The reason the three Snake Princesses had suddenly changed their attitude toward Kazuyama was simple—they had tasted the Seven-Leaves-One-Branch Flower.
The flavor had enchanted them, leaving them thoroughly satisfied.
Although the White Snake Sage had taken the flower, Kazuyama was still here.
If they treated him well and taught him their Senjutsu properly, perhaps he could bring them more of that miraculous flower in the future.
Besides… this kid had some delicious fruit too. Teaching him Senjutsu? That would be a piece of cake.
"Kazuyama, before you begin practicing Senjutsu, show us your Transparent Escape Technique."
"No matter how incredible the White Snake Sage made it sound, we want to see for ourselves what kind of Kekkei Genkai can block even her perception."
"This will also help us gauge how much pressure to apply during your training."
Tagitsuhime issued her first instruction with a serious expression.
Kazuyama accepted it calmly.
Without hesitation, he activated his Transparent Escape Technique.
Before their eyes, his form gradually faded until he completely disappeared.
The three Snake Princesses' eyes widened.
They couldn't sense him at all—no breath, no heat, nothing. Even a snake's usual sensory abilities failed to pick up anything.
The only way to vaguely detect his presence was through natural energy, but even that was unstable and unreliable.
"It seems the White Snake Sage was absolutely right. Even natural energy struggles to perceive your Transparent Escape Technique."
"Now, maintain this state and sit cross-legged."
"Feel the natural energy around you. Ryūchi Cave is filled with it—slowly draw it into your body, little by little."
"Although you are not a snake, your body structure shifts completely when using the Transparent Escape Technique. You can absorb natural energy."
Kazuyama nodded, then focused on communicating with the natural energy for the first time.
Unexpectedly, half a month passed before he could establish a connection.
…
The Land of Rivers – Konoha Defensive Position
"Damn Sunagakure ninja, they really don't give up," Hamaki muttered, his eyes burning with frustration as he glared at the enemy forces in the distance.
For the past half-month, Sunagakure had launched relentless assaults on Konoha's defensive positions—an average of one or two attacks per day.
The casualties on both sides were mounting rapidly.
Despite Konoha receiving reinforcements, Sunagakure's forces were simply stronger, putting them at a constant disadvantage.
"Here they come again! Everyone, defend!"
"Earth Release! Earth-Style Wall!"
Hamaki Mimura reacted instantly, forming a protective barrier as the enemy closed in.
Orochimaru, though exhausted, stood firm. As the commander-in-chief, he had no choice but to be present on the battlefield.
BOOM!
Sunagakure's attack erupted, sending shockwaves across the war zone.
Ninjutsu, explosive tags, and all manner of ninja tools filled the air in a chaotic frenzy.
This was war. No matter how powerful an individual was, charging recklessly into this storm of firepower was a death sentence.
Once the Sunagakure offensive began to lose momentum, Orochimaru seized the opportunity.
"Counterattack!" he commanded.
Konoha's forces unleashed their own barrage, raining destruction upon the advancing enemy.
Lacking trenches or solid cover, Sunagakure's shinobi had no choice but to charge straight through the bombardment.
Even under heavy fire, their elite fighters pushed forward, breaching the defensive lines.
"Defend! Don't let them cross the security line!"
Hamaki roared as he drew his sword, slashing at an incoming enemy.
At the same time, Orochimaru led the commando unit into the fray.
"Hmph!"
"It's you again, brat!"
Orochimaru's sharp eyes locked onto a puppet spewing poison and deadly needles across the battlefield.
He immediately recognized the user—Sasori of the Red Sand.
Orochimaru prepared to intercept him, but at that moment, he felt a sudden summoning—an unmistakable pull from one of his contracted creatures.
A split second later, he bit his finger and activated the Summoning Technique.
"Summoning Technique!"
BOOM!
A thick cloud of smoke erupted.
But when it cleared, Orochimaru stood frozen.
Instead of summoning Manda…
He had summoned a person.
"Cough, cough! Seriously, who the hell closed my Summoning Contract Scroll, stopping me from returning to the village through it?"
"Manda, you bastard! Is this the way out of Ryūchi Cave you were talking about?"
"Summoning?"
A familiar voice reached Orochimaru's ears, and he had no choice but to accept the truth—he had just summoned his own apprentice, Kazuyama.
As the smoke cleared, Kazuyama's figure slowly emerged, a small purple snake wrapped around his arm.
The snake had a broad, four-cornered head and a fierce expression, but for some reason, it was barely over a meter long.
"What else could you do? The contract scroll closed. If no one used the Summoning Technique, your only option was to run back to Konoha!"
"You should be thanking me!"
Manda spat in annoyance, but the harsh and menacing voice coming from such a tiny snake didn't carry much intimidation.
"Hmph! I'm not going to argue with you."
"But this place… it looks like a battlefield?"
Kazuyama scanned his surroundings. Wow… this really is a battlefield. And the enemy is Sunagakure?
Holy shit, was I just summoned here by Orochimaru?
"Heh heh… Kazuyama, so you really went to Ryūchi Cave."
"But this isn't the time for idle chatter—this is a battlefield!"
Orochimaru's voice came slowly, but the last sentence carried unmistakable authority.
Kazuyama turned back and met his sensei's gaze.
"Did you hear that, Manda? The battlefield!"
"Hurry up and do something!"
Manda snorted in disdain but didn't argue.
The next second, the small snake shot off Kazuyama's arm and, under the sunlight, instantly transformed into its true form.
"ROAR! Damn little bastards! Let me eat you!"
Now over 50 meters long, Manda's massive purple-scaled body slithered across the battlefield, jaws wide open.
Meanwhile, Kazuyama used the Body Flicker Technique to reappear beside Orochimaru.
"Kazuyama… why were you summoned by me?"
Facing Orochimaru's question, Kazuyama fell silent for a moment.
Originally, he had been training in Ryūchi Cave, focusing on mastering natural energy. Thanks to the special properties of his Transparent Escape Technique, he had managed to completely coat his body in natural energy.
Not only that—he had successfully converted and stored a portion of it within himself.
The White Snake Sage's theory had been correct.
But just as he was preparing to use the Summoning Contract Scroll to return to Konoha through reverse summoning…
He discovered that the coordinates had disappeared.
Which meant—he couldn't go back.
At a loss, he turned to the three Snake Princesses for help. They brought him straight to Manda.
After all, Manda was Orochimaru's contracted summoning beast.
Fierce as he was, Manda still knew when to back down.
The moment he saw the three Snake Princesses—Snake Elders of Ryūchi Cave—he became as docile as a loach.
Not to mention, he had already formed a contract with Kazuyama.
After all, Manda was just a powerful snake, while Kazuyama had become a Snake Sage. There was no comparison.
In front of the three Snake Princesses, Manda had confidently boasted that he could definitely send Kazuyama back.
And the result… was exactly what just happened.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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