is the Binding Seal. After I learned Sealing Technique, I got into the habit of setting up trigger-type Sealing Techniques on my body. This is to prevent anyone from attacking me without my noticing."
Orochimaru looked at Tagitsuhime, bound by the Sealing Technique and unable to move. Despite being able to use Sage Chakra, her strength was not as formidable as Orochimaru had anticipated.
"I didn't expect you to have such a powerful Sealing Technique set on your body."
Tagitsuhime tried to break free from the Binding Seal's restraint, but Orochimaru's Binding Seal was not that easy to escape.
"So, what is your trial?"
Orochimaru realized that without passing this woman's test, she probably wouldn't be able to see the White Snake Sage.
"Willpower. My trial is your willpower. What do you say? Accept the trial, or go back like this?"
Tagitsuhime looked at Orochimaru, showing no intention of breaking free from the Binding Seal.
"I accept your trial, but no biting the neck."
Orochimaru released the Binding Seal on Tagitsuhime and extended her arm for her to bite. Being bitten on the neck always felt strange.
Tagitsuhime looked at Orochimaru's pale arm, but the place she wanted to bite more was her neck.
In the original work, Orochimaru loved biting people's necks so much... could it be that she learned it from her?
Orochimaru felt Tagitsuhime's gaze on her neck. She waved her arm in front of her, urging, "Hurry up, how long do you intend to make me wait?"
Tagitsuhime opened her mouth and bit Orochimaru's arm, deliberately using a bit of force to retaliate.
Orochimaru frowned slightly, noticing Tagitsuhime deliberately biting her hard. She felt her body begin to heat up, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to see hallucinations.
"Orochimaru, you've fallen... I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and let you go back then."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru with regret.
Hiruzen-sensei, did you time travel?
"Orochimaru, the Fourth Hokage position should have been yours. Hiruzen went too far, not even trusting his own disciple? Choosing Minato Namikaze was to better control him, wasn't it..."
Danzo Shimura's expression was sinister, his eyes filled with anger towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Lord Danzo, even if they offered you the Hokage position now, you wouldn't want it, would you?
"Orochimaru, why did you leave? Aren't we comrades!"
Jiraiya's face showed shock, his eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at Orochimaru.
Jiraiya, you idiot, why are you showing up too?
"Orochimaru, if you had changed earlier, Jiraiya might not have died..."
Tsunade sadly lowered her head.
Hey, look closely, Jiraiya is right next to you! If you're going to say that, it should be decades later, right? Can't you stop looking like a child?
Orochimaru rested her chin on her hands, looking at these self-muttering illusions with extreme exasperation. None of them matched the people she knew; they all came from the original work.
So that's it. These illusions are formed from my memories, searching for the things that are most likely to shake me, to wear down my willpower?
The result was this ridiculous stuff.
Truly, not a single original idea!
"It's a pity, these illusions of yours are useless against me. They cannot shake my mind or wear down my will. I know what I want, and I know what I am pursuing."
Orochimaru stood up and looked in Tagitsuhime's direction.
"What a formidable young girl."
The illusions around Orochimaru vanished, and the environment also changed, appearing in front of Ryūchi Cave's temple.
"This is in front of the White Snake Sage-sama's temple. The power of the Sage you seek is here."
Tagitsuhime looked at the temple behind her, her peripheral vision falling on Orochimaru. "So, will you actually be able to obtain the power you desire?"
"I think I should be able to obtain the power I desire. Even if I can't, I'm confident I can leave safely."
Orochimaru walked past Tagitsuhime, pushed open the temple door, and stepped inside. What greeted her was a spacious main hall, with a giant dragon head directly in front, biting a huge scroll with the three characters "Ryūchi Cave" written on it.
A massive white snake was lazily coiled, leaning against a chaise lounge, slowly opening its eyes to look at Orochimaru, teasing, "Orochimaru, you're using my name to open a company, as a brand for products. Shouldn't you be paying me royalties?"
"There isn't only one white snake in the world, and besides, your company's trademark has no resemblance to me except for the color of the scales."
Orochimaru looked at the White Snake Sage lazily leaning on the chaise lounge, thinking that if she used it as a trademark, product sales would drastically decrease.
"What an unlikable little girl."
Before the White Snake Sage finished speaking, the scroll held in the dragon's mouth fell in front of Orochimaru.
"Since you've passed the trial, I'll permit you to sign a Summoning Contract with Ryūchi Cave. As for the power of the Sage, it depends on whether you can bear it."
The White Snake Sage narrowed its long, slit snake eyes.
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