Ninja World: I, Kisame Hoshigaki, am no longer human!

"Once I have rescued my two companions, I will return to Dragon Cave to serve by your side and listen to the teachings of the White Snake Immortal day and night."

"No need, little one."

The White Snake Sage looked down at Nagato, a glint of light flashing in his golden snake eyes, and instructed the latter, "Don't forget your promise to me. Come back to see me after you defeat Jiraiya, the successor of Mount Myōboku, and Kisame, the successor of Shikkotsu Forest. At that time, you will be the new master of Ryūchi Cave."

Upon hearing the words "new master," Nagato was utterly astonished. After regaining her composure, she responded with a solemn and serious expression:

"Nagato dares not. There will only ever be one master of Ryuchi Cave, and that is the White Snake Sage. I will definitely complete the test and live up to your expectations."

"Alright, alright, you can leave now. I'm a little sleepy and need to rest for a while."

The White Snake Immortal transformed back into her old lady form, waved her hand, yawned, and then leaned against her throne, squinting her eyes.

"Yes."

Nagato bowed again, facing the White Snake Sage, and slowly retreated from the temple.

After Nagato left, the White Snake Sage slowly opened his eyes.

Although it was an immortal, immortals also age and die. In this respect, it envied the live slug, which was not only immortal but also had no troublesome subordinates.

Over the years, the White Snake Immortal has been searching for an outstanding successor.

Initially, it took a liking to Orochimaru, admiring his abilities and personality. However, Orochimaru's ambition was too great, forcing it to be wary of him and making it impossible for it to entrust Ryuchi Cave to him with peace of mind.

Until Nagato appeared.

Nagato's talent and aptitude surpassed Orochimaru's, and he was chosen by Gamamaru as the "Child of Prophecy," destined to change the world.

The White Snake Immortal has high hopes for Nagato. If he can really defeat the successors of the other two holy lands, it will be enough to prove that he is the true chosen one.

At that time, the White Snake Immortal can confidently hand over Ryuchi Cave to Nagato, allowing him to lead Ryuchi Cave to an even more glorious stage.

It eagerly awaits that day.

With a creak.

As the gate to Ryuchi Cave was pushed open, Nagato, dressed in a black robe with red clouds from the Akatsuki organization and wearing a hood, walked out alone.

Da da da.

He walked slowly toward the surface, his crisp footsteps echoing underground and carrying far.

Two hours later.

Nagato had traveled more than ten kilometers underground and could see a light in the distance, meaning he was about to return to the surface.

But at that moment, Nagato suddenly stopped and spoke to the empty darkness in a slightly mocking tone:

"Come out. We're already quite far from Ryuchi Cave. The White Snake Sage and the others won't interfere, so you don't need to be so afraid."

After a moment of silence following the words,

Obito and Zetsu emerged from the darkness.

"My clone sent me intelligence that Ryuchi Cave is indeed quiet, and Nagato came out alone," Zetsu said to Obito in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Obito walked to the opposite side of Nagato, stroking his chin with his fingers as he sized up the latter, and said:

"Orochimaru said that you gained the favor of the White Snake Sage and were taken in as his successor. Since you've come out of Ryuchi Cave unharmed, does that mean you've already mastered Sage Mode?"

"Yes."

Nagato lowered his head and answered calmly, his face hidden by his hood.

"That's great! Now come back to Amegakure with me and continue our grand plan." Obito opened his arms and extended a warm invitation to Nagato.

180. Immortal Nagato

Faced with Obito's enthusiastic invitation.

Nagato gave a wry smile, then shook his head and coldly uttered those three words:

"I refuse."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere between the two sides immediately took a sharp turn for the worse, instantly dropping to a freezing point.

Obito narrowed his eyes, staring at Nagato. His previously kind and friendly tone vanished, replaced by a threat and warning:

"Nagato, you need to think this through. Don't forget, your most cherished comrades, Yahiko and Konan, are still in my hands. Are you really going to abandon them?"

"Obito, is there nothing else you can do besides using underhanded methods to blackmail others? Unfortunately, this trick of yours is no longer effective against me."

Nagato openly mocked Obito without any politeness, and secretly added in his mind, "Even if Yahiko and Konan are killed, I can summon their souls from the underworld and revive them. I'll use the Impure World Reincarnation technique."

Obito naturally had no idea what Nagato was thinking, but he was indeed enraged by the latter's words.

Splash!

An iron chain fell out of his sleeve, which he grasped in his hand as he walked step by step toward Nagato.

"Since kind words are useless, it seems I have no choice but to resort to force. Come on, Nagato, let me see the results of your training in Ryuchi Cave. Don't disappoint me."

As soon as Obito finished speaking, he accelerated and rushed towards Nagato.

call out.

He threw the chain in his hand, and it flew at high speed, heading straight for Nagato's throat.

Nagato stood still, neither dodging nor avoiding, and immediately grabbed the incoming chain. Then, with a sudden tug, he pulled Obito towards himself.

In his other hand, a black chakra rod appeared, which he thrust at Obito, who was flying towards him.

Just as Obito was about to be pierced by the black rod, he activated Kamui in time, making his entire body intangible, allowing the black rod to pass through his body.

The two passed each other by, their first brief exchange ending in a draw.

"You really haven't improved at all. You only know this one move from beginning to end. Obito, you've disappointed me greatly."

Nagato turned around and said calmly, stealing Obito's line.

"Humph."

Obito snorted and charged at Nagato at an even faster speed, wood-style spikes sprouting from his palms, which he stabbed at Nagato's heart with lightning speed.

Wood Release: The Art of Planting.

Ha ha.

Nagato merely sneered, and just as Obito's attack was about to reach him, he suddenly vanished from his spot in a flash.

He used the Instantaneous Movement technique, but because he was so fast, it looked like teleportation.

not good.

Obito's expression changed, and without thinking, he activated his eye power again. However, before his Kamui could take effect, Nagato had already appeared behind him and kicked out.

boom.

Obito was kicked hard, and immediately felt a sharp pain. He lost his balance and flew forward, finally crashing headfirst into the wall.

Boom!

He struggled to climb out of the wall, but his knees buckled and he fell to his knees with a thud.

"You're too slow. In my eyes, you're only slightly faster than a tortoise."

Nagato relished Obito's disheveled appearance and mocked him mercilessly.

Just then, Obito suddenly raised his head, and the kaleidoscope pattern in his eyes suddenly spun, releasing a genjutsu attack towards Nagato.

But the next second, Nagato was completely unharmed. Instead, he used his Rinnegan to unleash a genjutsu to counter Obito, causing Obito to suffer the consequences.

"what!"

Obito let out a scream, his right eye became bloodshot, and a line of bloody tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Poor mortals."

Seeing this, Nagato shook his head and said disdainfully, "You want to know what I learned in Ryuchi Cave, right? Well, I'll mercifully tell you."

As he spoke, he walked towards Obito:

"As you can see, in Sage Mode, my taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu have all been enhanced in every way, giving me a crushing advantage over you in terms of basic ninja abilities. That's the difference between a sage and a mortal. Obito, you're too weak; you're not even worthy of making me take this seriously and show my true abilities."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nagato reached out and activated the Sage Art: Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Guidance.

buzzing.

Under the irresistible pull of gravity, Obito's feet left the ground and he floated up, flying toward Nagato with a look of terror on his face.

At that moment, he saw the Rinnegan beneath Nagato's hood, eyes as cold and ruthless as a god's, and finally understood the fear of death.

Driven by an intense will to survive, Obito recklessly exhausted his eye power and desperately activated Kamui, only to be swept into a spatial vortex and flee in panic.

"So we let him get away after all?"

Nagato murmured, lowering his arm. Although Obito was no match for him head-on, Kamui was indeed a troublesome technique, at least for escaping.

Forget it, it's just a rat, like Orochimaru, nothing to worry about.

Nagato ignored Obito's escape and turned his deep gaze to Zetsu beside him.

"Uh……"

Jue was startled and instinctively took two steps back before quickly sinking into the ground, attempting to escape using earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of escape technique).

Nagato remained calm, squatted down on the spot, pressed his palms to the ground, and then activated his sensory abilities.

found it.

As a slight smile curved his lips, a surge of Wood Release chakra flowed from his palm into the ground, quickly rising from...

A few seconds later.

boom.

A large hole appeared in the ground, and Zetsu, bound by Wood Release vines, struggled in vain as he slowly rose out of the hole.

Nagato approached Zetsu, a black rod appearing from his sleeve. With a "plop," the rod pierced Zetsu's body, instantly sealing Zetsu's chakra.

"What...what do you want?"

On Zetsu's face, the white Zetsu on the left side screamed loudly, while the black Zetsu on the right side had a gloomy expression, but their eyes both revealed fear of Nagato.