Chapter 187 - The Snake Molts

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Akio didn't look pleased.

Even after surviving a century of turmoil and hardship, the incessant hissing of snakes all around still made his scalp tingle.

Inside the Ryūchidō (Dragon Cave), the terrain was labyrinthine—filled with countless tunnels, entrances, and exits. But the worst part was that each passage teemed with snakes—both green and speckled varieties—of all sizes. Akio had to keep his repulsion field constantly active just to push the snakes back at least ten meters, which barely helped him feel less disgusted.

Orochimaru, true to his nature as a kindred spirit to these creatures, showed no signs of discomfort. On the contrary, he looked around with curiosity and excitement.

"This way," Akio said after sensing the surroundings.

Even after entering the cave, Akio hadn't dared to fully open up his sensory field—not because he feared the Great Snake Sage might notice, but because when he did, the sheer number of snakes he could sense was nauseating.

He simply followed the trail of increasingly dense senjutsu chakra to find the right path.

As they ventured deeper, Akio's expression softened slightly. The snakes were growing larger in size, but their numbers were decreasing—a relief for someone with a mild case of trypophobia. This kind of "level progression" felt oddly like advancing through stages in a game.

Despite the Ryūchidō appearing compact from the outside, it was actually massive inside—stitched together from one tunnel to the next. Even at their fast pace, it took them nearly an hour before Akio sensed a sizable chakra presence.

A few minutes later, more than a dozen giant snakes appeared before them.

Though called "giant," they weren't on the scale of Manda—each was only about a dozen meters long. Still, Akio could feel that they all possessed considerable chakra reserves—intelligent summons, no doubt.

These snakes quickly surrounded them.

"Humans?" one of them hissed suspiciously.

Definitely not friendly.

Akio frowned. Being encircled by over a dozen massive snakes wasn't a pleasant feeling, and he was just about to act when Orochimaru raised a hand to stop him.

"Blue Snake, it's me," Orochimaru said in his signature raspy voice, clearly recognizing a familiar face—or rather, familiar serpent.

"Lord Orochimaru," replied a deep-blue snake, seemingly just now recognizing him.

"Take me to Manda," Orochimaru said, skipping any formalities.

Having a "familiar face" worked wonders. The other snakes backed off immediately, and Blue Snake led them deeper into the cave.

"Hierarchy's tight here, huh?" Akio muttered, noting how the deeper they went, the stronger the snakes became. It really did feel like clearing dungeon levels in a game…

"Are there three snakes at Manda's level?" Akio wondered aloud, picking up on three large chakra signatures comparable to Orochimaru's.

After navigating five or six twists and turns, they finally arrived before three enormous snakes—one purple (clearly Manda), one green, and one red—positioned in a triangular formation.

Akio's first thought upon seeing them: Looks like I crashed a game of cards…

Of course, they weren't playing cards. Instead, it felt as though they had been expecting them.

"Orochimaru, you really managed to find your way here," Manda hissed. Clearly, Orochimaru had told him in advance about his plan to train in Ryūchidō.

"But!" Manda's slitted eyes locked onto Akio. "Why did you bring another human?!"

The moment Manda lunged forward with his massive jaws, Akio's vision darkened.

With a sigh, he activated his full-force repulsion—Shinra Tensei.

In an instant, all three giant snakes—including Orochimaru—were blasted away, smashing through countless rock walls and collapsing large sections of the cave.

As dust filled the air, Akio's face darkened further.

He wasn't someone who acted rashly out of pride or ego. He believed in winning people—or snakes—over with virtue.

But when Manda lunged at him with jaws wide open, it felt like death… or at least the smell of it.

"I didn't come here to start a fight…" Akio muttered with a sigh. That was a full-powered Shinra Tensei, and he'd even subconsciously activated Sage Mode. Looking at how the previously cramped tunnel had turned into a wide-open plaza, he figured things weren't going to resolve peacefully. The three snakes likely took serious damage.

As for Orochimaru, Akio wasn't particularly worried—his survival techniques were anything but ordinary.

"Elder, I'm here to learn Sage Mode…" Sure enough, Orochimaru's voice echoed back moments later, though he sounded a little shaky—either from injury or frustration at Akio.

Akio glanced in his direction and waved. "Can't be helped. Maybe next time, teach Manda to brush his teeth."

Just as he said Manda's name, the massive snake came slithering back, surrounded by the dozen other large snakes, all watching Akio with obvious hostility.

"Surprisingly durable," Akio murmured, noting that the other two still hadn't returned.

"Manda, calm down," Orochimaru urged, trying to defuse the situation—but it was clearly not working.

"Damn humans!" Manda roared, his colossal tail lashing toward Akio.

Akio casually formed a lightning blade and drove it into the tail, pinning it to the ground.

Manda let out a pained scream and writhed violently. Akio didn't press the attack—after all, Manda was Orochimaru's summon.

He waved toward the nervous cluster of "lesser snakes." "Pull that sword out if you want. We're going to see your ancestor."

"Orochimaru, this way."

As if nothing had happened, Akio turned and led the way forward.

He had sensed the Snake Sage's chakra long ago. Logically, that earlier commotion should've drawn it out already, but there had been no movement. Akio was starting to feel curious.

They traveled several kilometers further until Akio finally laid eyes on the last of the Three Great Sages—the Snake Sage.

Seated atop a massive stone throne, the giant white-scaled serpent coiled regally. Behind it were intricate carvings and decorations.

Its golden eyes looked unexpectedly gentle. "Orochimaru, this is our first meeting. You've come to learn senjutsu, haven't you?"

Its voice was soft and calm—so much so that even Orochimaru looked slightly unsettled and glanced toward Akio.

Akio chuckled. "He's asking if you want to learn Sage Mode."

Orochimaru frowned, then nodded slowly, sensing that something was off about the whole situation.

Akio, too, was puzzled. Despite injuring several snakes earlier, the Snake Sage hadn't reacted at all—not even mildly annoyed.

"This is good, I suppose. If we can solve things peacefully, all the better… But this Snake Sage… something feels off. Despite the massive chakra, it feels… weak."

Just as that thought formed in his mind, Akio instinctively launched himself into the air.

From below, a massive serpent's mouth erupted from the ground—aiming straight for him.

He turned to look at the throne—only to see the white serpent collapse in a heap, shedding its skin.

"A shed skin?" Akio muttered.

"Earth Release: Ultra-Weighted Rock Fist Technique!"

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