*Chapter 215: You Actually Know About the Sage of Six Paths*

They were now in a situation with no retreat. Earlier, the White Snake Sage hadn’t appeared, which meant allowing this Uchiha fellow to run wild without interference. If he wasn’t satisfied, there was no way he’d just let it go.

Submitting to this guy seemed like the best option at the moment.

“Hmm!”

Raijin was very pleased with the little snake’s attitude, gently stroking its smooth scales. Despite their size, creatures like these could easily change into something as enormous as Manda, towering like a mountain.

When they shrink, they could be as small as newborn snakes, capable of transformation as well. At their level, size hardly mattered anymore.

What really counted was the amount of Sage Chakra within their bodies, not the size or form.

“Has my lord taken a liking to me? I can transform into any shape my lord desires, but a snake’s mating time lasts 24 hours,” said Tsuchigumo-hime in a flirtatious, provocative tone asRaijin’s hand glided over her scales.

Their bodies were slippery, covered in scales, with hardly any sensation from external touch.

“No, I’m just curious what roasted snake might taste like,”Raijin replied slowly.

“...”

Tsuchigumo-hime’s twisting body froze instantly, unsure whether to continue moving inRaijin’s hand.

ButRaijin had no particular designs on Tsuchigumo-hime. He was just slightly curious about snakes, especially these sages of Ryūchi Cave. Who knew when these creatures would finally die? After all, the toads of Mount Myōboku had lived for who knows how many years.

Surely, the snakes of Ryūchi Cave were no different.

“Let’s begin,”Raijin commanded the three snakes, putting an end to his thoughts.

“Yes!”

Tsuchigumo-hime slithered up toRaijin’s neck, sinking her fangs into his skin.Raijin only felt a slight itch, nothing more.

“What incredible life force!” Tsuchigumo-hime said in astonishment, sensing the chakra she had extracted fromRaijin. It was brimming with an overwhelming vitality—just one sip felt stronger than consuming ten people.

This level of life force defied all logic!

“What are you standing there for?”Raijin noticed Tsuchigumo-hime had paused, too focused on drawing his chakra without transmitting any Sage Chakra into his body. Was this snake trying to freeload off him?

His chakra was strong enough to nourish a White Zetsu, allowing even a reincarnated Hashirama to use 90% of his strength. That showed how powerful his chakra was. ButRaijin didn’t lend out his chakra lightly—it could cause many issues.

“Hurry up!”

Tsuchigumo-hime quickly began channeling Sage Chakra intoRaijin’s body. Yet the amount of Sage Chakra she poured in felt like a drop in the ocean, barely causing a ripple.

She could only keep feeding Sage Chakra continuously, and it took at least ten minutes just to balanceRaijin’s regular chakra with the Sage Chakra.Raijin’s chakra reserves were so massive that filling this "chakra pit" to trigger Sage Mode required tremendous effort.

“Hmm.”

Raijin finally felt the Sage Chakra. It was indeed more potent than ordinary chakra, but given his Sage Body, his mastery over Sage Chakra was already at a peak level.

“How’s it going? It took the Fourth Hokage at least six months at Mount Myōboku to master Sage Chakra.”

“If it’s too difficult, we can come back another time. You’re one of the key figures in Dressrosa now,” Kakashi said with some concern, eyeingRaijin.

He felt like mastering Sage Chakra here was an extremely dangerous move. Kakashi had heard about Sage Mode before; his teacher had trained at Mount Myōboku to learn it. The Fourth Hokage had once told him about the risks of Sage Mode, warning that it wasn’t something to attempt lightly if one didn’t have the natural talent.

Even for Minato, Sage Chakra was something he had only just grasped. While he could gather Sage Chakra on the spot, he could only manage one or two techniques with it, at most. For a fighter like Minato, Sage Chakra was more of a burden than a benefit unless he faced a specific kind of opponent.

“No need! I think I’ve already mastered it.”

Raijin’s Mangekyō Sharingan glowed as he felt the energy coursing through his body. This power felt like a natural extension of himself, easily controlled as though it were an obedient pet.

What others saw as a volatile, violent energy,Raijin wielded as effortlessly as a tame rabbit.

“This power… nothing special,”Raijin chuckled, feeling that even the enhancement to his Susano’o was minimal. The real benefit of Sage Chakra, to him, was perhaps having a lethal edge when fighting opponents on the level of the Six Paths. But overall, it didn’t seem all that impressive toRaijin.

However, with his Sage Body, it did speed up his regeneration abilities. Useful, but nothing extraordinary.

*Raijin possessed the power of Susano’o and couldn’t even remember the last time he was injured. At his level of strength, unless the Sage of Six Paths himself stepped forward, there were hardly any opponents that could challenge him.*

Tsuchigumo-hime silently watchedRaijin, feeling that his demeanor made him seem like he was begging for a fight. She suspected thatRaijin was showing off, but had no proof to back it up. Countless people had begged to learn their Sage Arts, and anyone who mastered the techniques of Ryūchi Cave would undoubtedly become one of the most powerful figures in the ninja world. Yet, this guy dared to dismiss their Sage Arts as nothing special.

"LordRaijin, we also have other complementary Sage techniques here in Ryūchi Cave," Tachijin-hime interjected. By now, they had given up on any hope of revenge and were just wishing that this plague of a man would leave as soon as possible.

They quickly taughtRaijin the White Hot Technique and the Inorganic Reincarnation, two powerful Sage Arts, hoping he would leave once he had learned them.

But in just five minutes, the entire cave in front of the three snake sages began to morph, with countless rocks moving and twisting underRaijin’s control. With a mere thought,Raijin could reshape the landscape into any form he desired. This level of talent far exceeded their expectations. They never imagined that their Ryūchi Cave inheritor would be such a monstrous individual.

With such strength, even if Senju Hashirama were to be resurrected,Raijin could probably stand toe-to-toe with him. It was baffling to think that someone with this kind of power had been so unknown in the ninja world.

"Impressive Sage techniques! Ryūchi Cave truly has some valuable things,"Raijin said, nodding. For him, mastering these techniques was no big deal. He even considered spreading these Sage Arts within the Uchiha clan. Perhaps, with enough research, they could adapt these techniques for human use.

While the Uchiha might face some difficulty conducting this research on their own,Raijin had faith in people like Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru, and even Tobirama Senju. With those minds at work, his ideas didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore. They might really make it happen.

"What?" Tsuchigumo-hime and the others were stunned. They hadn’t expectedRaijin to come to Ryūchi Cave just to draft some new recruits. He even intended to take all three of their elders with him! They wanted to tell him he was being overly arrogant, acting as if Ryūchi Cave meant nothing to him. But when they met his cold, indifferent gaze, they couldn’t utter a single word of refusal. It felt like the words were stuck in their throats, too scared to be spoken aloud.

“White Snake Sage, you don’t have any objections, do you?”Raijin’s gaze shifted toward a wall, as if looking right through it to meet the eyes of the White Snake Sage.

The White Snake Sage had been observingRaijin, and withRaijin’s extraordinary sensory abilities, there was no way he wouldn’t have noticed. He had felt the White Snake Sage’s gaze on him the entire time but hadn’t minded. As long as the White Snake Sage didn’t object to him taking some followers,Raijin was fine with it.

"White Snake Sage?" Kakashi squinted, surprised that he hadn’t noticed anything. Unless the observer had completely merged with nature, there was no way his Kenbunshoku Haki wouldn’t have detected them. This was clearly a very dangerous individual. Kakashi couldn’t help but wonder what this person’s attitude towardRaijin might be.

“I didn’t expect one of Hagoromo’s descendants to have someone like you, carrying both Asura and Indra’s chakra within you,” the White Snake Sage spoke. “No wonder you possess such strength. But that chakra—did you steal it? Both Asura and Indra’s reincarnations should already be born in Konoha by now. I’m amazed you had the guts to pull something like this right under Hagoromo’s nose.”

As the wall vanished, it transformed into a cavern, and the White Snake Sage’s long body coiled on a chair. A pipe hung from her mouth, and a strange bead dangled from her neck, its nature unclear.

Kakashi’s pupils narrowed, electricity flickering around him as he prepared for battle. The White Snake Sage radiated an air of danger, even more so than an admiral from the Navy. It was hard to believe such a being existed in the ninja world.

“The Sage of Six Paths is restricted now and can’t just interfere whenever he likes. So, what if I cause some trouble? What’s Ryūchi Cave’s stance? Do you intend to stand against me?”Raijin asked calmly, staring at the White Snake Sage.

Although he was wary of the Sage of Six Paths, it wasn’t enough to stop him in his tracks. He wasn’t sure about the Sage’s current state, but given that the Sage hadn’t appeared in the ninja world for many years,Raijin assumed his power was limited. In the original story, the Sage had only manifested through Uchiha Madara’s half-body. It seemed the Sage’s restrictions meant he couldn’t physically appear unless enormous chakra reserves were involved, relegating him to someone else’s spiritual world.

Of course, these were justRaijin’s speculations—he couldn’t confirm anything for sure.

“You seem to know some secrets,” the White Snake Sage remarked, a bit surprised. “But since you’ve come to Ryūchi Cave as an inheritor, you naturally have the right to choose your companions. As long as they agree, you’re free to take them with you.”

The White Snake Sage paused, taken aback thatRaijin knew about the Sage of Six Paths. She began to look at him differently. This boy was young—where did he learn such things? The White Snake Sage pondered deeply.

“Very well!”Raijin nodded, pleased. He hadn’t intended to become enemies with Ryūchi Cave anyway. Fighting a sacred ground would bring him no benefits at the moment. All he needed was to take what he came for.