Chapter 259: Speedrunning Ryūchi Cave

"Do you even have any idea what kind of place Ryūchi Cave truly is?"

The Great White Snake Sage stared intensely at Nagato, asking in a grave tone.

"Actions speak louder than words, white snake sage."

Shinho spoke calmly, his face composed.

Banshō Ten'in!

Nagato raised his hand.

A powerful gravitational force erupted forth.

The Great White Snake Sage staggered forward, caught by the pull.

A surge of senjutsu chakra burst out of her body, forming a protective barrier around her.

The force dragging her weakened considerably.

"Ichikishima-hime! Kill him!"

The Great White Snake Sage resisted the gravitational force, her voice cold.

Ichikishima-hime stood beside Nagato.

If she launched a sudden strike, the attack would surely succeed.

However, to the Sage's surprise, Ichikishima-hime remained motionless.

What's going on?

The Great White Snake Sage's expression froze in confusion.

She didn't believe that Ichikishima-hime would betray Ryūchi Cave.

At that moment, a sharp chirping sound rang out.

Sasuke hurled a dazzling spear of lightning.

"Tagitsu-hime!"

The Great White Snake Sage shouted again.

Tagitsu-hime did not respond to her call.

The Sage understood at last.

The Three Snake Princesses of Ryūchi Cave had been completely controlled.

What kind of technique is this?!

The Great White Snake Sage's face darkened as she waved her hand.

Her senjutsu chakra transformed into invisible sound waves.

The sound waves coiled around the incoming lightning spear.

Crack!

The lightning spear shattered, scattering into blue sparks.

Shinho Aburame's gaze sharpened.

Fire Pupil Gu!

Crimson flames suddenly manifested in the air.

Wherever his gaze fell, everything was consumed by destruction.

The Great White Snake Sage felt an intense sense of impending doom.

I can't take this head-on!

She twisted her body, breaking free from the pull of Banshō Ten'in and soared into the air.

Shinho raised his head, following her with his eyes.

The crimson flames pursued relentlessly.

While flying, the Great White Snake Sage clapped her hands together.

Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!

The ground shifted, raising two massive stone pillars.

One set of pillars shot into the sky, forming walls to shield her on all sides.

The other set of pillars morphed into countless white serpents, lunging toward Sasuke and the others.

The Fire Pupil Gu's flames reached first.

The crimson fire collided with the stone pillars, erupting into a fierce blaze.

Sage Art: Invisibility!

The Great White Snake Sage glanced at the flames before her body gradually faded from sight.

On the ground, countless serpents slithered forward in a massive swarm, closing in rapidly on Sasuke and his companions.

Shinra Tensei!

Centered around Nagato, a powerful shockwave erupted outward.

The serpents were flung away uncontrollably.

Sasuke's response was even simpler.

A cold aura surged around him.

His body became enveloped in the purple armour of Susanoo.

Though still in its initial form, the Susanoo's offensive and defensive capabilities were already astounding.

The massive arms of the spectral warrior, controlled by Sasuke, smashed down with a deafening force.

The serpent swarm was instantly crushed into a gory mess.

Even the serpents near Shinho met the same fate.

Seeing this, Shinho withdrew his Primeval essence.

There was no longer any need to continue fighting.

Hidden in the shadows, the Great White Snake Sage's heart trembled.

The Rinnegan and the Mangekyō Sharingan...

And the Three Snake Princesses, under complete control.

This situation was truly troublesome, a complete disaster for her.

Her gaze locked onto Shinho.

She realized that the real mastermind wasn't Nagato, but Shinho.

Moreover, he had casually revealed that Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo was the Sage of Six Paths.

Who exactly is this man?

Everything that had happened today felt abrupt and strange, giving her an inexplicable sense of unease.

One moment, she had been at peace in her lair, and the next, they had come knocking on her door.

The Great White Snake Sage understood the principle of "capture the leader to subdue the enemy."

If she could defeat Shinho, victory would be within her reach.

Her gaze sharpened.

Now was the time to use her true power.

The reason she had survived since the era of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was her overwhelming strength.

Sage Art: White Rage Technique!

The Great White Snake Sage opened her mouth wide and spat.

A crimson dragon-shaped entity appeared in mid-air, holding a black orb.

At that moment, her invisibility dissolved.

Sasuke and the others immediately noticed her presence and prepared to act.

The crimson dragon circled around the black orb.

Boom!

The black orb absorbed the crimson dragon, then exploded.

Countless beams of blinding light shot outward.

The explosion was accompanied by an ear-piercing sound.

Nagato and Sasuke instinctively closed their eyes.

The air quivered violently.

They felt a bone-numbing sensation as intense pain surged all around them.

Their bodies seemed to lose control, frozen in place.

"Argh!"

Sasuke instinctively covered his ears.

The Susanoo enveloping him cracked with a sharp snap and dissipated entirely.

Nagato coughed up blood.

His body had always been frail, and the sudden impact caught him off guard, causing internal damage.

Thankfully, his reaction was quick, and he had achieved the power of the Six Paths.

Raising both hands, he activated the Preta Path's Blocking Technique Absorption Seal, forming an invisible defence in front of him.

The Sage Art: White Rage Technique was being absorbed, though not swiftly.

The Great White Snake Sage's senjutsu chakra was simply overwhelming.

Shinho frowned slightly.

His body's resilience was far superior, bolstered further by the Turtle Shell Wolf Skin Gu, so he wasn't as affected as Sasuke or Nagato.

In the original series, the Sage Art: White Rage Technique was performed by Kabuto in Sage Mode.

Upon usage, it immobilized Itachi and Sasuke, even forcing Sasuke's Susanoo to dissipate.

In that battle, if not for Izanami, Kabuto might have won.

It wasn't surprising that the Great White Snake Sage could use this technique, after all, Kabuto's Sage Mode and sage arts originated from Ryūchi Cave.

Shinho glanced at Nagato and Sasuke before activating the Six-Armed Heavenly Zombie King form.

There was no need to waste time.

The sooner this was over, the sooner he could go home and eat.

An endless aura of death enveloped him.

His body suddenly expanded and grew taller, his visage transforming into that of a terrifying demon god, with six massive arms manifesting slowly.

The powers of heaven, earth, water, and fire swirled around him.

The vibrations caused by the Sage Art: White Rage Technique vanished instantly.

"You... What are you?!"

The Great White Snake Sage couldn't even relish her technique's success before exclaiming in disbelief.

She had lived for millennia, witnessed countless beings, but she had never seen anything like the Six-Armed Heavenly Zombie King.

More importantly… Danger!

An unprecedented sense of dread washed over her.

A whooshing sound pierced the air as Shinho's eight fists struck out simultaneously.

Space warped, and the entire Ryūchi Cave seemed to tremble.

The Great White Snake Sage let out a deafening roar.

Sage Art: Thought Wave!

Countless invisible waves converged to form a massive wall.

But in the next second, it shattered.

The Great White Snake Sage's heart sank.

How can he be this strong?!

Her enormous reserve of senjutsu chakra gathered rapidly.

Her body ruptured, and her robe shredded apart.

The elderly, kindly-looking woman transformed into a colossal white serpent.

Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!

The ground cracked open as countless rocks and clumps of earth shot out, forming a barrier in front of her.

Shinho's expression remained unchanged as he continued forward.

Dust billowed into the air.

His fist punched through the barrier, landing directly on the Great White Snake Sage.

A burst of overwhelming force erupted.

Her supposedly indestructible scales shattered with a thunderous crack.

The Great White Snake Sage let out a horrific scream.

But in the next instant, her body vanished.

All that remained was a discarded white snakeskin.

Shinho turned around.

The blinding light from the Sage Art: White Rage Technique still lingered.

But it had little effect on him.

This was because he could draw power directly from the world around him.

In essence, he had achieved harmony with the heavens and the earth.

The powers of sky, earth, fire, and water were at his command.

Not far away, the Great White Snake Sage watched him with lingering fear.

Just moments ago, she had felt the arrival of death.

Just one punch was terrifying enough.

And Shinho now had eight fists.

The Great White Snake Sage's eyes were filled with disbelief.

Would she have to abandon Ryūchi Cave?

No, that's impossible!

"So, you're here."

A calm voice rang out.

The Great White Snake Sage's soul nearly left her body.

Did my invisibility fail?

This was the first time in centuries that something like this had happened.

She had no time to think.

Through the blinding light, a fist came hurtling toward her once more.

Her massive body had nowhere to hide.

She could only defend.

A torrent of senjutsu chakra surged outward, forming white scales over her body.

Boom!

Eight fists rained down like a storm.

"Ahhh!"

The Great White Snake Sage spewed a mouthful of foul-smelling blood.

But she wasn't dead.

After enduring the first wave of attacks, she twisted her head and lunged at Shinho, fangs bared.

Her sharp teeth glinted.

Shinho didn't dodge. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the Great White Snake Sage's enormous body.

Heh!

A savage yet delighted gleam flashed in the Great White Snake Sage's giant serpent eyes.

Her sharp fangs sank toward Shinho's neck.

But in the next moment, she froze in shock.

Her fangs didn't pierce through his skin.

What kind of defense is this?!

The Great White Snake Sage's heart sank.

Her fangs were considered some of the strongest natural weapons in the ninja world.

This is bad!

She realized that her body had been completely seized.

Her shedding technique couldn't be used again in such a short time.

She had no other means of escape.

Gritting her teeth, she coiled her massive serpent body tightly around Shinho.

This was the serpent's constriction!

Compared to raw strength, constriction was far more deadly.

The immense pressure from all sides would cause a victim's blood vessels and body to rupture.

Shinho's body began to tremble.

It's working!

The Great White Snake Sage let out a silent breath of relief.

She didn't hesitate and poured all her senjutsu chakra into the attack.

"I have to admit, quite the Impressive strength you have."

Shinho's calm voice broke through the tension.