The massive serpent hissed, its voice echoing in eerie excitement.
"Oh? A human sacrifice? How delightful…"
Uchiha Shigure's crimson Sharingan glimmered as he vanished in a flash, reappearing atop the snake's scaled head. "If you think you can devour me, then try."
The serpent's pupils narrowed. "When—!?" Its shock was palpable; it hadn't even seen him move.
From nearby, Orochimaru's hoarse laugh carried through the cavern. "Kukuku… You'd best not provoke that boy. If he falls during the trial, you can feast upon him later."
The snake exhaled a long, reluctant sigh. "Very well. But know this—Ryūchi Cave is an immortal realm, half-real and half-illusion. I can guide you only as far as its mouth. To reach it, you must enter through mine." The serpent lowered its jaw in suggestion.
"No problem. Let's go," Shigure answered without hesitation, his tone sharper than steel. In one motion he leapt boldly into the serpent's open maw.
The acrid stench hit him instantly. Shigure gagged. "What a foul smell…"
"Good fortune to you," Orochimaru rasped. With a gesture, he released his summoning technique. The great serpent vanished in a puff of smoke, taking Shigure away.
Darkness consumed everything. When light returned, Shigure found himself being expelled from the serpent's mouth into a strange, mist-drenched world.
"Human…" The snake's voice boomed one last time before it faded into nothingness. "Do not die too quickly. No one has attempted the trials in centuries."
Then Shigure was alone. Dense mist swirled around him, hiding all but a faint ribbon of road ahead, flanked by low, shadowy hills.
Shigure immediately flung a kunai marked with his Flying Thunder God seal, then pressed forward. After a long march, he arrived right back at the blade he'd thrown earlier.
His eyes narrowed. "This isn't genjutsu… The mist itself reshapes space. An illusionary barrier guarding Ryūchi Cave?"
He activated his Sharingan. Blood-red tomoe spun, cutting through layers of fog. Three flickers of movement danced among the trees behind him.
How strange. Shigure schooled his expression into calm indifference and kept walking.
"Only those with iron will can reach Ryūchi Cave," he murmured.
Unseen by him, the figures hiding in the haze whispered among themselves.
"His perception is frightening. Even in this fog, he sensed us."
"Strong enough resolve… He must have come willingly for the trial."
"Hmph. Or perhaps he's only human. Let's test him."
Their forms dissolved into the mist, vanishing completely.
Shigure pressed onward until faint golden lights glimmered ahead—eight points on either side of the road. As he drew closer, an imposing building emerged, luminous lanterns hanging in neat rows. At its gate hung a massive plaque: three bold characters carved deep into wood.
"Ryūchi Cave."
The doors creaked wide. A girl appeared beyond, her voice lilting. "We've been expecting you. Welcome."
The sight was surreal: she had long green hair cascading like flowing rivers, emerald eyes, and a golden crown capped with a radiant orb. A white robe draped her figure and a jade-green magatama pendant gleamed upon her chest.
Shigure stepped within. The hall stretched on gloriously, lit by dazzling chandeliers. A golden dragon with nine claws coiled around the vaulted beams, ready to soar skyward.
"I am Tian Xin Senki," the maiden introduced herself, her tone melodic, rehearsed. "You must be weary. Please rest. Allow me to prepare a meal."
"No." Shigure's gaze stayed sharp. "I came for the White Snake Sage. Do not waste my time."
Senki's face remained placid, but a flicker crossed her emerald eyes. "Forgive me. I will arrange it at once. But perhaps you should eat…"
With a graceful wave, tables materialized, laden with steaming delicacies whose fragrances filled the hall.
But Shigure's expression only darkened. His Sharingan bore into her.
"What troubles you, young one?" Her voice quivered. Something in his stare unsettled even her.
"I already told you. Don't waste my time. Must I repeat myself?" Shigure blurred through the space, suddenly before her, kunai point digging gently into her chest.
"Strike a serpent at its heart… Have I passed your first test, Tian Xin Senki?"
Her eyes widened. "Impossible!" Her form melted, beauty twisting into grotesque mockery—the pallid, rotting features of a snake spirit rivaling Orochimaru's own visage. With a shriek she vanished into the recesses of the chamber.
The walls crumbled away. Glamour shattered like glass. Gone was the grand hall; around Shigure, only heaps of bones and endless carcasses sprawled in ruin.
"Remarkable," her voice boomed disembodied. "So quickly breaking the first trial! But only madmen crave power enough to risk these halls. Foolish mortal—do not think you will ever reach the White Snake Sage alive!"
Shigure scowled. "Noisy." A shuriken whirled into the mist. It struck nothing.
Her laugh echoed from every direction. "Kukuku! You cannot touch me. Your weak, human weapons—"
"Not necessarily." Shigure jerked his string, the blade ricocheting into his grasp. His hands blurred into seals. "Multishuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The single shuriken split into dozens, then hundreds, filling the air around him like a storm of steel.
"Float unseen, whisper from shadows… I will strike you all the same."
He yanked the wire. Shurikens screamed outward in all directions, tearing through mist like a maelstrom.
From above, Senki sneered, drifting higher, preparing to circle behind him. But with a flash of golden light, Shigure was already there—Flying Thunder God whisking him directly into her path.
"Now… can I hurt you?" His palm flared, molding chakra into a massive Rasengan. The spiraling sphere roared in his hand. Though it lacked natural energy, the raw force still threatened to obliterate her.
"I… I yield!" Senki faltered, eyes wide with disbelief. "How? How have you tracked me without chakra, without scent?"
Shigure lowered his hand only slightly. "If you have another test, then show me. Otherwise, you're wasting my time."
She gave a thin smile, retreating. "Very well. The second trial awaits. Follow me…"
Her form bent and warped, then melted into mist. A new presence emerged further down the labyrinth. Shigure gave chase, unwavering.
He emerged into another chamber, stone walls lined with glowing crystals spilling their light across the floor. A massive rock door loomed ahead, riddled with grooves of many different shapes—each impossible to fill at a glance.
A girl waited there. She was much smaller, with long midnight-blue hair, a white gown hanging loosely over her frame, and a golden coronet like Senki's upon her head. Blue-green magatama earrings swayed as she lifted her chin.
"I am Ichikishima-hime," she said softly, almost gently. "To proceed, you must place the crystals into every hollow of this door. Complete it, and you may pass."
Shigure stepped closer. Without hesitation he clasped his hands together. "Shadow Clone Technique."
Five replicas of himself appeared instantly, each darting to collect crystals.
"It shouldn't take long," said one.
"Together, we'll finish this swiftly," another added.
Ichikishima watched in wide-eyed astonishment. "So many already… He multiplies himself…" Her shock gradually twisted into calculation. "Very well. Exhaust yourself, boy. Drain your chakra dry. Then, when you collapse… I will consume you."
The second trial of Ryūchi Cave begins. Surrounded by puzzles that threaten to drain his strength, Shigure must outwit Ichikishima-hime. But deeper forces stir in the mist—forces eager to see if an Uchiha can endure the path to immortality…
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