Chapter 265: What Eye? Rinne-what? Rinnegan?

"Stop calling out to her. She's not going to show up," Sasuke said helplessly. 

He tried to pry his parents' arms off him—his father's arm came off easily, but his mother's? No chance. It was like she had welded herself onto him. 

…Forget it. 

Sasuke gave up and looked at his mother, who was about his height. 

"The voice you just heard was my summon, Ichikishimahime. She's hiding on me. She only listens to me and no one else, so there's no point in calling for her." 

"That's right," Ichikishimahime's voice rang out again, full of agreement. 

Fugaku was stunned. 

Mikoto frowned and let go of Sasuke, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning as she spoke seriously. 

"Make her come out." 

That tone—it was just like the father Sasuke remembered. 

But honestly, this version of his mother didn't scare Sasuke at all. In fact, he kind of wanted to laugh. 

Still, he didn't refuse. Instead, he reached out his right hand and called out, 

"Come out. Also, this is my dad and mom—well, not *exactly* them—but don't show any more killing intent." 

"Understood, Sasuke-sama," Ichikishimahime replied. 

The next second, a deep blue snake slithered out from Sasuke's sleeve. 

Its shimmering blue scales gleamed under the sunlight. 

It wasn't even a meter long, just a slender little snake—yet somehow, it gave off an air of elegance, like it was wearing luxurious clothing. 

It was as if, standing before them, wasn't a snake, but a noble princess dressed in extravagant robes. 

And sure enough, the moment the snake touched the ground, a puff of smoke appeared. 

Along with a surge of chakra, Ichikishimahime's human form emerged from the mist—a regal princess, just as expected. 

As soon as she appeared, Ichikishimahime bowed toward Sasuke. 

"Sasuke-sama." 

Fugaku froze again, his Sharingan slowly turning. 

Mikoto instinctively took a step back, her face full of shock. 

"This chakra… it's so strong." 

"It's Senjutsu, isn't it?" Fugaku said calmly, his Sharingan spinning faster. 

"There are only three great places in the ninja world that have Summon Beasts with Senjutsu. Snakes are one of them. 

Ryūchi Cave, huh? I didn't expect Sasuke to have ties to Ryūchi Cave… Impressive." 

Sasuke was stunned. 

Wait—wasn't his dad supposed to be a pushover? 

How did he know all this secret stuff that most people didn't? 

Fugaku was smiling brightly, but for some reason, Ichikishimahime suddenly— 

Frowning

She felt an overwhelming pressure from the man named "Fugaku." It wasn't as strong as Sasuke-sama's Tomoe Rinnegan, but it was completely different from the Sharingan of the woman standing beside him. 

Ichikishimahime thought for a moment before turning to Fugaku and giving a slight bow. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Ichikishimahime, a Sage of Ryuchi Cave." 

She specifically said "Sage of Ryuchi Cave" instead of "one of the trial sages of Ryuchi Cave"—a significant distinction. 

To use Mount Myoboku as an example, the Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, could be called a sage. The two elders, Fukasaku and Shima, could also be called sages. But beyond them, there were no other toads in Myoboku that carried the title. 

Similarly, in Ryuchi Cave, the White Snake Sage held that title, followed by the three great protectors: Blue Snake Ichikishimahime, Green Snake Tagitsuhime, and Brown Snake Tagorihime. Beyond them, no other snake could claim the title of sage. 

Becoming a sage isn't as simple as mastering Sage Mode. (*Note*) 

Ichikishimahime deliberately introduced herself that way to make an impression on the two of them. After all, being a sage usually meant possessing great power. 

Sure enough, Fugaku's smile disappeared, his face darkened, and he stepped forward to shield Mikoto and Sasuke. His Three Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly. 

"Then tell me, why has a sage of Ryuchi Cave chosen my son Sasuke as the ninja world's liaison?" 

Normally, those who inherited the power of the Three Great Sacred Lands—known as the legendary liaisons of the ninja world—were given titles like "Ryuchi Cave's chosen one" or "Ryuchi Cave's representative." It was all the same. 

"You're mistaken." 

Ichikishimahime covered her mouth with both hands, smiling politely. 

"Sasuke-sama is not Ryuchi Cave's successor. Rather, we at Ryuchi Cave have chosen to be Sasuke-sama's summoning beasts." 

One statement put Ryuchi Cave first, while the other put Sasuke first. 

Fugaku's eyes widened as his spinning Three Tomoe Sharingan suddenly stopped and transformed into a uniquely patterned Mangekyou. 

"I'd like to know—what makes my Sasuke qualified for Ryuchi Cave to make such a choice?" 

Behind him, Mikoto held onto Sasuke, who was twitching at the corner of his eye. Her stance made it clear: if Ichikishimahime didn't give a proper answer, she wasn't letting go. 

Ichikishimahime tilted her head in confusion. 

"You… can't see the Rinnegan in Sasuke-sama's eye?" 

Fugaku: "..." 

He quickly turned to look at Sasuke. 

There, in his eye— 

 A single purple Tomoe Rinnegan stood out clearly. 

Fugaku fell silent. 

Huh? Rinne-what? What was this again? 

"Smack!" 

Sasuke couldn't help but facepalm. 

Why did he even think his father might be reliable for a second? 

He had assumed that the moment he walked in, his father had noticed his eye and was just pretending not to care. 

But no—he actually hadn't noticed at all? 

No, this was too much. 

Sasuke pushed past the two people in front of him, stepping forward to face them with Ichikishimahime behind him. 

"She can be trusted. So, Father, put away your Mangekyou. Mother, you don't need to be so tense. And as for you, Ichikishimahime…" 

Sasuke turned to look at her. She stood there, looking as well-behaved as ever. 

He sighed. 

"I know what the snakes of Ryuchi Cave are like. I've spent a long time dealing with them before. I'm not asking you to change, but tone it down a bit—don't go scaring people." 

"I understand, Sasuke-sama." 

Ichikishimahime bowed respectfully. 

Sasuke then turned back to his still-dazed parents. 

"I'm heading to my room. Call me when it's time to eat. I need to sort some things out." 

With that, he didn't bother waiting for their reactions and walked off toward his room. 

Ichikishimahime originally planned to leave as well but, recalling Sasuke's words, hesitated for a moment. She then gave a slight bow to Fugaku and Mikoto before floating away to follow Sasuke. 

Fugaku and Mikoto remained silent.

The two exchanged glances, and in the end, Fugaku, looking heartbroken, was the first to speak. "I thought Sasuke was just fickle, but at least his interests were in humans. I never imagined… sigh, this is all my fault. If only I had raised him properly, he wouldn't have—" 

"Bang!" 

With a dark expression, Mikoto smacked Fugaku over the head with a spatula, sending him crashing into the floor. "When you wake up, go investigate Ryūchi Cave properly." 

Fugaku, now embedded in the floor, didn't respond. Not that he could. 

But Mikoto wasn't worried about whether Fugaku could gather information. If he really couldn't… well, there was always Minato next door. Mount Myōboku surely had knowledge about Ryūchi Cave. 

What? Fugaku and Minato had a personal grudge? 

Like I care. If you don't believe me, I'll go tell my dad! 

—— 

**PS:** This is my own take on things. While the original story does mention only a few sages, it never explicitly defines what a sage is or whether mastering natural energy automatically makes someone a sage. Since there's no official rule, I'll just tweak things a bit for the sake of the story. 

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