Thanks to their previous experience, the two of them quickly grasped Mount Myōboku’s unique method of circulating natural energy after only taking a few strikes from the toad sages’ staffs.
Next, they traveled to Ryūchi Cave.
Although the Great Toad Sage had already informed the White Snake Sage of their visit, only a female snake greeted them at the entrance—and she insisted on putting them through some sort of trial.
Madara was immediately displeased.
“What is that old snake thinking?
Doesn’t he know we’re pressed for time?”
“What old snake?” the woman asked, confused, her brows knitting together.
“Hmph!
Just because he’s lived a long time doesn’t mean he can act above everyone else.
Take us to see him immediately!”
“No.
Those are the rules.
You must undergo the trial.”
“Then you’re courting death.”
Madara instantly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
“Madara!
We’re here to learn.
Let’s at least see what this trial is first.”
Seeing the man beside him about to erupt, Hashirama quickly intervened.
“Tch.”
Madara crossed his arms and continued glaring coldly at their host.
“My name is Tagorihime.
Please follow me.”
Hashirama and Madara followed her deeper into the cave.
Before long, they arrived at a magnificent, lavishly decorated pavilion.
A plaque hanging above the entrance read:
Ryūchi Cave
“Please, come in.”
She welcomed them with a flawless smile.
Beneath her elegant features, however, Hashirama sensed something unnatural about that smile—too perfect, almost fake.
Still, he paid it no mind and followed her into the grand hall.
The interior glittered with gold and jewels.
The dazzling light was so intense that he had to squint.
When his vision adjusted, he saw a banquet table placed at the center of the hall.
The enormous table was covered with delicacies beyond anything Hashirama had ever seen in either his previous life or this one.
Perhaps only a legendary imperial feast could compare.
As he was thinking this, his feet moved on their own.
Unconsciously, he reached for a roasted suckling pig.
“Today, I’ll demonstrate how to eat an entire pig in three bites!”
For some reason, a ridiculous scene from his previous life flashed through his mind.
The distraction was enough to make him realize something was wrong.
“This food isn’t right!
It looks too perfect—like it’s deliberately meant to tempt me.
Madara, don’t eat it!”
Hashirama turned around, only to find Madara staring at him with an amused expression.
He immediately understood.
Madara had seen through the illusion from the beginning and had deliberately remained silent just to watch what Hashirama would do.
“Your reaction was too slow, Hashirama.
You’ve grown soft lately.”
“I was just trying to understand the nature of the trial.”
Hashirama’s face flushed.
Even he didn’t buy his own excuse.
“What a pity.
You’ve passed the selection trial.
There are still two more trials ahead of you.”
Tagorihime’s voice echoed around them.
The surroundings warped around them.
The magnificent building and tempting feast vanished completely, revealing the cave’s original appearance.
After speaking, she slowly drifted into the air and disappeared.
“That was easy.
If the remaining trials are all like this, there’s no need to cause trouble.”
Madara, however, shook his head.
“That snake reeks of blood.
Who knows how many people she’s killed?
This place is nothing like Mount Myōboku or Shikkotsu Forest.
If you ask me, we should kill them now and eliminate future problems.”
“…You’re right.”
Hashirama nodded thoughtfully.
“Let’s find an excuse to test the White Snake Sage’s reaction.”
“Ryūchi Cave’s path to evolution is built on devouring living beings.
They deceive their prey, stimulate their survival instincts, toy with them until they’re satisfied, and only then consume them.”
Judging by what he’d seen so far, that assessment had been completely accurate.
These snakes clearly needed to be taught a lesson.
Besides, Ryūchi Cave’s Sage Mode didn’t really suit either of them.
They were only here for reference.
“Over here.”
A cute voice called from ahead.
A petite figure appeared, pulling Hashirama out of his thoughts.
“Nice to meet you.
I’m Ichikishimahime.”
The young girl covered her mouth as she sized them up before leading them into a stone chamber.
Bang!
The stone door suddenly slammed shut.
“Heehee~ The second trial is to find the matching crystals and fill the holes in the wall.”
She paused.
“If you fail…”
Her adorable appearance instantly twisted into that of a monstrous serpent woman.
Her hideous face and greedy snake eyes stared at them hungrily.
“Hmph!”
Madara snorted heavily, releasing an overwhelming aura.
“You dare threaten me?
That old snake already knows what the future holds, yet he still wastes our time with these meaningless trials.
He’s clearly mocking us.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Madara activated Susanoo once again.
Returning to her true form, Ichikishimahime hissed,
“Since you’ve come here, you must obey the rules.
Those who refuse will be eaten!”
She immediately charged at them.
Her hair transformed into numerous giant snakes that attacked from every direction.
The enormous skeletal Susanoo behind Madara swung one arm.
The serpent hair was severed instantly.
The resulting shockwave shook the cave itself.
The severed snakes writhed briefly on the ground before vanishing.
“Damn it…
You’re that strong?
Then try this!”
Sage Art: Snake Lightning!
Countless snakes surged forth from all around them.
At the same time, lightning descended from the cave ceiling and attached itself to the serpents, creating a devastating area-wide lightning strike.
“A cheap trick.”
Madara remained standing with his arms crossed.
He raised a finger.
An armored chakra shell enveloped the skeletal Susanoo, advancing it to its second stage.
“Don’t underestimate it.”
Hashirama steeled himself and desperately recalled the hand seals.
Tiger → Snake → Dog → Dragon → Rat → Boar.
Wood Release: Hōbi Technique!
A gigantic wooden shield shaped like a demon’s face with fangs rose around both of them.
“Always doing unnecessary things.”
Madara sensed that something was wrong, but merely complained without taking further action.
BOOM!
The lightning crashed directly into the shield with a deafening explosion.
Smoke billowed everywhere.
Ichikishimahime’s snake eyes widened.
Through the smoke, she vaguely saw a circular silhouette.
When the smoke cleared, she finally saw it clearly.
The wooden shield was covered in cracks and charred black marks, with thin wisps of smoke still rising from it.
Although badly damaged, it had not been completely breached.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The shield split apart layer by layer, revealing the two men inside—completely unharmed.
Her expression changed.
For the first time, she felt genuine fear.
“Not bad.”
Madara smirked.
“You nearly broke through Hashirama’s defense.
You should be proud of yourself, little snake.”
In reality, Snake Lightning’s true danger lay not only in its power but also in its ability to disrupt natural energy.
The two of them had been forced to stabilize their Senjutsu Chakra while inside the shield.
I’m over a thousand years old!
I’m not some little snake!”
She prepared another attack.
However, just as the two men readied themselves to defend—
She suddenly turned around.
And ran.
“Sage!
Save me!”
“Hmph!”
Madara, furious, swung Susanoo’s sword and shattered both the stone door and the cave wall before pursuing her.
Hashirama remained frozen for a moment.
Then a sharp pain shot through his leg.
He looked down.
Two small snakes had sunk their fangs into his ankle.
His fear of snakes instantly vanished, replaced by anger.
“You want my life?
Then all of you can die!”
He tore the snakes off, drawing a few drops of blood, and stomped down with all his strength.
The ground instantly collapsed around him.
A crater five meters wide formed beneath his feet.
The surrounding snakes were annihilated in an instant.
When he checked his wounds again, he discovered they had already stopped bleeding and no longer hurt.
He couldn’t help but reflect:
“I used to be afraid of a single snake.
Now one stomp can wipe out an entire swarm.
Honestly…
this feels pretty good.”
“Hashirama, you’re not a college student anymore.”
“You’re the God of Shinobi—Senju Hashirama.”
“There will be even more dangerous battles in the future.
If I don’t adapt now and Tobirama or Madara notices something strange…”
“…I’ll definitely end up on an operating table.”
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
He slapped his stiff face several times, adjusted his mindset, picked up a fallen snake scale, clenched it tightly, and roared:
“I am Senju Hashirama!”
Then he rushed down the passageway.
Not long afterward, he found Uchiha Madara fighting three female snake sages.
Susanoo had already reached its third stage.
What had once been only a partial body now possessed a complete lower half and legs.
Its head nearly touched the cave ceiling.
It stood roughly thirty meters tall.
The entire body was covered in armor, resembling a complete humanoid warrior.
Its head bore horn-like protrusions, its eyes displayed the Mangekyō pattern, and it wielded a massive chakra sword.
“Hashirama, don’t interfere.
Let me enjoy myself.”
Black markings had spread around Madara’s eyes.
He had entered Sage Mode.
Sage Art: Fire Release — Majestic Destroyer Flame!
“Enough!”
An unfamiliar elderly woman’s voice thundered from ahead.
The cave suddenly seemed to come alive.
The three snake women instantly sank into the ground and disappeared.
Countless stone pillars erupted from all directions, intercepting the enormous flames.
Though they shattered like paper, the endless stream of ordinary stone somehow managed to contend with Madara’s Sage Art.
Madara grinned savagely.
“Excellent.
Since you’ve chosen to interfere, let me see what a so-called sage can do.”
“Stop.
This old woman has no intention of fighting you.”
The elderly voice echoed from the darkness ahead.
“Now you beg for mercy?
Too late.”
At that exact moment, Hashirama received a notification.
[Uchiha Madara’s trust in the host’s Senjutsu training has significantly increased his strength, altering the world’s timeline.]
[Bond Value increased by 3%.]
[Special Reward Granted — Bloodline Activation.]
Hashirama immediately felt a mysterious power within his body begin to awaken…