Candy looked at Yumiko on the ground and asked Ryou, "How should we deal with these people?"
Ryou stroked his chin and thought for a moment; the Sage Enzyme in the Jugo Clan's bodies was undoubtedly the best experimental material for researching natural energy.
It would be a waste to kill them all.
He ordered, "Take them to Hozuki Castle to plant cotton!"
Candy nodded and called for Satori, telling him to take the Jugo Clan to Hozuki Castle to plant cotton.
Satori was a bit angry; he was in the middle of eating! Not even letting him finish his meal—how was he supposed to live?
Seeing Satori hiss, Candy's gaze sharpened as electricity surged from its claws: "Are you trying to rebel?"
Satori immediately softened; Candy was the chief royal advisor by Ryou's side, and Satori didn't dare to disobey it.
Satori then activated the Summoning Jutsu, summoning the Box of Ultimate Bliss from Hozuki Castle.
Under Satori's control, the Box of Ultimate Bliss opened its giant demonic mouth and sucked in all the people of the Jugo Clan.
Ryou wasn't worried about the Jugo Clan rioting once they reached Hozuki Castle.
Hozuki Castle was currently guarded by Shinobi from Kusagakure.
Although Kusagakure was a small hidden Village, they could still scrape together a dozen or so Jonin.
While the Jugo Clan's Sage Transformation could greatly boost their combat power, their combat experience was too shallow; they could only take advantage of ordinary people.
They were clearly no match for Shinobi who specialized in warfare.
Furthermore, Hozuki Castle was also guarded by Ryou's Great Tree of Takigakure; a single vine could easily deal with the Jugo Clan.
Satori took the Box of Ultimate Bliss and visited Jugo's Village, sucking in all the living people—men, women, children, the elderly, and the infirm—into the box.
With this, Jugo's Village was completely destroyed.
It was just as well that it was destroyed; they could never solve the problem of their Sage Transformation rampages and had long been on the path to destruction.
And to be honest, they were actually just a group of livestock raised by Ryūchi Cave.
Ryou taking them to plant cotton and build a fortune was actually saving them.
Satori then summoned the Box of Ultimate Bliss back, and Candy used Telepathy to instruct the people at Hozuki Castle to receive the Jugo Clan.
These people were a bit unruly, so he specifically ordered the Kusagakure Shinobi to give them a hundred lashes as soon as they arrived to tame them properly.
Ryou then led Candy and the others to the cave where the Jugo Clan sacrificed to the Snake Sage, which was also the entrance to Ryūchi Cave.
Walking out of Jugo's Village and climbing up the mountain, there was a massive snake-shaped cave.
Inside the cave, a chill and a faint fishy smell intertwined and drifted about; the rock walls were perpetually damp with cold water droplets, making even the firelight appear dim and stagnant.
The most prominent feature was an altar in the center.
The White Snake Sage's altar was carved from a single piece of dark bluish-black giant rock, rising in three circular tiers with surfaces covered in intersecting deep and shallow grooves.
Eight thick stone pillars stood at the edge of the altar, each wound with a lifelike stone carving of a giant serpent.
In the center of the altar was a stone statue of the White Snake Sage, depicted as a giant white python.
The statue was carved from dark cyan stone, its entire body covered in mottled moss and cracks from the erosion of time, possessing a suffocating ferocity.
The snake's head was massive, tilted slightly back with its mouth wide open, as if it wanted to take all living beings into its sight and devour them completely.
Looking at the statue of the White Snake Sage, Ryou felt as if he were being pressured by an ancient snake demon.
The White Snake Sage is truly not to be underestimated!
From the interrogation of Yumiko, it was known that the Jugo Clan's sacrifices to the White Snake Sage were human sacrifices, specifically placing the clan's children into the giant mouth of the white snake statue.
Then the child would disappear; according to the Jugo Clan, the child had ascended to the Sage Realm to become an attendant by the White Snake Sage's side.
What a 'good' thing that was.
Katsuyu's feelers pointed toward the giant mouth of the white python statue and said, "That is the entrance to Ryūchi Cave. Once you enter it, you will be transported to Ryūchi Cave."
"Alright, my guidance to you ends here. It is time for me to leave."
Ryou tried to make her stay: "Katsuyu, thank you. How about this, I'll give you some local specialties."
"Pah!"
Katsuyu spat a mouthful of acidic slime at Ryou: "You evil Uchiha, don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"
"I'm warning you, don't you dare hurt Lady Tsunade, or there will be hell to pay."
"Katsuyu, you're getting out of line!"
Ryou dodged Katsuyu's acidic slime and was about to teach her a lesson, but the other party turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished.
As she left, Katsuyu reminded Ryou: "Be careful of the White Snake Sage; it is not a benevolent creature!"
Ryou walked up to the statue of the white python, looking at the stone snake whose eye sockets were embedded with deep purple dark crystals, which seemed to shoot out cold glints.
It gave off a truly intimidating feeling.
Ryou naturally knew the White Snake Sage wasn't a good person, but he had no choice. Having discarded his moral baseline, no righteous sages were willing to teach him Senjutsu.
Ryou walked toward the giant mouth of the white python; every step felt like walking toward hell.
Candy followed, jumping onto Ryou's shoulder.
Ryou stroked its head and said, "Candy, Ryūchi Cave is very dangerous. Stay outside so you can summon and rescue me at any time."
Candy enjoyed Ryou's stroking and said, "I'm keeping in constant contact with Fish Ball and the others. If there's danger, I'll naturally have them summon you."
"You kept us all in the dark when you first defected; this time, you aren't allowed to continue shouldering everything alone."
"Candy, you guy!"
Ryou held Candy to his chest and appointed an heir on the spot.
"Candy, from today on, you are the first-in-line successor to my position as General! I bestow upon you the title of General of Heavenly Policy!"
Candy was speechless: "Better not. Why would a cat like me be an heir? Leave it for your and Tsunade's child!"
Ryou carried Candy into the giant mouth of the white python, while Satori stayed in the Jugo Clan's sacrificial cave, devouring the negative energy within it in large gulps.
This sacrificial cave was the most negative place in Jugo's Village; Satori could perceive a great deal of gathered resentment, all from the hatred of those who had been used as human sacrifices.
Loneliness, fear, sadness, despair...
Ryou shouted at Satori: "Satori, what the hell are you eating? Get the hell over here!"
Satori felt numb and hurriedly followed obediently.
It wanted to say that its mission was over once it brought Ryou to Ryūchi Cave and it should go back to eating.
But the electricity in Ryou's hand would not understand its plight.
This is what a slave with no human rights looks like!
Slowly, Ryou felt a space-time power coming over them; they were being transported into the barrier of Ryūchi Cave.
Ryou thought about the White Snake Sage: "The White Snake Sage is a female snake, right?"
"I definitely have to see her human form when the time comes."