If he hadn't guessed wrong, the White Snake Sage might have just mistaken him for the current generation's reincarnation of Indra, only to later reject the idea of her own accord.
Uchiha Gen was certain he wasn't Indra's reincarnation, because Uchiha Madara was still alive, hiding in some corner of the shinobi world and lingering on for the sake of the Rinnegan and the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan.
However, he was equipped with the character card of a young Uchiha Madara. It was very likely that because of this, he exhibited certain traits of an Indra reincarnation, which had led to the White Snake Sage's misjudgment. But such matters seemed irrelevant to his current situation.
Sarutobi Enjun scrambled up from the ground, rubbed his backside, and looked at the pavilion ahead.
"So, are we considered to have passed the White Snake Sage's trial now?"
"Probably. Let's go and find some powerful snakes to form a summoning contract with."
Gen shrugged. Uzuki Ruri reached out to form a seal, and after sensing her own condition, she said in a crisp voice:
"The Reverse Summoning Jutsu can be released on its own now. How about we split up? If we run into danger, we can just leave Ryuchi Cave directly."
"I have no objection," Sarutobi Enjun said, raising his hand.
He still wanted to seek revenge on that two-headed snake that had chased him last time. After a month of hellish training under Orochimaru, plus occasional private lessons from the Third Hokage, Enjun's strength had improved tremendously. He was confident he could now contend with that giant beast.
"Very well, then we'll disband here and act individually."
Gen's nod was slight. This way, the efficiency would be higher. The three figures used the Body Flicker Technique simultaneously, vanishing from the spot and heading in three different directions.
The area of Ryuchi Cave was staggeringly vast. Countless species of snakes lived here within a unique ecological structure. Combined with the abundant natural energy, it could even support powerful summoned beasts like Manda and Aoda, who were capable of intervening in Kage-level battles.
If possible, Gen also wanted to sign a contract with a powerful summoned beast. But clearly, for a snake of Manda's caliber, let alone contracting it, he'd be lucky just not to be swallowed whole.
Regardless of size, as long as he saw a snake with decent strength on the way, Gen would capture it, beat it into submission, and then leave his personal mark. Weaker snakes could be forcibly summoned, while those slightly stronger pythons would submit to Gen under the pressure of his might and the contract.
However, what Gen really wanted were some giant snakes. Never mind Manda's level or even Aoda's standard; as long as it was a giant snake of the caliber Orochimaru used in the Forest of Death, it would be quite useful.
Like that black-scaled giant snake from before—although he had used tactics to beat it back to Ryuchi Cave within a minute, it was still considered capable of both fighting and tanking hits. After all, summoned beasts have limited methods; if targeted individually, they naturally struggle against versatile shinobi. But if used as a supplement to a ninja, coordinating with them often produces a result where one plus one is greater than two.
In battle, if a summoned beast can stall the enemy for even ten seconds, it can create a massive opportunity for the ninja. It's just that giant snakes with this kind of strength are relatively few, and they basically each occupy their own small territory, so searching for them was laborious.
Fortunately, luck was on Gen's side. Pushing aside the weeds that covered a cave entrance, he arrived at the edge of a pool. A giant python, nearly black all over with red spots on its forehead and back and measuring about ten meters long, was resting by the water, lazily flicking its tongue. Seeing Gen's arrival, the giant python immediately reared up its upper body, its fist-sized eyes gleaming with ferocity.
"Heh heh..."
Gen gave the red-spotted black python a smirk and drew the sword from his waist. In his perception, this python's chakra aura was several degrees stronger than the black-scaled giant snake he had encountered in the Forest of Death.
Before, he might not have been very confident, but now...
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Uchiha Style Swordsmanship: One Blade, Two Halves!"
With the Great Fireball clearing the way, Gen held his sword and lunged forward, moving like a bolt of lightning. Within his Sharingan, his pupils spun rapidly, precisely capturing every gap in the python's movements as he constantly circled it, dodging and parrying with redirected force.
This snake's strength and defense were impressive. Even after taking a Great Fireball, it still maintained strong combat power. Though its fighting techniques were somewhat refined, they were still primitive and direct.
Ten minutes later.
"Your movements have been reflected in my Sharingan from start to finish."
Gen slowly sheathed his sword and turned to look at the exhausted python, which was covered in multiple wounds. He had held back. Although the wounds looked terrifying, this giant snake had thick skin and the tenacious self-healing ability of its kind. It would likely recover in just a few days.
The red-spotted black python slumped powerlessly on the ground. It couldn't win the fight and couldn't run away, yet the human refused to give it a quick death.
What the hell does he want?
"Now, can you become my summoned beast?" Gen looked at the python with a smile.
"I... I can, hiss~, but, but... I want blood food, hiss~."
The creature was a giant snake of Ryuchi Cave that had cultivated for over a hundred years. It was vastly different from ordinary snakes and could speak human language. However, unlike Mount Myoboku where speech was used frequently, this python spoke very haltingly, its stuttering interspersed with the flicking of its tongue.
"How much do you want?"
"A sheep... a sheep, hiss~, one sheep, or, hiss~ equivalent blood food."
The python struggled to control its tongue, trying to convey the meaning of its words clearly.
"Fine. It will be given after every battle. I might not have time to prepare in advance, so your blood food will be fresher that way, won't it?"
Gen nodded slowly. Although a sheep was worth a fair amount of money, it was better than Manda or others demanding human sacrifices. Summoned beasts can be viewed as a ninja's combat tools, but they are not slaves, especially since the snakes of Ryuchi Cave weren't raised by him since birth. Not to mention, the price of a sheep wasn't necessarily more expensive than a standard paper bomb. In terms of cost-effectiveness, this was actually better.
"Good... then it's a deal, hiss~, my... hiss~ name, Ketsuhan."
"Alright, Ketsuhan. My name is Uchiha Gen. Do you know where there are any other giant snakes around here with a size similar to yours?"
Gen asked Ketsuhan. As a local, Ketsuhan was certainly more familiar with this place than he was. Having him lead the way was better than running around aimlessly.