Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"Think about it carefully, Tsunade."

Orochimaru looked at the woman who had completely lost her senses, stood up from the stone seat, and, with the help of Kabuto Yakushi, walked to the heavy stone door.

"I don't think you'll refuse this deal."

The heavy stone door closed silently.

The room fell into a suffocating silence once again.

Tsunade stared blankly at the empty ceiling, Orochimaru's devilish words still echoing in her ears.

But those two figures, which she could never forget in her life, now appeared uncontrollably before her eyes.

She remembered her younger brother, Rope Tree, and the excited look on his face when he received his grandfather's necklace.

Sister! When I become Hokage, I will definitely protect you!

She remembered her lover, Dan Kato, and his gentle eyes when he told her about his dreams under the moon.

Tsunade, my dream is to become Hokage, to protect this village, and to protect everyone I love.

Naruto...

It's Naruto again...

Why......

Why do all those who share this dream eventually leave me?

For a long, long time.

"Heh...heh..."

A suppressed sob quietly rose in the deathly silent stone chamber.

Warm tears silently slid down her cheeks and disappeared into her golden hair.

But if...

What if we could really see them again?

Even if it's just one side...

Even if it's just to hear them say one more word...

This thought was like a seed full of deadly poison. As soon as it was planted in her heart, it took root and sprouted wildly, growing into a towering tree that could obscure all her reason in an instant.

Chapter 133 Perhaps it should be renamed Snake Cave

Inside the stone chamber, the dim yellow light flickered.

"I want to learn Sage Mode." Sasuke's voice broke the deathly silence without warning.

This sudden urging caused Orochimaru's smile to falter slightly. He looked at Sasuke with interest, a hint of inquiry flashing in his vertical pupils.

"Sasuke-kun, your ideas are always so unexpected."

"Not long ago, you seemed to dismiss my suggestion. Why have you suddenly changed your mind?"

He thought of that possibility almost immediately.

"Is it Jiraiya?" Orochimaru muttered to himself. "Is it because he witnessed that power with his own eyes that he's so eager to possess it as well?"

This thought made the smile on his lips grow even more delightful.

But Sasuke didn't answer, standing there calmly waiting for Orochimaru to continue.

"Alright alright."

Orochimaru seemed to enjoy the feeling of taking the initiative in his conversation with Sasuke, and nodded slightly to Kabuto Yakushi beside him.

Kabuto understood and took out an ancient scroll from his robes. With the help of his hand seals, Orochimaru successfully used a long-lost ninjutsu.

"The art of spirit communication."

A wisp of barely perceptible white vapor hovered silently over the ground.

As the white mist dissipated, a small snake, entirely white and no more than half a meter long, with eyes as clear as rubies, appeared there.

It raised its head, its scarlet forked tongue flicking in and out, and hissed at Orochimaru with an ambiguous sound, appearing quite affectionate.

"Go."

Orochimaru's voice softened slightly as he gently stroked the top of its head with his fingertips. "Take them to that place."

The small white snake nodded, its eyes sweeping over Sasuke and Yoruichi before turning around and beginning to meander towards the exit of the stone chamber.

"That place?"

Yoruichi, who was perched on Sasuke's shoulder, finally couldn't contain herself and peeked out curiously, asking, "It sounds pretty amazing?"

"That's right."

Orochimaru slowly turned around and began his usual exaggerated description: "Legend has it that it is the end of the world, the boundary between reality and illusion."

"Only the chosen ones can be guided to that unknown paradise..."

However, his description was met with a sneer.

Sasuke turned his head and glanced at the small snake leading the way. "If such a small thing can lead the way, then it must be a rather secluded place."

"As for the end of the world, the boundary between reality and illusion..."

"Save your breath for such bluffing claims."

This blunt sabotage caused Orochimaru's smile to freeze for a moment.

"Speaking of which..."

Sasuke seemed to suddenly realize something and turned his gaze to Orochimaru, "Jiraiya's summoning beast is a toad, and the place where he trains in 'Sage Mode' is called 'Mount Myoboku'."

"Your summoning beast is a snake, so the place you mentioned must be a similar 'sacred place', right?"

"Is it the Shikkulin Forest?"

Judging from the name, Sasuke felt that this sacred place seemed to fit the serpent's nature better than the remaining Ryuchi Cave.

Orochimaru's smile returned to normal, and he nodded frankly. "That's right, just as you thought, it is one of the three legendary sacred sites of sages, just like Mount Myōboku. The only difference is that the sage beasts they summon are different."

Its name is... Ryuchi-dong.

"And the ruler there is the White Snake Immortal, who possesses the purest immortal arts."

"snake?"

Upon hearing this, Yoruichi tilted her cat head curiously and asked an extremely unromantic question.

"Since it's a sacred place for snakes, and the rulers must also be snakes, then why is it called 'Dragon Cave'? Wouldn't 'Snake Cave' be more fitting?"

"..."

Orochimaru's pale face twitched slightly, a rare occurrence.

He looked into Yoruichi's curious cat-like eyes and for a moment didn't know how to answer this tricky question.

After a long while, Orochimaru slowly grinned, revealing a meaningful smile, his voice very low.

"Hehe... You can ask that White Snake Immortal about that yourself later."

Orochimaru leaned back on his stone seat, his voice carrying a hint of dismissal.

"Alright, I've handed over the guidance to you. I can't reveal the details of the trial."

"The road ahead is up to you to walk."

Sasuke nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Inside the stone chamber, only Orochimaru and Kabuto remained.

.............

The little snake led Sasuke ahead, and after a considerable journey, it brought the man and the cat into an increasingly dense white fog.

The fog was thick, carrying a strange, damp, and slightly sweet smell. Visibility was less than three meters, with only the faint sounds of the small snake slithering ahead.

"..."

Sasuke did not stop, but his crimson Sharingan was already activated, and he warily scanned his surroundings.

He didn't like the fog.

Orochimaru once said that he was the only one who had ever come out of Ryuchi Cave alive.

Naturally, Sasuke had already envisioned this place as a hell on earth, littered with corpses and filled with the bones of the defeated.

However, when they passed through the last layer of swirling smoke, the view that suddenly opened up before them was completely different from what he had imagined.

A magnificent, even luxurious palace, appeared out of nowhere at the end of the valley.

The carved beams and painted rafters gleamed under the light of some unknown source.

"..."

Sasuke frowned slightly.

Yoruichi, who was perched on his shoulder, curiously peeked out, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.

"This place doesn't seem like some dangerous holy site."

Sasuke didn't speak, but simply looked calmly at the palace.

Just then, the enormous palace door, carved from a single piece of white jade, quietly slid open to both sides.

A graceful figure dressed in simple brocade robes, with her long black hair piled high, slowly emerged barefoot from the golden halo.

With an elegant posture and a gentle smile on her face, she walked up to the two of them and bowed slightly.

"Welcome to Yongji-dong, two guests who have traveled from afar."

Her voice was soft and ethereal, “I am Princess Tianxin, and I am here to receive you two.”

"Sasuke-kun, Yoruichi-san."

She called out their names accurately. "The White Snake Immortal has been waiting for a long time. However, before meeting the immortal, please come into the hall to rest for a while. I have prepared some wine and tea."

Princess Tianxin turned to the side and made a "please" gesture, indicating that they should enter the hall.