āBe carefulā¦ the beings that live here can not be considered peopleā¦ā
Naruto held both of his hands behind his back and muttered, āKabuto-nii-chan, now you are just scaring usā¦ This Ryuchi Cave obviously looks like a houseā¦ even if it is located in such an isolated place, it is a house nonethelessā¦ and who else will live in a house other than humans?ā
Kabuto smiled slightly and without trying to explain anything he went straight towards the gate of the Ryuchi Caveā¦
Both Naruto and Hinata closely followed behind Kabuto, and because Naruto kept asking about one thing or the other, as a result of which Kabutoās nervousness was eased a lotā¦
Thatās right, Kabuto is highly nervous at this time and his heart is not at all as calm as it may seem on the surface. It was at the moment when he saw the Kanji Characters making upĀ āRyuchidoāĀ that the nervousness in his heart even surpassed Hinata and Narutoā¦ because, unlike the two ignorant kids, Kabuto knows what this place truly isā¦
Itās the legendary Ryuchi Cave!
One of the three big unexplored regions in the Shinobi World, and one of the only three known places in the Shinobi World where one can get formal training in Sennin Modeā¦ But thatās only the surface of Ryuchi Cave and whatās known to the outside worldā¦ The true depths of this place are a big mysteryā¦ and Kabuto knows next to nothing about itā¦ however, there is one thing Kabuto understand very wellā¦ and it is the fact that even Orochimaru doesnāt dare to casually set foot at this placeā¦ therefore, Kabuto was highly vigilant as he took further steps.
Stepping on the broad steps, the three of them walked step by step towards the gate of the Ryuchi Caveā¦ compared to the towering gate, Kabuto, Naruto, and Hinata were like antsā¦
As he was passing through the gate, Naruto couldnāt help but open his mouth with an astounded expression, āWhat a giant doorā¦!ā
Hinata was also surprised, even if she is the supposed heiress of the Hyuga Clan, Hinata has never once seen such a magnificent entranceā¦
After passing through the giant gate which for some reason was open, the three of them walked through a long passage, climbed hundreds of stairs, and finally came across something that looked like a stone bedā¦
On the stone bed lay an old woman dressed in a white robe, she glanced at the three people one by oneā¦ After a momentary glance at Kabuto, the old woman shifted her gaze to young Hinata and looked at her with a slight smile, she finally glanced in the direction of Naruto and said, āWell, we have some odd guests hereā¦ a lost person and two children?ā
Kabuto took a step forward, and while bowing respectfully to the old woman, he asked, āAre youā¦ the White Snake Sage?ā
The old woman on the stone bed squinted her eyes slightly and nodded, āUh-huh.ā
As soon as she nodded, Kabuto showed her the small white snakeā¦ āThis snake was given to me by Orochimaru-samaā¦ā
āI seeā¦ā White Snake Sage nodded slightly, then questioned, āAnd I wonder why the three of you are hereā¦?ā
At this time, Naruto directly approached the White Snake Sage, and while deeply staring at her, he asked, āObachan, are you a Sennin?! Can you teach me Senjutsu?ā
White Snake Sage squinted at Naruto and said with a strange smile, āIf you wish to learn Senjutsu, then you must first pass one of my testsā¦ā
Before Naruto could agree, his mouth was hurriedly covered, and he was pulled back by Kabutoā¦
The White Snake Sage in front of them looks like a kind old woman who is harmless to childrenā¦ but Kabuto knew her true face very wellā¦ In reality, this old woman is a millennium-old monster who has mastered Senjutsu and has been ruling over the snakes of the Ryuchi Cave for several Centuriesā¦ so she is definitely not someone to whom one can be disrespectfulā¦
So, while keeping Naruto silent, Kabuto apologized for the kidās rude behaviour and then politely askedā¦ āTo learn Senjutsu do we need to pass some sort of test? Want kind of test, is it? And what are the contents of the test?ā
The White Snake Sage didnāt care about Kabutoās cautiousness, she kept looking at Naruto and answered, āIn the depths of the Ryuchi Cave, a giant snake named Garaga residesā¦ He has an aggressive temper and is prone to his violent outbursts are a nuisance for meā¦ So long as you bring me Garagaās reverse scale and tone down his temper, you will pass the test and you will be taught Senjutsuā¦ā
Naruto immediately cheered in excitement, āI just have to bring the reverse scale of a snake? It doesnāt sound too difficultā¦ā
āDonāt be an idiot Naruto!ā Kabuto scolded the blonde-haired kid with tick marks on his foreheadā¦ and then said to White Snake Sage, āIf this snake named Garaga can be a nuisance even to the legendary White Snake Sageā¦ I am afraid there is hardly anything we can do about himā¦ isnāt there something else we can do to pass the test?ā
āHahahaā¦ā The old lady chuckled lightly, then shook her head, āThis is the only test I have for you peopleā¦ If either of you wishes to learn Senjutsu from the Ryuchi Cave, then that person must first pass this testā¦ā
Kabuto nodded with a troubled expressionā¦
White Snake Sage has already stated the content of the test, even if he doesnāt like the content of the test, Kabuto doesnāt have the guts to negotiate or bargain with herā¦
Before stepping inside the Ryuchi Cave, Kabuto had expected that the learning process of Senjutsu would be that easy and smoothā¦ but only now did he understand how difficult it isā¦
Being Orochimaruās subordinate, Kabuto knows Manda, who is considered one of the strongest snakes in the entire Shinobi Worldā¦ and if this Garaga is troublesome enough to even make the White Snake Sage feel a headache, then his strength is definitely not weaker than Manda.
To tone down a snake on the level of Manda? This is not something they can manage with their strength!
Kabuto understands that if they wish to complete the trial, then they would at least require strength on the level of someone like Orochimaruā¦ otherwise, it would mean straight deathā¦ and he has no early death wishā¦ But at the same time, Kabuto also doesnāt know if he will get another chance to learn Senjutsuā¦ therefore, he was hesitating a littleā¦
While Kabuto was weighing whether to accept the test of White Snake Sage, Naruto had already asked the direction of Garagaās lair and was on his way there in a swaggering manner.
āHow powerful can a snake be that has caused a headache for an old Obachanā¦?ā was the thought in Narutoās mind, and things like catching snakes and catching fishesā¦ he has done countless times while he used to play alone in the forests around the Konoha Villageā¦ Therefore, Naruto didnāt think all that much and quickly went towards Garagaās layer in order to retrieve his Reverse Scale, so that he can learn Senjutsu.
Seeing Naruto going, Hinata hesitated a little, then she quickly followed him, āNaruto-kunā¦ wait for me!ā
By the time Kabuto came to his sense, Naruto and Hinata had already walked away from a long distance, so even if he didnāt want to, Kabuto had no choice but to go after themā¦ So, after shaking his head helplessly, Kabuto sighed and hurriedly caught up with the two kids, āHey you two kidsā¦ donāt go ahead so casually! Do you even know how dangerous this place is?!ā
At the same time, he couldnāt help but think whether it was a good idea to bring Naruto to the Ryuchi Caveā¦
As Kabuto, Naruto, and Hinata left the shrine of the White Snake Sage, three graceful female figures with white robes appeared by the White Snake Sageās sideā¦
These three beauties are, Tagori hime, Tagitsu hime, and Ichikishima himeā¦ the three priestesses of the White Snake Sage.
Tagori hime looked at the back of three people as they disappeared, and couldnāt help but ask White Snake Sage, āWhy did you stop us from testing the three of them outside the Ryuchi Cave?ā
White Snake Sage stared at Narutoās back and laughed, āHeheheā¦ just some reasonsā¦ Although, I never expected that this child will come here of all placesā¦ā
Tagitsu hime also looked at Narutoās back and asked curiously, āIs there anything special about this child?ā
āMaybeā¦ā replied White Snake Sageā¦
Ichikishima hime was a little puzzled, āIf that child is really special, then was it a good idea to let him go after Garaga? No matter how special, he is still a child at this timeā¦ with Garagaās temper he will definitely eat up that childā¦ā
White Snake Sage just chuckled and said nothingā¦ but at the same time, she was thinking to herself, āIf that child is really Asuraās reincarnationā¦ then perhaps the test will end in a different mannerā¦ well, I just have to wait and seeā¦ā