The White Snake Sage looked the same as ever, her massive white body coiled on the stone throne as she puffed on her smoking pipe.
When she heard that Kiyosuke wanted to learn Sage Art, she blew out a cloud of green smoke and said,
"About time you did. But let me be clear—if you can't endure it, I'll eat you. It's been years since I last had a meal."
If Kiyosuke couldn't make it through, he'd be nothing more than a convenient little snack.
"I'm ready!"
He took a deep breath and declared, "Let's do this!"
"Very well."
The White Snake Sage transformed into the form of an old woman. Her neck suddenly stretched out, mouth opening wide to reveal sharp fangs—and with one swift motion, she bit down on Kiyosuke's neck.
Without elementalizing his body, Kiyosuke felt the fangs pierce his skin. An indescribable force surged through her teeth and into his chakra network.
After releasing her bite, the White Snake Sage reverted to her snake form. Her massive size made it impossible to bite him in her true body.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Kiyosuke clutched the wound left by her bite and let out a scream of sheer agony.
It felt like thousands of ants were tearing apart his flesh from the inside. He could feel a foreign, overwhelming energy rampaging through his body—devouring his chakra and reshaping it into something else.
That was the natural energy injected by the White Snake Sage, now converting his chakra into something new.
Unlike Mount Myōboku, where you train slowly under the guidance of the Great Toad Sage, Ryūchi Cave's method was blunt and brutal. The White Snake Sage would bite the prospective student, inject natural energy into them, and then watch. If the person survived, they were worthy of learning Sage Art. If not—well, she got a snack.
Kiyosuke's chakra began to merge with the natural energy. The process was excruciating. At the same time, his body started to change.
White snake scales began pushing out of his skin, dense and numerous, enough to make one's stomach churn just by looking at them.
He felt his spine stretch, his vestigial tailbone extending outward. His limbs began to regress and shrink.
It was beyond painful—and he couldn't elementalize. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. As his chakra merged with the natural energy and began evolving into Sage Chakra, he lost control of his body.
The changes to his limbs and spine—their elongation and regression—were pure torture.
New bones began to form. His body was lengthening. He was transforming into something else entirely. This was the process of turning into a snake—a prerequisite to contain natural energy and learn the Sage Arts of Ryūchi Cave.
It was torment beyond imagination. But if he couldn't endure it, there was only one outcome: death.
The White Snake Sage watched him and said calmly,
"Since ancient times, only three people have survived the training of Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art. And even they never achieved perfect mastery. Whether you'll become the fourth, I don't know. Of course, getting eaten by me is a fine alternative. At least it'll be painless."
Sometimes, death isn't the scary part. What's worse is living in a state worse than death.
And that's exactly what Kiyosuke was experiencing now. The training in Ryūchi Cave was as cruel and straightforward as it got. He was no longer recognizable as human—in the most literal sense, he resembled a thrashing crocodile twisting in shallow water.
His body was covered in scales, his limbs were short and stocky, and a thick tail dragged behind him.
His head and body were fusing into one, his eyes migrating to the top of his head, and his teeth sharpening into fangs. It was a full species transformation—he was ceasing to be human.
He had stopped screaming. The pain had pushed him beyond words. But he knew one thing—he couldn't let himself pass out. If he blacked out, the next time he woke up would be in the belly of the White Snake Sage.
"I... must... not... die!!!"
Clenching his teeth, he could no longer feel his arms or legs. Right now, he was just a stubby, thick-bodied snake. But the transformation continued. The pain hadn't stopped.
The White Snake Sage continued to observe him. The three beautiful snake maidens—Ichikishimahime, Tagorihime, and Tagitsuhime—had arrived to watch as well.
Ichikishimahime giggled.
"Oh my, he actually looks more pleasing like this. Not many last this long. Is he really going to make it?"
Tagorihime commented,
"Who knows? If he does, we'll have to start teaching him Sage Arts. More work for us. And we won't get to eat him either. Tch. Looks painful."
Tagitsuhime added coldly,
"This is the price of learning the Sage Arts of Ryūchi Cave. It's not meant to be easy. If he can't handle the pain, he's not worthy."
The three watched without emotion. To them, whether Kiyosuke lived or died didn't matter. If he died, the White Snake Sage would eat him. If he lived, they'd teach him. Simple.
...
No one knew how much time had passed, but Kiyosuke had now fully transformed into a white snake. Remarkably, he had remained conscious the entire time. That willpower was terrifying.
Inside his body, his chakra had completely fused with the natural energy. It had become Sage Chakra.
With that, Kiyosuke had passed the trial of Ryūchi Cave and earned the right to learn Sage Art.
Collapsed weakly on the ground, unable to speak, the White Snake Sage looked down at him and said,
"Congratulations. You're the fourth human to survive and obtain Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art. Your willpower is... frightening. You're the youngest among them too."
Humans. They never ceased to surprise her.
The moment she said that, Kiyosuke's eyes rolled back—and he finally lost consciousness. He had truly reached his limit.
Ichikishimahime flew over, cradled his limp, naked body, and carried him to the White Snake Sage.
Once again in her old woman form, the White Snake Sage bit him—probably in the same spot as before.
This time, there was no pain. Kiyosuke had passed out and could no longer feel anything.
Returning to her snake form, she said,
"Ichikishimahime, take him back. Once he wakes up, bring him here again."
There was no point in continuing while he was unconscious.
"Eh? I have to make another trip? Ugh, such a hassle..." Ichikishimahime pouted and flew off, carrying the slippery Kiyosuke out of Ryūchi Cave.
The White Snake Sage took another long drag from her pipe.
"Looks like things are going to get busy for a while. Who would've thought that despite Orochimaru failing, his disciple would succeed?"
Tagitsuhime asked,
"White Snake Sage-sama, what Sage Arts will you teach him?"
"Let him choose. That's my little gift to him."
It was rare—the White Snake Sage never gave humans special treatment.
Both Tagitsuhime and Tagorihime were momentarily stunned. It was the first time they'd seen the White Snake Sage offer a human preferential treatment.
"That boy's fate is a tangled mess... I couldn't see anything clearly. A troublesome one, for sure. The sooner he learns and gets out of here, the better."
She had tried to divine Kiyosuke's destiny—but found nothing. All she saw was a chaotic storm.
So she decided: the faster he mastered Sage Art, the sooner she could be rid of him.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo