"Hssss~"
If Aoda had known any of the internet slang from Takeshi's previous life, he would have hissed a venomous "fuck off." But he didn't, and he wasn't nearly as strong as the black cat anyway, so all he could do was slither off on his own.
Takeshi cheerfully saw him off.
Aoda was far easier to get along with than Manda. A small pang of regret hit Takeshi, if he had known things would turn out this way, he should have just beaten Manda to death back then.
But it was too late for regrets now.
He couldn't just go back to hunt Manda down. That would be excessive. Manda hadn't actually done anything besides run his mouth, and freezing his jaw shut with Ice Release was a fair enough punishment.
Forget it. Time to move on.
The place he'd just left was the Serpent's Den, home to a large portion of the Summoning Snake Clan. This area ahead was the true Ryuchi Cave. The snakes who lived here had mastered high-level Sage Arts, possessing formidable genjutsu and a variety of sage techniques.
Of course, their performance in the canon hadn't been particularly impressive. The so-called "trials" they administered were barely distinguishable from children playing house.
With some skepticism, Takeshi padded deeper into Ryuchi Cave.
He had barely walked any distance when he spotted a temple.
In the main gate stood a beautiful woman, waiting quietly.
When Takeshi appeared, she spoke. "Black cat from afar, I have awaited you for some time. Welcome to Ryuchi Cave."
"Meow?"
He stared at her.
Though she wore a beautiful human form, she was still a snake, carrying that cold, faintly rotten serpent scent. More importantly, she was a wielder of genjutsu-one of the few things that was genuinely troublesome for Takeshi to counter directly.
He watched her warily.
The moment he sensed any shift in her chakra, he would attack.
"There is no need to be so on guard. The White Snake Sage has already seen your purpose in coming here. However, the Sage is currently resting. Why not have something to eat while you wait?"
Tagorihime spoke with grace.
Where she gestured, piles of dried fish, fresh fish, and all sorts of other food cats loved were neatly arranged.
"..."
Takeshi was speechless. He'd never watched *Boruto*, but come on-who would fall for such a childish trick? It screamed "trap" from a mile away. If they were going to set a trial, could they at least make it a challenge?
This was just awkward.
Should he call her out on the spot, or should he take a bite and then proceed to beat her up? He hesitated for a moment, weighing his options.
"Are you hesitating? The food in Ryuchi Cave is quite delicious."
Tagorihime smiled faintly.
"Meow~ No, I'm just thinking your methods are far too cheap. I'm debating whether to go through the motions or just start hitting you. If I play along with this script... it'll make me feel like an idiot. So, I'll just hit you."
As he spoke, Takeshi instantly entered Sage Mode.
Outwardly, his appearance hardly changed, but his chakra and physical state shifted completely. This was a true sage transformation, enhancing a body that was already extraordinarily powerful, bordering on a Sage Body.
Just by sensing his presence, Tagorihime couldn't begin to grasp the limits of his power.
"I'm making my move, meow!"
"You little brat, you're going to die!"
Tagorihime snapped, retreating as she began to shift into her serpent form, preparing to cast a genjutsu-but in the next instant...
"Don't move, meow. Or I'll kill you."
The black cat's paw pressed firmly against her back. His claws were razor sharp, Tagorihime could feel with terrifying clarity how easily they could tear her apart.
Such speed!
She was shocked, but at the same time, she quietly tried to trigger her genjutsu.
In response, Takeshi simply smacked her into the ground with one paw. It was a ruthless blow, with no pity for her beautiful disguise. Takeshi after all believed in true gender equality.
Not that she had any room to talk, looking as hideous as she did in her current state.
Takeshi didn't even feel like complaining. Why bother with the classy, older-sister look if you're just going to reveal your true snake form and beg to be stomped? It was obvious that meeting the Sage wasn't going to be so simple.
With a single blow, he cut off the chakra she'd been gathering. The black cat then expanded his size slightly, making his presence even more intimidating. Tagorihime didn't dare try anything else. After a moment of silence, she said, "You have passed. You may proceed to the next trial."
"Meow!"
Good. Very cooperative.
But snakes were known for their craftiness. Takeshi quietly left a Flying Thunder God seal on her before releasing his paw and moving on. He had only taken a few steps when he sensed a flare of chakra behind him.
"Hss~"
The faint hiss had barely sounded when Takeshi, without hesitation, flashed back with the Flying Thunder God and slammed his paw down on her head.
No matter how advanced a genjutsu was, it still required a medium: vibrations, eye contact, sound. The snacks from before were meant to serve that purpose, to hook him into her illusion. And now she was trying another trick.
So much for a civil discussion.
His paw pinned Tagorihime to the ground. Since they couldn't have a proper conversation, he would just shut her up properly.
Sage Art: Gate of the Great God Gate.
With the sealing jutsu in place, the problem vanished.
Silence fell. Takeshi sighed softly. Why wouldn't these snakes just listen? Why did they have to force him to burn his sage chakra?
He ripped open a pack of cat food he carried and began to eat, replenishing his energy.
There were two more idiots like her waiting ahead.
Dealing with the boss is easy, it's the petty underlings that are a pain.
He moved on. Before long, he encountered the second snake-if he remembered correctly, she was Ichikishimahime. Her appearance was pure and cute, provided she didn't pull that stage-mask face-changing routine.
"Your invisibility doesn't work on me. Just let me pass, or I'll have to waste more chakra, meow."
Damn it, this brat was infuriating.
Ichikishimahime seethed inwardly, but after feeling the lingering shockwaves from the first encounter and sensing Tagorihime's fate, she decided against using force.
A large boulder suddenly appeared, blocking the gate.
Ichikishimahime hovered in midair, clearly having no intention of fighting Takeshi directly.
"Let's play a game. As long as you assemble the patterns correctly, I will let you through."
"Meow~ I didn't come here to solve sage art puzzles."
Takeshi padded up to the stone, gathered his chakra, and swung a paw.
*Boom.*
A roar of power echoed through the cave. Under the sheer brute force, the boulder cracked and then exploded into a heap of rubble. The black cat walked gracefully over the broken rocks without the slightest delay.
Ichikishimahime burned with anger, desperately wanting to tear him to shreds.
What a rule-breaking little bastard. But she knew she wasn't his match. His Sage Arts were bizarre, and his strength and speed were outrageously out of proportion to his small frame. Tagorihime had already paid the price for underestimating him.
Still...
It was a good thing Tagorihime had tested him first, or she would have been the one to learn that lesson the hard way.
Ichikishimahime felt a secret sense of relief.
It was a pity they hadn't gotten to taste the black cat's chakra, but she valued her well-being more than a delicious meal. She would leave the next headache to someone else.
She made no further move to stop him, instead drifting off to check on Tagorihime.
When Ichikishimahime saw her sister pinned beneath a crimson Torii gate, utterly motionless and eerily quiet, she burst out laughing.
She had no intention of freeing her. On the contrary, she perched atop the Torii, gloating.
This was a once-in-a-millennium sight.
She immediately recorded the scene with genjutsu. The next time she and Tagorihime had a dispute, she could whip this out to taunt her. "Remember that time you were beaten up by a cat? You were just lying there like a dead fish."
Perfect. That would serve her nicely.
Sure, she, Tagorihime, and Tagitsuhime were partners, but conflicts were normal. Over the centuries, they had argued and fought plenty. For long-lived species like them, this kind of drama was one of their few forms of entertainment.
Takeshi continued on his way.
The snakes here had excellent sensory abilities. With Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime serving as cautionary tales, Tagitsuhime didn't even bother trying to stop him. She directly led Takeshi to meet the supreme leader of Ryuchi Cave-the White Snake Sage.
The White Snake Sage wasn't using a glamorous human form. She lay in her true white serpent body on a great chair, lazily smoking a pipe.
===============
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