The heart of the Ryuchi Cave was a cathedral of primal power, its cavernous depths pulsing with the hiss of serpents and the weight of ancient chakra. Stalactites dripped venom that sizzled on the stone floor, and the air thrummed with natural energy so dense it pressed against my skin. I stood before the Great White Serpent, its colossal form coiled like a mountain, its ember-like eyes boring into me. My hood was low, concealing my four eyes—a trait I was born with—while my towering frame, over six feet and rippling with chakra-enhanced muscle, stood unyielding. My modified body was a fortress: a second heart amplified my chakra flow; expanded lungs fueled endurance that let me face the cave's trials without faltering. Sculpted for dominance like Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen, my physique was a weapon forged for my goals—power, control, freedom. My arsenal—Dismantle, Cleave, Mirror Mirage Technique, genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and Snake Sage Mode's advanced techniques like Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation and White Rage Technique—had crushed the Sound Four in a mock battle. Now, in the cave's core, I faced the final trial to fully master Snake Sage Mode, its venomous chakra, viper-like agility, and regeneration ready to elevate me to new heights. Tsunade's Yin Seal and medical ninjutsu were a future path, but today, the serpent's power was my focus. This was a Baldur's Gate final boss, and I'd clear it with the cunning of my gamer past.
Orochimaru stood at the cavern's edge, his golden eyes glinting with predatory anticipation. "This is your crucible, Archon," he hissed. "Become a true sage, or perish. The Ryuchi Cave spares no one."
I met his gaze, my four eyes hidden but defiant. "I don't break."
The Great White Serpent's voice shook the chamber. "Prove your mastery, human. Survive the core's trials, and Snake Sage Mode will be yours. Fail, and you are stone."
The trial was a gauntlet of three stages, each designed to push my sage abilities to their limits. The first was a venomous maelstrom, a swirling vortex of corrosive mist that burned flesh and dulled senses. I activated Snake Sage Mode, natural energy surging, scales covering my forearms, my pupils slitting. My second heart steadied my chakra, my lungs filtering the poison as I channeled medical ninjutsu to neutralize its bite. I used Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation, animating the cavern's walls into serpentine spikes that pierced the vortex, dispersing it. The spikes moved like living creatures, their venomous chakra sizzling, a testament to my control.
The second stage was combat against a horde of spectral serpents, their forms woven from natural energy, their strikes fast as lightning. I twisted, my sage-enhanced agility letting me evade their fangs, my towering frame moving with viper-like precision. I wove a Mirror Mirage Technique, twenty clones slithering around the serpents, their hypnotic movements—coiling, striking—disorienting. Sage Art: White Rage Technique followed, a blinding orb of light and sound exploding, its sensory overload scattering the horde. My enhanced senses, shielded by sage chakra, let me navigate the chaos. I struck with sage-infused Dismantle, its venomous blades slicing through spectral forms, and Cleave, its contact-based power shattering their cores. My regeneration healed a deep bite in seconds, scales shimmering as my skin knit together.
The final stage was mastery of natural energy's core. The Great White Serpent opened its maw, releasing a torrent of raw energy that threatened to consume me. I sat, cross-legged, channeling it into my chakra, balancing it with surgical precision. My modified body—heart, lungs, muscles—endured the strain, my medical ninjutsu stabilizing my system. My chakra surged, venomous and alive, my body transforming: scales spread across my arms and chest, my reflexes lightning-fast, my senses razor-sharp. I stood, a true Snake Sage, my chakra cloak burning with corrosive power. The Great White Serpent bowed its head. "You are a sage," it hissed. "The Ryuchi Cave is yours."
Orochimaru's laughter echoed, but his eyes betrayed unease. "A true sage, Archon. You're a force to be reckoned with. Serve me, and we'll conquer the world."
I smirked, deactivating Sage Mode, scales fading. "I serve myself."
His smile tightened, a warning of betrayal. I was ready, my sage abilities—Inorganic Reanimation, White Rage, venomous cloak, regeneration—making me a match for his schemes. Sasuke, training elsewhere, was Orochimaru's primary target, but I was a prize he'd try to bind. The Sound Four's hostility was a constant threat, their loyalty to Orochimaru a chain I'd shatter.
That night, I tested my full sage powers in a hidden cavern. Inorganic Reanimation animated a stone pillar into a coiling serpent, striking a summoned target with venomous precision. White Rage blinded and deafened a pack of bats, its sensory overload unmatched. My venomous chakra cloak burned through a boulder, a defensive shield that turned attackers to ash. My Mirror Mirage clones, now twenty-five, moved with serpentine grace, disorienting a giant snake until it fled. Sage-infused Dismantle and Cleave devastated stone, their corrosive bite unstoppable. My regeneration healed a self-inflicted wound instantly, my medical ninjutsu amplifying the effect.
I refined my Yin Seal, the diamond pattern holding for twenty minutes, storing a potent chakra reserve. My medical ninjutsu could regenerate entire limbs, a synergy with sage mode's healing. Tsunade's mentorship was a future goal—her Yin Seal a reservoir for my Malevolent Shrine, her medical expertise key to perfecting my body. I'd return to Konoha, claiming her knowledge, but for now, I was a sage, ready to break free from Orochimaru.
Sasuke approached, his Curse Seal flaring. "You're ready," he said, his Sharingan sharp. "Orochimaru's planning something. We need to move."
"Agreed," I replied, our alliance holding for survival. The Sound Four's whispers grew bolder, Orochimaru's endgame closing in. Konoha's pursuit—Danzo, Kakashi—would hunt us, but I was Archon, a gamer reborn, playing a game where power was the prize. The Ryuchi Cave had made me a sage, and I'd carve my path through any foe.