Orochimaru was a man who believed in science.
Kiyosuke knew his own existence was far too unusual. If, one day, Orochimaru lost control and decided to take over his body, he’d be completely screwed.
So even while following him, Kiyosuke always kept his guard up.
The moment anything felt off, he’d run.
And this Orochimaru in front of him? No doubt about it—totally fake.
He cleared his throat and said,
"Tagitsuhime, if you’re going to pretend to be Orochimaru-sama, you need to be colder, creepier... and a whole lot more deranged. You’re not nearly twisted enough. Also—this is supposed to be some kind of mental torture?"
Tagitsuhime: "..."
[The hell? Did a brat just question my professionalism?]
Her mouth opened wide, and she spat out a gleaming longsword into her hand.
"Asakawa Kiyosuke... let me take a look inside that body of yours."
Kiyosuke rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, definitely fake. Orochimaru-sama uses scalpels for dissections, not oversized broadswords."
Illusions were like that. Once you realized it was fake, it became much harder to be deceived. The problem was that your body wouldn’t always wake up, even if your mind had.
Still, if this was a test set up by Tagitsuhime, that meant his life wasn’t actually in danger.
"This little brat..."
Veins popped on Tagitsuhime’s forehead. Still disguised as Orochimaru, she raised the sword and brought it down—only to stop it inches from Kiyosuke’s face.
"You’re not dodging?"
"No point. It’s all fake."
Seeing his confident smirk, Tagitsuhime smiled faintly.
And then—
The sword pierced clean through his face.
Kiyosuke froze. "Wait, you were serious?!"
"Of course. Pretty gutsy, aren’t you? But illusion techniques are meant to work best when the target doesn’t realize they’re under one. You figured it out way too fast—it wasn’t even fun. You pass."
Illusions were most effective when used unnoticed. Not everyone could perform something on the level of Tsukuyomi, which forced illusions onto others like a sledgehammer.
Once someone realized it was a genjutsu, the threat was significantly reduced. The only challenge was breaking free.
Humans developed ingrained thinking patterns that were hard to shake—subconscious instincts. That was what made Uchiha Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami the most powerful genjutsu of all: it bypassed conscious awareness and directly rewrote a person’s subconscious, twisting their beliefs before they even knew what was happening. With enough power, it could turn a saint into a killer... or even trap Kaguya Ōtsutsuki in a basement and force her to practice penmanship.
If Kiyosuke convinced himself that everything he saw was just illusion, then nothing could truly threaten him.
The three Snake Sages were all incredibly skilled in illusion techniques. If they wanted to, they could easily kill any intruder. However, under the White Snake Sage’s command, they were only allowed to devour those who failed the test. That meant they couldn’t actively kill anyone who arrived seeking power—instantly reducing their danger level. Stay alert, and passing the test became much easier.
After Tagitsuhime announced that he’d passed, the scenery around them shifted again.
Now, a temple stood before them.
This was the true Ryūchi Cave—the home of the White Snake Sage.
Tagitsuhime returned to her previous form as a shrine maiden, her expression tinged with disappointment.
"If you’d begged or broken down just now, I’d have eaten you. But you didn’t even flinch. Tch... You’ve been with that lunatic Orochimaru too long—turning into a little maniac yourself, huh?"
"No, I’m a totally normal person!" Kiyosuke quickly defended himself.
"Everyone who comes to Ryūchi Cave is a power-hungry lunatic. Come on, you’ve passed. The White Snake Sage is waiting inside. You’ve earned the right."
She led the way, and Kiyosuke followed close behind.
The gate ahead looked exactly like the one constructed by Tagitsuhime earlier—except this one was much darker. The ornate designs on the door were identical.
Tagitsuhime pushed the gate open.
"Go on. The White Snake Sage is inside."
"Oh, thanks."
"Hmph! I’ve lived longer than your ancestors, you little brat!" Tagitsuhime huffed, clearly annoyed she didn’t get to eat him. She grabbed his cheeks and pulled them hard in both directions.
Kiyosuke let her. With the White Snake Sage nearby, she wouldn’t kill him. Let her mess around—maybe she’d get it out of her system.
"Go on."
"Got it!"
...
He stepped into the dimly lit temple. Only a few lanterns cast faint light on the walls.
A long staircase stretched into the darkness. Kiyosuke put one foot on the first step and began to climb.
Suddenly—
Two massive lights blinked to life in the shadows.
Not lanterns.
Eyes.
Huge, cold, emotionless serpent eyes gazed down at him from above.
Lit faintly by the lantern glow, he could now make out a colossal white-scaled serpent coiled on a stone throne.
Its body was long and pale, perfectly blended into the stone altar around it. Its size was monstrous. It had orange hair, yellow eyes, and a green cat’s eye gem embedded in its chest. On its head was a purple ribboned forehead protector, decorated with a glowing red gem. Two golden rings adorned its snowy tail.
A kiseru pipe rested in the corner of its mouth, curling a thin trail of smoke into the air.
Seriously? Even she looks like a mob boss.
No wonder she was the White Snake Sage. Then again, over at Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage was always soaking in a bathtub. Even Gamabunta was constantly drinking and smoking. If he had hair, he’d probably perm it.
The aesthetics of the three great summoning realms were... pretty weird.
"White Snake Sage, hello. I’m Asakawa Kiyosuke. I came to sign a summoning contract with a snake."
The White Snake Sage spoke, her voice distant and calm.
"I already know. I’m aware of everything that happens in Ryūchi Cave. Are you Orochimaru’s disciple?"
"Not officially." He had learned summoning from Orochimaru, but never got a formal title or anything.
"No matter. Since you’ve passed the test, you may learn our Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu."
"Senjutsu?" Kiyosuke’s eyes lit up. Sage Techniques! Not the same as Mount Myōboku’s, but definitely powerful.
"So... how do I learn it?" he asked eagerly.
"I bite you. Inject Ryūchi Cave’s natural energy into your body. If you live, you’ve learned it. If not... I eat you." Her tone was light and breezy, like she was discussing the weather.
"..."
Kiyosuke started sweating. That was... very direct.
"Um, is it okay if I... delay the training for a bit?"
"Oh? Most who come here can’t wait to learn. Power-hungry maniacs, all of them. But you—such a little guy—want to delay it? Humans are creatures of desire. I’ve seen countless fall into darkness chasing it. Don’t you crave power?"
No, I crave!
But of course, he didn’t say that.
"No, it’s just... my body’s still developing. I don’t think I can handle it yet. Besides, I didn’t come here to learn Senjutsu. I came for the summoning contract."
"That’s easy."
The White Snake Sage tossed a scroll in front of him.
"Those qualified to train in our arts are qualified to sign our contract."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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