"You knew we were coming?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"In this shinobi world, nothing that has happened can be hidden from me. If I wish, I can hear everything that has ever occurred—even what transpired just a moment ago."
The White Snake Sage seemed approachable, her demeanor unusually open, answering Orochimaru's question with an almost effortless honesty.
"Then you must already know why we've come?"
Orochimaru and Kagetsu exchanged glances before proactively asking.
"Of course. The moment I laid eyes on you, I already knew your purpose. That old toad possesses the ability to foresee the future. The power I wield is the ability to observe the past."
"But you humans always wish to know the future while turning a blind eye to the past!"
The White Snake Sage smiled as she responded.
"Then..."
"My ability allows me to show you the past. However, the older the event and the more powerful the object observed, the harder it is to extract the information!"
Before Orochimaru could speak, the White Snake Sage cut him off.
"What are your conditions?"
Although the White Snake Sage's words sounded like a refusal, Orochimaru felt a sense of relief. If she was stating conditions, it meant she was willing to negotiate rather than outright rejecting them.
Orochimaru couldn't predict what kind of demand the White Snake Sage would make, but that was still preferable to being denied outright.
If the White Snake Sage refused to help, neither he nor Kagetsu had the strength to do anything about it.
Especially Orochimaru—having admired the White Snake Sage and even modified his own body in pursuit of its power, he understood just how immense its life force and energy truly were.
Despite the Sage's aged and frail appearance, in a real battle, even the Nine-Tails would be overwhelmed purely by the difference in energy levels.
"Hōgyoku!"
The White Snake Sage's words left Orochimaru and Kagetsu exchanging glances.
"You need the Hōgyoku?"
Although Orochimaru's expression remained calm, his tone instantly turned cold. To him, the Hōgyoku was not just a precious artifact—it was essential to his research, nearly as important as his own life.
Until he fully unlocked its power, the only person he was willing to share it with was Kagetsu, who had also contributed to its creation.
Not even the White Snake Sage was an exception.
If the Hōgyoku fell into the Sage's hands, wouldn't that mean surrendering control over it?
"This Shinobi World is vast, and its history extends far beyond the mere thousand years of the ninja," the White Snake Sage said leisurely, as if unfazed by Orochimaru's displeased tone.
"Beyond Mount Myōboku and the Shikkotsu Forest, only in Ryūchi Cave can you uncover certain secrets buried by time.
And if you wish to unearth these secrets of the past, only I possess the ability to help you.
Rest assured, I do not seek to wrest the Hōgyoku from you.
I have merely seen a glimpse of hope from its existence."
"You've accepted a good disciple, Orochimaru!"
"Do you want to use the Hogyoku for evolution?"
Orochimaru, knowing that the White Snake Sage wasn't contesting him for the ownership of the Hogyoku, let out a sigh of relief. He didn't mind giving up the right to use it.
After all, the experiment on ninjas with the Hogyoku could simply be changed to focus on the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, and the process could begin anew.
"You'll know when the time comes," said the White Snake Sage, turning their gaze toward the quiet and silent Kagetsu, standing next to Orochimaru. They asked, "The Hogyoku, it's probably an unfinished product, right?"
"It can indeed only be considered a semi-finished product right now," Kagetsu answered honestly.
"I look forward to the day it evolves into perfection! When that time comes, I'll need to borrow its power, and you must provide me with all the help I need!"
The White Snake Sage made her request, but also offered something in return.
"In exchange, during this process, if you need anything, Ryūchi Cave will assist you. Even I, will offer you three questions to ask me."
"Three questions?" Kagetsu glanced at Orochimaru. Seeing him nod, Kagetsu nodded as well but added, "However, I hope that after those three questions, if we still need to know more secrets, we can come to an agreement."
"Then you'll need to show me hope!" The White Snake Sage said bluntly.
"Now, do you want to know the location of the sacred artifacts?" the White Snake Sage asked.
"Yes!" Both Orochimaru and Kagetsu nodded in unison.
The White Snake Sage took a deep puff from their pipe and exhaled a large cloud of smoke.
The smoke spread out across the empty space of the torii gate, gradually taking on the appearance of a canvas being painted with colors.
Like an illusion, an image appeared before Kagetsu and Orochimaru.
A wine gourd and a round shield flashed briefly across the image. Then, a panoramic view appeared. Afterward, the scene disappeared into nothingness.
"The Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror are there. Due to the influence of the sacred artifacts, my ability can only show you these few images," the White Snake Sage said, coughing twice before speaking softly.
"This place seems a bit…" Orochimaru strained to remember which place in the ninja world could match the scene in front of him.
Generally speaking, it's hard to pinpoint a location based on just one scene. But having a clue is better than having none! It's just a matter of investigating and searching, which will take time.
Orochimaru softly reassured himself in his mind.
"Alright, if you have no other business, then leave!" The White Snake Sage gave the dismissal order.
After saying that, the White Snake Sage seemed to remember something and spoke to Orochimaru, adding, "By the way, let's return things to normal for Tagitsuhime and the others. Don't tease them with that fake orb anymore!"
"Of course!" Orochimaru nodded in response. "But that jutsu doesn't last long. By now, it should have already been released, right?"
As Orochimaru finished speaking, three frantic figures rushed through the torii gate, appearing before Orochimaru and Kagetsu.
"Orochimaru! How dare you toy with us!" The leader, Tagitsuhime, glared at Orochimaru with rage, looking as though she wanted to swallow him whole.
****
Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 15 early chapters,
https://ko-fi.com/pirateking24/tiers