Hidden Leaf Village Year 36, deep within Ryuchi Cave.
Inside the Inner Hall of the Temple, beneath the White Snake Sage's seat, a young man sat cross-legged, as still as a pond.
He was bare-chested, his expression neither joyful nor sorrowful, like a meditating old monk. His pale skin was slightly thin, and his black hair fell naturally, swaying slightly with his blue-green magatama earrings.
His breathing was long and natural, as if he had just closed his eyes, or as if he had been sitting there for a long time.
Suddenly, the White Snake Sage in the seat turned its gaze, staring unblinkingly at the young man below, revealing a hint of surprise.
The young man's eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes. His amber vertical pupils had become crystal clear, as if a layer of water film covered them.
His appearance had also undergone great changes. His original black hair had turned as white as snow, and his skin was covered with a layer of seemingly thin white scales. The corners of his eyes carried a hint of purple, which extended to the color of the eyeshadow on his nose, making it even darker.
Most striking was his forehead.
The originally smooth brow center now grew a sharp bone horn, lead-black in color, yet without any sense of disharmony.
"This is... Sage Mode?"
He looked at his hands, clenched his fists slightly, and after feeling the majestic power within his body, he finally revealed a trace of a smile.
This young man was naturally Orochimaru.
Two years had passed since he passed the Trial of Ryuchi Cave and signed the Summoning Contract with the great serpent Shin'ya.
During this period, he had been following his Master's arrangements, staying by the White Snake Sage's side to cultivate Sage Art. After a period of arduous training, he finally achieved what the White Snake Sage called the perfect "Sage Mode."
"Among the humans I have seen, you are not the first to succeed in cultivation, nor the fastest to achieve it," the White Snake Sage said, the powerful sound pressure causing the air to tremble, "However, you are the most successful I have ever seen."
Beside her, another giant serpent also moved, its entire body crimson red, with inverted scales on its neck, it was the great serpent Shin'ya.
"As expected of the person who signed a Summoning Contract with this great one, I am very pleased that you have reached this step~"
"Hehe, you didn't say that two years ago."
Shin'ya slowly lowered its huge head, and on top of its head, sat a black-eyed, black-haired, and incomparably handsome man.
The White Snake Sage turned its head slightly, looked at the thoughtful man, and chuckled:
"Lord Shin'yu, what do you think of the Sage Art of my Ryuchi Cave?"
"Hmm..." Shin'yu touched his chin, the red spiritual mark on his brow flickered like breathing, "Perfectly fusing Chakra with Natural Energy, while communicating with the heavens and the earth, allowing the newly born Chakra to constantly resonate with the external Natural Energy, and forming a cycle, thereby maintaining Sage Mode all the time?"
"That's right." The White Snake Sage spat out a smoke ring, speaking with a heavy accent: "In fact, Sage Mode is also divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower."
"Being able to temporarily control Natural Energy, refining part of the body's Chakra into Sage Art Chakra, and exerting its power, requiring the assistance of a Summoning Beast to maintain the state, this is the lowest level of Sage Mode, which can only be maintained for a very short time."
"Fusing the whole body's Chakra with Natural Energy, consuming as much as is used, this is considered a medium level. The disadvantage is that to enter Sage Mode, one must go through a long period of accumulation, to sense and absorb Natural Energy."
"Breathing and exhaling, the spirit merges with the heavens and the earth, allowing the absorption and storage of Natural Energy to form a natural reaction, the body contains Natural Energy at all times, this is the highest level, which is the perfect Sage Mode. At this stage, one can abandon the disadvantage of needing to accumulate power in advance, as long as the body is full of energy, one can enter Sage Mode anytime, anywhere."
Shin'yu nodded slightly, these stages were all experienced by Orochimaru, and he had seen them all.
After all, he would come to Ryuchi Cave every once in a while in these two years, therefore, he was very clear about the changes in Orochimaru's cultivation stages.
"However, to be honest, this cannot be called the most perfect." The White Snake Sage changed the subject, its narrowed vertical pupils carrying longing: "At my stage, the resonance with Natural Energy has been done to the best, but I am still stuck at the bottleneck, there seems to be a shackle, sealing the upper limit of continued advancement."
"If I can break through that shackle, the Sage Art of my Ryuchi Cave will definitely become stronger, and one day I will shed my snake skin and sublimate into a dragon!"
"Mm." Shin'yu echoed, acknowledging that Ryuchi Cave's Sage Art did indeed have some unique aspects.
One should know that, not counting Shin'ya, the White Snake Sage, Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagorihime, who could freely transform into human forms, from another perspective, were all great demons in the Transformation stage.
This point alone made it difficult for the toads of Mount Myoboku to match.
Although that 'Gamamaru' had also lived for many years, with a long lifespan, in the end, he was still just a toad.
The White Snake Sage was somewhat pleased with herself, glancing at Orochimaru below, "His current aura is more than ten times stronger than it was two years ago. Presumably, among the Kage-level powerhouses in your human world, he can be considered outstanding."
Shin'yu revealed a thoughtful expression, saying faintly, "Whether he is strong or not, we'll only know after testing him."
As soon as the words fell, he took a step, instantly appearing next to Orochimaru, leaving only an afterimage in place that slowly dissipated.
"Master!"
"Mm." Shin'yu patted Orochimaru's shoulder, able to judge that the smooth and delicate snake scales were definitely exceptionally sturdy, just from the sensation transmitted back from his fingertips.
He smiled lightly, saying to his disciple, "Use all your strength to attack me."
"What?" Orochimaru was slightly stunned, suspecting he had misheard.
Shin'yu said earnestly, "Only by fighting me can I judge your current strength."
"So that's how it is." Orochimaru understood immediately, the expression on his face becoming eager to try. Master was evaluating his current value.
"Let's start with Taijutsu."
"Alright."
The moment these words came out, Orochimaru burst into action, his arm like a nimble snake, leaving a winding and twisting white shadow in the air, his joined fingertips stabbing straight at Shin'yu's eyes.
The air violently shook, this simple move actually breaking the sound barrier.
Orochimaru knew in his heart that when fighting Master, he had to be prepared to kill the other party. Only by unleashing his full strength was it the right approach.
"Pa!"
The fingertips suddenly stopped in front of Shin'yu's eyes, a Big Hand steadily grabbing Orochimaru's wrist, intercepting the attack, all kinetic energy instantly returning to zero.
"The speed and strength are not bad." Shin'yu commented casually, although he easily grabbed Orochimaru's wrist, the wind pressure carried by those fingertips still caused slight ripples in the Water Molecule Barrier on his body surface.
"Great Serpent Style Substitution Jutsu!"
Suddenly, Orochimaru's figure in front of him collapsed, turning into twisting white snakes that slipped away from Shin'yu's fingers, thus breaking free from the restraint.
Shin'yu casually threw a punch, the back of his hand swinging like an iron hammer towards the air on the right. Only a muffled sound was heard, accompanied by bursting air currents, a white figure being smashed away, shooting into the darkness.
"Continue."
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