*Chapter 214: Ryūchi Cave*

"So, this is Ryūchi Cave?"

After stripping the souls of Tobirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki, Raijin arrived at Ryūchi Cave.

This place was nothing more than a dense forest. Without Orochimaru’s guidance, it would have been difficult for anyone to even notice its existence.

But no matter how hidden Ryūchi Cave is, it cannot escape the keen eyes of the Uchiha clan.

In front of these eyes, all concealment is useless.

"The legendary sacred land. From the outside, you really can't tell anything."

Kakashi looked at the door in front of him, a thoughtful expression on his face. He glanced to the side, as if staring at empty air.

In fact, Kakashi's Observation Haki had already sensed a presence nearby.

"Oh? A mere human actually detected my presence. It seems those eyes of yours are quite troublesome!"

"An Uchiha, huh? No... only this guy."

Ichikishima Hime glanced at Kakashi and immediately dismissed her initial thought.

This guy wasn’t a true member of the Uchiha clan. He was just someone who had acquired their eyes.

There was a trace of Uchiha blood in his body, enabling him to control the Sharingan, but it was merely injected into him and not his own.

Ichikishima Hime figured out Kakashi’s background at a glance. She didn’t know him personally, but their existence was similar to that of Fukasaku of Mount Myōboku—unique beings with insight into deeper truths.

"Are you here to train in senjutsu at Ryūchi Cave?" Ichikishima Hime asked, turning toward Raijin.

Though the young man exuded no obvious aura, the power hidden within him was enough to catch Ichikishima Hime's attention.

This young man clearly had the qualifications to train in Ryūchi Cave’s senjutsu.

As for Kakashi, Ichikishima Hime felt less confident about him—perhaps he was barely suitable as their next meal.

"That's right," Raijin nodded, looking at the youthful appearance of Ichikishima Hime.

This creature was likely an ancient being who had cultivated for countless years, merely presenting this youthful form.

Raijin didn't dwell on it. He was here to see what Ryūchi Cave’s senjutsu was all about.

"Hehe, then come on in."

With a friendly smile on her face, Ichikishima Hime floated ahead, guiding them inside.

The outer test was skipped—Uchiha clansmen were known for their sharp minds and the power of their Sharingan. These trials were hardly a challenge for them, so it was best to get straight to the point.

Inside the cave, they encountered two more elders of Ryūchi Cave. As for the Great White Snake Sage, Raijin probably wasn’t worthy of an audience just yet. Only after passing the final test would he likely get the chance.

"If you want to train in our senjutsu, you must first pass our trials."

"Only then will you be qualified to sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave, which grants you the opportunity to learn senjutsu."

The other two priestesses floated into place, surrounding Raijin and Kakashi before they knew it.

Raijin pondered briefly. Orochimaru hadn’t mentioned any trials. Then again, given Orochimaru’s circumstances, he likely didn’t need to face any—he probably went straight to meeting the White Snake Sage.

Once one signs the contract with Ryūchi Cave, they can freely pursue senjutsu training as they wish.

Of course, one still had to endure the process.

"A trial, huh? Fair enough! But if Ryūchi Cave’s power is lacking, you won’t be worthy of signing a contract with me."

"In that case, let’s do this. If you can withstand three minutes against me, I, Uchiha Raijin, will acknowledge the status of your sacred land. Then I will sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave."

Raijin crossed his arms, nodding slowly as he spoke.

If the senjutsu wasn’t strong enough, he wouldn’t even bother studying it. Once his Rinnegan emerged, he could easily surpass it—just like Madara.

Madara never studied senjutsu, but with the foundation of the Rinnegan, he easily mastered it. The Rinnegan’s power was more than enough to control senjutsu chakra.

Though senjutsu was strong, in the face of the Rinnegan, it was insignificant.

"Wait, what? We’re the ones testing you!"

Ichikishima Hime froze for a moment, her expression stiffening. She hadn’t expected this guy to completely misunderstand the situation.

They were supposed to test him, but somehow it had flipped to him testing them.

Since when had the Uchiha clan become so arrogant? Even in their prime, the strongest Uchiha members weren’t this bold.

To think someone would waltz into Ryūchi Cave and test their priestesses. After all, they were the elders of Ryūchi Cave!

Kakashi quietly took a few steps back, making it clear he didn’t want to get involved.

From what he knew of Raijin, the man had the infamous Uchiha arrogance. Though he didn’t always show it, deep down, he was like the legendary Uchiha Madara—arrogant beyond measure.

If these priestesses thought they were going to test Raijin, they were in for a rude awakening. Raijin was likely about to make an example of Ryūchi Cave right here and now.

Whether Ryūchi Cave could endure it would be their own problem.

"Susano'o!"

With a loud whoosh, a massive half-body giant appeared, wielding two sharp swords.

In the next instant, before the three priestesses could react, the Susano'o swung down at them.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The cave shook violently, dust falling from the ceiling.

Inside, it was eerily quiet. They could all sense the terrifying chakra outside. Clearly, someone formidable had come to Ryūchi Cave, and the three priestesses were now engaged in battle with him.

As for the outcome? Well, those staying in the cave didn’t care much—it was up to the priestesses to handle this.

"We never imagined that the Uchiha, long thought to have vanished from the shinobi world, would come to Ryūchi Cave."

"However, I doubt these people are here with innocent intentions."

The White Snake Sage gazed outside, seemingly able to see through the walls. She could clearly see Raijin’s Susano'o and the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes.

Faced with this overwhelming power, even the White Snake Sage felt a headache coming on.

This intruder was no ordinary person!

Not only did he possess the Mangekyō Sharingan, but it seemed to be the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. What’s more, he was a descendant of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki.

A truly troublesome opponent.

"Enough! Stop right there!"

“White Snake Sage, help us!”

“They’re going to kill us!”

The three previously beautiful and cute girls could no longer maintain their disguise. Their true snake faces were revealed as they kept shouting for help.

But there was no response from the White Snake Sage’s room, so they had to rely on themselves. They desperately used every technique they had to block Uchiha Raijin’s attacks.

Those three minutes felt like an eternity for them! They wished time would pass faster, but they managed to hold on, using various Sage techniques. Their flexible movements allowed them to barely survive under Uchiha Raijin’s half-body Susanoo.

After three minutes, they collapsed on the ground, their eyes vacant as they stared at the White Snake Sage’s chamber, hoping that the Sage would finally come out to stop this monster from rampaging through their territory. If this continued, the Ryuchi Cave would be destroyed.

“Not bad! Ryuchi Cave does have some power. It’s definitely qualified to be my summoning beast!”

“Well then, from now on, you three will follow me!”

The shadow around Raijin slowly faded as he walked up to the three snakes. Raijin was impressed by the power of the three and was very interested in them. At sea, just relying on Sage techniques, they could at least qualify as backup Admirals. Of course, they hadn’t shown all their strength yet, but they were close enough!

Raijin planned to take them to sea as mascots. Maybe they could even be teachers of Sage techniques.

Cough, cough!

Seeing Raijin approach, the three snake princesses quickly reverted to their human forms. In front of Raijin, they didn’t dare show any disrespect. This man truly had the power to turn Ryuchi Cave upside down.

“The contract?”

Raijin looked at Ichikishima-hime. She choked back a sob, never having felt such humiliation. They were thinking of suicide, and this man was still asking for the Ryuchi Cave contract.

“Ugh!”

Realizing there was no way out, Ichikishima-hime finally spat out a giant scroll. Raijin saw Orochimaru’s name at the top and didn’t hesitate to bite his finger and sign his name. The strength of Ryuchi Cave would be more than enough as reserve forces in his territory.

“As I understand it, in Mount Myoboku, the two toads, Fukasaku and Shima, merge with the user to enter Sage Mode quickly, right?”

“Does Ryuchi Cave have a similar ability?”

Raijin asked the three snake princesses. Since Mount Myoboku had such a setup, his position shouldn’t be much different.

“No, we are elders of Ryuchi Cave! The White Snake Sage can call us at any time!” Ichikishima-hime’s expression changed as she quickly spoke. They never imagined Uchiha Raijin would make such an absurd request. Did he not understand the status of Jiraiya at Mount Myoboku? Fukasaku and Shima were dedicated to assisting him, but for an invader like Raijin to demand the same rights? It was outrageous!

Raijin didn’t respond. Chakra began to gather around him, and a wave of pressure exploded from him, accompanied by his Conqueror's Haki. The intense willpower pressed down on the three snake princesses, who struggled to resist.

Just the aura of Uchiha Raijin was overwhelming them. His endless chakra reminded them of the legendary Senju Hashirama from decades ago. He was like a monster, and they felt immense pressure trying to fight back.

Cough cough! “I’ve heard snake wine is great for the body. Orochimaru has a lot of it, but without Sage chakra, it probably lacks flavor,” Kakashi said from behind, looking at the snake princesses with bad intentions, as if they were just jars of snake wine.

“Hiss!”

The three snake princesses glared at Kakashi. Never before had anyone dared to speak to them this way. If not for Uchiha Raijin standing there, they would have torn Kakashi to pieces. But with Raijin protecting him, they could only glare in frustration.

“Not a bad idea!” Raijin said thoughtfully, looking at the three snake princesses. That one glance made them shiver, realizing he was serious about this.

“W-We’ll do it!”

Ichikishima-hime, teary-eyed, slowly transformed back into her snake form and coiled around Raijin. This man was a demon! They had no choice but to obey him and do as he said until he was satisfied. But the Ryuchi Cave’s Sage Mode wasn’t something easy to learn! She hoped that Raijin would lose control and they could devour him when the time came.

“And you two?”

Raijin’s cold gaze shifted to the other two, making them tremble. They followed Ichikishima-hime’s example and crawled onto Raijin as well.

“How does Sage Mode work?” Raijin asked.

“We will inject Sage chakra into your body. As long as you can handle it and successfully merge with it, that’s enough. With the three of us helping, it should be no problem at all,” Tsukimi-hime quickly explained, drawing angry glares from the other two. They had hoped Raijin would fail and die, but now she was helping him!

However, Tsukimi-hime had no choice. With Raijin’s strength, it was impossible to beat him. This Uchiha was too powerful!