Soon, Ryou met the legendary White Snake Sage.
The White Snake Sage was located at the shrine's altar inside the temple; it was a White Scaled Serpent with golden rings on its tail.
A pipe was clenched in its mouth, and its incredibly long body was coiled upon its throne.
Tagitsuhime and Ichikishimahime stood on either side of the White Snake Sage, looking like flute-playing maidens serving the sage.
Ryou quietly released his sensory abilities to perceive the White Snake Sage's chakra, but he sensed nothing at all.
This only served to make it more terrifying.
The mystery and the inability to grasp its power made the founder of Ryūchi Cave seem to transcend dimensions.
Ryou set aside any thoughts of confrontation and bowed to the White Snake Sage, saying, "Founder White Snake, I have finally met you. I have long admired you."
"I especially wish to receive your teachings and become your disciple."
The White Snake Sage took a puff of its pipe, not knowing what to say.
This wicked Uchiha would even mumble about backstabbing Madara in his dreams; why would he care about an outlier like it?
But kind words are always better than insults.
Back then, when Indra came to Ryūchi Cave, he treated the White Snake Sage like a mere animal.
How could the White Snake Sage have become his Summoned Beast? How could Ryūchi Cave have become a sacred land worshiped by the Uchiha Clan?
Regardless of what Ryou truly thought, his attitude at least satisfied the White Snake Sage and the two Snake Princesses.
He wasn't like those Uchiha who held their heads high and looked at others with disdain.
The White Snake Sage exhaled a cloud of smoke and looked at Ryou, saying, "Uchiha Ryou, I have heard of your deeds. It is a form of fate for someone from the Uchiha Clan to come to my Ryūchi Cave."
"You should already know the method for training in Sage Transformation at my Ryūchi Cave, right?"
Ryou nodded. The method for training in Sage Transformation at Ryūchi Cave involved the White Snake Sage injecting natural energy; if one survived, they became a Sage, and if not, they became a feast.
Ryou was already prepared.
"Founder, I am ready. Give me a bite!"
"(￣△￣;)."
The White Snake Sage's movements stiffened slightly.
The White Snake Sage was not some old monster living in isolation; it was connected to the earth and could hear every sound in the Shinobi World.
Except for a few special places, the White Snake Sage knew everything that happened in the outside world.
It kept up with the trends and naturally understood the double meaning in Ryou's words.
The White Snake Sage shook its head and then set down its pipe. "In that case, I won't waste your time."
The White Snake Sage suddenly bared its fangs and lunged at Ryou.
Candy moved to swing the Gunbai to attack, but managed to restrain itself.
The White Snake Sage's fangs sank into Ryou's neck. It wasn't just injecting natural energy; it also injected its own Mamba Venom.
"Uchiha Ryou, see your true self!"
The White Snake Sage didn't just inject him with its powerful Senjutsu chakra; it also cast a Genjutsu on him.
It was a realistic Genjutsu similar to Tsukuyomi, forcing Ryou to see the most terrifying images within his heart.
After biting Ryou, the White Snake Sage retreated back to its throne to puff on its pipe, quietly waiting for Ryou to bear fruit.
Candy immediately formed hand seals. It had Ryou's spores within its body, and standing on Ryou's shoulder, it could trigger the chakra within him.
Ryou had anticipated that he would lose control over his body when injected with the Mamba Venom.
So he let Candy take control of his body in his stead.
For instance, if he were near death and didn't actively guide the spores to sustain his life, he would die; that's when he needed his partner's control.
Candy formed seals, controlling Ryou's body to summon Susanoo, followed by a double defense formed of Wood Release and Magnet Release.
Two Wood Dragons stood guard by his side, and Magnet Release formed an iron sand armor that merged with Susanoo.
Then, it injected the Seven-Tails' Chakra into his back, forming three pairs of Chomei wings, ready to fly away at a moment's notice.
At this moment, Ryou was encased in a turtle shell. Whether the White Snake Sage or the Snake Princesses of Ryūchi Cave had any designs on him, they would first have to break through the Wood Dragons and then smash his turtle shell.
After completing these preparations, Candy checked the expressions of the White Snake Sage and the two Great Snake Princesses; they were merely waiting quietly for Ryou to endure the Senjutsu chakra.
There wasn't the slightest flicker of emotion on their faces.
But Candy couldn't afford to be careless, its cat paws remaining in the seal-forming position.
Ryou's massive amount of chakra was far too tempting.
It didn't believe for a second that the White Snake Sage wouldn't be tempted.
Candy then turned its attention to Ryou. At this moment, Ryou's eyes were dull, having lost their lively spark.
His skin color began to turn a deep brown; this was the color of mutation caused by absorbing natural energy.
Ryou didn't scream in pain because he had already fallen into a world of Genjutsu.
In this world, Ryou had lost all memories of his past life and had become a mediocre Uchiha living in the Uchiha compound.
One evening, while out walking his cat, he suddenly saw his eldest nephew perched on a utility pole.
"Itachi, come down quickly! You can't stand on utility poles!"
...
Outside.
Orochimaru led Tagorihime and others as they burst into the White Snake Sage's cave, only to be blocked by Shinga.
Shinga was controlled by Ryou's Sharingan, acting like a loyal Uchiha servant.
"Halt!"
Tobirama looked at the reflection of the Sharingan in Shinga's single eye and said, "Ryou has already entered the White Snake Sage's cave!"
Orochimaru shouted to Manda, "Manda, take it down!"
The purple-scaled, dragon-horned snake lunged forward, engaging Shinga in battle.
Orochimaru took the opportunity to rush inside.
After entering the cave, Orochimaru saw Female Orochimaru, Anko, Yamato, and the others.
Orochimaru was startled to see Female Orochimaru. He was certain this was his clone, but how had it become a woman?
Furthermore, he had already lost his connection with it.
Anko saw Orochimaru and wanted to rush over, but she suddenly remembered that this Orochimaru was the one who had hurt her.
He wasn't the Female Orochimaru by her side who cared for her.
"..."
Both sides fell into a brief silence.
Tobirama, Kagami, and Dan all noticed something; Orochimaru's clone seemed to be at odds with his own will.
Orochimaru looked gloomily at Female Orochimaru. "A clone should return to the main body. Come back to me now!"
Female Orochimaru sneered. "Main body, this is the consequence of you splitting your soul so recklessly. I am independent of you."
"I do not acknowledge your will. You have no love for Anko; you only have eyes for yourself."
Tobirama understood; this was a split personality, a soul rebelling against its master.
A person is never just a single entity; they are a complex manifestation of countless interwoven personalities.
In different situations, different moods, and when facing different people, a person will show completely different sides.
Gentle to the weak, ruthless to enemies.
Quiet when alone, flamboyant when in the world; restrained in public, yet mad in the depths of the heart.
These are not disguises, but different facets that truly exist.
No single side can represent the whole person; all emotions, personalities, and choices are interwoven to constitute a real human being.
Even Satori, which can see through the core of one's nature, cannot see a person clearly; it can only read that person's psychology at the moment, not their entire life.
No one can truly understand a person, because humans are three-dimensional beings; trying to understand a person's heart from a single point or a single facet is harder than reaching the heavens.
This female Orochimaru possessed Orochimaru's kind nature. Because she had obtained a physical form through some kind of power, she was now an individual independent of the main body.
Tobirama felt that this Orochimaru possessed more humanity and was more in line with Konoha's interests.