Unsatisfied with the status quo, Ye Zi threw himself wholeheartedly into his new direction once he identified a potential path forward.
Orochimaru and Nanako, working together, made remarkable progress. After analyzing Jūgo's unique enzyme, Orochimaru's unrestrained imagination took over.
He pondered whether the mysterious energy could be combined with chakra or if the enzyme could be fused with the cursed seal.
The cursed seal had been developed long ago, back during his time in the Hidden Leaf Village, where he had experimented with implanting it in humans. However, a cursed seal that merely added chakra didn't meet Orochimaru's standards.
He had previously considered using the cursed seal to improve the success rate of Hashirama cell implants, but the experiments had failed.
What if he combined the cursed seal with the mysterious energy?
At the same time, Orochimaru became deeply intrigued by Jūgo's origins. He decided not to begin research on combining the cursed seal with the mysterious energy just yet due to the limited information available about the energy itself.
Jūgo's existence and the ongoing research results had elevated Orochimaru's interest in the mysterious energy to its peak. He was also keen to investigate Jūgo's origins and the source of his unique abilities.
With this in mind, Orochimaru temporarily handed over the research to Nanako and informed Ye Zi before departing the base alone, following the clues provided by Jūgo.
Ye Zi, fully absorbed in figuring out how to enhance his Lightning Release, didn't consider accompanying Orochimaru.
While Orochimaru delved into Jūgo's background, Nanako continued the research, striving to push it forward. Ye Zi secluded himself in his training room to experiment with combining Lightning Release and Yin Release, while Kotoha and Jin focused on training the children at the base.
Time flowed steadily.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Rain Village and the Akatsuki remained relatively quiet, though the major ninja villages continued gathering intelligence on them.
Nagato, stationed in the Hidden Rain Village, used his abilities to eliminate any enemies attempting to infiltrate the village.
However, the major ninja villages did not give up. Their intelligence-gathering methods extended beyond direct infiltration.
Despite Nagato's formidable measures, he couldn't prevent bits and pieces of information from being leaked to his enemies.
Still, Nagato remained indifferent to the intelligence leaks, as long as critical information wasn't compromised.
Orochimaru traveled to many locations alone. As his investigation deepened, he uncovered a surprising connection between Jūgo and Ryūchi Cave.
Ryūchi Cave, his summoning contract was with the snakes of Ryūchi Cave. What was the link between the two?
After much effort, Orochimaru finally located the entrance to Ryūchi Cave, hidden within a massive mountain. The cave's entrance was concealed somewhere inside the mountain's structure.
Entering the cave, Orochimaru found himself in a vast and labyrinthine interior. He spent considerable time and energy navigating the maze-like passages, carefully marking his path to avoid getting lost. Eventually, he reached a sealed entrance protected by a barrier.
Before him stood a stone door, flanked by a lifelike stone snake coiled around it. The snake's head rested at the top center of the door, its tongue flicking as though silently observing anyone who approached.
The stone door was covered in intricate carvings of scales and densely inscribed with complex seals, forming the barrier.
The barrier was visible to the naked eye, appearing as a translucent energy shield sealing the stone door.
Orochimaru reached out to test the barrier's strength, but to his surprise, his hand passed through it effortlessly.
"What is this…?"
He paused, startled, before stepping forward. His entire body passed through the barrier, bringing him directly to the stone door.
"An illusion? No… the sensation is too real for that. Could it be…"
Turning back to look at the barrier, Orochimaru quickly connected it to his summoning contract with the snake clan. Was the barrier granting him access because of the contract?
Deciding not to dwell on the matter, Orochimaru pushed open the stone door. Beyond it lay a massive rock wall covered in openings.
Dozens of cave entrances, irregularly arranged, extended from the bottom to the top of the wall.
Without overthinking it, Orochimaru headed directly to the lowest, most central entrance.
Inside, the passageway was pitch black at first. As he walked further, the walls began to emit a faint white glow, illuminating the path ahead.
This sight surprised Orochimaru, not because of the glowing walls, but for other reasons entirely.
As the tunnel widened, the space became increasingly vast. Soon, he encountered numerous snakes of various sizes, which confirmed his suspicions.
This was Ryūchi Cave... The home of the snake clan.
Orochimaru had visited the cave several times before, but he had never delved this deeply. He had certainly never considered the possibility of a connection between Jūgo and the snake clan.
"If that's the case, this just became much simpler."
Standing in a spacious area, Orochimaru summoned Manda, the boss summon of Ryūchi Cave.
Amid a massive plume of white smoke, Manda's colossal form emerged. Fixing his cold gaze on Orochimaru, he hissed, "Orochimaru, is that you?"
As soon as the words left Orochimaru's mouth, Manda paused, taking in his surroundings. After a moment of hesitation, he looked down at Orochimaru below.
Summoned unexpectedly, Manda initially assumed he had been called to engage in another battle. To his surprise, he realized he was still within the boundaries of Ryūchi Cave. This left him slightly perplexed.
"Manda, I have something I want to ask you," Orochimaru said, tilting his head up to meet Manda's gaze.
Manda's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint as he replied coldly, "What is it?"
Orochimaru proceeded to explain everything in detail.
After listening, Manda remained silent for a moment before responding indifferently, "Follow me. I'll take you to see the Great White Snake Sage."
"The Great White Snake Sage?" Orochimaru's serpentine eyes gleamed with excitement as he silently followed Manda.
From Orochimaru's explanation, Manda quickly deduced that the so-called mysterious energy he described was, in fact, natural energy, a key component in senjutsu. For a deeper understanding, the Great White Snake Sage could provide clarity.
As for why Manda agreed to take Orochimaru to meet the Great White Snake Sage, it wasn't out of kindness or malice.
Orochimaru wasn't the first human to seek higher levels of power. Before him, many others had come to Ryūchi Cave in pursuit of senjutsu.
The Great White Snake Sage never turned away visitors who wished to learn senjutsu.
And the reason for this?
The Great White Snake Sage would use its fangs to directly inject natural energy into the visitor's body. If the visitor's body couldn't withstand the energy, they would lose their sanity and transform into a snake.
Humans who transformed into snakes were deemed failures in their training, and the Great White Snake Sage would promptly devour them.
Of course, the Great White Snake Sage always explained these risks in advance. This was why Manda had no ill intentions... There simply was no need.
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Currently on Chapter 433 - Attack by The Root