The second trial had been said to test patience and perception. For Shigure, whose Sharingan gleamed with keen precision, neither was an obstacle. Even his shadow clone—with the same bloodline eyes—could spot the grooves and recessed shapes hidden in the stone wall as if they were painted in bright red.
Within three minutes, every niche but one was matched with its perfect fitting stone.
"This guy… it looks like he hasn't used up even a sliver of chakra…" Princess Ichikishima muttered, eyes wide.
"Sorry," Shigure said matter-of-factly, gesturing toward the last remaining hollow, "there's just one left."
Ichikishima stared at it helplessly. Damn… only one. If they can't find the piece for it, the trial will reset. Surely they'll fail here… Her hands curled together as though in prayer.
"Strange… there isn't an identical fitting piece for this last groove," Shigure's clone observed, crouching closer, combing through the pile of shards that remained.
"There's a way around it." The clone smirked, snapping two fingers before scooping up two irregular fragments. With careful precision, he slid them in place—together, they wedged perfectly into the last slot.
"Done."
The sound of fingers snapping echoed lightly, and the shadow clone vanished, his chakra dispersing in a puff of smoke.
Shigure exhaled slowly. His chakra pool was only fractionally diminished—barely the weight of a single strand of hair. Barely an inconvenience.
The misty scene around him shimmered, then melted away, illusions unraveling.
"What a clever human! You've cleared the second trial." Princess Ichikishima's pale form flickered before dissolving like mist caught in sunlight.
No sooner had her presence faded than a gust of wind rippled the cavern. A figure darted forward at terrifying speed and sank sharp teeth into Shigure's neck.
"—Tch?!" His body jolted.
"Greetings. I am Princess Tanjinjihime," came the melodic yet venomous voice. A brown-haired beauty now faced him, clad in regalia similar to the others—but across her chest dangled three magatama-shaped emerald pendants.
"You've done well," she went on, "to withstand the trials of Princess Tenshin and the others. Impressive… indeed."
Shigure hissed through clenched teeth as furious heat spread from her bite. He recognized it at once. Paralyzing venom… laced with illusion.
Shadows flickered around him—the scornful faces of comrades, family, villagers. Every one of them glaring, pointing, condemning. Familiar voices rose in unison.
"You'll fail us all…"
"You're not worthy of the Uchiha name…"
But Shigure's gaze remained steady. His heart, sharpened like a kunai, did not waver. He knew who he was. He knew what he sought. These whispers were nothing compared to the path he had chosen to walk.
The mirage fell apart under his conviction.
Once again the world shifted. This time, the haze dissolved into the vaulted interior of a castle. Above him, carved into wooden beams, snarled a massive dragon sculpture. Beneath its maw sat an ominous plaque carved with three bold characters: Ryūchidō.
"The Dragon Cave…" Shigure murmured.
"Yes," Tanjinjihime answered with a smile, "you now stand before the hall of the White Snake Sage."
"Then I've passed, haven't I?"
"If you've made it this far, we princesses have already lost." She bowed.
A voice echoed from behind. "Thank you for your service, Shadow Clone."
The real Shigure emerged from the temple's entrance, smiling faintly. With another snap of his fingers, the exhausted clone vanished.
"Seriously? The illusions the clone experienced are the same ones you would have faced yourself," Tanjinjihime sighed. "You didn't need such precautions."
Shigure's smirk was tired yet sly. "Better careful than bitten twice. Who knows when you'll try something again."
He pushed past her, stepping boldly into the Dragon Cave's depths.
Behind him, the princesses exchanged murmurs.
"This human… he's even more of a snake than any of us…"
"Too careful. Too sharp. Dangerously cunning."
Inside, the cave was expansive—like Orochimaru's lair magnified tenfold. Yet it reeked of age, solemnity, and reverence. The walls pulsed faintly with serpentine designs. Shigure ascended a wide flight of stairs to the upper temple.
There, embedded in the gaping jaws of a grand stone dragon head, was a tremendous plaque etched with Ryūchidō. Beneath it, upon a throne of stone, coiled a monstrous serpent. White-scaled, orange-maned, its immense form spiraled with power.
The White Snake Immortal.
Her slitted golden eyes gleamed coldly, set beneath a military-green horned crown. A thin pipe dangled from her mouth. On her chest glittered a flawless green cat's eye gem; ribbons of violet silk wrapped about her brow; and twin golden rings rattled faintly near the tips of her enormous tail.
"You must be the White Snake Immortal." Shigure's voice remained calm, even in the presence of such overwhelming aura.
"Yes," the serpent hissed, and her tongue flickered with amusement. "Strange human. Unlike those who crawl here begging for scraps of power, you carry strength already. And wisdom sharper than most I have seen."
Shigure bowed his head. "I came to learn the art of sages. And, if possible, to find a summoning contract worthy of me."
The Sage's great eyes narrowed. "Desire is the root of all who come here. Most are consumed by that hunger, dragged into the void. To wield immortality, you must hold to clarity. Purity of heart. Perseverance. Only then can your desires be tempered."
"I am willing to be tested."
"Very well." The massive coils shifted, scales rattling like thunder. Then she began to shrink, condensing down until at last before him stood an elderly woman, stooped yet dignified. Her eyes glowed with the same golden light.
"Follow me, child," she rasped. "Immortality is not a technique learned overnight."
She led him into a courtyard where a moss-covered stone well stood at its center. A stillness hung here unlike anywhere else in the cavern. Nature's pulse thrummed thick in the air.
"This well is sacred," the Sage explained, pointing one finger. "The center of natural energy within Ryūchidō. Sit here. Attempt to feel the current of nature itself."
Shigure obeyed, lowering himself onto the old stone rim. Closing his eyes, he breathed deep. Almost instantly, a vast tide of energy surged upward. Unlike his own chakra, this one was infinite, patient, enduring.
It's… different. But harmonious. If I guide it…
With careful intent, he allowed it to pass into his body.
The White Snake Sage's expression twisted alarmingly. "Wait—you're absorbing it? Fool! I said only to sense it, not swallow it whole!"
But it was too late. The natural energy flooded his system as though the well itself had hungered for him. Shigure's flesh rippled and shifted; scales began crawling upon his skin. His limbs stiffened, subtle fangs pressing behind his teeth.
"Enough!" the Sage barked, her voice fraying with real concern. "Cease, or you'll become nothing but a serpent forever!"
The energy, however, refused restraint. More and more gushed through him, flowing as though chosen by destiny.
"This body… it's unusually compatible," the Sage muttered grimly. "And yet… at this rate, he'll be lost."
Inside Shigure's mind, everything collapsed into darkness. He stood alone in a vast inner world, winds howling across endless void.
From the whirl of shadows emerged a monstrous figure—larger than the White Snake itself. Its hide shimmered ghostly white, scales glistening like crystal. Twin horns curved back from its skull, and unlike any serpent, it bore five colossal claws.
Shigure's breath caught. "A… five-clawed white dragon? The manifestation of my inner self after the natural energy went wild?"
The beast roared, shaking the dreamscape. Its gaping maw gathered immense power, compressing into a brilliant Tailed Beast Ball. The light swelled with terrifying destruction… and then launched forward, a star streaking straight for Shigure.
The explosion would tear the world apart.
"Flying Thunder God!"
Instantly he vanished, reappearing behind the beast in a flash of lightning. Chakra spiraled into his palm, swelling into a massive Rasengan.
"Take this!"
He clashed against the dragon's gigantic tail with the Rasengan, the clash surging like a storm tearing mountains apart.
The shockwave rippled through his inner world, shaking its foundations—and heralding the true trial of Ryūchidō.
--
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