Myobokuzan.
Inside a simple and ancient temple, on a massive throne, an old toad wearing a necklace inscribed with the character for "oil" was sleeping deeply with its eyes closed.
This was the Great Toad Sage of Myobokuzan, capable of prophesying fragments of the future.
Suddenly, its wrinkled eyelids trembled slightly, as if it had fallen into some profound dream.
Within the dream, the originally clear images concerning the Child of Prophecy began to blur, as if shrouded by a layer of azure mist.
Immediately after, behind that mist, an unimaginably vast azure figure slowly appeared. Even the brief glimpse of its silhouette alone radiated an ancient, soul-terrifying pressure.
The appearance of this azure figure caused the original trajectory of the prophecy to undergo an unpredictable deviation.
"..."
The Great Toad Sage on the throne moved its lips a few times, uttering several indistinct syllables, before slowly opening its turbid eyes.
The Great Sage Fukasaku and the Great Sage Shima, who were standing by in attendance, immediately noticed the movement and hurried forward.
"Great Lord Sage, you are awake?"
The Great Toad Sage's gaze was still somewhat dazed as it slowly spoke:
"Hmm, had a strange dream..."
"The Child of Prophecy... the future's trajectory... has become blurred..."
It paused, then continued slowly:
"There is one... azure... enormous... shadow... that has appeared..."
"Very blurry... cannot see clearly... but it... has changed... many things..."
After saying this, the Great Toad Sage seemed to have exhausted its energy. Its eyelids began to droop again, its head nodding, and it soon fell back into a deep sleep.
This left the two toad sages looking at each other, their faces filled with shock and bewilderment.
Shima spoke urgently:
"Father of the children, what does the Great Lord mean? An azure, enormous shadow? Could it be that besides the Child of Prophecy, there is another variable?"
Fukasaku frowned deeply and said gravely:
"The Great Lord's prophecies have never been wrong before, but such a description is a first."
"The Child of Prophecy's trajectory being interfered with is absolutely no small matter! We must relay this news to Little Jiraiya as soon as possible!"
"Right! We must quickly contact Little Jiraiya and have him be extra vigilant in the outside world!" Shima nodded repeatedly.
Heavy with concern, the two toad sages decided to immediately use the Reverse Summoning Technique to contact Jiraiya, who was far away at the front lines between Iwagakure and Konoha, to inform him of this sudden variable.
...
Ryūchi Cave, in stark contrast to the peace and tranquility of Myobokuzan.
Here it was dark, damp, the air permeated with the unique fishy smell of snakes. Bizarre rocks stood jagged, caves twisted and turned, deep and unfathomable.
In the most grand and vast underground cavern, the massive Manda was coiled up, its enormous body trembling.
It was completely different from the arrogant and haughty serpent it presented to Orochimaru and Sora.
Because it sensed that several auras, far more powerful and ancient than itself, were locked onto it.
Above the cavern, on a massive stone throne, coiled an old woman dressed in a white robe. Two distinct protrusions had already formed on her head, her face eerie yet majestic.
She was the ruler of Ryūchi Cave, who had lived for unknown ages - the White Snake Sage!
At this moment, she held a long smoking pipe in her hand, slowly exhaling a puff of smoke. Her golden serpentine pupils gazed down indifferently at the trembling Manda below.
"Manda... I heard you were frightened out of your wits by a human, didn't even dare to engage, and fled back in disgrace?"
Manda's body stiffened, and it hurriedly defended itself:
"Great White Snake Sage! That... that brat is no ordinary human at all! The aura on him... that kind of pressure... is definitely... is..."
"Is what?"
The White Snake Sage narrowed her eyes. In the surrounding darkness, three other alluring yet dangerous figures faintly appeared. These were the three Snake Sages of Ryūchi Cave - Kōjinja, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime.
They also looked at Manda with curiosity, their eyes carrying mockery and inquiry.
Manda mustered its courage and hissed:
"Dragon's might! Pure dragon's might! I swear on my soul! That was definitely a higher life form suppressing beings like us! In front of him, I... I could barely even muster the thought to attack!"
"Oh?" The White Snake Sage put down her pipe, leaning forward slightly. A glint flashed in her golden vertical pupils. "Pure dragon's might? Do you know the consequences of deceiving me?"
"I dare not! Manda absolutely dares not deceive the Sage!" Manda hurriedly lowered its head even further.
The White Snake Sage fell silent for a moment, then slowly raised one hand, making a grasping motion towards Manda from a distance.
"Since you are so certain, let this old one see for myself."
An invisible force instantly enveloped Manda. Manda felt as if its memories were being roughly flipped through and extracted by an invisible hand. The intense pain made it let out a hiss, but it dared not offer the slightest resistance.
The White Snake Sage closed her eyes, sensing the images and aura extracted from Manda's memory.
It was a figure enveloped in green energy steam and a faint azure glow, a pair of azure-gold vertical pupils cold and majestic.
When that dragon's might aura originating from Sora, actively stimulated, transmitted through the memory, even someone as powerful as the White Snake Sage, her fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.
She abruptly opened her eyes, filled with disbelief and a trace of... fervor!
"Indeed... it truly is the pure might of a genuine dragon!"
"Even through memory, this sense of hierarchical oppression cannot be faked! So pure... so noble..."
She had lived countless years, having herself shed her mundane serpent body and evolved into a "jiaolong," closer to a dragon. But she remained separated from the legendary realm of the true dragon by an insurmountable chasm.
And now, she had actually sensed the long-cherished aura of a true dragon on a human!
"White Snake Sage, now that it's confirmed, should we immediately take action and 'invite' that human back?"
Among the three Snake Sages, the more impatient Tagitsuhime licked her lips, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.
Ichikishimahime also chimed in:
"That's right, as long as we capture him and study the secret on him, perhaps our Ryūchi Cave can truly give birth to a genuine dragon!"
However, the White Snake Sage slowly shook her head.
"No, we must not act recklessly."
Her gaze swept over the three Snake Sages, finally settling back on the memory fragment of Manda, her tone grave:
"You underestimate 'dragons' too much. For this person to emit such pure dragon's might, his essence likely already transcends the mundane. What he showed Manda might only be the tip of the iceberg."
"Rashly making an enemy is extremely unwise. Moreover, dragons have an innate bloodline suppression over serpent and jiaolong kin like us. In a fight, we might not gain the upper hand."
Kōjinja seemed thoughtful:
"The Sage means... cooperation?"
The White Snake Sage nodded, a glint of wisdom flashing in her eyes:
"With such an existence, better to befriend than to antagonize. We can dispatch one Snake Sage to the ninja world to find this person and convey the goodwill of Ryūchi Cave."
"We can form a summoning contract with him, grant him the power and support of Ryūchi Cave. At the same time, if we can invite him to grace Ryūchi Cave with his presence... the true dragon aura on him might stimulate our bloodlines, promote metamorphosis, and shorten our path to becoming dragons!"
Thinking that her own realm, stagnant for countless years, might loosen because of this, even the White Snake Sage's heart couldn't help but burn with fervor.
At this moment, Manda, having slightly recovered, cautiously interjected:
"G-great Sage, that human seems to know Orochimaru. Should we try from Orochimaru's side..."
"Silence!"
The White Snake Sage coldly cut off Manda's words. A terrifying pressure instantly forced Manda to prostrate itself again.
"Orochimaru? A fool without a Kekkei Genkai, obsessed with forbidden techniques, is worthy of interfering in Ryūchi Cave's pursuit of the true dragon?"
The White Snake Sage's tone carried undisguised contempt.
"This person carries the secret of the true dragon, the one opportunity for our serpent kin in thousands of years! We of Ryūchi Cave must make contact personally,不容 (not allowing) any outsiders to interfere!"
She paused, as if thinking of something, and turned her gaze towards the usually silent Ichikishimahime.
"Also, those old toads of Myobokuzan likely won't be completely unaware. The Great Toad Sage's prophetic ability has always been troublesome..."
"Ichikishimahime, you excel at stealth and concealment. You personally go to the outskirts of Myobokuzan, monitor secretly, and pay attention to their movements. If they intend to contact that 'Dragon,' report back at once!"
"Yes, White Snake Sage-sama." Ichikishimahime bowed to accept the order, her figure slowly merging into the darkness.
"Tagitsuhime." The White Snake Sage looked at another Snake Sage. "The task of finding that 'Dragon' is entrusted to you. Remember, treat him with courtesy, focus on probing, and try to ascertain his attitude and needs as much as possible."
"Understood, I will certainly 'entertain' this honored guest properly."
Tagitsuhime gave a coy laugh, a glimmer of keen interest flashing in her eyes. Her body twisted, transforming into a stream of light and disappearing outside the cave.
The vast cavern was left with only the White Snake Sage, Kōjinja, and Manda still prostrate on the ground.
The White Snake Sage picked up her pipe again, taking a deep puff. Amidst the swirling smoke, her gaze seemed to penetrate countless layers of rock, seeing that conflict-ridden ninja world, seeing that youth bearing the power of the Azure Dragon.
"The true dragon appears in the world... the ninja world... is about to change."
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