Chapter 199: The Trial of Ryūchi Cave

Kazuki sensed the presence of an extremely powerful and unique chakra that was stalking him from deep within the Ryūchi Cave.

Without a doubt, it was the White Snake Sage.

Since Tagitsuhime had already mentioned her name, the least he could do was show her some respect.

In Kazuki's view, these great sages did not reach the level of the Six Paths, but they had accumulated an enormous amount of natural energy and senjutsu chakra over the centuries. In addition, they mastered a variety of sage arts, making them much more powerful than the average Kage.

At this moment, Kazuki saw no reason to come into conflict with the White Snake Sage. There was no clash of interests between them.

So, he calmly appeared beside Tobirama, patted him on the shoulder, and with a smile shook his head. "If you really don't want me to fight my way through, just tell me." He said in a relaxed tone. "Why are you stressing so much?"

"I trust you wouldn't hurt me, so I'll listen to you. I won't solve this by force."

"Or do you think that if you give me a suggestion, I'll assume you're trying to manipulate me? Come on, old man, I'm not that shallow…"

Tobirama was about to reply, but before he could open his mouth, Kazuki had already turned to Tagitsuhime. "If I am an aspirant to obtain the power of the sages, then I must follow the rules of the Ryūchi Cave." he declared firmly. "We can start whenever you want."

Tagitsuhime let out a silent sigh. If Kazuki hadn't been willing to follow the rules, she really wouldn't have known what to do.

Without wasting any time, she channeled the senjutsu chakra into her body and launched her technique at Kazuki with all her might.

Kazuki gave a faint smile. Silently, his Adamantine Chains coiled around the two small white snakes on his arm, absorbing their senjutsu chakra.

His own body had already accumulated a considerable amount of senjutsu chakra. His eyes, brimming with pupil power, scanned the genjutsu before him.

In the illusion, the goals that had been linked to him began to appear, one after another…

Or, more precisely, those targets who were linked to him and had had positive feelings towards him.

First, Senju Tobirama.

In the illusion, Tobirama had a stern face and was shouting furiously, "Where is your will to fire, Kazuki? I knew you would do something that would end up destroying the shinobi world. You are betraying everything you believed in!"

Then Tsunade appeared, her face drenched in tears. "Why...? Why are you doing this...?" she muttered, sobbing.

Then, Uchiha Madara, Uzumaki Mito, Asuma, Shisui, Guy and his father appeared...

Kazuki looked at all this with an amused expression and thought to himself, 'So this is the Ryūchi Cave genjutsu? Interesting… It really does reflect the deepest desires of the heart.'

The funny thing was that, in theory, the test consisted of the reproaches of those close to him being turned into chains that bound his determination.

If his heart wavered even a little, he would be trapped in the illusion and end up falling into it.

But for Kazuki, all he heard was the sound of gold coins clinking.

If the emotions of those people close to him were altered to this magnitude, how much time and effort would be saved? He could speed up the process and be done with it all in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, his pupil power exploded and the Ryūchi Cave genjutsu was instantly broken.

Tagitsuhime was completely stunned. "What…?" she whispered, incredulous.

Had her illusion been destroyed so easily? Did that mean that this man had no heart? That he didn't appreciate anyone or anything?

Or maybe… his will was so unbreakable that no emotional ties could stop him.

Bewilderment filled Tagitsuhime's heart. Furthermore, he noticed that Kazuki possessed a senjutsu chakra similar to his own.

But even though she wanted to ask him how it was possible, she couldn't. After all, he had already passed the test.

That was the fundamental principle of Ryūchi Cave: survival of the fittest.

Even if Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime had died at Kazuki's hands, that only meant that they were too weak. There was nothing more to discuss.

"Applicant, you have passed the final test and have obtained the right to appear before the White Snake Sage." Tagitsuhime fixed her gaze on Kazuki and spoke in a solemn voice.

But Kazuki shook his head with an intriguing smile as he stared straight into the snake's vertical pupils. "A rather interesting technique…"

"But tell me, is your will truly unbreakable?"

Taking advantage of the power of Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime, Kazuki strengthened his eye technique and dragged Tagitsuhime into a world of illusions in an instant.

With two 'traitors' inside Ryuchi Cave, not even Tagitsuhime's senjutsu chakra was enough to free her from Kazuki's powerful genjutsu.

Under a series of techniques as well as the power of the Sharingan, Tagitsuhime began to be subjected to mental torture.

In the world of illusion, she witnessed Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime, her companions for centuries, fall in battle. The great snakes that always surrounded her slowly aged and died. Even the White Snake Sage, whose time seemed infinite, became so old that she could not even hold her pipe.

And with each death within the illusion, a question resonated… or perhaps a whisper of doubt:

"Is Ryuchi Cave… really a dragon cave?"

"After devoting a lifetime to practicing the sage arts, do I really deserve the title of sage?"

"In the end, you're still just a snake… Do you really think you can shed your skin and transcend into a dragon?"

"If you're never going to make it, why not end it all now? After all, centuries of training in the darkness of a cave… have been nothing but an empty existence."

Tagitsuhime was trapped in an endless cycle.

Again and again, she experienced the same story: of a small snake that managed to take human form but never managed to achieve the transformation into a dragon.

Tears of resignation slowly rolled down Tagitsuhime's eyes. Suddenly, she snapped her eyes open.

Her hands, just like in the illusion countless times, closed firmly around her own neck with the intention of ending it all.

What was real? What was an illusion?

Tagitsuhime could no longer tell the difference.

She understood only one thing: The faith that sustained her for centuries, the belief that one day she would become a dragon,

was nothing more than an empty bubble.

The only real thing in her life… was failure.

At that moment, Kazuki approached her and firmly removed the hands with which she was trying to suffocate herself. His voice thundered in her ears: "Stop fooling yourself!"

Tagitsuhime shuddered. The force of the voice pierced her clouded mind, making her look up in bewilderment.

A thousand times she had gone through the same cycle in the illusion…

But she had never heard these words.

"If you wish to shed your skin and be reborn as a dragon, then you need an indomitable spirit."

"It doesn't matter if you fail hundreds or thousands of times… so what?"

Kazuki, with imposing solemnity, looked down upon the serpent prostrate before him. He extended his hand over its head and said gravely, "Your heart wavers and your spirit is unstable… It seems that only by immersing yourself in the mortal world can you temper a soul strong enough to withstand the storm."

Tagitsuhime stared at him, still stunned.

For some reason, at that instant, Kazuki's image reminded her of the enlightened monks of the Fire Temple. No… his presence was even more overwhelming.

Kazuki lifted his sleeve, revealing the bony armor on his arm, where two small white snakes coiled around it. "No more needs to be said. Come with me!"

Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime blinked lazily, and their little tails curled into circles, as if welcoming their sister.

Tagitsuhime blinked in confusion, but her body responded before her mind. Her human form faded away and her snake body coiled naturally around Kazuki's arm.

Kazuki smiled slightly and, with the three snakes, headed towards the great hall of Ryuchi Cave.

He stopped in front of the imposing doors of the shrine and spoke in a firm voice: "I am Uchiha Kazuki of Konoha. I have come to present myself before the White Snake Sage!"

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